Breakaway

Darry and Antares talked about their families and friends and what they were going back to as they made their way down the hill towards the road Antares spoke of.

"So, what's your boyfriend gonna say when you tell him all this?" asked Darry. Antares smiled, looking at the ground.

"I don't have a boyfriend," said Antares softly. "I never did."

"Why not?" asked Darry in genuine surprise. Antares shrugged.

"I was engaged in kindergarten, if that makes a difference," she offered. Darry laughed.

"Yeah, a girl got "married" to a guy in kindergarten. There's something like that in every kindergarten class, I think," replied Darry. "My sister just broke it off with her Poly-Psi-Track-Team-Guy boyfriend. Didn't say why. I had been teasing her about it the last day we were together." He fell silent for a moment. "My best friend's dating a girl who's three years younger than him. Think that's weird?"

"Not really," answered Antares distantly. "All that really matters is that they love each other and they make each other happy, if you ask me. My parents are fifteen years apart, but they really love each other. And they love me and Rigel. That's all that really matters." Darry nodded thoughtfully. Antares smiled and looked like she was going to say more, but instead she froze suddenly in her tracks, her eyes wide with fear.

"Oh the gods," she whispered looking up. "He's coming back. I can feel it. He's coming back! We've gotta hurry and get out of here!" She grabbed his hand and started running, completely forgetting her cautioning him not to move quickly or else risk tearing the fragile skin on his back. Unfortunately, that is exactly what happened.

Darry gave a cry and stumbled as he felt the skin on his back tear in two places, blood immediately soaking into the back of his borrowed shirt. Antares held him up and kept pulling him along.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry," she said, "but we've gotta get out of here. If he finds us…" Her voice trailed off. Darry didn't want to hear any more anyway. "He's getting closer," whispered Antares as she led Darry down towards the road, which was now in sight. Antares set Darry down by a gnarled, dead tree next to the road and looked both ways for any oncoming traffic. Considering the remote location they were in, there was none. They waited for what seemed like hours, Antares constantly fretting that the Creeper was coming ever closer and he would find them and punish them horribly. At last, at long last, a pickup truck came towards them.

"Hey!" shouted Antares, waving her arms. But the truck showed no signs of stopping. Desperate, Antares jumped out in the middle of the road, well ahead of the truck. Jumping up and down, waving her arms, she tried everything she knew to get the truck to stop. When it reached her, it did, and the driver stuck his head out the window.

"What the hell's the matter with you, girly?" he shouted.

"Please, my friend's hurt and we need help," said Antares breathlessly, her eyes wide and wild. The driver's expression softened a little as he looked to Darry, who was trying to lean against the tree without letting his back touch it. "Please," said Antares softly. "Some…one's chasing us, and we have to get away from him before he finds us again. He'll kill us. Please help us."

"C'mon Dad," said a young man about Darry's age, maybe a little older, looking at the driver. "Can't you see the poor kid's scared shitless and her friend's really hurt? We can fit 'em in the back." The driver nodded.

"OK kid, looks like you and your friend come with us," said the driver. "The name's Jack. This here's my son, Jack Jr. Girl in the back's Minxie."

"I'm Antares, and that's Darry," said Antares. "Thank you so much. You have no idea how much you've helped us." She hurried over to Darry and helped him up and back to the truck. It was then that she caught sight of what was in the back of the pickup and her blood ran cold. "Then again, maybe you do," she whispered.

"What's the holdup?" asked Jack Sr. Then he noticed Antares staring in horror and fear at the cargo he carried. It was none other than the Creeper himself, his face obscured by the strange reptilian fan around his head, wrapped in his own wings.

"I-is it d-dead?" she stammered. "Please t-tell me i-it's dead."

"I don't think so," said Jack in a gentle tone. "It just ran out of time." Antares looked up at him. "You knew of that thing?"

"Knew of it?" replied Antares shakily. "I knew it. That thing kidnapped me twenty-three days ago and I've been trapped with it ever since. Darry's been with me the last few days."

"She saved my life," explained Darry. Jack nodded.

"That thing carried off my little brother," said Jack Jr. "I had just been making fun of him. I said a lot of shit I regret."

"Don't worry," Antares said softly. "Billy forgave you." Both Jacks stared at her in shock. "Billy. That was his name, yes? Blond hair, blue plaid shirt?" The two men nodded dumbly. "I'm very sorry. If it's any consolation, his soul is at peace now. He's with his grandfather, and his mother."

"How?" croaked Jack. "How do you know this?"

"I found his body," Antares replied sadly. "I'm a Wiccan, so I was able to send his spirit on to find peace. I believe he visited you, Minxie, in dreams, trying to warn you and your friends of the danger you were in." Minxie nodded. Antares sighed. "I hope that you'll still consent to give us a ride to the next police station. I'd really like to call my family."

"Oh, of course," said Jack, collecting himself. "Yes, you two climb in the back there with Minxie. We'll give you a ride."

"Thank you very much," said Antares somewhat sadly. "And I am truly sorry about Billy. "

"Thank you," said Jack quietly as Antares and Darry climbed into the back of the truck. They related their stories on the way to the sheriff station, and heard Minxie's and the two Jacks' in return. After that, they all rode in silence until they finally reached the station. Antares helped Darry out and the two thanked Jack for his help.

"If you ever need me, here's my farm," said Jack, handing them a piece of paper. "I'll have that monster locked up there."

"It's too dangerous to let live," said Antares quietly. "I swear that one day I will destroy it. I may not be able to kill it, but I will hack its body to pieces and bury them across the country. See if it can live like that!" Jack nodded, and so did Darry.

"I hear ya, girl," said Jack. "I hear ya." He paused for a moment, then turned off the truck. "Know what? I'm gonna stay here with you kids 'til your folks come for you. I just don't feel right leaving you here." Darry and Antares smiled gratefully as Jack Jr. and Minxie stepped out as well.

"And you're sure that thing is…well…" said Antares, her voice trailing off.

"It's safe," Jack Jr. assured her. "Daddy harpooned it with its own knife." Antares shuddered; she remembered that knife. Again she started rubbing at the scar on her arm. Shaking her head slightly, she turned to Darry.

"We need to get something for your back, there," she said.

"Fine with me," Darry replied. The group entered the building, gave the officer at the desk some vague story about an accident, and requested first-aid for Darry, which he immediately received. While the medic was patching him up, he noticed Antares standing staring at the phone with her arms folded. "It works better if you pick it up," he commented.

"Hmm?" asked Antares, turning around. "Oh, right." She gave a small laugh.

"This is what we've been fighting for, remember?" Darry said gently. "Go on. They're waiting for you."

"I know," sighed Antares. "I know. It's just so strange, after so long that they must have thought I was dead this whole time…"

"I know," said Darry soothingly. "But now you can put their fears to rest. Go ahead. I'm right here with you." Antares smiled back at him and turned back to the phone. Shakily she picked up the receiver, put in her money, and dialed the number that had been running through her head for twenty-three horrible days.

Ring…ring…ring…