Run. Just Run.

Chapter 44

Boomer's eyes cloud up with confusion, and James and Ashley take turns telling him the entire story. As they tell, Boomer uses a variety of faces, sometimes sad, sometimes scared, sometimes nervous, sometimes pity and so on. After a while, they finally finish telling the story. Boomer sits there in silence, digesting everything he'd just heard. Ashley reaches up and wipes tears that are formed in the corners of James' eyes when he was telling about his parents. Then Boomer stands up.

"C'mon over here." He says as he stretches out his arms and envelopes James and Ashley in a big bear hug.

They stand here for a little bit, James and Ashley marveling at how big and warm the hug was, it just felt like they were hugging a giant bear. They felt loved, and not the same way they felt around each other. This was more like cared about, more like a parent's or grandparent's love. Then slowly Boomer let them go, and they reluctantly unwrapped their arms from around him.

"Well now that's quite the story you've got there." Boomer says with compassion in his deep blue, weathered old eyes. "Y'all've gone through so much. Can't believe it, really. So much happenin'...and ya ain't even eighteen."

James and Ashley silently nod while looking up at the big old man in front of them. They've found someone, someone they can trust. Completely trust.

"I feel for ya, I really do." Boomer says soothingly. "An' if they's anyways I kin help, ya tell me!" He says excitedly.

Ashley suppresses a giggle. Whenever Boomer gets excited about something, his accent always gets ten times stronger. She loves it.

"Well, we wanna go see the sheriff." Ashley says with a smile. "He's my uncle."

Boomer's eyes widen yet again. "Lawdy me, I didn't know Sheriff Denton was your uncle!"

James chuckles. "Neither did I, till last night." He says with a glance at Ashley. "And we've been friends for forever." He says ruefully.

"Well, I'll take y'all right over there!" Boomer says as he walks toward the front door. "The store won't miss me whilst I'm gone!"

James and Ashley follow the big man out the door, then down a couple of streets till he turns and walks up a front porch. He bangs on the door with his huge hand and after a second, the door opens.

James quickly sizes up Ashley's uncle. He was tall, almost as tall as Boomer, which was well over 6 feet, but unlike Boomer, he was skinny. On first glance he appeared wiry, but when James looked closer, he could tell there was a lot of lean muscle in him. His face had a very weathered look, making him seem in his early sixties, when he was probably only in his late forties. He had greying hair, and piercing blue eyes. Ashley's eyes must run in the family. All topped off with a huge smile.

"Well, howdy Boomer!" He says cheerfully. "Good to see ya!" then he drifts his eyes over to James and Ashley, and then he stops and stares at something. "Is that....no, it can't be." He says with wide eyes.