Once Loved, Twice Marked

On the Run

About two hours later I was completely and utterly lost. I knew I would need to get gas eventually. I was hungry and exhausted. There was still a dull ache in my head and my throat still throbbed. I would need to ditch this truck and find some clothes. The wallet had about $200 in it. I could try to take more out with his debit card but I didn’t want to risk him tracking me through his bank with whatever ATM I took the money from. Looking ahead I sighed in relief when I saw a gas station off the right side of the road. I calmly pulled into the gas station, parking near the back. I searched the cab of the truck frantically trying to find something to wear. My nose wrinkled as I pulled out a pair of my uncles’ shorts and a shirt. It wasn’t much but it would have to work. I was sure he kept the change of clothes due to shifting. I slid the shorts on and pulled my own shirt off. The front was stained with blood. And as I looked in the rearview mirror my heart stopped. I pulled the visor down to get a closer look and I felt my eyes tear up. My hair was a mess and the left side of my face was still slightly swollen and bruised from hitting the edge of the island table. My healing was working just slowly. I briefly wondered if that’s how long it normally takes or if my human side was slowing down the process. I used my old shirt and an old water bottle to clean the blood off my face and neck. My heart stopped when I saw the area where my neck meets my collar bone. Two deep ragged-looking holes stood out. They looked raw and it hurt to touch them. I quickly put on the new shirt. I grabbed the money and briefly considered the wallet. I wanted to get as much money out of the bastard as possible but I knew if I used his card then it would alert his bank. The pickup truck would be found eventually just not until someone reported it. I needed to throw him off my trail as much as possible. Despite it being well into the morning there was only one other car in the parking lot. I went inside avoiding eye contact with the clerk and searched. I eventually ended up with a drink and some old taquitos with some chips and cookies to snack on. I noticed a small section with toiletries, some clothes, blankets, etc.… it looked like a small shop within the shop and I briefly thanked my luck that truck drivers were considered when stocking. I grabbed a zip-up hoodie to cover my upper body, a small drawstring pack, and some toiletries. I took everything up to the counter and avoided the curious look from the kid running the counter.

“This is for you?” I nodded, refusing to meet his eyes. “$32.61” I winced and handed over the money. It was more than I wanted to spend but necessary. “Are you okay?” I looked up to meet his eyes. They were so full of concern I felt my heart swell slightly. I forced a small smile.

“I am going to be” he nodded as if that made perfect sense and slid the bag forward with my stuff. I turned to leave and then paused. I turned back to the clerk and asked, “where am I?” his confused look had me rephrase my question. “I mean what town am I in? Is there a bus station nearby?”

“You are in Jennings, hold on a sec.” he disappeared for a moment to the back then came upfront. He unfolded a map and pointed. I peered closer and felt my heart leap. I was just at the edge of Utah bordering Colorado. My heart leaped with excitement. I had been heading the right way. My plan was to head back to my home pack my father had been from. I had hoped they would provide me shelter and protection, allowing me to reclaim the part of my life that I had cherished so much. He folded it up and handed the map to me. “Here you can keep it, it’s an old map anyway and most people use GPS nowadays.” I nodded and gave him a grateful smile. As I left I heard him call out telling me to have a nice day and be safe. I walked back around to the truck and weighed my options. Jennings was small. It didn’t have a bus station and I was still unable to shift. I mulled over my options but finally decided to leave the truck. I tossed the keys under it and put everything I had into the bag. I started off towards the road and started walking. I had spotted the main highway a few miles up that would take me across Colorado. I knew it would be risky following the main road but it would keep me from getting lost. I could keep to the tree line. Once I felt better, I would shift and run as far as I can, keeping to the woods. I knew that I would eventually run into a town that would have a bus, or even a train line, that could take me as close to my destination as possible. With this new plan in mind I felt a semblance of relief. I wasn’t safe yet but it was a start.