Lies Based on A True Story

-All Good Things-

Yellow. He hates the pungent color. Marsh stared down at the adolescent mischief etched into the fresh snow. Melting on contact. He knows most people would just spell their name with the hot stream. Ninety nine percent of the time he would have too. Not tonight.

As he relieved himself, the message left on the side of the road was meant for one pair of hungry eyes. The ones that were still searching for him. It was close now and he was sure she could feel it too.

The sound of scuffing feet on the road behind him finished the task. Marsh zipped up and turned his head over his back just as she opened car door, short on breath.

"Ready?"

"That was fast." Marsh tried to blurt out before she slammed the door.

He got into the passengers seat and barely had his feet in the car before it sped off. He read with one last legible glance at his message:

Find me.

His brows furrowed together in confusion. The reason he left those words escaped him the moment they were out of sight.

"Em..." He trailed off.

Damn. He thought something about her felt absent too. Her mind was elsewhere still searching for what tailed them, keeping it at bay. How exactly does she do it? He hasn't had the courage to ask those direct questions, but he's an astute observer. These days with her taught him so much without her even knowing. He wonders if she knows how much this means to him. He wonders if he should tell her.

She tapped her fingers along the steering wheel in tune with the faint pop music that played out of the half busted back speakers.

"Hmm?"

Marsh adjusted his seat belt and stared at her profile. The streetlights that beamed in every 30 seconds—he counted, lit her cheekbones and threw shadows across her bright eyes. He has wondered many things about her, but in this moment it was, why him? Why did she help him?

"What's up, Marsh?"

"I was thinking--"

"Don't strain yourself." Emerson cut him off with a flat tone and smiled.

What is he up to now? She felt his hand on her knee, thankful the dusky sky hid the sudden flush on her face. Marsh gave her a squeeze that jolted her foot and the whole car forward.

"Hey, I'm driving here!" She elbowed him and forced the clutch into fourth gear.

"You hey!" Marsh called back, "I'll have you know I'm much smarter than you, Emers."

This kid. He's driving her crazy. He is that rare good company.

"You keep telling yourself that."

Her light laugh kept on as their shitty brown Nova passed a fading wooden sign, welcoming them to a new town. Those are becoming more and more frequent. Marsh knew the reason they had to always be on the move and he didn't mind it himself, but his guilt was never far behind. It's somewhere back there, mingling with the thing on his heels.

That welcome sign was anything but. They had a few more hours worth of gas, so this would be another blow through town. He passed a light hand through his hair pulling at length. He wrinkled his nose at the last of his highlights that had slowly been fading out.

Emerson watched him out the corner of her eyes. He had settled back into his thoughts. She knew from experience it's not a great place to be. Next car they buy will have a better stereo system. He'd probably like that distraction.

"So..." She broke his spiral. "What were you thinking earlier?"

"Oh, the beach." He remembered and smiled.

Marsh scratched the back of his head looking at the jagged line on the map he had been filling in along their route.

"Looks like we'd be close to the campgrounds there. I thought we could stay there tonight?"

"Beach camping?" Her voice came out half skeptical, half surprised. Even though they'd be more exposed on the beach, it hates water.

It's a wonder how they can set off in the mountains and end up on the ocean. But he knew the pacific northwest region well, it's where he had spent most his childhood.

And he is smart, she admits. They've only been on the road for a month picking up her queues and he unknowingly knows what to suggest.

"Yeah, I mean we still have the gear so." He points to the trunk.

"Let's do it."

"W-what?" He beamed, "Really?"

Emerson shifted again and sped up. She laughed at the way he's never ready for it, how he grabbed for the armrest in distress.

"Yeah." She smiled broadly, with a clear goal and the beguiling face of Marsh's nefarious soulseeker that followed set in her mind.

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