7 Hermit Crab

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"Yes sir, I do," said Will, shocked by what he was hearing from Eddie. "Is he okay?" asked Eddie. "About that," Will said, reluctant to respond to Ed's question, as he already knew Sam's fate. "Where is he?" Eddie said, eager for a response, eager for an answer. "I'm sorry, Eddie, but Sam's gone," William said. He wasn't ready to tell anyone about Sam, but this was his father, so he did it.

"How come Sam never talked about you?" Will said, confused by why Sam's father was over 1000 miles away from his son. "Listen," said Eddie. He sat on the rustic bar stool and placed his elbows on the counter. His face made a frown, and it looked like he was about to cry. "I left when my son was a baby, because I went to jail," said Eddie. Will was understanding of the situation as he leaned in listened. "Why did you go to jail?" said Will. It took a while for Ed to respond. "Murder and larceny. It was a heist, but SWAT gunned my entire team down, while they waited outside, and I went out the back. There was one officer out there and we got into it." Eddie said. It seemed like he was trusting Will, but really he never let his guard down. "I got shot in the kneecap, and I shot him in the head. He died and SWAT was coming around the corner. I dropped the gun and fell down from the pain, knowing that I'd bleed out if I ran," said Eddie. "How did you get out though? That's not the type of crime you get 22 years for." said Will, intrigued by his story, but skeptical of the truth behind it.

"I escaped, and that's why I'm here." said Eddie. "I'm trying to hide and survive," he said. "You had to have been in solitary for all that." Will said. "Nah, they put me in Gen Pop, and that was when I got lucky." said the Eddie. "I guess you had the experience," said Will, knowing that this man was a thief. "Yeah, I had it planned out over the years." said Eddie, "But why were you in the woods all scratched up with a rifle on your back? Are some type of soldier or somethin'?" said Ed. "No, I'm…" stopped Will, Ed might've started trusting him, but Will didn't know if Ed was out on a supervised probation deal or something, so he said nothing. "You're what?" said Eddie. "Nothin'," said Will, as he got up. "I have a favor to ask of you," said William. "What's the favor?" said Ed. "Can you take me to Seattle?" asked Will.

"If you tell me why, I'll take you," said Ed. His face became more stern and Will knew he was going to Seattle at the cost of information. "Fine. You got a TV in here?" asked Will. "No, I don't. And even if I did, I wouldn't know how to turn it on." said Ed. "I'm on the run from the police, and maybe some people that have fewer morals than them." said Will. "That's a reason, but why Seattle?" asked Eddie. "Sam was in Mors Tiones, and that's where I come from, I just wanna get away. Now where're my guns?" asked Will. "Here," said Ed, ripping a rifle from the underside of the counter. Will grabbed it and asked, "And the pistol?", "I'm keeping that," said Eddie, reaching in the back of his pants and cocking the pistol back. "So are we leaving or…" said Will. "Yeah, follow me." said Ed, motioning Will toward the back of the house. They opened the door and there was a car under a tarp. "Watch this," said Ed as he took the tarp off to reveal a beautiful 1966 mustang, all black with white stripes. He opened the door and got into the driver's seat. "Get in," said Eddie. Will got into the passenger's seat, and they started driving through the woods.

"You ever seen a dead squirrel?" said Eddie. "No, why?" said Will. Then blood went across the windshield. "That's why," said Ed. He knew how to drive, but never knew how to just slow down. The woods were quiet when Will woke up, but they were loud as the car's constant revving disrupted the peace. "Are you like… a hermit?" asked Will. "Don't call me that," Ed said, clearly feeling insulted by William's comment. Will looked out of the window on the passenger's side and just felt free. He lowered the window and stuck his hand out. "I wouldn't do that if I were you," said Eddie, so Will pulled his hand in and rolled the window up.

When they got out of the woods, they stopped at a gas station. "I'll go in," said Eddie. "Thanks," said Will as he leaned his head back and closed his eyes, trying to relax. When Ed came out, he opened, but Will didn't notice. When Eddie slammed the door, it jerked Will. "Wow. Hilarious." said Will as he closed his eyes again. Ed didn't respond and then started driving again.

Some hours later…

Will woke up and realized they had stopped. It was a bar, and Will was sleeping in a car. Eddie was on a phone. "You have a phone?" said Will. "How do you think we're gonna get to Seattle? I've never been there." said Ed. He showed his phone to Will and asked him, "You wanna go to a national park?" asked Ed. "Never been to one, so sure." said Will. He was surprisingly chill about it. "Let's go, it's right over there," said Ed, pointing to an immense mountain in the distance. "That's Mount Saint Helens. It's a volcano. I remember Sam telling me about that." Will said. "Let's go then," said Ed, as he drove out of the parking lot and left.

They got to the park in about twenty minutes. The mountains were majestic with snow on top. It was a world Will had never seen before. People were walking, talking, and taking pictures. "Come on, kid," said Ed, walking towards the visitor center.

They got to the park in about twenty minutes. Will and Eddie left anything that would classify as a weapon in their car. The mountains were majestic with snow on top. It was a world Will had never seen before. People were walking, talking, and taking pictures. "Come on, kid," said Ed, walking towards the visitor center. They opened the door to the visitor center and walked in. The woman at the desk asked them, "Ages?", "Fifty-five and sixteen," said Eddie. Will was really 22, but Ed wouldn't pay extra for some guy he met today. "Seven fifty," said the lady as Will her a ten and walked off. She stuffed the change in her pocket. There was a security guard by the door. "Arms out," he said. Will went first. The man frisked him and said, "You're good, next." Ed was next. He held his arms out as the security guard frisked him. "What's this?" said the security guard, holding the gun in his hand.

"Protection," said Eddie. "You a poacher?" asked the security guard, confused by why this man had a gun. "Do you think a pistol could kill a cougar?" Ed implied, trying to get out of the situation. "Kid, run," Ed whispered, and Will ran. "Get back here!" the security guard yelled. As the guard was distracted, Eddie ran to catch up with Will. All three of them ran into the woods, unaware of danger.

As Will dove into the woods, he saw two paths. He took a left.

When Ed got into the woods, he saw two paths, and he took a right.

When the guard ran into the woods, he took a left.

Will ran along the path for long time and the guard heard Will's footsteps over his own. The guard had to catch his breath, so he stopped for a second. Eddie thought he knew the way around the park. But every wood is fresh and unique. Will went out of the maze of trees and saw a river. He walked against its flow along the grass. The guard he started running again, but he crossed over because he couldn't find William. Eddie crossed over because he couldn't find Will, so now the guard was on the right, yet Will and Eddie were on the left. Eddie found the same river that William followed, and he went against the flow. It wasn't a strong current, but there were rocks and mini islands in the middle of the river. Eddie looked to the left towards the waterfall as he walked along the river's side, he saw a bear eating berries from a bush. It was a black bear, and it didn't care about him, so he kept walking. Everyone was somewhere, but everywhere was nowhere.

P.S.: If you like it, put it in your library and vote! Happy Friday, everybody!