𝗗𝗜𝗚𝗜𝗧𝗔𝗟 𝗦𝗜𝗟𝗘𝗡𝗖𝗘 - 𝗺𝗮𝗿𝘃𝗲𝗹

Teeth So Sharp

"Up north?" Isabell asks. She sounds disapproving.

They are sitting on the edge of the motel bed, her hair damp from the shower and her legs swung over James' lap. Stretched out in front of them is a map, a few areas circled across it.

The place she's looking at specifically is a place known as 'Wheeler County: Oregon.' According to a guidebook James found in a drawer, it's one of the most rural places in North America.

He rubs Isabell's arm distractedly.

"North West. We can travel up there, reinvent ourselves, all that sort of stuff."

"Hmm." She chews at the cuff of her sleeve. "How we gonna get there?"

"A car."

"Yeah, and we don't have one."

"Alright, smart-ass, that's the next bit of the plan." James cuffs her over the head, grinning as she rolls away from him dramatically. "We're gonna steal a car, a little bit of money, and then we're going to get the hell up out of here."

"What if we get caught?" Isabell bites harder on her shirt.

"Come on, Iz. When have we ever been caught before?"

"Never." She admits, albeit reluctant. James reaches for her hand and squeezes it.

"Exactly. We're gonna be fine."

Isabell looks unsure. She cuddles up to him again, tugging at the hem of her dress. He sighs.

Of course she's going to be afraid. He would've been stupid to think otherwise. Fresh out of the torture chamber, the only place she's ever known, and he wants to drive her across the country whilst being the most wanted people in America.

Isabell must be terrified.

James fumbles frantically for something reassuring to say.

"It'll be fun, Iz. We'll stop along the way, see some cool stuff, all that. I'll teach you to read better, how to whistle." He tries for a smile. "It'll be like a game."

Isabell says nothing. Her eyes are shiny where they focus on his metal arm, and she doesn't let herself blink.

Something hurts in James' chest.

"Do you trust me, Izzie?" He asks, pulling her sleeve from her mouth. There's a pause.

Finally, she nods.

"Of course."

"You trust me to keep you safe?"

"Yes."

"Then we have nothing to worry about." James gives her a teasing shake of her shoulders. Isabell shrugs.

"I just don't want them to take you away. The police, I mean. I don't know what I'd do if I was alone."

Little cracks splinter around the edges of James' heart, and he looks away when he sees the expression on her face. Completely and utterly petrified.

She is afraid that he'll hurt her if she doesn't do as he asks.

Sighing, he beckons Isabell closer to him, reassured slightly when she doesn't resist.

"Iz, look at me. If anyone thinks they can take us away from each other, they're wrong. You've seen what I can do. Someone comes after us and there won't even be a body left to return to their families. We'll fuckin' wipe them out, you hear me? They won't even have time to scream."

James feels sick just saying this, but he reaps his reward in the slow, eerily comforted smile that spreads across Isabell's face.

Jesus, that kid is fucked up.