Dull Little Boy

6

The clock on the dash reads 2:23 and the radio is turned up loud, playing some weird ass pop song. It was 1:43 when I left that hellhole and I'm thankful that I didn't have to walk.

I check the rearview mirror periodically to make sure you haven't caught up yet. It's nearly impossible, seeing that I'm hitting 70 and you don't have a car, but the knot in my stomach has me worried.

Of course, I could just be bleeding.

The dirt road finally ended, black pavement greeting me. I'm unsure which way to go.

Eenie Meanie, Miney Moe. Catch a tiger by his toe. If he hollers let him go. My mamma said to pick the very best one and I don't give a shit.

Right it is.

The road is deserted, which is another blessing. I have no clue on how to drive.

I'm 17 and I haven't ridden in a car in 4 years.

I pull on my seatbelt, gasping at the pain of my wrists and shoulder. Everything hurts, but I figure with all I've been through, it'd be pretty stupid to die from a car accident.

The trees around me start to thin. Still, it's 5:52 before I see another car.

I'm just about to pull over to sleep when I see a community of trailers up ahead. I park in front of them and stumble to the first one I see.

The door begins to blur and suddenly there's two of them. My head lurches forward and I pull back, too much. Now I'm tipping backwards and I grab onto a wooden railing to support myself. My entire body feels like it's shutting down.

Focus, Eli.

The door opens and a man with a beard jumps back when he sees me.

"What the hell happened to ya, kid?" His accent makes it nearly impossible to decipher his words. Either that, or my brain is tricking me.

I manage to grin. "Can I use your shower?"

He looks me up and down. At least, I think that's what he's doing. My eyes have begun to close and I can't force them back open. I'm blind! Wait, no, I can see.

"Why don't ya come inside, kid?" His voice sounds like it's coming from inside a jail cell. I lurch past him and into his trailer. I survey around the room but the details begin to blur. All I can see is a couch.

"Can I sit here?" I ask, waving vaguely at the sofa.

"Sure, kid, whatever ya-" he starts but I'm already there, spread out against the cushions. Sweat drips off my body, like the mere act of laying done required an abundance of energy, something I don't currently have right now. Maybe I can take a loan out of the bank for more.

I giggle at the thought. Out of the corner of my eye, I see the man frown.

"Molly!" He calls, and a dog comes trotting out. The last thing I feel is the dog's tongue against my hand and suddenly I've faded away.

@_@

I wake up gradually. The first time I wake up, there's a man with a beard- you don't have a beard, oh the man from the trailer, who's molly?- and he's talking on the phone.

"— listen, I don't know his name, I already told ya that! He came here early this mornin' asking to use my shower, then crashed on my sofa! I don't know what more ya want... he's asleep, how'm'I supposed to ask him that?!... okay well, he's bleeding everywhere and sweatin' all over...."

My eyes slip shut and refuse to open.

The next time it's much darker. The bearded man is sleeping on the floor. I feel a heavy warmth over my legs and a pair of dark eyes peer at me through the night. It's the dog, Lottie or Molly, something like that.