Purer Than A Sunrise

IV

"It looks deserted. No police around." Deku noted as we hid behind a wall of a building.

Rody seemed a bit restless now, rocking from back to forth on his feet. "Hey, uh, do you mind if I go make a call real quick?"

Deku turned toward him. "Oh, sure. They didn't have anything on you on the news, so you should be fine. Just make it quick, okay?"

"Got it."

Rody nodded and left us, running to a nearby payphone in a desolate area. I told Deku that I would follow him and watch over him, and he nodded as he kept a lookout for any police or civilians. As I came upon the payphone and Rody, he seemed to be frustrated over how the conversation was going. So I stayed silent as I quietly listened in.

"Yeah, sorry about the call out of the blue, but could you swing by my house and tell my brother and sister that I won't be home for a while? I'll pay you later, I promise...Things went south...It's not my fault!" Then the phone went dead. My heart hurt for him. I wonder what's happened to his brother and sister. Suddenly, he slammed the phone back into its holder. "Damnit!" He yelled. "I don't have the goods..."

Then I made my presence known, stepping down to where he was. "Hey, Rody, is everything alright?"

He turned around slowly, having his sly smile and keen eyes upon his face. "Oh yeah. Life couldn't be any better." He said, almost sarcastically.

I gazed at him with weary eyes, trying to understand why he was so back and forth with everything. But before I could ask, he walked past me toward Deku on the street, leaving me to consult my thoughts alone. However, Pino flew to my shoulder again, looking at me with curiosity. I turned to her, smiling weakly.

"I don't know what's going on with him. Is he alright?" She shook her head. "Hmm, are you sure? I mean you are just a bird." She deadpanned me and I raised my hands. "Sorry, sorry." But then I realized what she had confirmed. He wasn't doing too good, even though he's trying to hide it and play it off as nothing. I wish he'd just be honest with us. We are in this together, right? So why is he being so secretive about all of this? I thought, staring at Rody and Deku as they talked. Deku turned to me, waving. I was knocked out of my gaze and came running up to them, Pino on my shoulder.

"What's up?" Rody asked.

"Oh, nothing. Just thinking, I guess. Come on, let's find somewhere to stay before the sun completely sets." I said, leading them off down the street.

We followed the street to a dirt path leading to a small run-down shack in the woods. No one was nearby, so we made camp within. Taking the hay around the shack, I formed a few beds for us, creating a nice sleeping area. The two boys stood vigil, watching me do my womanly job. And I didn't mind it. There's something special when you have a job to do, and one that's all yours. And so, when I finished, I allowed them to get comfortable as I organized our things.

Deku sat on his hay bed, grabbing his paper map from his bag. Rody laid down on his bed seeming to be lost in thought and I joined them, sitting with my legs crossed, facing them.

As Deku examined the map, his eyes lost some hope. "That's not great. It looks like nothing is crossing the border from here. We'll have to borrow a vehicle of some sort tomorrow, or else we'll be stuck walking."

I shot him a look.

"Walking?" Rody said, sitting up. "Did you forget how heavy this thing is?"

"If you get tired, I can carry it for a turn. After all, that's what strength is for, right? Helping people out whenever they are in trouble."

I smiled and nodded. Rody just laughed out a smirk. "How about you focus on what is at hand instead of how I'm doing with my strength, okay?"

"Oh, I will. I promise!" He said, turning back to the map.

I continued to prep my bed to sleep, but I caught a glimpse of Pino, peaking at Deku, almost as if watching what he was going to do next. I thought it was strange behavior for her, but I just dismissed it as exhaustion settled in my head. Soon enough, I passed out before the other two, the light of the lantern still alive as I closed my eyes.

However, the next thing that woke me was rustling coming from Rody. Then, Pino started chirping crazily. I roused, opening one eye to see Rody with the briefcase trying to get past Pino blocking the exit. Rody kept trying to shush her, but she persisted. He got past her, running out of the shack with the briefcase in his possession.

I sat up fully, staring at the open door. What is he doing? I stood up, coming to the opening where Pino hovered helplessly. She noticed me, chirping vigorously in my face. I shushed her.

"Hey, it's okay. I'm going after him. He's going to try and hand over the case, isn't he?" She nodded with urgency. "Oh my gosh...he's really going for it. Alright, I'm gonna chase him down. If I'm not back in at least 20 minutes, then wake Deku up and bring him to where we are. Leave him to sleep. He needs it. I'll be playing hero at this moment, okay?" She seemed hesitant but then nodded. She stayed next to Deku as I ventured into the night, completely wrapped in darkness and without anything for navigation.

I discovered his footprints, following them to a gas station. There, I spotted Rody taking a phone call in an enclosed payphone booth. He held the case in his hand, almost seeming to tremble in his grip. He's not certain about what he's doing. I concluded, hiding behind a gas pump.

After finishing the call, he left the booth, running straight into the dirt. I followed him, keeping some distance as to make the follow not obvious. He traveled through the forest, coming to a stop at a rock in an open field. I hid behind a tree, watching everything.

Not too much later, a helicopter came into view, landing in the field. Rody stood, the case in hand, waiting to greet the people. A figure appeared behind the light coming toward him.

"Are you the police?"

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Hey guys! I'm so sorry for the short chapter today, but next chapter will be epic. I'll be sure to put in lots of details. I hope you're enjoying this so far. And thank you all so much for over 400 reads!!! That's awesome!  I'll be working on my Thanksgiving short story tomorrow and I'll try to have it up on Thanksgiving Day! I love you all so much, and God Bless you! ❤️

~11/23/21