Species Unknown [Book 1: Aves]

TWENTY-FOUR

WE DECIDED TO set out soon after, wasting no time. I quickly cut out the back of the shirt I bought from the gas station for Elias to wear before packing the rest of our items. Once we had everything, I used the remains of the alcohol to clean all the surfaces we touched, leaving no evidence we were ever there.

With Elias waiting in the car, I stopped at the corner store to grab breakfast and a paper map of the west coast before we hit the road. To my misfortune, I was greeted with the same disinterested cashier, who only took a break from his phone to scrutinize my attire.

A wrinkled gas station shirt with matching black sweatpants from the night before. His sallow eyes widened slightly when his unimpressed gaze landed on my neck. I felt my face flush when I realized what must be there, and cursed at myself internally for not looking in a mirror this morning.

Quickly, I pulled my hair in front of my neck and gestured meaningfully towards my items. I swore I could see the ghost of a smile cross his thin lips as he scanned my items, packing them carelessly in a bag.

As I paid, I caught his eyes on my neck again and I sent him the best 'mind your business' glare I could. He simply rolled his eyes, shoving the bag towards me before bidding me another frosty farewell.

With a huff, I grabbed my bag of purchases before rushing out the door. The sun still had yet to rise, and the crisp morning air whipped across my cheeks as I made my way back to an impatient Elias.

From the passenger seat, he leaned over to open the door for me to slide in with my bag clutched firmly to my chest. Once inside, I say the door shut and locked the car, taking a quick look around to make sure we were still alone.

Fortunately for us, we were the only souls unfortunate enough to have to be outside at the crack of dawn and were blissfully alone as a result. When that was confirmed, I slumped back into my seat, letting out a sigh of relief.

I took a second before I finally looked down into the bag of things I bought. I could feel Elias lean closer to me in expectation of what I would pull out. Smiling to myself, I reached for the same wrapped sandwiches I bought for us last night and handed them to an excited Elias.

I unpacked two water bottles, watching as he quickly unwrapped the food and began to eat. I laughed to myself. I saw what he was given at the laboratory; dry chicken, rice and vegetables. Simple white bread and cheese must taste like the best thing in the world to him.

As he finished his sandwiches, I handed him a cup of strawberries before unwrapping my own sandwich to begin eating as I took a look at the map. Elias contentedly chewed away at his strawberries as I looked between the map and the address I wrote hurriedly on a motel napkin.

We destroyed my phone, so I had to do it the old fashioned way.

It took me a few minutes, enough time for me to end up finishing my own sandwich, but eventually I found the highway I needed to take to get there. Once I had a clear direction, I threw away our bag of food wrappers before setting off.

~*~

When we arrived, the sky was tinted orange with a tease of the coming sunset.

The car lurched and bumped over the unpaved dirt path that (according to the map) was supposed to be the only route to my grandmothers secluded cabin. Though with each passing mile of empty forest, I was beginning to question my navigational skills.

I took the last swig of my water before tossing it to the back of the car.

I felt my jaw ache with the urge to yawn. An entire days worth of driving really took a toll of me. We didn't even take any breaks, just one when we happened to pass by a single gas station on the side of the highway.