AncilChapter 12: The Goodbyes
I don’t know how long I was unconscious for but all I knew was that I woke up in the back seat of a wide-open car all alone with very little vision of what was around me in the darkness of the night. The vehicle had that kind of new car smell and the leather seats looked relatively new as if I was the first person to ever lie on it. I rose up and noticed that my head was lying on a nice, comfy pillow which in itself also looked new besides the blood stains sprinkled and smeared about it which no doubt came from me.
I sat up and as I did so a headache instantly ensued accompanied by dizziness.
“Oh God,” I said, holding my head.
The dizziness eventually subsided but my head still throbbed. I limbered off the car seat and through the wide open door of the back seat. I stepped into thick grass and in the dark night, I saw tall trees and I heard the rhythmic sound of crickets which echoed throughout and in between. As I glanced around everywhere seemed to look the same; trees and more trees. A night breeze appeared to be my only company as a chill swept over me.
The car was parked somewhere in the middle of the forest, supposedly abandoned, now with no one in it. After staring blankly at the car for what felt like a long enough period, I recognized it as the vehicle that Kate was trying to open before her father caught her.
“Kate?” I said softly.
There was no answer but the smell of smoke caught my attention. It was coming from deeper within the forest. I followed the smell to a small campfire and there sitting beside it was Kate trying to warm up her hands.
“Kate?” I inquired.
“I didn’t want to wake you. You looked like you could use some rest,” Kate said, without even giving me a glance.
“That’s very nice of you,” I said before sitting down on the opposite side of the fire to warm up. I stared at her but her head remained down and facing the fire. An awkward tension began to build up during the silence which followed but I broke it down and said, “Why are you out here all by yourself?”
“The truth is,” Kate sighed. “I didn’t have anywhere else to go. I just drove till the fuel ran out.”
“What about Tom?”
“What about him?” Kate asked.
“Why didn’t you just go there, to his home?”
Kate turned her head, looking into the distance, and sighed. “Can we not talk about Tom?”
“I’m guessing he wasn’t-“
“Can we not talk about Tom?” Kate repeated, stressing her words a bit more.
“Then, what should we talk about?”
“How about how I saved your life? A thank you would be nice.”
“Thank you,” I responded almost instantly.
“You’re welcome.”
“I honestly don’t remember anything. All I know is that I was at the hospital visiting Sam and everything else is a blur.”
“My father attacked you, knocked you out cold with his bat after you tried to stand up for me.”
“And how did you escape?” I asked.
Kate pulled out a gun she had tucked at the back of her pants and showed it to me. “I brought this along with me.”
“You killed him?” I asked, appalled.
