his shadow | eddie munson

↝ chapter six

i ran (so far away) - a flock of segulls
7 | stow away
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maude was way in over her head. eddie had yet to discover her crouching behind his seat. he had been blasting loud rock music and drumming his hands on the steering wheel, sometimes singing alone, something coughing and choking in pain, then moaning and cursing. something was wrong with him. he was hurt, maude could tell this much— she needed to help him. somehow.

"god i really wish i could be vibing with metal right now, but alas!" eddie grumbled, and suddenly the music halted, the van falling into silence. it creaked and spluttered and wind swooshed past his opened passenger window, the engine humming uncomfortably. maude held her breath, scared that if she breathed too loud she would give herself away.

but didn't she want him to find her? didn't she want to help him? to hassle him with questions— to ask him what the hell happened this past week? what happened to chrissy cunningham? to all of the other victims? to him?

eddie cursed as his van slowed suddenly, the engine choking and spluttering. maude could hear eddie banging his hand on the dashboard, as though it would coerce his van to drive better. "you piece of shit, how are you so thirsty? i just filled you up."

the van swerved— maude's eyes widening as her hands flew to the ground to balance herself— and then it pulled into somewhere before it stopped. maude heard eddie grumbling some more as he turned off the ignition and opened his door to exit the van, "you're lucky i couldn't bare parting with you."

when his door shut and she heard him filling the van with gas, she sat up and breathed out, gasping. how had she managed for so long? how hadn't he looked back to check on his van— how hadn't he seen or heard her? how would she continue hiding? would she continue hiding?

maybe if he pulled open the back doors of his van and caught her now, it would be easier. she waited, waited to hear him walk around to the back, to twist the handle intent on grabbing something back there. but he didn't. in fact, she could hear him returning to the driver's seat. had he gone and paid already? how long had she been waiting to be caught? did he even have money? did anybody who was ever on the run ever have enough money? it must be expensive to be on the run— needing to pay for gas, food, drinks, a place to stay— though, perhaps eddie had been residing in his van, hence the mattress and blankets.

her eyes wondered to the blood seeped into the mattress, and the towels atop it. she noticed that mixed with the blood was a darker, gooey substance. she couldn't look at it for longer, so she averted her eyes to the van wall, just as eddie slid back into his driver's seat and started the van, driving off with a sigh.

"always goddamn running," he muttered a short while after. then he hissed. "and the one time i choose not to run—" he started coughing, and the van pulled over again. eddie burst out and maude could hear him throwing up, a string of curse words spluttering out of him in between chucks. maude was stricken as she began to realise how seriously whatever he was suffering from was— he needed help. she couldn't stay in the dark for any longer. so she manoeuvred her way through the two seats and jumped down from the driver's side, landing with a thump.

eddie spun around at this, and when he saw her he cursed and jumped back. "jesus christ, did you just come out from my van?!"

maude didn't know how to talk to him. should she be friendly— greet him, ask him how he's doing, introduce herself? "i... i stowed away."