After that fateful encounter, things had... Improved to say the least. They had gone to a hotel and Buck was kind enough to buy her a separate room and then when she woke up it was straight back to driving. Still, it was the best sleep she had in ages and she would count it as a victory, no matter how small it may be.
So here she was in the old seat of a truck far beyond its prime. The old paint was somewhat chipped and the interior wasn't the best but she would be lying if she said she would mind driving this thing. She could just wake up, roll out of bed, watch some TV and then head out and drive... Just drive away. A small smile made itself known, her lips having quirked upwards as she let herself gaze out the window, the buildings whizzing by and the dark grey clouds remaining still as they blew overhead like an army in the midst of a march.
Then, there was a drip. Then a drop... A drip, a drop, a drop and a drip as thick fat raindrops fell from above and onto the windows. The thoughts of hers were not pushed aside though. Not as Buck muttered to himself about needing to get new windshield wipers and not when a stray bird cawed from above as the greenery passed us. For once Sunset felt as if she was at peace and nothing would change that.
Except for a sudden crack of lightning of course.
The unexpected sheer volume of it made her yelp in surprise and jump, the coffee in her lap falling down to where her feet were. Noticing this, she went to dive down, the seatbelt restraining her until she moved it back slightly then yanked it forward so she could go lower and grab the spilling drink.
As this happened though, she swore to herself, quickly apologising in a panic as she did everything possible to help.
The only response from Buck was a heavy sigh. In all honesty it made her feel horrible... Gah, she was so stupid! Now she would get kicked out and would have to walk without any sense of direction and-
"Ehem!" The voice of Buck yanked the former equine's thoughts back. "Sunset! Calm down girl, there's no need to cry over spilt coffee. Now take a breath and relax, 'kay? It can easily be cleaned an all that... Jesus girl."
He chuckled a bit and spoke up again as he kept driving ahead on the open road. "Now, go ahead and reach into the glovebox and grab the paper towels, okay? Just wipe it up and throw it out the window or in the GreenGoods bag."
It took a moment but she realised that the tattooed man was right so, after nodding blankly and taking a breath, she opened the box and went to grab the paper towels. There were only napkins... Not wanting to question it for now she simply grabbed them and set to work and soaking up the mess, careful not to let her self deprecating thoughts get to her. Once it was cleaned up she leaned back into the seat and let not a heavy sigh.
"Hey Buck..?" She began as she turned to the bald man. A grunt prompted to her to continue.
"I... Wow I can't even find a good topic..." She said after a moment.
She took note of Bucks small smile and couldn't help but relax into the seat. At least he wasn't judging her...
"But uh... Well how about this... Have you ever runaway before? From your problems i mean. Not that I'm a runaway from my parents of course! That would be silly. Me, and... Yeah... You aren't going to stop me are you?" She asked him.
He chuckled a bit and leaned back, a single hand on the steering wheel as he looked ahead as the black roads. "Nope. I know what you mean though. Rather well actually... Why'd ya ask though? Starting to question why you ran?"
She shook her head a bit. "No, no! I'm just... You said something about knowing what its like to not have a place to live, right? Do you mind if I ask about that?"
The response she got was unexpected. It was a pause... And then a solemn nod of his head. His smile had faded.
"I'll be honest Shimmer... I dont think I'd like to talk about it. We've still got a few long hours on us and... Getting emotional wouldn't work out all too well, ya know? Now... Lets lighten the mood, yeah? What music do you like..?" He reached for the a button in the dashboard and a cd came out of it.
"Oh, well I... Like a lot I suppose. Why dont we just listen to one of your songs?"
"Sure I guess... I hope you dont mind ACDC then. I've got a whole lot of albums and stuff."
"I... Don't I suppose. To be honest I've never heard of them."
As soon as she finished that sentence she jerked forward, her seatbelt saving her as the car jerked. The next time he spoke it's tone was much like that of when they spoke about the Subway.
"Jesus christ kid... I... Reach into the glovebox and get the album on the far left side past the napkins. It'll be black and white with red writing. I think its about time I showed you another thing you're missing out on."
She didn't smile this time by did as requested and, after some searching, she handed him the case which he took in his hand, set on his lap, and then opened rather fluidly. After an awkward motion of grabbing the disk from the CD player and replacing it with the new one, he pushed it in and hit play.
What came next was most certainly welcome because the coming hours were filled with music, intionally bad singing, laughter, and a few tears. The way Buck butchered the songs made her laugh and when they both tried to outperform each others silly attempts at singing, Sunset found herself enjoying each and every moment of it... Even if her voice was somewhat sore by the time they reached the next gas station.
Hours had passed since then and now was their second rest stop. To say the least Sunset couldn't be more thankful. She stepped out of the truck, slamming it shut again before she looked around. Ahead of her, shesaw a gas station, tall buildings all around it and a few people around the corner of the small dimly lit building. She took this as her cue to tense up with worry. It didn't feel right, like something could just leap out and pounce on her... She had pepper spray and a knife of things got bad though. She put her hands in her pockets, feeling for the blade then walked forward as she held the still hidden knife. The night air was unwelcome and as Sunset approached the gas station she felt even more tense. The only noises were that of passing cars. It was unnerving. Maybe there could be a bottle clattering to the ground or something to break this eerie spell? Please..?
But alas, nothing came. Sunset took a deep breath and stepped inside, the familiar electrical monotone bell ringing above her. There was no welcome greeting, nor was there any music. Just silence and sniffling. She stepped forward and began to walk down the isle, her posture tense but not enough so that it seemed like she was on guard and her footsteps seeming to echo when her feet met grimy tile. She quickly grabbed a few protien bars and drinks, putting them in her jacket before the bell rung once more, the generic low ding-dong playing and sending shivers up her spine. As she walked, she slowed her pace and looked around a bit before heading to the counter. There was somebody beside her and the storeclerk now and Buck was outside pumping gas. She just had to relax...
She approached the counter and laid out her items, the ten dollar bill being laid out as they scanned everything. She refused to flinch when they spoke and broke the silence.
"So... Whatca doin' out here at this time of night, eh?"
Their hair was pure blue and messy, their eyes maroon. Their skin was a the same shade of maroon as well as their eyes... They were wrong somehow. They were so wrong and it made her tense. So she looked indifferent. She didn't speak nor breath and just waited, counting the beeps of the scanner. She watched as they put the items in a white plastic bag and then as they handed it to her.
"A'ight, a'ight. Well you stay safe missy. These streets ain't too kind to pretty girls." They smiled as they spoke and that's what made it worse.
She grabbed the bag then stepped out into the open night and made her way to the car. She didn't hear the sound of footsteps approaching. She didn't hear the scuffling of somebody being tackled. She didn't even hear the noise of Buck shouting at her to get in the truck because... None of it happened. And yet she feared the worst.
She opened the door and stepped inside, slamming the door closed and cranking the window shut. Only then did she relax. She let out her breath and took her hand out of her pocket, the other setting the bag down. Then she sat there, still. The truck engine started up and Buck began to drive. It was only on the highway that she let her mask fall. Where she began to cry without warning and bawl into her hands. She didn't want this! She hated this! Each and every tense moment of walking around in the city and past. Each night where she slept in alleyways or on fire escapes. She just wanted her home...
She wanted her family now... So she cried. She cried for what felt like hours upon hours, not registering Buck as he rubbed circles into her back and let her cry. The darkness no longer comforted her anymore. It simply held monsters and demons.
She didn't want this fear at all.