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44 - Here We Come

"Okay, I know this isn't much, but we have to ration whatever we have left if we want it to last us until San Francisco," Ben says.

"Do we really want it to last?" Eva says.

"Imagine that it's porridge," Emily suggests. "It helps."

"But porridge has... Taste," Eva takes her last bit of VEPP and gives the tube back to Ben. "I'm done."

"Think about how lucky we are to have any food at all," Ben says. "If it wasn't for this we'd be starving."

"We've only been here for one hour and you're staving already?" Eva laughs at him.

The five are sitting at a bus station on the town's east end, Emily is standing next to the road and looking out for any cars that might pass by. This is actually a very nice afternoon and the view of the lake isn't too bad at all. What they still don't know right now is that this is the first of many evenings like this to come.

Over the next few days, our five lovely runaways are perfecting the art of hitchhiking. First, they locate a good spot near the busiest road they can find. Next, one of them (usually Eva, seeing as she had the best luck so far) takes their spot at the front and waves out their thumb. They even managed to make a cardboard sign.

When someone stops to offer help, they try to explain their situation without scaring the potential driver away, and by explaining their situation I mean saying that they all need to get to San Francisco, without providing too much in the explanation department.

If at this point everything is going well, the four teens take turns sleeping during the ride. They cannot usually get any sleep aside from the time they drive, as they rarely find a good place to wait.

Emily makes sure to stick by Angie at all times, not that she has anywhere else to go, but the physical closeness seems to make things a little bit easier for the girl, more bearable, even if it makes Emily feel like there is a dark cloud hanging over her and sometimes she forgets why she even wants to live. But only sometimes.

Ben is going on and on about planning what to do when they get there, until even Roger gets tired of pretending to listen to him, which still doesn't stop Ben from thinking about it all the time. Emily will talk to her brother, Roger to his best friend, and Eva to her dad about getting what they need from home and Angie knows how to reach her mom with the help of one of them. Only Ben still hasn't decided on how to stock up when they finally get to the city and split up.

His mom will be too worried if he tells her he has to go away, and even more so if he tries to give her some sort of logical explanation. His dad, Ben doubts that he'd help him even if he does know the truth. He never says it, but Ben just always feels like his dad never liked they way he did things, his independence.

Except for them, there isn't anybody who can get him what he needs. Plus, let us not forget all of the equipment he wants to get - his first aid kit, GPS, flashlights, sleeping bags, vacuum-sealed food, radios, water purifier... No, there are just too many things and it would be too complicated to have someone else bring them. He did tell the others that it was too risky to go home but... He has no choice, he will just have to be careful.

Ben is planning to avoid the subject altogether, and it probably would have worked if it weren't for that night they were trying to catch a ride outside of... What was that place? I think it was... Never mind. The point is, it is nighttime, and they are at a bus station (a concrete block with a roof) in the middle of nowhere. Emily, Angie, and Roger are sleeping on the bus station's bench (oh, yeah, there's a bench too) while Ben tries to convince Eva to have some sleep as well.

"It's okay," she says. "I'm not-" yawn- "tired at all."

"Clearly," Ben nods. "But still, you won't do us any good if you don't get some sleep, you can barely stand." And she really can't, Eva sways back and forth like a leaf about to get swept by the wind.

"I just want to be home already," she says. "Then I can sleep."

Ben is about to tell her that she is not actually going home but then changes his mind. "At least sit down," he gestures to the curb. Eva is too tired to argue (shocking, I know), so she just sits. Ben settles beside her and lets her rest her head on his shoulder.

"I know what you're trying to do," she mumbles with her eyes half closed already.

"You do?" What is he trying to do, really?

"You're trying to make me fall asleep," Eva fights to keep her eyes open.

Ben says nothing, hoping that Eva actually does take the time to rest, but as can be expected, she doesn't.

"What are you going to tell your parents?" Eva asks him.

Ben doesn't know what to say, there really is no good way to explain running away from crazy alien scientists.

"Ben?" Eva sounds more alert as her head shifts against Ben's shoulder. She's probably trying to see if he is still awake, but she is yet to muster the willpower to lift her head from it's comfortable spot.

"Yes?" Ben says.

"What are you going to tell them?"

"I don't know," he says.

Eva sighs, "I just don't know what to tell my dad, and you're better at making complicated things sound simple."

"I'm sure you'll manage."

Eva only snorts in response. Ben turns to her to see what was the horrific sound that she made, hoping that it wasn't the sound of the final rugged breath she takes before her untimely death. "Come on, you must have some sort of idea," Eva refutes his worries. "You won't just be like," Eva clears her throat before saying in her Ben-voice, "hey mom, dad, can you just pack me some stuff for the end of the world?"

Ben doesn't even smile at that, which immediately makes Eva suspicious because Ben's natural expression, as far as she knows, is smiling like an idiot. "I'll just make something up," he says.

"You aren't even going to see them," Eva says. "Are you?" Ben just stares at the empty road, helping Eva finally gather the strength to leave his shoulder and straighten to look at his face. "Seriously, Ben?"

"I'm sorry."

"I can't believe you!"

"Look, I know you don't really want to ask for your father's help but-"

"You idiot!" Eva glances at the dormant trio to make sure she didn't wake them before continuing to scold Ben, more quietly this time. "You know how dangerous it is! What if they see you? What are we supposed to do then? What am I supposed to do without you?"

Ben is quiet for a few moments. "I'm sorry," is the best answer he manages to come up with. Eva is unsatisfied with his reply, and rightfully so. Not that she is doing any better in that area.

"Ugh!" Is all she manages to say. Does it even count as a saying?

"I don't have a choice!"

"Then I'm coming with you," Eva says.

"No."

"I'm coming with you," Eva repeats. "Or I tell them," she points to the others.

"No," Ben says again.

Eva takes a deep breath, as if preparing to shout, before Ben puts his hand on her mouth.

"No," he continues. "How are you going to help, anyway?"

Eva pushes him away, "somebody has to spread the word of your untimely demise."

Ben shakes his head, smiling. It is getting gradually harder to say no to her.

"And we are going to my house too after that," Eva adds.

Ben opens his mouth to say no but instead what comes out is- "fine."

"Wasn't a question."

Ben nudges her shoulder a little too hard and Eva nearly falls over, before holding on to his shirt so as not to topple over. Ben pulls her up, possibly to stop her from stretching his already oversized shirt even further, but more likely because it suddenly seems very appealing to hold her a little closer. Eva settles comfortably back on his shoulder, paying no mind to the way he smiles at her as he says, "ready to go to sleep now?"