Knives For Hands || John Connor

xviii. Settled Storm

the subtle vibrations from the car ride was enough to lull the two asleep. sarah hadn't given them very much time to process anything, as they were once again on the move.

(y/n) had vaguely wondered why they were in a hurry. they'd saved the world, hadn't they? there was no need to rush for anything. john still held her as tight as he could, not caring if it kept them from walking easily.

sarah led them out of the building, finding a left-behind vehicle nearby. none of them questioned who's it was, as the majority of their brains were left with thoughts similar to tv static.

(y/n) and john crawled into the bench seat in the back, not bothering to buckle or even to sit apart from each other. they laid across the seat, still pressed tightly together. it took only a few minutes for their even breaths to accompany the silence sarah basked in.

the four-door truck was an older one, it's metal creaking as they drove. the night held a certain kind of atmosphere. sarah sat alone up front, mind racing, nerves calming from their previous encounters. her leg still ached, but there was nothing she could do about it.

the woman didn't know where to go from here. she was a psych ward escapee with next to no cash, no house, nothing. she could easily scrounge and move around like she had in the past, but she worried for john.

sparing a glance in the rear-view mirror, she saw them huddled together and fast asleep. she knew her son was attached to the half-machine. she also knew carrying john off to a new country without her would be damn close to impossible.

sarah figured they had enough cash to get a motel room for a couple of nights. she'd passed a few already, but she wanted to get as far away from where she'd spent the past few hours.

the woman soon lost track of time. with no true destination, it was hard to tell how long they'd been on the road. it was long enough, though, that the girl in the back had woken up.

"sarah?"

"yeah?"

(y/n) started to sit up, but remembered the sleeping boy pressed against her. she tried to blink the stinging from her eyes, but to no avail. she eventually took in her surroundings. "where are we going?"

sarah let out an airy laugh at her grogginess. "a motel. gonna rest up for a few days. you deserve it. you did good back there, kid."

(y/n) tried to hide the smile threatening to form on her face. after all she'd went through, it was nice to hear the praise. to hear that what she'd done was worth it. despite her gratitude, she only gave a small nod. "thank you," she mumbled, not completely sure if sarah even heard her, and laid her head back down.

sarah did, however, and smiled to herself. despite their quick meeting and misunderstandings, she'd began to see (y/n) as a one of her own. sarah was wary of her at first, her metal blades reminding her all too much of the t-1000. but, (y/n) had showcased nothing but pure loyalty. even sarah had picked up on it. she was there for john, and john loved her.

she was pulled from her thoughts as her eyes darted to a seemingly cheap motel. she became painfully aware of the aching in her shoulder and leg, and so she decided that now was as good of a time than any.

pulling the stolen truck into one of the parking spaces, sarah let out a sigh. looking through the mirror again, she decided not to wake them just yet. as she stepped out of the car, she had to catch herself on the open door. regaining her stability, she trudged inside.

she slammed the bills she'd kept with her on the small counter. "i need a room. got two kids in the truck."

the old woman behind the counter frowned as she looked sarah up and down. her eyes eventually traveled to the wad of money on the counter. she decided not to question anything, muttering a, "gotcha." she handed the key off to sarah.