On the Run by M Zeigler (short story to read TXT) 📖

that are used for starting fires. Barrette gives a heavy sigh when he realizes I’ve closed him out again, I’m right back to be cold, sinister, and angry.

“Do you expect your own shadow to remember things like this?” Barrette asks thrusting the basket forward when I turn to face him. His sudden attitude with me says I’ve accomplished what I set out to do, distance him emotionally from me. I don’t like people getting to close, when people get to close to me they get hurt, and so do I.

“My shadow quit not long after my brain did.” I reply morbidly as I’m tossing the items into the basket, Barrette starts to speak but I dodge around him. I know he is trying to press for more details, I already told him to much by speaking back the river. I won’t make that mistake again, if my sanity shatters again there is no medication or therapy enough to fix me.

“Is that true, Bonnie?” I hear another deep male voice ask, I look around the store, the only people that are in here are the cashier and Barrette. Looking back to the counter figuring I was hearing things again I almost shriek when there is a tall looming figure standing behind the young cashier. I can’t really make out who this creepy character is because he has a thick woolen jacket hood pulled over his head.

“Where are we going from here? I’m asking for a reason.” Barrette asks appearing at my side again causing me to jump I didn’t even hear him move. “Must you do that?” I sneer at him through gritted teeth; Barrette gives an evil laugh at my reaction. Ignoring his evil behavior I look back to the cashier only to see that the looming form is gone. Was there even anyone there to begin with? There had to have been someone there, that form was nothing like anything my crazed mind has conjured up before?

“I like you more when you’re sleeping. And we are heading to a restaurant; I’ve got the tab on the diner as well as this.” I as Barrette reaches for his wallet, I’m about to ask for a full carton of cigarettes when Barrette darts over to the refrigerated liquor cabinet to our right and grabs a case of something. When he sets the cardboard on the counter I realize its moonshine. I cannot figure it’s anything like real moonshine otherwise it wouldn’t be legal. Even though this is called Nevada City, we are still in California and hardly any fun things are legal in California these days.

“A full carton of midnights, please?” I ask as I point to the cigarette’s I’m accustomed to, the guy at the counter reaches back and grabs what I am asking for and hands them over before tallying up everything except Barrette’s case of booze.

“Do you think it would be okay to make one bank withdraw?” Barrette tries to start focus back on his question once we are outside the store.  “Sure I guess, we will be well out of tracking capabilities fairly soon here, and aren’t you not supposed to be drinking?” I reply while unlocking the trunk to the Mustang, Barrette sets the blue colored box down in the trunk of the car then looks at me very pointedly holding the same glint in his eyes that I normally have.  

“Quit Nagging me.” He snaps at me, my jaw goes slack; the jerk is playing me at my own game. How dare he?

 “Huh, we’ll see who is nagging who at the cabin tonight when I’m wasted and dancing on the table.” I reply angrily then giving him a firm glare before slamming the trunk shut barley leaving him time to move his hand away. There is an instant tension in his jaw line that matches my own anger, he’s about to realize that the cold hearted card is mine for the keeping. He cannot beat me at my own game even though he has exactly ten years more experience than I do.

“You are a very mean woman you know that?” Barrette points out after I’m half way across the street. “Actually I do, I just don’t care. I don’t like people remember?” I reply as a car speeds in front of me laying on the horn. Once the impatient local is long gone I jog across the remainder of the street only to find myself stepping inside the sporting goods store before Barrette has time to be a gentleman.

 This store draws a blank for me, Jack never really liked this particular store much so we weren’t in here very often and I’m not entirely sure where the cell phones are. When Barrette bustles in behind me I decide I still don’t care to talk to him and just walk into the store to start looking for the phones.

There’s only six aisles in total so I really shouldn’t have that much of a hard time finding what we need. “Oh now I’m being ignored? Women.” Barrette says exasperated with me, he gives a bit of a huffing sound as he tries to follow me again.

“I’m not ignoring you; I’m just refusing to admit I am traveling with a jerk.” I reply bitterly as I find the cell phones, I blindly reach forward and grab two of the cheapest phones on the shelf and their minute cards to match.

“I’m not being a jerk, I just don’t appreciate people that don’t know the whole story telling me I shouldn’t be drinking.” Barrette replies trying to sound reasonable, I turn back to face him showing the irritation I have held over him at such an early time in the day.

“I’m not walking into that situation blind, I just don’t want to see you get to where I was…am.” I reply poking my finger into Barrette’s chest accusingly. When I’m finished speaking I turn away from him again leaving him to follow after me with a determination to reason with me. “And where are you exactly?” Barrette asks trying to walk in front of me now, seeing as I am tiny in comparison to Barrette, it’s really not so difficult to side step him. Doing so further adds fuel to the growing angry fire between us, I’m starting to realize that I do not like Barrette.

 “Bonnie, answer me.” Barrette says as I drop two flashlights into the basket he’s carrying, I didn’t even realize that he picked on up on our way in. “Why, I’m just nagging you, remember?” I reply deciding to be completely unreasonable, when being crude doesn’t work then unreasonable usually does. After that I always have rope, and duck tape in the trunk, this drive will be peaceful even if it removes the facial hair on Barrette’s face.

“Bonnie you’re impossibly infuriating for someone your size, do you realize that?” Barrette says digging himself into a hole even deeper than he was in to start with. “Keep talking Barrette, you’re going to be burying yourself in that hole as well as digging it out.” I reply walking over to the far right wall where the ammo is, I sift through the many listed calibers until I find the rounds for the Smith and Wesson 500, the 44. Magnum revolver, and lastly the armor piercing rounds for the twin Colts.

Barrette apparently has decided to give up prying the information from me that he requested minutes ago and just keeps his mouth closed.

  “Camping?” The owner of the store asks when the two of us reaches the counter; he glances up at me then smiles brilliantly. He knows who I am, even though the last time I was in here I had red blonde hair and I was half the size I am now. “Bon-

“Hey Hank! Yeah, were going camping it’s kind of an unplanned vacation.” I interrupt the owner who I’ve known for many years, he looks at Barrette, that’s when his eyes widen. Realizing what is going on, Hank is smart enough to stay quiet and just ring up the total.

“Your total is ninety four eighty two.” Hank says averting his eyes to the register figuring if he does look up at us then he can’t say if we were here or not; provided someone asks him. Barrette hands over another hundred dollar bill refusing to let me pay the tab on this trip.  I’m not sure if I should be impressed or aggravated that he has that many hundred dollar bills in his wallet, I think more aggravated because I don’t want him paying for anything for me and, well, I’m already mad at him so why not? I hate when men just start thinking they have to pay for things for a woman they are hanging out with. Of course I think the situation in this case is kind of different seeing as I just paid out five hundred in gas just getting here.

Back out at the car again Barrette unlocks the trunk while I scroll through the missed calls on my phone deciding who I need to call before I destroy both our phones. So far Jack has called eight times, Alex called twice, and my sister has called five times. With a sad sigh I look at Barrette who is already looking back at me, it’s not the first time in the last umpteen hours I’ve caught him looking my way and I’m sure it won’t be the last. As he did earlier, Barrette watches after me curiously while I start off walking towards the diner. This place has no significant meaning to me, I don’t know anyone here, I’ve been in here several times with Jack but that’s about it.

 “Just you two?” A waitress asks from the back of the room somewhere out of sight. “Just us two, yes.” I confirm trying to sound calm and not at all show my anger towards Barrette. “Take a seat anywhere; I’m Joan I’ll be with you in just a moment.” Joan says making a sudden grey haired appearance from where she was crouched behind the coffee bar.

“Here’s the deal, Barrette. I drink too much, I smoke too much, and I’m an outlaw until the bitter end. You on the other hand have a life, family, friends, co workers who adore you; I keep nagging as you call it, because I don’t want you to fall back into old bad habits.” I announce brazenly to the southern rock star once he’s taken us to a well hidden corner booth in the far back corner of the room.

Barrette remains silent for a long time; it appears that he is trying to find the right words to reply to what I’ve just told him. While he is busy thinking, I review the menu trying to find the same dish I always want when coming in here, the mini breakfast skillet, I have no idea what they add to the food but it is well worth the long wait. Am I the only person who actually enjoys small town diner food? Call it strange but they are using their own recipe which makes their food unique and much tastier. I can’t say that about all small diners though, I’ve been to a few that were less than appealing just to look at, much less eat at.

“Bonnie, don’t you think I know what I’m getting into? I figure if we are both going to face life in prison I’m going to have fun while I still can.” Barrette says simply, but the simple words are heartfelt and true to his heart. I can read that by looking him in the eyes, he is well aware that this life isn’t what he was destined for but he may get forced back into regardless of what he wants. As long as he understands that and won’t pin blame on me if this goes south then I’m