Chapter 9:
As much as Travis didn't want to admit it, he was freezing. Throughout his whole shift it hadn't stopped raining, and he was starting to not feel well. But as usual he wasn't about to let it show. They have enough to worry about already, so why add one more thing?
Bandit interrupted his thoughts by letting out a long, loud snore. Travis had to use all his power to stop himself from laughing and waking everyone else.
Sooner than Travis realized, his shift was over. He woke Connor up for his shift before falling into a long, restless sleep.
The rain had slowed down just a little when Alissa woke the two boys up after her shift. It was colder and more humid than when they had fallen asleep, but the thunder could only be heard in the distance now.
After a small breakfast the three of them headed out into the cold drizzle, with Bandit in the backpack again. They were in Logan, New Mexico now and wanted to be in Amarillo, Texas by dark. Every now and then they would hear a howl in the distance and walk a little faster, but otherwise they walked in silence, listening to the rain hitting the pavement.
Travis had started sniffling and coughing an hour or so after they had started, and naturally Alissa was a little worried. They still hadn't talked and never really made eye contact. She couldn't have him sick too. She asked him a couple times if he felt okay or if he wanted to take a break, but he would just say he was fine or shrug it off.
By noon they were practically running. The howls had been getting closer and closer over time, and Travis, Connor, and Alissa certainly did not want to deal with the beast again. They probably wouldn't have made it out the first time if it wasn't for Jonnie and Brookie.
"Travis, I can't go any farther! I need a break." Connor whined. He knew they needed to keep moving, but he couldn't help it. He was tired and wet and hungry. Anybody would want to stop in that situation.
To his surprise, Travis just nodded and they headed for the next exit ramp. They stopped at a Wendy's and went inside to get out of the rain, with Bandit still comfortable in Travis's backpack.
"Travis, are you sure your okay?" Alissa asked for the 50th time that day. He didn't even bother answering. He just nodded.
Connor stared at him for a few minutes. "Travis, no your not. I can tell." he said. Connor reached over and put a hand on Travis's forehead before he could pull away.
"Dude, your burning up!" Connor said, a little too loudly. A few people turned to look at them. Travis slouched down a little.
"I'm fine! It's just a headache. It'll go away." he said, trying to sound convincing. Alissa and Connor however were not convinced, but they let the subject drop.
They stayed at Wendy's for a while longer, then decided to hit the road again, looking back every few minutes to make sure the beast wasn't behind them. The rain was slowing down, but the damp chill was setting in.
By 9 no one wanted to go any farther. They didn't even have the energy to find an exit ramp, so they crawled up a wall to a ledge under an overpass and decided to stay the night there.
Bandit was running up and down the ledge watching the cars whiz by while the three of them decided on shifts for the night. Travis insisted that he take first shift again, but Alissa and Connor didn't want him to since he needed the rest. In the end, Travis won out and took first shift, with Connor getting second and Alissa getting last again.
20 minutes into his shift Travis was regretting it. His head was pounding, he felt really dizzy and hot, and his cough had gotten worse. He was starting to shiver too when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked up to see Connor standing over him, looking very concerned.
"Go on and go to sleep. I'll cover the rest of your shift." Travis started to retaliate, but he didn't have the strength, so he gave in and laid down. Bandit came over and laid between the two boys with his head on Connor's lap. Connor watched as his brother fell asleep, then turned to face the road for his long, tiring shift.
UPDATE:
Hey guys! Sooooo so sorry that I haven't uploaded lately! I've seemed to have lost my iPod, which has ALL my new chapters on it :'( I've been looking everywhere for it, but I just can't find it. Luckily I had this chapter saved in my email. If I don't find it soon, I'll just start rewriting chapters (since I had up to chapter 11 done already). Again really sorry that I haven't uploaded! I just wanted to let you know that I had a good reason and that I haven't forgotten about the story. Hope to post again soon! Pray that I find it so I don't have to come up with it again lol. Later!
