Unanswered Dreams

Chapter 8

I was so thankful for a three day weekend. I slept most of the day, still dreaming of last night. As I drove to school on Tuesday, it was quiet. There was few cars on the road, it was eerie. I parked near the front door and hung my "student parking" card on the rear view mirror.

PE was the same, run here, do this, run there, the usual. I got to Teen Living and none of my friends were in there. It was weird, so I sat next to a girl I knew, but not really. Her name was Kathryn. She was funny, and brutal. Her jokes had no limits, joking the bizarre and untold. She told me about this party, for the beginning of spring break, and I decided to go and stay for about half and hour or so, and leave.

It was Friday, the day of the party. I got dressed in a white v-neck and black jeans. I filled up my car after I left.

I parked around the corner from the house. The house was like a supernova, bright and loud. I walked up to the door and a man fell down coming out the door. I walked inside and grabbed a Mountain Dew from the cooler. The music was loud, too loud to comprehend what it was saying. I finished the Mountain Dew and threw away as I turned the corner, I saw Danielle. She was on top of another guy, making out. She turned to where I was standing.

"Jake!" She said hopping off the guy, fixing her shirt.

"No, no" I said, turning towards the door. As soon as I reached the cold outside air, I ran. Ran as fast as I could. Danielle's voice echoed behind me. I turned on the car and sped off towards my house.

I ran inside, grabbed a few changes of clothes, a jacket, and petted Nero on my way out. I drove west. That's all I knew. I pulled up to an ATM and withdrew five-thousand dollars. The car was sprinting down the cold highway as I glanced at the fuel gage, it said I had about half a tank. My phone was buzzing and buzzing. An hour or two later I pulled into a small gas station with a large clown billboard above it.

"Twenty dollars on pump..." I turned around to see which pump I was parked at "...four" The attendant took the bill and pressed some numbers on the computer and put the twenty in the cash box. I filled up the car, wiped the windows and checked the tire pressure. I ran back inside.

"What city is this?" I asked, I had a place I could camp out for a few days, but I needed to know where I was.

"You're in Cornille, Arkansas" he said, biting his nails.

"Arkansas?!" I needed to go far, but not this far. "How do I get to Memphis?" I was scared now, I didn't know where I was. He gave me directions, and I headed back the way I came. I was doing about eighty miles per hour the whole time until I found Memphis. There was a cabin I could camp in for the week, in the woods.

I pulled up in front of the cabin and walked inside. It was quiet, so I turned on the radio on my phone. The music stopped constantly; either from the cell connection or a incoming call. I lit some candles, and got into bed. I couldn't sleep.

I eventually fell asleep somehow. I was disappointed that I woke up the next morning. I didn't want to live. The only thing that seemed to keep me going was the scenery. Breathtaking was an understatement.

The trees covered the dirt path in front of the cabin, shedding a light green shade. There was a lake to the right of the cabin.

I stayed in or near the cabin for half a week. I had two weeks off for spring break. The canned food ran out after four days and I headed into town about ten miles away. I locked the cabin, got into my car and drive down the mile or two long dirt trail back towards the road. My phone continued to ring. I plugged it into the car, so it would charge.

There was a loud wailing sound, like a dying dolphin. followed by bright blue and red lights. My heart - or what was left of it - dropped.

A tall man in a sharp blue police uniform slowly stepped out of his cruiser. As he approached, his boots clambered on the cold highway. His handcuffs and keys jingling with every step. He came up to the window and knocked gently. His name tag read 'D. Herman' on a black engraved name tag.

"Yes, Officer? Is there a problem" I said swallowing the lump in my throat.

"Well it seems that the car you're driving here is registered to a missing person" The man read out in a high-and-mighty voice. "Can you step out of the car"

I opened the car door and stood up out of the car. He motioned his hand to walk to the front of his car. SUV's and tractor trailers whizzed by, a steady wind was passing.

"Would you like to explain why you're driving a stolen car?" The officer said taking off his stereotypical cop sunglasses.

"First of all, it's not stolen" I said, trying not to get arrested. "Second of all, I'm not a missing person, this is my car"

"This car is registered to a..." The officer flipped through a notepad. "...Jacob Taylor"

"That's me!" I said. I pulled out my wallet and showed him my I.D. and drivers license

He tilted his head towards the wallow talkie on his shoulder "Command, this is unit thirty-four seven"

A static female voice came over the radio. "Thirty-four seven, what is your status"

"Ten-twenty seven is confirmed, missing persons found. Jacob Taylor - MP file 1-6-9-5-MP is found." He talked quickly.

"Ten-four, bring him to the station. Over"

The officer police escorted me half a mile to the station. I thought about why I was a 'missing person' then it hit me. I never told my parents where I was going when I left the house after the party. I didn't want to go back. Ever. After I left the police station, I was required to return to Virginia Beach and report to the police there. If I didn't, there would be a warrant for my arrest.

The drive home was quick. I made one stop in the Appalachian Mountains. I pulled into the police station, reported back to Memphis and drove home.

I pulled up into the drive way, and I was instantly greeted by my family. They must've been called by the police. I walked inside, and went straight upstairs. I took a long needed shower. The cabin had no water, and I was there for almost four days. I got out of the shower and fell right to sleep when I hit my bed.