Errand Runners

Chapter 10 - Part 1

For the first time that day, Nole was actually grateful for the constant sirens going off around the city. As they walked, the noise around them made the awkward silence less deafening. Although he was grateful for her help, and he knew he needed it, he was unsure of Olivia, especially after the way she covered for him after the job. Even though he was expecting an explanation from her, it didn’t seem like she would be offering one soon.

She was wearing different clothing from earlier that day, and her long hair was no longer in a tight ponytail, but woven into a loose braid that extended all the way to her lower back.

“So,” he began, breaking the ice, “did you bring that map you had with you earlier?”

Without a word, she whipped out the folded map from a side pocket of the knapsack and looked at him. Stupid question I guess.

"Any leads?” she asked, unfolding the paper midstride. “We should start where you last saw him.”

“Nothing there,” he replied. “I checked earlier-” he stopped, realizing that he’d just admitted leaving during the mission. Thinking of a way to backtrack his wording, she picked up the conversation.

“Gain any new info from that?” She was completely ignoring his fumble.

Did she not hear me right, or does she not care?

“N-no.” The quiet hovered over them once again, like a cloud rolling in the sky. “But I want to go back to where we were living. That’s the only place I think he could be.”

“Okay,” she answered. “Lead the way.”

The apartment complex was located near the southern part of the city, ten blocks from City Square. From there, the library would only be a short distance north. Any way he looked at it, it would be a solid hour of walking. Running would cut the time in half, but he thought it best to conserve their energy as they had a long day ahead of them.

Passing through the first block of the trek, Nole’s stomach rumbled. In his haste, he’d forgotten to eat after getting back to the complex. He ignored the moan of his stomach and glanced over at Olivia to see if she’d heard. To his relief, she was rummaging around the contents of her bag rather noisily. Before he could turn away, she uncovered the item she’d been looking for and extended it his way. Reluctantly, he accepted the item, embarrassed to realize it was a wrapped turkey sandwich.

He thanked her passively and slowly unwrapped the clear plastic almost too hurriedly. He didn’t know why he felt so discomposed, but seeing Olivia bite into her own sandwich put him a little at ease. Whether it was the gesture of food or her actions from earlier that day, Nole decided Olivia wasn’t as bad as he made her out to be.

“Why help me?” Nole blurted out. He stared down at the decked out sandwich, a mixture of mayonnaise and mustard dripping down the side of the bread. Turning his head slightly, he saw that her expression was unchanged, so she was either thinking of an answer or swallowing a bite of the sandwich.

“You wouldn’t get very far looking on your own.” The response was both concise and logical. Clearly her strategic skills extended beyond the calls of the errands.

“And this morning?”

“Zane looked like he was going to kill you.” Another concise answer, he thought. “And,” she added, “you looked really desperate judging by the way you’ve been acting these past couple of days. That’s why I sent you off on your own. It was a relatively easy job, so I could handle my end without your help, giving you an opportunity to sneak off.”

Nole was shocked, not by her answer or her reasoning, but by the way she had admitted knowing he would sneak off. So she didn’t just lie to cover for me, she actually gave me the chance to go out looking in a way that wouldn’t expose my absence from the job. I was the one who screwed up by getting back late. “I didn’t tell Betty,” she stated after he didn’t respond. “As far as they know, you were with me the entire time, though I thought you’d be more punctual when getting back.”