[Notes] The songs on the radio are "I Must be Dreaming" by Cheap Trick and "The Air That I Breathe" by The Hollies.
HEAVY RAIN
Chapter One: Stranger on the Highway
He first saw her on the highway, walking alone at night.
Ace wondered what the hell would possess someone to decide to walk along a highway at 10 pm at night, during a summer rainstorm. They weren't even hitchhiking. No umbrella, no flashlight, nothing to protect them from the weather and the dark save the orange hoodie they wore and the passing lights of cars.
He would have missed her if not for the vehicle ahead of him. The car slowed down abruptly, going at least fifteen kilometres below the speed limit, and made Ace swear out loud at the persistent stupidity of other drivers. First they didn't know how to drive in the rain and swerved on the road dangerously. Then they slowed down for ducks crossing or something on highway to honk at.
It was the hand waving out the window that piqued his curiosity instead of taking this opportunity to change lanes and ignore what was happening. The other car honked again and sped up a little before driving onto the narrow strip of land between the paved road and the massive lake on the other side. The lake, looked very dark and menacing tonight.
The object of attention was a person. A person who, from the few seconds he had before passing them, paid no heed to the stalled car and kept walking on.
Someone was shouting at them.
More than an hour later, Ace was cruising down the highway in the opposite direction. This time he saw the wanderer again just on the outskirts of town, and if possible, they looked wetter than before. Calculating the average distance a person can walk in an hour, this person crossed at least 7 kilometres in the horrid rain. It was easier to see them this time this time, with streetlights illuminating the road and that dark orange hoodie. Lit like a beacon. Then he noticed the backpack they wore at the front.
Head bowed and hands tucked tight against their body, the wind slapped their face with force, tugging and pulling them with each step. Ace could see that this person had a single goal in mind that drove them to do something most people would not consider doing now. He knew that feeling. Not particularly minding the groceries and the milk in the back seat of his truck, he turned at the next intersection and parked on the side of the road.
What the hell, he thought, What the hell.
Ace just had his leather jacket. He mentally reprimanded himself again for not keeping an umbrella in the truck. He had a flashlight, but decided not to bring it, his eyesight was enough. Nobody was going to attack him that night. Pocketing his keys, He opened the door and stepped down onto the sopping wet grass, immediately disliking the squelch his boots made in the mud.
Fuck, it was pouring hard. Of all days to decide to take a midnight walk.
What an idiot.
Tranqua was a small town in an unstable web of other small towns and almost-cities in the province of Atmos. Every few years it seemed like a new municipality expanded or another one was suddenly vacated. There was water everywhere and towns generally existed on the edge of lakes. One almost always needed a vehicle to get around, there wasn't much in way of public transit. No ferries because the lakes didn't always connect. The alternatives were to hitch a ride from someone who owned a car or pay for a ticket on the coach bus. Terribly inconvenient for the young and those whose mobility was limited, but hey, he was one of the fortunate ones. Not like this person he was approaching.
He walked at the steady pace in the heavy rain, blinked away the droplets of rain instead of brushing them away from his face with his hands. Terrible weather. Stupid idea. Squinting, he crossed the street and headed towards the wanderer. He saw the headlights of a few cars, but not many. The swaying traffic light turned red for no one. He kept walking, feeling the weight of water promising to drag him down.
The stranger must have slowed down once they saw him. There was no one else walking that night. Once the hooded figure looked up and out at the streets, perhaps wondering if they should cross the road to avoid an encounter. That's when he saw her face, exposed by the white lights.
She had brown skin and exhausted looking eyes. Dark shiny hair. And she was shivering.
Well fuck. I know that face.
When their eyes locked, she stopped walking as if he was an inconvenient wall blocking her view. Ignoring the slight, he shrugged out of his jacket and held it out in front of him. It wasn't rainproof but it was another warm layer of clothing.
"What are you doing?" she called out to him, standing underneath the light. Her voice was shaky, definitely tired, and confused. He kept walking until he reached her, still holding the jacket. When she didn't take it and repeated her question, Ace shook the article of clothing in her face.
"What the hell are you doing out here?"
The woman made a face. This was not the reaction she expected. Earlier that night, several drivers tried to stop her and attempted to persuade her into their vehicles, but this was the first person to meet her in the rain. Piper bit her lip and quickly brushed her wet bangs from her sticky forehead. All this walking made her sweaty underneath her clothes, making them stick uncomfortably to her body, and all this rain made her feel cold. Tonight was thoroughly miserable for several reasons.
"What do you want?" she demanded, refusing his generosity and side-eyeing him simultaneously. Tall, black hair, and weird.
Ace stood still as she studied him, feeling increasingly irritated with the weather and this woman. Give him heat anytime, the hot sun gracing anyone who dared venture outside without appropriate sun protection. But rain? No thanks. He'll pass.
And of course she wouldn't know him, they had never met before. He only knew her by the few photographs he had at home from an old friend. Didn't quite remember her name though. She looked older in person, but those photos were about seven years old.
"Can you just take the jacket and get out of the rain first?" he snapped. "I hate the rain."
Piper chuckled smugly and took the opportunity to breathe on her numb fingers. "Then don't walk in it."
Now it was his turn to make a face. "You're the one walking down a dark highway at midnight."
"It's not midnight," she corrected promptly. Fucking sass. Maybe she was still a teenager. Either way, the woman decided she had enough chit chat and needed to keep moving. Making sure she continued facing the stranger who approached her, her feet started shuffling sideways to circle around him.
"Fine. Not midnight." He eyed her disapprovingly, pointedly glaring at her tiptoeing feet. "Will you just take the jacket?"
"Thanks but no thanks," she waved him off with a slender hand, "I don't know you and I don't want to take your stuff. I just want to keep walking."
He watched her step onto the street to keep a safe distance between them, and glanced around to make sure no cars were going to hit her. Piper started walking backwards, wary of the strange man who presented expensive leather jackets to travellers, and hated rain while standing in it. Hey, his choice.
She didn't get far when he caught up with her. Instead of stopping her, he matched her pace and grunted loudly as if it was her fault he was experiencing discomfort. He didn't say anything but kept her company for a while. What he did do was give her a lot of annoyingly parental looks.
Piper didn't bother pressing the button to activate the crosswalk, there was barely any cars around. The howling wind bent the overhanging trees in a violent, angry dance. She repressed the need to yawn in front of her grumpy companion. So tired. But she needed to keep going. At least the buildings had awnings and places to hide under. The highway was lonely and noisy, the sound of rain hitting the surface of the lake grew so loud in her ears it started to hurt. Her head felt so heavy.
"This is weird. I don't even know your name." she finally admitted and watched her companion give into temptation and put his jacket back on, muttering about something.
"I'm Ace. And it's not safe for you out here." he replied.
"Maybe I'm not safe with you." she retorted. He fell silent, contemplating his words. Here goes.
"I think I know you."
Piper, exhausted as she was, sprinted ahead and turned around to face him, taking her hands out of her pockets. Never a good sign when someone you don't know says they know you. Kidnapping sometimes happened in Atmos, and they usually happened to younger people. They weren't always found. Straightening her spine and making herself taller, she exhaled slowly and decided if she should run for it.
"I know how to fight," she warned. The backpack she was carrying on her front wasn't bulky enough to obstruct her hands.
"Good," he replied approvingly. "Everyone should know how to protect themselves." Ace swept his bangs out of his face. They was a bit of distance between them and his truck and he thought of his groceries, but he was a stubborn man. Besides, someone on the other side would get mad if he didn't try to help this girl.
"Are you planning to hurt me?" Might as well be upfront about it. You can tell things about someone's tone of voice and their body language. So far, his presence had been non-threatening but peculiar.
"No." There was sincerity in his voice. Or he could be a good liar.
"You're very odd for a stranger." She was staring at him again, puzzling whether he was trustworthy or not. Ace cocked an eyebrow and purposely ran a hand through his thick hair.
He must intrigue her. And why not? Despite his disheveled appearance, he knew he was a looker. People did double-takes in the street. He commanded attention. He was goddamn handsome. The word humble was also not in his vocabulary.
She did not look impressed.
"I'm an asshole."
Piper choked on her laughter. Ace chuckled.
She became a bit playful then. Piper put a few more paces between then and signalled for Ace to stop. Tilting her head to the side, she fearlessly looked him up and down before meeting him squarely in the eyes. Without the smoulder face. He was older than her, she couldn't tell how much, and he was tall. He was also on the leaner side, judging from the fit of his clothes. He didn't look like a father, but he did look like a jerk. And his eyes, red eyes. You don't see a lot of that. She studied him a lot in silence.
Rolling his eyes with impatience, Ace stated bluntly. "Ask. Just ask."
Well then.
"Who are you? Why are you following me? How do you know me? What do you want? Do you have any food?"
He blinked. Food. When was the last time she'd taken a break? Maybe she hasn't stopped to eat or drink since she started walking, and who knows how many hours that's been. Maybe he should have offered her food instead of a jacket.
"If I answer your questions, can we get out of the rain first?"
She shook her head. So he ducked under an overhang in front of a closed coffee shop and shook his head free of water like a dog. God, he hated rain.
"You know my name is Ace." She nodded. He continued, "I don't remember your name. I know you because you're friends with Aerrow. I used to babysit him as a kid and I worked with his older brother." Here he grimaced.
"I have groceries in the car but we can grab something on the way. Now can you tell me why you're trying to run away?"
It was amazingly warm in his truck, even in wet clothes. The heaters were on full blast and Piper pressed her cold fingers against the vents and wiggled them occasionally. Ace was twisted around in his seat, pushing aside grocery bags looking for something. He came up with a blanket and a half-full bottle of purified water.
"Ew, how long has this water been in here?"
He shrugged. "A couple of days. I keep the blanket for emergencies."
Lifting her hand, Ace tossed her the blanket. Piper looked down at the thing and said, "but it'll get wet."
He groaned. "I can wash it."
Shrugging, Piper unzipped her hoodie and rolled it into a ball. Looking at her host, she raised her eyebrows in question. Her backpack was tucked safely between her feet and she didn't want to obstruct the heaters from warming her legs. Ace took the article of clothing and placed it gently behind her seat.
It was nice to get out of the wind and the rain. It was better to feel heat. When Ace turned on the radio (kinda loud, but the world around them was loud too) he didn't take the engine into gear, he placed an elbow on the window and looked at her.
"I'm Piper," she started, and held out her hand. "Thank you for your hospitality."
He took her hand and shook it.
"Hello, Piper. I'm Ace."
For the third time that night, Ace was on the road again. The wipers were on the highest setting to combat the storm, and the heaters were pleasantly blistering. Piper looked okay for the most part, in need of a bath and change of dry clothes, but her eyes were constantly drooping. Sometimes they fluttered closed for a few seconds before she bolted upright in her seat, awake again.
They weren't headed anywhere in particular, Piper asked if he was okay to just drive along the roads that bordered the edge of town, the ones that had civilization on one side and the lake on the other. She needed the time to decide where he could drop her off. Her feet were tired. She seemed surprised when he conceded.
She admitted she was running away and asked him how he knew. He said he knew from experience but she chose a dreadful night. Whatever the reason, it must have been important enough for her to want to brave the elements and walk several kilometres to another town at this hour. Why couldn't she have someone pick her up? Didn't she know about the kids that went missing? What if he was a serial killer?
It was a foolish idea. She should have had a plan.
Pouting at the lecture and feeling very childish, Piper stated, "I had a place to go, you know."
He shrugged. He'd heard that before. But under her breath she whispered quietly that he almost didn't hear, "I have a plan." Ace didn't say anything.
The radio made her feel better, it was set on a radio station that played rock music. Some of the music she didn't recognize, but some she did. The song currently playing was pretty catchy. Not much in the way of lyrical eloquence, but it was a goddamn ear-worm. She even felt like singing along.
When she asked if he liked this type of music, Ace gave her such a look of annoyance that she would dare question his good taste. Was she implying that his music was bad? Piper brought her hands to her mouth to stifle a giggle.
(You must be dreamin', you think I love you. You must be dreamin' to think I love you)
"Has anyone told you that you're kinda grumpy?"
He smiled beatifically. "All the fucking time."
To keep herself from falling asleep, Piper looked out the window. A sleepy city with pretty lights and hardly anyone on the road. She'd visited Tranqua a lot and was familiar with its layout, a few of her friends lived here. But it had that same lethargic feeling like home, and home was a place that made her heart hurt. She missed her parents terribly, she didn't want to live in that house anymore, and she wanted to go out and have adventures. Her friends had similar ideas. She wanted to see more beyond her town and her curfew.
But it was hard. Making dreams into reality had a price, and she was caught between filial piety and the need to make her own choices. It wasn't like she was fourteen anymore. She didn't want to be coddled and kept in a pretty cage. She wanted to learn.
Piper blinked and realized the truck was slowing down. She checked the clock – they had been driving for a long time. Ace peered over at her, wondering.
"Hey Ace – how did you know Aerrow?"
He sighed. "I used to work with his brother, Strike."
She nodded, acknowledging the familiarity which with he mentioned that name. "You were a firefighter?"
"Yeah." The strain in his voice hinted at something. His fingers clenched the steering wheel when she mentioned the word.
"Can you tell more?"
Ace looked severely cross with her for wanting to pry more. When she pointed out that she accepted his hospitality he grumbled in reluctance. Of course she would want to know, but he still didn't want to talk about it.
"I'm still a firefighter, but I work for a different department and I'm hoping to get transferred to the one here." Okay, so she can check the facts on this.
"How long have you been one?"
"Ten years." Whoa. Long time.
"Look," he interrupted, "I know you're curious but I don't like people prying into my private life when I don't want them to." To end the subject he turned up the radio louder.
Piper's jaw dropped open and crossed her arms in disbelief. He has to be kidding. What a hypocrite, not wanting to pry into personal life when he chose to walk into hers.
"You're a jerk."
"I know." He stopped looking over at her then.
Feeling a hard lump in her throat start to form, Piper wanted nothing more than to grab her stuff and get out of the vehicle.
"I want you to drop me off at the Snack Shack. Do you know where that is?"
Grunt.
Piper wrinkled her nose in disapproval. Okay, fine. Be that way.
When they got there, he parked in the stall closest to the door and grabbed the wet hoodie from the backseat. The fast food restaurant was brightly lit, staying true to its twenty-four hour promise. There were a couple of people that he could see inside, about eight of them, and they were all young. They looked warm inside, content to ignore the sheets of rain that assailed the windows. They looked to be about Piper's age.
Piper made a rush to grab her things and unbuckled her seat belt before he could turn off the engine. She might as well have thrown the blanket at him and struggled to put the wet hoodie before giving up. She turned in her seat and faced him, he noted the flash of irritation in her orange eyes.
"Piper, wait."
"Thanks for everything." Monotone. He ignored it and used the control panel on the driver's side to automatically lock the doors. His passenger gave him a dirty look and clenched the clothing in her hands.
"I don't care if you're mad at me," he started. "What's going to happen to you when you go in there?"
"I'll call my friend. I'll use the pay phone they have inside." She reached into her pocket and showed him a handful of change.
"What if they don't answer?"
"She will. She's expecting me."
He unlocked the doors, satisfied. The door to the passenger side swung open and she hopped out. Piper ran to the door with her backpack slung over one shoulder and one hand holding the hoodie over her head to protect her from the rain. She waved to him once she was inside.
Ace pulled out of the stall and parked in another one that had a better view of the lit windows. He waited and he watched over her as the windshield wipers squeaked across the windshield and the radio station signaled the end of one program and started another.
He couldn't see her make the phone call but he did see her order something, a large piece of cake it looked like, and tuck in.
A purple car pulled up about twenty minutes after. A tall woman with light skin and lilac hair walked in. He saw Piper jump up and hug her. She looked happy, her irritation with him gone. She must be Piper's escape plan. The other woman made a hand gesture and Piper handed her the backpack. They made for the door and hurried towards the car. They backed out of the stall and out of the parking lot, turning left and out of his sight.
He watched her go.
Listening to the music on the radio, he felt the weight of responsibility lift from his shoulders. She was safe, that was good. Strike would be happy. Turning on the engine, he too drove out of the parking lot and turned right instead.
Home. Finally. There were groceries to put away. There was a hot shower waiting ahead and a warm fucking bed to sleep in. No more bloody rain.
Ace turned up the radio and tapped on the steering wheel with his fingers. He liked this song.
(Peace came upon me and it leaves me weak. So sleep, silent angel, go to sleep)
What a night.