Will pushed back into the shadows of the deserted petrol station, and cursed.
He was cold, wet, and out of breath after following Erin through a convoluted route of side streets and alleyways.
Halfway, she had stopped and thrust him against a tall wooden fence that bordered the gardens of a row of terraced houses.
A terrified cat had skittered away from them. Erin had watched it run, before turning her attention back to Will.
‘Your backpack,’ she’d hissed. ‘Have you let it out of your sight since this all started?’
He’d shaken his head. ‘No – why?’
She’d stepped back, and seemed to relax a little. ‘The motel’s only another half a mile away.’ She pointed at his bag. ‘No sense in leading them straight to us if they’d bugged your bag as well. I should’ve thought of it, back at the room.’ She’d shrugged, a wave of misery clouding her features.
‘Hey, it’s okay,’ Will had soothed. ‘It’s been with me all the time. Scout’s honour.’
She’d nodded, and they’d started running again.
Now, the motel loomed in front of them, the bright lights of its reception area pooling over the car park. Only six vehicles filled the spaces, the spotlights from the building angled in such a way that would-be thieves would move on to easier targets.
‘The room’s round the back,’ Erin murmured.
They both jumped as the sound of an approaching vehicle reached them.
Will pulled her back into the shadows with him, holding her close. She trembled under his touch, and he closed his eyes as the vehicle drew closer, tilting his face away from the approaching headlights.
The car passed them without stopping, its wheels splashing through the puddles on the asphalt. Spray soaked Will’s jeans and he felt Erin relax in his arms.
He released her, and they smiled.
‘Maybe we’re getting a little too paranoid,’ he suggested.
She shook her head. ‘That’s what’s going to keep us alive,’ she said. ‘Come on.’
She slipped her hand into his, and they hurried across the road to the motel. She led him down the side of the building and through a smaller entranceway, then along a bright corridor painted in the motel chain’s signature colours.
At a door halfway along, she stopped, pulled out a swipe card and pushed the door open.
Warmth radiated from the room, and Will sighed as he let the backpack slide from his shoulders.
Erin locked the door and padded into the living area, her wet shoes squeaking.
Will blushed. ‘Look, I, um – without wanting to sound weird – we need to get out of these wet clothes.’
Erin nodded. ‘You’re right.’ She walked over to a built-in wardrobe and slid the door open, then pulled out matching towels.
‘Do you want to get in the shower first to warm up, or shall I?’
‘You go first. I’ll find something for us to lay out our clothes on to dry.’
‘Okay.’
Will lowered his gaze as she made her way towards the bathroom, the purr of the extractor fan filling the awkward silence.
‘Will?’
He raised his head. She stood in the doorway to the bathroom, a hesitant look on her face. He raised his eyebrow.
‘Don’t leave the room, okay?’
‘Sure – we don’t know if we’re safe yet, right?’
‘Yes. And I don’t want to be left alone. I need to know that you’re going to be here when I get out the shower. I need to know I’m going to be safe.’
‘I’ll be here.’
She nodded, then slipped into the bathroom and closed the door.
Will waited until he heard the shower taps squeak and water splashing against the tiles, then pulled his jacket off his shoulders and slung it over the back of a chair.
Bending down, he unzipped the backpack. He reached in and pulled out the hard drive and his mother’s bible, then stood on tip-toe and slid them onto the top of one of the cabinets in the small kitchenette.
He stepped back to the bathroom door, and then turned, checking the angle. The hard drive and bible remained out of sight.
His heart pounded in his chest. If Erin looked for the items in his backpack when it was his turn to use the shower, would she question their whereabouts? Or did she trust him so much that she wouldn’t seek them out in the first place? And why didn’t he feel that he could trust her?
He sighed and ran a hand through his wet hair. The hiss of water from the bathroom stopped, the taps squeaked once, and the shower screen door slammed shut.
Will pulled his sweater and t-shirt over his head, the sodden material clammy under his fingers. He peeled off his socks, and then rummaged in the back of the wardrobe until he found a clothes rail, which he dragged across to the wall heater, before laying out his clothes.
He straightened as the bathroom door opened, and Erin appeared. He felt his breath catch in his throat.
She’d wrapped herself in one of the fluffy towels, her freshly washed hair tumbling into her eyes. She clutched her wet clothes against her chest.
He swallowed, her vulnerability cutting through him. ‘Are you okay?’ he managed.
She nodded. ‘A bit better, yes.’ A faint smile reached her lips. ‘I think I even saved some hot water for you.’
Her gaze travelled over his naked chest, before she blinked, then stepped into the room. ‘I’d better hang these up.’
‘Sure.’ Will moved away from the clothes drier, then reached across the bed and picked up the other towel. ‘I guess I’d better warm up too.’
He hurried towards the bathroom, and shut the door. He exhaled, and tried to ignore the stirring below his waistband.
‘Shower,’ he mumbled. ‘Maybe cold.’
He stripped off his jeans and boxer shorts, kicking them to the floor, then wiped the palm of his hand over the fogged glass of the mirror.
A gaunt, tired man looked back at him through haunted eyes. Dark circles had appeared under his lids, and he tried to remember when he’d last had a decent night’s sleep.
He scowled at his expression, turned, and stepped into the shower, turning the taps on full.
He let out an involuntary groan as the hot water hit his skin, before he made liberal use of the soap and shampoo.
When he stepped out five minutes later, he was pink, and the room was filled with a light mist.
The extractor fan continued to purr in its pathetic attempts to clear the fog, and Will pulled the thick material of the towel around his waist. Picking up his clothes, he opened the door and switched off the fan.
The main room was darker. Erin had switched off the harsh overhead lights and instead, both bedside lights were glowing.
The clothes drier had bent slightly under the weight of the wet clothes, so Will put his jeans on the back of a second chair and tucked his pants next to them.
Erin sat on the small sofa, watching. ‘I figured you wouldn’t fit on here, so you can have the bed, if you want.’
Will glanced at the double bed, its inviting cotton sheets and blankets and the quilt that covered the lower half. He cleared his throat, and cursed inwardly at the heat he knew rose in his cheeks.
‘Look, we’re both tired,’ he began. ‘We both need to rest. Why don’t we just share the bed?’
She stood then, and crossed the room to him.
‘Okay.’