With the pain in her head getting worse with every step that she took, she forced herself to start running.
Chapter Two
Several hours later, Lacey walked through the door of a small country store. She had never been in the store before but she had passed by it several times on the way to Kitson, Georgia to see the “specialist” that Tom was always taking her to.
She knew she wasn’t far from home, about twenty miles or so. But she was far enough away that she didn’t think Tom would look for her there. She quickly made her way to the medicine aisle and picked up a bottle of pain reliever. Her head was still throbbing. She grabbed a coke and a bag of chips and went to the counter to pay for her stuff.
The old man at the register didn’t even look at her as he rung up her purchase and she liked that. It was a nice change from people staring at her like she was a freak. Usually, people took one look at her dyed black hair, black lips, and black clothes and assumed that she was either a gothic chic or a trouble maker. But she was neither. She dressed in black to hide from the world. It was easier to blend into the background of life when she looked like someone that nobody wanted to know. And her naturally blond hair and baby blue eyes made that impossible. So when she started high school four years ago, she dyed her hair black and has been doing so ever since.
*****
Lacey sat down on a wooden bench outside the store and leaned back against the wall. She was tired and in pain, whether it was from the accident or the use of her powers, she didn’t know. Her stomach growled, reminding her that she hadn’t eaten anything all day. At lunch, she hid in the bathroom to avoid being around the other students and when she went home, her mother had called for her before she had a chance to raid the fridge.
After opening the bottle of pain pills, she took two of them then downed a half a bottle of soda. Then she started in on the bag of chips. Within minutes, the bag was empty and her stomach was still rumbling. She pulled her wallet out of her backpack and counted her money. Twelve dollars. That was all she had. How was she supposed to survive with that? She hung her head low, feeling weak and defeated. She had no clue what she was going to do next. She stared at the empty bag. Her head was still hurting and now so was her stomach.
The thought of calling Tom to let him know where she was briefly entered her mind, but then the memory of being strapped to a hospital bed flashed in her mind and she shivered. She quickly pushed the memory away and got to her feet. She couldn’t call Tom or anyone else. She was on her own and she was going to have to learn to make the best that she could out of a bad situation.
She entered the store again and spent the last of her money to buy a couple bottles of water and some snacks, then continued walking down the road.
Almost an hour later, the sound of tires slowing to a stop on the gravel behind her caught Lacey’s attention. She stopped and turned around slowly, praying that it wasn’t the police. When she saw the blue pickup truck, she let out a sigh of relief.
“You need a ride, Miss?” An older man with thinning grey hair stuck his head out the window and asked. He gave her a second to respond and when she didn’t he continued, “I’m going to Carol Springs, you’re welcome to join me if you’re headed that way.”
Lacey considered the man’s offer. She was well aware of the dangers involved in hitchhiking but she was tired and the old man didn’t look like the serial killing type. And even if things did go bad, she was more than capable of taking care of herself. She had never intentionally used her powers to hurt anyone, but if she had to save herself then she would. With that in mind, she smiled at the man and jogged over to his truck.
“Thank you...I’m not sure where Carol Springs is but it sounds like a good place to me” she said and got in the passenger side of the truck.
The old man held his hand out to her. “My name is Jerry.”
She shook his hand. “I’m Lacey. It’s nice to meet you.”
Once she had her seatbelt on, Jerry pulled back onto the road and started toward Carol Springs. No one said anything else for a little while. Jerry looked over at Lacey several times but didn’t say anything. About half an hour later, he finally spoke. “So young lady, how about you tell me what you’re running away from?”
Lacey blinked in surprise and gave him a nervous smile. “I’m not running away from anything.”
He raised his brows and nodded in understanding. “I get it...none of my business. Just let me give you some advice. Think about what you’re doing. Is the life you’re running away from so bad that you’re willing to risk your life by getting into cars with strangers and allowing them to take you to places you’ve never even heard of?”
Lacey looked down at her hands in her lap. A sudden need to see her mom one last time hit her. She pushed the thought away and nodded. “Yeah,” she said sadly, “it is.”
Jerry gave her a thoughtful look. “Well, I’m sorry to hear that.” He shook his head. “Young people shouldn’t be forced to leave their home before they’re ready.” He paused and looked deep in thought. “I ran away from home too. It was about fifty years ago, I was sixteen and thought I could do better on my own. I didn’t like working in the lumberyard with my dad, I thought I could make more money and have a better life on my own. Turns out, I was wrong. I never did get a better job than the one I had and I ended up going back home two years later and begging my dad for my job back. It was a good life lesson that I had to learn the hard way. I hope you’re not making the same mistake I did.”
Lacey peered out the window while Jerry talked. She wished her problem was that easy. That all she wanted was a better job than the one she had. And that she could just leave for a little while then go back home and everything would be alright but that wasn’t possible for her. In her heart, she knew she was making the right choice by leaving, no matter how much it hurt to do so.
“I wish I could say that my leaving is a mistake, but I can’t,” she said sadly.
Jerry gave her a fatherly look; tender, gentle and understanding. “Enough said. I hope you find whatever it is that you’re looking for, young Lacey. For some, it’s happiness and for others, it’s acceptance. Whatever it is for you, don’t give up until you find it.”
Lacey smiled and wondered why she couldn’t have had a father like Jerry. He was nice, and kind. The kind of man who would be a loving father. Of course, he didn’t know how different she was from him but she liked to think that even if he did know, he would still be just as caring as he was now. Silence filled the air between them after their little talk and Lacey was thankful that he didn’t ask her anything else.
An hour later, Lacey had her face glued to the window as she stared at everything they passed. Carol Springs was the biggest city she had ever been to. Everything was so much bigger than where she grew up in Blaxton. The buildings towered above the ground and some businesses took up a whole block. And there were so many lights everywhere. She was in awe of everything she saw. But at the same time, she was a little scared. She had never been to a city so big and didn’t know what she was going to do or how she was going to make it on her own.
Even though it was late at night, everywhere she looked people were walking or riding bikes. The streets were full of cars, some parked in front of businesses while others followed the flow of traffic through the center of town. Lacey smiled to herself, there had to be a place for her there.
“Where would you like me to take you?” Jerry asked.
Lacey looked out the window at all the possibilities. “Um, I don’t know.”
“How about I take you to my daughter’s house?” Jerry offered. “I’m sure she won’t mind you staying there for a few days until you figure out where you want to go. You could meet my grandkids. I have a grandson your age. His name is Kyle. He can show you around town. A young lady like you shouldn’t be wandering the streets alone, especially at night and in a town you’re not familiar with.”
Lacey gave him a big smile. He was so nice to worry a
bout her. “Thank you Jerry, but I don’t want to be a burden to anyone.” She saw a sign pointing to the bus depot. “Just drop me off at the bus station.”
Jerry turned down Maple Street and parked by the curb in front of the bus station. Lacey looked at the people huddled around in front of the ticket office. She had had such a nice time on the trip there but now that it was time for her to get out of Jerry’s truck and truly be on her own, she was scared and nervous. She reached for the handle and Jerry touched her arm. “Will you reconsider my offer to take you to my daughter’s house? I don’t feel right leaving you here alone.”
Lacey laid her hand on top of his. “You’re a good man, Jerry. But you’ve already done more than enough to help me. Thanks for the ride.” She opened the door, got out and started away from the truck.
“Wait” he yelled after her. “Do you have any money?”
Lacey looked away, embarrassed. “No.”
Jerry got out of the truck and walked over to her. He pulled a hundred dollar bill out of his wallet and offered it to her.
“I can’t take that” she said.
“I don’t want to hear it. I can’t just leave you here without any money. How will you eat? How will you pay for a place to sleep? It’s already after ten and most of the boarding houses are closed for the night, which means you are going to have to get a motel room.”
Lacey considered what he said and reluctantly took the money. “I swear one day I’ll pay you back. I plan on getting a job as soon as possible and I’ll...”
Jerry laughed, interrupting her. He pulled out a business card and wrote something on the back of it before handing it to her. “Don’t worry about paying me back. Tell you what, you promise me that you’ll give my grandson a call tomorrow and let him show you around town so you don’t get lost and we’ll be even. Like I said, his name is Kyle and I’m going to tell him to be expecting your call.”
Lacey looked at the phone number on the card as her eyes began to water. No one had ever bothered to look out for her so much as this stranger did. She only met him a few hours ago, and he already showed more concern for her wellbeing than anyone else ever had.
“I’ll call him, I promise” Lacey said and tucked the card in the front pocket of her jeans. Catching Jerry off guard, she wrapped her arms around him and gave him a hug. “Thank you.”
He chuckled and hugged her back. “You’re welcome, young Lacey. Be safe.”
She nodded and quickly walked away before she lost her nerve. She watched Jerry drive away and then looked up at the board above the ticket booth at all the places she could go if she decided not to stay in Carol Springs. She didn’t recognize any of the town names but none of them seemed as interesting as where she was.
After a few minutes, Lacey noticed a guy leaning against the wall of the building, looking at her with way too much interest. She glanced over at him and he smiled. His rotten teeth aside, he looked scarier than anyone she had ever met. She quickly looked away and started walking down the sidewalk toward the center of town. She was dead tired and needed to find a motel for the night.
It didn’t take her long to realize that she was being followed. A weird feeling that someone was watching her caused her to keep stealing glances over her shoulder and every time she did, she saw the guy from the bus station. He was about thirty to forty feet behind her and he tried to mix in with the rest of the pedestrians walking, but she knew it was the same guy. And he made her uncomfortable. She dodged into the first open business she came to and hid just inside the doorway until the man walk by. She waited inside the small convenience store until she was sure he was gone before going back outside.
Confident that her pursuer was gone, Lacey pulled a hoodie out of her backpack and put it on. The cool March night had more of a chill in the air than usual. Falling into step behind the people in front of her, she put the strange man out of her mind and continued her search for a motel.
The aroma of food cooking in the restaurants and café’s that she passed hit her nose and made her stomach ache. The snacks she bought before hitching a ride with Jerry were long gone and had done nothing to satisfy her hunger. She stopped outside of Joe’s Café and looked in the window. The smells coming from inside were mouthwatering. It looked like a nice place and she had no doubt the food would be delicious, but one look at the menu and prices on a board over the counter and she knew she couldn’t afford to eat there. She needed to stretch her hundred dollars as far as she could and that meant spending fifteen dollars on one meal was out of the question. She looked away from the café with regret and kept walking, ignoring the pinching of her stomach.
She passed by several more cafes and delis but once again, their prices kept her walking on by with hopes of finding a cheap hamburger joint further down the street. But the further she walked, the more uncomfortable she became. There was less traffic, both on foot and in vehicles. The buildings she passed were no longer beautiful and alive with business, but old and dilapidated. Some were even abandoned with condemned papers nailed to the front doors. The windows were either broken or boarded up. It soon became apparent that she was no longer in the nice part of town. She turned around and started back in the direction that she came. With her head down low and her hands in her hoodie pockets to shield herself from the wind that was starting to blow, she had only taken a few steps when she accidently bumped into someone. She stumbled and nearly fell.
When she looked up to see who she had ran into, her breath caught in her throat. It was the same man from the bus station, the same one who had followed her earlier.
“I’m sorry” she said quickly and took a step away from him.
The man smiled. “It’s alright, baby. Don’t worry about it.”
She gave him a small nervous smile and walked past him. Everything in her said that he was dangerous. The fact that he was still following her after she thought she had lost him, scared the hell out of her.
“Hey pretty girl, where are you going? I didn’t get a chance to ask your name” he yelled to her. But she ignored him and kept walking.
Lacey soon heard footsteps coming behind her. Her heart raced with fear and she quickened her pace. She didn’t want to look over her shoulder, she was too afraid to see him following her again.
“Come on baby, don’t be like that. At least tell me your name. My name is Joe” he said as he jogged to catch up to her.
“Leave me alone!” Lacey yelled over her shoulder and started running.
All pretense that he just wanted to talk instantly vanished as Joe ran after her. Lacey looked around in a panic as she ran and tried to find a place to hide. She wanted to go back to the bus station and call Jerry’s grandson for help, but that idea was quickly squashed when she saw two more guys that looked a lot like the one chasing her, coming toward her. She didn’t know if they were with the guy behind her or not, and she wasn’t taking any chances. She darted between some buildings and ran down a dark alley and crossed over several streets. She had no idea where she was going. Her only thought was to get away from Joe, and when she finally stopped running a little while later, she was sure that she had succeeded in losing him. It had been a while since she heard his voice.
She leaned back against the side of an old building and tried to catch her breath. She hadn’t run that hard in years. After taking a couple of deep breaths, she listened to the sounds around her. It was too dark to see much of anything but she could hear just fine. And the one thing she was listening for was footsteps, and she didn’t hear any. She’d lost him. Knowing that, brought on a flood of relief. She let the tightened muscles in her body relax as she sagged over with her hands on her knees. Her breath was still coming in quick, scared gusts. She took a deep, calming breath and let it out slowly. “He’s gone” she said to herself to ease her nerves.
After a few minutes, she stepped back onto the barely lit sidewalk and tried figure out where she was. She looked down the empty street lined on both sides by abandoned buildings. Th
ere wasn’t a car or person in sight anywhere. She was all alone. The relief she had felt just a moment ago was quickly disappearing. The thought of calling out to someone for help entered her mind, but she decided against it in case Joe was still within hearing distance.
Lacey knew that the best thing for her to do was go back the way she came and if she ran into any more trouble, she was going to have to use her powers to defend herself, but only as a last resort. She started down the sidewalk and tried to remember which way she came from. After crossing over a couple of streets that she thought she had crossed earlier, she realized that she wasn’t going in the right direction. Nothing looked familiar. She was lost and the fear inside of her was growing more intense with every passing second.
She leaned against the wall of one of the abandoned buildings, closed her eyes and berated herself. “Great Lacey, you really know how to screw things up,” she said and wiped at a tear spilling from her eye.
She was about to lose it and break down into full sobs when she heard a whistling noise coming from down the street. She pushed away from the wall and looked down the sidewalk. The streetlamps above her flickered like they were about to go out and she had to squint her eyes to see. But there was no one there.
“Hello” she called out and slowly walked toward the sound of the whistling.
The noise suddenly stopped. Lacey paused and looked around. “Hello, is anyone there?”
A man laughed. “You shouldn’t be out at night by yourself, little girl” he said in a deep, threatening voice.
Lacey froze. She knew immediately that it wasn’t Joe, whose voice had been kind of boyish. She glanced around frantically, searching for the man. But he was nowhere to be seen. “I’m lost” she said before she could think better of it. Then she mentally scolded herself for being so stupid.
The man laughed again. The sound echoed off the buildings. It was impossible to tell what direction it came from. “You should never admit your weakness to your enemy, little girl. It makes you easy prey.”