A short burst of static burst from the speakers and snapped him back to the present. He glanced down at the stereo, still furtively seeking yet finding no station. There'd be no signal out here, but as soon as he got to where he'd find one, this was the easiest way to know. He leaned towards the steering wheel to peer up towards the sky. It was maybe noon or 1 pm. Certainly no later than 2. Could it be 3? He had no idea how long he'd been driving and the broken clock on the dash was absolutely no help. The landscape to the right and left, well, there really wasn't any. Flat, flat desert sand. The occasional cactus. Every so often, a dirt track would cut away to the left or the right, but he knew they wouldn't lead anywhere, to leave the road would be a one-way trip. The road was cracked and uneven under his tires, but he pushed forward, heading north, he hoped. At times, the dusty red sand cover the pavement, billowing around the car as he sailed through. He hadn't seen any tracks, but even his wouldn't be visible for long, the dust settling back down after he passed in the still, windless air. Plenty of gas in the car. In the early morning he'd come across a deserted gas station and helped himself to gas, filling the car and the scavenged cans that filled the trunk. But that was the last structure he'd come across. A few hours ago, even the power lines had deserted him, veering off to the right disappearing beyond the horizon. Since then, it had simply been him and the road. Far in the distance, a slight ridge, and smoke beyond that. He leaned back in his seat, tapping his finger on the dash, humming to try to stay alert. He no longer remembered where this road led, but the more he drove, the further he'd be from where he'd been.
(I cheated, this took longer then 120 seconds to write. Any resemblance to anything you'd read is hopefully coincidental.)