Short but Sweet

Darren was wide awake as the sun died in the city of Sacramento and he had already squeezed as much stuff as possible in the crimson Audi TT. It had taken some persuasion on his part but just one night working at Asylum was too much for Darren and he had spoken to Aurelie about his unease at the club. The next part had been the hardest; he told her his interest in leaving the city and going somewhere, anywhere, away from the killings.

Thankfully, she had agreed, and so they had spent the next couple of days packing a small amount of their most prized possessions to take. It was easy for Darren; he came to the city with nothing and hadn’t gained much in the few months since his arrival. Aura however, had accumulated quite a lot of shit, and it took several hours for her to simply choose what outfits she wanted to keep! Darren had laughed at that. Here he was trying to get them relocated somewhere new, and Aura was cursing him in that delectable French accent about not understanding a girl’s needs.

The car was packed and with such a small trunk space, he had basically left all his own belongings aside. When Aurelie asked what he was taking, he simply replied that he was looking at it, making her smile. That dawn, she had slept and he had planned a route to take them as far as possible out of the city. He himself had caught a few hours shut eye, waking an hour before dusk, taking a quick meal before the last rays of sunlight slunk away.

Darren covered Aura in a blanket and carried her to the car, placing her gently in the passenger seat. He then took in the place one last time, quickly grabbing Aura’s pink training mitts that were dangling over the punch bag.

“Scatter brain,” he whispered before leaving, locking the door and running to the car, driving slowly out of the city as the night began. He thought back over his short time spent in Sacramento and realised that even though it had passed quickly, it had been learning curve, both with regards to himself and the world hiding below the surface.

“That’s my world now,” he said as Aurelie stirred next to him, coming back from that deathlike state she inhabited every day. Groaning in her confusion, Darren smiled and spoke gently to her.

“It’s ok, angel, we’re on the road, go back to sleep. We’ll stop and eat on the way.”