“FUCK!!!”
Marie opened her eyes. The yell had woken her up. The light shining off of the snow almost blinded her. The truck had stopped, and Logan was nowhere to be seen.
“FFFFUUUCCKKKK!!!!” It was coming from outside.
“Logan?” she called. Almost instantly Logan opened the door, red faced and panting. He looked furious.
“We popped a tire...” he said in a monotone voice.
“Need a hand changing the tire?” Marie offered. Logan stared at her for a second. His eyes looked defeated, but angry.
“I don’t have a spare.” They remained silent for a moment or two.
“So now what?” Marie asked. Logan lifted himself into the truck and slammed the door. It made a loud noise that made Marie jump a little. He reached into his pocket and pulled a cigar out of his seemingly endless supply. He lit it, took a drag, and exhaled loudly. Marie watched him, not moving.
“I guess we’ll have ta walk.” He reached in front of Marie and pulled out an old looking map from the glove compartment he had gotten the jerky from earlier. He unfolded it awkwardly, and rested it against the dash board. He scanned it for a moment, smoking his cigar every few seconds. Marie looked out the window of the truck. All she could see was thick snow.
“How far are we from Calgary?” She turned back to Logan, who was still scanning the map.
“’Bout five and a half hours. You weren’t out very long.” Marie felt her stomach drop.
“So we have to walk to Calgary?!” Logan looked up at her, a sarcastic look on his face.
“Are ya stupid?” He returned to the map. “Were gunna walk to High Prairie. It’s ‘bout an hour walking from here.” He folded the map, more crinkling it than anything, and shoved it back into the glove compartment.
“What happens when we get there?” Marie asked.
“We find some place that’ll tow the truck and get a new tire.” Logan stood from his seat, and went to the back of the truck. Marie watched as he grabbed an old back pack and a pair of gloves. He slipped the gloves on, and threw the bag to Marie. “Put the food in there. The water too.” He retreated to the back again, and Marie began to stuff the food into the bag. It took all of her strength, but she got the little bag closed, she had to leave the peanut butter out though. Logan returned with a large black coat. He tossed it at her, and hopped out of the truck without a word. She slipped it on. It was much too big for her, but she immediately felt warmer, so she didn’t complain. She opened the door, and hopped out.
“So we’re just going to leave the truck here then?”
“Yup” Logan answered. He walked over to her, and took the back pack. He slipped it over his arm, and began to walk. Marie noticed he was wearing only his leather jacket.
“Logan, you’re going to freeze” she called out. He stopped, and turned to look at her.
“I don’t have another coat. Come on.” He began to walk away again. He had given her his only coat. She felt a shiver of warmth. She watched as Logan disappeared into the white of the snow. Then she realized he was leaving without her.
“WAIT UP” she called out. She ran through the heavy snow until she caught up with him.
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The sting of the snow came quickly. Her fingers and toes were slowly growing numb. She watched Logan out of the corner of her eye. Each breath plumed out of his nose, covering his gruff face in a cloud of breath. He looked cold, and she could see his lip quivering.
“Do you want the coat for awhile?” she asked quietly. He looked at her. Snow had collected in his hair and sideburns, making him look very old. He grinned a quivering grin.
“No, I’m fine.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out another cigar, and lit it up. The dim glow was calming in the cold. Marie watched as the blue smoke rose slowly from it. There was barely any wind, which was nice. They walked a little farther in silence. Marie looked back at the truck, but it was nowhere to be seen. She was now completely surrounded with white, and with a man she barely knew, and was partially afraid of. But aside from all of this, she felt safe. For the first time in a long time, she felt out of harm’s way.
“Thanks” she said, not really thinking.
“Huh?” he asked. He looked at her with a questioning look. The cigar was mostly gone now, and it looked soggy at the end.
“For being so nice to me.” She smiled at him. He looked forward, and continued walking. She didn’t take it to heart though. From what she could gather, he wasn’t used to being praised. He just existed, and tried to stay in his own little world. In his own little way, she was sure he appreciated her thanking him, he just didn’t know how to display it. The snow was thick, and becoming harder to walk through. Each step was a job.
“How much longer?”
“Forty five minutes.”
“UUHHHH!!!”
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Twenty minutes of silence had passed. Marie couldn’t feel her toes, fingers or nose anymore, and breathing burned. Logan was full on shivering, hugging himself to keep warm, but refusing the coat. Marie felt terrible that he was freezing, but there wasn’t much she could do. Still nothing but snow could be seen. She looked back at Logan, who was moving very slowly now.
“Are you alright?” she asked. He stopped and took a deep breath. Then he let out a blood curdling scream. It was a deep, rough noise that made Marie jump a little. He looked up at the sky, and the knives in his hands came out again. He waved them in the air above his head for a second while still yelling, then he stopped. The knives went back inside, and he stared at Marie. His face was emotionless. Marie stood motionless, in shock. She was terrified. His mouth turned up into a smile.
“Yelling warms me up” he said softly. “Give it a try.” Marie remained quiet for a second. The sound of that yell. It was soaked in sorrow and anger. The eyes she was looking into has seen too much, and from listening to him scream, she felt like she could see it too. He looked at her for a minute, his smile fading slowly. Then he turned and began to walk.
“Hurry up” he called, sounding angry. She ran after him, regretting not yelling. Maybe she could do it now? No... It was too late now. He was walking much faster now, and Marie had to almost jog to keep up.
“Sorry...”
He didn’t respond.
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From the distance, Marie could see some small buildings. A jolt of warmth and joy filled her. Logan had slowed down a little, but it was still difficult to keep up in the heavy snow. They had been silent for a long time. Logan would grunt from time to time, but he just did that sometimes, it wasn’t anything special. They eventually made their way into the town, and found their way to a mechanic. They walked inside, and the warmth hit them both in an instant. It was wonderful. Marie put her hood down, unzipped the big coat, but left it on to keep her arms warm. Logan shook his head and shoulders like a dog, flinging slush in all directions. It was a tiny store, with a few chairs near the window and a small desk at the back, but that was it. A very tall man came from a back room.
“How may I help you folks?” he asked loudly. He was balding, and he had one of those voices that cuts through you like a knife. He walked over to Logan. Marie almost laughed. Logan, being quite short, looked silly compared to this man who Marie assumed to be at LEAST six and a half feet tall. Logan had to look almost straight up to see his face.
“Our truck popped a tire.”
“Where is your truck?” asked the tall man.
“On highway two forty seven, about fifteen minutes north of here.” The man walked over to his table, and opened a large book.
“Well, we’re mighty busy this time o’ year, sir” he began. He flipped through the book. “One popped tire you said?”
“Yeah.”
“I can have it done by...” He scanned the page for a moment. “Monday.”
“What?!” Logan asked, borderline rage already. The man closed the book slowly, backing away from the shorter man.
“We only have two men working the weekend. I’m sorry, but that is the fastest we can have it done.”
“So my truck is just gunna hafta sit in the snow for three days?” Logan began to pace, cracking his knuckles. Marie took a seat in one of the chairs and watched.
“We can get your truck back here by tonight” the man assured, “but we can’t work on it ‘till Monday.”
“It’s Friday, bub... I don’t have that kinda time.” The man grew very quiet for a second.
“I’m sorry, sir. That’s the best we can offer.” Logan stopped pacing. He looked up at the man.
“Well where am I s’posed ta stay till then?” The man looked out the window.
“Just down the road is a motel. You can stay there.”
“You have real shitty service, bub...” Logan stated angrily. “Have it done by Monday...” He turned, and stormed out. Marie stood and followed, ignoring the tall man.
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“LOGAN!” she called out, running after him. He was already half way across the street. The snow fell softly around them.
“What..?” He stopped and looked at her.
“Are you alright?” He turned and kept walking.
“I don’t have the money for a hotel...”
“What will we do then?” Logan continued to walk.
“We’ll figure sumthin’ out...”
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Author's Chapter Notes:
I apologize for taking so long for posting this. i've had diploma exams... Well, its here now. ENJOY!
Chapter End Notes:
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