Finding Your Way:
A Quick message: Hello all! It feels so great to be back exploring these characters again. I attempted to stick to the 500 theme (but 645 words was as close as I could manage) and I hope you enjoy this first chapter and maybe even leave a comment. - B
The battle had been raging in her head since she woke up late in the day that followed her almost disastrous decision to stop at that hell hole in Pottsboro. Two days of silence between her and Monroe meant the only thing she had to listen to as they rolled along was the debate between the kind and gentle voice of her father admonishing her, "I raised you better than that! He saved you. When someone helps you, you thank them"; and the shrill voice of her cold, distant and disinterested absentee mother – or well Rachel because mothers stuck around, and mothers found ways to love both of their children, and Rachel couldn't be bothered to do either of those things. But 'Mommy Issues' or not, her judgmental voice was clear, "He should be dead! He's the devil! He's the reason Danny is dead."
So there was the great internal debate: thank the monster for saving her from physical and sexual abuse, torture, rape and what would surely be a horrifically painful death, or listen to her mother…
Sighing Charlotte chose to push the voices away and asked, "Why are we driving this way?"
A raspy chuckle rising in his throat, Bass shook his head before responding, "I have to say of all the conversation starters I thought you might lead with, questioning my driving skills didn't make the top ten." Laughing more deeply he continued, "I'll be honest, I'll even break the time honored 'man on a road trip' stereotype and ask for directions if you tell me where we are going…" letting the sentence trail off, Bass looked at her beautiful, distrusting face and waited. When no words came, he shook his head and thought for a moment before going on, "Pottsboro was just north of Junction City, Kansas. It's not a big city, or I assume it wasn't a big city PB, so we are heading their first to see if we can trade some of the junk in this cart for supplies, then we will head west along route 70 toward Denver, because again… I don't know where Miles is, but he's not on the east coast, so going straight west seems like as good an option as any."
Confused Charlotte looked at him and shook her head, "You don't have a clue what you are doing – do you? How did you identify Junction City was the place we should head? Why do you assume it 'wasn't a big city PB?' and what the heck is PB?" Then, as if realizing something clever or amazing, Charlotte added with fingers waving in air quotes, "And what kind of idiot tries to trade 'some of the junk' without inventorying the items we have to determine what we need and what is actually trade worthy?"
"Gee, what a brilliant idea!" Bass looked at her and rolled his eyes before continuing, "So let me check, you're suggesting that I'm an idiot for not stopping, in the middle of nowhere farmland, and pulling everything out of this scrap heap on wheels, so I examine the odds and ends secure in the knowledge that no war clans ever attack people mid-inventory."
An hour passed before either spoke again. Bass figured anything was better than silent boredom. "PB is Post Blackout" then pausing for a moment Bass grinned at a memory before adding, "… and pre-blackout it used to be peanut butter – as in pb & j or peanut butter and jelly… my favorite lunch in elementary school." Bass paused and waited for a response, but when it appeared she would not respond he tried to be consolatory, "You're probably right about the whole Junction City thing. I have no clue how big it was then or is now. I'm just hoping for a little luck. The same way I keep hoping we stumble across an abandoned farm house so we can explore what all that stuff crammed in the back is..."
Next Up: What's a Road Trip?