Guts Over Fear

Chptr 4

"We need to get out of the city and away from the public eye." Dalia breathed, almost to herself once the couple reached the parking complex of the hospital, "I'm assuming that you brought your car?" 

Damon, who was still realing from the events that had unfolded in that last hour, didn't hear the question thrown at him. He didn't even realize that Dalia was attempting to engage with him until he saw her snapping fingers in front of his face. "Sorry, what were you saying?"

"Listen, I don't particularly want you in on this, but the minute she saw you, you were dragged in. She may be scared and running, but you can be guaranteed that others were watching, so you need to keep up, do exactly as I say, and don't question me. Ever. Understand?" He nodded his head, as if under a trance. "Keys?"

Damon shuffled through his pockets, trying his best to keep his cool in front of his estranged wife. He fished the shiny Mercedes keys from his trouser pocket and showed them to her as she counted the bullets contained in her gun. "Good, hand 'em over."

Hesitation. Hesitation can get you killed. Dalia knew this and was ready to lay into Damon about it when he shoved the keys into her hand. "No questions, right?" He smirked. She wanted to wipe it off his face.

"Exactly. Just remember you agreed to this when I tell you to let your car roll off a cliff." She snapped in response. His face paled and the smirk dropped from his face. Mission accomplished.

"Does your Aunt still have that trailer in Columbus?"

"Yeah, she lives in it. Her and Michael are going through a divorce, so she offered to move out."

"Perfect. Let's go." Dalia marched towards the car the beeped when she clicked the "unlock" button. "Hey, we have something in common with her now." She smirked at the frowning man behind her, who only sighed in response.

*****

"Not trying to question your authority or anything, but why did we have to avoid Indianapolis?"

"We are taking the long way. If we have to be on open road for an extended period of time, I would prefer it to be through backroads that people wouldn't be expected to take." Dalia replied while filling the tank at a deserted gas station, one that was dimly lit, off the beaten track and didn't have a camera- a running one, anyway. It meant no witnesses and, certainly, no evidence that she was there.

"Okay, okay, yeah that makes sense. Just one more question, again, not to question your authority, but why have we driven past the last six gas stations, despite you needing the pee for the last hour?" Dalia's eyes snapped to him. How was he so observant? He simply shrugged, "you were squirming in your seat."

She just sighed, placed the pump back on the holder and made her way towards the teller. She wouldn't have to worry about him being able to identify her, the man was as blind as a bat with glasses that didn't seem to help him much. She paid him and, despite not wanting to give Damon the satisfaction, made her way to the bathroom at the back of the small shop. She really did have to pee.

While she was releasing her bladder, Damon stayed put in the car, his head in the past, thinking through every encounter that he had with the young woman while she was still looking at him with nothing but adoration and a sliver of hurt mixed in. He took no satisfaction in seeing that hurt, but he knew that she was better off not getting close to him.

She was completely different now though. Although he knows it's her, he doesn't recognize the strange look in her eye that seems to sit there ninety-five per cent of the time. She was cold and calculating now. She owned a gun. She has been shot at and had likely shot at other people. What else had changed?

He was torn from his thoughts by the slamming of the trunk, paper rustling and a victorious cry. Damon collected himself, cleared his throat and got out of the car to join her around the back. She looked at him with the new - kind of hot - smirk that he was beginning to get accustomed to and sniggered. "I tell you what King, your hard-copy obsession has never been more convenient." She surveyed his lost expression and sighed, "using Google Maps means phones, which means data, which means a marker, meaning they can pinpoint where we were and where we are going. Paper leaves no trail." She went back to mapping their route while mumbling a phrase that, to Damon, sounded a lot like "Old Man", but he let it go.

"It's going to take us at least six hours to reach Columbus. We are already three hours ahead of the game so we just have to keep going. We need to find a Target, or a WalMart, or something. We need clothes, food, hair dye and lots of energy drinks."

"Well, we are about half an hour away from Bloomington, we should be able to find one there." Damon suggested, "Why don't I drive the rest of the way there. If you over exert yourself, your wounds will reopen. Plus we need to get you to a hospital or something soon, the Doctor said that you had internal bleeding. We need to get you looked at."

Dalia sighed, Damon was right. She couldn't do what she had to if she was dead. She had to be seen to. 

She opened the trunk and just as Damon picked up the mat, she flung the door open. "Be careful with her!" He yelled. Dalia stilled and looked at him with a look that could kill. "SHE will be getting burnt out soon enough, I think a dodgey trunk is the least of our concerns."

"Last time you said she was being rolled off a cliff." He pointed out. Dalia sighed, "Do you see a cliff? If you do, let me know and I will gladly take the handbrake off." She looked around, "No cliff, so that means a different method of disposal is needed."

"You are not burning out my car, nor are you rolling her off a cliff." Damon frowned.

"Without question." Dalia reminded him, he sighed gently and nodded. Dalia simply rolled her eyes and made her way to the passenger side. The minute she got into the car, she adjusted the seat so she could lay down and nodded off to sleep.