Travel The Road

Banner by none other than Rebeccalee. If you read this, comment. Sixty-three people read the last one and I got like, ten comments. And that kind of makes me want to stop posting. I'm in a pit of depression, so help me out of it and comment. PLUS I NEED MORE BANNERS.



Run, baby, run, don't ever look back, they'll tear us apart if you give them the chance

As Joe straddled the motorcycle, he watched Juliet stand there apprehensively biting her lip. "You sure this is such a good idea?" she asked. He simply nodded in reply. "Positive. C'mon, Juliet. I won't kill us. I promise."

Juliet sent him a look as if to say his talking was making it worse. He made no reply, only sighed before surveying the area. They had pushed the bike to the end of the drive, about a mile out from the house. Back on the deserted road, Joe sat impatiently as Juliet stood, pondering why she had made her decision. To be truthful, he was also pondering that.

With a sigh, Juliet raised her right hand to her neck, cringing when her fingers brushed against the skin. Abruptly, Joe realized John must have done something before he had come, something to Juliet's neck. That explained why she had pulled her hair down after pulling it up earlier when he had met her.

Had he really only met her earlier that morning? It seemed so much longer than that. Maybe it was the secret they now shared or a simple automatic connection. Joe was never very good at decoding why things happened the way they did. He just went with it.

Cautiously, Juliet made her way over to the back of the motorcycle. "You kill me, and I'll kick your ass in heaven. You got me?" she asked. Joe rolled his eyes, scooting forward a bit further. Groaning, he could feel her added weight, and finally, her arms wrap around his torso.

He liked that feeling a bit more than he should.

Without hesitation, Joe kicked the motorcycle to life. It groaned beneath him in a loud rumble, accompanied by the tightening of Juliet's arms around his waist. "It'll be fine," he told her, sending her the most reassuring look he could manage whilst keeping his balance on the oversized bike. "Go," she mouthed, her eyes still wide. Joe shook his head, but nevertheless, revved up the bike.

And then they were moving.

Juliet's grip tightened, but Joe paid her no mind. He had grown accustomed to riding in the last few days and it felt good to be on the bike again. Almost like a reunion. He hadn't been off the bike long, of course, and Joe guessed that whatever had happened to his bike earlier had only been minor. Still, it was enough to keep him off the road and stop his motorcycle from moving.

The breeze was biting. It had been unusally chilly before they had even left and the fast movement of the bike only made things colder. Juliet had a strangle-hold on his waist, but he didn't mind.

Behind him, Juliet was marveling at the scenery as they blurred past it. Could this have really been her home? It looked so foreign from there; so strange. It no longer looked like a prison. Instead, beauty took it's place, and she was stunned.

Tall blades of grass swayed with extra speed along the road as they passed by; the wildflowers lingered there for a moment more. She finally began to feel as if she were free, as if the chains had been removed. She found herself smiling, truly smiling for the first time since...

Well, since her mother's death if she was being honest with herself.

The stars were unusually bright, the moon large and reassuring high in the ebony sky. Her fingers were intertwined around Joe's stomach and she found that she was tired. Glancing up at him, Joe seemed enveloped in his own thoughts. Seeing no harm, Juliet leaned forward to let her head rest against Joe's shoulder. She could feel the slight movement of his head as he looked down at her to investigate.

"Keep your eyes on the road," she scolded him softly, her lips moving against the soft leather of his jacket. His head returned forward again. "Don't fall asleep," he retorted, just as soft. Juliet nodded into him, positive that with this adrenaline rush, there would be no sleeping.

"I'm not stopping until we absolutely need to for gas," he stated. Juliet nodded once again. He could go on forever and she wouldn't mind. Still, she couldn't help the nagging feeling in the back of her mind that told her this was wrong.

If this is wrong, she told herself mentally as she inhaled the scent of Joe's jacket, then maybe I don't want to be right.

[&&&]

It was daylight when Juliet opened her eyes again. The sun was just peeking above the horizon and she could feel the decrease in speed as Joe approached a gas station. Slowly, she lifted her head, terrified as he began to make the turn into the lot. He made it with ease, though, and Juliet bit her lip as he pulled to a stop beside a gas pump.

Juliet un-clasped her hands from Joe's waist to allow him to stand. Her arms felt stiff from being there for so long, but she followed pursuit, stretching her legs as she did so. Walking over to the pump across from the one Joe was using, she flexed her arms, doing her best to re-gain feeling.

With a yawn, she began to look around, surveying the area they were now in. Kansas, obviously. There was a field of wheat planted directly behind the gas station. Inclining her head in the opposite direction, she caught sight of a cheap motel. The Inkeeper was boasted on a large neon sign. She could hear the buzzing from there, the flicker of the "k" and "p" causing it to moan a bit more in attempt to keep it lit.

She looked back over to Joe who was seated sideways on the motorcycle. His head was thrown back, eyes closed, and he yawned with an intensity that almost made her chuckle. Maybe he shouldn't be driving so early. It was only the slightest of pinkish red glows on the horizon, after all. It was five-thirty at the latest.

"Maybe we should call it a night," she suggested. Her voice sounded weak and tired even to her own ears. Joe reluctantly raised his head to look at her. She could see by the look in his eyes and the set of his mouth he was about to object.

"Joseph, you're practically falling asleep. That motel could run maybe seventy-five a night at the most. It doesn't look like they get many occupants."

Stubbornly, he looked in the direction she was pointing. It did look inviting, he had to admit. Still, he feared that losing time would mean getting caught and he simply didn't like to take the risk. He looked over to her, ready to state this aloud, but stopped himself.

There were dark circles beneath her eyes. Before they had left, Juliet had done her best to get her hair to lay just right, to where it would cover the cut on her forehead. The wind had the opposite idea, and it was clearly visible from where he stood. She leaned tiredly against the pump, arms crossed, eyes drooping. Even if she was still incredibly beautiful, he couldn't leave her in this state. It was entirely too dangerous if she fell asleep behind him and loosened her grip as they were on the highway.

So maybe a little sleep would do some good.

Pressing his lips into a line, he simply nodded. Juliet half-smiled, pushing herself from the pump and digging in her back pocket. After a moment, she held out her hand to him, offering him one hundred dollar bill. Under normal circumstances, Joe would have refused this kind of behavior. These, however, were not normal circumstances. Without a word, he took it and watched her as she made her way to the side of the road, smiling at how although the road was completely deserted, she still looked both ways before jogging across, her hair bouncing with every step she took.

Maybe going home wouldn't be so bad if he had Juliet by his side. Though he was well aware he had known the girl for maybe twenty-four hours tops, there was something there. They were connected somehow, maybe not romantically, but in a way that bonded them together for this single trip. And maybe that would be enough.

For now.

Juliet took a deep breath as her Converse hit the grey gravel that made up the parking lot of The Inkeeper. She tiredly reached up, fumbling around to find the elastic band wound around the mess that was her hair. She let it down, cringing only the slightest bit when it brushed against that large bruse on her neck. She opened her hand as widely as she could, letting the black band slide down to where it was resting on her wrist. Then, she reached for the clear door to the office and pulled it open.

It smelled like cigarettes and pestecide. Taking mental note to breathe through her mouth, she stepped forward to the wooden counter, falling apart with age. A silver bell was attatched to the surface with clear tape. A card beneath it indicated she should ring for service. Reaching forward, she gave it a light tap that answered with a prominant ding!

Below the loud thrumming of the air conditioner, Juliet could hear the sound of an audience cheering, followed by Bob Barker's voice. It was static sounding and she strained to hear it. It was coming from a room behind the cheap-looking counter. A window was visible from where she stood, but covered in dirt-splotched blinds. Between the cracks, however, she could see the faint glow of a television.

There was a loud crash followed by the sound of footsteps. Juliet tiredly ran a hand through her hair, simultaniously crossing her arms across her chest. She was, after all, only wearing a tank top and the air conditioning was on high.

It was only a few short moments later when a woman appeared from the doorway. She leaned against it, her own arms crossed, curiousity coloring her tired eyes. She wore a tight pink shirt and a pair of Levi jeans. She was rather obese, her greasy brunette hair pulled back into a bumpy ponytail. Juliet cringed, praying she didn't look quite as bad as she did.

"I'd like to get a room for the night," Juliet stated impatiently. All she needed was a shower at this point and a bed to sleep in. How Joe had gone on for those three days before he had reached her house, she would never know. "Two beds," she clarified as her thoughts went back to Joe.

The woman pursed her lips, uncrossing her arms and lazily making her way to the cash register. Without a word, she punched something in before looking up at Juliet. "Eighty-fifty," she said. Juliet grabbed the hundred dollar bill from her back pocket and slid it onto the counter. The woman eyed her before grabbing it and stuffing it into the cash register. She handed Juliet the change before unlocking a drawer filled with keys. Juliet cringed as the metal clashed together until, finally, the woman handed her a key and gave her a tight smile. "Have a nice stay," she said in a raspy voice.

Juliet could tell she hardly meant it.

Turning on her heel, she made her way to the door, pushing it open to be greated by the warm air. Joe was turning a corner from around the hotel's building. When he caught sight of her expression, he explained. "Parked around back."

Juliet shrugged carelessly before dropping the key into his open palm. He wrapped his hand around it and began walking again, Juliet following quietly behind as she scanned the numbers on the doors. Finally, Joe spotted it and motioned for Juliet to follow.

She tried to keep her eyes on his hand as he slid the key in the slot and turned it to the right. She did her best to keep her pace slow as she followed him into the room. These attempts were in vain, however, and she found herself glancing over her shoulder, half-expecting her dad to be somewhere lurking in the shadows.

"Juliet?"

A tone of worry colored Joe's voice and Juliet supressed a smile. "Right behind you," she promised, turning back and shutting the door behind her.