Good Night, Vegas Lights

Chapter 5

Vincent had never been good at reading people. As they walked Sam would occasionally glance at him, each time a different expression on her face. To his distaste, he had no clue what she was thinking. It suddenly dawned on him that he was just mindlessly following Sam with no idea where they were heading. Though that wasn't a troubling thought. After all, the Mojave was splitting at the seams.
  "Sam, where exactly are we going?"
  "Took you long enough to ask. Theres an old shack not far South of here that I used to use as a safe house. I hope its still there."
They had already been walking for hours. Vegas was far behind. At least out here, the Omertas couldn't catch up. All the walking drove Vincent's wounded leg to eventually start screaming with pain. Sometimes it demanded he stop for a moment. On one such occasion he took the moment to take in the landscape. They were in the middle of nowhere more or less, and his footsteps were blatantly obvious in the arid dirt. He realized that his presence with Sam made it much more easy for the pair to be tracked. First it was his bleak blood trail. Now a heavy limp. At this rate, they were easier to find than a wounded gecko. As much as the thought of being alone once again bothered him, he knew it was necessary.
  "Hey Sam"
  "Need another break?"
  "No, no. Its just-"
She suddenly broke out into a sprint.
  "Look! There it is!"
On the horizon stood a broken shack. Sam hurriedly ran to it and opened the door.
  "Well come on then, Vincey!"
He tried his best to quickly walk inside. Once there she slammed the door shut. On the floor was a foot locker, of which Sam quickly busted open. Inside were papers.
  "Sam what are those?"
  "I can't believe these are still here..."
  "Sam?"
The feeling of guilt was eating away at Vincent's mind. Seeing her happy like this while knowing he was putting her in danger was to much.
  "Sam I gotta leave"
  "Wait, what?! What the fuck are you talking about?"
  "Look, with me following you them slavers'll find us before sundown."
  "What makes you say that?"
  "I'm just slowing you down. With my leg, we're leaving tracks the size of a yaoi guai's!"
  "No no, we'll be fine..."
She slammed the foot locker shut.
  "Look, leave here. I'll stay and when they show up, I'll do my best to make sure they're not a problem for you anymore."
  "Vince they'll kill you!"
  "Nah, put a little faith in me"
In actuality, she was correct. Though he knew that if he lead on that fact she'd never leave.
  "I could never leave you here!"
  "Sam, I ain't gonna let what happened last time happen again. Your all I got left."
His words did not come out by choice, but rather by instinct. It was like he had suddenly realized something.
  "Vince..."
  "This one last time, just listen to me."
He picked up a duffel bag that lay in the corner.
  "Take whatever it is thats in that locker, and then leave here."
Without a word she took it from his hands. She took a moment to fill the bag with what was laying around the shack, including the locker's contents. When she finished, she did nothing more than stare at the door.
  "Its best you leave as soon as possible. Be light on your feet, now."
He turned his back to her.
  "Goodbye, Vincent..."
Her voice shook on his name. It wasn't until after he heard the door close that he spoke.
  "Adios, Sam...."
And then she was gone.