The inside smelled like pine air freshener. He took a quick look around. It was clean, the seats next to it were brown and plush. The driver and passenger seats were still there, as well as the steering wheel. It was a regular SUV converted into a self-driving car. A kind of development. interesting. Her mother tapped on the window and Zelu was startled when the window opened. He and his mother looked at each other for a moment and then they both laughed. “Wow,” his mother said, a look of surprise on her face. “I know,” agreed Zelu.
“Will you be okay?”
“I'm just going to the lake,” Zelu said. “I am alright.”
“Call me if you need me.” I can come pick you up.”
“Please prepare for your journey,” an automated voice announced. His mother jumped backwards, as if the SUV would suddenly crush her.
“Relax, mother,” said Zelu. “Its sensors know you're there. It will not move until you are at a safe distance.
“I'll believe it when I see it,” said her mother.
“You're supposed to.”
As the vehicle slowly moved forward, his mother waved. Zelu waved back.
And then she was all alone, and her life was in the hands of the SUV.
“This is so weird,” he muttered as he watched the steering wheel move on its own. This was the first time that she was sitting alone in a moving vehicle. There was no one there, but she couldn't shake the feeling that someone was there; Some? Was under control. It was as if a ghost was driving. “Or should I say nobody,” he said to himself, laughing.
His happiness vanished when the car stopped to turn onto the main road.
She believed in the science behind self-driving vehicles. This technology had been around for years, and she had been researching this new cab service for the past several months. The idea of being able to order from your phone like Uber and not have to deal with a human being who looks at him strangely, asks strange questions, might be a serial killer, etc. was an amazing idea. More importantly, it would free him from his family. Whenever she asked any of them for a ride, they responded with this strange mixture of pity, control, and duty. He didn't think they even knew they did it. This always made him feel pitiful and childlike, even when one of his younger siblings was driving it. Oh, to be free of that feeling.
Yet, at this moment, she wanted to scream in terror. She dug her nails into the armrest of her chair. Despite all the research and reassurances from the customer service people she spoke to, it was very different now because it was happening in real time. What if something goes wrong and the assessment goes wrong? What if the other driver does something crazy that the SUV can't understand or keep up with? What if a solar flare erupts and the entire car is destroyed?
“Nonsense!” As soon as the SUV turned, she started screaming. “I'm gonna die!”
Then they were on the road. Zelu screamed and laughed with relief, still sweating from the bullets. The vehicle went exactly at the speed limit, which meant everyone else passed him. Many people did a double take, some gestured, and two picked up phones to record video. Zelu was so stressed that he did not pay much attention to it. They were coming towards the highway.