Never Heroes: Act I

Chapter 6

Never Heroes

Act I

VI: Destinations

Sunlight reflected off the rough water that stood in their way. On the other side was another state and within a few hours walking distance rested a town so sleazy and dirty that they could blend in and hide amongst the lowest of the low. Even if it was only for a few days, it would give them a chance to come up with some sort of plan. Yet their enemy was an entity so large and with a reach so vast it was impossible to run forever. The moment the government got serious about finding them was the end of their journey.

Crossing the river wasn't going to be easy. The nearest bridge was quite a few miles away and it was heavily traveled with constant surveillance. With some of the most powerful undercurrents around, it wasn't something they were going to swim across. The result was a lot of waiting for Chip and Emily while Walter did all the thinking.

"As soon as we get there, we're getting drunk and we're getting laid," Emily declared.

Chip laughed sheepishly. "I think I'll probably just sleep."

"Oh, no. You probably haven't had s*x since like, at least a week before Sarah kicked the bucket. Probably longer. In fact, I know you haven't. You're never going to get over Sarah until you get to have some fun. You know what they say, the quickest way to get over someone is to under someone else," she said.

It was Walter's turn to chime in. "Is that what they say? Or is it just what you say?"

"I don't just say it, I live it," she said proudly. To that, both could only laugh lightly.

Waves created by a boat had rippled across the river. Walter observed it for a moment. It appeared to just be a fishing boat. Eventually it slowed to a creep before it stopped dead ahead. Without a word to the others, Walter took off in a sprint toward the riverbank, yelling and waving his arms. Confused, Chip and Emily were a few paces behind. They caught up right on the edge of the river.

The plan worked. The boat heard the shouts and saw the trio. It made its way toward the rocky shore in a flash. When it arrived, Walter went on and explained that they had been stranded on the wrong side of the river when their friend played a prank on them by leaving them on the shoreline. It was total bullshit and didn't sound all that believable, but Walter could sell rocks as gold if he needed to. In their youth, Emily had admired his charisma and charming smile; now, she merely respected it, and didn't view it through the rosy lens of childhood.

The fishermen believed Walter's wild story and offered to give them a lift across the river. Now across state lines, they were only about three or four hours away from the dirty town they wanted to rest in. For the most part, the beaten asphalt roads saw only a handful of cars per day. Police officers rarely traveled down there, as there simply wasn't enough crime for them to waste their time with. Hunger was their only enemy at this point; they were all lacking proper energy since they hadn't eaten much since they ditched their hometown. None wanted to waste the time to stop at the two gas stations they passed on their trek down those dusty roads. The quicker they got to their destination, the sooner they could relax for the day.

Conversation was nil for the three hour and twenty seven minute trek. Chip had kept track of every minute that passed without a joke or insult and found that their group dynamic had already shifted just due to hunger and exhaustion. Even after they arrived, the only words spoken were from Walter when he said, "I have a place we can stay at. Follow me."

They arrived at an apartment complex that stood taller than all other buildings around it, even though it was only three stories. Decrepit and dirty, it didn't appear very appealing. There was only one entrance, where they had to pass by a man smoking a cigarette. Sunglasses covered whatever look he dared to give them as they walked past. Yellow stained walls, thin and ripped carpet, and garbage in the halls greeted them. Up the stairs they went to the top floor; there, Walter led them to a corner apartment.

He shuffled through his backpack and pulled out a locksmith kit. As he tinkered with the lock, Emily asked, "Great, what other illegal skills have you picked up since high school?"

He laughed. "I was trained as a locksmith in high school, remember? It was my first job."

"Um, where are we?" Chip inquired. His eyes were all over the place. "This seems familiar."

"Both of you are having memory problems already, huh? This was Doug and mine's first apartment. I was only here for about four months until I landed my job. He keeps the lease on it for some reason," Walter explained.

"No wonder he never has money. Not that this place can cost a whole lot," Emily commented.

The door was opened. Revealed to them was a rather spacious apartment with minimal furniture. A pub table with four chairs rested off the side, while a coffee table, two beat up couches and an old recliner provided seating. There was no TV, no computer, or expensive game consoles. A lone record player in the corner and a stack of vinyl albums was the only source of entertainment there. The living room opened to the kitchen where a table with two chairs populated the space with a refrigerator, stove, and microwave. Around the corner there were two bedrooms and one bath.

Walter went straight for the table in the kitchen and sat down. He pulled out his laptop and few gadgets he had packed away and went to work. Emily went to the fridge where, to her surprise, there was good food and a lot of beer. She asked, "Does Doug still comeback here?"

"Yeah, probably," Walter said, uninterested. His focus was already solely on the task at hand.

Emily grabbed an apple from the fridge and tossed it to Chip; he offered her a quick thanks before he took a bite. Juicy and cool, it was a perfect treat after that long walk. Then she nabbed three beers, cracked each open on the counter top, and presented one to her two companions. Walter didn't acknowledge her, but he did take a swig from the bottle once it was set on the table. Chip was a little more enthusiastic and gave her a big smile when he said thanks for the second time.

Both Emily and Chip found themselves seated on the same couch. Tired and sore, they nearly sank into the cushions. An astray on the table caught Emily's eye; without seeking permission, she pulled a cigarette and lighter out of her pocket and lit up. That first drag was the best. It was the first time she'd bother to smoke in quite a few days, as she'd been doing her damnedest to stop. Being on the run seemed like a good excuse to light up again.

After the second puff she asked Walter, "What the hell are you doing, anyway?" He had looked way too serious and focused for it be checking social media or playing games.

"Gaining access to the media pipeline to find out if any information about us is being passed on by the government. There's no internet here, but I brought a satellite uplink, so as long I keep the signal scrambled…"

He kept yammering. Emily knew she wasn't going to understand anything out of his mouth so she stopped listening. Chip never heard a word to begin with, if his far off expression was any indication. She watched Chip as his finger ran a pattern over the cool bottle and his eyes stayed transfixed on something in a completely different world. She knew what he was thinking about. That was the look he'd saved for himself when he was thinking about Sarah. He'd done that same look and that same finger twitch since he was about six years old.

Not one to display affection, Emily surprised even herself when one of her arms draped itself over Chip's shoulders. The cigarette was discarded into the astray and her other arm pulled him to her. There was no reaction from him at first, just a few choked back noises. Whatever comfort her half embrace had given was enough to stop him from truly crying. Chip just allowed his body to relax against her, the soft and calming sensation of her petting his head like a child just enough for him to drift asleep.

Walter watched the exchanged from over his laptop, his hazel eyes strangely intent on seeing the scene unfold. Emily had grown up, he noted. Emotions once rejected now were being accepted openly. Awkward embraces of the past were being replaced with sincere, caring hugs that transmitted the warmth and love she had for those around her. It was good timing. More than ever, Chip was going to need that support, no matter how strong he had been up to that point. Eventually, his mask would fall, and Chip wouldn't be able to handle the crushing weight of his loss. As long as Emily and Walter stayed near Chip, everything would be okay.

Something beeped on his laptop and his attention went back to his work. Now that he had access, he had a peek inside what the government was going to do about their little hunt. Naturally, he checked his own records first. He was floored to find a pending record on his file. It was enough for him to uncharacteristically shout, "What the f**k?!"

"What is it?" Emily asked from the couch. Despite half of his face being hidden by the laptop, she could see his skin dyed red with anger; his eyes were glaring so hard they twitched; his knee bounced a million miles an aware. It was a rare sight.

"They're going to charge me with child pornography!" he yelled.

She laughed at him. "Is there something you need to tell us?"

"No!" he cried without a thought. Furiously his fingers attacked the keyboard as he went through the process of erasing all information of him from their database. "Dammit, that means they're serious about destroying us. You have any idea how the public reacts to those kinds of charges? You don't even have to be found guilty and you still won't be able to have a normal life! I better check yours as well."

Things were getting serious, she realized that. No life waited for them at the end of this. More than likely, they would spend the rest of their days on the run. Every few months would mean they would have to relocate and rebrand themselves with new names and new stories. It was fortunate that they were single and childless, or this would have been a completely different game.

Of course, for Chip, the opposite was almost true. Yet would they have ever found themselves in such a predicament if Sarah were still around? Emily couldn't say for sure. Without a doubt, she never would have come back into town. This little group of theirs never would have been formed again. Instead of a new future, she would have been staring down the same path she had traveled pointlessly for the past decade. Perhaps, all this was for the best.

Wow, that's a terrible thought. Did Sarah's death change my life? That's pathetic of me, she thought bitterly to herself. Sadness overtook her. In response, she held Chip closer; he responded unconsciously by snuggling against her. She whispered to him, "I'm sorry, Chip."

"We'll be okay," he mumbled. She doubted it was intended for her. Convinced he was talking in his sleep, she ignored the words. A yawn shook her. Carefully, she rotated Chip just enough that she could slide down the couch and lay down. Cuddled close to Chip and enveloped his warmth, she felt sleep overtake her.