He'll come through

Chapter 6 - Hiding Away

Quinn knew they were virtually upon them, but the terrain this far up was too rugged for the quad bike, and he hoped that the fact he could still hear the engine was a good sign. The route they’d taken wasn’t obvious, he’d changed direction frequently, kept checking they hadn’t left any visible trace. This was just a waiting game, and he hoped that he wouldn’t have to use the gun, he wasn’t sure how Lilah would take to that, and she’d been upset enough already.  

So he sat...and waited.      

He could just make out voices when he felt Lilah stir behind him.                       

“What...”                       

“Sshh!” his whisper was half beg. “They’re near. Stay still.”      

Lilah flipped from half asleep to wide awake and terrified in less than a second, her poor heart was racing again pounding against the wall of her chest. Quinn had his back to her, but slid a hand back to rest on her, reassuring that he was in control. It did little to comfort her, but she curled back to the wall and prayed to anyone who’d listen. Her parents had always said they were pagan, so did she pray to Mother Earth? She’d been brought up Christian but was in a predominantly Islamic area, so she combined them all, anything pagan who could hear, God, Allah...anyone. Closing her eyes she tried to dream of tropical beaches, anything to keep her calm, quiet, but nothing could prevent the trickles of nervous sweat running down her neck.      

Footsteps crunched through the gravel and Lilah thought they sounded right above them. She gripped hold of Quinn’s shoulder in fear and he flinched slightly, but didn’t brush her off, instead he lifted his fingers from the trigger of the gun to brush over hers in a conspiratorial moment. In that instance she knew that Quinn understood that she was terrified, but also that he was trying to protect her from anything that could happen.      

She fought the tears that spilled down her face, but lost, though she did swallow the sobs that were desperate to accompany them. The voices finally grew quieter, but they both knew that wasn’t the end. So they stayed silent, Quinn angling his gun at the entrance to their hidey-hole, Lilah trying to stop breathing for fear of sneezing or coughing....anything that might give them away.      

Eventually after what seemed like an eternity Quinn dropped down to the floor, lifting a finger he placed it over her lips, smiling nervously when he saw she was poised to ask him a question.                       

“Let me look!” he mouthed, then still wielding the gun, he moved along the ravine out into the hot sun. Pausing every few steps he glanced around peering up to the rocks above their heads. Then with a hop, he disappeared from view.      

This was Lilah’s cue to panic. Where the bloody hell was he? What if he didn’t come back? She didn’t have a clue where she was, how the hell did she find her way back to her captors, let alone freedom?  

Keep calm, she told herself, he’ll be back, he won’t be caught, or killed....that thought wasn’t a great thought.      

Minutes seemed like hours, and she was almost shaking when she finally saw two boots emerge over the ledge above her. Someone was sat on the rock above her. But who was it? Her heart pounded and she wished she’d been more observant of Quinn, she should instantly know if it’s him, but as it was she had no clue. Sliding back further under the ledge she started to shake, whimpering with fear, trying to bite her lip, anything to stop her making a sound, she watched as the body slithered down in front of her.      

It was Quinn, alive, well and looking very triumphant. That was until he saw her quivering in the corner her face pale with fear.