"So-" He retained his cool, a hand upon his handgun, yet she seemed unflustered by him. Moments passed, their gaze interlocked. "Couldn't resist looking me up?" He sneered. Her response wasn’t prompt, and an unsettling silence rapidly spread across the confined space.
"I guess not." She decided to played along. She observed him; her eyes running across a man she hardly knew, someone she blindly helped, and requested assistance from.
"Satisfied with what you found out?" He goaded.
"Maybe." She answered. "During work hours, I overheard about a few incidents that happened very recently, up in the mountains." She spoke truthfully. "Little details about any of it though, but of course, curiosity got the best of me. And with a bit of charm, I was able to get some vague information... and a file I 'borrowed' from an acquaintance of mine. Knowing someone from the police force sometimes pays off." She handed him the partial document. "Billy Coen: court martialled ex-Marine, to be transferred to Regason Base for his death penalty." His eyes scowled. "Who, by some miracle or brute force, escaped both his sentence and imprisonment... And now on the run."
"Alright." He took a step forward. "So now that we're done with introduction, what's next?" He hushed. She had discovered his identity, and he wasn't sure what to make of it; whatever her intentions were, he currently had little control over the outcome.
"The same as before." She replied, as she gave him an honest and reassuring look. "I need your help, and you need a way out of the city." He remained silent. "I have no intention of handing you over to the cops." She spoke truthfully, as she noticed his tensed stature. "I don’t care who you are, where you come from or how you escaped military confinement. You helped me out once, and agreed to do so again." His eyes locked with hers. Discovering part of his story, had brought her some relief. "That’s all that matters to me."
"Fair enough." He hushed.
"Can I… still call you Billy?" She wondered, as she proceeded inside the backroom. He followed not long after. She grabbed two bottles of water from the fridge, and tossed him one. Taking a seat on the couch, she waited for an answer; her eyes following him, as he leaned against the table, arms crossed. "So?" She regained his attention. "Any other names then?" He shook his head his response.
"Billy’s fine." He answered in a somewhat formal tone. A unsettling silence lingered around.
"When did you come back anyway?" He eventually inquired.
"About three hours ago." She answered. "You’ve been here for about a day; I came back a few times, but I made sure not to wake you up." He gave her a small nod, a silent but grateful response. "Looks like you really needed all that rest."
She pulled out of her bag, a small notebook; several tags and loose papers filled the fairly small journal. She seemed to be looking for something, as her expression frowned slightly. His eyes stumbled upon a small chain, seemingly used as a bookmark; as she flipped through the pages, a small metal object fell from out from it.
A dog tag..? His mind wondered, as she wasted no time picking it up, a sorrowful expression waving upon her face. Wonder who it belonged to? He refrained himself from asking.
"Oaksford Miles Hospital…" She muttered, for she finally found what she was looking for. Drawn on one of the pages, was some kind of map; a bunch of numbers seemed strategically placed, as to indicate specific locations. "That’s my destination." She locked eyes with him.
"Why Stoneville?" Her response wasn't prompt. He wasn’t the type to engage in long conversations, preferring fewer words and smartass comebacks, and a sprinkle of unimaginative flirtatious lines on very rare occasions; this time however, he felt it was hardly the time or place to make use of such charm.
"Possibly three missing kids." She eventually answered straight forward; his eyes widened, a dismayed look on his face, for he didn’t expect such response. "Two teens and a little boy." A wave of silence and uneasiness spread rapidly.
