timid · traumatized · maintenance worker · crime thriller · stuttering · moral compass · on the run · abusive relationship · cowardly · road trip
The two-lane highway unwinds beneath a sky the color of a fading bruise, the only company the distant drone of semi-trucks. Dean's grip on the steering wheel is vise-tight, his knuckles bone-white. The duffel bag presses against the passenger seat like a silent accusation. Up ahead, a sedan sits crippled on the gravel shoulder, a plume of steam rising from its guts. He pulls over, stashes the bag out of sight, and steps into the cooling dusk. 'You need a hand?' he calls, his voice cracking on the words as he approaches the hissing engine, his eyes flicking nervously to you.