On the Lam (Wistful Beast and Vermiciro)

Status
Not open for further replies.
The shabby, incongruous gas station fit Judith's tastes just fine. She couldn't have asked for a place more ideal. All it was missing was an old west tumbleweed to emphasize its near desolate nature. Judith pocketed the wallet, though she had little intention of paying. The only way the cashier was getting greenbacks was if he wasn't alone. Judging from the empty parking lot and the one sedan parked outback eaten to rust by Nebraska winters, Judith was willing to bet they wouldn't meet much opposition inside.

"Now, before we go in," Judith addressed, "You gotta know we're probably gonna rob these fuckers blind. I'm gonna talk with the clerk, ask about them workin' this lonely little joint, and if I come to find out there's no one else but that sorry-ass clerk in there, then you and I are gonna leave with heavy pockets." she grinned wickedly before slipping back into her shoes.

"You go look around a bit while I chat. When I get the information I need I'll come find you and tell you how things'll go down from there. Okey-Dokey?" Judith asked, kicking the passenger's side door open. She had a feeling that informing Callie in could backfire. The woman could get cold feet and back out, but Judith never liked entering a situation blind. She figured she'd extend the courtesy and see how useful her accomplice was.
 
Callie placed the car in park, pulling out the keys and pocketing them. Not that anyone would steal the car, the action had just been an act of habit. Callie looked over to Judith, being sure to absorb all the woman had to say about their current situation and what they were to do. She tried to not let her eyes portray her displeasure for robbing this store. Though small and unimportant it may be, Callie knew that the clerk was in for some rough treatment and would probably suffer a similar fate to that of the business man who had previously owned the car.

Callie did nod a few times though to show that she'd comply. Callie was still not courageous enough to not do as she was instructed, finding Judith to be way too unpredictable at this point. Also, Callie knew well that they needed quite a few supplies to get them away more efficiently. Callie exited the car and locked the doors, straightening out her clothing and hair for a moment before heading over towards the little shop. She entered the building, sliding doors moving to accommodate her entrance. A tiny bell announced their arrival, but the cashier didn't seem to notice. There was one cashier perched behind a long, well worn counter. It was a young black woman with her hair in cornrows, attention on a magazine she was reading.

Callie's eyes took a sweep over the store. It was just as small as it looked on the outside, short shelves running horizontally across the dirt ridden white tile floor. Various foods, drinks, and supplies filled the shelves an Callie began to browse the wares and ignore what Judith would do to the poor woman at the counter. She mentally made a list of some of the things that they'd need. She began to look at a collection of lighters.
 
The black woman was an unwelcome sight for Judith. She didn't mind busting the lip of an obstreperous shit-talker or a punk iconoclast fresh out of college; it didn't matter if those kinds of people were female. They had it coming. But to knock the teeth out of a woman who was minding her own business, that had never settled well with Judith. It didn't help that she had a taste for colored women, or that the cashier was a shade of ebony deeper and richer than any chocolate confection.

Judith's clothes and the sting of sweat in the cuts of her hands were reminder enough of her situation. No hesitation. No Mercy. Every freedom has its price. She put her ambivalence to rest.

"Not even a television in this place to keep you company?" Judith asked the cashier with her softest, knowing smile.
The black woman only glanced at her in acknowledgement. "Not even." She echoed flatly.

"You own the place?" Judith inquired casually.

"Nope."

"You're manager around then?"

The black woman looked over her magazine suspiciously. "No, and why would you want to talk to him?"

"Don't suppose you'd wanna look under my hood." Judith grinned deviously.

"Do I look like a mechanic?" Came the curt reply. The woman's patience was wearing thin.

"Well, is there anyone else here that could give it a look?"

"Lady, there's nobody here but me."

And that vexed, aggravated reply was all Judith needed to ascertain her next move. "Thanks for your help." She said, lightly slapping the counter before adding, "And nice hemp necklace." Judith left for the aisles.

Lazily meandering through, taking stock of what the store had to offer, she entered a small section of auto goods. Oil, antifreeze, windshield washer fluid, and exactly what Judith needed. Hanging from the hooks were three various ice scrapers. Two were small and equally useless, but the last had a long handle separating its scraper and brush attachments. Judith took one and popped off the scraper attachment as she went to meet Callie.

She greeted her partner with a cutting grin. "Everything's good to go. You ready?"
 
Callie did her best to block out Judith's confrontation with the only worker present in this hole in the wall of a store. She only heard bits and pieces of conversation as she walked down the aisles grabbing a few odds and ends for starters like two lighters, 30 feet of thin rope, a flashlight, some batteries and what not. She was eying up some different kinds of tape when Judith approached and informed her that they were ready to begin their plan, meaning that cashier would be done in and they'd loot the place.

Callie couldn't help but notice the ice scraper in Judith's hand. She raised an eyebrow skeptically. "W..wait..There's no ice to..."she began, but then had a thought. That thing was probably more of an impromptu weapon than anything. "Oh..never mind...I..I think I'm ready..."she replied quietly, shooting a glance at the unsuspecting clerk.
 
"Fantastic." Judith's eye narrowed darkly. "Follow me."

She lead the other towards the back wall lined with freezers. Canned, bottled, and boxed drinks filled the frosting wracks. Another freezer further down even had frozen pizzas and microwavable meals, but Judith wasn't interested in perishables or even food for the moment. It could wait until their grim business was over. She set the ice scraper inconspicuously on a self behind her and reached into the freezer for a pack of beer. Six glittering glass bottles clinked and rattled together in their cardboard carrier. Judith outstretched her arm, looked Callie dead in the eye-

And dropped it.

The bottoms of the bottles shattered in their carrier. The noise was as loud and deafening as a gunshot in the cloistered quiet of the convenience store. The bitter beverage slowly saturated the cardboard and began to pool around it in a fizzy, piss and amber colored puddle.

"Had a bit of an accident!" Judith called to the cashier, her eyes still on Callie, her features as cold and vacant as marble. "Gonna need some paper towels!"

She could hear the black woman grumble and curse before ambling off her stool. Her footstep were heavy in approach, and as she came around the shelves to the freezers, she even had a roll of paper towels in hand. "Well, move would you." she motioned to Judith who willingly obliged, stepping aside and circling behind the cashier.

As the woman crouched down, unrolling a wad of paper towels, Judith grabbed the ice scraper from earlier. She gave one last look to Callie, one solid apathetic look, before slamming the heel of her foot in the cashier's lumbar. The woman screamed out in pain, catching herself with her hands. But Judith had only started. Without pause for breathe she slammed her heel in again, higher, between the black woman's shoulder blades.

The cashier's hand slid in the still pooling beer. Her forehead hit the floor with a hard, sharp sound. Judith could feel its vibration underfoot before planting her knee in the woman's back, pinning her to the floor, and assuring Judith leverage. The woman began to shout and struggle, her sandals scrambling for purchase against the floor. Judith jerked the hemp necklace, snapping the woman's head up from the floor, creating space between the jewelry and her neck, enough space for Judith to quickly thread the bar of the ice scraped between.

Releasing the necklace, Judith held tight to both ends of the rod and twisted. She had barely turned it ninety degrees when it cinched tight around the woman's throat. All screams, pleas, and insults surged against the hemp choker, sputtering out in croaks. Feeling the cashier writhe beneath her, Judith twisted tighter.

"Hold her fucking legs!" she screamed at Callie, feeling the black woman's back arch against her as she found footing.
 
Callie hardly appreciated the grim look that was plastered onto Judith's face, but she remained fixated on the woman. She wondered what dark thoughts were running through the woman's mind at this point and as a shiver crept up Callie's spine, she realized that she didn't even want to know. Callie watched carefully as Judith took a six pack of glass bottles and promptly proceeded to let them fall onto the ground and shatter unceremoniously into a million tiny shards. Callie had jumped, taking a quick step back as she surveyed the small puddle of discarded alcohol and glass fragments. Callie also didn't like it much when Judith kept her gaze on her when the cashier had been addressed. The icy expression enough to make Callie's already unsettled stomach churn.

Callie parted her lips slightly when the clerk appeared to clean up the mess, contemplating on whether she should warn the poor woman or not. She watched the woman bend down and raised her gaze to see the indifferent look given to her by Judith. Spurred by the notion that Judith was about to act, Callie sputtered, "Uh...m..mam. S..sorry..."

Then she witnessed as Judith sent her foot into the woman's back and sent her sprawling onto the floor after another kick. The harsh smacking sound caused by the clerk's head colliding with the still dirtied floor elicited a small yelp from Callie, hands going to her mouth again. Callie took another uneasy step backwards as Judith situated the ice scraper between the woman's throat and necklace and began to twist. Callie's hands fidgeted wildly, causing her to discard the few supplies she had been holding. They clattered onto the floor, but Callie didn't seem to notice since she was too focused on the young woman that Judith was suffocating. The yell frightened Callie more. Despite knowing it was wiser to obey Judith's commands, Callie found herself standing petrified.
 
Through clenched teeth, Judith growled in sheer frustration. She couldn't understand Callie's fear. She couldn't comprehend how someone could be paralyzed while adrenaline thundered through their veins, while their life was on the line. Because if the cashier managed to escape, they were fucked. Judith almost wished it was Callie underneath her, squirming and undulating for breath, if only just so she'd understand what it took to survive.

The black woman bucked upward into Judith, even tried twisting around to break her grasp, but Judith held strong. The woman's movement's grew weaker, slowly, slow as descending through syrup. A feather-fall plunge into the viscous darkness of asphyxia. Even when the cashier's body became limp, Judith maintained her vice-like tourniquet around the woman's throat. Waiting. What does cyanosis look like in a black person? Just how blue do they get? Can you tell?

Judith hadn't any previous intention of killing the woman, but wanted to make sure she stayed unconscious long enough for them to gather supplies. A minuted had already passed, ticking into two. How large was the window between unconsciousness and death?

Unable to know just how long, Judith looked to Callie, her voice raw and low. "You know how to make knots girl-scout? 'Cause if you can't restrain her I'm going to kill her."
 
Callie watched from behind one of the aisles, peeking over it to look at the grim scene before her. The woman's body had went limp, the struggling done for the time being. It was silent for a while, scene still as Judith held the ice scraper in place to continue to suffocate the woman. Callie's breathing came in hasty puffs, heartbeat hammering wildly. She wasn't the one who had just used excessive force to take someone down, but adrenaline couldn't negate the terror that had washed over her.

Callie hoped that Judith didn't murder the woman and had just choked her out, not wanting to leave dead bodies in their wake. Callie heard Judith's voice pierce the quiet, tone lower and more gravelly. She wasn't the best at knots, but she wasn't bad at that, having learned to tie up horses and large livestock at times. Also, she had incentive to try to spare the life of the woman. "Y..yeah...I believe I can..."Callie stammered as she picked up the rope that she had dropped.

Callie cautiously approached the limp body, rope in hand. She tentatively grabbed the woman's wrists and tied the rope around them a few times tightly. Grabbing a shard of glassfrom nearby, she cut the rope, hissing in pain as it sliced her fingerd. Despite her being a coward, she licked the blood off and resumed her work to finish the knot. Having worked in the shop, she was used to small pricks and cuts on her hands. Then she crawled over to where the woman's legs were sprawled out, tying her ankles together. Once done, she got to her feet and offered Judith a wary look.
 
Gradually, Judith released the tension from the ice scraper, slipping it free and tossing it aside. She couldn't tell if the cashier recommenced breathing. Holding her hand before the black woman's mouth, her fingers trembling from the exertion of force moments before, Judith didn't know if the soft circulation of air was only a difference in temperature or actual respiration. She decidedly didn't care.

"Make sure you get her hands." Judith motioned to them as she removed herself from the prone body. Looking to Callie, she saw a bead of blood on her injured finger, a single fat drop swelling heavier and threatening to fall. "Get a band-aid for that if you can." Judith advised before walking back into the aisles. She called over her shoulder as she did. "See if you can drag her into the back room while you're at it. I'm gonna check the behind the counter"

What she found there was elating, almost enough to forget Callie's aggravating apprehension. Under the counter, atop an old cigar box was a Glock 27 with a full magazine, nine .40 calibers bullets neatly stacked. It was light and small, but a bullet was deadly no matter its packaging. Judith didn't give a fuck as long as it fired. She tucked it into the waist of her slacks and pulled her shirt over it.

Judith snapped a plastic bag open and began filling it with other adult candies. A pack of Lucky Strikes, two flask-like bottles of Jack and one of Southern Comfort, five packs of cinnamon chewing gum, and a box of matches. The register wasn't loaded, containing only fives and a surfeit of ones, but any cash was useful. Pocketing some and dumping the rest into her bag, an idea came to Judith.

There was something hypodermic about Callie, something that crawled under Judith's skin, an itching both vexing and yet addictive to scratch. Despite all her shortcomings, Judith was reluctant to split from the redhead. With time she was certain that survival would be cogent enough to sway Callie's actions. But presently, Judith had something else in mind. She went to find her partner.
 
Callie looked up to Judith as she finished tightly binding he woman's ankles. "W..will do.."She assured, having bound the woman's wrists firmly enough that she didn't think this woman could pry free. She stood up and assessed her situation for a moment, looking down at the unconscious woman. After taking a deep breath, Callie leaned down and grabbed the woman under the armpits. Now this part would prove to be a nuisance since Callie didn't particularity have the desire to drag this woman through a pile of glass. The poor clerk would be hurting enough as is, that is if she did manage to come to her senses. Callie knew she had to pick the woman up somehow.

Readjusting her grip, she rolled the woman onto her back, wincing when she saw glass leave a few cuts on the woman's ebony skin. "Sorry..."she whispered, though fully aware that the woman wasn't even close to being able to comprehend sounds. Maybe it twas best that way, considering the quiet obscenities that were released from Callie's mouth as she scooped the woman up into her arms. Callie grit her teeth, holding the woman awkwardly in her arms. "Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit..."she grumbled as she slowly made her way towards the back room with the fragile cargo in her shaking arms. Callie could heft car parts, no problem, but this woman wasn't a car part and was way more awkward to carry.

She eventually made it to the back room, huffing and puffing. She set the clerk down as gently as possibly, propping the woman's back up against the wall. Callie stood up, hands resting on her lower back as she regained her breath and quietly observed the scene. She had done as Judith had said and it seemed that this woman could potentially live, so Callie turned and reentered the main part of the store. She looked over and found Judith filling a plastic bag with objects that Callie couldn't quite identify from where she was across the room.
 
Meandering through the aisles, keeping an eye out for anything of use, Judith weaved her way leisurely over to Callie. Noting the glossy, wet streak of beer along the floor as she went, Judith smiled. "Not bad. You got some muscle on you." she complimented in approach. "Couldn't have been easy lifting."

Judith rustled the bag at her hip, the plastic crinkling around its heavy contents. "Anything you need? We've gotta haul ass. Wouldn't want another innocent fuck getting roped into this, would we?"

They needed to abscond, true, but Judith had a few arrangements in mind. It was imperative that they cross the state border as soon as possible. Any inconveniencing anxieties needed to addressed for smooth travel. And Judith knew an excellent means of alleviating fear.
 
Callie looked down at her feet when given what she interpreted as a compliment. "Thanks..."she managed, lifting her eyes up to look at Judith for a moment. She didn't think much of her strength since it was only useful for lifting, not throwing a punch, a skill that would be useful now. Callie couldn't help but have some muscle tone considering her line of work, though she never found it to be really compliment worthy.

"Huh? M..maybe. I'll...i'll be quick..."Callie replied. She walked over to where she had dropped the two lighters and pocketed them, grabbing hold of the flashlights and batteries she had. She made sure to grab some more rope as well as a decent amount of duct tape. Finding a plastic bag, she shoved the items inside. Then, taking a sweep of the area, she made sure to grab a few water bottles for the road as well as a few snacks that couldn't be spoiled like beef jerky and nuts. They'd have to figure things out for real food and what not, but for now Callie was glad to have a few supplies. For good measure, she found a small shelf with various pocket knives on them, taking a handful and shoving them into the bag, leaving one for her pocket. Then, like a loyal dog, Callie returned to Judith, still jittery and pale faced from the recent endeavors.
 
Watching her partner gather goods, Judith tried to make out just what she was pocketing based on her general area in the shelving. Unable to remember the stock, Judith couldn't tell, and rummaged impatiently through her own bag instead. She was eager to get on the road. There weren't many ways she knew of out of Nebraska that weren't highways, and the cops were certain to be checking vehicles by the time they reached the boarder. They'd know what car they were driving as well. Judith sighed heavily. She still had a few favors to call in. Her and Callie's fate would likely rely on those.

"All set?" she asked rhetorically once Callie had returned. "Just need you to do one last thing before we shove off." Judith extended her hand. "Gimme the keys. I'm driving."
 
Callie nodded in response to Judith's question, bag in hand and as ready as she was going to get for now. Callie looked into her bag one last time, making sure that all was in place before returning her attention to Judith. She seemed to stay a respectable distance away from the female felon, still obviously unsure of the woman. Her uneasiness was only growing since she had watched this woman dispatch three people now. Her apprehension only increased with Judith's next request. The keys. Callie didn't really want to hand them over, fearing that she was right and that Judith would ditch her and drive away.

Callie rested a hand on her pocket where the keys were stored safely, offering a skeptical look. She headed out the door, mindful of any motion just in case Judith tried to get the jump on her. "I'll g..give them to you when we get to the car..the k..keys..."she said, as if she had to clarify what she meant to give. Callie just wasn't thinking straight, slowly lapsing into a hysteria from all of these events.

Callie removed the keys from her pocket with nimble hands, unlocking the car and sitting down in the front passenger seat. Only after she was seated and buckled with the door closed, did she relinquish the keys to Judith.
 
Maybe it was only Judith, but she had a feeling that no matter how dictatorial she chose to be, her accomplice would find a means of slinking off if even a scintilla of physical harm seemed likely. Though Judith had to admit her previous behavior was presage to future violence. It had followed in her wake since youth; it wasn't likely to stop now that she was being pursued.

Following Callie, Judith made no attempt to hide her annoyance, sighing loudly as she rounded the car to the driver's side. It open easily and Judith threw her bag across the console to the the redhead before dropping heavily behind the wheel. Judith saw the ceiling in the rear-view mirror. Her feet didn't touch the pedals. "Fucking tall people." she grumbled adjusting the seat.

Things finally tweaked for her short stature, Judith roughly took the keys. "You know why I'm driving?" she asked, once again rhetorically. "I'll give you a guess, it ain't 'cause I like to. It's 'cause I'm doin' you a favor." Judith explained, turning the key and pulling out of the gas station. "To keep you up to date, we're going to see my old buddy Trevor. He can resell the pieces of this car to pay his alimony and that fucker's got a boat. Like, a shitty boat, but a boat. It's easier if I just drive there. But the real favor," and Judith smiled tightly, "Is that you're going to drink half that pint of Jack. Calm you right the fuck down, and we can't have you driving drunk. That would be illegal."
 
Callie recoiled when the bag was tossed in her direction, not anticipating the sudden movement. She recovered and acted as if nothing had happened, looking over at Judith to see the woman swear before promptly adjusting her seat to accommodate her shorter height. Callie crossed her legs neatly and pressed her back into the seat, sitting in a relatively upright position. Callie took one last glimpse at the modest sized, well weathered convenience store, wondering if the poor woman propped up inside would make a full recovery soon.

Callie didn't like how roughly Judith had taken the keys, followed by some aggressive explanation. "I...I'm sorry.."Callie nearly whimpered, shying away from Judith. Callie wasn't really fond of boats, but it was either follow or be left to be imprisoned. Callie looked down at her twitching hands, forced to look up again when she heard the other woman say something else. Callie peeked into Judith's bag to see the alcohol that she had just mentioned, mouth partially agape. She shook her head a few times. "N..no. I don't drink...drink strong alcohol..."she stammered. It was true, stronger alcohol didn't agree with her. She was a light weight anyways, so even if she somehow liked the taste she'd be pretty drunk and subdued in no time and the last thing Callie wanted was to be hammered in this situation.
 
A penchant for liquor bordering on alcoholism and rotating company of likewise bibulous people kept Judith from sympathizing with Callie's distaste. The redhead may as well have said she didn't sleep. To refrain from liquor was the same as not drinking at all in Judith's book, and that kind of ascetic lifestyle was meant for the religiously inclined, not felons.

"You don't drink strong alcohol." Judith echoed incredulously. "Like, not even those fruity cocktails? There isn't a woman or gay man alive that won't down a cosmopolitan, none that I've met anyways." And she had met her fair share while cycling through Nebraska's bar scene. Judith even momentarily considered stopping at a grocery store for cranberry juice. You could hide anything in that shit.
 
Callie could only really tolerate most alcohols, though she did have a particular fondness for red wine. Beer was doable in more casual scenarios, but whiskey and what not was a no go in her opinion. Alcohol had never really been a favorite of Callie, as she didn't want to place herself into a vulnerable position. Hover, she did manage to get herself drunk on a few occasions but she absolutely hated it whenever she looked back. Sure she was more laid back and affectionate when she was heavily under the influence, but the head ache and sensitivity to light that followed the morning after never made her look back very fondly on her experience.

"I..I usually avoid such drinks..."Callie admitted, avoiding Judith's gaze as if she were embarrassed. Callie wasn't one to drink alcohol very often, much preferring other drinks. Of course she was a fan of all things fruity tasting, but even mixing it with alcohol couldn't make the stuff totally enticing in her eyes. She'd try it, but if Callie knew there was alcohol mixed in she'd probably avoid consuming much of it.
 
"Right." Judith drawled at length. She could remember sneaking liquor from her mother's stock during days off from school and asking her eldest sister to buy her bottles of cheap Smirnoff. Liquor had always been a part of Judith's lifestyle. It was also what got her through some of the darkest, sepulchral days of her life. She considered vomiting a sign of a good time and hangovers were just an excuse for a day off. There was no way the woman beside her was gonna keep dry the whole car ride to Trevor's, over Judith's dead body.

"Tell you what," She began casually, looking out over the road. "For every swig you take, and I'll be watching the level of that bottle, but for every swig I'll owe you a favor. It could be me not killing you for a day, or not asking you to help me assault somebody." Judith smiled at her in a goading, playful way. "Come on, what d'you say? We got a deal?"
 
Callie closed her eyes tight for a moment, feeling as if she was a child again and her mother was trying to convince her to eat another spoonful of peas of other unfavorable food. Except in this case she was instead convicted of murder and this dangerous woman was trying to persuade her to drink alcohol in order to prevent Callie from flipping her shit if things went awry again. So it was actually a fairly different situation, but Callie still felt as if she was being chided somehow for not consuming a liquid she had long ago deemed as unsavory. She opened her eyes again, reaching a had up to begin to toy with a strand of her hair with shaky fingers.

Upon analysis, this was another straightforwards decision. Callie interpreted that she had no choice but to oblige, Judith having informed her that drinking would protect her life or get her out of a situation where she'd have to be the one doing the assaulting of an innocent person. Callie sighed, a quiet and wispy sound. Then she reached a rand out and grabbed the bottle of Jack, taking a moment to watch the amber liquid swirl around. She screwed the top off and set it on the dashboard. Then Callie proceeded to sniff the contents tentatively, flinching back when she found it stung her nostrils. Her face was contorted into disgust, but one side glance at Judith was enough to remind her what was at stake here.

Callie said, "Deal." She wasn't about to pass up an opportunity to be temporarily safe from being murdered by Judith. She then took a deep breath before bringing the bottle to her lips and tilting it back, taking a small sip. Upon tasting the nasty stuff, Callie lowered the bottle quickly and proceeded to sputter violently. Opening the window, she spit out what was left in her mouth, tongue tingling. She rolled up the window and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. Looking over to Judith she said, "This...this isn't going to be easy.."
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top Bottom
Back