Like Pax says, I’m not allowed to turn into my mother.
I grab my backpack, my keys, and my helmet and head out to the main garage. I haven’t been in it since Dad’s death, but I have no choice now. I need the Harley he left me. I’m going to Fairmount to find Pax and bring him home.
I take a deep breath as I hit the keycode on the panel on the wall and wait for the door to open. Stepping inside I take a quick glance around and ignore my inner hurt that tells me to either cry or break some shit as I spot the bike, climb on, flip the kick stand, and start the engine.
The bike is hella heavy, but the rumble between my legs is so powerful my heart begins to race as I rev the engine and tell myself that no matter what I see when I get there, this is my only option.
Here I come, Pax.
I’ve never driven a bike, let alone left the Hill to go any further than the liquor store, so a six-hour ride on this beast should be interesting.
On the highway, I feel nothing but freedom as I squeeze the clutch, pop it into fifth gear, and turn the throttle, speeding up to 65mph; this motherfucker is badass. I’ve never felt more alive than I do right now, and I think I’ve found a new love for driving motorbikes.
By the time I pass the junkyard in the middle of nowhere, it’s been close to two hours and according to the map I downloaded from Google, I know there is a rest stop ahead in the next forty-five minutes.
I pull into the station a while later to refuel and clean the bug guts off of my visor. My legs are sore as shit and I’m walking as if I’ve just been fucked for days, so I decide to stop in at the diner to rest.
I take a seat and check the map for my next landmarks, wondering where I will start looking once I get to Fairmount. I guess I could show his picture around and ask the locals.
“Coffee for you, hun?” the waitress asks.
“Please,” I say, pushing the mug toward her. “Would you happen to remember if this man came through here last Friday?”
I hold up my phone as she glances over the picture of Pax.
“No, sorry, hun. I don’t recognize him.”
“It’s fine,” I shrug, “just thought it was worth a shot.”
I hand her a ten and tell her to keep the change for the coffee as I fold up the map.
I’m antsy to get there because it’s getting dark quickly, so I take a few sips and make my way back out to the bike.
It’s close to eleven by the time I see the sign welcoming me to the town of Fairmount, population 720. I pull over and dig through my bag for the town map I printed.
The sign looks as old as all of the buildings I can see on what looks to be the main street. Everything is weathered and decayed with the paint and letters missing from the bar, motel, and homes I pass as I idle down the road until I find a spot to park the bike.
I enter the convenience store that doubles as the town motel. It’s shady as shit and creepy too, so I head right to the weird looking guy behind the till, and I smile.
He’s pale and super skinny, maybe forty with dark eyes and hair, and he doesn’t seem too friendly.
“Hi,” I say, holding up my phone, “have you seen this guy around by any chance?”
He leans in closer as he pulls a pair of glasses from his pocket and slips them on.
“Yeah, I’ve seen him around… question is, what’s a young thing like you doing looking for a dirtbag like Pax for?”
My first instinct is to swallow down my excitement because this guy doesn’t seem to like my runaway drifter.
“I have business with him,” I lie. “Any chance you could point me in the right direction of where he might be staying?”
I don’t take any chances and slip him a hundred, hoping it’ll give him incentive to answer honestly.
“What kind of business?” he asks, taking the money.
“Repairs… on my bike, he told me to meet him by the sign just outside town, but I waited for a while and he didn’t show.”
“Yeah well, you shouldn’t be out this late in this town, and you definitely don’t want to walk into the mess of a crowd that guy hangs out with, so I’ll tell you what…” he says, reaching behind him for a key, “take room twenty, last door down the hall on the left, and I’ll see if I can’t track him down for you in the morning.”
I take the key as my heart pounds in my chest.
“Are there cockroaches?” I blurt unintentionally.
He laughs and shakes his head.
“Honey, in this town it ain’t the cockroaches you need to be worried about… the sheets are clean and the TV works. Just smack the side of it if it’s fuzzy.”
I nod and slip my phone in my pocket as I turn toward the hallway that leads to the rooms.
“I didn’t catch your name, sweetheart,” he calls out from behind me.
“Vixen,” I say back, waving the keys in the air, “and thanks for the room.”
He mutters something but I just keep walking until I reach the last room on the left. The place is decked out in wood paneling board and unnerving wall sconces that flicker as I pass.
If ever there was a time, I didn’t want to
