On the Lam (Wistful Beast and Vermiciro)

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Ambling over seats was a task better suited for someone much, much younger. Judith figured the age of twelve was good for the task, not someone approaching mid-thirties and in low-crotch, cumbersome jeans that limited the range of their already short legs. Mindful of the few boxes of pizza, empty water bottles, fast food bags, and receipts the previous owner had collected on the floor, Judith eventually found herself leaning over the back seat looking down into rigor-shocked eyes. Rigor mortis was such a strange thing, starting in the eyes and gradually descending the body. Judith roughly pushed one of the boy's still limp arms away and reached for his belt.

"Yes!" she called back to Callie. "I do need that beer. Fuck, I need all of them, but I'm only asking you for one." Judith jerked the boy's pelvis upwards and tried to feel his pockets. The closest back one had a wallet and she struggled to slip it out, just barely managing. She pocketed it into the hoodie's pouch. "I mean," she sighed, aggravated. "You made a fucking living from cars. You can drive and grab a beer." Reaching for the other back pocket of the kid's pants, Judith felt the slender outline of a new model phone. Reluctant to leave the back-seats, Judith stretched for the phone. Her ring finger just barely finding purchase on the cell's casing as she slid it free.

And onto the floor.

"Son of a bitch!" she dropped the body. "Is there a way to put this seat down?" Judith asked?
 
Callie couldn't understand why alcohol was valued so much by Judith. Was it realy worth risking a potentially fatal crash for a simple bottle of that amber liquid so many people came to love? Apparently it was since Judith offered some snark in response to Callie's comment. Callie didn't find Judith's justification to be balid or logical. Just because she could fix an engine didn't mean she could reach back and deftly fetch something while driving. Sure, she was a decent driver, but this retrieval would be difficult for anyone to do.

Callie offered a sigh, having little choice but to comply or deal with Judith's wrath. Her fingers found the zipper and managed to pull it a few inches to create a small opening. Callie leaned back and her hand slipped into the bag, body angled so that she no longer had full visibility of the road. She grasped a smal botle she believed to be beer and turned forth again. Callie's eyes widened when she realized she had almost driven over the line in the middle and towards an incoming truck. She threw the bottle intoJudith's seat and returned to the proper lane, heart fluttering within her chest.
 
Catching herself as the car shifted back into its lane, Judith pressed her lips firmly together, trying to ignore the sound of the cell phone sliding into the plastic paneling. "Jerk that wheel again." she dared Callie. "Jerk it a-fucking-gain, I swear I'll drop you and end this road trip." As her equilibrium returned, Judith began feeling around the seat belts for a lever or pull-tab, anything to drop the back seat granting her wider access. Eventually she found a metal half circle that released the back rest. Wedged against the former delivery boy's foot and the side of the van was the cell. Without discrimination or thought for the dead body, Judith braced herself with his thigh and acquired the device. It was easily striped of its case, backing ripped off and the battery tossed. She didn't even care what shit the kid had found worthy of keeping on it.

Returning to her seat, Judith was at least glad to see Callie had procured a beer. Something gone right after their arduous morning. Adjusting her seat again and finally twisting off the cap, Judith took a long pull from the bottle and began to relax. The Jack would have worked faster, but she didn't consider one dead body worth it. Not yet.

"You want pizza" she asked before taking another drink.
 
Callie tensed and ducked her head when Judith scolded her, cowering like some frightened dog. Callie had little shame because she had little dignity in this position, making her hardly feel embarrassment from her fearful reaction. She eventually eased herself back into a more upright posture, making sure that she wouldn't dare to jerk the car again. Sure she had only had to jerk the vehicle because of Judith's request for alcohol, but Callie wasn't up for arguing. She was just glad that they hadn't been splattered across the concrete in pieces and that Judith hadn't thrown her out of the car yet. That meant that things were going alright. Also, she heard no police sirens piercing the air and no red and blue flashing lights took form so things weren't terrible. Sure thinking of the corpse in the back was terrible, but Callie was still trying to forget that for now. The image of blood spurting from the man's throat was searing into her memory though.

Callie saw from the corner of her eye that Judith had returned to her seat, having disable the boy's phone successfully it seemed. Callie hoped that beer would keep Judith content for now and maybe a bit less violent. The question Judith asked next came as a surprise to Callie. The woman had just threatened to take her down and now she was preoccupied with the idea of pizza. Sure Callie was hungry, but she was still a tad bit unsettled. "Sure..."she managed, hoping that maybe food could take the edge off of the fear that was gnawing at her stomach.
 
Reaching to the seat behind her, Judith pulled the box up and onto her lap. Its warmth was oddly pleasing despite the heat of the day. As she flipped open the lid, the cloying, pungent scent of anchovies filled the car. The odor reminded Judith of how children imagine blood smelling, metallic, a scent like the shimmer on mercury beads and the taste of pennies. It was just what old fish smelled like, sharp, acidic, with a mellow bottom note like fruit. Not blood. Blood had a kinder scent. Even abattoirs smelled more of acidic, ammonia rot than metal. She plucked one of the salty fish from a slice and ate it, savoring the subtle tingle and salivation.

"You want a slice with or without anchovies?" she asked Callie, temporarily slotting her beer in a cup holder before holding up a slice of each for her partner to chose from. They hung flaccid and gooey in her hands, the cheese daring to slowly slough downwards.
 
Callie was quick to scent something fishy, both in the water dwelling creature scent and the meaning of being amiss. It seemed that part of the pizza was littered with tiny fish, anchovies to be more exact. Callie was not really a fan of the salty little creatures that some preferred atop their pizza. In her opinion, sea food had no place being on pizza. Callie did notice that not all of the pizza had been dotted with the little fish, so she was lucky enough to be able to avoid sinking her teeth into the scaly fish flesh.

"Without is more preferable."Callie decided. She averted her gaze from the road quick just long enough to lift a hand from the wheel and accept the warm pizza slice that was not tainted by seafood. She offered a quiet thanks and returned her focus to the road. She took a bite of the warm pizza, finding its taste to be satisfactory.
 
"Suit yourself." Judith shrugged, biting nearly half of her slice as she held it in her mouth to temporarily set the pizza back in the seat behind her. When she tore it away the whole slop of topping slipped from it and slapped against her chin, hanging in a mess from her maw. Judith awkwardly pinched it off with her forefinger and thumb, returning it to the barren half of crust. She managed to cross her ankle over her thigh and wipe the residual sauce on her face with the cuff of Trevor's jeans. If she didn't see the stain, she didn't care about it.

The pizza wasn't worthy of state best, but Judith ate it eagerly regardless of its lackluster flavor. With a slice stuffed down her throat and chased with beer, Judith decided to check the glove box before packing another portion into her stomach. As the latch released, so did a tumult of crumpled napkins and fast food sauce packets. Judith spread her legs to let them fall the the passenger's side floor, likely to be squelched underfoot later. With a bit of shuffling around, she found a fistful of CDs. All had hipster sounding band names, long winded album titles, and pretentious photoshoped album art. Judith recognized none of them.

Fanning them out, she turned to Callie. "Pick one."
 
Callie took more polite and small bites of her pizza. She was mindful of not tearing the cheese off in one bite, as it was a common unfortunate occurrence. She was glad for the food, as it seemed to take the edge off of her nerves. She was soon at the crust and was gnawing at it when Judith presented a bunch of random CDs.

Callie wiped her hand off on her pants before tapping a completly random CD. "Let's hope this one is good."she commented.
 
"People who can eat people are the luckiest people in the world." Judith wryly read the album title aloud. "Already sounds like you picked a winner." she jest, popping the disc free and slotting it in to play. Within moments the lilting cadence of Andrew Jackson Jihad set the background for their drive through the South Dakotan network of highway. The music was preferable to the quiet burr of tires and Judith's repetitious thoughts. She could only review iniquitous plans so many times before it became obsessive.

Without pause for breath, Judith downed her beer and reached back in search of a second. "Do you think you could've stabbed that guy back there if I'd have missed?" she asked suddenly as she slipped another amber bottle from her case.
 
Callie nibbled at her pizza crust as she focused upon the straight expanse of dark grey road ahead, white lines streaking across the expanse of asphalt. Callie didn't care much for music at the moment, too fixated on the thoughts crowding around her head. Although she had little care for what Judith played, she had to admit that a bit of noise could do her well. Silence would have only made her more apprehensive.

Callie's thoughts slipped back towards the subject of the corpse in the trunk. She could imagine it there now, eyes frozen open and body growing rigid. That young man had a life of his own, even if it hadn't been a good one. He had probably woken up just like very other morning, went to work, and decided to take a simple delivery order. He could have never known that this day had been his last or that the "simple order" would result in a quick stab to his throat. On his way to work he would have never predicted that he'd end up bleeding out on the ground within the hour. Callie felt sickened by the thought that they had just taken a life from someone. She was also unsettled by the thought that for all she knew, she could also meet her gory demise at any given time. This day could be her last. Callie decided she'd do a hell of a lot to prevent that.

Judith's question didn't help settle her mind at all, instead making it more frantic. "No...I could never do that. I..I may have pushed him aside or something...but i can't kill people."she admitted. She may sound weak or unsuitable for a partner in this situation, but at least she was honest.
 
Judith hadn't lived as long as she had because of candor, but despite the vexation Callie's reply stirred in her, Judith appreciated the truth. She also considered it a challenge, a militating aspect she would have to rid of her partner. Judith was used to watching her own back. That wasn't a problem. But if she had to carry two of a pair through hell and high water though, that meant she'd be taking twice as many chances, and which would result in an even higher body count. Judith didn't even want to think of the incriminating evidence they were likely to leave in their wake with so much death.

She took the pizza box from the back seat again and offered Callie another slice. "You can kill people." Judith corrected. "Every fucker on this earth is capable of killin' anyone on any given day. And you wanna know why?" she asked rhetorically. "You wanna know what that absolute motivator is? It's survival. You and I might get into shit on this road that's worse than cops. So keep in mind, I might not always be there to do all the dirty work."

Already Judith was considering another plan, one parallel to those furthering their advance north. If she could, she wanted to make good of her word.

"You ever even stab a person?" she asked, thinking of the knife Callie had taken earlier. "Like, on accident or as a joke?"
 
Callie was already regretting her response. She wanted Judith to believe that she was useful so she wouldn't be rid of. Callie couldn't work on her own, not used to a life like this and not having the guts to motivate herself to pull through these sticky situations. She hadn't lied though and she supposed that was admirable in someway. Not that Callie really believed Judith could have an admiration towards honesty considering the background of this woman.

Callie accepted another slice of pizza, taking a few bites as she heard Judith explain that Callie could kill people. Callie begged to differ. She'd do a lot to survive, but right now she didn't think she'd compromise her morals that much. She couldn't plunge a knife into someone like Judith did and still manage to speak casually afterwards as if the whole thing hadn't mattered. To Judith, it probbaly didn't, but Callie believed that there was enough humanity in most to at least have a brief flash of remorse. Callie would argue her side, but she knew that Judith wouldn't be convinced so she just nodded and held her tongue for now.

Callie nearly froze when Judith asked the next question. After swallowing she replied with, "Yes...On accident. I was toying around with my father's carving knife and was startled by my friend popping out of nowhere. I stabbed him..I pushed the knife right into his thigh. He never forgave me after his time in the hospital...."she replied. She paused afterwards, clearing her throat awkwardly.
 
Taking a second slice and precariously balancing it on her crabbed fingers, Judith slipped the box back once again, favoring to have her legs free of the cumbersome burden. After almost two years of D-tier prison food and accommodations, a tepid beer, okay pizza, and frigid AC from one fuck-ugly van were equivalent to the Hamptons. Though, Judith hadn't the refined taste to appreciate anything more opulent even if they'd come across such. Indifference and ignorance made poverty bearable for her. If Judith couldn't tell the difference between Grey Goose and Smirnoff then it didn't matter.

Upon hearing Callie's story, Judith snickered around another excessive bite of pizza. She could remember her eldest sister accidentally stabbing her mother with a fork, an incident none of them managed to live down. Getting stabbed in the thigh didn't sound so bad in comparison. It was a meaty place, the inguinal and femoral arteries safely behind weaves of muscle. Judith imagined it was less intrusive than what she had done earlier to the delivery boy. She could almost vicariously feel something cold and hard twist in her throat when the thought lingered.

"Your jumpy-ass nerves might have a use yet." Judith quipped after half-chewing her bite and nearly swallowing it whole. "You just have to objectify the whole thing or candy coat it. Maybe that kid went to heaven after I stuck him." she offered hopefully. "You've got a faith or something, yeah?"
 
Callie didn't appreciate the laugh Judith offered in response to her story. She didn't find it amusing since she had stabbed somone. She had to have the police investigate the case and had to confirm she hadn't tried to kill him. Callie remembered sitting in the chair at the station, being about eight years old at the time so her feet couldn't even touch the tile floor beneath her. She had lost a bit of respect from her father and had lost a good friend, so no she was not amused. Callie didn't know why she was surprised that Judith had found something so unfortunate like that to be funny.

No justification could convince Callie that what happened wasn't bad. She knew murder was bad. Callie responded to Judith by saying, "I am faithful so I know that whether her went to heaven or not, murder is a sin." She would hold firm to that belief, or at least that's what she thought as a loyal Eastern Orthodox follower.
 
"See!" Judith exclaimed cheerily, with an subtle note of derision. "God and his good ol' boy are lookin' after him now." though she didn't believe that herself. Judith never had more faith than cynicism. Her mother's catholic idols and crosses had never given her any comfort beyond death, no morals beyond need. Some nights Judith thought she could feel it, the presence of spirits or God or just something beyond the tangible. But it never lasted. And she reasoned that if it was real, then faith and religion were two very different things.

The concept of sin was something separate all together, and Judith didn't know if she fancied it or not. However, that Callie had indirectly called her a sinner brought a sly grin to her face. It felt like overhearing a mother admonish her progeny to stay away from Judith, that she was a bad influence, something wrong. Cute.

"All right." Judith agreed evenly, going along with Callie's words. "So murder's a sin. What about all the stealin', lyin', and tresspassin' you and I've done? We on the naughty list for that too?"
 
Callie's expression sort of dropped. The pizza she was chewing lost its taste suddenly and she swallowed it forecefully. She knew what they had been doing was wrong, but she had neglected to look at the overall picture. Callie had racked up quite a bit of sin so far...She wanted to believe that God knew she was just trying to escape a tricky situation since she had been falsely accused of a crime.

Callie's musings did little to reassure herself. "Yes...there has been lots of sinning I must later ask forgiveness for."she said, seeming a bit withdrawn when answering. She had little drsire to eat now, but made herselr finish up the pizxw slice and wipe her hands off.
 
Judith paid no attention to the change in Callie's tone, had missed it entirely between her lack of care and affirmation of what she already knew. Callie had broken her lesser morals in favor of survival. And she'd committed a crime Judith found even worse than murder, Callie had stood by, watched, and done nothing. Her partner could have stopped her from beating the man in the woods, from choking the cashier, and from bleeding the delivery boy of life. Judith knew Callie was aware of the fates that had come to those people. To her, that meant Callie was half-way to murder and she'd soon find absolution came in many forms.

"Well," Judith drawled after another swig of beer. "If it means anything, I forgive you. My wrath sure ain't got the fire and brimstone of God's, but it'll sure put a sting on your ass." she smiled to herself, finishing her pizza before settling more into her seat. "We'll drive until about 6PM, then we'll start lookin' for a place to stay. Keep your eyes peeled for a motel, or truck stop, or some shit."
 
Callie wished with every fiber of her being that she wasn't in this situation. She wished that she had never been accused from murder, never had to meet Judith, never had to watch a man be beat over the head with a stick, never have to watch an innocent store clerk be forcefully asphyxiated, never had to hide in someone's attic, and never had to witness someone take a knife to the throat. All of these awful things would be seared into her mind forever and more twisted memories were sure to join the list as time went on. Callie didn't want this life. She was no murderer and had no right spending the remainder of her life evading the authorities. She would give a lot just to fall asleep and wake up in her apartment to go to work in the shop. That future was far from tangible for Callie and she knew it. All she could do now was survive and hope.

"That's good...I suppose..."Callie commented. Judith's forgiveness had the worth of a grain of salt compared to God's, at least in Callie's opinion. Although it wasn't important in comparison to that of a higher being, Judith's forgiveness served as a sign that maybe Callie wouldn't be disposed of quite yet, which was great news. Callie nodded in agreement to the little plan. "Sounds good. I'll keep my eye out when the time comes."she replied.
 
"You might have to slip off the highway to find one." Judith informed, throwing back the remainder of her second bottle. It hardly stirred the calm and sway of even a minor buzz, but it was better than nothing. After the waiting, the walking, the sweating, and then jogging back to the bend of road where they waited for their dinner, Judith was tired. She was only hoping the beer would counter the remaining prickle of adrenaline in her veins.

"I'm fuck all beat." she admitted with a sigh. "Tell me a story, yeah? It'll keep your mind from shit." Judith cajoled. "Tell me about your family and growing up. Or dumb shit you did as a kid, 'case we all did dumb shit." she smiled, recalling her own poor choices. Trouble was a euphemistic way of describing some of the things Judith found herself in growing up. But it all built to that moment, cruising through South Dakota with a broad she'd never met, trying to escape a fate that felt inexorable. Judith figured it suited her just fine.
 
"Mhm. I know and I'll act when the time comes."Callie responded, seeming distracted. Her thoughts were interupted again when Judith requested they tell stories. Callie was almost glad for the opportunity to leave her troubled musings, though it seemed odd to reveal her history to this woman. Well, they would be together for a while so she found she may as well break some of the tension.

"Um...okay. Let's see..."she said, trying to think of some dumb story to share. "Would you like to hear of the time I had to retrieve a dozen dairy cows from the middle of a road?"she asked. Some seemed to find this particular story to be amusing since she had to chase a bunch of her families cows back towards the farm so people could continue about their day.
 
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