a place we know| ✓

seventy one

"And find a place where every single thing you see tells you to stay."
S E E K E R
.
.
March 14th
11:23 PM
Los Angeles
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They had to make one more detour.

Gunner and Ace had split up during the day and at night, they were meant to reach San Diego in different vehicles. They were to disband when the sunk sank, which meant majority of their afternoon and evening was spent prepping for the whole operation. It was a last minute change he was informed of before they left the dock. No questions asked, Gunner did as told because he needed to be careful around his best friend. He couldn't set off any more alarms that might warrant him to direct his anger to Audrey or Leah. Wordlessly, he had climbed into the second trailer-truck and was off with Ace's other flunky.

The entire trip had been silent. 

The Port of San Diego would be empty at this hour as had been most of the city a they travelled through. Gunner kept to himself for most of the journey, avoiding any form of physical or verbal contact where it wasn't necessary. His eyes were stalled on the vacant roads, using Audrey as his gateway to nirvana whenever doubt creeped in.

He would go home, he needed to go home.

Gunner didn't know the driver's name, just that he was big and possessed all the emotion of dry concrete. He was intently focused on the road, but every so often he'd look sidelong. And if Gunner asked him a question, would stay mute.

"Why does Ace wanna meet here instead?"

As he expected, the man stared ahead.

"Isn't the deal going down in a couple hours? Why make a detour?"

To his annoyance, he received no response, just a brooding glance. "Fine," Gunner grumbled. "Don't answer me."

His body was gradually weakening and his brain was begging to be shut off, like a computer, even if it was for a few minutes. He barely slept a wink since arriving in L.A; the effects were starting to tell on him. He rested his head against the window, passively watching a stretch of highway go by. The ability to keep his eyes open was diminishing, much like his consciousness, fading.

Shapes and colors blurred themselves together, but he blinked numerous times to keep himself awake. The faster the deal happened, the faster he could head back to New York. At the mention of his city, he was free of all spells of sleep and gazed out the windshield.

It took an hour more of absolute tense silence and fighting drowsiness for them to arrive at the port. The man killed the engine of the vehicle, sending Gunner a quick jut of the head in the direction of the door. "Out," he commanded.

They were the only forms of life in these parts. Everything else was ominous. Even the stars didn't shine as brightly as they did when he last saw them. Warily, Gunner opened the car door and slowly stepped out of the trailer-truck. It took his eyes a few minute to adjust to the darkness, but once they did, trailed after the man towards a set of shipping containers.

Their footsteps echoed loudly, claps of thunder amidst a storm. Gunner had a plethora of questions to ask starting with the reason they were here, why Ace was nowhere to be found, where exactly they were going, and why he was soaking in fear with each step they took. He was walking to his demise, he sensed that much, but what was going to happen to him tonight?

"We should wait for Ace here," Gunner shattered the abnormal stillness in the air. "I can call him."

"Move," the man demanded, gripping Gunner by the front of his hoodie and shoving him forward. "Now."