The Enigma’s Anomaly

The tickle in my throat goes away after a few minutes, but I’m positive it will return again if I do any more running. I check my phone to see that it’s pushing on eight o’clock, and there’s no cell service, which isn’t surprising. I would have really liked to have called the police though, but I can’t unfortunately.

“Can we maybe head back to the car?” Gerard asks.

“I don’t remember which direction that was, we’d get even more lost,” I respond, “and you crashed into a tree, I don’t think it would run anyway.”

“I sort of remember which way it was,” he says.

“Enough to get us back there?”

Gerard frowns and shakes his head, “Frankie, I don’t want to die tonight.”

I look at him desperately, and say, “You’re not going to. Neither of us will. I’ll keep you safe, okay?”

Gerard doesn’t look like he believes me but he nods anyway. I think he knows that I would do anything to keep him safe, and if I have to I’ll take another bullet for him. I would really prefer not to, but if that’s what it takes then I’ll do it. I wouldn’t even think twice.

“I’ve had this dream a million times, Frank,” Gerard says, “and it usually doesn’t end very happily.”

“You’re so negative,” I tell him, and it’s definitely not untrue. “Do you want to keep moving, or hope they don’t find us here?”

“Uh, moving, I think. It sounds like a better plan,” Gerard says. “We know roughly which direction the car is let’s just head that way and hope for the best.”

I nod and my hand almost slips from his because I’m sweating. I’m almost too paralyzed to move, but I allow myself to take a few steps in the direction that leads away from our followers. What I really need is a gun, or something for self-defense. I just need to keep Gerard alive, and breathing. Preferably undamaged as well.

I hear his breathing and my own, but other than a very faint sound of crunching leaves, we’re pretty quiet. I look up to see that the sun has all but disappeared which should be a good thing if we are to run from them. They’re a lot bigger than us so they make more noise, and I’m fairly certain that we would’ve heard them if they’d started walking this way.

It’s getting harder to see which is not a good thing, and I keep my eyes trained on anything that’s darker than my surroundings. I still almost run into a few trees, but I’m starting to think that we’re heading back in the right direction. There’s a definite trail that we’re following of broken branches, as well as the floor being a little unnatural spread. I guide Gerard down it, and hope that we’re getting further and further from our pursuers. If we can make it back to the car, we might be able to walk along the road until we find some cell service. I could also hotwire the other car, which I can do, it just might take a few minutes. If they have extra guns it shouldn’t be too hard to watch over it.

I don’t want to try hitchhiking though, not when we’re being followed by men with guns, because I could end up putting someone else in harm’s way.

“Frank, I can’t see,” Gerard whispers to me, and I sigh because I can’t either. The only light that I have is from the stars that are just starting to come out, because the moon is new, making it absent from the sky. I grab my cell phone and use it as a flashlight, but I don’t want to run out of battery, so I switch it off every other minute.

Our progress seems to be extremely slow, but at least we don’t hear any noise around us. I pause every now and again and perk my ear out for any signal that someone else is there, but I hear nothing.

I’m starting to get really tired of walking and it seems like we’ve been walking for so much longer than it should take, but at the same time I guess it makes sense because we were running the first time through.

I realize only just after it’s too late that I’ve lost our trail. I’m now standing aimlessly in the middle of the woods, probably attracting bugs or ticks of all shapes and sizes, and I don’t know where to go from here.

“Gerard, I don’t know where I’m going,” I admit. Gerard makes a whimpering sound and I feel him press his head into the back of my neck. I’m kind of sweaty so I can’t smell too great, but I understand that he’s just scared, and it’s for comfort.

“We’ll find our way out of here, okay?” I say. He still doesn’t answer, but I feel what could be a nod on my shoulder. I wouldn’t be able to see it if I were to look over at him because it’s so dark already, but I like that he’s right there.

“I’m scared,” he whispers and his words hit me like a blow to the stomach. I can’t do anything to help him, and there’s nothing I can say to make him feel better and I hate feeling so useless.

“You don’t deserve any of this, Gerard. Tell me how you’d end this story if you could control the ending,” I say.

“What?”

“If you were an unbiased writer, trying to publish this as a comic, how would you end it? How would you end it to make people enjoy it?” I ask.

“I mean, no one likes it when the hero dies. It happens, but it’s never well received,” Gerard says, and all I hear is his voice, because I don’t really see him. I’m aware of him standing behind me, I’m aware of his hand in my own, and his forehead is still on my shoulder, but I don’t actually see him. It’s actually kind of nice, if you subtract the bloodthirsty bounty hunters, and the bugs. I hate bugs, but at least it’s dark enough that I can pretend they’re not out there. Gerard had better hope we don’t see a spider though because I will scream at the top of my lungs like a girl. A very frilly, terrified, girl.

“Gerard, you’re villain, our villain, he’s already a comic book character. If he’s the opposition to your hero, then who do you think has to come out on top? Who would buy a story where you and I don’t win in the end?”

“Aren’t you the one that said that this isn’t a comic book?”

“I did say that, yes, but things have changed. When we talked about it earlier we were trying to describe Mikey’s innocence. You said no one would buy a comic where Mikey ended up being the bad guy. As it turns out the bad guy is the faceless villain of your imagination, so I think that changes the playing field a little bit. No one wants to read the story where you and I die in the end, and I believe that that’s going to keep us alive.”

“It’s just a story, Frank,” Gerard says, “just a story.”

“We’re all stories in the end,” I reply.

“Just make it a good one,” Gerard finishes and I can feel him smiling, even though I can’t see it.

“I love you Gerard,” I say quietly, feeling a little more at ease with our situation. I get us moving again a minute later, and Gerard’s grip in my hand is just as tight, but it’s not solely to stay together this time.

I’m pretty sure I hear an owl out there somewhere, and it’s actually kind of nice to think that lives are still going on apart from ours. Yes, we may be dead soon, but it’s nice to think that the world is still going to move on. It’s a little sad, but I like to think that it’s comforting to know that other people will keep going on without fearing.

“Ow, shit,” Gerard says and I feel him fall to the ground beside me. It’s hard to see him, so I aim my phone at him and see him lying on his butt. He looks disheveled, but unhurt, and I really want to take him home and kiss him, but I don’t think I’m going to get the chance tonight.

“You okay?”

“Yeah, I just tripped over a tree root, I’m fine,” Gerard answers, and I raise my hand out to help him up. He looks frazzled for another second before grabbing my hand, but I realize immediately that he did more damage than he thought.

“Fuck, Gerard,” I say as he almost falls over again. “I think you twisted it or something.”

“Must have,” Gerard says, but he doesn’t look too worried. The look in his eyes though says that it hurts like a bitch, so I put my arm around him, and get him to put the weight of that side of his body on me.

“You good, Gerard?”

“I think so, as long as we get out of here soon and don’t have to run,” Gerard says.

“I think we’re almost out, don’t worry,” I say and I do think so, because it’s getting lighter up ahead, like we’re getting close to the road.

“You okay to walk?” I ask him.

Gerard nods, and I get a better grip around him just to be safe. I think we’re out of immediate danger at the moment, but we’ve got to get out of these woods, where we’re more likely to be snuck up on.

I hear Gerard whimpering lightly whenever he puts too much pressure on his foot, so I’m going to have to get him to a doctor very soon, but I can’t let us rest now. We’re getting closer, it’s becoming more obvious because the trees are getting thinner.

Another five minute walk that’s deathly slow, and we step onto the uneven tar road. I’ve never been happier to see a road before. I look at Gerard thankfully and he’s smiling at me, but I don’t see either of the cars, which isn’t all that surprising. We’ve come out on a different part of the road then where we went into the trees.

“What do you think, right or left?” I ask him, and Gerard shrugs. “Can I let you sit here, and I’ll check both ways-”

“No, I’m not leaving your side,” Gerard says.

“Okay then. I’m going to go with right,” I say for no reason, it’s just a hunch. The car can’t be too far down the road either way, we just have to find it. I should be able to get theirs running without too much effort, though it has been a while since I last stole a car. Long story.

“C’mon Gerard, let’s get you safe,” I say as we start walking.