The Burn Room

Chapter 5

The moon was our only source of light as Scarlett and I trekked down the dark road. It wasn’t a highway. Even in the dead of night, there’d be cars on a highway. Instead, we’re on an old highway, one no one ever uses anymore. Now, it’s a back road for anyone that wants to take the scenic route.

My head still pounded from a headache. Every little noise set my teeth on edge. The cut on my knee throbbed. Our clothes were torn from the branches and falling. My pants were riddled with holes and my shirt was ripped. Only later did I realize the Agent had grazed me with his knife. Luckily, the laceration wasn’t deep, but I still needed to treat it. The last thing on our minds was an infection.

“We need to steer clear of Agents for a while. I have no ammo and you have no weapon at all. Unless we use the gun as a club if we run into them, we’re going to be dead witches,” Scarlett said, brushing some damp hair out of her eyes. She laughed sarcastically at her own comment.

“Couldn’t agree more.” My voice turned hoarse, my dry throat yearning for water. “Do you think we’ll reach a city soon?” I desperately wanted to take a long nap somewhere, anywhere. A box would even do. My legs couldn’t take it anymore.

Scarlett shrugged. “Not sure.” She squinted to read the street signs. “There’s a McDonalds in ten miles. We can eat there and find a place to rest.”

I had to squint even more than Scarlett and still had a hard time reading the sign. Bad eye sight ran in the family, and thankfully, I didn’t need glasses just yet. Seeing as how much of a hard time I had reading the sign, I would probably need glasses soon.

My jaw just about dropped. Ten miles. It could take hours.

“We’ll have to jog some of the way. Think you can do that?” Scarlett asked me.

I nodded, wincing at the thought of more jogging. “Do we have to have McDonalds? Their food is just so repulsive.” I shuddered as I thought about my least favorite place to eat.

Scarlett chuckled half-heartedly. “No. I’m sure there are other restaurants.” A small laugh escaped from my lips followed by a rumble in my stomach. We needed food and water soon or we could die from dehydration.

It felt like forever and a day to reach the city. It was only a few hours though, even with jogging and walking. By the time we reach the town, it was late morning. A sign on the way into the town read Manhatia. The city’s name didn’t ring a bell for either of us. It was probably an old city that used to be a major one. At first glance, the technology wasn’t as advanced as it was in major cities like the capitals. There weren’t as many big screens advertising products and how a family is four. This town didn’t have many of the hovercraft cars that people were buying. The cars there still had wheels, but I’m sure many of them had autopilot options. People rarely drive manually now. Surprisingly, there were more people walking than driving.

The city was small and not too many people questioned two grungy teens running down the sidewalk. Scarlett and I kept an eye out on the bulletins that authorities normally put out for witch fugitives. We didn’t see anything about us, so the Agency either wanted to keep our escape quiet, or this town hadn’t received the memo yet.

As soon as we reached downtown, we wandered in search of a clothing store. Before we ate, Scarlett said we needed to have a different look in case anyone in a restaurant recognized us. We journeyed inside a punk and gothic looking store whose name was too hard to read on the sign. Rock music blared throughout the store. It was a band I’d never heard of. Things had changed since I was captured.

The types of apparel ranged from shirts with band names, buttons, and chain jewelry. There were graphic tees, dark skinny jeans, and an array of hoodies. For a small store, there were a lot of articles of clothing. We were probably going to be moving the most at night, so we’d need dark clothes to blend in with the shadows.