Come Hell or High Water - Striker x Reader (18+)

50. A Single Step

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I will crawl like a sinner to be at your feet

Should God or the devil ever ask for me. . .

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"Elevator 333 arriving at Wrath. Please stand clear of the doors until the elevator has come to a complete stop."

The elevator jerked to a stop, causing me to tighten my grip on the metal bar above me. I clenched my teeth at the pain in my gut, suddenly grateful I had popped a few pain pills before leaving home. The large doors opened, and the other passengers began pouring out of the elevator. I followed them into the terminal and walked outside, pulling the brim of my hat over my eyes to shade them from the bright midday sun. Fortunately, the Wrathian heat wasn't quite as intense as it was when I had first come to fetch Stolas' artifacts. The brutally hot weather of summer was slowly fading, and the coolness of autumn was just beginning to creep its way in.

I flagged down a middle-aged imp to hitch a ride into town, and I hopped into his truck bed hugging my backpack to my chest. The pickup drove down the street until pavement turned to dirt and gravel, pebbles flying out from under the tires. I stiffened, splinting my stomach with my backpack as the truck rocked and shook over the rough road.

Breathe, (Y/N), I told myself, focusing on a small cloud in the orange sky. Deep breaths. . .

After about fifteen minutes of driving, we reached a familiar town, and the imp slowed the truck and pulled over beside a small farmer's market.

"Alright, little lady," he said as he exited the truck. "This is my stop. You need directions or anythin'?"

I climbed out of the truck bed, slipping my arms through the straps of my backpack. "No, I've been here before, so I'm a little familiar with the town. Thank you, though."

The imp nodded, briefly looking me over, then pointed his thumb down the dirt road behind him. "That hat o' yours looks like it's 'bout ready to fall apart. There's a shop a couple doors down where you can get a new one."

I smiled at him, adjusting the frayed brown sunhat on my head. "Thanks, but I think I'm gonna hold onto this one for now. It's kind of sentimental to me."

"A'ight, then," he said with a shrug. He held up his hand in a half-hearted wave. "Well, you take care, little lady. Hope you find what you're lookin' for."

"Thank you," I replied, turning to head down the road. "Me, too."

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"Yeah, he lives out in the Bad Man Lands in the old train tunnels, near the mine shafts — very outlaw aesthetic, don't ya' think?"

I grinned at the dwarf imp and slipped my phone in the back pocket of my jeans. "I suppose it is, huh? How long of a trip would you say that is?"

The imp twirled his long white mustache in thought, glancing at one of his cohorts beside him on the bench outside the bank. "On a good horse, prolly about two days, to and from. But those tunnels can be tricky — lots o' twists and turns. It's easy to get lost in there, so you oughta be careful makin' your way through 'em."

I nodded. "I'll keep that in mind. Thanks for your help."

"Not a problem, miss!"

I smiled at the four imps and started back down the road, energized by a new wave of confidence. I now had a lead on Striker's location.

One step closer in this journey of a thousand miles.

I heard the hard clanging of metal against metal from two buildings down, and I let out a small sigh of relief. I reached the shop a little after noon, smiling at the sight of a familiar imp hammering away at something on her anvil. I stood near the side of the road watching her work for a few minutes before she set down her hammer and wiped the sweat from her forehead.