Life on the road was hard. Hitchhiking from town to town, hoping you didn’t get murdered peeing in the woods and wondering just how many people had sex on the grimy motel bed you were sleeping in for the night. Sometimes it involved doing things that would be frowned upon at any other time.
Or maybe at all times, but only for some people. Unfortunately, the cop standing in the corner of the convenience store was one of those people. All December had stuffed into her bag was enough food to last her the rest of the day and a pair of sunglasses. She didn’t see the cop. If the cop wasn’t there, her plan would have worked.
Walking up to the register, December flashed a smile at the greasy, pimply teenage boy behind it. “Can you give me directions to the nearest hotel if I’m heading south?” Color immediately rushed into the boy’s face. December’s smile got bigger as she leaned onto the counter, pressing both palms flat against the cool plastic and swaying towards him slightly, breasts pressed together and hair cascading across one shoulder. The boy made a strangled noise and pointed towards the back of the store. The second his back was turned to her, December leaned across the counter and swiped a pack of cigarettes, sliding a new lighter into her bag as well, just for good measure. The cashier came back with a map a few moments later, a big area circled, starred, and labeled. As she was about to thank him, she felt a hand close around her wrist. Looking up, she found herself staring straight into the face of a police officer.
“I don’t know about where you’re from, missy, but around here, we have a habit of paying for things.” December gasped and slammed the heel of her foot into the cop’s toes, making a mindless run for the front door as she did so.