It's been another long, boring day to be stuck in the car together. Every once in a while, I switched radio stations trying to find a channel that was broadcasting news. Ben would have reached out to change the channel. After doing this a few times, Ben swapped it out for a CD and glared at me. I sat in my seat with my arms crossed over my chest. As we drove along the highway, Ben kept his hands on the steering wheel. His hand often slips onto infected skin. His fingers would run over his shirt before putting his hands back on the wheel.

For lunch, he walks through the drive-in restaurant of a fast-food restaurant. He bought us a couple of burgers and paid in cash. When Ben left the restaurant, I crossed my legs and reached for my bag. Ben grabbed one of the burgers. I took out the salty fries and ate them one by one.

"Where did you get all this money from?" I asked.

"Bethany," he said. "She loves to drink and keeps her cards all over the place. I've been withdrawing money from her account for a while now. ”

"That's how you got the gun?"

At the mention of that gun, my voice trembled. I've never talked to Ben about this gun. My eyes could always catch a glimpse of it sticking out of his belt. This has always been in the back of my mind. That's the only reason I didn't run out of the car.

That's the only reason I didn't scream for help, I help anyone in public. I'm going to see my mom and Marcy again, and I can't do that if I'm full of bullets. hum

"Bethany didn't just have a gun around the house," he said. "I got it after we came back from the Caribbean."

"I thought Bethany was going to lock you in the house after embarrassing them at the dinner party," I said.

"It didn't last long." He shrugged. "I convinced her to let me go outside."

"What? Did you sleep with her again? I scoffed. Ben tilted his head to the side and squinted at me.

"What kind of attitude is this?" He asked. "I just wanted to take care of both of us. Don't you want that? ”

Benn gripped the steering wheel tightly, his knuckles white. I can imagine him jerking the steering wheel to the side and then crashing the car into another car or a tree, killing both of us.

"I'm sorry," I apologized. "It's just that you didn't really tell me anything."

"You need to trust me," he said.

I rolled my eyes and continued to eat the fries at the bottom of the bag. For the rest of the day, we drove in silence. Ben found another small motel. He has a consistent charismatic personality that captivates the ladies who work behind their desks. As we walked to the room, he threw the bag over his shoulder and put his arm around me. I'm used to the strange pungent smell that permeates all these rooms.

Ben stretched his arms over his head and took his clothes out of his suitcase. He held out his hand to me.

"Come on," he said. "Let's go take a shower." "Do you like to be together?"

"Yes, dear." He grabbed my hand and pulled me closer to him. He put his other arm around my waist. "The last few days have been crazy and we haven't been able to get any time together."

"I just don't think—"

"What?"

The smile on his lips turned into a sad face. I swallowed the lump that had formed in my throat.

"Dee, what's wrong?" He asked. "You've been acting weird all day, don't you want to be with me?" The word "no" screamed in my head. I bit my lower lip to keep the word from coming out of my mouth.

"I do it all for us because I love you," Ben said. "I don't understand why you don't-"

"Ben," I interrupted, holding his face with both hands. His anger subsided, but my heart was still beating wildly in my chest. If I didn't, he would shoot a bullet into the skulls of both of us. "Ben, I just don't want to do this because I'm tired. I'm sorry. ”

It wasn't until his fingers let go of me that I realized how tight his grip was on me. Waist.

"Okay," he said. "Let's go."

I nodded softly before Ben pulled me to the bathroom. I had to keep reminding myself that Ben and I had spent the night together. Only then did I realize how delusional he was.

Ben reached in, turned on the shower, and let the water warm. I clung to the bathroom door. He pulled his shirt over his head, and my gaze fell directly on a piece of scale on his side. The red spot he poked last night had become darker and looked more aggressive. "Looks terrible," I said.

Ben glanced down. He stroked it with his fingers and I saw his face wrinkled.

"I was worried about it when we got to the cottage," he said. I opened my mouth to say something, but he held out his hand. "Dee, don't worry just yet."

Ben grabbed the hem of my skirt and pulled it over my head. My arms instinctively crossed over my chest. Ben giggled, grabbed my wrist, and pulled my arm away from himself. He pulled me towards his chest and put his lips against my neck. I closed my eyes, my hands clenched into fists, and I resisted the urge to push him away, clenching my fists.

When Ben undressed both of us, I stood motionless. He pulled me under the warm water. His hands ran over my body. I close my eyes and think about the end goal. I imagined lying in my mother's bed when I was a child. I imagined that next week Marcy and I would make chocolate pancakes for breakfast. I need this to happen, and it's only going to happen if I make Ben happy.

When Ben turns off the water. I jumped out of the shower and wrapped myself in a towel. I hurried out of the bathroom and walked over to the bed. I rummaged through my duffel bag for clothes. I left my glasses in the bathroom, so I had to squint. I managed to pull out a sweatshirt and a t-shirt. Before Ben walked out of the bathroom, I put them all on and covered my hair with a towel.

I looked away from him and saw the TV remote on the dresser.

"Can you take my glasses out of the bathroom?" I asked.

"Yes, of course," Ben said.

He turned around and I snatched the remote. I rummaged through channels until I found a news channel. They were reporting on a robbery that took place in a city I had never heard of before. As I waited for the story to change, I shifted my focus from one foot to the other.

"It's your—" I looked back to see Ben walking back to the room. "What are you doing?"

"I'm just curious," I said. I took my glasses from him and sat on the edge of the bed. I put them on and now I can really see the words on the screen. "I wonder if they know anything new."

When Ben sat down next to me, the mattress sank. I held the remote in my hand. He put his hand on my shoulder, then pulled me closer to him and kissed my temple.

"I just don't want you to be upset," he said. "Tomorrow we will arrive in Muscoca, we don't have to worry about that anymore."

"Tomorrow?" I asked. "Are we going to stop traveling?"

"yes, we can finally rest."

I was counting on someone to spot us in public and recognize us. I'm expecting someone to recognize the car. It must have been Bethany's, unless he stole it or swapped the license plate. I thought we were going to get caught. What a delusional behavior I could report to the police.

Soon, it was just Ben and me left. The two of us were trapped in a cabin. He will probably do everything to stop me from leaving the cabin.

Maybe in the cabin would be a positive thing. I can find a way to escape, or I can run for help. He couldn't have been watching me all the time. If I've built enough trust with him, he might not even bother me.

The news story turned to Ben and me. Our photos are pasted side by side on the screen. It's a graduation photo I've used before. Ben's photograph is almost illegible. He was a tall, lanky teenager with short hair and a skullcap.

"Benjamin is wanted for the brutal murder of his mother Judith and his sister," the news anchor said. "We encourage anyone with any information to contact the police."

Ben snatched the remote from my hand and turned off the TV.

"Enough," he said,

He got out of bed and rummaged through his duffel bag. We're all on medication. I crawled back into bed. Ben turned off the light, and his arms wrapped my arms around his chest.

I couldn't sleep, and my mind kept thinking about Mom and Marcy.