I burned rubber as I drove like a maniac around the road, going against everything I learned in Driver’s Ed. My dad. My abusive, neglecting, perverted, power-hungry, asshole of a dad has found us! Oh gods this day cannot get any worse!

“Get on the highway,” Chance ordered, barely controled panic clear in her voice. “They’ll be able to get a better lock on us with the lack of no-man’s-lands. But if we stay here we are as good as caught.”

“Okay,” I said turning on my blinker to merge into the next lane as rain pounded on the windshield like bullets. “And what do we do if they do find us?”

“Hope for the best and fight like hell.” She said reaching into the glove compartment and pulling out an old pistol. “Just in case,” she said glancing down at my injured arm. “How fast can you run?”

“Pretty fast,” I said as I watched the speedometer climb to sixty- five. “I was on the track team too.”

  “Good,” she said with an approving bob of her head. “How’s your ability to knife fight?”

“What I’ve seen in the movies,” I answered as I stared out at the road trying to see through the downpour. I had no such luck and just tried to say in my lane wishing I was like Chance and had taken tons of fighting type classes when I wasn't a prison escapee. I had a feeling those skills would be a huge help right now.

“Damn,” she said pulling out the knife from her sleeve and pushing the button, the small, sharp blade swinging out. “Well we just have to- LOOK OUT!” Her warning didn’t matter, we’d hydroplane and I had no control over the old truck. I gripped the wheel tightly as we smashed into the black truck in front of us. The screech of metal crashing against metal clawed at my ears as the airbag blasted out and into my face with the force of a kangaroo kick.

Then a second later it was over, I pushed the deflated airbag back away from me, spitting as I tasted blood in my mouth. “You okay?” I called over to Chance who was beating back her airbag too.

“Fine, get out of the car, we have to leave this. We’ve got to keep going.” She unbuckled fast and grabbed her backpack from the back seat and handed me the knife. “Hide it up your sleeve or something. I can’t have us walking around unarmed. Come on.”

“Okay,” I said hopping out of the truck noting the accordion like pattern on the hood. Chance’s uncle was not getting his truck back. I yanked the sleeve of my sweatshirt down hididng my hand a bit and hopefully that would be enough to hide the knife too. I agreed with Chance, walking around without a weapon was a bad idea. A switchblade might not be enough to send a god to the Underwolrd, but it might be enough to help me get away if we ever got seperated. What would we do if that happened....? We needed to talk about that...I made the note to myself to bring it up at the soonest possible time and started to focus on the current problem as sheets of rain pelted me.

“You guys okay?” shouted a deep male voice through the storm, the guy we hit and I was tempted to open my mouth and answer him. Let him know it wasn't his fault and all, but Chance wasn't going to have that.

“Don’t answer,”  she said  to me as a rumble of thunder drowned us out from the other guy’s hearing.

“I know,” I said as she picked up speed sprinting on the side of road.  In the rain, this was going to really suck. It felt like ruber bullets where hitting me and I could barely see a thing.  Doesn't mean I like it, I thought back to her as  I picked up my speed and followed Chance into the downpour.

***

By the time we made it to inner city Buffalo, I was soaked down to my bones, sure I was never going to be warm or dry ever again and my legs felt like Jell-O. I was never going to be able to eat any dessert with that stuff ever again. "Here!" Chance called over the storm and I spotted a Plexiglass bus stop.

I collapsed on the bench my clothes dripping water onto the cement as my chest heaved while I tried to regain my ability to breathe like a normal person.  “You think we’re safe here?”

“We have to be because I don’t have any more miles left in me,” she mumbled unzipping her hoodie and taking off her socks and shoes. “Start stripping as much as you can without making this weird-we can’t afford to get sick.”

“Good idea,” I yawned taking off my soaked sweatshirt and shirt as well as my socks and shoes. I tossed them onto the ground and rested my hands on the stomach and my chin on my chest. Not the most comfortable way I’ve ever slept. I was cold too, the damp air brushed against my exposed skin like unwanted AC but I figured I was better off this way. Water sucked heat out of the body faster than air did.

“Night,” Chance mumbled as she curled up on the other side of the bench using her soaked backpack as a pillow.  That can’t be comfortable, I thought as I looked over at her. Though granted we were sleeping on a bus stop bench after running away from the scene of an accident and I was starting to get heartburn, now of all times that stupid burning feeling in my chest had come back. I'd been a frequent patient for this annoying little shit so much so that I spent over half of my lifetime eating  Tums like they were candy.

“Night,” I said  rubbing my chest like it could take awya the burning feeling and I caught a glimpse of her weird eyes, and then I was hit with a question that I couldn’t leave alone until morning. “Hey Chance?”

“What?” she grumbled opening one eye at me.

“Who’s your parent?” I asked really curious and hoping she wouldn't kill me for asking. “I mean with the eyes…well that doesn’t exactly scream ‘normal human’ so…” I trailed off and waited for her to tell me I was an idiot.

Chance now had both eyes open and they were rolling skywards.  “Woke me up for that,” she grumbled facing away from me. “Morpheus,” she answered her voice tight, “god of dreams. Which does explain the eyes I suppose, now anymore stupid questions?” Okay so she didn't call me an idiot this time, though she still had to use some words that meant having low intelligence.

“One,” I admitted biting my lip. “How did you escape?” The burning feeling in my chest got worse and I bit back a growl. Stupid body, stupid heartburn and the stupid acid that caused it.

“Story for another time,” she yawned, wringing some water out of her ponytail, “Now goodnight.”

“Night,” I mumbled my eyes closing as my long day finally caught up with me and even with the burning in my chest and throat I fell fast into darkness.

  ***

“Get up,” said Chance tapping my shin with her shoe.

“Ugh,” I said groaning as my shin whined in protest of being kicked at and the prospect of getting up right now, “Five minutes.”

“No,” and I tumbled forwards from a behind shove. Probably courtesy of Chance, and when I looked up and saw the scowling redhead I confirmed my theory.

“Ow,” I said getting up off the cool concrete, and glancing outside at the grey misty morning of this city. The rain had finally stopped and if the gods weren't such assholes I'd have said a prayer of thanks. I“Where are my clothes?” I asked looking down

“You took them off last night to dry,” she reminded me as she held out my old sweatshirt and shirt. “And they are right here, now get out of the bus stop and put your clothes on. We’ve got walking to do.”

“To where? We aren’t going to get very far without a car,” I said sarcastically as I pulled the damp clothes over my head, I shivered but they were drier than they were last night and my heartburn had finally let up. Another small reason or reasons to be happy about something.

“Trust me, I’ve done this before. So shut your mouth and please just let me do the talking.” She put up her hand in the universal gesture for “shush!” and her eyes scanned the crowd for…I don’t know what.  But she reached out and whistled-she was hailing a cab? What?

“Chance-?” I began but she held up her free hand again.

“Trust Xander,” she said as she climbed into the pulling up yellow taxi cab. And I followed her inside the cab not sure of whatever she was planning. I have to trust her, I decided, she's currently the only friend I have in the world and we got this far by doing what she said right? What could go wrong?

“Where to?” the cab driver asked as we shut the door, my heart started to pound wondering what her plan was and I glanced over at her and I saw her hand was shaking, eyes darkening around like she was trapped. What the Hades?

“We just need to be dropped off at Eric.” Chance said her voice oddly steady despite how she was acting with her body. “Can you get us there?”

“Yeah, for the right price,” said the driver. “Think you have enough to pay for it? That’s a pretty long ways back.”

“We’ve got enough,” Chance said jumping into the front and drawing her gun and pointing the barrel to the drivers’ head. THAT'S HER PLAN? OH MY GODS! THAT DOES IT! NEXT TIME SHE SAYS SHE HAS A PLAN I AM GOING TO OBJECT! “Now listen here,'  she said licking her lips, hand shaking as she kept the gun on the driver.  "You’re going to drive us to the major city from Buffalo, try anything and your brain is going to get splattered all over this cab. You do what I say and you will get to keep your brain inside your skull. Sound like a fair price?”

“Yes!” the poor driver shrieked his hands death-gripping the steering wheel.  

“Good,” Chance said cheerily, “now drive.” The cabby gunned the engine and the buildings of Buffalo began to pass by in a blur.

“This was your plan?” I hissed at Chance as we drove the poor driver sweating bullets. "Threaten some guy so he'd drive us?!"

“Yep,” Chance said, glancing back at me, her voice shaky and tired. “We couldn’t steal again so I figured this was going to work just fine. My anger evaporated, gods how often had she been this desperate? Probably more times than I could count...I crossed my arms.  She's not going to kill him for real, I reasoned. She wouldn't do that...and even if she would I wouldn't let it happen.

“And when we get out?” I asked finally able to accept that what we were doing was wrong, but needed. I didn't have to like it, but it came down to our escape or a felony. I say the felony is the best choice; maybe if the suicide mission didn't kill me I really would deserve to do time in prison.

“Trust me.”  Was the only reply she gave me, “Just got to sleep or something, we’ll have a lot of walking to do after this.”

“Fine,” I mumbled resting my head against the window and shutting my eyes.

While I slept I dreamed. Which wasn’t a bad thing really, but it was really, really weird. Everything was blurring by like it was going sixty miles an hour. City lights, a fence spattered in something gold, a buff Cupid-looking guy, three chicks sitting a really dark, dank place, Chance’s voice shouting, “XANDER YOU IDIOT!” and a giant ice cream sundae. Like I said; weird.

I woke up then to Chance swatting me across the face. “Ow,” I complained pressing my fingers against the stinging skin of my cheek.

“Get out and unbuckle we’re here.” She said forcing the cabby out at gunpoint and that was like giving me a huge mug of coffee. We were here! Wherever here was I was glad to be out of that cab and the fact we wouldn't be holding some poor guy hostage anymore.

“Where is ‘here’?” I asked stumbling out of the cab my legs tingling and weak-they must've fallen asleep.

“Eric,” she said as she stepped out into the empty street in what must’ve been some suburb in the city of Eric.  She lowered the gun and looked sternly at the cabby who was still shaking probably scared that if he spoke the purple eyed chick in front of him would blast his brains out.

“Rest in your cab for the night, then go home. You’re in no shape to drive tonight.”  She back away slowly still holding the gun level with his chest and once she was far enough away she put the hammer back and bolted like she was running for her life. She probably was, it was only a matter of time before this guy got over his shock enough to call nine-one-one.

“Sorry dude! I really am sorry!” I shouted as I followed Chance shooting apologetic looks at the cabby.  I really was sorry we did that to him, he didn't seem like  a bad guy. The street lights of Eric kept us out of that shadow things reach which was great because I could almost feel her breathing down my neck. “Now he’s going to call the cops!” I hissed at Chance as she walked down the sidewalk.

“No he won’t,"  she said with a spoonful of confidence and that Mary Poppins song began playing in my head.  “He’s too scared to. You already said it yourself, my eyes don't scream 'normal' he probably thinks were psychos or something."

“But really?!" I sputtered as my feet slapped against the pavement as I tried to keep up with her strides that were getting faster by the second.  "That was your plan? Hostages at gun point? That attracts a lot of attention, we can't do that again, not for a while."

“Yeah, and it worked,” she said walking down the street even faster. "I agree though, we can't do that again, not so soon after, but don't go getting a big head at being right okay?"

 Chance, she's agreeing with me, and did not call me idiot. Something is very wrong. “What’s going on?” I asked, scanning our surroundings for any of Chiron's pals. They had to be near if she was acting this way, there was not any other way this could be happening.

“Keep walking idiot!” she hissed furiously walking even faster.

“Chance,” I hissed grabbing her arm and pulling her to a stop. If she was worried I didn't blame her, but having me walk blind into this was not going to help us.  “What is-?”

“Hey you kids okay?” shouted a familiar voice that sent shivers down my spine.  What the heck? I turned slowly dread pumping through me as obvious as my own blood and I turned slowly and saw who was following us.

The guy was the size of the average bear at least in height, his black hair and beard in a tangled mess. And clearly he’d been in a lot of knife fights if the scars on his cheeks are anything to judge by.

Then as the night wind blew into my face I remembered exactly why his voice was familiar. He was the guy from the car crash.

****************

Anyone surprised by who Chance's dad is? Or theories about who this guy is? I'd love to hear them!