Recoil: Chapter 3, Clean
When he woke again, I had already been driving for a couple hours, so it was already starting to break dawn. And If I do say so myself, it couldn't be too much more scenic then now. The first rays of the sun were beaming over the Montana valley, finding their way up the mountain pass we were on, and if you looked up enough, the vivid stars of the night were still lingering in the last traces of the dark.
He arched his back, releasing a few cracks as he yawned rather cutely. "Sleep well?" I asked over my shoulder. "Great, actually, first real rest in a long time" after some reorientation, he started picking at the salad I had brought. "There's a bit more up here if you'd like."
"I'll just have this for now, thank you, I needed this" I smiled a bit. After what I had done, I needed all the good karma I could get "here's some water, you sounded dehydrated while you slept." Bending my arm back, handing it to him. I guess that didn't really need much explanation, because no sooner did I hand it to him was he tearing it open and guzzling down. I suppressed a small laugh, from the mirror, it looked a bit funny. Although I knew it was a serious matter. Reaching a photograph area along the pass, I stopped the car and got out, doing a large, very cat-like stretch. Ohhh yessss........ Squeezing my eyes closed, I didn't notice the fox giggling at me. "Heh, it's not funny, YOU try driving that long when you're as big as me." I said in my "humble" defense. "Your right. And, come to think of it, we never properly great each other," he stepped forward, "my names Rifew" Rifew finished, paw out, for me to shake I presume. "Rashama. Rashama Wyyvin." I said smiling, shaking the little fox's paw. "So," Rifew said questionably "Were we headed, Rashama?" I was combing some knots out of my mane, "like you said, I thought California was where we should be." I shrugged, hey, I can only guess at some things. "Great!" Rifew exclaimed "Hey, how much farther do you think we need to travel?" He gestured to the GPS in the car. I didn't know, so I ducked inside to check.
Pulling out I said "A while. A long, while" That was the truth, we had at least a few days' worth of traveling a head of us. But, at least we were exiting Montana soon. Back on the highway, it was moderate traffic, but even with a miniscule amount of drivers around like now, there were always cops. Why was I so worried? I hadn't even been chased once by police or any authorities for that matter, since I escaped from my Maine hometown. Maybe.... I was in the clear.
"Hey," He tapped my on the shoulder, "you're going really slow, is something wrong?" Fuck! Rifew was right, I was only going about 20 mph on the friggin highway! I jammed on the gas and the engine revved to 5000 rpm, propelling us to around 90 mph in a few seconds. "Whoa! Relax!" My heart was in my head, or so it felt like, the adrenaline in my veins... it felt great. "Hold on, I'm going to go a little faster" he curled up in the back seat, looking worried. I switched over to the paddle shifters, feeling the transmission lurch into 5th gear, 110 mph. COME ON! I was yelling at myself in my head. I threw it into 6th gear, 130mph, by now I was dodging other drivers like traffic cones, everything blurring around the edge of my vision. Over the roar of the v8 I heard Rifew yelling my name, desperately trying to get me to slow. But I couldn't, the rush of death was too much, I just wanted to live every last breath of it. Or let it take it all away from me. Now there were cops trailing, that didn't surprise me. "Pull over Rashama! What are you doing!?" I had 2 options, pull over and deal with the law, or, I could run. Everything slowed, the cars, the noise, my heart, everything. I couldn't do this to Rifew, if I were alone, I might just drive, drive right into hells gates and beyond. But I had priorities. I eased off the gas, slowly pushing the break while returning the car to automatic transmission. I finally lurched to a stop in the breakdown lane, the cruisers not far behind. "Stay here" I mumbled through my crazed haze to Rifew. Now He looked worried, but not about the police, it seemed about me. My eyes felt heavy, my lungs felt like wet clay. The adrenaline rush was taking its toll, that, and my unsafely low blood sugar levels didn't help. I got out of the car, paws behind my head, Ready to take a can of mace to my sensitive nose and eyes. The officers approached, hands on their holsters. "I'm not running." I said boldly. And I wasn't, I'd had enough running, I needed to deal with all of this, without force. When they say my furry face, they backed up, "Take off the mask sir." One of them ordered. "I can't, it's no mask" I looked straight ahead, emotionless. Not knowing what else to do, the other man asked "Let's see some I.D"
"I have none." It's not like I'm lying. "Look, just give me the fine or something, I have to go someplace". One of the officers let his hand fall away from his holster to point a finger at me "Wait, you look a lot like one of those animals in Cali-" "I know, that's were I'm going, now how much do I owe." I was getting impatient, and feeling faint. "50 bucks, just... Don't go that fast again, friend" I saw a look in the man's eye, something... personal. "You have family going the same place." I guessed. I must have hit the nail on the head because he looks right at me with a sorrowful expression "Yes... My son left my wife and I a few days ago, only leaving a note to say where he was going. I would have gone after him had I not been called to duty without a say in it." I felt for him, I knew my foster parents felt the same way... I never really thought about how they feel... I got up and walked toward the middle aged cop, making him hesitate a bit, I might if a roughly 6 foot panther came into my peripherals. I lay a paw on his shoulder, playing my compassion card in hopes to just get out of all this, "I know how you must feel, as a father who had to sit and have his son leave without a word.... Because that's why I'm here..." I paused backing up a little, taking a moment to listen to the whipping of wind over passing cars, "...It may mean nothing, but from what I've had to deal with, he probably feels just as bad as you right now... hell, I wouldn't be surprised if he's having the same conversation, somewhere out there." I stood tall as I spoke those words. I meant them, I really did. The other officer had already made up his mind by the time we were done talking. So he just sat in the driver's seat of the police cruiser, giving us a passive look of confusion. "Ok, maybe you have your reasons after all... Just make sure you don't crush others to fulfill them" The man said, half laughing. I smiled "Sounds good. Hey," I shouted, "take a break, go find your son, he needs a father like you in a time like this." I spoke to him as I climbed into my BMW once again, closing the door as I sat in the leather. "You're crazy" Rifew snapped with a stern tone. I lowered my ears in embarrassment, "I'm sorry, I just... Lost control, that's all..." I felt so bad, I'm just not sure what I could do to try to settle things. "Are you ok now?" I coaxed, a bit concerned. He sighed, grinning slightly, "I'm fine, and I actually thought it was pretty intense, I just got scared when the police showed up." He paused, "thanks for stopping, it was a smart choice. How'd you get out of that little predicament anyhow?" That made me feel better, "turns out the guys son left like we did, so I felt bad and talked to him, made a friend I guess" I scratched my shoulder, feeling faint scars of bullet wounds under my fur. After a moment I needed to ask Rifew something, "You mind if I take a smoke break, I'm really unnerved right now" Stupid... Stupid thing to ask. Now days, smoking made you instantly the bad guy.... or the bad ass. "Sure."
Once again, I stepped out of the car to enjoy my poison. I just stood, leaning against the car, watching the various trucks and vans speed by under the clear blue sky. A big white 18 wheeler came by, making a deep whoosh of air, as I watched it disappear over the hill.... And then it past me again. I dropped my cigarette, "W-What?" Everything seemed to blink, then come back to reality. I jumped in the car, turning the key. It wouldn't start, the spark plugs acted as if they weren't even there. I turned to Rifew.
Only to turn and stare down the barrel of a Colt M1911 45.
"Time to wake up" He said in cold monotone, before my world as I knew it exploded in black.