BLASPHEMY

@neverstrays  sc !

heels clank against pavement as the red head paces back and forth , lit cigarette in hand . she had been driving through on her way to check in for a possible art piece just a few towns away from where her rental car had broke down . she was able to get dropped off at the closest gas station , but she was more than irritated at the whole situation . she pushes perfectly curled hair behind her ear as she steps back in to buy another pack . it was her worse habit . she hated how much she smoked , but it really did pass the time and caused her to relax .    ‘ i’m sure   h e l l   is not nearly as hot as it is here . ’    she places an iced tea on the counter and scans over her options .    ‘ newport menthols please . now is there a place to spend the night around here ? might be without a car until tomorrow . ’

               this fucking stool. might collapse on him any second. at the moment, when she comes in, he’s kicking it to the side & cursing under his breath.                a brief moment to pause & collect himself once he reminds himself scaring away customers wasn’t a good idea. they get more business than you’d think in such a rural area, but it’s almost always folks passing through.                he gives a little laugh, sniffs & grabs a pack of newport menthols to slide onto the counter next to the iced tea,  ❛  a/c was broken in here last summer. after that experience, can’t disagree on that.  ❜  he rings up the items, doesn’t bother asking for an ID,  ❛  six dollars & eighty-nine cents. & uh, think there might a holiday inn ‘round here somewhere. on south main. either that, orrr ... or red roof inn. don’t remember where that’d be, though. somethin’ happen to your car ?  ❜

               ❛  you’re actin’ like i was gonna put up a fight. it’s alcohol, man. can’t afford to be picky about it.  ❜  not that he was ever against the idea in the first place. wade can drink a lot; once he starts it’s difficult to stop. he just cares a little more about job’s opinion, when he can’t usually be bothered. that alone was something that took a lot of getting used to.                he shakes his head, snatches the offered beer from the other’s hand & takes a large swig. then he shrugs.  ❛  what if i said it might be better if you didn’t know ?  ❜  is he joking or not ? he’s deliberately leaving job with an ambiguous tone. maybe he’s only half-joking.

               he transfers his weight from one foot to the other & pulls the cigarette from his lips. thin smoke carries over in the breeze & he avoids her gaze. the demeanor almost seems shy.  ❛  uh, sure. place might scare you away, though. ‘s weird.  ❜  even he doesn’t spend too much time in it.               moving wasn’t an option, either. the place wasn’t remarkable or creepy until wade started living in it. always seemed to be the case no matter where he went.

sometimes she thinks there’s a separate line between the swamps and the rest of the world - like crossing it and stepping into civilization would mean she’d slowly disappear. still she walks, walks for miles on the edge of the road ‘cause sometimes it is nice to step into the scary rest of the world - it reignites the love for home. she does not really need anything, let alone gas — some human contact, perhaps, is all she needs. she picks one pack of batteries for her radio, and sets it on the counter, a smile on her lips. “ i like your tattoo ” .

@neverstrays​ / call.