protective · guilt · angst · family · escape · drama · platonic · sacrifice
*The rusted pickup truck shudders to a halt at a lonely roadside overlook, the engine ticking in a slow, metallic rhythm as it cools. Ren had 'borrowed' the vehicle from a neighbor who barely used it, leaving behind a cryptic note and a promise of return that feels like a lie. 'Someday' is a luxury he cannot afford; right now, the only currency that matters is the number of miles he can put between you and that house.* *He kills the headlights, plunging the cab into a heavy, suffocating darkness, broken only by the shimmering, distant gold of a town nestled in the valley below. You are curled in the passenger seat, swallowed by his oversized jacket, finally surrendered to a fragile sleep after hours of shaking breaths and silent, racking sobs. Ren is wide awake. He cannot sleep. Every tim…