38 "almost free"

The song silenced the room as he sang. I remembered those deep green eyes from awhile ago. I havnt seen his face in so long. His voice stabbed my soul like a knife. It was sad..almost relatable. I watched his beautiful face like a movie. I leaned my face along my hand as he hummed. His eyes glanced at me as they widened, almost as if he Was shocked to see me. I glanced back to see if rip has noticed the man he hated the most...but he was gone. So was Lloyd, they left the bar last seen eating their burgers on their bar stools. I glanced back at the stage as the song came to an end. Walker stepped off the stage and aimed straight for me. "What was that song about?" A lonely woman sitting at a couple seats ahead of me spoke. Walker stopped to lean on her table to answer her lonely questions. "Desperation for love. Hatred from those around you. Honestly whatever you want it to mean" he said in his low slow and sad Texan accent. "You goin home lonely tonight darlin? Or you comin with me?" The depressing woman ask. Walker smirked very slightly then glanced around the room again but this time making eyeContact with me. "Goin home lonely. But maybe not as lonely as I thought" he stepped past her wondering over to me. I wasn't sure what to do. I still upset at him. Deep down. Not nearly as upset as I was with jimmy. "This isn't the first time I've seen you alone" he spoke. I smiled slightly "kinda my thing ain't it?" "Yeah well..." he sighed "it's my thing too" he examined me like I was some lost dog. "I heard you packed your things and left.. then never returned" I poked back down into my drink with my straw. He sat in front of me with his guitar leaning on the back of his chair. "Why would I ever wanna return back to that prison" he leaned back in his seat as he tiredly stretched his back. "Prison.. hmm. Definitely feels like one sometimes.." I agreed. "You know that little mark on your belly don't mean a thing right? I gave it to you. It don't mean nothin" gently he peeled back my tshirt with his fingers to rub my brand he put on my skin. I watched his face as it mellowed out. "What's your point?" My boney hands grazed over his callused wrists and arms as they caressed my bare waist. "My point is. Whoever left you here ain't coming back. You've made it this far form that hell hole, you might as well keep going" he spoke in a soft tone that soothed me. "Who said I was left here?" Walker looked around. He scanned the room for a third time. "I know how everyone treated you"

"So you'd remember how you treated me" I was stern on that fact. I couldn't forget the embarrassment and humiliation. Walker looked down at his beaten hands "I know.. I admit how cruel I was darlin.. I'm sorry" he batted his long lashes up at me like a sad puppy. God it tore my heart to peices. "Whatcha doin back here anyways?" I asked. "I'm on parol. I'm not supposed to leave the state for a couple more months"

"Then where are you headed?"Walker shrugged his shoulders "anywhere and everywhere. Wherever life takes me. I just go with it. I flow with it" he moved his hand in a wave motion. "Wish I could do that" I scoffed. "Who said you can't?" He asked. I glanced at him like he was dumb. But was he dumb? Walker stood up to stand real close to me. He took me by my hands, pulling me up from my stool. He gently pulled my shirt up like he was stripping me down, but he stopped before the breasts. "This? Is this holding you back?" He spoke softly in my ear almost like a whisper. I shined my eyes up at him like a puppy dog. "I think so..." I said just as soft as him. Walker shook his head as he tilted down to my ear "it doesn't matter" he used his two fingers to pulls his shirt down to show me his brand. "We're free" he said. "Free..?" I looked back up at his very close up face. "You rambling with me darlin?" He asked me finally. "I ain't got a penny to my name" I said. "You don't worry about that... I'll leave whenever you're ready" I nodded my head like an excited school girl "I'm ready" Walker pulled away from me as he lifted his guitar. "There ain't no turning back darlin. None at all" his large hand took mine as if we were crossing a road somewhere. A road to nowhere. "I ain't got a thing to miss" I say. He pulled my hand and body close to him as we stepped outside of that old beaten bar. His hand gripped around my waist as we walked. "I usually hitchhike. But I ain't doin that with a doll like you"

"I got a truck. It's all mine. I pay for it. I can go get it if you wanna meet me somewhere!" I looked at him with excited eyes. He grinned at my excitement. "You gonna walk all the way home?" He asked. "Well.. it looks like I have to anyways" I smiled. He pushed my blonde hair back as he looked up at the sky thinking for a moment. "I can't have you walking alone"

"She won't have to-" suddenly a voice interrupted as walker was beaten to the ground. With much anger and frustration I watched rip and Lloyd beat the sense out of walker. Angrily myself, I shoved rip as hard as I could "what the hell is wrong with you!?" I shouted. "Get in the truck Willie!" "No! Get off him!!" I punched against his chest "get off!" I screamed. Rip with so much ease shoved me down to the pavement. "Stay down Willie! I ain't telling you again!" Only this time he held a pistol to walkers head. "What the hell are you doing alive!?" Rip demanded answers. Walker spat his blood at Lloyd's boots "ask your fuckin boss!" "Who is my fuckin boss!?" Rip yanked walker to his feet. "If you don't know then that's your problem" Lloyd and rip dragged walker on his toes. They were quick to shove him in the back of the trailer that held our herd. "Get up" rip said as he held out his hand to help me up. I smacked his hand away as I was so furious. "What is wrong with you!"

"I'm sorry I pushed you will. But this is business Willie. You wouldn't get it"

"No! No! I get it! I ain't stupid! My father is killer. I know that! Well guess what! Casey isn't! Letting walker get away was Casey's call! So get over it!"

"He knows too much Willie. He's seen to much"

"So have I. Yet here I am. Yet Here you are telling me to leave! So let him go!"

"So you can run off with him? Not happening"

"Fuck you!" I shouted. "Get in the truck" he said again. I walked past him while also shoving his shoulder. "These boys are getting to your head. Maybe it's time to lay off them" rip stated. I scoffed with. Aloud laugh. "Oh you just wait! You just wait rip!"

....

We stood a bit deep in the woods, far from the house and bunkhouse. We stood with the truck still strapped to the trailer with walker still beaten inside. The three of us watched as Casey walked up from his home. "What's so important it couldn't wait? My son and wife are still at camp waiting" Casey asked. "You wanna explain this to me Casey?!" Rip whipped open the double door of the trailer. There sat walker with tape along his mouth and his hands tied behind his back. Casey sighed heavily. "God damn it walker. What did I tell you?" Rip aggressively ripped the tape from walkers mouth. Walker growled at rips movements "it's kinda hard to leave state when you have to stay in the fuckin state for parol!" Walker shouted. Casey looked up at the dark sky as he realized his large mistake. "I gave you my word Casey. What happened here stayed here. I ain't spoke to no body, I ain't never looked back at this place!" Walker sounded and looked exhausted. "I'll take him out right now casey" rip volunteered. "Fuck you are" I swore. Rip looked at me with angry eyes "I told you to wait in the god damn truck" "And I told you to bite me!" I snapped back. Casey looked at me a bit shocked by my tone and mouth "Jesus Willie" he chuckled slightly. I wasn't laughing. I was angry. I've been angry. "Walker you know what I told you when you left here. You got one more chance to make shit right. One. You ain't leaving this place. You stay here, you die here. I ain't making this mistake again" Casey stood with his hands on his hips as he stared at walkers bruised face. Walker stood up as his ropes were cut off. "I think I'd rather be in hell than here"

"Hell don't give you food in your belly and a roof over your head" Casey reminded him. "You're stuck here for good. No matter what A little girl says to you" rip reassured walker that he was screwed. I was beginning to despise rip. His words and actions have been worsening over time. "I don't think she's a little girl" walker said. "I think she's a grown woman being fooled into thinking she's still a little girl. She ain't ever had a nest yet she is still considered a baby bird. Make that make sense" Lloyd followed behind walker as he made his way to the bunkhouse. Lloyd made sure walker made his way to that place where walker would sleep for the rest of his life. I looked at rip as I was clenching my jaw. "You stay away from him" rip pointed. "Shut up" I said. "Exscuse me? I don't think you know who you're taking to" rip scoffed. "No! I don't think you have a god damn clue who you're! Talking to! I'm a grown fucking woman! And you ain't my god damn daddy!!" I yelled. "No. No! I ain't your daddy! But if I was! You'd be getting a foot so far up your ass it would be coming out your fuckin mouth!!" Rip was yelling at me. For the first time in my life he was shouting... but so was I. "You can leave here all you want Willie. Just not with him!"

"Fuck you! You ain't my father" after I said that his face softened. In a hurt way. Like I took out his heart and shot it. Like someone told him his life was coming to an end. It was almost like I ruined him. At the time I didn't care. I stormed off more angry than ever. Rip ruined everything. The fist time I ever felt hope it was ripped from me. Time after time after time....