Truth Comes Second

The Gas Station

Author's Note: Keep the votes and comments coming. You're all the greatest.

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Jimmy's POV:

Tommy was shuffling across the ground as I dragged him over to the truck. His arm was thrown over my shoulder and he was pushing all of his weight down on me. He groaned in pain, but I refused to slow down. I opened up the passenger side door and slipped his arm off of my shoulders.

"Get in," I told him. "I have to go get our bags."

Tommy leaned up against the truck. The sweat was gleaming on his head and he was panting heavily. I turned around and headed back toward the house.

Jared was sitting on the porch. He was bundled up in a large blue sweater to keep him warm from the morning air. He had a stick in his hand and was running it across the slats in the porch. He looked up and smiled at me. Many of his baby teeth were missing.

Lindsay was in the kitchen bouncing Theo up and down as she tried to get him to burp. She gave me a soft smile when she saw me. I ran up to the room that Tommy and I slept in and threw the bag over my shoulder.

When I got back downstairs, Gabe came up from the basement with something tucked under his arm.

"These are for you," he said setting them down on the table. "I don't know where you plan on staying, but these can come in handy."

I picked it up and realized they were two sleeping bags.

"Are you sure?" I asked.

"Take them," Gabe told me. "We got them out of someone's car a few months ago and we'll have no reason to use them."

"Thank you," I said piling them up under my arm.

"I'll see you late," he said. "I know you guys will get out of this."

"I hope so."

Gabe nervously chuckled under his breath.

"Try not to kill Tommy."

"I make no promises."

I turned around and left. I didn't say goodbye. Our family wasn't big on that. If I said goodbye it would be like telling Gabe and his family that I knew I would never see them again.

I waved to Jared when I passed him on the porch and he waved back. I threw our bags and the sleeping bags into the back of the truck. Tommy was in his seat and he had his head resting up against the window. He looked up at me when I slid into my seat.

"So where to?" he asked me.

"Don't know yet," I said turning on the ignition.

"Well you better figure that out."

"Just be grateful I didn't leave you in the house for when the cops came."

Tommy let out a deep breath and ran his hand across his short hair. I pulled the truck out of the driveway and got onto the street.

I knew I had two options: either go into town or go to the middle of nowhere. Driving out in the country seemed like the safest option, but the suspense was killing me. I needed to know if Julie was alive. I fiddled with the knobs on the radio until a news station came on. The radio was crackling as the signal went in and out, but I could still hear them.

"What are you doing?" Tommy asked.

"I need to know what they're saying about us," I told him.