Part 1: The Runaway

  Chapter 7: The Road to the Lake

  “So, would you rather-”

  “Stop.” Aina held up a hand to DD. Despite the prior day being mostly fun, there was still… something… going on between the two of them.

  DD rolled her eyes. “What do you want to talk about then?”

  “What makes you think we’re just fine now?” Aina said with a sharp intonation.

  “I’m not saying we are.”

  “We’re basically strangers. It’s been eleven years.”

  “I get that Aina, I’m not stupid.”

  “I’m just- I don’t get it.”

  “Get what?” DD perplexed.

  “How can the three of you just act like you weren't gone for a decade!”

  “That’s... hard to put an exact answer on. The three of us have always been close. I guess I can’t say we’re like siblings, considering me and Scott.”

  “No. Scott and I are siblings. you aren’t.”

  “Rude. Found family exists Aina. I only had my mom growing up and our relationship wasn’t great while I was a teenager. Also, I’m sure I have catching up and apologizing to do with both of them. To be honest, I thought they wouldn’t accept me back at all.” DD was a little angry at the sibling comment.

  “They both talked about you so much. Stories and jokes… I want that with them; with someone.”

  “You know I can be your friend. There’s no problem with that.”

  “It’s not that easy DD.”

  “Fine then. I haven’t seen you since you were little so, what do you like doing now that you are an adult?”

  “This might sound dumb but, parkour.”

  “Like jumping on buildings?”

  “The world is an obstacle course and I am going to look great while beating it.”

  “I respect that.” DD smiled a bit. “Ever have a crush?”

  “Actually no. To be honest… I’ve never found anyone attractive. Scott even gave me some old nude magazines he didn’t need. It did nothing for me. That was all girls I guess though.” Aina shrugged.

  “Maybe you are just asexual?” DD proposed.

  “I’m alright with not knowing yet.”

  “That’s smart of you, at least in an emotional sense. I’m pretty sure I’m straight.”

  “Is Scott your only ever relationship?”

  “Yes. I’ve had crushes though.”

  “Like Trent?” This time DD did swerve the car. “So that’s a yes.” Aina smiled.

  “Keep your mouth shut about that.” DD held up a finger at her.

  “Just tell him.” Aina shrugged.

  “I can’t just tell him! Even though we’re friends he thinks I’m gross, and impulsive… I’m not good enough.”

  “You are gross and impulsive. But I think you’re being hard on yourself too. Scott always tells me love is blind and all.”

  “I think it’s more complex than that.”

  “Well I don’t know, you guys are like ten years older than me. I still think you should tell him.” DD already knew she wasn’t telling him. “Can I ask a weird question?”

  “Sure, I guess?” DD rolled her eyes again, happy solar gear prevented her facial expressions from being seen.

  “If you don’t really do sex or romance, why do you have those stripper clothes?”

  DD screamed internally. “I just. I thought maybe it’d be nice to see myself as pretty in the mirror once.”

  “You don’t think you’re pretty?” Aina asked.

  Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

  “No, not really.”

  “I think you are wrong. You have pretty hair, a nice body. You have those beautiful green eyes.”

  “Stop. Come on, I’m not pretty.” DD insisted.

  “Alright, we can move on.”

  “You know when I lived in Seattle I saw a lot of videos of people doing that parkour stuff on the internet archive.” DD swerved the subject back to Aina.

  “I’m so curious about that internet archive thing.”

  “Well a lot of infrastructure was in Seattle in the old days and they cataloged what of it could be retrieved. Things like old chat boards, news sites, shit like that.”

  “God why’d you leave that place?”

  “I’ve been saying. It didn’t work for me. I hated my job and it didn’t feel like home.”

  “Does Winchester feel like home?”

  “Not really, there’s fuck all left in that town. The closest thing I think I’ve ever had to home was Trent and Scott.”

  “That’s really sweet actually.” Aina sat and pondered for a minute as the car carried on, hitting a few bumps in the old Nevada road. “Okay I’ll answer one ‘Would You Rather’.”

  “Fuck yes. Let me think.” DD started tapping her hands on the wheel a bit. “Would you rather have to wear all your shirts inside out or your pants inside out forever?”

  “Shirts are less uncomfy than pants inside out.” Aina said.

  “Yeah I agree actually.” DD leaned forward and turned her music up a bit. This part of Nevada was very samey. Move 50 miles and you got the same view. The road north of Tonopah was like this until Walker lake, which is actually a pretty area, although the lake itself is filthy.

  “Ugh, crap.” DD moaned.

  “Huh?” Aina had been dissociating a bit.

  “I need to pee.”

  “Don’t wet your pants again.” Aina chuckled.

  “My revenge will be swift and you will not expect it.” DD sounded more like a villain from an old movie than a prankster, and it made Aina shiver a little.

  “Are you going to make it to Walker?”

  “No, but there’s an old public works building in Mina.” DD said.

  “Mina?”

  “It’s a long abandoned town a few minutes north of here. I stopped there when I was coming down from Seattle.” DD honked the horn three times very quickly, the signal they’d agreed on for stopping at the next shelter. DD sped ahead and passed the truck on her right. They’d catch up.

  “There’s no way this was a town.” Aina complained as they approached. Very little remained, less than five buildings still stood. DD pulled up to a faded white brick building on their right and stopped. She jumped out of the car and picked up and showed Aina an old road sign that unmistakably read ‘Town of Mina’ despite time and a few bullet holes having worn it away. Having proven Aina wrong, she set it down with a clang and went through a hole in the fence like her life depended on it, before disappearing into a door.

  Scott and Trent pulled up in the truck shortly after, the sunlight glinting off of the vehicles’ black paint almost blindingly.

  “Pee break?” Trent asked, leaning out of the side door, he’d changed into a green shirt at some point since they left, the sleeve was poking out of his gear.

  “Not for me.” Aina replied.

  “I might take one though.” Scott said as he disembarked the truck, also having changed to a different shirt clearly, did they change together? Aina pondered for a bit. DD came out of the building and stretched a bit before climbing through the fence again. She gave Scott a fist-bump as he went past to go inside.

  “DD can I ask another question?” Aina gestured with one of her hands.

  “Sure.”

  “What was with that crazy reaction to the Trawler yesterday?”

  “I was wondering the same thing.” Trent added from his seat in the truck.

  “It’s... not my favorite story.” DD’s entire demeanor changed, her soft posture replaced by a rigid defensive one, her hands in rigid claw shapes.

  “Only if you want to tell us.” Trent said softly.

  “So...” DD was tapping her foot rapidly now. “Trawlers didn’t come near Reno. Too many people I think. But they do hang in Carson City. I was there with a friend of mine, Sam. We were harvesting computer parts. We stopped at this old skate shop when the earthquakes started. We held still for a while, but the damn thing found us. It came through the window and grabbed me. They’ve got claws for mouths essentially, and it ran outside with me in it’s jaw, I was kicking and screaming but hopelessly stuck.”

  “Oh shit, DD how aren’t you dead?” Aina had her hand over where her mouth was under her safety gear.

  “Trawlers try to shake their prey to death, it was so violent I nearly threw up. Sam put a bullet through it’s head while it was trying to kill me. It died with it’s mouth closed and Sam had to sit there for like an hour before I got out. My neck could be broken, my solar gear could’ve shredded and I could’ve fried alive like an egg.”

  “Dude.” Trent sat in thought. “You’ve been through a lot haven’t you?”

  “More than I’ve said.” DD was crying a little, thinking about the Trawler run in, and Sam in general. Fucking Sam.

  “You’re hard to kill DD.” Aina said.

  “I’ve been saying that!” Scott yelled, coming through the fence. “What’d I miss?”

  “I’ll tell you in the truck Scott.” Trent waved him forward. Aina and DD returned to their car, once again waiting for the truck to reach a decent level of speed.

  “Do you have scars from that?” Aina asked.

  “No actually. They just sort of grab you by the center and hold you so you can’t move. It sure almost thrashed me to pieces though.”

  “Holy crap.” Aina looked down to her legs. “Can we change the subject?”

  “I’ll turn the music up.” DD reached over and turned the silver dial on her radio. “Let’s find something high energy.” She began clicking the ‘next’ button over and over, to a point where Aina was side-eyeing her.

  “Pick something please.” She insisted after DD had skipped at least fifty songs. Aina groaned before she finally settled on one to take them further north on the empty roads of central Nevada.

  To Be Continued