Week 14.3 – Bare Handed

Previously: Digger and Twain came up with a plan to track down the hostage, when Twain handed Digger money with a suspicious smell. And now…

Digger was waiting by the van when Twain emerged from the coffee shop. “I thought you were getting us some sodas,” Twain said.

“Not thirsty,” Digger replied.

Twain appeared curious at the sudden change, but didn’t ask anything other than “I guess I’m going to have to buy the gas this time, huh?”

Once they were on the road headed south, Twain said, “I figured we’d spend the night in Memphis, then finish the drive to Bayside in the morning.”

“That’s cutting it close, isn’t it?” Digger asked. “He’s supposed to contact me in seven days.”

“Shouldn’t be a problem,” Twain said.

“Easy for you to say,” Digger muttered. “A little too easy.”

“What does that mean?

“It means,” Digger said, “that I’m tired of this mess. I want to finish it.”

“Me too, believe me,” Twain said.

A couple of hours later, they paused at a truck stop to refuel. Digger grabbed the cooler from behind Twain seat and opened his door. “What are you doing?” Twain asked.

“I’m going to the bathroom,” Digger said.

“And you’re taking the juice?”

“Yeah,” Digger said. “It’s in jugs, and the jugs are in a cooler. I don’t think piss germs will get in the juice.”

“That’s not the problem,” Twain said. “It’s just, what’s the point of that?”

“So you won’t ditch me while I’m in there,” Digger said and got out of the van.

Twain got out and shouted at Digger’s retreating back. “Why would I ditch you? I’m helping you!”

A passing truck drowned out Digger’s answer.

Once he returned, Digger set the cooler back in its place and paused there an extra beat, behind Twain’s seat. “What?” Twain asked.

“Nothing,” Digger said. “Let’s go.”

“In a minute,” Twain said. “Now I’ve got to go. I’ll leave the juice here, if that’s okay.”

[blockquote type=”blockquote_quotes” align=”right”]Twain didn’t say anything, but the hint of a smile played over his lips. “You’ve been lying about everything from the beginning, haven’t you?” Digger asked…[/blockquote]They spent the rest of the trip in strained silence, listening to old radio dramas and 80’s rock on the satellite receiver. They passed a peaceful evening in the motel in Memphis, but when Twain woke up to discover that Digger had taken the keys to his van into the shower with him, he’d finally had enough.

“What the hell is wrong with you?” he asked. “Youve been acting weird since we had lunch yesterday.”

Digger fastened his jeans, then dug the twenty-dollar bill out of his pocket and handed it to Twain. “You want to know why? Smell that.”

Twain looked dubious, but did as instructed. “Smells like coffee,” he said.

“Yeah,” Digger said. “And you know why it smells like coffee? Because there were coffee grounds in the trash bag I shoved the money into at the bank. The trash bag that’s hidden under the driver’s seat in your van.”

Twain didn’t say anything, but the hint of a smile played over his lips.

“You’ve been lying about everything from the beginning, haven’t you?” Digger asked.

“Not everything,” Twain said as he pulled a gun from the rear waistband of his trousers, “but enough.”

How will Digger manage to beat Twain without his powers? Join us tomorrow for the next exciting episode!

To read from the beginning, click here

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One Response to Week 14.3 – Bare Handed

  1. Tony Frazier says:

    Late update again today. Got lazy and thought I was covered because of the SOPA blackout. Also on the graphic front, I finally fixed the problem with the fuzzy letters, only to get speckled artifacts on the logo. I’m starting to wonder if the fading effects on the weekly graphics are really worth it.

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