Think I'm slipping off character on some people here ... argh. Anyway...
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When Magenta awoke she found herself on her bed with Riff Raff sat beside her. He gave her a small smile.
"You're awake" He said.
"How long...?" Magenta mumbled.
"Just an hour" Riff Raff replied.
"And Frank?" Magenta asked as she sat up.
The blood had dried into her clothes now. She pulled her apron off and let it drop to the floor. Riff Raff gulped.
"He isn't dead" He said quietly.
"Vhat?!" Magenta cried.
"He's managed to hang on. But only by a thread. He's at the hospital. He'll be there a while so we have to get away" Riff Raff explained.
"Vhere are we going?" Magenta said. She got up and started to fill a bag for herself.
"Eddie's apartment. But we plan to get out of the country soon" Riff Raff said.
"Isn't zat taking zit a bit far?" Magenta asked.
"You committed attempted murder!" Riff Raff reminded her.
Magenta bit her lip. Trust Frank to survive. They left the room and went to the foyer to meet the others. Columbia had the twins buckled into their double buggy. Eddie held the truck keys in his hands. They all silently went to the truck. The snow had gone but in its place were thin sheets of rain. No one in Denton could remember when they had last seen the sun. Eddie's apartment was only two blocks away and the short drive wasn't enough for any of them to think.
The apartment itself was in a three-storey crumbling red brick apartment block. Thankfully the apartment they seeked rested on the very bottom floor. Inside was just how anybody who hadn't already visited expected it to be; messy and full of junk.
"Sorry guys, I'm not too tidy" Eddie apologised.
"Are we staying here tonight?" Columbia asked.
"I'm not sure, babe. Riff Raff's the guy in charge" Eddie replied.
"We can stay here for a while to rest, but then we have to go. We'll drive until we get as many miles away from here as we can by the end of tonight. You need to bring everything you want because we won't be making any detours. And money too - lots of it" Riff Raff explained.
"Are we fugitives?" Columbia asked in a small voice.
"I guess we are" Eddie replied.
"Once we get away from 'ere I'll go my separate vay. Staying vith voo all zis only putting voo in danger" Magenta said.
"No way! We're staying together" Columbia argued.
"I don't deserve voo; any of voo" Magenta sighed, "Vhere can I go to take a nap? I'm exhausted" She added.
"I would say my room, but I'm going to be packing in there" Eddie said.
"Never mind then. Col do voo need help vith ze babies?" Magenta asked.
"Erm yeah, I can't get Everett to sleep. Try to get him to doze off would you? I need to check Eddie's room for some of my things" Columbia replied.
She followed Eddie into another room. Magenta took Everett from his place in the buggy and sat down on the sagging sofa. She started to rock him.
"Vhat are voo zinking?" Magenta asked Riff Raff.
"What the hell are we going to do. Where we're going to do" Riff Raff replied. He crossed over to the window and gazed out of it.
"I've caused voo so much hurt, dear brozer. I've got voo into so much shit" Magenta said.
"And I'm here to help. Whatever happens I'd never desert you, Magenta" Riff Raff said seriously, turning to look into her eyes for a moment before going back to the window.
"As long as we all stay safe" Magenta added.
"We will be" Riff Raff nodded.
Once Eddie and Columbia were ready, they decided to head off. Clamouring back into the truck with yet more bags was a tight squeeze. Eddie drove again with Columbia in the front seat clutching both the twins. Riff Raff and Magenta curled up on the back seat. They followed Riff Raff's plan to keep driving until night fall. As they got further away from Denton the weather changed. The air was hot and stuffy, forcing them to open up the dusty windows. Soon they left the plush green of the towns for the sand of desert like land. None of them had any idea where they were and so decided to stop at a 24/7 diner. It was greasy and un-appetizing inside. They slipped into a booth in the far corner. A gum chewing waitress with hair bigger than Magenta's came over to them.
"Hello my name is Majorie and what can I get you?" She asked, taking a note book and pen from her stained apron.
"Nothing thanks, Marjorie" Eddie replied for all of them.
"Suit yourselves" Majorie said. She turned away and went back to the counter.
"I say we find a motel and stay there for the night. We're all to tired to drive" Riff Raff said when she was gone.
"But who knows where the nearest diner is? We should of planned more" Columbia sighed.
"We were in a hurry!" Riff Raff snapped.
"Hey don't start on her just 'cause you're in a bad mood!" Eddie said.
"Lets not argue" Magenta said quickly. They were silent.
"Do you think Frank will remember?" Columbia asked.
"Maybe" Magenta shrugged.
"And you don't care?" Columbia asked.
"Just leave zit Col" Magenta said sternly.
Silence again. Then the door swung open and everyone looked to see who had entered. Two police officers came striding through, scanning the area.
"Come on lets go quick!" Riff Raff said quietly.
They jumped up and made for the door. But they were spotted.
"Hey! Wait!" One of the police officers called.
"Keep walking..." Riff Raff hissed.
"I said stop!" The police officer repeated.
"What do you want?" Eddie asked.
"We have reason to believe you were involved in an attempted murder" The second police officer said. The people in the diner tensed and waited for the reactions.
"Us officer? Why we're just travelers" Columbia said in an innocent voice, her eyes wide.
"Maybe not you, but her" The police officer looked at Magenta.
Riff Raff suddenly whipped something out of his inside pocket; something that resembled the top end of a pitch fork. He pointed it at the two officers, who laughed.
"What are you gonna do with that?" One asked.
"This!" Riff Raff pressed a button on his weapon and a red beam emitted from each of the three spikes. One hit one of the police officers. He fell to the floor, dead instantly. There were screams and people ducked under the table. The second police officer looked in a horror at his dead colleague and pulled out a gun from his belt.
"You are in serious trouble sir!" He said.
"So will you be if you don't point that thing away from us" Riff Raff snarled, he waited, "Do it now or I'll shoot again!" He ordered in a louder voice.
"Please just put down the God damned gun!" Marjorie cried.
"Okay" The officer placed his gun on the gritty lino floor and put his hands up.
"Good. Now don't move!" Riff Raff said.
He backed away and the others turned and ran back into the truck. Once they were inside and buckled up, Riff Raff ran too and jumped inside. They tore off, leaving a trail of thick billowing smoke in their midst.
"Nice going Riff! Now we've got the police on our tail andwe have another reason to be arrested!" Eddie shouted over the noise of the roaring engine.
"Fine, if you want to spend a night in a police cell!" Riff Raff yelled back.
"We're going to have to get even further avay now. And be more careful" Magenta said.
"Oh my poor babies! What have I brought you into?" Columbia muttered as the twins screamed and cried. She tried to rock them into sleep but it didn't work.
No matter how much his eyes tried to close Riff Raff kept them forced open. He was determined to get so far away the cops would never come looking for them. But soon it got too dark to see anything even with the headlights.
"Great, now how are we gonna find a motel?" Eddie asked.
"Ed you're being about as helpful as a tattered umbrella in the middle of a rain storm right now! Just shut up and let Riff get on with it" Columbia said.
Eddie sulked into silence. Riff Raff tried hard not to grin and Columbia started to grind her teeth. By some amazing chance they managed to find a motel. It was small with a flashing neon light above it.
"Classy" Eddie grumbled as they got out of the truck.
They checked in with a toothpick chewing old man and went to their rooms. Their wasn't much room for all of them. Eddie and Riff Raff sacrificed the double bed for the girls and slept on the floor. Columbia emptied two drawers from the chest of draws and put the babies inside with some blankets. It looked funny and they laughed for a short while. But as the silence loomed again and they tried to sleep, the thinking started. They were so worried about what would happen that they felt like they would never sleep again.