One hit wonder

[Lovely]

September 8, 2010
2:45am


Cady's legs were sore from running, she'd been running for days sure she stopped to rest now and then but never for long. How could she with the hunters doing what they did? She was the youngest of the survivors from her family and she felt extremely guilty for that, her younger siblings and cousins that didn't make it. When she closed her eyes, she saw their faces, so in a way it was good that she hadn't had much time to do that since the hunters came. The family had fought hard and taken out several of the men who attacked them simply for what they were. The family split up which also split up the remaining hunters, Cady had some on her trail and hadn't been able to get close enough to take them out - damn their guns! Tonight they'd gotten closer to her and she'd nearly been hit by one of their bullets which split the limb she'd been dozing on, causing her to tumble to the ground. The chase was on again and she sped through the darkness toward a more popluated area.. maybe if she got into town she could lose the hunters and their flea-bag dogs! This time of night, not many people were out and about but she didn't want to be seen. Hearing the howl of the dog, closer than she wanted it to be, urged her to burst out of the cover of the trees to head across the road. Too bad she'd misjudged how close the car driving down the road was, she hit the car though it might have seemed like the car hit her. Her feet left the ground and her shoulder hit the hood as she rolled off and slammed on the pavement, bouncing and sliding several feet before she rested still. It hurt like hell and she was pretty scraped up, dazed into not moving for a couple minutes as she got her bearings and took inventory of what new injuries she now had and if any were serious. They weren't, she'd heal but running was going to hurt even more now.

The brakes nearly smoked as the car squealed to a halt. It was likely the only sound for blocks. Who put a main thoroughfare through a town and didn't put an all-night gas station on the route somewhere these days? He'd been looking for a different stop since the GPS apparently hadn't gotten the memo about the boards on the windows of the last one. The sudden movement from the roadside caught his attention from his search a moment too late and whatever he'd hit, he'd hit hard. His first thought with the way the thing moved was 'cat' and he couldn't say he'd been sorry if he hit it or anything without sense enough to stay off the road in the first place. Logically, it was too large to be a cat unless lions roamed free here, he considered briefly as his heart sank into his boots and he shook off the seatbelt to pour himself out of the car. His fingers framed his nose a second as a few choice expletives began to flood their way around them, continuing to get louder as he burst into action. He threw his jacket within reach and knelt down quickly to check the girl on the road. "If you think you can move, don't. I'm getting help.. I think. Can you hear me?" He looked for blood or obvious broken bones, sure that the impact must have broken several. He didn't expect much of a response from her as he dug for his cell and looked around for other signs of life.

Cady heard the squeal and then the man's voice as he got closer to her, she blinked and growled under her breath. He was mostly right about the impact, she had some broken bones but it didn't stop her from moving. Her hand shot up to grab his shirt and she lifted her head, speaking in a quiet but fierce tone. "I can hear you and you better shut the hell up before they hear you!" She made a slight noise as she leaned on her other arm to push herself up. "No help.. I'll be fine.." Her eyes darted to the sounds of the dogs and then to his car as an idea formed.

"Christ! What are you doing? You're... you have to be hurt! Stay still. I just hit you going probably 40," he said, shocked that she moved and with such sudden force. He'd heard about junkies with their adrenaline insanity and this was borderline insane. "Look, just, can you stay put until I can get an ambulance here?" He hoped for a moment that she wouldn't since he wasn't sure the local authority would answer to an out of area number, even for an emergency call. "I want someone to hear me. You need help!"

[Lovely]

"I'm getting up.. and I'm taking your car." She explained in a more calm and matter of fact tone as she slowly pushed herself up on an arm that was bleeding and broken. She reached with her other to put her hand against his mouth to stop the objections she was sure he'd have to the idea. "I am hurt.. this hurts like hell.. but I have more important things to worry abou.. like breathing." She glanced again to the sounds of dogs and men shouting. "..and I'm kidnapping you.. so let's go."

"What?" His eyes widened with the disagreement to all of it but the protest was muffled behind her hand. He pulled her fingers away from his face as he heard the shouting. "Did you just rob a bank? Shit, fine, hurry up, but you're not kidnapping me. You're not driving after getting hit. Get in."

She was about to explain again when he agreed but changed the plan a bit by being a little too willing. She'd deal with that later, right now she needed to get them both out of there before he got killed just for being decent enough to stop and not 'hit and run' on her. "Okay fine.. let's just go before they get close enough to see your car." She wasn't as nimble as she usually was but managed to get to her feet, grabbing at his arm to pull him toward the car though she was limping.

Out of state plates! His heart sank further. That's all he needed was to be new in the area, looking for directions, only to be considered on the lam for something he knew nothing about. He moved faster to help half-carry her to the car and get her in it. He almost forgot his jacket, leaning to grasp it as they slipped back to the car. He looked at the tank. "Wherever you're hiding out, it better be close or we're going to have a problem," he said.

"Just get in and drive!" She snapped a little as he came to her aid and got her to the car, clenching her jaw against her pain. "Hurry up!" She hissed and curled in the passenger seat, glaring at him as she let him get into the car as well. "Don't do anything stupid.. okay?"

"Stupid? Like run in front of a moving car?" He snapped back, getting them moving before he'd slammed the door closed. He turned the corner out of the interesection to speed away from the shouting voices he'd heard, taking the next turn and another to zig-zag them out of their range. "They're on foot, right?" He asked, wondering if he'd lurched her remaining insides out of place with the swaying of the car. He hoped the ones chasing her were only on foot. He didn't stand a chance on the gas he had left. He laughed a moment later. "Seriously. You robbed a bank? What did you do?"

She stayed curled and watched behind them until he'd taken a couple of turns and then she looked back at him. "I didn't rob a bank.. and those men are not the police so don't get any smart ideas about trying to get their attention." She warned him, trying to keep the growl out of her voice. "Where do you live?"

"Not around here," he said, looking in the mirror then at the gauge again. He looked around the neighborhood they'd gone into. "Not planning on talking to the law unless they have a reason to talk to me and at the moment they don't, do they? I know nothing and I may want to keep it that way. See an open garage door anywhere. We may need one. Ever syphon a tank?" He looked over at her with a grin.

"If you need gas.. go to a gas station.. I told you it's not the cops.. so you don't have to worry about that. You're not going to get into trouble with the law.. I'll even pay for it..." She offered the money with a slight groan as she shifted to put her hand in her pocket to pull out some bills. "Before you even ask.. I didn't rob a bank or jack anyone up for this."

[Lovely]

"If I can find an open station around here, I will," he said, slightly exasperated that it was some ungodly time of the morning and he was tired from driving and not finding what he was looking for, but managed to find more than he needed. He looked at the money and glanced to her, then took the bills to put in his own pocket before she changed her mind. For someone who'd just been hit by half a ton of metal, he wondered if he shouldn't just wait a few moments for her to drop over in a heap. Given her tone, he would like fall over first if he held his breath waiting for it. "Alright. I won't ask and I might believe you. Not that anyway. Can I ask you your name, or a name, so I'm not calling you 'hey you' for the next however long before you decide to play in more traffic?"

"Crap.. I forgot what time it is.. how much gas do you have.. I mean how far will it get us? The farther we go before we stop the better.. it will be harder for them to track the scent.." She glanced down at her hand and flexed her fingers, she needed to tend her wounds which would be awkward with him around. "Is this your car or a rental?" She asked him and then sighed, shaking her head slightly. "Thanks for maybe believing me.. My name is.. you can call me Cady - it's my nickname."

"Vic. I'll tell you my pet name if we make it to daybreak without getting caught," he teased. "You see, I like adventure, but this isn't usually what I have in mind after driving this long. Maybe another fifteen, twenty miles tops. It's a rental, so I'm not entirely sure. Do what you like as long as there's no pet hair," he said, looking for signs of any relief from the low tank.

"Well Vic, I'm glad you like adventure.. that's a plus.. for what it's worth I'm sorry to bring you into this." She looked at her hand again. "A rental which means you can trade it for another.. right? They aren't looking for you, so it would be less likely they'll track you beyond the car if they get that far.. so a couple more hours or so - if we're lucky, and you won't have to drive anymore.." She reached up to brush her hair behind her ear and glanced around the interior of the car. "You don't like animals or something?" She asked, having already assumed that's what his pet hair comment meant, if she wasn't hurt she would probably have told him to pull over right then.

"Not the case at all, it's just the rental agreement. No smoking and no pets in the car. You really are trying hard to get somewhere, aren't you? Or, get away from somewhere else, but you have nowhere in particular to get to, hah? I really should be driving you to a hospital. That's where you should be trying to get to. How is your hand?" He'd noticed her glancing at it when he looked over. He took another turn that appeared to keep them to somewhat main streets though they were still going through neighborhoods that could dead-end.

"I'll try not to shed." She commented under her breath and looked out the window for a few seconds. "I'm not going to any friggin hospital... or letting any of those butchers hack me up." She said that a little louder with a slight 'hmph' and brought her gaze back to him, watching him intently. "Told you I'll be fine.. and I have somewhere to go.. I just need to make sure no one follows me there. You just be a good boy and drive me far away from the men with guns and dirty mutts.."

"Not a fan of dogs, then, I gather? About as much as doctors. I suppose that's fair. I don't care for them much, myself. Doctors. No preference really on dogs. More of a cat person. I admire their independence," he said, rambling as he came to another intersection that appeared to spill out to a frontage road for the highway. "All the way through and back to the main road, still no gas. How badly do you want not to be followed? I may have to go back a turn or two to see if there's any shop anywhere. I can't believe I've missed all of them. How far is it to where you're expected?"

[Lovely]

She actually laughed as he deduced her lack of fondness for dogs and doctors, she licked at her lips, and lifted her hand as if to wipe at them, using the move to dab a little healing to one of her cuts. "How badly do I not want to be followed? How about we say it's a matter of life or death.." Her gaze rolled over him, her eyes narrowed a little. "I've got a long way to go still.. it's not anywhere close to here."

The way she looked him over gave him a slight chill. "Back to the comment on breathing," he nodded, making more sense of the situation, though not much. "I suppose I should thank you for being honest in telling me that you're kidnapping me and that you have killers after you for reasons you don't want me to ask about. Gives me a not so warm fuzzy feeling, you know? You know how to work one of those, then?" He nodded to the GPS that hadn't been helpful for him.

"I never said you couldn't ask me why they're after me.. you're the one who assumed I robbed a bank or did something 'wrong'. I kidnapped you to save your life. If they had caught up to me with you hovering or if I'd taken off with your car and left you there, they would have shot you." She looked down to the thing he pointed to and gently shook her head. "I don't even know what that is.."

"You don't...? It's a GPS. You know - find anything, anywhere, any time of day? Except when you really need it," he sighed, flicking the screen lightly. "It's meant to be useful. I guess keep your eyes and ears open for some hint of pale neon in the distance. I don't suppose you'd say why they want to kill you, hm? Might make the difference when we do stop, knowing what we're up against. It is 'we', now. I hit you, but you're not dead and I'd really much like to keep it that way as well. I'm sure the marks on the front will lead to more questions from the agency. Guess I'm in this for the long haul anyway. Pleasant company to have, though. Sorry I tried to kill you, right?"

Her head nodded slowly as he explained the GPS and went on about the rest, he seemed to be a pretty smart guy.. but how far could she really trust him? He said 'we' and claimed they were in it together now, that was her fault - she'd drawn him into this and so she would have to tell him something. "I don't know exactly why they want to kill me.. right now it's mostly cause I didn't lay down and die with the others.. thing is we don't know why they came, just that they did and wanted to kill everyone.. my whole family. I suspect it was because of the girl my brother fell in love with.. but I didn't stop to ask."

"God I hate Shakespeare," he muttered. "A little extreme to kill someone's family over the in-laws, isn't it? Just take him off the Christmas card list and let him live his life for god's sake. But you don't know, I get that. One day everything is sunshine and butterflies and you're saying the next, everything's turned on its head with the help of a front bumper. I seem to be missing a few of the details in between, I think. What's with the girl that makes you think that? Hey now, what's that? Does that place look open?" He was suddenly chuckling and heading them toward a small, glowing square on the right side of the road.

Cady pouted somewhat, chewing at her lower lip as she shrugged and tried to explain it in a way that made sense to someone who had no idea what she was. "I'm not sure I can tell you what's with her... without telling you a whole lot of other stuff that I'm not sure you'd believe.. and if you did you might feel just the same as those men back there.. it's complicated.. but yet so utterly simple.." She shook her head and sighed, bringing her gaze around to place he headed for. "I think it has to do with her for the exact reason they came after us.. she was different."

"Just as well we stop to check the damage and clean it up before daylight," he said, thinking more out loud to himself as he considered her information that was still spinning and not yet snapping in place. "I hope their coffee isn't as murky as my head is right now. I'm sorry, I really just don't follow. Different how? Like Katie Perry different or really, very different? Did she have two heads or something?"

[Lovely]

"No.. she didn't." Cady laughed a little but the light faded and she kept her gaze out the car window. "But we might as well have.." There was another sigh and another shake of her head. How could she tell him without telling him? "She was just like you.. perfectly normal. We're the ones who are different.. that's why her family didn't want her with my brother. That's why they came after us."

"Soo.. she wasn't different, but entirely normal and that's what made her different? I wonder if their eggs come with a side of aspirin. I'm going to need help understanding if I'm going to help you at all," he said, pulling into the lot. He parked where there was enough light to see the hood close up, but not directly under the lights where they could be seen immediately from the road. "I'm quite aware your friends aren't going to be shaken off for long. We should have a few minutes of peace though."

"Yes.. that's what made her different from us.. and my brother was stupid enough to.. trust her." She finally looked back at him with somewhat of a challenging glare but the expression quickly softened. "..and here I am getting you all mixed up in this.. now I have to trust you because I've put you in danger.. maybe I should have just sat still and let them shoot me.. maybe they're right."

"I don't bleedin' think so," he said, scoffing back, although he hadn't thought about anyone getting shot at or actually killed. He turned a little pale at the revelation as the reality struck him - he was now a target for helping her. She was truly serious that they weren't after her just because she was a runaway or a simple thief, they truly wanted to kill her off? His defiance and paperthin reassurance were cast off and his shoulders went slack, his head thumping back against the rest. What had he stumbled into? Just how different was she supposed to be? "You can trust me," he muttered. "What am I supposed to do, hah? I don't have anything to tell anyone and you already said I won't believe you - so who would I tell to believe me, either? I'm clueless. I don't like being clueless. It makes me nervous and if I'm nervous, I'll be the first in line for questioning if something happens." He turned to look at her now, though his head stayed against the rest. "Suspect number one, your name please? Victor Corvid, age twenty-nine. I'm from London and I have no clue whatsoever, nor a permanent home, no job and really no hope of getting out of the thick of it any time soon," he said, holding his hand out to her as if he hadn't actually greeted her until now. "Your turn."

She frowned as she listened to him go on, she'd really put him in a rough position but she also knew what leaving him behind would have meant for him. It wasn't the best of scenerios, put him in danger or leave him in greater danger. She stared down at her hand for a moment and lifted it, not to take his.. yet, but to swipe her tongue over the gouges that were still bleeding. After several passes she looked him in the eye and smiled softly. "Cadence Massenia, age.. nineteen, lost my home and heading for one that might or might not be there, no job, not alot of hope left either.. and I'll bet you have never met anyone like me." She reached to take his hand now, the wounds on hers were sealed and no longer bleeding. ".. but at least now you can say you had pussy in your car." She grinned wickedly, almost regretting the last remark but it was too hard to resist and maybe the shock would be good for his system.

He was glad he'd stopped the car. She was only nineteen? He went a little pale again for a brief moment, thankful she hadn't said she was any younger. Coupled with the strange behavior he wasn't sure what he should think and her comments certainly hadn't helped the direction he was beginning to lean. He chuckled. "I've never seen anyone do that before, but there's always a first time. I'm still very, very confused, and now, very, very curious." Her movements were cat-like and he had no explanation for her getting up and moving so well when he knew how hard he must have hit her, unless she had nine lives... like a cat? He was silent a long moment and then he chuckled again. "I'm going insane," he said, laughing it off before turning to climb out of the car. "Come on. Let's get some rags
and an order to go."

"You're not insane." She told him quietly and shook her head as he climbed out of the car, she knew all along that she couldn't go inside in her condition. "Thanks but unless you want someone to call the cops.. which I don't, then I can't really go in like this. I mean I look like I got hit by a car!"

He had the keys in his hand and glanced around for any traffic, but didn't see any. He leaned back in as she pointed out a very clear problem. "I suppose you're right. So, are you too different to like breakfast? Not sure what I have cash for, but I should be able to get an egg or two."

She'd offered him gas money and smiled now as he pondered what he might have to pay for some breakfast. "Here." She took out a five and handed it to him. "Just eggs.. and milk if they have it.. don't forget we have to get gas.."

[Lovely]

He grinned with a small amount of relief. It wouldn't last long, nor would the money. He'd think of something. "Milk and 'just eggs', then. Hopefully this is quick and they don't have to raise the hens, first," he sighed. What else could he do... other than hope the people after her hadn't found this dive before them? "Stay down in the car, then. I'll be right back," he said, turning for the door as he shoved the five in his pocket.

Cady stared after him a long moment, worried that as soon as he was out of sight he'd be making 'calls' or something - turning her in. She felt stubborn tears sting her eyes and they blurred her vision, making her lose sight of him anyhow. She wiped at them and reached around her seat, reclining it so she was ducked down more. She curled on the seat and pulled her knee up to her mouth, frowning at the tear in her jeans but getting started on cleaning the cut. Now and then her gaze lifted and she tried to peek out over the edge of the door, rightly paranoid that someone was after her. She hoped to be long gone before they ever thought of checking a place like this for her.

No he didn't make any calls except the cat-call whistle as the speedy order was slopped into a container and delivered to the counter before he'd finished paying for it. There was a late special that afforded him a large coffee with the cup of scrambled eggs and milk. He stopped at the window, peeking in and frowning as he quickly opened the door and poured himself back in the car, almost forgetting the coffee on the roof. "Hope no one saw that," he grumbled, glancing over at her in disbelief about the licks to her knee he'd seen a brief glimpse of.

"Who is around to see it?" She asked, not quite glaring at him - did he think he was totally stupid? "I kept watch to make sure no one was lurking.. I do kind of have some practice at this. I've only had to hide what I am since I was born." She shifted to bring the seat back up and shook her head, smiling a little. "You don't count.. You already saw so it doesn't matter if you see it now.. better than to have someone see me all bleeding." She could smell the eggs and her stomach growled, giving away her hunger and perhaps more of why she was a little moody.