The Run

182

Somewhere in Missouri.

Joshua's hands tighten around the steering wheel as they pass through St Joseph, MO. The name sticks to his skin like a bad rash, burns his insides, fills up his head with a constant thundering that almost makes him pull the car over.

Saint Joseph, he thinks. That's all he was to everybody, right? A saint. Perfect. Flawless. Wise beyond his years. 

Joshua bites on his tongue as feelings of anger surge through his body. His heart rate increases. His breath paces up. His eyes prickle weirdly as he tries not to blink. He shouldn't still be angry, and that makes him all the more furious. Why can't he let it go? Why can't he make peace with the way his best friend treated him? The way HE treated his best friend?

"If you could do that, you wouldn't be here," the voice in his head says, strong and authoritative, "and if you weren't here, you wouldn't be able to bring the plan to fruition, which is exactly what you need to make peace with what happened. It's a perfect circle."

Josh sighs, softening his grip on the wheel and relaxing a bit in his seat. He knows the voice is right. He knows he needs to keep doing this. One hundred and eighty two more days until day zero. The day he will finally be able to let this all go. 

With a nervous chuckle, Josh sees the sign announcing that they are now leaving St Joseph. When they pass it, he feels all his muscles relax, but not completely. How many more towns related to Tyler and the life before will he have to see? He doesn't know, but he sure as hell wishes he's done for the day.

A loud squeal at his sides suddenly reminds him that he's not alone. Josh swiftly turns his head for a second, glaring at the girl on the passenger seat. Emmie has no shoes on, her feet set on the dashboard. This all seems very uncomfortable, but she doesn't look bothered by it as she looks up at him. He thinks about asking what's wrong with her but closes his mouth as he remembers he won't have to. The girl likes talking.

"There's a zoo in Kansas City!"

"And?" Joshua shrugs.

"And we're close to Kansas City!"

"And?" Joshua replies impatiently. He knows fairly well where she's going with that, but there's no way in hell he's going to the zoo.

"We could go!"

"Are you aware that it's almost midnight? It's closed-"

"I know, but it opens tomorrow at 10. We should def-"

"How do you know that?"

"Wh-what?"

"How do you-" Joshua goes to repeat his question, glancing in Emmie's direction. "What's- What the fuck is that??" He suddenly yells, making her jump in her seat, back to a somewhat normal position.

Joshua doesn't see it, but Emmie raises an eyebrow at him, a smirk slowly making its way to her face. "That, Joshua, is an iPhone. People use such devices to make phone calls and surf on the Int-"

But her voice breaks down as the man brakes, pulling over, sending her body forward with the force of deceleration. He is fuming and gets out of the car as soon as it comes to a halt, slamming the door shut behind him. He makes his way around quickly and pulls open her door. He doesn't need to say anything for her to get out as well. "What's wrong with y- What the HELL?" she screams as her phone is ripped out of her hands and Joshua throws it away. It lands feet away with a thud. "What was that for?"

The man is obviously furious as he paces back and forth on the dirt sidewalk. Luckily, they're still in the middle of nowhere, stuck in between St Joseph and the next town, so Joshua knows he can steam off a little bit of the anger that made his body a home long ago. His hands nervously grip his hair as Emmie mumbles swear words, leaning against the car. Her arms are folded against her stomach and she looks at him with as much wrath as he feels. Finally, when he makes out the word "demented" in the flow of insults coming out of his companion's mouth, he stops his aimless pace and gets menacingly close to her. So close, in fact, that their bodies are touching and he can feel the warmth of her skin through the fabric of their t-shirts.