Larry lit Jackson's house on fire for killing her dog and then ran to the woods chased by hellfire. He turned around once to see the house swallowed by flames.

            He roamed days through small towns and gas stations, eating discarded items he had found. Once, he devoured a whole pizza and saved the wings for breakfast. The Norristown publication rack contained newspapers days apart. A headline to an article read: Gas Leak Claims Two in Massive Fire.

            Calling home a week later, his Mother answered. After moments of silence, she whispered, "Lawrence?". He hung up and cried, knowing it would be years until he saw her again. Then a truck stopped by the guardrail where he sat.

            "Where are you going, son?" The driver asked.

            "Anywhere you can take me.”

            "I can take you as far as the highway or Wichita. Let's have a see when we get to the highway."

            "Thanks, mister."

            "No problem.".

            The driver released the brakes and continued down the road. 

Chad Ayers is a professional writer from New York. He lives in South Orange, New Jersey with his wife and two sons.

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chad-ayers-73981a14a/