Post by Delilah Sterling on Dec 18, 2008 5:02:28 GMT -8
The digital clockface on the dashboard glowed 3:57, with a little dot in the upper left-hand corner to signify AM.
Two or three hours ago, she had been belting out the lyrics of any song her iPod could throw at her, but now she was quiet, watching the dotted lines as they seemed to reach out, stretching for each other, as she drove by.
San Francisco's Underground had fallen. She hadn't let herself get close to anyone there, but that didn't make it any easier.
Again, she had missed the carnage by a stroke of luck. While lives were ending in horrific, painful and disgustingly symbolic ways, she been in Concord, sleeping soundly against a stone in a graveyard.
David didn't have a stone - if he did, it would be in Phoenix where he died - but it was a David's stone, and that was as close as she could get.
By the time she got back to San Fran, it was too late. It was on the news. Club-goers disappointed by a broken water main, the newscaster said. Some of San Fran's finest clubs were out of commission.
They had said the same thing in Los Angeles when the killers came for them.
4:02am.
Signs on the interstate were illuminated to a nearly painful whiteness by her headlights. David's headlights, really. It was his car, after all.
For a moment, the sign detailing the next exit's amenities went all wavery as her eyes welled up with thick tears; but forcing herself to suck in a few short, quick breaths past the lump in her throat, she just barely managed to hold them back.
"I will not cry for you," she said aloud, in a voice that was as tight and crackly with emotion as it was strong. "I will not cry for you until it's over."
There would never be anyone quite like him again, she thought. David believed in her like no one ever had. He was kind to her, respected the distance she put up around herself. It wasn't love, well, not in the gooey, romantic, anime-hearts-bursting, cupids-shooting-arrows-in-asses love.
Maybe in time it would have ended up that way.
She'd never know. The killers had taken that time away from them. Away from David.
And she was tired of running.
4:19am.
She followed the exit signs to a Motel 6, parked the charcoal Saturn Aura ("It's not charcoal," David had gasped once, highly affronted. "It's Techno Gray 2!" Oh, David..) out front, and went inside to get a room.
Less than twenty minutes later, she was sprawled out on top of the bed, her shoes still on, car keys still in one hand.
She needed to find the demons in this town, ask them to take her to the city's Underground. She had to warn them what was coming, if they didn't already know.
She needed to find out what terrible force was pursuing her, and put an end to it.
But those things were heavy, heavier than her eyelids even, and though the comforter beneath her cheek felt like it was made from the kind of nylon used to make rope, it was close to heaven.
There was time enough tomorrow.
For now, Delilah put the carnage at San Francisco and the fear that had chased her all the way from New Mexico out of her mind.
It took a few more minutes to push David out of there, too, but once she did, she was finally able to fall asleep.
5:07am[/font].
((This post was introductory, and is now closed.
Thank you for reading!))
Two or three hours ago, she had been belting out the lyrics of any song her iPod could throw at her, but now she was quiet, watching the dotted lines as they seemed to reach out, stretching for each other, as she drove by.
San Francisco's Underground had fallen. She hadn't let herself get close to anyone there, but that didn't make it any easier.
Again, she had missed the carnage by a stroke of luck. While lives were ending in horrific, painful and disgustingly symbolic ways, she been in Concord, sleeping soundly against a stone in a graveyard.
David didn't have a stone - if he did, it would be in Phoenix where he died - but it was a David's stone, and that was as close as she could get.
By the time she got back to San Fran, it was too late. It was on the news. Club-goers disappointed by a broken water main, the newscaster said. Some of San Fran's finest clubs were out of commission.
They had said the same thing in Los Angeles when the killers came for them.
4:02am.
Signs on the interstate were illuminated to a nearly painful whiteness by her headlights. David's headlights, really. It was his car, after all.
For a moment, the sign detailing the next exit's amenities went all wavery as her eyes welled up with thick tears; but forcing herself to suck in a few short, quick breaths past the lump in her throat, she just barely managed to hold them back.
"I will not cry for you," she said aloud, in a voice that was as tight and crackly with emotion as it was strong. "I will not cry for you until it's over."
There would never be anyone quite like him again, she thought. David believed in her like no one ever had. He was kind to her, respected the distance she put up around herself. It wasn't love, well, not in the gooey, romantic, anime-hearts-bursting, cupids-shooting-arrows-in-asses love.
Maybe in time it would have ended up that way.
She'd never know. The killers had taken that time away from them. Away from David.
And she was tired of running.
4:19am.
She followed the exit signs to a Motel 6, parked the charcoal Saturn Aura ("It's not charcoal," David had gasped once, highly affronted. "It's Techno Gray 2!" Oh, David..) out front, and went inside to get a room.
Less than twenty minutes later, she was sprawled out on top of the bed, her shoes still on, car keys still in one hand.
She needed to find the demons in this town, ask them to take her to the city's Underground. She had to warn them what was coming, if they didn't already know.
She needed to find out what terrible force was pursuing her, and put an end to it.
But those things were heavy, heavier than her eyelids even, and though the comforter beneath her cheek felt like it was made from the kind of nylon used to make rope, it was close to heaven.
There was time enough tomorrow.
For now, Delilah put the carnage at San Francisco and the fear that had chased her all the way from New Mexico out of her mind.
It took a few more minutes to push David out of there, too, but once she did, she was finally able to fall asleep.
5:07am[/font].
((This post was introductory, and is now closed.
Thank you for reading!))