•Now,𝙸𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚖𝚒𝚍𝚍𝚕𝚎 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚍𝚎𝚜𝚜𝚎𝚛𝚝•

"Mommy?" 

My thoughts were interrupted by Heidi, who had been driving with me for almost an hour since we left the last Motel, "Yes, sweetheart?" 

"I'm hungwy." I glanced over at her from the corner of my eye, her little metal brow furrowed in that adorable way it always did when she was feeling a bit peckish. There wasn't a moon in sight other than the stars and the dessert.

"Sweetheart, we'll stop soon, I promise. Just a little bit longer," I said, trying to sound cheerful even though my metal stomach was starting to growl at the thought of food myself, "But I'm really hungwy, Mommy!" 

She whined as she leaned closer to my tire, eyes wide with the seriousness of her need. I chuckled softly, unable to resist her earnestness. "I know, I know. What do you want to eat, love? Maybe we can find a diner or something."

"Uhmmm..." she thought, trying to think of something, "Cinnamon engine rolls! And maybe some chocolate oil!" "Alright, not a bad choice," I replied, imagining warm, gooey cinnamon engine rolls melting in our mouths, the sweetness washing away the fatigue of the road.

"Do you think they'll have sprinkles?" she asked in excitement. 

"I bet they will! And... we'll get extra," I tiredly said, nuzzling her. It felt good to dream about sugar and cream instead of the endless asphalt stretching before us, "Yay!" Heidi cheered. 

Her headlights lit up on the road with a smile like she was the sun shining in my life and I knew that without her, I would be lost. At around 2:00 am on the highway, I felt thirsty and fatigued from lack of rest and fuel. 

Despite struggling to stay focused, I ensured my daughter was well-fed and rested before continuing our journey. However, I could never relax; the fear that HE would find us and take Heidi away haunted me, leaving me terrified that I might never see her again. 

The thought brought tears to my eyes, but I didn't want to burden my daughter with the weight of my struggles over the past four years of my marriage was the worst thing in my life. 

I drove slowly to ease my brakes and glanced at the sign beside me that read 'Route 66.' To my exhausted relief, a wave of pride washed over me, even as fatigue crept in from having not had anything to drink since my first stop. 

My headlights cut through the night, illuminating a winding desert road that seems like an endless road. That is when I felt my fuel emptying, there was a leak of gas leaking under me, meaning that I'm almost dried up. 

But it wasn't going to stop me until I found a small town where we could have a fresh start in life, sadly, my engine started to stop me from moving and I felt exhausted, "Heidi, let's stop here for a second..." 

I tiredly tell her, and we both stop after driving away from the interstate and Route 66, I lick my dermas out of thirst and my daughter soon notices the leakage. Freaking out, she started to worry, "Mommy, why are we stopping?" 

"Heidi, listen...to me..." I tried shaking off the tiredness, and continued, "I...I want you to find help and don't mention anything about HIM...do you understand?" "Yes, mommy. But what if there's no one to help us?"

I chuckle a bit, only to end up coughing, "Then you come back and stay with me...ok? Now go..." 

"Don't worry, mommy. I'll get help." I watched her drive alone on the desert road to look for help while I was losing consciousness by welcoming the darkness.

(Little Heidi's pov): 

"Don't worry, mommy. I'll get help." As I drove into the dark wilderness, fear began to set in. Desperately searching for any signs of life, I finally spotted a billboard. I sighed in relief and drove closer to read the sign that said:

" 'Radiator Springs... Gateway to Ornament Valley.' There is a small town." I gasped in relief, before hearing a snore coming from the back of it, I yelped a bit but not too loud since I wasn't sure who was there so with a little bravery, I quietly drove to see and find a black & white police car right behind it:

'It's a Sheriff! Maybe he can help, mommy!' I mentally gasped in excitement at the thought of someone helping Mommy but... I also remembered that it's very rude to honk at someone. But I don't care, as long as it's an emergency, I get mommy help which is why I honked:

HONK HONK! I sweatdropped because it reminded me of doing this to my teachers back home.

Startled and coughing in embarrassment, he seemed on the verge of getting angry. I braced myself for a scolding, but when he saw me, his eyes widened, and I began to tell him fast:

"Canyoupleasehelpmom?" I rapidly tell him, fearing arrest, "Pleasedon'ttakemeaway!" The black police car attempted to soothe me, saying, "Slow down, kid." Noticing my eyes tearing up with tears, he quickly added, "No one is going to take you away. Just take a deep breath, yeah?"

I nodded, trying to wipe my tears with my windshield, and took a huge deep breath before letting it all out: "That's it, kiddo." He softly smiles a bit, "Now tell me from the beginning what you said earlier, this time slowly." 

"O-Okay..." I sniffed, before explaining to him about everything, Sheriff widened his eyes before he turned on his headlights and asked, "Okay, kid. I'll help you but you must show me where your mom is, do you remember the way?" 

I nodded, "I-I think so."

"Good, let's go." Sheriff turned on his flashing and fell in line in front of him, as we both drove through the night filled me with fear. Finding Sheriff gave me a sense of safety, who asked: "Anyways, what's your name?" 

"Heidi Adler, sir." I answered, making him smile through his grill. "That's a nice name." "Thank you." After what felt like hours, we finally reached Mom.

to be continued...