Transcendence

A young runaway, seeking out her past, assists lost spirits...with a little assistance from an ex felon.

    The dusty, faded green placard stated it was forty miles out of Kingman, and Rain had to stop in her tracks. She pulled out the small map from the gas station and traced the road she followed. Forty miles meant she had crossed the border over from California. Apparently the small road didn’t find a sign necessary. Rain glanced behind her as a dirt-filled wind blew her hair into her face. She gave a small jump and spun, taking up her fast pace again. She didn’t dare backtrack.

            A water jug bounced against her leg as she swung it. Her boots kicked up dust in time with the backpack thumping against her back. A wind hit her from behind as a car drove by, and Rain cursed under her breath for not paying attention. Even so, the large rig slowed down and pulled slightly to the side of the road. Rain approached the truck cautiously, but relaxed at the young woman in the driver’s seat.

            “Where ya headed?” She called. The woman gave her a wide grin and gave a loud laugh. “Like this road leads many other places, right?”

            “Kingman, if it isn’t much trouble?” Rain stopped below the window and had to lean up on her toes to look in.

            The woman looked her over and shrugged. She leaned across the bench seat and unlocked the door. Rain opened it and jumped into the car. “Why you walkin’ down the road?” The woman asked as she glanced behind her and started driving again. “Did your car break down? I didn’t see one down there.”

            Rain couldn’t help running her hands through her hair in the woman’s mirror. It had tangled slightly in the wind, but otherwise fell normally down her leather jacket. “Uh, no I’m just travelling across the country. I catch a ride when I can, but I don’t mind walking.”

            The blonde laughed, the sound echoing around the car. “Man, I wish I’d done that after high school! How’s it goin’?”

            With a shrug, Rain kept her attention out at the road. “It’s fine. It can be tiring.” The woman glanced over and nodded, before falling silent. Raid allowed herself to smile slightly. The same excuse had gotten her five rides in the last week.

            Rain checked the clock and saw they were an hour or so out. It was better than walking for fifteen. Her eyes flickered to the mirror and she jumped in her seat. A woman stared back at her from the back. Her hair was tousled and her eyes wild.

            “Help me, please can you help me?” The woman gripped at the seat and Rain leaned forward. She didn’t bother looking at her driver. The woman wouldn’t notice. Rain shook her head slowly and stiffened as the woman in the back leaned forward. “You can help me!” She reached forward and clapped her hand on Rain’s shoulder.

            The road in front of Rain disappeared as the car swerved away from an animal. As the car hit the dirt, it started to tip sideways and the desert spun. Glass cracked and broke as the ground dipped. The car rolled into a dried up river. Rain tried to move, but she was frozen in her place. She felt blood drip from her head and started to smell gasoline. An ear-shattering sound hit her and she lurched forward as her skin started to burn.

            “Are you alright? Are you having a seizure or something?”

            Rain stared out at the flat road ahead of them. Her breathing was labored and she had been gripping the seat in terror. Quickly recovering, she turned to the woman beside her. “I, uh, I get panic attacks. Sorry, I’m fine.”

            The blonde furrowed her brow, but looked forward again. “Do I need to take you to see a doctor or something? You looked like you were going to have a heart attack.”

            Rain cleared her throat and shook her head. Her eyes went to the back seat again, and it was empty. “Really, I’m fine. You can just let me out when we reach town.”

            Her driver still had the scowl on her face. “Can I buy you dinner at least? I feel bad for not knowing how to react to that.”

            “That’s nice of you, but I just need to rest,” Rain said.

            The woman nodded and pulled into a tiny motel. “Okay here,” she said digging into her bag. “This should cover your room for tonight.” Rain went to protest, but the woman shoved the money into her hands. “I’ll feel guilty if you don’t.”

            With a quiet nod, Rain accepted and left her car. She turned to thank the woman, but the moment she closed the door, the woman was off.

            As most motels in small towns, the room was small and held only the essentials. Rain locked her door and shut the blinds to plunge the room in darkness. Finally alone, Rain collapsed at the toilet and emptied out her stomach. She never would have been able to eat anyways.

            Red rimmed her dull, grey eyes in the dirty mirror over the sink as Rain washed her hands. Rain peered closer and tried to rub the dirt from the glass, fearing a grey hair had appeared. When the grey wiped away from her dark hair with the dirt, she relaxed. “A grey hair would be like a cry for help,” she muttered. Rain turned out of the bathroom and sighed. “And I’m talking to myself, fantastic.”

            Rain peered around the curtains she’d closed and watched the near-empty street. She didn’t bother to open the window to peer further and just let the curtain swing close. The blurry TV played only one channel. Rain didn’t bother to pay attention to the soap opera, but kept it on as she fell asleep.

            The nightmare sucked her down quickly, and it was like she was drowning. Rain new she was dreaming, somewhere in her mind, and her subconscious tried to claw to the surface. She broke in a heavy sweat, her head almost hanging over the end of the bed. The moment she opened her eyes, she was blinded by the static from the television. Her legs caught in the sheets as she scrambled on all fours to the bathroom and puked up what was left in her stomach.

            Rain didn’t try to remember her dream, because she knew what it was. It had been the lady that died in the car crash. She wouldn’t bother Rain again, not in person, but her mind wouldn’t let her forget it. She stared with tired eyes at the tile floor and leaned forward with slight curiosity. Crimson stained the cracks and ran up into the cramped shower. Rain scrambled back against the wall, and her head thumped against it. With a heavy blink, the stains were gone. The stiff, poking motel bed suddenly felt inviting as Rain slumped back into it. She checked the time and set the alarm on the motel clock another hour forward. It went off in what felt like five minutes, marking a new day of walking.

Author's Note

This is just the first chapter of a story I've been planning for a few months. I am aware there are grammatical errors (especially in sentence structure) as it is unedited. Please try to ignore that, it shouldn't be too bad! I don't think I'll most more, we shall see, but openings are not my strong point.