Chapter 3

Astrid woke up curled next to her daughter. It took her a minute to recognize where they were at. She glanced over to the door to confirm it was still locked. Her anxiety level was not as high as it usually was, but she was still precautions. She glanced down at her daughter who was still sleeping peacefully.

She laid back against the pillows and pulled Ally tight. Maybe they were finally free, she hoped. She couldn't stop that nagging sensation in the back of her mine, But for how long? It could have been due to the many failed escape attempts in the past. Or the constant threats after they were captured. Either way the feeling of dread and uncertainty wouldn't go away.

Henry laid awake in his bed, he hadn't gotten much sleep last night. What happened to those girls? When the screaming started down at Fish's and Astrid opened the door she was completely white and terrified. Her daughter wasn't any better. When they heard those tires screeching up the road, they were both trembling. It tore at his heart, he committed then that he would keep them safe and do anything to help them.

In the mean time, they had other problems to solve. With both the girls only having the clothes on their backs, neither of which were suitable for winter. How was he to get them new clothes? With Fish suggesting her folks were watching their place, was it safe for them to leave? Henry sighed, he would have to talk with Astrid about solving these particular dilemmas. He got up and grabbed clothes from the dresser. Maybe some coffee would be a good start.

"Hey good morning." Henry took a sip of his coffee from the kitchen counter.

"On the table are a few t-shirts and shorts. They are probably too big but could work while you wash yours." He sat his coffee down. Astrid just nodded to him and headed to the counter to pour her own cup. Henry moved to the living room and turned on the tv.

"I have a few things we need to talk over." Astrid froze at the comment, a million thoughts racing in her mind.

"Right." Astrid quickly made her coffee and sat across from Henry.

"Look, I want to help. But there are some things I need to know." Astrid visibly tightened at this.

"Do you want to call the police?" Henry gestured to the phone on the table.

Astrid trembled, she remembered what her dad said would happen if the police were ever involved. She couldn't lose her daughter. "No, No police. I can't risk getting them involved." Astrid looked firmly into Henry's eyes.

"Do you want a ride anywhere? Relatives? Your free to stay here but if there is anywhere you would rather be I would be glad to give you a ride."

"No." Astrid said quietly. "We have nowhere else to go."

"Okay." He put his hand through his hair. "What can you tell me about them?"

Henry backtracked after the look she sent him. "No I mean...What kinds of vehicles do they drive? When are they off work? I just think we need to do a bit of reconnaissance of our own. You guys can't stay cooped up here forever."

Astrid looked visibly relived. "Oh, alright Dad drives the Red dodge you saw yesterday. Conner, my brother doesn't have a car. Dad got laid off from the packing plant about six years ago. Conner works at different bars from time to time, but he never stays long." Astrid huffed and blew out her bangs in front of her left eye.

"That's admittedly not a lot of information, but we can work with it. Are there any cars they can borrow? Do they have any routines? You know places they attend every week?"

Astrid looked thoughtful. "Well they have a card game every friday night down at Woody's bar. Dad goes to the casino a lot and Conner is always in and out of the house. Not sure if anyone would let them borrow their car. Do you think we are safe here?"

"I think so, we just have to be careful." Henry looked to Astrid.

"Mommy?" Little ally walked down the hallway rubbing the sleep from her eyes.

"I'll start on breakfast, how do you like your eggs?" Henry got up from the table as Astrid went to her daughter.

The rest of the day was pretty quiet. They laid around and tried to relax. Astrid had changed them into henry's shirts, as their clothes ran through the wash. Ally played with the stuffed toys and watched cartoons. Astrid kept glancing at the door and jumped every time a loud car drove down the road. Ally told Henry all about the different characters in her cartoons. Ruff had called to check in and would dig up some clothes for them to borrow tomorrow. Astrid leaned back against the couch, she couldn't remember ever having a day this uneventful. Was this what it was like to be normal? Could they ever be normal?

The phone rang. "Hey John, yeah, Oak and Main? Line down? Transformer? Alright, I'll be in around thirty minutes." Henry sighed as he put down the phone.

"Astrid. That was work, I have to go in. Not sure how long it will take. Are you okay here alone? Should we call Ruff?" Henry got up stretching.

"We will be ok. I will call Ruff if we need her. I think she is coming over tomorrow anyway." Astrid replied.

"Good. My shop's number is by the table. They can have dispatch reach out if you need me. If this call takes awhile, then I usually roll over to my shift. Normally get off around four." Henry called out as he headed to his room.

As Henry got ready, he hoped the girls would be alright while he was gone. They made hasty goodbyes while he headed out the door. It was snowing again, which never boded well for the hours he was about to put in. As he drove down the street, he did not see the red dodge backed into the office parking lot nor the two guys huddled up inside.