Ben was driving all day and didn't want to stop again. I leaned my head against the window and kept quiet. The sunglasses covered my eyes, so I thought I was sleeping most of the day.

We drove into another motel. He put his hand on my shoulder and gently shook my body. "Honey, we're going to stop for the night," he told me.

I sat up straight and stretched my shoulders. I followed Ben as he got out of the car. As we walked down the hall, he put his arm around my shoulder.

An old man who speaks broken English is working behind his desk. I asked for room 16 and paid in cash again.

We took out our luggage and climbed the rusty metal staircase to our room. I put my bag at the foot of the bed. I grabbed the remote control and was on top of the TV. I sat down next to my bag and flipped through the channels. Ben walked past me and into the bathroom. I landed on the news channel. They were discussing the weather, and my knees trembled as I waited for the topic to change.

My graduation photo appeared on the screen again. I leaned closer to listen to them and put my sunglasses on top of my head.

"The search for Diana and Benjamin is still ongoing," the news anchor said. "Diana disappeared six weeks ago and was pronounced dead in a car accident five weeks ago. Benjamin is the prime suspect in the murder of his mother and sister three years ago. Benjamin was also pronounced dead shortly after a car accident.

"Benjamin's fingerprints were found at the scene of Bethany's murder Wednesday morning. Diana's fingerprints were found at the scene of the murder of Bethany's fiancé, Oliver Sweeney. Presumably, Ben and Diana should be together. ”

Ben came and stopped when he saw the news channel. He ran his fingers through his hair and shook his head. As he sat down next to me, he put his arm around my waist and snatched the remote from me. He turned off the TV and pinned a strand of hair behind my ear.

"Don't look at that," he said. "You don't have to worry about that."

"Why do they say we're dead?" I asked.

"That's what doctors do," Ben said. "They stopped searching for us, saying we died in a car accident. It was so brutal that our bodies were unrecognizable. They usually say that our bodies are completely charred. So that they don't need to send the body to the funeral. ”

"But they know we're alive now."

Ben pursed his lips into a line. He ran his fingers around a strand of my hair.

"Soon it will be just the two of us," he said. "At the same time, we have to disguise ourselves."

He kissed me on the cheek before getting out of bed. He grabbed my fingers with his fingers and pulled me up with him. He flipped through a suitcase and pulled out a stack of cash. He tucked it into the back pocket of his jeans. I could see a flash of metal, and I knew it was a gun sticking out of his belt. His jacket quickly covered it again.

"Let's go get something," he said. "I saw a gas station on the side of the road."

I nodded. Ben held my hand tighter. He lowered his sunglasses and let them return to my face. As we left the hotel room, Ben hugged me tightly. The streets are lined with fast food restaurants and small hotels. There are quite a few cars coming in and out of the gas station.

Ben didn't let me go, collecting snacks, a pair of sunglasses, and a box of hair dye. He walked up and down the aisle, grabbing items like a pack of scissors, a hoodie, and more food. Ben paid the money and dragged me back to my hotel room.

"Sorry, dinner was mostly biscuits and peanuts," Ben said as he pulled everything out of his bag and put them on the bed.

"Can't we find a place to stop and get something to eat?" I asked.

"No, we have other things to do tonight."

He handed me a pack of scissors. I looked down at them, then at Ben. "You need to change your hairstyle," he said.

"I don't cut my hair," I said.

"I like your long hair too, Diana," he said. "You have to do it. It will grow back. ”

"We—"

"Dee, you're either going to cut your hair or dye it."

I looked back at the scissors. He's right. If I cut off my hair, it will grow back. If I dye my hair blonde, it will grow badly. I chose the lesser of two evils and brought the scissors into the bathroom.

I put my glasses on the counter. It took me a lot of effort to tear open the package. When I was done, I grabbed a handful of hair with my hands. I started cutting off that thick hair. My hands were slipping all the time and the scissors were having a hard time keeping them straight. I started cutting my hair so that it ended at the shoulders. I couldn't keep the scissors straight, so I had to cut my hair shorter and shorter to get it even. By the time I was done, my hair was just under my ears. The sink was full of my brunette hair.

I looked at myself in the mirror. It's hard for me to recognize myself with these eyes. My hair made me turn around and become a complete stranger. I had burns on my ears and nose. I took a deep breath to stop myself from crying, but a few tears still flowed out. I covered my mouth and tried to hide my sobs.

Ben walked around the motel room. He knocked lightly on the door before opening it. I buried my face in my hands.

I jumped as Ben's arm slid over my waist. Ben rested his head on my shoulder. I wiped my cheek with the palm of my hand. Ben pulled me to his chest.

"You still look beautiful," he said. "I don't look like myself," I said.

"That's what we need right now."

He pressed his lips to the base of my neck, and my spine shivered. A few more tears slipped down my cheeks. I grabbed his hand and tried to pull him away from me. His fingers curled up around my waist. I wanted to continue to resist his grip, but I imagined the gun on his belt.

People are looking for me. I must not die now.

I spun around Ben's arms. I put my hand on his chest and pushed him away, keeping a little distance between us. Ben held my face in his hands. He ran his thumb over my cheek and wiped away tears. I forced myself to smile at him, my lips trembling.

"I'm really tired," I said. "I just want to go to sleep."

"Okay," he said, and leaned over and kissed me. "Your stuff is in my bag, I'll clean the bathroom."

I nodded. The tension in my chest eased when Ben let go of me. I changed into the shirt Ben gave me last night and climbed into bed. I wrapped my fingers around the soft ends of my new short hair and fell asleep.

I opened my eyes when I heard the swearing. I yawned and put my hand in my eyes. I propped myself up with one hand. I squinted to see Ben standing in front of the mirror hanging next to the TV. A light is on, bringing a faint glow to the room. He took off his shirt and poked at the scaly skin on his ribs. I reached for my glasses on the bedside table.

"Ben, what are you doing?" I asked. "Go back to sleep, Diana," he said.

I threw the blanket off my lap, slid off the bed, and walked over to Ben. He ran his fingers over the top of a sheet of scales. Red, inflamed skin around the patch.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"I told you to go back to sleep," he said.

"It's infected," I said. "Isn't it?"

The nursing textbook that Oliver let me read had tons of pictures of infections. At first they looked swollen and red, much like Ben's skin. "I don't know," he said.

"You need to see a doctor"

"It's impossible," he said. "Go back to bed."

"You know it's only going to get worse."

Ben snapped his fingers and pointed to the bed.

"Go to sleep, Diana," he said.

I bit my lip and went back to bed. If Ben didn't treat the infection, I knew it would weaken him and possibly even kill him. In that case, I'll be able to get out of it.

Ben turned off the lights and climbed back into bed. He rolled me over and left me lying on his chest. He grunted softly, and I knew I was lying on his bright red skin.

He shifted our position and made us lie on our sides.

I fell asleep again and wondered how long it would take for this infection to spread.