Smoker .Blackbear

1. Bus stop blues

The yelling and screaming and crying became distant as she walked down the road. Her home a distant hell and her destination being nowhere. She wanted out, she wanted to run away, find a place, a sanctuary and never return. But, she also knew that only happens in stories, she will run off, get cold or hungry and go crawling back, but for the time being, anywhere was better than here.

The streets got darker and to the young girl, spookier. The only thing keeping Averie going was the faint light in the distance, a light coming from a bus stop. The closer she got the clearer she could hear the buzzing of the flickering yellow light above the station. Moths and beetles flying around the light created shadows on the concrete pavement before her, but that wasn't the only shadow. The closer she got the better she could see the shadow of a person sitting at the bus stop.

Peering around the wall she saw a man with a large denim jacket and clean shaven hair, looking down at his hands, a smoke hanging loosely from his fingers. Averie sat down beside the man, a good distance away and discretely looked over to observe him some more. The man's hand lifted, connected the smoke to his mouth as he took a long drag, his head rising a bit and his eyes catching the young girl staring.

"Where are you headed?" he spoke quietly, the low rumble of his voice catching Averie off guard.

Like a fish out of water the girls mouth opened and closed, but no words coming out. She wasn't planning on speaking tonight. Speaking was something she found difficult with strangers, she would have to prepare herself for it, and tonight she hadn't.

"Are you running away?" The man interrogated further. Averie shook her head no, hoping her answer would stop any further conversation.

"You lying to me?" He asked sternly, flicking the ash off his smoke and taking another drag, blowing it out and in Averie's direction.

The girl stayed silent, hoping he would give up. She just wanted to get on a bus and drive away for the night.

"Speak" The man demanded, dropping his smoke and stomping it out with his big combat boots, his full attention now on Averie. This man truly intimidated the girl and she felt like she was about to cry. Not because she was scared of him exactly, but because she knew she would do whatever he said and she was scared of the outcome.

"Babe, I can't help you if you don't speak to me"

"I don't want help" She muttered quietly, looking down at her trembling legs. The temperature had dropped dramatically and she was starting to wish she wore another layer of clothing.

"You need it" Was all he said before the bus pulled up at the stop, but the man's stern look told Averie to not move.

"Are you hopping on?" The driver asked in which the man beside her shook his head.

"Miss?" the driver asked directing at Averie.

She knew she could hop on, tell the driver she was being harassed by the man next to her and be on her way. But a part of her didn't want to run that fast. Maybe, just maybe this man, this stern, scruffy man was her way out.

"I'm fine thank you" She replied politely and watched the bus drive off.

Now paranoid she had made the wrong decision Averie stood up, watching the bus drive off but it was too far to get to now.

"How about I walk you home" The man stood up with Averie, offering his hand for her to hold but she just shook her head in response.

"You're going to stay here?" He asked earning a nod in return.

"It will get cold"

The girl shrugged her shoulders. She wished she did just get on the bus, this man wasn't her way out, he was just holding her back, sending her back to hell.

"You alright Angel?" He asked stepping closer to her and taking a gentle hold of her shoulder. The height difference huge as he looked down at her creating a barrier from the freezing wind.

Averie only shrugs her shoulders again not finding any words to speak.

"You can either go home or come home with me, which will it be?" the unnamed man says which panicked Averie. She didn't want to go home and she definitely did not want to follow this man home, she didn't even know him.

"I'll take you home then" Was all the man said before sliding his hand down her arm and entwining their icy hands, walking them in the direction Averie came from.