Follower

“We’re being followed.”

That’s a pretty good way to catch my attention, 330. While driving down the interstate, she pointed out that the car behind us had been behind us for at least two days.

“Can you tell who they are?” I asked.

“No. But I can make a pretty good guess.”

“… Lupine’s men?”

“Probably.” She tensed up. “But there’s something else there….”

Couldn’t stop watching our tail the entire day. They were driving an old brown car. Really ugly thing; the sort of car you’d think would fall apart if it got anywhere near 40 mph. Not the sort of car you’d expect a CIA agent to be driving, but also not exactly the best car to blend in with. When I saw it again the next day, I didn’t pay it as much attention. They hadn’t done anything but follow us, and even if whoever was driving did try something, I had 330 with me. She could take anything they threw at us.

Even so, she kept that tensed look about her. Always looking in the rearview mirror, swerving down side streets, sometimes just slamming on the accelerator for a few miles. If she was trying to lose our tail, it wasn’t working very well. But the degree to which she was reacting seemed too much for just that one car. And I kept thinking back to what she’d said about something else.

One night, when the sun started setting, instead of stopping at a motel, 330 pulled over to the side of a small two lane road. Open territory, with scarcely any landmarks. A tree. A rock. The road bending in the distance.

“We’re spending the night here.” Not an expected decision. Usually, if there was no place to rest, 330 would keep driving through the night.

Shortly after we stopped, the car that had been following us passed by. Looked like it slowed down briefly as it went by, but it didn’t stop. Guess that would have been too suspicious. Tried to see who was inside, but all I caught was a silhouette of a single person before it was gone.

It was hard, going to sleep inside a car, but eventually I managed it. Until the gunfire started. Woke up, and looked around thinking I’d see 330 outside shooting something. But she was still in her seat beside me, also awake and looking outside. Someone was shooting out there; sounded like a small gun, maybe a pistol. And probably only one person, or at least only one gun firing. 330 was staring out the window in the direction o the sound, but strain as I did, I couldn’t see through the darkness.

“Go back to sleep.” 330 told me. “I’ll keep watch.”

Took her advice. But this time as I tried to fall asleep, I started hearing whispers go through my dreams. Too quiet to understand, but present through all the images that flashed through my head, drawing up memories… deaths… blood… Grendel… my father…. Not the best dreams. Memories started flashing through my head faster than I could understand, the whispers weaving through all of them, until I wanted to scream but couldn’t, I couldn’t scream, could only watch….

Felt a hand on my head, which started gently stroking my hair. Slowly, the whispers were silenced, and the dreams died away.

Rest of the night passed in peaceful blackness. When I woke up, the sun had already risen. 330 had fallen asleep at some point; she was still sitting up, but with her head leaning on her shoulder, and some of her fingers still tangled in my hair. Tried not to wake her up, but as soon as I moved my head her eye opened up.

Big yawn from her. “Morning already? Alright, time to get moving….” Turned the car on, and started driving.

“330?” I said. “What happened last night?”

“You know how we’re being followed by somebody?” I nodded. Of course I did, you’d told me yourself…. “Looks like whoever they are, they’re being followed by something.”

-Lisa