9/3/11 - 10/5/11
Disclaimer: I do not own The Hitcher, the characters, title, idea, music, location of filming, cameras, actors, etc. etc. etc. etc. I wish I did but I don't. But then again, one can not own John Ryder. He wouldn't allow it. Or... would he? ;P FIRST DIBS!
Other: So, done away with the other four girls, John Ryder is on the move. Here he'll meet another likely victim...
A/N: Sorry for any spelling mistakes. I hope you like it. Been busy with school and crazy theatre people (I am one of them!).
Two Weeks Later
Cat Bellamy hummed to herself as she rifled through the shelves of food. She had stopped at the gas station to fill up her tank but soon realized she was hungry. Guessing that there wasn't a McDonald's nearby she scurried into the store, hoping that she'd be in and out before the gas went over twenty dollars. Now she stood in the bagged chips and Slim Jim aisle, chewing on the egde of her fingernails and looking at the prices. She only had so much money with her for her trip. She had to be careful when purchasing food from a convenience store. It was way too easy to spend over $10 on just a couple of items.
The brunette finally, painfully, decided on a single-serving bag of SunChips and, wandering over to the chilled drink area, picked out a bottle of apple juice. The cashier behind the counter rang up both items and then, bagging them, proceeded to give Cat an intimate and detailed history of his life. She pretended to be interested even though the guy kind of creeped her out. He kept leaning closer, over the counter. Each time he did she leaned back so he righted himself. Once, he laughed loudly and Cat could smell the strong aroma of cigarette smoke and beer. She bit her tongue to keep from gagging.
As the cashier continued onto his 5th birthday party (where he was so rudely disqualified from musical chairs) another customer came into the store. The silver bells on the door rang cheerfully as the door opened and closed. Cat glanced over to see a man walk in. He was taller than her; older as well. She blushed hotly and looked away when the man looked at her. Her first thought was, "He's handsome."
The man stood a few feet behind her, waiting patiently. Cat quickly noticed this and was very thankful. She used it as a kind of way to get out of another long childhood story. She glimpsed over her shoulder at the man and exclaimed, "I'm sorry! Are you waiting for me?"
He smiled, "That's all right."
"Oh, um," she turned back to the other man, "thank you."
"Uh-huh," he said, prepared to continue his story. Unfortunately for him, Cat wasn't interested any longer and grabbed the black plastic bag off of the counter and stepped to the left. She smiled shyly at the stranger, "Go ahead."
"Thank you," he replied kindly and stepped up to the counter.
The young girl bit her bottom lip and looked at the ground. He really was handsome. And nice! But she couldn't become all gooey/love struck now. She didn't even know the man! Cat lifted her head up and nonchalantly stood there, listening to the conversation between the two men. To make it appear she wasn't listening she turned and fished through a container of Snickers and M&Ms that were on sale.
"Do you have a phone I can borrow?"
"Uh, long distance?"
"Kind of."
"No can do. Only got one phone and it's only for callin' out to that buildin' over there, see?" He leaned over the counter and pointed out across the lot. There was a wooden shack across the road, a single light shining above the door. "That buildin' is for storage 'n keepin' things outta the way. Got too much stuff 'n 'ere and we take it all out to that." He paused for a moment then continued, "How far you callin'?"
"Not sure. I need to call a tow truck."
"Yer car broken down?"
"Unfortunately."
"Well shoot. That's there some bad luck. I'd call Ricky, he has the tow truck, but he's 60-summin' miles outta here. Motel's closer'n that." The cashier put his hands on his hips and looked over the man's shoulder at Cat.
"Hey! Come 'ere."
Cat hesitantly walked over to the counter. She glanced at the man beside her and her lips twitched in a smile. She wasn't entirely sure if she wanted to smile right now.
"Yes?"
"If'n you're goin' the same way as this guy..." he motioned towards the man - which was completely unnecessary since he was the only one he could have been talking about - then finished, "could ya give him a ride?"
She stared silently at the cashier. Inside she was horrified. The stupid cashier had just asked her to give a ride to a stranger. Yes, she thought him handsome, but a stranger he remained. If she said 'no' she'd look inconsiderate and selfish but who knows what would happen if she said 'yes'?
"No, that's all right. I can walk -"
"I'll give you a ride," Cat blurted out before she realized what she was saying. Now who was the stupid one?
"You sure?"
Just say no. Just say no. It was so easy; two little letters... one syllable. One word... No...
"Yeah, I mean I'm heading towards the motel anyways..."
He smiled again, "Thanks."
The cashier grinned, revealing gray gums and a missing tooth. "See? Now that wasn't so bad... you got a ride," he nodded to Cat, "and now you got some company."
The man looked at her, "You're alone?"
She started to get cold sweats. "Uh... yeah.. Is... is that bad?"
"No," he kind of laughed, "it's not bad..."
Cat noticed that the man looked like he had no intention of shopping around and he hadn't grabbed anything to purchase so she took that opportunity to speak up:
"Are you ready to go?"
"Yeah I think I ... " he glanced at the cashier who sniffled and shrugged, "I'm ready to go."
"Okay." The two started to exit when Cat suddenly remembered something. She stopped dead in her tracks and spun around. "The gas!"
"What?" The cashier looked stumped.
"I-I filled my car up! Ah! I never stopped it! I came in here.. geez, I don't know how much... I didn't pay for it yet."
"How much did ya get missy?"
"I dunno. I came in here without stopping it. I thought I'd be fast. It's probably up to $100 by now!"
"Dun worry 'bout that," the cashier drawled, "dem pumps out there stop at twenty-five dollars. Since we dun get much gasoline deliveries out 'ere we gotta make sure there's 'nuff for all 'em tourists that come through 'ere. We set li'l mechanisms in the pump to stop at twenty-five dollars' worth. If ya need more ya gotta use a dif'rent pump."
Cat sighed, relieved. "No, that's fine."
"Ya sure? It's a long while til there's another pump. Wouldn't want ya to run outta gas out there in the desert."
She shook her head, pulling out her wallet again. She placed twenty-five dollars on the counter, "Thanks... again."
"Sure thang missy."
Cat and her new companion stepped out of the service station. It had gotten significantly darker since she had entered the store. She hated the dark - at least when she was driving. She was half-glad to have someone with her on the otherwise lonely trip, even if that someone was someone she'd just met.
"Are you sure you have enough gasoline?"
"Yeah, I'm pretty sure."
"Well that cashier wasn't someone you'd want to be left alone with..."
Cat bit her lip again, this time to keep from laughing, "Yeah, really."
"But I agree with him. I'd hate for you to run out of gasoline in the middle of the desert at night."
"Yeah.. but I think I'm all right."
"Well, if you think so.."
Cat sat in near silence in the driver's seat of her cat. Her parents had bought it, a black 2004 Volvo S80, in anticipation of her receiving her driver's license. Since then she had driven several times to the store, library and, of course, school, but never on a trip. This was her first trip driving. Her first trip alone. She was scared to death (but not that much since she still went on the trip), but she felt better knowing that she had passed Driver's Ed with flying colors. She just hoped the flying colors wouldn't end up being her car skidding off of the road and her being ejected from her seat.
Her new driving buddy sat beside her in the passenger seat. He seemed perfectly comfortable in the car while the young woman next to him was already freaking out. She'd driven her parents before and her friends - but never at night. She hoped that the man would at least keep his negative comments to himself ("constructive criticism" her aunt called it). She wiped her sweaty palms on her jeans and then started the car. The low rumbling pulsated through her foot and into her chest. To some people it was the feeling of freedom, it liberated them. To others it was the feeling of fear. To Spongebob it was the feeling of another chance to ultimately fail.
The two pulled out of the gas station and began the drive to the motel. They sat in silence for about 10 minutes before Cat spoke up.
"Where were you heading before your car broke down?"
"Austin."
"That's a ways from here."
"Yeah it is."
A moment of silence.
"Why were you going to Austin?"
"Family reunion."
"Oh, that's nice."
"Yeah. I don't know if I'll make it now."
The young brunette gave a sidelong glance at the stranger. He stared out the windshield, completely calm. He didn't seem to anxious about anything. Usually people whose cars break down and need a tow truck aren't so relaxed. It started to unnerve her then she thought she was being silly.
"I'm sorry," she said, cutting herself off and catching his attention. He looked at her so she turned her gaze back to the road. "I never even asked your name."
"My name is John."
"Oh, nice to meet you John. My name is Cat."
"Do you have a last name?"
"Do you?"
They both laughed lightly. Cat's face burned hot so she hid it by acting she was checking out her window for passing cars. She was terrible at hiding her true feelings. They always showed - in her actions, in her voice, on her face. But she was trying hard not to show her feelings around this man. It was hard, though when she was talking to him. This had been the longest two-way conversation she'd ever had with a stranger.
"Ryder," he said. "My name is John Ryder."
"I'm Cat Bellamy."
"Is 'Cat' short for something?"
"Uh, kind of. It's actually Catherine but Cat was easier to say... when I was younger."
"Hm."
Another moment of silence but this one was awkward.
"So... where are you from?" She thought that perhaps the drive would go by quicker if they talked. Was it working so far? She couldn't tell. For all she knew she was annoying Mr. Ryder with the constant chatter.
John instantly replied in a tone that must have originated from his answering the question a million times. "All over."
"Oh.. I-I'm from Georgia originally but when I was 6 my parents moved us up to New Mexico. I should actually say 'over' not 'up'... Anyways, now I really am heading up. North... Obviously. But it's only for vacation. School will start soon."
"I thought school was already in session."
"Oh, sorry. I mean for me. I only take a few selected classes in high school - just the required subjects, you know like Math - and then a couple of college classes. I've got some free time."
"So you're in high school?"
"Yeah! Last year."
"Where do you plan on going to college?"
Cat shrugged, "I got a couple listed but I don't have just one specific one that I'm dying to get into."
John couldn't help but laugh softly at this expression. If Cat had any idea what John had planned for her, she wouldn't have used the word 'dying'. In fact, she would have skipped it all together. In all honestly, she would have never even picked him up.
"What? What's funny?"
"Nothing," he replied coolly, "just something I thought of."
"Oh. Okay."
John was surprised that Cat hadn't pressed the issue. Most girls are always trying to get you to say what you were thinking. But Cat seemed perfectly all right letting it go. He wondered if she was always like that or if she was just that way because he was a stranger. He decided he was going to test her.
"What's your favorite sport?"
"Oh, I don't really watch any sports."
"Huh. Do you play?"
"Only in my backyard." John noticed that she kind of smiled at him but when he did nothing the smile faded and she turned back to the road. She was trying to be nice. Would she be so nice after he pulled the pocketknife out on her?
"What about you?"
"No. I don't play... I sometimes watch football."
"I went to a football game once," the girl said. "Our team was pretty bad but I was still proud of them. Kind of have to, you know? It'd be bad for their image if it got out that even their hometown didn't support them."
John nodded then another bought of silence followed. He glanced out the window just as they passed a sign that read "MOTEL 15 MILES". It wouldn't be long before they pulled into the town. If he was going to do this, he had to be fast. Once they got to town there would be too many people. Too many witnesses. Not that he ever cared about witnesses before.
"Do you have a boyfriend?"
Cat's face heated up. She had to take quiet, deep breaths in order to calm herself without looking like a fool. "Uh, no," her voice was high and squeaky. She cleared her throat and spoke again. "No. I actually, uh, broke up with my boyfriend a while ago."
"I'm sorry."
"Don't be," she replied a bit too eagerly. She smiled at him when he looked at her. "I'm not."
"How long had you been dating?"
"18 months."
"Hm."
"I know."
"So... did you think he was 'The One'?"
"You know, I actually never thought that with him. Which makes it hard to understand why I stayed with him for so long. I mean, why date someone you have no intention of marrying?"
"Did he break up with you or did you break up with him?"
Cat thought it o be kind of a personal question but considering the questions he'd asked, the questions he could have asked and that she'd only see the man for another 20 minutes it didn't really matter.
"I ended it. It was pretty hard at first but I knew it was for the better."
"Was he upset?"
"At first. But you know he got over it quickly. I saw him hitting on two different girls a couple of days later."
"That's nice."
"Yup. He was quite a guy." Cat rolled her eyes and laughed. John's skin prickled at the noise. It wasn't the usual high, annoying laughs that teen girls tended to have nor the stupid flirty one that girls used when around a guy. Hers was different. It was ... nice. She had laughed before but it was so quiet he hadn't heard it. He looked out the window again to see a sign that said "MOTEL 5 MILES". It was really cutting it close. He felt the pocketknife inside his jacket. In one swift motion, he could have pulled it out and finished the girl next to him. But ... he didn't. He ran his fingers along the knife, thinking how simple it was. Just take it out, scare her a little bit (or a lot), force her to say "I want to do" and then be done with her. But for some reason he couldn't bring himself to do it.
'Stop being so sentimental'he thought to himself. One real conversation with a person and he was getting cold feet. He hated it. He had to do it - he had to end her. In the distance he could see the lights of the town. It was so close. Now was the time. Now was the moment. He had to do it now.
Just as his fingers closed around the knife and he started to pull it out of his pocket, Cat interrupted.
"You know what my favorite movie is? 'The Hitcher' - you know, the one from the 80s. I watched it and that guy just totally freaked me out. I loved it! Even though it was scary..."
"You still picked me up."
"Yeah! Yeah I did."
"Why?"
Cat shrugged her slim shoulders. "I dunno. I guess I like to help people. I give them the benefit of the doubt."
John could now see the motel. All of its lights, the windows, the doors - even the lines in the parking lot designating an allotted space for cars. It actually wasn't too late yet. He could still do away with her...
"Well thank you," he said, "if you hadn't given me a ride, I would have never gotten here."
She smiled shyly at him, "You're welcome."
Even if she parked in the lot he could still get her. People tended to mind their own business at small-town motels. He once again started to pull his hand from his pocket. Cat's gaze fell to his hand.
"Wha-?"
John removed his hand from him pocket and flipped out his wallet. "I thought for a moment I'd left it in my car. I'd hate to have come here and not have any way to pay for a room."
"Oh, well, uh, I could have... paid for your room." Cat hoped John did have money to pay though because, honestly, she didn't have much left with her. John knew it, too. Just looking at her he could tell she didn't have all the money in the world. But for a split second he wished she did - but only for a second, then the feeling was gone.
The girl parked her car close to the lobby, the passenger's door facing the entrance.
"Thanks."
"You're welcome."
John opened the door and stepped out into the cool night air. He glanced inside the glass doors at the front desk. A fat, balding man stood there, hunched over a newspaper. He turned around and stooped to look at Cat.
"You can leave." It was strange saying this. He had never once in his life uttered those words. Not once. He was actually unsure of the meaning.
"That's okay. I'll wait here until you get a room - I don't want you to be left here when they're not vacant."
John felt cold. No one had ever waited for him before. No one had ever considered him before. They all figured that he was a grown man and didn't need to be coddled. Sure there were those people who gave him rides but usually those didn't end well. They tended to stop being kind after he pulled out his knife. But this ... this was a new sensation. Someone being kind to him ... that wanted to be kind? Someone that had no obligation to stay with him once he was out of the car? He wasn't sure of how to respond.
"...thanks."
"No problem."
The man hesitantly stood up and closed the door. He walked into the lobby and spoke with the clerk. Cat watched in silence as the two exchanged words. She wondered what they were saying. She hoped that the motel was vacant - otherwise she'd have to drive who-knows-how-many miles before she got to next town with a motel.
As she watched she noticed that John kept putting his hands in his pockets. She didn't know why exactly she but figured it must have been some kind of security thing. A type of security blanket. Her security "blanket" was the heart-shaped necklace she wore around her neck. She always had it on. When she was scared she'd hold onto it. It made her feel better.
Cat saw that the balding man nodded several times then said something. John took money from his wallet and placed it on the counter. The man shook his head and handed a few bills back to John. She could make out an "Are you sure?" and then the other man nodded. John offered the money again but the man put his hands up and refused so he put the bills back in his wallet. Then the man reached back to a corkboard and returned with a key.
They exchanged a few more words before John came out, smiling. Cat stared out the passenger's window patiently. He nodded towards her and flashed the keys. She smiled happily, glad he could get a room.
"Good luck!" she shouted.
He nodded again. She then waved and pulled the car away, driving slowly off towards the road. John watched in silence. There went the first person he'd met, hitchhiked with and hadn't killed. The first person he hadn't at least threatened. The first person who had been kind the entire car ride. The first person who answered every question he asked without becoming leery of him.
The first person he hadn't entirely wanted to kill.
And that surprised him, a lot.
