snorted
deeply and ran a hand over his face. “Just keep following the
road.” he finished. Rebecca paid him and returned to the car.
Ashley was waiting quietly in the front seat. Rebecca told her what
she'd learned and handed her a paper bag, soggy with grease.
"It's not five star dining, but it's lunch. Food is food,
right?" Ashley nodded without any real interest.
They ran for the rest of the day, silent, letting the sound of the
radio substitute for talking. The sun set around the same time hunger
set in again and Rebecca stopped at a motel off the highway on the
Tamworth outskirts. Ashley went into their room and sat down on the
edge of one of the beds.
“Hungry?” Rebecca asked her. Ashley replied with a nod.
“Wait here then. I’ll go and find us something to eat.”
Rebecca put the room keys in her pocket and went outside. She checked
the deep pockets of her jeans for her purse and for a second panicked
when she couldn’t find it. She went over to their car and
opened it, finding it sitting on the passenger seat. She breathed a
sigh of relief and stuffed it into her pocket. Then she remembered
what else was in the car. The glove box opened with a click. The gun
was still sitting where it had always been. Rebecca tried to assure
herself that no one had followed them. They were alright. It wasn't
helping. Something about the weapon sitting there so close made the
danger of their situation more real. They weren’t just on a
road trip. She and Ashley weren’t two friends on a holiday to
the home of country music. They were running. More than that, they
were two strangers, locked together by a cruel twist of fate and they
had nowhere to go. Rebecca pulled the gun out and turned it over in
her hands. She noticed something engraved along its length. She held
it up to the light and looked closely, trying to make out what it
said. Is fhearr fheuchainn na bhith san duil . Rebecca tried to read it aloud but didn’t know where to even
begin pronouncing the mess of letters. She shrugged and placed it
back in the glove box.
Curiosity took her for a moment and she rummaged through what else
was in there. She pulled out a road map. Now that might have been
useful. There was a torch, half a pack of cigarettes and a phone.
“Ah!” Rebecca said with the first feeling of jubilation
in weeks. She turned it on and began to look through the contacts.
There were very few and Rebecca was starting to wonder why she was
bothering when she came across a name that stood out. Edward Halford.
She recognised the name immediately. Halford was Sebastian’s
last name. She rang the number and put the phone to her ear. The
phone rang long enough that Rebecca didn’t think anyone would
answer. Someone did, however. There was a beeping noise and then a
voice came through the speaker.
“Wei.” A woman was on the other end. Rebecca cleared the
lump that had suddenly formed in her throat.
“Hello.” She said and cleared her throat again.
“Hello?” The woman parroted.
“Hello. I’m looking for…” Rebecca paused.
She had become so nervous she had forgotten who she was calling. She
quickly checked the screen on the phone. “Edward!” She
burst. “Edward Halford. Could I please speak to him?”
“Who is this?”
“This is Rebecca.” She answered without thinking.
“The master is unable to come to the phone right now. Thank—”
“I’m calling on behalf of Sebastian!” Rebecca cut
the woman off before she could hang up.
“Sebastian Halford?”
“That’s right. Lord Sebastian asked me to call.”
“What is it concerning?”
“I…I am not at liberty to say… at present.”
She stumbled over her words, trying to sound passable as someone
sophisticated enough to be working for Lord Sebastian.
“Hold, please.” The line went quiet for a while. Rebecca
breathed a heavy sigh of relief; it seemed she was getting somewhere.
“Sebastian!” The man’s voice that now came over the
phone greeted her the way you
deeply and ran a hand over his face. “Just keep following the
road.” he finished. Rebecca paid him and returned to the car.
Ashley was waiting quietly in the front seat. Rebecca told her what
she'd learned and handed her a paper bag, soggy with grease.
"It's not five star dining, but it's lunch. Food is food,
right?" Ashley nodded without any real interest.
They ran for the rest of the day, silent, letting the sound of the
radio substitute for talking. The sun set around the same time hunger
set in again and Rebecca stopped at a motel off the highway on the
Tamworth outskirts. Ashley went into their room and sat down on the
edge of one of the beds.
“Hungry?” Rebecca asked her. Ashley replied with a nod.
“Wait here then. I’ll go and find us something to eat.”
Rebecca put the room keys in her pocket and went outside. She checked
the deep pockets of her jeans for her purse and for a second panicked
when she couldn’t find it. She went over to their car and
opened it, finding it sitting on the passenger seat. She breathed a
sigh of relief and stuffed it into her pocket. Then she remembered
what else was in the car. The glove box opened with a click. The gun
was still sitting where it had always been. Rebecca tried to assure
herself that no one had followed them. They were alright. It wasn't
helping. Something about the weapon sitting there so close made the
danger of their situation more real. They weren’t just on a
road trip. She and Ashley weren’t two friends on a holiday to
the home of country music. They were running. More than that, they
were two strangers, locked together by a cruel twist of fate and they
had nowhere to go. Rebecca pulled the gun out and turned it over in
her hands. She noticed something engraved along its length. She held
it up to the light and looked closely, trying to make out what it
said. Is fhearr fheuchainn na bhith san duil . Rebecca tried to read it aloud but didn’t know where to even
begin pronouncing the mess of letters. She shrugged and placed it
back in the glove box.
Curiosity took her for a moment and she rummaged through what else
was in there. She pulled out a road map. Now that might have been
useful. There was a torch, half a pack of cigarettes and a phone.
“Ah!” Rebecca said with the first feeling of jubilation
in weeks. She turned it on and began to look through the contacts.
There were very few and Rebecca was starting to wonder why she was
bothering when she came across a name that stood out. Edward Halford.
She recognised the name immediately. Halford was Sebastian’s
last name. She rang the number and put the phone to her ear. The
phone rang long enough that Rebecca didn’t think anyone would
answer. Someone did, however. There was a beeping noise and then a
voice came through the speaker.
“Wei.” A woman was on the other end. Rebecca cleared the
lump that had suddenly formed in her throat.
“Hello.” She said and cleared her throat again.
“Hello?” The woman parroted.
“Hello. I’m looking for…” Rebecca paused.
She had become so nervous she had forgotten who she was calling. She
quickly checked the screen on the phone. “Edward!” She
burst. “Edward Halford. Could I please speak to him?”
“Who is this?”
“This is Rebecca.” She answered without thinking.
“The master is unable to come to the phone right now. Thank—”
“I’m calling on behalf of Sebastian!” Rebecca cut
the woman off before she could hang up.
“Sebastian Halford?”
“That’s right. Lord Sebastian asked me to call.”
“What is it concerning?”
“I…I am not at liberty to say… at present.”
She stumbled over her words, trying to sound passable as someone
sophisticated enough to be working for Lord Sebastian.
“Hold, please.” The line went quiet for a while. Rebecca
breathed a heavy sigh of relief; it seemed she was getting somewhere.
“Sebastian!” The man’s voice that now came over the
phone greeted her the way you
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