Everglow: Friend From Far Away

29 - Road Trip

There was little more than a rumble inside the car. The radio was off and the two inside were equally as silent. The last few hours had taken their toll on Fischer and Ko. The former was straining to keep his hands on the wheel, while the latter was struggling to keep her eyes open. Neither one wanted to talk much about what had just happened. They'd narrowly escaped both capture and death, something that wasn't an easy pill to swallow.

Ko's droopy eyelids slowly rose and fell as she tried her best to stay awake. The calmness of the night outside was a stark contrast to the chaos that they'd both just raced away from. The rumble of the car as it drove down the highway was oddly soothing, like a rocking chair. It shook Ko's consciousness from her body and she had almost given up fighting it.

Taking his eyes off the road, Fischer shifted his gaze onto the alien slowly dozing off in the seat next to him. Her pearly opal scales glimmered in what little light there was inside the car. The two slits that were her glowing opal eyes slowly lowered to a close, the aqua light being reflected by the window disappearing. Fischer felt a small lump start to form in his throat as his focus alternated between Ko and the road.

Seeing her made him feel strange. Now that all the action and chaos was behind them, he had a chance to think about what he was feeling. He thought back to the river of lights. The last moments he had with her before almost losing it all. He thought back to how she was the one to grab his hand. He thought back to the way that made him feel. It was like a sickening feeling. But it was a good feeling. It was confusing, but he enjoyed it. It was like all he wanted to do was cuddle her in his arms and never let her go. All he wanted to do was keep her safe. To protect her. To be there for her.

And he almost took it all away, if it weren't for her intervention. How could he have done that to her? How selfish was he to strip the only thing she had left in her life, him, away from her? How could he have only thought about what he wanted? Not for a second did he stop and think how it would have affected her. Not for a second did he think about how it would scar her even more than she already was.

Despite her beautiful appearance, her bubbly personality, her infinite kindness and loving nature. She was a broken girl. And there was no doubting the fact she was close to shattering.

Sometimes even the strangest of beings just need someone there for them. A shoulder to cry on. Fischer felt his eyes watering up as he stared at the road ahead. The voices in his mind seemed to be absent, replaced by thoughts of guilt. Thoughts of regret and hatred at what he'd done.

The silence was suddenly broken by a quiet whisper that filled the air.

"I'm sorry," Ko whimpered, her head still resting on the window. Her eyes had slightly opened again.

Fischer briefly looked back at her as he straightened the wheel of the car. The window was once again reflecting the beautiful glow of her eyes. Her red collar was also partially glowing, it's circuits emitting a nice whitish-blue glow. A deceptively beautiful scene from a tool which was designed to kill.

"Sorry? Sorry for what?" Fischer asked with a soft voice.

Ko continued to look out the window with tired eyes, "for causing all this. None of this would've happened if I'd just gone up to the shed like you said," her angelic voice carrying a heavy burden with it.

"Ko. Please don't. We've been through this," Fischer began, a hint of pensiveness to his tone. He let out a slight sigh as his focus shifted back to the road.

Ko shook her head slightly against the window.

"If I had never been standing outside the window, Mira would never have seen me. You would never have had that fight. You would-"