Hitchhiking

With no clouds to shroud the stars, the cold was bone deep and aching. The streets were deserted, the silence broken only by the occasional hum and zip of uncaring traffic. No one looked twice at her.

I probably look homeless, Sandy thought. Even if they know me from Instagram, they wouldn't recognise me.

This was both a blessing and a curse. Her online presence was her livelihood, and the only way she could support herself and her children. But if people recognised her, would they be more inclined to give her a lift?

Hitchhiking was not an appealing prospect, but how else could she get home? Fear would it's way around her guts and pulled tight.

There are some crazy people about.

She could hear the purr of a car behind her, and craned her neck to squint at the driver. I'd be safer if it was a woman, right? Unable to see clearly through the headlights glare, she let the car zip past her, and trudged on. She didn't feel safe thumbing a lift from a stranger unseen.

Her mind raced with thoughts of her children. She had to find them, but she needed to be smart about it. She couldn’t help them if she froze to death. Next car. The next car she saw, she'd flag them down.

The next one was a long time coming. She tried to warm her fingers from the flame of the lighter, but it was useless.

To distract herself from the gnawing midwinter cold, she turned her thoughts to Karl. Her husband was behind this, she was sure of it. But where would he have taken the children? Where could she look for clues, with her home burnt to a shell?

When another car finally approached, she took her courage in both hands, and waved frantically at it. It did no good. This made it easier to try again when another rumbled by a few minutes later. I must look mad.

Hood pulled up for warmth, she dialled back the frantic waving to a more resigned thumb. Now I probably look shifty.

The first light of dawn tinged the sky, and panic set in her blood. The staff would be awake soon. They'd find her missing. She'd hoped to be much further away by now!

At last, a truck pulled over. The driver, an older man with a kind face, offered her a ride. She accepted gratefully, explaining that she needed to get home. He didn’t ask many questions.

When she arrived, the sight of her burnt house brought tears to her eyes. She made her way to the attached garage, which the fire hadn't reached. She found the hidden key in the flowerpot and let herself in. Inside the garage, she located the safe with all the spare keys. She entered the code and retrieved the key to her car.

With a deep breath, she started the car and drove to her mother’s house. She needed help, and her mother was the only person she could trust. When she arrived, she banged on the door, her heart pounding.

Her mother opened the door, her eyes widening in shock. “What happened to you?”