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 “I couldn’t decide, they were all horrid,” she said shrugging.
    “I don’t think I have enough to cover all of this...” Cort said, fingering though the clothes she had picked out.  Most of them wouldn’t be suitable if they didn’t have heat in the house or they were forced to camp, but he didn’t want to wait for her to pick out anything else.  Seeing the price tags on some of the clothes, he did some calculations in his head.  Actually, he probably did have enough money, but he didn’t want to deplete his entire bank account on clothes that wouldn’t be worth anything past the first week they were there, especially for someone who he wasn’t sure he’d be able to stand for much longer.
    She waved him off, “Don’t worry, I have Daddy’s credit card.  I’ll just put everything on there and you can pay me back for your part in sexual favors.”
    Jake coughed behind them.  
    Cort sighed.
    Katy smiled and turned on her heel continuing to the front check out lanes, oblivious to the frustration of those with her.

Chapter 5:  Annalise
    Route 340 West Virginia
December 12, 2012
    Annalise hadn’t left Meredith’s until close to four pm.  It had already started getting dark as they hugged in the parking lot before splitting off their separate ways - Meredith heading down 81 towards Tennessee and Annalise taking back roads through West Virginia to the rally point in Cumberland.  Apparently Cort and his party were about two hours out and she could hear a growing frustration in his voice when she had finally called him to check where they were.  She wondered if it was just the stress of the day, or if there was something in particular that was causing his annoyance.  Mostly she hoped the annoyance wasn’t directed at her or that he was already regretting inviting her.
    The path she had chosen to take to the rally point was more secluded than the direct route on major highways and she liked it that way.  She was unlikely to see cops on these back roads which meant she could stretch out the engine and go as fast as she wanted.  For a brief second she had considered taking the larger highways, since the state of things in DC made her think she wouldn’t see too many cops on those roads either, but for some reason the back roads still called to her.  She had her music up loud, windows cracked, and was cruising.  There was a freedom to a drive like this, and the only other time she felt this way was when she was on the mountain and a snowboard, earbuds in with the crisp wind blowing through her hair.  Everything about it appealed to the run-away in her.
    She had always been a runaway for as long as she could remember.  Perhaps it was growing up with alcoholic parents that consistently ignored her until their bodies began to fail them, or maybe it was the fact that there was something compelling about the idea of going somewhere new where no one knew your name.  Either way, her entire life consisted of beginning in one place until the urge struck and she ran to another.  Every new town had brought new faces, new challenges and new people to meet.  Every new town had been a new adventure.
    Because of this she had lived in every small town, city and neighborhood in the Northern Virginia area, and she knew all the roads that came in and out for 500 miles in any direction.  She hardly ever needed a map, and half the time she found herself on autopilot behind the wheel, knowing every landmark that could possibly be on her current path.   In fact, somewhere ahead there would be a Quick-Mart where she could stop and grab cigarettes and gas before completing her journey.  Slowing down slightly and turning her music down so she didn’t miss it she kept her eyes on the road.  It was funny, she thought, that whenever you were looking for something you always turned down your music, like having the music a little softer would actually make the place easier to spot.
    About five minutes later she saw the