Capture Me

by Amber Thielman

  He was lying to Kass about his reasoning to keep her with him, but he couldn’t tell her what it was; not yet. She wouldn’t care, and he knew it would make no difference to her if he lived or died. There were only so many bizarre and creepy ways to tell a total stranger he needed her but couldn’t tell her why, so he kept his mouth shut instead. And while Logan feared that she’d narc on him, the many hours of driving had allowed him to form a better plan in his mind, and moment by moment it was coming together like he hoped it would. Kass, unfortunately, now had to be a bigger part of this than either of them ever wanted.

  “What are we going to do now?” She pulled the SUV into a ditch on the side of the road just as the vehicle jerked and sputtered. It died before Kass could even turn it off.

  “We’re going to walk,” Logan said. “We’re going to walk until we find somewhere to stay for the night.”

  “Are you serious? You don’t even know where we are.”

  “Somewhere in Idaho, I think,” he said.

  “That’s exactly my point. We could die out here.” She was agitated now, both hands flinging in the air like he was some jerk asking her to do something incredibly stupid.

  Okay, yeah, that’s what he was asking. The truth was, he didn’t want to walk, either. It was cold as all fuck outside, and he hadn’t the slightest idea where they were or where they must go from here.

  He stared at Kass for a moment, watched her chew her lip nervously. The circles beneath her eyes were even more prominent than before, and her knuckles were white where she’d been clutching the steering wheel with a death grip.

  “You’re right,” Logan said. He looked away from her, out the windshield. It was dark, cold. The sky was black, and when he looked at his watch, he found it was almost ten.

  He grabbed his pack from the floor of the SUV and opened the passenger’s side door. His feet were still killing him, but he had no choice anymore. As he stepped out of the vehicle, he turned back around to look at Kass staring at him with her mouth wide open.

  “What are you doing?”

  “Walking,” he said. “Come on.”

  “You’re serious?” She sounded horrified.

  Logan sighed and rolled his shoulders back, hoping to ease the ache in his bones. “I guess we can sleep in the car,” he said. “But there’s a chance we’ll freeze to death sometime during the night.”

  “I think I’ll take my chances,” Kass said.

  Logan stepped back and looked around. It was dark, so dark he could barely separate the road from the ditches on either side. There was no sound around them except for the occasional hoot of an owl somewhere deep in the trees. There were no drivers, no houses, no headlights.

  “Suit yourself.” He shut the door the SUV and slung the pack over one shoulder. As he walked through the dark towards what he assumed was a safe direction (any direction was better than just standing there, he supposed), the sound of a slamming door came from behind him.

  “So, what, that’s it?” Kass called to him.

  He didn’t slow down; he didn’t have time to stand there arguing with her.

  “That’s it,” he said over his shoulder.

  “Those are my options, stay here and freeze overnight or go with you as your hostage?”

  “Yes,” Logan said, and when she called out to him again, he finally stopped and turned around. She was coming towards him, her arms around herself for warmth, the hood from her skimpy jacket drawn up over her head.

  “You’re a piece of shit,” she said as she approached. She stopped in front of him. As Logan’s eyes adjusted to the dark, he saw the fear etched in her features with something he figured was anxiety-induced apprehension. As they stood there, her eyes darted from tree to tree as though she were preparing for something to jump out from the woods and grab her.

  “If I’m such a piece of shit, why don’t you stay here?” He was offering her an out, even if it was a shitty one, and she was too dumb and scared to take it.

  “I can’t stay here alone,” she said.

  “I didn’t tell you to.”

  “I don’t know where we are.”

  “That makes two of us.”

  It was snowing again. While it had been lovely to look at safe behind the windshield of a warm vehicle, Logan had to hold back an animated groan of disgust. He looked up at the sky, wishing he could see more than just an endless bed of black as the frozen flakes settled on his skin. It was beautiful, as it always was.

  Until they froze to death, anyway.

  Logan looked back at Kass. She was wringing her hands now, looking around in silence. He wasn’t sure she understood anything coming out of his mouth. He wanted to settle her, soothe her somehow, but he could do nothing. She’d probably punch him in the face for trying, anyway.

  “If you come with me back to the freeway, Kass, you’re not going home,” Logan said as they walked. “Leaving you here where you couldn’t run to the police was the only way I knew I could get a head start. Since you didn’t take it, I have to take you.”

  “Leaving me out in the middle of nowhere with no help is no better than forcing me to go somewhere with you,” Kass said finally.

  “I know. But I figured you’d prefer the latter.”

  “Are you going to kill me?”

  “The answer hasn’t changed, Kass. Does it look like I want to kill you?”

  She looked down at the ground. Her arms were folded, shielding herself. The snow was coming down thick, leaving dustings of white along her shoulders and on top of her hood. Strands of brown hair were escaping from the sides, framing her face. Her cheeks were red from the cold, as was the tip of her nose, and as Logan scanned his eyes over her face, he noticed a single snowflake land on her eyelash. She held his gaze for a long moment before she finally looked away.

  “What choice will you have?” she asked. “Eventually you’ll either have to let me go, or you’ll have to kill me.”

  “I guess you’ll have to play your cards right,” Logan said.

  They trudged down the gravel road in silence for a few minutes, ragged breathing cutting through the air. It wasn’t a hard walk; it was just too fucking cold. Logan’s lungs felt like they’d been dipped into a vat of liquid nitrogen, and his skin was past the point of being numb; it physically hurt. He wasn’t sure he even had feet anymore, let alone a nose or the tip of his ears.

  By the time they reached the freeway, Logan had found a more private path headed in the direction he knew they’d been traveling in the SUV. It was far enough from the flow of traffic that Kass couldn’t wave somebody down (especially in the dark) without having to make a run for it first. And if she was feeling anything like Logan was at that moment, much more than a stiff, numb limp was out of the question.

  “We have to stop soon,” she said after a few more minutes. “I’m cold.”

  Logan stopped walking and turned around to look at Kass. Covered in a soft layer of snow and still holding her arms around her, she was shivering, her entire body trembling in the cold. Her skin was no longer red, but as pale as the flakes dropping around them.

  “Jesus, woman.” He shrugged off his jacket and held it out to her. “Switch me. This one is warmer.”

  “I'm fine,” Kass said, but her teeth were chattering.

  “Take it or stand there and argue with me, it’s your choice, but first think about which route will get us to the motel quicker.”

  Kass took a second to give up, just as Logan assumed it would. A woman like Kass wanted to be strong and independent. God forbid she caved and accepted help from the man who had taken her hostage.

  As she stiffly pulled off her flimsy jacket, hands shaking, she took his thicker one and pulled it on as he forced his arms into her jacket. It was a size or two too small, but he’d been expecting that. It was still slightly warm from whatever body heat she’d had left.

  When Logan looked back at Kass, her chin was down as she fumbled numbly for the zipper on the coat. Her fingers kept slipping
, hands shaking.

  “Here.” He stepped up to her and reached for the zipper himself, pulling it up so her chin was snug inside the fabric. Then he pulled the hood over her head, hands hovering on either side of her face. Kass watched him as she burrowed her fingers into the deep pockets of his coat, biting her lip. He had the intense urge to grab her cheeks between his fingers and kiss her, to pull her into him and hold her, warm her up. But he didn’t. He dropped his hands from her face.

  “Thanks,” she said.

  He nodded once and turned away, forcing himself to keep walking. He could only hope that sooner rather than later they’d find an exit with something remotely helpful in the distance.

  “We need to find a different car,” Logan said over his shoulder.

  “Well, as soon as I see someone on the street corner willing to trade, I'll let you know,” Kass said. Her teeth were chattering.

  About the length of a football field ahead, he spotted a sketchy looking pub right off the exit. You could see it from the freeway, a flashing neon sign that read, Margarita Night, Women's Drinks Half Off!

  “There,” Logan said. “Just up ahead.”

  “While a drink doesn’t sound too bad, I’m not sure how it’s going to help our situation,” Kass mumbled. She stumbled in the snow, almost falling. Logan knew if she were physically feeling anything near the exhaustion and pain he was, she wouldn’t be able to make it through the cold and snow for much further.

  “Just trust me, okay?” Logan said. Without thinking twice about it, he took Kass’s arm in his hand to steady her. She didn’t fight him, didn’t spew hateful words, or try to hit him. She only followed him silently across the field and towards the pub. Twice she tripped and nearly fell, but he kept her on her feet.

  Somewhere in the distance, Logan could hear drunk, babbling idiots singing to each other. He saw no small-town police on the prowl yet, but it was still early in the night. Any time now they would be out trying to catch drunk drivers in the act, and he’d be out in the open, just asking for it.

  “Are we going in?” Kass said as they approached the pub from the back entrance. Logan dropped her arm and looked around. There was no one in visible sight, as this small-town bar didn’t have the same action as the big city joints. Maybe he could do this and get away with it.

  “What are you going to do?” demanded Kass as Logan flipped up his hood.

  He kneeled next to someone’s car, ignoring the stiffness in his joints and the freezing cold snow seeping through his Levi’s. Kass’s tone had taken on a terrified hiss, and Logan could only hope she’d keep it together long enough for him to figure this out.

  “Just stand there, don't move,” he said. “Say my name if someone comes near.”

  “Logan, you're not going to steal the--”

  He reached for the handle of the Red Jeep Cherokee and pulled. Locked. Damn. He retook Kass's hand—surprised when she followed him without a fight—and tried the next door to a white suburban. Locked.

  “I don't think this is a good idea. At all.” Kass said under her breath.

  “I know,” he said. “I heard you the first time.”

  The dark November air was chilling her skin. He could feel it against his. He wished he had gloves to give her.

  “Logan—”

  “Settle down.” He stopped in front of a blue Cavalier and yanked the handle, prepared to move on, when the door popped open, squealing a little.

  “Jesus,” said Kass. “We can't steal someone's car!”

  Logan leaned into the driver’s seat, holding his breath, and checked the ignition for the keys. Nothing. He didn't have time to hotwire it, not that he was confident he would even be able to. Now, he was running on pure luck. He leaned in further, ignoring the offensive smell of perfume and mint gum that reached his nose. He allowed his hand to rummage through the jockey box, and then the middle console. As he was about to try another one, his fingers brushed against a ring of cold metal under the seat. He smiled and wrapped his fingers around the key ring. As he straightened up, someone behind him said Kass's name.

  Logan caught his breath and froze.

  This is it, he thought. I'm done for.

  “Hey!” the voice called.

  Kass looked over at the small crowd of people exiting the bar, and her blood pressure shot to a dangerous level. From the corner of her eye, she saw Logan go rigid from where he sat in the driver's seat. For a split second, she panicked, unable to fathom what might happen next. Home. Abby. Ryan. She could be saved from this mess and never have to see Logan’s face again.

  But then, as the thought of home nagged at her, somewhere deep inside something stirred, an unexpected pigment of emotion clutched at her chest. Sadness. Regret. Loneliness—

  “Kelsey, wait up.”

  They said Kels. Not Kass. Kelsey.

  The crowd of friends—not much older than herself—lumbered past, barely glancing in their direction. They were drunk and loud, laughing at something stupid one of them said. Up ahead, their friend, the one named Kelsey, stopped to wait.

  “The car is ready, honey,” Logan called over his shoulder. “I finally found the keys.”

  Kass glanced over her shoulder one last time to make sure the coast was clear before maneuvering to the other side of the car. She slipped into the passenger's seat, taking in the girly smell of the car’s interior. It was cramped in here, so much smaller than the SUV had been, and the seats were laden with tacky Tinkerbelle seat covers.

  “Good choice,” she said, nodding her approval. “It brings out the man in you.”

  “My thoughts as well.”

  She held her breath as Logan put the car into drive and eased away from the curb. It wasn't until the flashing neon sign from the pub was no longer visible in Kass's mirror that she allowed herself to breathe.

  They drove another two hours into the night, far enough away that when the car was reported stolen, they’d still have a few hours’ time to keep ahead.

  The stupid heater to the stupid little car didn’t work, and Logan’s fingers and toes felt like someone had broken them one by one until the pain was gone and all that was left was a dull numbness and the unpleasant sensation of paralysis. Beside him in the passenger’s seat, Kass had her arms around herself as she fruitlessly tried to get warm. Her skin was still pale, teeth chattering, and Logan wasn’t confident it was any warmer in this car than it was outside.

  When he was too tired and too cold and too sore to drive any longer, he pulled off a barely lit exit and into a lot of a motel smack dab in the middle of what looked like the gates of hell. One or two other cars dotted the lot, but that was it aside from them. The shitty motel was the only public place he’d seen for miles, so they had no choice but to sleep there for the night. Logan just hoped it was far enough out of the way that he wouldn’t be recognized if Washington State Law Enforcement already had a photo circulating and a warrant posted for his arrest.

  “Come on.” He pocketed the keys and stepped out of the car, and Kass followed. As she walked forward with him, he stopped her. “There isn’t going to be a problem, is there?”

  Kass shook her head. She looked so defeated and tired that he wasn’t sure she’d even have the energy to narc on him at this point, and all Logan felt in his heart was guilt. Without thinking twice about it, he reached for Kass’s hand and intertwined his fingers with hers. She didn’t fight him, didn’t pull away. She held his hand tight, the cold of her skin matching the freeze of his own. It was all for show but Logan found something comforting in the grip of her hand.

  They walked steadily towards the door, trudging through the bitter snow, and an old man behind the front desk greeted them with a smile and a nod. He checked them in, nonchalant and friendly.

  “Cold out there?” he asked, eying Kass.

  “Our heater went out,” Logan said. “We figured it was about time to stop.”

  “Good thinking. I’ll put you up in room 218.”

  “Thank you,” Lo
gan snagged the room key from the man’s fingers and forced a smile. Thankfully, he hadn’t asked for ID, and Logan paid the night in cash. That seemed to suit the clerk just fine, and by the time Kass and Logan went back outside to find their room, the desk clerk was already back to focusing on the crossword puzzle.

  The snow had let up, but the air was still mind-numbingly cold as they made their way into the quiet of the room. Logan locked the deadbolt and closed the drab, maroon curtains behind them, and Kass sat down on the edge of the bed, stiff and frozen and silent. That musty smell was in the air; mildew mixed with cheap cleaning solution and stale cigarettes.

  “Are you okay?” Logan asked. He reached to dial up the hundred-year-old thermostat on the far wall. The motel room smelled of mold. There was a good-sized stain in the middle of the vacuumed carpet, a stain that looked a little bit like dried blood. It was something straight out of a poorly made horror movie. Logan wasn't sure that the beds would even be clean, but he didn't care. He'd lived in worse conditions than this, and he was too exhausted to give a shit tonight.

  “I’m fine,” Kass said. “What now?”

  “We sleep.”

  “And then?”

  “And then what?” Logan sat down in the desk chair across from her and leaned down to pull off his sopping wet and partially frozen sneakers. He couldn’t feel his toes, but he assumed since his skin wasn’t black yet, he’d escaped any form of frostbite. Kass watched him do this without bothering to remove any of her own wet layers.

  “You still haven’t told me where we’re even going,” she said finally.

  “I didn’t think you cared to know.”

  “I don’t.”