American Gods: The Girl Of Lightning

A chilly night

I woke up, flat on my back on the cold ground. I could see the stars, brighter than ever before and the trees rimming the edges of my vision. I sat up, feeling the warmth gone from my body. I was still in Micheal's clothes, and they did little to provide warmth in the cold weather. I checked my pockets, finding nothing but a $20 bill with a small note attached. "Get some food." Michael's voice echoed. I stood up, and began walking towards the road. On my way, I found my duffel bag. I lunges for it and began digging through the clothes, looking for something warm. I pulled on a hoodie and sweatpants over Michael's clothes, as well as whatever shoes I had stored away. I couldn't see it from my position, but I knew the direction. I heard cars go by every couple of minutes. Walking along the road, I could faintly see the illuminated light of a Dennys ahead. I walked a little quicker and finally made it to the door. I ordered some food and sat down in the corner to eat, my duffel bag beside me in the seat. Every couple of minutes I could see the staff peering over the counter to look at me and whisper comments. I ate, the food was greasy and filled my gut like a weight. I dug through my bag and found my phone. It was dead, and I dug through and found my charger. Soon, the screen booted up and it began turning on. A woman was at the end of my table. I looked up, and she simply placed a large black coffee on my table.
"It's on the house..." she said, scurrying away. I thanked her and took a long drink. It was hot and warmed my frozen skin. I had 12 missed calls from Wednesday, 5 from Shadow, 3 from an unknown number. I sighed and called Wednesday. He answered on the 4th ring.
"Where the fuck are you?" He growled, evidently furious. I flinched. I looked up and called to the people across the counter. "Can you give me the address to this place, please?" They reported it back and I told Wednesday.
"That's almost an hour away." He growled. I heard Shadow in the background saying something. "I'm at the Denny's. I think they're closing soon so you should hurry." I mumbled into the phone, flinching every time he yelled. Shadow took the phone and said. "Hey. I'm glad you're okay, stay where you are and we will be there soon." I mumbled out an okay and finished off the rest of my coffee.
"Be there soon, kiddo." Shadow said, before hanging up. I hung up too and sat the phone down.
"Do you have someone to get you?" Asked the lady who gave me a coffee. I nodded. "They're about an hour out, is it alright if I stay here?" She nodded and sat across from me. "Of course honey. This is a safe space. If you need me to call the police I will." She patted my hand reassuringly. I thanked her but politely declined. "You want a refill on that coffee, hun?" She stood up and got me another coffee, as well as a plate of biscuits and gravy.
"You look half starved to death, and beat within an inch of your life." She said, returning to her seat across from me. I dug into the plate of biscuits. "Something like that. I'm fine though, thank you." I said, watching as she took a compact mirror out of her pocket. She handed it to me and for the first time in a long time, I saw my face.
My nose was still slightly bruised, not noticeable but still looked bad. There was also an ugly scar caressing the side of my face. My lips were chapped and some dried blood on my nose had traced my lips. Most noticeable were my eyes, bloodshot and tired. The once blue and gold flecked eyes were now brighter than before, at least one of them was. The other was a deep emerald green. I handed back the compact and went to the bathroom. I gripped the sink and almost threw up. I shivered and began splashing water on my face. I scrubbed the grime from my face, rubbing at my eyes furiously. They were still the same. My hands were shaking as I dried my face, trying to stay calm. I brushed out my hair, trying to look presentable.
Once I regained my composure, I stepped back outside and went to my table. The lady was still there, looking sympathetic at me.
"Honey, I don't know your situation but I do know there's options for victims of domestic abuse." She refilled her cup of coffee and mine.
"I appreciate the offer but truly, I'm fine. Thank you for all your help." I smiled and finished my biscuits and gravy. On the screen behind her, I saw an episode of I Love Lucy come on screen. It was one I hadn't seen before, Lucy turning to talk to the audience. She said, in her bubbly voice. "You weren't supposed to survive that." Her eyes stared deeply at me, giving a sickeningly smile. I felt cold run down my spine, staring vividly at the screen. I heard the world go silent as I focused in on Lucy's words. "You outta be more careful next time." She smiled and twirled around on the screen. I felt my insides clench up, tying my stomach into knots. Lucy's eyes glowered at me and she winked.
I snapped out of it when a hand touched my shoulder. I jumped and saw Wednesday, a tired and weird look in his eyes. I stood up and grabbed my bag, my hands shaking. The waitress gave me a sympathetic smile and cleared the rest of my dishes away. Shadow offered to take my bag and I shook my head, gripping it tighter. I thanked the staff and we walked out. My knees were shaking, and I refused to look at the screen. Once outside, Wednesday muttered. "We've added another to the car, you'll have to share the back." I opened the door and saw the red headed man from the bar. He had a busted up nose and moved over slightly to give me room. I slipped in the seat and closed the door. Shadow began driving and Wednesday turned to look at me. "What. Happened." He growled, I flinched.
"I don't remember." I mumbled, leaning away and curling up in the seat. He shook his head and said. "That's not good enough, I need answers." I looked up at him. His face was a calm rage. Outside, it began raining. I could hear thunder rumbling in the distance. Sweeney looked up at Wednesday. "Mate, she's obviously spooked. Give 'er a minute ta breathe." Wednesday's cold eyes turned to glare at Sweeney, a crack of thunder pealing outside. I shrank away, feeling cold chills all down my body. Wednesday turned around and the rain came down, pouring buckets worth of water onto the earth. We drove in silence back to the motel they were staying at, the thunderstorm pouring down outside. I watched outside the window, my body was tired but my mind was wide awake. I shivered and curled up into a tighter ball.
Once inside, I saw there were 2 beds. I sat my duffel down on the floor and began digging through it for shower gear. The shoes of Wednesday appeared in my point of view. I saw Sweeney and Shadow slip outside for a moment. I sighed and rose to standing. His eyes were blazing down at me.
"I don't remember much. But I need you to be completely honest with me, or I won't tell you anything." I sat on the couch corner and stared back at him. He sat in the bed across from me.
"Tell me what happened." A loud crack of thunder boomed outside.