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No, not dead. I will tell you that now. Just knocked out (the reason for the 'uncomplete' chapters).

CHAPTER 21

JOHN SMITH (11)

LOCATION: CHAPEL STREET, PETERSFIELD, EAST HAMPSHIRE, HAMPSHIRE, ENGLAND

DATE: 7TH MAY 2017

TIME: 11:00

"WE SHOULD HAVE DONE THIS BEFORE." John said.

Amy turned to him and gave him a sad smile before pulling him into a hug. John wrapped his arms around her and hugged her tightly. He knew what she was going to say before she had even opened her mouth. He knew that she was going to tell him that he knew where they were and that he could have come and visited. For him, it wasn't as easy as that.

"You know, you were and still are always welcome to visit and stay and just be there." She told him.

He let her go. "Well you know me. I had things to do. People to see. Sights to see. I can never sit still."

"Says the now entrepreneur! You have to sit still now."

"Not really. I am the face of the business. I get jetted all over the world due to the interest in my company. We have investors everywhere. China, the US. You would be surprised at some of the places and people I have met along the way."

"I know. Look at you. You are a big shot now." Amy exclaimed.

"Talk about yourself. I had to do a double take when I saw your name on the front of the book. I immediately brought it."

"It was just a hobby." She confessed.

"And now you have five books out, with the last one being a best seller. You do realise what I had to do just to make sure I got a copy."

She laughed at him before they both feel into a silence. At that point, John would have loved Rory to come back, saying that he had managed to work his magic again and had got them somewhere to stay, or at least a cup of tea. He could hear Amy think about the questions that she wanted to ask him. He didn't want to leave them behind. He had to leave them behind, for they own safety.

"John, can I ask you something?"

"Of course."

"When you left, it felt like you were trying to leave me and Rory behind."

"That isn't a question."

"Were you leaving us behind then?"

He knew the answer and he knew he could always be straight with Amy, but it was still hard. He was still not allowed to say anything about what had happened in the past.

"I suppose it could be seen like that. That wasn't my intention. Just you had Rory. You didn't need me."

"John, we have been best friends since primary. Actually I think it must be longer than that because I can't remember a time when you weren't there. Every memory I have of childhood has you in it. Why would you think I wouldn't need you?"

John hesitated. "Well, as you have said, I could never sit still. Don't you remember the trips that we took together? How much trouble we go in? When you married Rory, I knew that it would put an end to that. I knew what you wanted and what was bound to come next. There was no point bring you on my adrenaline filled trips."

"They were why they were so fun. We never knew where we would end up or how we were going to get there. You could have brought us along. Yes Rory had his job as a nurse but I am sure we would have made the time for it."

"My trips were also no place for a child either." John commented. "Could you imagine us running away from some angry locals with a baby in tow?"

"John." She said, grabbing his arm, turning him towards her.

The look on her face worried him. She hadn't given the look to him before, but he had seen her give to someone before. It worried him about what she had to tell him and what he had said.

"Have I said something wrong? Is it because you are worried about them?" He smiled at her. "I am sure he or she is wonderful and is being good for Brian. Brian would definitely look after them. I loved Brian."

"You are an idiot. We tried to have children. We ended up going to a specialist because it wasn't happening. I can't have children John. You think that we didn't need you but that was when we needed you most. We almost split up over it. We almost got a divorce because I thought I couldn't give Rory what he wanted. My life was being turned upside down and the one person I wanted in my life thought that I didn't want him."

John felt speechless. He always thought that Amy and Rory would be able to sort out any differences that they would have together. He always imagined them growing old together, with a couple of children and grandchildren. If there was any couple that were going to be okay, it would be them. Obviously not.

He pulled her into a hug and held his arms as tight around her as he could. He now wished that he had come back when he wanted to. He wished that he had taken the opportunities offered to him to go and see them. It wasn't going to change the fact that Amy couldn't have children but it might have helped them stay together.

"I'm sorry. I thought … Maybe now it is more like hoped that you would be okay. I didn't see how I fitted into your life. I was offered a job and just thought that … I'm sorry Amy. I am sorry I left you."

He pulled back and wiped her eyes with his thumb. He hated himself for maybe not realising that something may have happened. He felt this greater responsibility to keep them all safe. He now owed it to them not to mess up again. He wasn't going to allow anything to happen to them.

Amy sniffed before she wiped under her eyes with her fingers. After looking up and a long sigh, she smiled at him, looking like she did before she had confessed to him about her troubles. He wondered how long she had wanted to tell him. The secret that she had buried, not wanting to bring up again. A bit like his secret.

"I wonder where Rory has got to." Amy asked after a while.

John turn his wrist towards him to look at his watch. Rory had been gone just a little under an hour. He would have probably have told her not to worry but something didn't feel right about it as the car pulled up not far from where they were. John watched them before grabbing Amy's arm and pulling her in the opposite direction.

"Hey!" Amy said in surprise.

"I am sorry Amy." He muttered.

"You have already said that."

"I don't mean about leaving you."

"John?"

He pulled her down a number of roads, hoping to make some distance between them. The more distance they made now, the better. Amy continued to protest until she pulled her arm from his grip.

"John?!"

"They have Rory. We need to move." John shouted.

He had a plan. He was glad that they had restocked before trying to find somewhere to stay. They were going to walk and walk until he was sure that they were out of danger. They would only have quick naps here and there. They had to keep their distance. So them stopping now wasn't part of the plan.

"We need to get moving." John said, going to grab her arm again.

"What do you mean they have Rory?"

"The organisation. They are only about a hundred yards that way. We need to get moving."

"We have to get Rory."

"We can't." He shouted at her. "We need to get moving. We need to get out of here. We need to get some distance on them. We need to get to safety."

Amy didn't get to say anything else as John grabbed her again and pulled her away, running as fast as he could down the street, dragging her with him. They had found them and it was only a matter of time before they were caught. His grip left Amy's arm and he felt her faultier behind him. He turned his head to shout at her over his shoulder but only saw the guards jump on the opportunity offered to them.

He wanted to turn back and help her but he knew that it was too late for her. He had to concentrate on himself. As he rounded the next corner, he almost ran into some of the guards. He hoped to give a good fight but as soon as he swung his arm, they grabbed it, twisting it around his back and pushing him up against the closest wall. He felt something being jabbed into his neck before being let go. He stumbled back, wondering why he had been let go. He felt his whole body get heavy before