Errand Runners

Chapter 16

Here's another chapter for you guys! A lot of you have been asking for some answers, so here's some exposition to ease your curious minds...

And I also made a "Which Errand Runner Character Are You?" Personality quiz if you want to check that out. The link is on my bio. And as always, thank you for reading and supporting Errand Runners!

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Hold still,” Valerie instructed Nole. Her hands prodded the center of his spine, checking for any sensitive areas. It was his second time being in the small white room, but he had already grown to hate it. As soon as he and Olivia entered the front doors of the complex, Valerie grabbed him for immediate inspection, as if knowing that he would be injured in some manner. Running the entire way back, and being separated immediately afterwards, he hadn’t gotten an opportunity to sort through the events in the alley with Olivia, much less the information she’d divulged.

Zane was there, he reminded himself. I knew it. I knew that guy was sketchy.

A sudden rush of pain shot both up and down the length of his back. He’d tried to mask the injury as much as possible, but Valerie’s persistence would allow no injury to go unnoticed.

He needed to know more about Taro, starting with everyone’s history with the mysterious boy and whether or not they, too, had something to do with Murphy’s death. He suspected that the real reason Zane and Olivia were in Murphy’s shack was because they were looking for Taro. That would explain why Zane was following Nole the night he brought Taro to the shack. All the pieces were fitting together.

Another jolt of pain ripped through him when Valerie’s thumb pressed deeply into his spine. When he squeezed the wrinkled t-shirt in his lap, she apologized and removed her finger from the area.

It’s all an act, Nole reminded himself.

After inspecting the rest of his back, she returned to the sensitive area and ran her fingers over the source of the pain. “It seems you have a herniated disc. You’ll have to stop with the physical activity. You can resume after a few days, but even then you’ll have to take it easy.” He remained silent throughout the entire consultation, not giving as much as a shrug or nod at her instructions.

Should I even believe that?

She droned on about the implications of his injury and how permanent damage could result from improper care. But he couldn’t concentrate enough to focus on what was being said. All he could do was speculate. Did Olivia distract me so that Taro could get away? Why was Taro even there in the first place? Why did Olivia tell me that? Is that part of their plan too? Maybe she slipped up in the heat of the moment. By the time I get out of this room, they’ll have thought of a believable cover story to shut me up, or get rid of me.

Murmurs could be heard from the kitchen nearby. He couldn’t make out the words, but he knew Betty would be in there. Before Valerie could dismiss him, Nole stood up and marched out of the room adamantly. She called out for him to wait, but he refused to answer.

At one point during his ambling to find Betty, he nearly blacked out from both the pain and the tiredness. Clenching the folded shirt in his hand, he made his way down the confining corridor. Valerie ambled behind him, obviously unsure as to whether or not she should interfere.  

When he finally made it to the kitchen doorway, the murmurs stopped. As he rounded the corner, he faced Betty and Olivia, a sight reminiscent of his first day at the complex.