All The Ways We Touch [BxB]

seventy-one - home is where the hurt is - pt. two

As the hours passed and Jamison found himself growing more delirious, his subconscious continued forcing him forward. He'd gone from suicidal in the facility, to having killed a man, to being led by an owl through the wilderness, and for some reason, it made him burst out laughing. Soon the laughter brought tears, and he ran on, giggling and sobbing until his body decided that tears were precious liquid he couldn't afford to spare, and that he didn't have the energy to devote to laughing.

At the top of the tallest hill, he could see the lights of some city in the far-off horizon, one he was sure he'd die before he could get to on his own. The thought made him chuckle hoarsely, his throat dry from huffing the cold air. 'I'll die, and they'll never find my body out here. Maybe the owl's been leading me to my death the whole time,' he thought, his pacing slowing as he fell into desire. 'I'll make a pitiful feast for a scavenger, but at least I'll be dead. Death doesn't sound too bad. I could just stop and lie down and let nature take its c—'

The owl screeched, interrupting his macabre thoughts, and swooped down like it was going to peck at him. It was enough to make him speed back up, which seemed to satisfy the owl, who continued to fly on and guide him. He ran up and down smaller hills covered in small obstacles to run around until the downward incline became steep, as if it was delivering him somewhere—he only hoped it was somewhere he could find water. He knew better than to drink from natural sources—not that there were any in these never-ending miles of dirt, rocks, and brush—without boiling it first, and given that he only had a bloody pen on him, he seriously lacked the outdoor skills to start a fire, and therefore it didn't matter anyway.

In a way, going down the incline was worse than going uphill. The slip-ons' soles had no traction, which made it easy for his bone-tired legs to go out from underneath him, but he managed to keep from falling as he finally slowed down and tried to pay more attention to the way the dirt was packed together. The owl screeched at him, which he was unclear if that meant he was doing the right thing or if it was telling him to speed up again.

"I'd be happy to go faster if I had wings to glide on!" He tried to yell at it, but his throat and mouth were so dry that it was only a pinch higher than a loud whisper.

It was easier when he kept to patches of compact, hard dirt. He was able to keep his speed as he raced down it until he'd hit areas that were eroding and would nearly trip as he tried to reduce speed to accommodate the unsteady terrain. There was a feeling in his gut that told him that he was close to something that would help, and he was eager to find it. Maybe it was just hope that there'd be help, but either way, he didn't have the mind to question it.

Finally, he got to the bottom of the hill and continued running down the flat part of the fire road, under the rusty chain keeping the sun-battered gate closed to the public, and to the roadside where the owl landed on what he was sure was the source of the strange feeling in his gut. Alongside the asphalt was a rectangular blue sign with a white outline of a gas pump and the words, "SIX MILES TO NEXT FUELING STATION."

His body trembled with exhaustion and excitement, but as he looked up to thank the bird for its guidance, he found that it was gone. Scanning the open sky, he looked for any sign of the owl, but found that it was clear as far as he could see. There was no brain power to devote to figuring out how a bird could disappear in an instant. The only thought he could muster was that he needed to find somewhere to sleep before the sun rose and baked him to death. Unfortunately, there wasn't much time; based on how quickly the sky was beginning to lighten, the dawn glow brightening his surroundings. His legs refused to run again, but they allowed him to trot on down the road, his head on a swivel for cars or a place to hide. Beyond the heat of the day, he didn't want to show up at the gas station in the daylight for anyone to see him. Although he doubted this was a very busy road, it still wasn't a safe place for him to be. Maintaining his anonymity was a top priority.