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Chapter 8

Chapter 8.

We run for a long time. Then we walk. Never talking, barley even acknowledging that we left our friend behind. Our faces are hard set and when we find a road to follow it doesn’t change. I avoid thinking about it. I think bout my old job at Olive Garden, random memories form my childhood. Anything but the things that remind me of what had happened hours ago. When a two truck pulls up next to us, asking where we’re going, Vaughn says we’re just headed to the nearest city.

Well, damn, that’s not for miles,” the middle aged guy in the lead truck says. “We could give yah a ride. Five of yah in my car, five in Dave’s bed.” We accept, making sure he knows we don’t have anything to give him.

Brian, Gil, Ash, and Figgie climb into the front truck’s bed. Brian offers me a hand into it, but I pretend to not notice his outstretched hand. I walk to the other truck, letting Devin get in the red one in front. I sit in the second car with Ella, June, Luke, and Vaughn. I sit in the corner of the white pickup’s bed. The guy up front jabbers on about some game they’re headed to in L A. Football? I don’t even care, but act interested.

Ella and June sit on a large red cooler, common of tailgating, and whisper to each other. Luke and Vaughn are staring out the sides, watching the desert plants and dirt roll by us. I’m not sure what I’m doing. I tell myself that I should be thinking about Alexia, or Pan.

How I left them behind. Didn’t even think about them when we were running. Only myself and how I could get out. We left half of us behind. But aside from thinking about thinking about them my mind won’t let me do it. It’s like a block was put up between us.

“Hey” I hear Brian thought enter my mind.

I distract myself by staring at the clouds in the light blue sky.

“Why didn’t you sit with me?” He seems hurt.

“I just want to think. Without you in my head.” I think.

He doesn’t reply. I wait for one, but it seems he’s left my mind. I let my mind wander and feel the heat of the mid - July sun. My stomach rumbles and I realize that during all the running I hadn’t eaten anything since breakfast, hours earlier. It growls so loudly it’s so my surprise that no one else hears it. I look into the small open window that leads to the cab of the truck.

“You don’t have any food, do you?” I ask him.

“Course we got food!” he says, “Billions of sandwiches in that cooler back there, soda and water and some beer up here in the cab if you are wanting any! Just do not eat everything!” He winks at my in the rear view mirror, smiling like a goof ball. His mustache and goatee are comic.

They look like something a villain on Saturday morning cartoons would have. He laughs and I laugh a little in response, not wanting to seem rude. They were giving us a ride to a town.

“Can I get something out of there?” I ask Ella and June, indicating the cooler under their bums.

“Sure” they mumble, moving off of it and sitting on the bump where the wheel is. I open the white plastic lid covered in cup holder spots and find stacks of sandwiches in zip lock baggies. I grab one off the top, seeing what type it is. Peanut butter and Jelly. I put it back down and look in a another stack. Ham and Cheese, I grab one and shut the lid. I sit back in my corner and open it up.

I pull out and take a bite of it. Mustard. It makes my day the tiniest bit better. I enjoy the sandwich slowly, not knowing when I’ll eat again. Then is when it hits me what we’re doing. What the hell are we doing? Running? From an unconfirmed threat? Yes, they’d shot at us, but we didn’t know why, what they were doing. Where would we sleep? Where would we get food? What would happen when these guys dropped us of at the next town?