The Dark Side Of The Moon

Chapter 8

By the time we had arrived in town, my head was spinning and I'm sure Archer could barely breathe, I was squeezing him so tight. I slowly opened my eyes and looked around. There was a sign by the side of the road that said Nashwauk, Minnesota. I froze, and my heart dropped down to the ground. I got off the four wheeler, unaware of my surroundings, and crossed the street to the sign to make sure I had read it correctly. I heard Archer yelling at me, but he sounded faint and far away. The sign clearly stated, "Welcome to Nashwauk, Minnesota!" I dropped to my knees, as had become weak when I had come to my sudden realization. The world had started to go dark as I felt Archer scoop me up quickly, but I snapped out of it when I felt the rush of wind in my face. I had almost been hit by a car, and Archer had barely made it to me in time. He had scooped me into his arms, tucked me in close, and rolled us out of the way. I started to cry and hyperventilate, and Archer just carried me around to the back of a building silently. He sat down and just held me in his arms, stroking my hair quietly and letting me cry into his shoulder. When I finished crying, I wiped my face with the collar of my shirt, and wiped my tears off of his shoulder with my fingers. I looked down at my hands, and played with them, embarassed for crying on someone I had just met. He pulled me into him and rocked me for a little while. Although it was awkward at first, it was comforting and it calmed me down enough to talk. "Look, Archer, I'm sorry for freaking out and almost killing you." I said quietly. He squeezed me in a gentle hug. "It's okay. I knew that if I didn't save you, no one else would. Everyone was just standing and staring at you. I had to take action, or you wouldn't be here." I played with my fingers some more, ashamed of my foolish actions. I could've died. "Why did you go into the street anyway? I was yelling for you to stop, but you kept going." I took a deep breath. "I was in shock." I said. "I'm a long ways from home." Archer flinched, and got the saddest expression on his face, then it turned neutral when I looked at him, but his eyes told it all. His eyes were so big and sad, like he'd witnessed death.

We sat quietly for a few minutes, Archer absentmindedly traced small circles on my back, and I played with my fingers trying to ignore the tingles he was sending up my spine with such a simple touch. He eventually broke the silence. "Hey, do you wanna get lunch, or something?" I nodded and got off of his lap. He lead me around the building we were sitting against, and walked inside, holding the door for me on my way in. The guy behind the bar didn't seem to mind that he wasn't wearing a shirt, or that he wasn't wearing any shoes. He gave him a quick once-over, and rolled his eyes. "You want your usual table?" Archer rubbed the back of his neck. "Yes please, if it's open." The guy sighed and brought up a shirt from behind the counter and tossed it to him. "This is the last time I'm letting you borrow a shirt. Next time, I'll kick you out. Don't forget shoes either." Archer pulled the shirt over his head and lead me to a table to the left of the bar. The shirt was a vibrant green, with "Wizard's Bar & Grill" across the front in a plain white font. "Do you always forget a shirt when you come here?" I asked. He shook his head and played with the red plaid tablecloth laid across the table. "Nah. Lewis just is jealous because I have a better body than him, and that I have the guts to walk in here without one." I nodded. "Ah, I see. Do you come here a lot?" He took a sip of the water the waitress had set in front of him. "Occasionally. But I used to work here too, so I know everyone. Not much changes around here." I nodded again. I had noticed the population was small when I was looking at the sign. "Hey, how far away are you from home anyway?" I was quiet for a moment. "I'm from Omaha, Nebraska." I said quietly. Archer sat in shock. I looked at him questioningly, though he didn't seem to notice. His eyes were darting around quickly, and he was nervously tapping on the table. "Archer? Are you okay?" He rubbed the back of his neck again, which seemed to be a nervous/embarassed thing for him, adn he was mumbling to himself. "Archer! What's wrong?" He stood up quickly and threw a few bills on the table, even though we hadn't eaten. "We need to find Mo now!" He grabbed me by the wrist and pulled me out the door.