Fleurs en Ruines

|5|

Even though I could hear the town and their laughter, it was taking longer than I had originally thought. My first idea was that I was just barely on the outskirts. As I continued walking of what I believed was a five-minute walk turned to ten minutes, which then turned to twenty minutes.  The sun was a lot hotter in this town than my own. I could feel my skin sizzling like bacon in the heat. The area wasn't anything special, it was normal I almost couldn't believe I was far away from Wyoming. Wheat fields ran for miles in all directions. It was a gold scenery that I was quickly getting tired of. I constantly had to swat yet another little green bug away from my skin. What bugged me the most was After the initial ten minutes, the nice clean black road from the gas station turned into a rocky hell hole. There were gravel and dirt everywhere! Even though I was wearing sneakers and socks the tiny pebbles still managed to get into my shoe and irritate my walking.

Deep breathe Erika, you're almost there!

I could hear the faint sound of an engine and laughter. It sounded like someone was having a party: whoop de fricking doo. Speeding around the bend of the road, came a dirty pickup Jeep. When I say dirty I mean caked head to toe in dried mud.  As they passed wolf whistles were heard from the side. Clearly, no one else was on this no-name road, and it was clearly me they were catcalling. They would have had more chances with an actual cat. So doing the only sensible thing.  I flipped the bird. The chorus of laughter grew as they passed, dying out as they zoomed in the opposite direction.  The one road I just came walking from.

Continuing my trek, on the road the sight of the stupid wheat was getting the best of me. It seemed to go on like an endless hallway with no doors. It was driving me insane, The only thing holding my sanity is  kicking the same white pebble that I found a mile or so back. Though I wasn't quite sure if it was the same one, they all look the same.
Sorry, mr.pebble.

BEEP BEEP

My heart stopped. My memories flashing the day turning to night.

my screams or was it her screams they mixed and mangled together.
My breathing was heavy, ghastly hands clutched my throat.  I couldn't breathe I couldn't think.

My own hands were shaking, soaked in red blood that glistened dripping in the gravel.

"Fuck dude, what did you do?"
A slam of a car door, and the crunch of gravel as someone came up behind me.
I couldn't turn to see who it is, the gravel in front of me turned into Lauren's body mangled and bloody.

Oh my god, there was so much blood. I could see my hands soaked in the blood. Her blood. Wait is that my body? My own face staring back at me, my neck broken and oozing out.

A strong hand clasped onto my shoulder, "Hey are you ok?" I jumped, My head whipped to see a tan hand attached to a man with sunglasses and an uneasy smile.
My breathing came back a bit and my smile matched his. "Yea, I think so. I just zoned out for a second."

The idea of Lauren's body haunting me.

His smile changed to easy going as he took in my appearance.

"DUDE, She fine! Stop playing the knight to the damsel in distress. The beer is getting warm!" A deep voice screeched from the car.

Though his sunglasses were black you could just barely make his eyes as he rolled them at his friends' statement.

"Need a ride?"  Offering a calloused hand.

A rev of an engine brought me out of my daze out of his shaded eyes.

"Yo." The other one called, his pale  arm hung out of the window. "You want to get in the back? You 're pretty far from town. Actually, I don't think I know you.. but who cares! The more the merrier." reaching behind him to crack into a silvered can, and taking a huge gulp.

I took sunglasses' hand it was calloused but warm to the touch as he clasped mine own and helping me up the step of the truck to the back seat. Before getting back in the front himself.
The back was filled with beer, stacked to the top of the roof, it's as if they robbed the liquor store.

"So shorty, whatcha doing over in Twin Peaks? " The pale boy said from the front. I twitched at the name. my hands resting on the inside of my lap. Careful not to disturb the leaning tower of beer.  I questioned a few of  the stains on the seat. Pushing my body as far away from the greenish yellow one that seemed to cover half the seat next to me.

"I don't really know, just going here and there," I answered making a slight movement with my hands. Sunglasses turn around his hand gripping the tan leather of the seat.

"So you're a runaway? we have something in common then." flashing a shit eating grin. my eyes held a genuine surprise.
"We'll keep your secret, you can come kick with us." through the dark glasses I could just barely see the wink.

I nodded as his head turned to look out the windshield. My head lolled to the side, to watch the ending of the golden grass, as it turned into concrete..finally.