Read Online After the Ending by Lindsey Fairleigh, Lindsey Pogue - Free Book Online
Authors: Lindsey Fairleigh, Lindsey Pogue
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timidly.
Without saying a word, I reached back and let the
newspaper fall from my grasp and into her lap. The paper crinkled in her hands
as she picked it up, and she gasped. As she read the article aloud to Dave, I
stared out the window and tried to tune her out. Snow was falling again.
“We better get back on the road,” I interrupted.
Dave eyed me and cleared his throat before starting the
truck. The engine rumbled in the winter wasteland, and an uneasiness settled in
my stomach as the gas station’s orange and blue 76 sign disappeared in the side
mirror. How long before we find another working gas station? I closed my
eyes, willing the troublesome thought away.
I settled myself in the front seat and glanced at Sammy
and Sarah who were curled up in the back. I was comforted by the thought that I
wasn’t the only person left in the crazy world.
Unexpectedly, Dave’s soft hand settled over mine,
encasing it in a protective shell. “Are you sure you’re okay?”
A rush of affection filled my senses, and my skin grew
warm. I managed a smile and focused my eyes on the snow-covered buildings that
zipped by the window, trying to ignore the unwelcome sensations. “I’m just glad
I’m not alone,” I said. “Why do you ask?”
“You always bite the inside of your cheek when you’re
worried.” He flashed me a conceited smile. “You forget how well I know you.”
My relationship with Dave was complicated. I was glad he
was there; I’d missed being around him since we’d broken up. His smile calmed
my nerves, and when we talked it was with an ease I’d never felt with any other
man. Dave was comfortable. But the way he’d been looking at me was problematic;
he seemed to forget that we were better as friends than lovers.
Dave’s fingers tightened around mine, and a jumble of
images—people and places—flashed through my mind. Before I could discern
exactly what I was seeing, Dave slammed on the brakes, and the truck skidded to
a halt.
Pulse hammering, I frantically glanced around, following
his line of sight. Something ghosted toward us, unhurried, through the lace
curtain of snow beyond the window.
“It’s a person!” Sarah’s hand flew to her mouth.
I could barely make out the hunched-over form. With each
step the outline grew closer. “It’s a woman,” I whispered.
The lady gestured emphatically and seemed to be mumbling
to herself. Her hair was ratty and greasy, and she looked like she hadn’t
bathed in weeks.
“What the hell?” Dave muttered. He hesitated before
moving to take off his seatbelt.
“Are you crazy?” I snapped, whipping my head in his
direction. I reached out to him, clutching the sleeve of his green, down
jacket.
We looked back to the woman. “She’s unwell,” I observed.
“There’s nothing we can do for her.”
I immediately sensed relief flooding the truck’s cab. The
sound of the automatic door locks latching echoed in our sudden silence.
“We can’t just leave her out there,” Sarah said naively,
a shrill panic ringing in her voice.
“We don’t have a choice,” I retorted, my tone too harsh.
I looked back at Sarah, whose wide, brown eyes hid behind her hanging curls.
“Do you want to jeopardize our lives for hers? She’s obviously crazy. What if
she tried to hurt us?” I asked, surprised at how well I had mimicked my
brother’s impatient tone. Sarah still looked desperate to help the woman.
I softened my voice, trying to ease her worry. “Look at
her, Sarah.” We peered back at the woman as she shuffled through the mounds of
snow heaped along the side of the road. Her body was frail, and her face was
gaunt. She wore no jacket or shoes, seemingly unfazed by the freezing weather.
“It’s so sad,” Sarah said, resolved to the woman’s fate.
We remained quiet as the stranger disappeared from view.
In only a moment, fresh snow blanketed the ground, covering any trace of her
ever having been there.
Date: December 14, 11:25 PM
From:
Without saying a word, I reached back and let the
newspaper fall from my grasp and into her lap. The paper crinkled in her hands
as she picked it up, and she gasped. As she read the article aloud to Dave, I
stared out the window and tried to tune her out. Snow was falling again.
“We better get back on the road,” I interrupted.
Dave eyed me and cleared his throat before starting the
truck. The engine rumbled in the winter wasteland, and an uneasiness settled in
my stomach as the gas station’s orange and blue 76 sign disappeared in the side
mirror. How long before we find another working gas station? I closed my
eyes, willing the troublesome thought away.
I settled myself in the front seat and glanced at Sammy
and Sarah who were curled up in the back. I was comforted by the thought that I
wasn’t the only person left in the crazy world.
Unexpectedly, Dave’s soft hand settled over mine,
encasing it in a protective shell. “Are you sure you’re okay?”
A rush of affection filled my senses, and my skin grew
warm. I managed a smile and focused my eyes on the snow-covered buildings that
zipped by the window, trying to ignore the unwelcome sensations. “I’m just glad
I’m not alone,” I said. “Why do you ask?”
“You always bite the inside of your cheek when you’re
worried.” He flashed me a conceited smile. “You forget how well I know you.”
My relationship with Dave was complicated. I was glad he
was there; I’d missed being around him since we’d broken up. His smile calmed
my nerves, and when we talked it was with an ease I’d never felt with any other
man. Dave was comfortable. But the way he’d been looking at me was problematic;
he seemed to forget that we were better as friends than lovers.
Dave’s fingers tightened around mine, and a jumble of
images—people and places—flashed through my mind. Before I could discern
exactly what I was seeing, Dave slammed on the brakes, and the truck skidded to
a halt.
Pulse hammering, I frantically glanced around, following
his line of sight. Something ghosted toward us, unhurried, through the lace
curtain of snow beyond the window.
“It’s a person!” Sarah’s hand flew to her mouth.
I could barely make out the hunched-over form. With each
step the outline grew closer. “It’s a woman,” I whispered.
The lady gestured emphatically and seemed to be mumbling
to herself. Her hair was ratty and greasy, and she looked like she hadn’t
bathed in weeks.
“What the hell?” Dave muttered. He hesitated before
moving to take off his seatbelt.
“Are you crazy?” I snapped, whipping my head in his
direction. I reached out to him, clutching the sleeve of his green, down
jacket.
We looked back to the woman. “She’s unwell,” I observed.
“There’s nothing we can do for her.”
I immediately sensed relief flooding the truck’s cab. The
sound of the automatic door locks latching echoed in our sudden silence.
“We can’t just leave her out there,” Sarah said naively,
a shrill panic ringing in her voice.
“We don’t have a choice,” I retorted, my tone too harsh.
I looked back at Sarah, whose wide, brown eyes hid behind her hanging curls.
“Do you want to jeopardize our lives for hers? She’s obviously crazy. What if
she tried to hurt us?” I asked, surprised at how well I had mimicked my
brother’s impatient tone. Sarah still looked desperate to help the woman.
I softened my voice, trying to ease her worry. “Look at
her, Sarah.” We peered back at the woman as she shuffled through the mounds of
snow heaped along the side of the road. Her body was frail, and her face was
gaunt. She wore no jacket or shoes, seemingly unfazed by the freezing weather.
“It’s so sad,” Sarah said, resolved to the woman’s fate.
We remained quiet as the stranger disappeared from view.
In only a moment, fresh snow blanketed the ground, covering any trace of her
ever having been there.
Date: December 14, 11:25 PM
From:
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