The Persistence of Memory | ✔

27

Rain fell down in sheets, beating against the dark asphalt as Nina drove out of town. Her hands clenched the steering wheel like a lifeline. Nina felt drained, all that had been keeping her awake and functioning up until then starting to wear out.

At her side, the gun she'd taken from the woman who she'd once thought was a friend rested along with her phone. The latter buzzed as a new message was received. Nina was not the least bit startled by the sound, having expected it. She still ignored it, knowing all too well who it was from and knowing it was best not to answer. There was nothing else she could do anyway.

It would be a long drive home. Perhaps even longer with the added exhaustion of driving through points where she would normally rest. Nina didn't for a second doubt that she was still being pursued. She was still in very real danger, that much she was certain of, and Nina didn't think it would be smart to take any more risks.

The sooner she made it home, the better.

Nina wasn't sure for how long she'd driven, her eyelids heavy and the dull pain of exhaustion running through the whole of her body. The hand with which she'd punched the woman back in the dreary hotel room still stung at times and a steady pain took over her head.

A red grin flashed through her mind. Mismatched eyes turned to green ones and a small hand reached out towards a door. Nina shook her head, focusing her gaze on the road even as the images remained there, in the back of her mind and threatening to burst forth. Nina found that she was too tired to hold them back for much longer.

Just a bit more, she told herself, despite not being certain when everything would be over. When she would be able to rest.

Once again, her phone buzzed, and Nina considered simply tossing it out the window. After all, it wouldn't be of any use to her any longer. It was just as she was thinking this that a faint glimmer in her rear view mirror caught her attention. She looked up and, through the fog that was growing thicker with each minute, she could see what were obviously headlights.

Panic seized her heart before she could even be certain of who the driver of the vehicle behind her was. The empty road that had just a moment ago been a welcome thing suddenly felt dangerously isolated as the car behind her grew nearer. As her heartbeat quickened and her grip on the steering wheel tightened, Nina found herself glancing back to the gun on the seat next to her.

For one brief moment, Nina considered what it would be like to use to gun. To feel the weight of the cool metal instrument in her han and the force she'd just barely felt back in the hotel room when it was fired. Nina thought of how easy it would be and was frightened.

She turned away, fixing her eyes on the road and speeding up. It wasn't a great shift in speed, but enough for it to be noticeable. Enough for her to be able to tell if the car behind her was truly following her.

Nina glanced back up at the rear view mirror, and felt dread welling in the pit of her stomach as she watched the other vehicle speed up as well. The fog and rain made it impossible for Nina to be able to tell who it was that was driving the other car, but she had a good idea. Mismatched brown eyes flashed through her mind. A sharp pain shot through her head. Memories of a childhood that was never hers threatened to surface.

For a second, Nina felt a twinge of pain at the thought of losing a friend she'd never had.

Nina sped up, overly aware of how dangerous a move that was. The rain slicked road glistened in the light of her headlights and the roar of the wind and the storm around her seemed deafening. Her heart thundered in her ears while the weight of the card still in her pocket felt like the heaviest burden she would ever have to carry.