In the last chapter Robert and luke staked out Helenas house until she left then the two men entered to find a frightened Holly in the hallway, after a bittersweet reunion the trio are startled when Mac Scorpio announces on a bullhorn that he is outside with the house surrounded...
"Bloody hell" Robert hissed as he went into the nearest bedroom to look out the window and see Mac and a large force of law enforcement personel taking up positions around the house.
"What now pal, it seems your baby bro is determined to bring us all in" Luke said as he stood beside Robert but glaring at Holly.
"Holly, do you know any way out of this house without we walk right out past Malcolm?" Robert asked.
"I don't know anything at all about this place Robert, I have only spent time in my room here"
"We can always shoot our way out" Luke snickered. Robert glared at his friend knowing he could not justify possibly getting anyone hurt especially his baby brother who was as tenacious as a terrier.
"Robert, look you two just stay here and hide and I will turn myself in to Mac" Holly said whilegoing to the closet to get a coat. "It wasn't my idea to break out of the prison in the first place, although I can't say I was sad to leave that place".
Robert shook his head negatively looking at his former wife with a befuddled look on his face.
"No Luv we are now in this together and we will get out of this together"
Robert started riflinh through the closet while Luke and Holly looked on confused.
"Robert, what are you looking for?" Holly asked
"IF we get out of here without Mac and the boys seeing us then we are going to be on foot for a while, we need blankets and a flashlight or candles for light"
Luke and Holly immediately started looking for anything useful they could find and within minutes the three met up again in the hallway, Robert led the way through the darkened house looking for any route of escape that wouldn't be obvious to the cops.
"Robert wait, I remember something".Holly said as she layed her hand on his arm Robert felt as if he had been burned by her touch yet had no desire to break the contact.
"I remember when I was brought here it was daytime and Helenas security guards were patrolling the grounds on ATV's" Holly grabbed Roberts hand and started leading him towards the back of the house where there was an attached garage.
"Hey good work English, there is no way Mac and the Mod squad can catch us out here in the dark on these things" Luke said while checking out the two ATV's.
"This might just work Luv" Robert said while strapping the blankets and supplies that , Luke and Holly had managed to find and stuff in a satchel, onto the luggage rack of the bike. Luke very quietly raised the garage door as Robert and Holly climbed onto an ATV together he then mounted his ATV and soon the three old friends were off with Robert in the lead looking for an easy access into the surrounding forest. Meanwhile Mac and the cops having heard the engines ran around to the back of the house and could barely make out the tail lights on the ATV's as they headed into the forest and on to the surrounding mountains.
"Damn, they are getting away" Mac shouted over the drone of the engines.
"Get on the horn and get me a helicopter and some offroad vehicles out here now" He said while shaking his head bewildered at his brothers actions.
A few hours before dawn Robert felt safe enough to stop and rest, Holly's head had been lying on his back for a while and he knew she was exhausted and needed rest. They had travelled about halfway up the mountain when Robert found a good place to stop and hide the four wheelers from the hellicopters he knew were soon to come.
"We can't risk a fire at this point so let's just try to stay warm with these blankets we have here" Robert said while stretching a blanket onto the ground, Holly stood looking exhausted so Robert took her by the hand and led her down onto the blanket covering her with another one.
"You rest a while luv, Luke and I will take turns as lookout, Luke you can have first shift while I keep an eye out" Robert said
Luke nodded too exhausted from the hours on the brutal four wheelers to argue, he thought to himself that he was definitely getting too old for this.
Robert watched the sunrise over the mountain and thought that under different circumstances this would be an ideal place to live, he had watched Holly sleep fitfully for two hours while listening to Luke snore when he began feeling uneasy about staying in one place for two long so he woke up the two and announced it was time to make a move. After much complaining and objections the trio were on their way again, looking for a place where they could feel safe enough to stop and stay awhile, talk and make a plan. Pretty soon the trio came upon an old abandoned cabin that luke recognized from his time on the mountain after the avalanche.
"Hey, I know this place" Luke said after stopping his ATV and getting off. "This is where I stayed after the avalanche with the old guy who took care of me, remember I told you guys" Holly and Robert each nodded while cautiously following look inside the cabin. It was dusty and looked as if no one had lived there for a very long time.
"well, this will have to do for the time being" Robert announced putting the satchel down.
"alls we need now is some grub, any ideas?" He asked while looking at Luke and Holly.
Holly started rifling through the cabinets coming across several old cans of beans and some canned soup. Looking at the soup she flashes back to a time when she had came home from this very mountain sick with the flu and Robert took care of her.
Holly:I have to have fluids, Dr. Quartermains orders thats why i'm making this soup
Robert: Whatever that is isn't soup
Holly: It came in a soup can
Robert: Yea well my Australian granny would spin in her grave if she understood soup came in a can
Holly stood in the kitchen of the old cabin holding an old can of soup with a smile on her face thinking that she would find a way to make Robert understand that she had no control over her actions in Febuary. Meanwhile Robert stood watching his former wifes beautiful smile light her her face wondering what she was thinking of at that moment.