Living on the Run

Get Some Sleep

     No one's POV: 

   The night was rather blissful that night ,considering the way both brothers' lives went on recently. There was no killings that night, or running away from the cops, or mental breakdowns. Jeff slept on one side of the treehouse, while Liu snuggled himself against the other side of the room. Despite how uncomfortable the wooden floor was, it was better than jumping from motel to motel in a hurry. 

    Dawn was about to break. Jeff was still sleeping quietly, but Liu began to toss and turn in his sleep. He was having a nightmare, of that night, if you know what I mean. But this time, Liu was not going in and out of consciousness. He could perfectly see and hear Jeff as he uttered, "Go to sleep" quickly before jabbing him with a knife in his guts. Liu desperately wanted to close his eyes and look away, completely forgetting this side of Jeff. But there was some force that prevented him from blocking Jef from his view. Then a voice muttered, "This is the real Jeff." It sounded like it was coming from behind Liu. "Do not forget this." This unnatural force forced Liu's eyes open and glued to the menacing figure above him, knife reflecting the moonlight. 

    And just like that, it was morning, and Liu couldn't remember his nightmare. 

     Liu's POV: 

     A hand shook me awake, sunlight pouring in my eyes from the open window. "What--" My upper body, by instinct, shot up. I was surprised at first to see Jeff, but then the recollection of the past 24 hours came back to my memory and I relaxed my tense muscles. 

    "Are you okay?" Jeff asked. 

     "Yeah, I'm fine," I growled, still sleepy. 

       "It's just, you were tossing and turning all night and begun to talk in your sleep..." 

       I was rubbing the sleep out of my mind, trying to remember my dreams. But nothing came to mind. I shook Jeff's concerns away. "I'm fine." I repeated more firmly. 

     I decided to stick with Jeff. At least for awhile. I mean, I had no idea where I was, and there are many gaps in time where I couldn't remember a thing. I figured staying with someone who knows where we are is better than being alone. And despite everything that I remembered has happened, I still love my little brother. When I can safely get back onto my feet, I'd leave then. I mean, my feelings right now are all jumbled. I'd figure things out one step at a time. 

     Jeff told me we were currently in New York state. The last time I remembered where I was, it was in Pennsylvania. He told me he had his a destination he was reaching, and that he was not just going off on a killing spree randomly. Apparently, he made some acquaintances while staying low off the radar. This "acquaintance" had a place where we could stay. I figured tagging along could not be that bad? 

    "Do you know how much farther?" I asked, feeling very lethargic and hungry at this point. 

     "That is for me to know, and for you to find out," Jeff sassed. He was carrying a foldable map of the United States that he had been keeping in his blood stained hoodie pocket. Unfortunately, some of the blood also stained the map. I had been surprised Jeff was smart enough not to use a GPS on his phone to find the place. I should give him some credit. 

     The majority of the day was spend in mostly silence. I guess I could not believe Jeff was next to me, and not trying to kill me again. And though a lot has changed, especially his appearance, we are still the same old brother... just with mental (and physical) scars. 

    Throughout our journey, I kept feeling a searing sensation, especially the back of my head and the base of my spinal cord. My stomach also began to ache, and for reasons I did not know. Also, I began to hear things, it sounded like it was coming from behind me. Perhaps due to lack of sleep. 

     "Liu."

      "Liu." 

                 "LIU!" 

     "What?" I yelled, looking at Jeff. He looked completely dumbstruck. 

       "What is it?" Jeff screeched, nearly jumping out of his shoes. 

         "Quit repeating my name." I was irritated, to say the least. 

         "I didn't say anything, Liu?" Jeff's anger turned to worry. I chose to ignore him as we trekked through some woods. 

     Eventually, nighttime caught up with us. 

     "We should hang low," Jeff sounded out of it. He gan scouting for a place for us to stay. The nearest town was far from us; we were surrounded by nature. It was kinda hard to see, and my bangs kept getting in the way. If you looked up, however, you can see the stars littering the sky; it looked beautiful. We carried no flashlight or anything useful in those regards; just our weapons. 

    Blindly, Jeff and I kept walking till we came across an open field surrounded by the ress of the forest. "I guess this will work." Jeff continued walking on, sitting down among the weeds and wildflowers. It appeared the nature completely devoured my body as I searched for him. 

    "Where did you go?" I trudged along, searching for Jeff. That was until a hand took me by surprise, pulling down into the grass. "There you are," I heaved a sigh of relief. 

    "Get some rest," Jeff whispered as he made himself comfortable. 

     "Go to sleep," I whispered back to him, laughing ironically to myself. Jeff laugh sarcastically before pinching me. 

    With that, both of us feel almost instantly asleep, worn out by the day's activities.