“What are you doing?” he asked, incredulously. “You’re not seriously thinking of stopping.”
“We haven’t seen another human being in days. And he has a car, Ash,” I pleaded. He held onto my arm firmly, and I couldn’t pull myself away from him. I used my left arm to throw a punch at him, and he ducked, allowing me to yank my right arm free. I turned on my heel and started to walk toward the car. It was a truck, an older make definitely, and it was making a ton of noise. I looked around, nervously, expecting the Awakened to reappear. I walked cautiously up to the driver’s side window as it rolled down.
An older man, probably in his sixties, was behind the wheel, looking down at me with concern. A woman around the same age was in the passenger seat, probably his wife.
“Honey, what are you doing out here?” she asked, a distinct Boston accent in her voice. I grabbed a hold of it, grateful to hear a voice that didn’t sound raspy. Both of their eyes were normal, and they were dark skinned but not blue. I nearly cried with relief. She looked over my shoulder, presumably at Ash, if he hadn’t run off without me. “Is it only the two of you out here?”
I nodded. “Just the two of us,” I confirmed.
The man looked behind me and then his eyes met mine again. They found the scar on my face, tracing it from one corner to the other. I felt self-conscious and ducked my head. “Where are you headed?”
“Constance,” I said. “Are you going that way?”
He nodded. “We’re passing through, but I can give you a lift.”
Ash had come up behind me. “I think we’re okay. It’s not far from here.”
“It’s 100 miles from here,” I hissed back at him.
“It wouldn’t be a problem at all,” the man insisted.
Ash smiled at them, the wide charming smile that I was so accustomed to but hadn’t seen in so long. I knew him well though, and I could see the strain in it. “Excuse us for a moment.” He took my arm and led me a few feet away. “We don’t even know them.”
“Ash, I’m tired. No. I’m exhausted. We haven’t had real food in days, and we’re dirty and disgusting, and I’m covered in injuries. And we keep running into Awakened. I’m scared, and I just want to be safe. It’s only an hour and a half drive. We only have to trust them for an hour and a half.”
He hesitated. “I’m just…I don’t know who we can trust, Z. I don’t want us to make the wrong move.”
“Look,” I said slowly, “either we face down two regular humans, or we have to face another group of Awakened, that will try to kill us and eat us, or cut us to pieces. I’d rather take down those two. I’m tired of fighting.”
He still looked unsure, but I knew my words had gotten through to him a little bit. “I’m tired too,” he admitted.
“Well, then, let’s do it. Please.”
He was caving in. I opened my eyes wider, dipping my chin and biting my lip slightly. I hoped it helped that I already was really tired and dirty. “Okay. You win.”
I grinned triumphantly and walked over to the car again. “We’re going to take you up on your offer.”
The man grinned, patting his hand on the truck, causing a loud sound to echo in the relative silence. “You can hop on in here with us.”
Ash smiled, forced. “That’s kind of you, sir. I think we will jump in the back of the truck, if that’s okay.”
“Are you sure?” he asked, his eyebrow raised. “It’s mighty cold out here.”
“We’re sure,” Ash insisted, pulling me toward the back of the truck. He let down the tailgate and helped me climb in before climbing in behind me. There were a few thick blankets in the back, smelling strongly of horse and manure but they were warm. I pulled one over me but couldn’t stop the shivering that was coursing through my body.
“Come here,” Ash said, holding his arms out to me. I hesitated for a moment before scooting closer to him, allowing him to wrap his arms around me, pulling the blanket over the both of us. The truck roared to life and bounced onto the road. Ash’s arms tightened around me, and soon I fell asleep.
I fell straight into another nightmare. It was a variation of the first, the spooky slow motion night of the dance. I danced with Ash. I discovered I was blue. I ran through the slower dancers before crashing into the bathroom and finding the body on the floor. There was blood all over my hands and bits of flesh on my dress.
I had killed my father. The scene played over and over in my head, until I woke with a start, gasping for air.
“Another bad dream?” Ash whispered. I nodded, pressing my face into his chest. “I’m sorry. But I have some good news; I think we made it. I think we’re in Constance.”