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Chapter Sixteen
Branson
The fresh air doesn’t help the pounding in my head but it does make my mind feel clear and certain. We should be a lot more concerned with what is coming next, how we’re not only on the run still but now our pictures are out. But somehow the peace here makes it easy to push those thoughts aside.
Death and suffering shouldn’t exist in such a beautiful place.
I look over to Mia and feel my heart clench. As much as I want to just enjoy this right now, we do need to think about what is next. I need to protect her. The sky is beginning to darken, and I slow to a stop.
“We should start heading back, figuring out what’s next,” I tell her, leaving a hint of remorse in my voice. She sighs but nods and we turn around, going the exact way we came.
“Do you think we could go north, to Canada?” she asks randomly.
“Sure,” I reply slowly. “I don’t care too much where we go. North is as good a direction as any.”
“I always wanted to try poutine.”
“Poutine?”
“It’s like french fries with gravy and cheese curds,” she replies, licking her lips.
I crinkle my nose. “If you say so.”
She smiles and pushes my arm lightly. “Trust me, it’ll be amazing.”
“All right, little doll, poutine it is.”
???
It doesn’t seem to take us very long to get back, but the sky gets dark quickly and by the time we are walking through the main part of the park and playground, dusk has set. The peace of the afternoon seems to melt away and I immediately feel on edge. My headache pounds so badly it actually makes it hard to see for a moment. When I blink a few times it helps and the distant lights of the city are visible in the distance, the red vacancy light of the motel down the street to our right.
“Let’s go.” I keep her hand in mind, my eyes moving as we head toward the motel. A few of the regulars hang out in the parking lot, scum I regret we haven’t had the time to take out. Oh well. I have a feeling wherever we go in the world, there will always be pieces of shit for us to take out together. Dark and selfish avengers.
One of the drug dealers eyes us as we pass, but we move quickly to our room, locking the door behind us. We were only here ten hours ago, but everything has changed since then.
Mia immediately walks over to the TV and flicks it on, flipping it over to a news channel where, sure enough, our faces are in the right corner. I’m already digging through the slit on the side of the mattress, pulling out the two pistols we purchased but haven’t used, as well as the rest of our money. I pause as the news reporter begins to speak.
“Police have not confirmed suspicions that the recent string of murders, including a fire outside of town, are related to these two—names unknown. However, they are currently considered armed and dangerous. In just a few moments we’ll share the clip from this morning where Darlene Lugos speaks about her experience.”
I stop listening after that, slamming my hand down on the table.
“Fuck!”
Mia jumps from her perch on the bed but doesn’t say anything. My hands go up to my temples and squeeze in an attempt to release the pressure. It helps briefly and I open my eyes to go for my bag before realizing my pills are in the car.
“Start packing,” I tell her as I grab the keys. “I’ll be right back.”
The trip to the car is blissfully uneventful and even with my shit driving abilities I manage to move it down the block. We got rid of the station wagon ages ago, but there’s no way to know when or if they connect us with this one. I curse my own ignorance of the world. Maybe if I knew more about how this shit worked, I could have kept us safe, hidden. Then again, maybe people who go around killing other people don’t stay hidden for long, no matter who they are.
With the car re-parked, I grab the small prescription bottle and shake it, noting how there’s only a few pills left. I sit there for a moment staring at the bottle and realize there’s no way I’ll be able to get more. I can’t go back to the doctor and even if I could, we don’t have much money left. The doctor told me what would happen if I stopped taking them. Told me it was amazing I didn’t have worse side effects already, a miracle really. The pills wouldn’t cure me but would buy me time and lessen the pain.
Without them….
The realization of what that really means hits me, and it isn’t until I go to try to take out a pill that I realize my hands are shaking. Five pills left. I pop two into my mouth, the bottle with the remainder squeezed tightly in my fist.
I always knew my days with Mia would be limited, but fuck do I wish I had more. I never expected it would be because of something like this. At least I do have enough time to get her somewhere safe, away from this fucking mess and far away from our past.
The pill bottle finds its way back into my pocket along with the car keys. The walk back to the motel seems to take forever, yet no time at all.
“What’s wrong?” she asks almost as soon as I walk back in.
I know I don’t have a talent for lies or deceit.
In two long steps I’m at her side and my lips are on her, the question, forgotten.
