katerrifically | -- for prefers_magneto Highway to hell.

The Sunset Motel was a little used motel on a stretch of the road that saw the most traffic during the winter ski months. It was not winter. However, there were a few cars in the lot due to some tourists trying to enjoy the changing fall foliage.

Erik and Kate had made it off of the island. They had traversed the span of the mountainous forest and and made it to the foothills thanks to Erik's unique ability to control metal. It was not the most comfortable way to travel but beggars could not be choosers. Kate had no cause to complain. There was simply no choice in the matter for her. She did as he instructed.

The motel hadn't been the first sign of civilization the two had seen. They did not want to appear too close to the crash site. It might be searched. The two had moved on until they had found the Sunset Motel. The paint was peeling from some sections of the exterior. The parking lot needed to be paved. The decor was horribly dated. Still, it was clean (mostly).

Kate had not asked Erik how he had obtained the room. She thought she might not want to know and also thought that it might not matter.

When they had entered the room, Kate had moved to the bed farthest away from the window. She sat down on the tangerine bedspread. Her posture slumped. She was tired. Kate reached up and brushed her hair back. It was tangled and Kate withdrew her hand sharply to rest both hands on her lap.

"What now?"

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From:

prefers_magneto

"Now?" He picked up the remote control and flicked the power on the television, flipping channels until he found the news. "Now you're going to watch TV. See if there's an active search going on for us. If they're keeping it under their hats, we don't need to worry about being fingered by the public when we move."

He took some cash out of his pocket and swiftly counted it. God bless the automated banking machine and all its little metal mechanical parts.

"I'm going to grab food and some changes of clothes. No offence, but you look like you've been dragged out of a plane crash, through the ocean and over a mountain."

He looked up at her. "What size are you?"

From:

katerrifically

Kate looked to the television and back to Erik. She started to protest. Her mouth nearly opened to speak, instead her lips formed a thin line. It was not a bad idea. It was reasonable, logical even. "Okay."

On the news, at that current moment, was the weather.

No offence? Kate turned her head back to Erik. Seriously? She smiled at Erik. It was the fake sort of smile that some people used when they were trying to be polite to those who were less polite. "That's strange. I feel like I've been at a spa these past few days." For the record, she looked all of those things. "I'm a size six-eight and I wear a size eight shoe." And then she added, "Thank you." Because Kate was polite (which should not be confused with kind).

"Will you be okay out there?"

From:

prefers_magneto

"This is what I do," he told her, peeling a few bills off of the cash he pulled out of his pocket and handing them to her. "If something happens while I'm gone, trust your instincts and run. I'll find you."

He pushed the rest of the cash back into his pocket and looked at her. "Favourite colour?" he asked, eyebrow raised.

From:

katerrifically

Kate accepted the money. She didn't count it, she simply held it in her hand while she listened. "How..." Of course, she was going to ask how he would find her. Then she thought that, having never been on 'the run' before, she would be easy to track. "How long will you be gone?"

There was no hesitation in her answer. "Forest green."

From:

prefers_magneto

When he returned over an hour later, he was wearing a three piece suit, subdued in dark charcoal, but with a deep purple tie, a fedora perched on his head. He held out a plastic bag for her. It contained a stylish, mostly black outfit, with a splash of forest green in the form of the skirt. The shoes he provided her were flat-heeled. Sensible. There were a wool hat and a pair of sunglasses in the bag, too.

"Here. Get dressed."

From:

katerrifically

Kate did as she had been instructed. She watched the news. The weather continued. It would be mostly sunny but a cold front was moving in, there were warnings for frost. Her mind wondered. She eyed the phone but her attention was brought back swiftly to the television.

The plane crash...

She watched in grim fascination as she was fed the details.

The crash site was in a remote region that made getting to it difficult. An engine had exploded. Investigators think the engine caused the fuel line to go and that was how the plane was separated into two segments before the crash. The tail end had been fished out of a nearby lake. It was believed that there were no survivors. None. The investigation was continuing but it was made difficult by the fire that consumed the surrounding forest. The fuel had acted an an accelerant and when combined with a dry summer, the crash had started a fire. The fire had to be extinguished before the wreckage could properly searched.

Kate reached for the remote and turned off the television. Erik had said there had been survivors. He had left them by the plane. She was certain that she had not misheard him. Kate swung her legs over the side of the bed and stood up. She rubbed her face and started to pace. What did this mean? What did it mean for her?

All of the sudden, she felt sick to her stomach. The trip was coming back to her. She wasn't even supposed to be on that plane. Her connection had been late due to maintenance issues. It wasn't first class but it was the first available seat. Everything after had gone along normally until the explosion. She remembered the sound, she remembered the smoke and falling. Something had ripped but the memories that flooded her brain were overwhelming. Kate wobbled. She braced herself on the television. She thought she might vomit and because of that, Kate walked very quickly.

Kate didn't make it. She retched what little was in her stomach into the sink. Her body shuddered. Everything came up. When it was all over with, she didn't feel any better. The faucet was turned on and Kate rinsed out her mouth before cleaning out the sink. Her head then lifted and she finally got a sense of how bad she looked.

Shove it down. Shove it down.

Kate blinked. She took a half step back and then turned to her right. After walking into the bathroom, she both closed and locked the door behind her. It felt as though she was in there for ages. Twigs and bits of leaves were pulled out of her hair and she went through two bottles of conditioner in order to get all of the knots and tangles out. Every inch of her skin, including her nails, was voraciously scrubbed. Kate rinsed for the longest time before stepping out of the shower.

Kate combed out and then used the motel provided dryer to dry out of her hair. She wrapped one towel around her body and then, because she couldn't bare to leave a mess, Kate cleaned up the bathroom after herself. When all that was done, Kate stepped out of the bathroom and again sat down on her bed.

So suddenly did she feel tired that Kate laid down. She had almost drifted to sleep when she heard the door. Kate sat up immediately and secured her towel around her. She stood and accepted the bag. "Okay."

Having absolutely no intention of getting dressed in front of him, Kate again headed to the bathroom.

From:

prefers_magneto

"Anything on the news?" he called through the door.

He pulled a small duffel bag out of the shopping bags he was holding and stuffed the other items he'd purchased - a change of clothes for each of them, toiletries, non-perishable snacks - into it.

They couldn't stay here; it was too close to the coast still. They'd move inland some more before they could risk sleep.

From:

katerrifically

Kate went through the clothes that had been bought for her. She had to admit that they were nice and she liked them. The towel was dropped and Kate started to get dressed but she faltered when Erik asked her about the news.

"There were no survivors of the crash," she replied. Her voice sounded wary. "They can't get close enough to the crash to truly investigate it. They are too busy fighting a forest fire."

She pulled on the tights and then the skirt. Kate combed her hair again before pulling on the hat and then stepping into her shoes. When it was done she looked like a human being again. However, before stepping out of the bathroom she snatched up the mini bottles of lotion and stuffed them into the black purse Erik had given her.

"They set it, didn't they? To cover their tracks."

From:

prefers_magneto

"To cover their tracks and possibly to try and smoke us out, which is good for us," Erik replied.

From:

katerrifically

"How is that good for us? I wasn't even supposed to be on that plane."

From:

prefers_magneto

"If they're trying to burn us out of hiding, they think we're still on the island. We have more time to get further away. The more distance we put between us and them, the less likely they'll find us, unless we slip up and make a horrible mistake."

From:

katerrifically

"What kind of mistake?"

From:

prefers_magneto

"Identifying ourselves in public, telling someone where we are on an unsecured line... Stupid shit." Erik slung the bag over his shoulder. "Ready to go?"

From:

katerrifically

"Do you have a pair of aliases in mind?" She nodded her head, "I'm ready."

From:

prefers_magneto

"You can choose your own," Erik told her, shouldering the duffel bag and heading for the door. He looked around once he'd opened it before stepping out.

From:

katerrifically

Kate followed behind him. Once outside, she stepped to the side in the assumption he would close the door when she was out. "I've never had to pick a new name before. What would you suggest?"

She shouldered her bag and looked down the corridor. For the moment, they were alone outside. It was an odd time of day, close to sunset. "I would appreciate the help."

From:

prefers_magneto

"Something that is mundane. Not remarkable." He looked over at her. "Is there a name you like? It might help you remember it."

From:

katerrifically

"Anne," Kate replied. It was a simple name. It was also a very common name. "What about you, what do I call you? I think going 'Hey you' would get us noticed." Or at least they would stand out. The game plan seemed to be to avoid getting themselves noticed, Kate thought.

She took another look up and down the corridor. They were still alone. She assumed they were hoofing it but to where, she didn't know. "Where are we going? Do you have an idea yet?"

From:

prefers_magneto

"Markus." He'd used it before. But it wasn't the name on his plane ticket. Though, in fairness, neither was Erik Lehnsherr.

"They'll expect us to be heading out of the country. They're probably watching the border into Mexico. We're going north. Deeper."

From:

katerrifically

"North?" Kate blinked. "I don't know that I'm prepared for that." There was no choice, to be sure. Again, she pushed it down. She inhaled a deep breath, held it for all of two seconds, and then exhaled. Kate reached up and tucked her hair behind her ears. She then adjusted her knit hat.

"Do you know where we're going, Markus, or will this be a surprise for everyone involved?"

From:

prefers_magneto

"Chicago for now. I have a place there with some supplies." He glanced at her. "Then we'll see."

From:

katerrifically

They were some distance from the Windy City and that left Kate with more questions. "How are we going to get there? I am not getting on another plane." Chicago wasn't that far from New York.

From:

prefers_magneto

"We're going to drive," Erik told her.

It wouldn't be that complicated to get a car. He didn't need keys to start one.

"We need manoeuvrability."

From:

katerrifically

Kate shifted her bag. She took a look at the scant number of cars in the lot. A car could be dealt with. "Do any of these strike your fancy or are we hoofing it until one does?"