Down for the Count

Day 1: Night

"Chase. Hey!" Mikey alerted me sqeezing my shoulder. I snapped my eyes open and found that I was lying on the ground. "You're fallling asleep man. We've got to stop."

I had lost track of how long we'd been walking. We were still travelling along the side of the road. There was a dim light about every quarter mile but besides that it was very dark and also incredibly cold. The wind chill stung against my raw skin, skin that had been bruised and cut and stitched and burned and covered in makeup for years, outside for the first time in all that while.

Even now in the night, I could see the streaks on Matt's face where blood had come off with tears and cleaned the makeup with it leaving his face tritoned: white, tan, and red. I looked away from the sleeping boy, searching for solace in Mikey's face, but finding him still staring at me worried and expectant. "Uh..yeah, let's stop here." I said, closing my eyes very ready to drift out of conciousness again. 

I thought he would protest but he didn't. Peaking though my eyelids I saw him lay down, his face a foot from mine, spooning Matt who looked so tiny compared to him. I moved closer to them so Matt's forehead was curled aainst my chest and I took his freezing small hands in mine feeling the little boy's fast breaths through my thin shirt.

I opened my eyes to a blinding beam of light. Squinting and shading my face with my arm, I saw a woman walking toward us. She was holding what looked like a rifle and moving cautiously. "Boys?" She said. She had a heavy shouthern accent. I felt Chase grab my shoulder and I looked over a him. He was shaking and his face was fearful. "Dear lord, You're just children!" She exclaimed nearly tripping over the edge of the road as she stepped back. "What in hell happened to you?" She asked tossing the gun into the back of her truck. "Lemme come closer. That alright?" She moved in without so much as hesitating for an answer. It was pitch dark but with the light from the headlights she seemed to be in her mid-forties. She was wearing a bright green t-shirt tucked into her blue jeans and a more than modestly sized belt. She crouched down at our feet scooping up Matt into her arms. Chase and I just looked at each other, not knowing what to say, still groggy and stunned. We hadn't had social interaction with anyone but each other since we were preteens. Cradling Matt she said, "I'm not asking anything of you kids, save you let me take you to a better road side. Y'all picked the wrong stretch to nap on. If it pleases you, I intend to take you home and clean you up a bit, but that's up to you." She stood up and placed Matt in the front seat. He was still unconcious. Mikey and I followed her to the truck. I climbed into the back seat expecting him to follow but he just stood there. And I knew exactly why. 

I got out as he sat down burrying his head in his hands. Crouching down next to him I said, "Hey, it'll be alright. It'll be better. I promise." Empty words though they were, Mike new I wouldn't be saying bullshit like that unless it needed to be done and he got up. I put my hand on his back as he got in the car and I could feel him still shaking. But inside it was warm and as the lady started the engine and we drove off Mikey fell asleep with his head in my lap and at some point I dozed off too.