Shatter .:10: Roadtrip:.

Rubbing the very itchy stitched up, wrapped up wound on my wrist, it's hard to think about how easily Dash had slit my wrist. We’ve driving off towards some small town. We’re crossed the border into another state (or so he tells me) though I find that extremely hard to believe. I fell asleep for a couple of hours but the terrain hasn’t changed much. Dead land, little clumps of yellow dessert grass that never dies because it sprouts up dead. The only sign of civilization anywhere is the paved road leading us to nowhere.

“Wake up, sleeping beauty.” Dash says, shoving me. My face hits the glass window with a loud thud. I groan.

“What, Prince Pompous?” I say, rubbing my forehead and looking towards him.

“Hmm? No kiss this time?” I roll my eyes.

“Why the rude awakening? I was having a wonderful dream. I had a normal life, I had Jake, I had Ami, I had mommy.”

“Didn’t have daddy or grandpa.” He points out.

“And no one on earth loves you!” I snap. He smiles.

“With what I am, it’s best.” He says.

“Oh. My. GOD! You are so obnoxiously conceited!” He laughs.

“And you are obnoxiously optimistic.” I look at him questioningly. “I woke you up because we’re almost to the town where you’re going to buy your new clothes.” 


“Ugh. Shopping.” I say, rubbing my eyes. It’s twilight. “Why is time with you always so confusing?” He just grunts and laughs.

We get to the town within 15 minutes. We pull into a little parking space in front of what was obviously a clothes store. On the left the store is closed and empty, to the right is a grocery store. After the grocery store is a shoe store, a closed store after that, and then, at last, a little food shop. I look at him.

“You kind of kidnapped me before I got some money.” He rolls his eyes, getting out of his car. I follow the lead. I trip on the curb and fall on my arm, right on top of my wrist. “GOOOOOD!” I groan, rolling over.

“I’ll catch you when you stop being a bitch, hon.” He says, seeming amused.

“I don’t need anyone to catch me!” I say as he pulls me up. He looks me in the eyes, brushing my face with what has to be the very tip of his fingers because the contact is so light and gentle. “And I don’t need you to charm me. I don’t like you very much and I won’t. Because you kidnapped me and ever since you tried to kill me and Ami you’ve destroyed my life.” His smile falters. “I didn’t forget that day, Dash. You tried to KILL US.”

“I suppose saving you from rape, death NUMEROUS times, and keeping you from JAKE doesn't count for a thing?!” He snaps, getting upset. “I’ve been in your life for EVER. Don’t think that one time I tried to kill your best friend and you changes the fact that I’ve always protected you.” He says.

“You have done no such thing you liar!” I say, shoving him. “If you think you protected me, you did a CRAP ASS JOB!” I snap, turning and storming into the store. I storm all the way to the bathrooms. I walk into a stall and sit on the toilet seat, feet pulled to my chest. He can’t come in here, he won’t find me.

I wipe the tears falling from my eyes. I don’t know whether to break down into sobs or whether to punch the pink tiled walls. I choose to punch the wall as hard as I can. I walk out of the stall and to the mirrors and sinks. I turn the sink on and splash water on my face. I look up at the mirror and see something.

The scream escapes my mouth before thought.

The creature has jet black skin resembling scales. His teeth are a deep yellow color, looking like they’re rotted though they’re razor sharp and look like they could bite through that metal Wolverine has. Adamantium? Why am I thinking about Wolverine?

Drool falls from the beasts mouth and through his nostrils (what I assume are his nostrils) comes steam. He smells so much like sulfur my nose burns and eyes water. I open my mouth to scream but now I’ve forgotten how.

My instincts aren’t the best. Whenever my friends picked on me, I’d drop to the ground. Now, it’s not so stupid because it took my friend Adam 5 months to figure out he could kick me once I was on the ground. But it usually works. My friends are too lazy to do anything when I’m on the ground. It’s pretty much a reflex when I’m being “attacked”

That’s what happened. I drop to the ground. He smashes the sink and the scream escapes. Half of the sink falls on my leg. It hurt like a bitch, but I scurried out of the bathroom, crawling on the disgusting floor, too scared to care. Once out, I spring to my feet and out of the store. But Dash isn’t there.

“God DAMN it! I’m an idiot!” I check the car. He locked it. “SHIIIIIT!” I say. OK. Maybe I’m hallucinating? I walk back into the store awkwardly. Arms hugging myself, I take careful steps down the aisle. To the left, girls clothing, to the right boys. Further down you get to the younger kids clothing. “Dash.” I say. How the hell is he going to hear that?! I scold myself. “DASH!” I call out.

There seems to be no one here. I calm down. I walk to the girls clothing, noticing the only person in this store. An older woman, looking at me like I’m a crazy person. Once behind a rack of clothing, I pull my pant leg up. There’s a huge bruise but nothing to make a big deal about. NOT a hallucination but I’m safe.

I browse the clothing. I pick out a couple of shirts, some pants, some shorts, and wonder what’s going to happen next. My eyes continue to flicker back to the bathroom. I walk to the register with the clothing, not to buy them though.

“Hi...” I say weakly. The woman just starts ringing them up. “Did you happen to see a guy come in here after me?”

“Before or after your drug trip?” She asks. I frown.

“I’m not on drugs, thanks.” She looks up at me. The amount of wrinkles and how deeply they were etched on her face genuinely shocked me. The only thing about her that remained in the least bit youthful was her voice.

“Yeah, sure. Your drug-lord boyfriend gave you enough money to buy pretty much the entire store. I suggest you get more things.” She says. I think

“Oh...Do you have suitcases or anything?” She points towards a section of the store that had the bags. I walk over and pick out a medium sized black suitcase. I pick out more clothing, folding each garment carefully. I add a few dressed just because, if I ever make it back home, I can have a few “casual” dresses instead of the two prom dresses I own.

The lady watches me which I think is odd. I mean, I’m not stealing because it’s all been paid for. I turn around and face her. She narrows her eyes.

“Would you look in the bathroom for me?” I ask her. 


“I’m not you’re god damned servant!” She snaps. My shoulders sag.

“All right. Thank you for everything.” I say, zipping up the suit case and hauling it out to the car. After awhile of waiting by the car door, I get tired of standing. I go to the grocery store with an outfit in my hands and go use their bathroom as a changing room.

This entire town seems deserted and lonely. It makes for an eerie ambiance.


I change into a fresh pair of blue jeans and a plain white tee. I also change into some new undergarments. I run my fingers through my hair. “I guess I don’t look TOO bad without makeup.” I say, wiping the remains of eyeliner from under my eyes. I shiver, getting a strange feeling, and leave the bathroom. I look around. No Dash. I roll my eyes and walk back out to the car.

Still no Dash.

I wait for what could’ve been an hour. The base of my spine begins to tingle. I hop off the hood of the car and look around. My entire body breaks down in shivers. I look around, spinning this time.

Paranoia. I’m paranoid that there are people all around me, waiting to jump from the shadows to reach out and grab me. I pace, trying to walk the feeling off.

The motion makes me feel better so I start walking. I walk farther and farther with each pace. With each new distance, my actual pace picks up. When turning I see a body out of the corner of my eyes. I stop the turn and run. I run as fast and far as I can.

I can’t help it. I think there’s someone there to hurt me and my instinct is to run. So I run. I run because I fear for my life. I fear for my life because I mean something to someone and that’s enough.

“OH my GOD!” I scream angrily as I tumble to the ground, my shoulder hitting the ground first and with the most force behind it. I sit up immediately and pound the ground, yelling at the top of my lung. “I am NOT A DAMSEL IN GOD DAMN DISTRESS!” I let out a sound that would scare a banshee and push myself up. I look around. There has to be people because I feel it!

“You know, you seem absolutely crazy.” I hear Dash say. He’s leaning against a post of some abandoned building of some sort. I’m SO irritated.

“I’m a hot commodity buddy!” I snap. He smiles at me in a way that just annoys me further. “And I’m not some little teenage high school girl who you can just bat your eyelashes at, mister!” I say, storming over to him and pointing my finger accusingly. He smiles and within second I’m just a couple inches from him. I’m just about to jab my finger into his chest to really get the point across when his smile drops. I look down and see the knuckles of a hand. I tilt my head curiously and see the glint of something ever so shiny. “Oh...” I say as if just realized I’d forgotten to turn the faucet off. There’s a knife to my throat....again.

“Hot commodity is one way of putting it.” A voice whispers in my ear. He uses the back of his hand to tilt my head back, baring my neck to Dash who dares a glance at it. “I’ll spill her blood, Kid. Be warned.”

“I’ve been warned.” Dash says cool as ice, nodding in the slightest.

“Asshole you don’t even care!” I snap at Dash. There’s just too many emotions welled up inside of me to act sane, I’ve concluded.

“You two bicker like an old couple.” The man says, turning my around, away from Dash. “You’ve seen movies, right, Trinity?” He says, nudging me forward. I move the way he shoves in small steps.

“No.” I say sarcastically. He laughs.

“You’re going to be fun.” I stop walking the way he’s pushing me. “Dash is going to let you go with me.”

“I don’t believe you.” He turns me back around to face Dash. I look at him, look into his crazy eyes. “Dash?” His mouth quirks to the side in what is more a frown than anything.

“You never liked me much, anyway.”