100 Theme Challenge #61

61. Fear

750+ words from #61 to #81.

The longest part was of course to wait for a car to stop. The longer you waited, the longer you couldn't explore. Sometimes it wouldn't take long, luckily, but he'd spent more times than he could count almost freezing to death because no one would stop.

Lawrence had been doing this for a few years now, couldn't remember how many exactly, but he knew he wouldn't change that perfect freedom for anything else. He knew hitchhiking wasn't seen very well, but it only was because they knew nothing of the experience. To travel around only equipped with a backpack and a camera. He also kept a cellphone, for emergencies, but he hadn't opened it for months.

He'd walk to keep warm, until a car would stop and it's all depend of the person kind enough to let him in their car. Sometimes they'd creep the hell out of him but most of the time he'd meet new interesting people. He heard many life experiences by now, which he sometimes would write down in his journal. There was no better way to gain experience than by living at its best, and doing hitching pushed Lawrence to do so. He had the best anecdotes.

It was raining that day; more like pouring. Lawrence had a hoodie, but it had its limits. He kept brushing back wet bangs from his face, squinting his eyes to try to see through the fog. He kept walking as he watched for cars, hopefully he'd reach a viaduct to get shelter soon enough.

He turned around when he heard the familiar sound of a car, thumps up in hope it'd stop. It did.

"Hop in, you must be freezing!"

"Thank you, ma'am." He said as he installed himself, letting his bag between his legs. The seat was installed that allowed him to stretch his legs.

"I'm sorry, I'm getting water all over your seat."

She laughed. "Don't worry about it, it'll dry. It's better to have a wet seat than getting a coat, heh?"

"Thank you for that. I'm Lawrence, by the way.

"I'm Martha."

"Have you ever tried hitchhiking, Martha?"

She glanced at him, and her smile wavered for a second.

"No, but I do help those who are. I find it kind of really courageous, you know."

"What do you mean?" He asked, leaning against the window. She was a forty-looking woman, with a pleasant face. She must have looked gorgeous in her youth.

"It mustn't be pleasant sometimes, you know. You have to trust people you wouldn't normally trust, since you're in their car. "

Lawrence frowned. "Yeah, but usually the drivers kind enough to stop are nice, otherwise they wouldn't have stopped." He cleared his throat. "I had a few bad experiences, but it's nothing compared to the good people I met. There was one time a man kept talking to someone on the back seat, but there was no one but him and me. That was pretty freaky, but it never happened twice."

Martha chuckled. "I hope not. Have you been doing this for awhile?"

"A couple of years, yeah. It's a great way to visit new places and meet new people."

"Where are you heading, by the way?"

She threw him a look. "Lexington. Is that okay for you?"

"That's perfect for me. I was heading that way."

"That's perfect indeed."

The way she said that made him uneasy. She wasn't mean or anything, but he felt there was something under her kind façade. A wolf smelling its prey.

"Why are you traveling, Martha?" He asked to keep the conversation going.

"For my job. I'm a rep for a cosmetic company, so I travel a lot around."

They kept talking all the way to Lexington, and Lawrence couldn't shake that feeling that something would turn wrong. It was stupid, really, to fear from this sweet woman, but it kept him on edge, and he had to force himself to form out sentences. Cold sweat was running down his back.

In the end, she let him at a gas station, which he was thankful for.

"That was really nice to meet you, Lawrence," she smiled at him, and the way she said it made his blood turn cold. He forced a smile and watched her take off. He finally let out a long breath and licked his chapped lips. 

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