Bite The Bullet

Blazin'

The scorching hot sun beats down on the rural highway and the surrounding fields of tall gold wheat. Alix proceeds down the road, as she had been for what felt like hours. Her normally pale skin was turning a bright red from the fury of the southern sun. Her feet were surely blistered from walking so long in her black boots, that she now deeply regretted. She had taken her blue and black plaid over-shirt off and tied the sleeves around her waist, leaving her in beat up jeans and a black tank top; of which left her shoulders venerable to the terrorizing sun. 

When Alix left Jayne cursing at her beloved truck for breaking down on the side of the road, it hadn't occurred to her that the nearest town that she volunteered to go find might be miles away; Nor had it crossed her mind that she should have brought a bottle of water or even a hair tie to get her overly long dark hair off her neck. Alix despised the cold and hated the heat; she was strictly a 75 degrees kind of girl. So with the temperature at a boiling 103 degrees, Alix was melting and cursing like a sailor at her nemesis: the sun. Alix has been tortured and almost killed pretty much on a weekly basis but she had grown used to it in more ways than one; but the heat she was enduring while walking on this deserted highway made her want to lay down and die –except she wouldn't actually lay down to die because she had a suspicion that if her bare skin touched the pavement is would dissolve off.

A distant rumbling sound made Alix look behind her. She could see what looked like a truck appear over the horizon. In a minute or two it slowed down next to her, matching the pace she was walking, bringing a dust cloud with it. The truck was blue and looked like it had seen better days but was still pushing strong. The driver rolled down his window and gave Alix a big grin.

"Ya know, they make these things now a days that you can sit down in that takes you anywhere you want without you having to do much. It's called an automobile, not unlike the one I have here. It makes traveling long distances go much faster and often makes the journey a much more enjoyable experience; especially when they come with air-conditioning, something that's nice on a day like this, when the sun's kinda being a bitch."

Alix looks ahead and smiles before saying "Damn, I knew I forgot something."

The man laughs. "You know where you're going?"

"Oh yeah totally, you must be new around here cause I take this walk every day!" Alix smirks pulling her hair up like she would to put it in a high ponytail, but then dropping it when she remembers her lack of hair ties.

"Oh alright, so I guess you would know that the nearest town is still 11 miles ahead," he nods his head satisfied. Alix stops in her tracks, her shoulders fall in defeat. The man stops the truck beside her. "I met your friend a little bit ago. She told me to leave her with the truck and to come and find you. Don't suppose you'd like a ride to town?" He gives another small smile. Alix looks at her path ahead, then at him, taking in his dark hair and hazel eyes, his goofy smile mocking her in her situation. She gives him a questioning look before agreeing.

"Well get in then," he says leaning over to unlock the passenger side door.

"I'm Zane by the way."

"Alix," She says gesturing to herself. "And thank you, for saving me from melting in the sun."

Zane laughs "And thank you for saving me from a boring drive with no one to talk to."

The entire drive to town was all but quiet, with sarcastic remarks being shot back and forth between the two. When Zane pulls into the auto shop parking lot he parked and offered to come in with her because he knew the guy inside. She agreed but only because she was fully aware that she knew nothing about cars and she hoped that if Zane was there the guy wouldn't try to rip her off.