"We can't make it pass there" Lucian tells me, keeping his eyes on the moving soldiers right before us.
"We just need to sneak in and out. We're not joining them for Thanksgiving, Lucian" I mutter to him, adjusting on my legs as we're still hiding behind the corner of a wall. Keeping my eyes on the entrance of a broken shop that probably has a lot of things that means survivals.
"How? Unless you're a CIA agent, I find it very difficult to go unnoticed" I am the sarcastic one, hearing it from him feels odd.
"It's a small village. There are shortcuts and alleys, we can do it" actually, looking around, it doesn't really seem to be the case. But there must be another way to arrive to the bloody place.
"Fine. Let's get what we need and leave as soon as we can" he indulges me. I hope we're choosing the right path. We slowly move out from our hiding spot, bypassing them in the other direction. There are some empty, big fuel cans which let us proceed at a regular pace, providing us shelter from the soldiers. In less than twenty minutes, we manage to enter the shop, breaking a window from behind.
"Are you crazy? Glass shattering doesn't have the silencer" I scold him, fearing they might have heard the noise.
"Sorry honey, I left my Tom Cruise's mission impossible equipment at home"
"oh cut the sarcasm Lucian, really doesn't suit you" we scan the place to scrape some supplies together, but we can't get much, because a noise, as it was predictable, interrupts us.
"There are militias coming. Hide! Quick!" he anxiously tells me, but he does nothing to hide as well, instead grabs a baseball stick.
"I'm not going to let you do something alone!" never have, never will.
"We're not in Mexico anymore Leyla. Go hiding!" this thing will keep coming up every time, we're not in Mexico, I am Hispanic, I can't be found, because if I am, it'd mean troubles. I am sick and tired of hearing this.
"Not until you tell me what you're going to do". He looks straight to the door, but no one comes in.
"Get one of their cars, there are supplies and fuel" he explains quietly, as if it was the easiest thing in the world.
"Are you out of your mind?! Get your arse here and shout your mouth. Let us wait for them to go". He grabs a broken glass bottle and approaches the door.
"I'll open the door and face them, once I did, you get out from the backdoor, got it?"
"Yeah sure, then sharks will fly and lions will start eating grass" sarcastic me, that's how it's supposed to be. He gives me an exhausted look.
"Fine. Get the other stick and get ready" I smile at him with satisfaction and do as told. Funny thing is, no one comes in for at least fifteen minutes. Lucian and I glance at each other, sceptically.
"We were probably over-worrying, let's get out the way we came" he instructs me.
"Wait! How do we know that way is still safe?" Now he looks uncertain too.
"We don't. But chances are higher I suppose" as we approach our way back, some sort of explosion shakes us and the shop we're in, furniture start falling down on us so we faster the pace, but a second explosion makes it even worse, we're about to finish trapped like mice.
"Let's keep it together, this is not for us, they're probably after something else".
"I think so, Lucian, but the result is that we'll be having a hard time getting out of here".
"Can't we hope they're more distracted instead?" I love his positivity, but sometimes it's so delusional. I say nothing and we both make a run for the main door, truly hoping it's like Lucian said. And I must admit, there are no more soldiers threatening the shop, they're running in a different direction.
"Leyla, Look!" he doesn't even give me time to truly take a look that he's already running toward some sort of military car. But if it's been left there it can me two things: it's either broken, or it's a bait. I don't know how to stop him other than screaming. Perhaps I should have yelled at him, because now he's hands up with a gun pointed at his chest. I run to him without a second thought, with just the stick in my hand, pretty useless right now.
"Let him go" I say as harshly as possible.
"Well well, what else do we have here?" a short, red-headed soldier smirks at me.
"I said. Let him fuc*ing go!"
"I think not. You both will have so much fun at our home"
"We're not coming anywhere. We didn't do anything wrong" Lucian tries with the easy way. Don't think he'll let us go out of compassion.
"As I recall, stealing a car is wrong. And how would we know that she didn't perform some voodoo ritual on us" he's joking about my appearance, thinking he may be somewhat funny.
"I'm Spanish you idiot" He instructs two of his soldiers came out of nowhere to drag us in their trunks. I knew this was going to end like this.
"For God's sake Leyla, I had told you to make yourself scarce, why don't you ever listen" he angrily murmurs at me.
"And I had told you to get your arse on the ground. Looks like we both have hearing issues" I am actually angry to myself for my stupid ideas, not to him, but the tension makes my tone worse than it should be.
"They wouldn't do anything to me, I am afraid for you" I'm not so sure they would not harm him either, truth be told. But he's right about something, I'm the one who'd suffer the worst consequences between us two.
"Great. You fear for me and I fear for you, so we do something stupid and that's how things are screwed up". Sum of my life. "Trust me, we'll be fine" he reassures me. I appreciate the try.
"I've heard this before, Lucian, and it always seemed bollocks to me" he leans in closer.
"To be fairly honest I don't trust it either, but it felt like the right thing to say". After a while on the road, my mind starts running wildly, exploring all the possible scenarios.
"Look, I presume they're going to separate us, for obvious reasons. So, as soon as I get rid of them I'll come looking for you and we put an end to this" I firmly tell him. And in that very moment, I believe it.
He deeply looks at me before saying "I don't know if we're going to be fine, but I know we'll get out of here together, I promise you." And I know for sure he means it too.
"And I promise you this is the last dumb idea I'll ever blurt out".
He sweetly smiles and breathes on my lips "Don't make promises you know you can't keep". I smile back at him, turning then my gaze at what surrounds us, dust and dryness, nothing more. But one thing I know, I can't afford to be worried right now, I must find a way to stay lucid and find a way out of this, whatever it takes.
Hi everyone! This is the first true chapter, it's a little short but it's only an introduction. I hope you'll like it. I'm not a native speaker, so if there are any mistakes, please let me know. And let me also know what you think, thank you in advance for reading!