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C H A P T E R - T W O

Weeds and Rust

~. . . . -=|=- . . . .~

"There are more cars along this road than any we've seen in a while. Hell of a place to run out of gas," she said.

"More cars, more people," I reached down, mindful of the pain that manipulated my movements, and pulled up a single, tall weed that grew between a crack in the road, then placed it between my lips, "more weeds," I mumbled.

"Sexy, Red. You've really got that whole mountain man thing going on now. Beard, weed..."

"Thick beards scare people away. It's intimidating. Like a biker."

"The guns are doing that. Not your beard." She stopped in the middle of the road and looked around. "Where are we, anyway?"

"Here," I said, stopping as well and taking in our surroundings.

It was the same as it always was; weeds growing on the barren, back-road, weeds surrounding rusted cars that also surrounded the road and a forest kept it all together. We could've been anywhere, except Nevada or Arizona, because they were hot. The air, here, was mild, scentless, almost hollow and without quality. There was hardly a breeze, and when there was it didn't seem to brush all of me. Instead, it oddly pushed my hair away from my face without touching my skin.

"But, where is here?"

Where were we? Where are we? "Waverly, I thought."

"No," she shook her head, "we passed Waverly a couple of days ago. C'mere." She reached for me and began to shuffle through a pocket on the side of my rucksack. She pulled out her map then began to trace her finger over the holes we dug into the thick paper to mark our journey. Sure enough, Waverly had a hole next to it. "Do you think we're almost here?" She pointed to Vicksburg.

"No. We would've seen signs." I noted the thick, blue line which represented the Mississippi River. A day's walk, maybe, until we saw those waters.

Behind us, to the west, thunder echoed. I stole a quick glance over my shoulder for a few seconds. I coolly studied the outline of the cars more than two hundred yards from us. No movement. Nothing. Another few seconds passed, and still nothing. "Come on, we've gotta find a place to rest for a little while. It's going to storm soon."

She folded then tucked the map back into its designated pocket. "Are you starting to hurt?"

"No." Yes.

"Are you sure? You're limping."

"I'm fine." No, I'm not sure.

The consistent movement was playing a part in my demise. Even though I was thankful we would stop and rest until the storm passed, I couldn't shake the worry that accompanied the relief.

If we stopped they could catch up.

Most travelers were similar to us; passer-byres, who didn't want any more to do with us than we with them. They kept to one side of the road, while we kept to another. It was for good reason on their part, I suppose. A dressed-in-black, heavily-armed soldier might have been worrisome. They kept their distance well-enough. But, there were some that actively sought military and women.

Military: to torture and kill.

Women: to own.

Alice and I were a two-for-one deal. A tempting pair. We were swimming in an ocean with sharks that would attack for no reason. And when they attacked, I would be ready to defend us, even if that meant having to kill.

It was easy to tell who would advance just by the look in their eye, or the way their body...

"Edward, would you stop?"

My gaze with the stranger across the street broke at her words.

"You're scaring that old man," she whispered. "And get your hand off your gun!"

I dismissed my tense fingers as she sighed and kicked the lose rocks on the pavement with her worn sneakers. Whether by accident, fumbling, or purposely I didn't know, so I asked, "Are you getting tired?"

"No."

I turned to see if the old man was still walking. He was. He had no interest.

"What were you laughing about a few minutes ago?"

"Huh?" What was she talking about? I didn't recall laughing at anything.

"You were over there huffing and smiling at something."

"I don't know." There wasn't anything funny.

But she nodded and was silent for a moment before speaking again. "Did you get any sleep last night?"

Did I get any sleep last night? Did I get any sleep last night? "No."

"Why not? I told you that you needed to get some sleep." She sounded concerned.

I sighed. "Because of the men that were following us."

She stopped and turned her body toward me, completely facing my direction. Her long hair was disheveled despite how often she tried to tame it with her fingers all afternoon. I wanted to press my palms against it to flatten the out-of-line strands.

"What men?" she asked. I couldn't help but glance to the west in curiosity, to see if I saw any other movement fluttering behind the cars.

"The men that were following us yesterday. We got ahead of them, but I wasn't sure if they would find us. I had to stay awake."

She appeared confused as she shifted her feet and looked to the road that we left behind us. Her gaze stayed there for several moments before she turned to me again. "Edward, I didn't see anyone, and you never said anything."

"You wouldn't. They kept covered very well, and I didn't want to worry you in case it was nothing."

"Are they still there?"

There was nothing but stillness along a river of pavement with splashes of green. The older man was further away but he appeared to be standing still, frozen in cadence. It was like a haunted painting. Even the forest, itself, seemed petrified.

I could've sworn there was someone behind us yesterday. I had that undeniable feeling that I was being watched, and every once in a while, when I looked, I thought I saw a glimpse of someone cowering to hide. Usually, I was accurate, but now it appeared that it was only us on this road. Us and the old man. Perhaps they stopped? Gave up their pursuit?

"I don't think so," I answered.

Her jaw ticked, then she started to walk again, eyes to the pavement and shoulders lax under the weathered, black straps of her bag. I followed. "I'm worried."

"About?"

"You. You're starting to scare me. You don't sleep, and when you do it's only for a couple of hours. Do you know what happens to people who don't sleep?"

"They stay alive?" I responded.

"They hallucinate; see things, hear things, become paranoid. You haven't been yourself these past couple of days."

I reached forward and closed my hand around her bicep. She stopped. What was she suggesting? "Do you think I'm seeing things? That I made it up?"

"I think you're seeing what you're seeing, but maybe it's not real."

Not real? Her words puzzled me. "Alice, do you think I'm crazy?"

"Who isn't these days?"

In worry and pain, I was compelled to step toward her. The thought that crossed through my mind was greater than I could stand. "Do you still trust me?" When I caught her dark eyes she appeared surprised, taken aback. "Please say you do. I don't know how I'll get by if you don't."

Her mouth flicked upward for the briefest moment as she placed her hand on my forearm. "I trust you with my life, and much more."

I felt myself smile. She trusted me, and I trusted her. "It's gonna start raining soon. We need to find a place to stay."

~. . . . . . . .-=|=-. . . . . . . .~

We found shelter in an old gas station right before the rain caught up to us.

I could only pray that we'd find food, but didn't hold any hope that we would. After a thorough search under the fallen shelves and storage closets, we came up empty. It had already been picked over. Everything was already taken.

Exhausted, I unhooked my rucksack from around my waist and shrugged it off my shoulders. It was heavier than usual, and the weight almost brought me to the floor as it slid off my arms.

"Are you okay?" Alice asked. She appeared next to me quite suddenly.

"Fine."

But I wasn't fine. I was weak and my thigh hurt just as badly as the day I was stabbed. I propped myself on the cold linoleum beneath us as I tried to compose myself.

"You're not fine," she said as she knelt next to me. "I need to re-dress your leg."

"You did it this morning. Leave me." I shrugged her hands off my arm. I simply wanted to be left alone. Why couldn't she understand that?

Thunder rumbled over the building. The crowded room of rubble became darker in that moment as she left my side and began to dig through her backpack.

She sat back down beside me and handed me a little, white pill. I took it without question, swallowing it harshly without the company of water. It reminded me how thirsty I was.

"You're cold."

I felt heavier, but lighter at the same time, and couldn't deny that I was cold. "Yes," I said as I laid flat on the cool floor. The back of my head came to rest on my bag.

"I can tell," she said as she disappeared from my side again then returned with the blanket, covering me with it. "You're shaking."

My lids were so heavy, so unbelievably heavy and sore. I wanted sleep badly, craved it and longed for nothing more, but my mind couldn't be put at ease. Was Alice right? Was I seeing things? Did I imagine those two men following us, or were they really there? Maybe she was right. Maybe all I needed was sleep. Everything would be better with sleep.

"Edward," she said, her voice smooth and enticing, "don't think about anything. Just go to sleep. I'll wake you when the rain passes."

I closed my eyes at her request, and began to slip away into the darkness, away from the patting rain and roaring thunder, away from her.

Peace surrounded me without the slightest hesitation as I finally gave. There was warmth beside me, and a creek of sunlight brushed my cheek then encased my chest. It was slight and welcomed. It felt nice.

Peace, then darkness.

"Sleep," I heard something hiss. "Sleep."

...

...

...

Edward. Edward, wake up.

Edward. Edward! Please. Please wake up. You were right. There were men following us. Edward, they found us!

See you soon!

The End Is The Beginning Is The End - Smashing Pumpkins

The Sound of Silence - Simon and Garfunkel