Faith’s step faltered, only for a moment. She might have stopped if she hadn’t felt the cold metal car key run between her thumb and forefinger. Since childhood if she found herself with a way out she clung to it with both hands. Today was no exception.
She continued to stride with purpose out of the hospital and down the stone steps ignoring the protests from behind her.
The key slid easily into the lock and the engine had roared to life before any of the group had taken the decision to follow her.
She threw her foot down on the gas, swinging the wheel to pull away from the curb so that she left the small hospital behind in a cloud of smoke and burning rubber.
It didn’t take her long to come to a skidding stop at a red light. She dug the heel of both her palms into her eyes and resisted the urge to scream.
Why is it that everything bad around me ends up being my fault? Why can’t I just be a normal little slayer? Never thought that being the last active slayer would suck quite this much. Everyone who could have helped me I left behind at that hospital. Everyone, who could have made this stop. It’s far too much of a risk. Just by being around a new slayer… any slayer I could indirectly murder them. There is no way I am ever going down that road again.
If Faith had been paying attention to the road signals, like any right minded driver should, the loud horn from the eighteen wheel truck from behind her would not have caused her to jump in her seat and smack her left leg into the steering wheel. “Fuck!”
She shifted the car into drive and pulled away, leaving the truck driver far behind her in a cloud of dust.
The more she thought about the damage she might cause any slayer around her the heavier her foot became on the gas, wanting -- no needing -- to be as far as humanly possible from anyone she could indirectly hurt.
As she rested her elbow on the open widow and bit at her nail worriedly, the road ahead of her turned gradually to dirt and sand; houses of the small town giving way to open desert. The sun slowly sank in the sky as she traveled ever eastwards. The bright burning sun gave in to the freezing night. It was hours before she finally looked down at her dash and saw how low the gas gauge actually was.
She forced herself to hold off her gas foot to conserve her remaining gas until she found somewhere she could stop and rest. It wasn’t the easiest thing in the world for the brunette slayer to do. Every time she saw Buffy’s pale face from that morning, every time her mind made her hear Kennedy’s groans as she held her head in her hands, made Faith’s left foot feel like a lead weight had been anchored to it.
By the time she found a place to stop for the night, the poor rental car was literally running on fumes. It limped to the side of the gas pump and promptly died of what Faith could only describe as starvation.
She stepped out of the car, slamming the door shut, causing a cloud of dust and sand to erupt from the vehicle's bodywork.
She had removed the cap and was about to start pumping gas into the car before she realized she had no money. Not a dime.
She replaced the nozzle back to its rightful place appearing to remain calm at this new revelation. Well…she appeared calm until she struck out and kicked the front tire so hard that it made the suspension squeak in protest as the car righted itself.
She walked to the front and rested her open palms on the bonnet of the car, her head hanging down between her arms.
What the hell am I going to do now? No gas, no money, no food. Need I make the list long with no clean clothes? I need money and I need sleep. Which means I need to find somewhere where people have money so I can afford a place to sleep and why does that guy think he can sneak up on me?
The cashier, who had wondered how a girl of Faith’s stature has managed to kick her rental car so hard that it had nearly rolled over, had come out to investigate the strange woman on his forecourt. Needless to say he wasn’t the brightest crayon in the box. “Excuse me, miss.”
Faith’s gaze lifted as she steeled herself. She turned with her cocky smile already plastered across her face, leaning her hip against the car's bumper. Her arms folded across her chest. “Howdy stranger,” she said, badly trying to imitate his slight Texan accent.
He ignored her gibe at his heritage, “Is there a problem, miss?”
Faith’s smile pulled immobile further across her face. “I…left my wallet at home,” she said, pulling her shoulders into a slight shrug.
“Looking like you’ll have to push this home then,” he said, wavering his hand in a vague direction of the car.
Faith tilted her head to the side pulling her bottom lip between her teeth. “But I’m a long way from home.”
The cashier had seen this strange girl's type before and was having none of it. “Looks like you’re going to be pushing for a while then.”
Faith decided that it was time for her to give up on attempting to seduce some gas out of the guy. She'd have to get her hands on some cash another way. “Is there a bar or anything around here?”
He crossed his arms across his chest. “And you say you have no money.”
“Not yet, no.”
He let out a small laugh before pointing behind her. “There’s a small bar in the motel there.”
“Thanks.” She turned on her heal in the direction of the motel when she was stopped by the cashier's loud and very fake cough. Her head turned to the side. “What?”
“You just gonna leave that there?”
His voice booked no argument and Faith did not want to draw attention to herself by starting a fight, so she walked to the driver's side and opened the door. With one hand on the wheel and her shoulder pressed deep into the metallic door frame, she pushed the rental to the very edge of the forecourt. When she had locked it up, she looked over at the cashier, who nodded his approval and went back to sit behind his nice, safe bullet-proof glass.
She slowly pushed open the door to the seedy motel's bar. The air was thick with the smell of __?__ as she made her way though the crowd up to the bar and took a seat.
The bartender had been standing in the corner, continuously cleaning a single glass since he had opened up that night, looking at his punters like a vulture searching for its next meal ticket. The moment he saw Faith slide into her seat, he darted to be in front of her before she had even sat down. His arms folded on the counter leaning over to her waiting for her order. His face fell when she asked for, “Water. None of that bottled crap either. Straight out of the tap.”
He scoffed at her as he took a clean glass from under the counter. Unfortunately, even if she was ordering the only free thing in the place it was his job to make small talk. “So what brings a beauty like you into a place like this?”
Faith had not taken her eyes off the small crowd, scanning them looking for a easy target. “Same thing as you my friend. Just looking for a meal ticket.”
She took her drink from him having picked her target. The bartender picked up his glass, which he began to clean again. It was a wonder that this glass wasn’t cleaner than Giles’ glasses.
Faith stunted her way over to a group of young men who had clearly been drinking heavily throughout the night and were making the most noise in the place. She picked the one standing to the far right.
Hooking her thumb through his belt loop, she leaned over into his ear whispering something to him, which only he could hear over his friend’s loud laughter. Only he and Faith knew what was said in those few seconds. His friends did not notice his jaw slowly drop or his mouth begin to salivate.
Faith pulled back from the man, his wallet now safely in her back pocket. Only the bartender had seen her take it; the action had made a rare smile appear across his face.
Having obtained what she had came in for, Faith left the bar counting the green bills the moment she stepped out into the biting wind.
She paid for her gas and bought herself a map before heading to the motel and getting herself a room.
The light flickered twice before it burst to life, illuminating the whole room. She looked around at her accommodations and shook her head. The wallpaper was peeling back from the walls, leaving behind the damp plasterboard. Every stick of furniture, apart from the bed, looked like it would collapse at any moment from either woodworm or damp.
She set herself down on her bed, opening the bag of chips she had got from the vending machine downstairs. She opened up her map wondering where she should head.
Contributed by Lycanthrope
Where Do We Go From Here?
- If Faith decides to head back to her roots and Boston, click here
- If Faith decides to head to Mexico where they know strange magicks that could help her, click here
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