Trip

Harrison Boyd hadn’t shown up at the airport, neither had his dad, his mom, his younger, driving aged sister, none of his friends had. Dana was alone in California. So much for a second chance. She had a few hundred bucks left over and she thought about flying to Virginia. She took out her cellphone and messaged a guy in Virginia. “Hey, if I came to Virginia today, could you give me a ride to a motel?”

Dana Durbin’s heart leapt when Michael Byrd messaged back. “Sure. We can get some lunch and catch up : p In person. But no hiding.”

Dana cringed. “Fine : p But no hiding from my camera.”

“I thought you were going to California to give Harrison another chance?” said Michael. “Already had a falling out?”

“I guess you could call it that,” messaged Dana. “He isn’t here and won’t pick up his phone.”

“That’s not cool,” messaged Michael. “Didn’t he buy your plane ticket? Seems weird to spend a lot of money and not see it through.”

“It’s his loss : p My gain ; p I’ll text you when I get on the plane and when I land,” messaged Dana. “I love you.”

She didn’t wait to see if he’d reply and put her phone into her purse and went to buy a connecting flight to Virginia. Dana sat at the terminal, her nose in a book, Twilight. She had a weak spot for Edward Cullen. A shadow loomed over the page she was on and she looked up. “Excuse me, miss?” It was a man casting the shadow. “Are you Dana Hewitt?”

Dana was a schizophrenic, so paranoia was not a new feeling for her. Who was this man? How did he know her? What did he want? Dana’s brain was breaking, shattering all over again, but she managed to nod and he beamed at her. “I’m Harrison’s uncle!” he smiled. “Kent Boyd!”

She knew the name and therefore eased up. Dana looked at Kent in his dark urine yellow eyes. “What can I do for you?”

“I’m here to take ya Fresno!”

Dana’s eyes fell from him and to the ticket that said Virginia. She grabbed her phone and squeezed it. “Yeah, about that,” Dana said. “I waited here for about an hour with no word from Harrison but a friend in Virginia wants to meet up, so, I’m going to Virginia.”

Kent snarled and Dana could smell his smoky breath. “So, you’re giving up on my nephew?”

“As I see it, he gave up on me!”

Kent stormed off, reminding her of a toddler that had been told no. If Harrison was not going to put in the effort to get Dana back, then she was not going to put in the effort to leave Michael hanging. He rarely left her hanging. Dana went back to Twilight. A few pages later and she felt the need to use the restroom. Dana grabbed her bag and purse and she hurried towards the bathroom.

She banged into the bathroom and saw the room was empty, which is odd for an airport bathroom, especially a woman’s bathroom. She figured she’d stop by the mirror and send Michael a photo, a little something to show him who was coming. Dana sent him one and then she decided to take some for Instagram, but at the sound of the door, she shoved her phone into her purse and went into a stall.

Not because she did not feel safe, she just did not like strangers. The footsteps did not sound female, which may sound weird; they were heavy and stompy. Not graceful and light. The person passed Dana’s stall and in the crack, Dana saw Kent. “I think you’re in the wrong restroom, Kent,” she said, chuckling nervously. No, Dana just thought Kent was country fried stupid. Kent stopped and backed up, eyeing Dana through the crack. “Can you not?”

For once in her life she was offended and, she pressed her hand to the crack, blocking his eye. Dana knew he could look up or down, but she let that go. She heard a click and she looked down at the crack. He had a knife. Dana gulped. “I already paid for the ticket to Virginia.”

Kent began to pound on the door, shaking the stall, making Dana cry out in fear; she put her hands out to stable herself on the toilet. Something that was not needed, the toilet wasn’t moving. More of a reflex. “That old fat fuck doesn’t care about you!” growled Kent.

Michael was older than Dana and would be considered a bigger person, but he was taller, so he didn’t look that heavy. Kent, Harrison, they’d have no idea of how old or how big Michael was. The pounding stopped. “Get that little cunt out here and I won’t slit your throat.”

Christ on a pony!

Dana did as told, she was greeted with Kent’s hand firmly planted against her upper arm, leading her out of the airport. Dana looked up at Kent. “May I tell Michael I won’t be coming to Virginia?” asked Dana. Dana looked up into Kent’s dark urine eyes.