[b]Farren North – Medina River, just outside of Bandera, TX [/b]

The crunch of tired feet echoed within a small area around a tan woman with brown hair as she walked alongside the water, hoping it led her the right way. Wrapped around her stomach were a little boy’s legs, his arms hanging limply at his sides and his head on top of her shoulder, while one of her arms cradled him and the other held his head of blonde curls to her throat. Over her other shoulder was a duffel bag that continually bounced off her hip, making a soft sound each time. Her jeans were thick but dirty, and she wore a black fitted fleece hoodie over a black long sleeve shirt. Her son wore cargo jeans, small converse shoes, and a plaid long sleeve shirt with a messy collar. The pair looked comforting and yet desperate, calm and yet urgent. 

Farren’s bright blue eyes scanned the area, looking downwards to make sure she wasn’t going to step in mud or puddles along her trek, while simultaneously keeping Dean asleep and warm. His small hot breaths puffed out into the night, calm and unaware of everything around them, while his mother’s face looked to be in imaginary pain, thin lips stretched over bright white teeth, but not in a smile; more of a wince. Every once in a while a grunt would escape her lips, but otherwise, she was silent, wanting Dean to rest while she got them away. A woman with a toddler seemed easy to take advantage of these days, and Farren was more than aware when someone was trying to use her and/or her son. 

The last place they’d left seemed like a good place to stay. There were several others, all having found a remote hotel and had their own rooms. But there was a man who had fancied himself a leader of sorts, and Farren knew that was never good. She’d only stayed a day before heading out secretly again. An hour after she’d left, she heard yelling in the distance and seen flashlights, which had only made her begin running while shushing the baby. She’d lost them easily, having a good head start, but it’d only confirmed her suspicions that not everything was kosher there. 

Now, her tired legs had been moving for hours, mind jumping from one thing to the next. Originally, it’d been what those people wanted with her and Dean. Then it was a particularly mean professor in college. Then it was Dean’s first birthday. Then it was that book she’d never finished left on her coffee table the day she’d packed everything up. Then it was trying to calculate what she’d eaten in the last few days. Then it was that stupid pop song from a year ago that always got stuck in her head. 

Birds cawed about her but she ignored them, seeing what looked like building shapes in the dark ahead. Well, it was still a walk, but maybe there would be a place to rest anyway. She took a deep breath and pressed on, looking up and suddenly seeing a light shining out from the place. Farren froze, staring at it. Well, there must be people here anyway. Stupid people. But people. She hesitated, but slowly put one foot in front of the other. Hope was all she had, after all.