Miss Take

Chapter 4 (3389)

Chapter 4 (3389)

When Kelly had first started housebreaking, she had been too scared to research anything about it on the internet, so she had ended up taking a lot of things out with her that she had never needed. She used to bring a small toolkit with her, but had found that there wasn't anything that she ever needed to do that a jemmy couldn't handle. She'd even made some home-made pepper spray, the idea being it could be used to ward off guard dogs, but so far, she'd never robbed a place that had had one. Still, in the front pockets of her black cargo trousers she still kept a few things, being wary that the one time she didn't bring them would be a one time she'd need them. Not things that would help with the stealing, but things that would help with the escaping, should the need arise.

It took her a moment to get her head together. Managing to stop her own screams, she reached into her pocket and took out a smoke bomb, just part of pack of cheap ones she'd bought from a party shop years ago. The kind used in paintball games and things, totally harmless, but if let off in an enclosed space, when people were already scared, it was absolutely terrifying. She'd only ever had to use one once before when a security guard had come across her at a warehouse. If you shouted 'Poison Gas!' at the same time, people ran for it.

She twisted the cap on the bomb and threw it to the floor. Red smoke filled the room in just a couple of seconds and while the young woman that had discovered her ran off screaming down the corridor, Kelly scampered back into the small bedroom and went to the window. She unlocked it, opened it, and then hauled herself out. Looking down she saw that it was an easy enough climb, past a lower window, then to the courtyard below.

It was a cobblestone yard, with wings of the house extending on either side. Lights were going on upstairs. She looked up and saw the window she'd just come out. Red smoke drifted lazily out of it on the gentle evening breeze. She'd forgotten to close it. The yard was walled on the only side that wasn't part of the house, but the gate was open. She could hear voices coming from the other side of the wall. Was it people from the marquee? She wasn't sure, but didn't want to get into a struggle with anyone. She looked around, there were three cars parked in the courtyard. With shaking hands, she took the car-key she had stolen earlier and experimentally pressed the button on it. The expensive looking BMW closest to her chirped happily and flashed its lights. She threw her bag onto the passenger seat and jumped in. She didn't have a driving license, but she could drive, so she tore out of the yard as quickly as she could, kicking up gravel everywhere when she hit the driveway. Two men, holding cans of beer, stepped out from the walled garden, but just watched dumbly as she drove out of the main gate and into the road.

She was panicked, her mind was racing, but after a few hundred meters she started to think again. Didn't flash cars like these have trackers and immobilisers and things? She had no idea, but she really wanted to ditch it as quickly as possible. She headed into town, making for the park. She was thinking that she would drive to the top of Arthur's Seat, leave the care there then run for home. There were no cameras up on the windswept cliffs of Holyrood Park that was for sure, so she could do a circuit and come back out at St Leonard' Crag. The first police car she passed though, her nerve went and she threw the steering wheel over and dove into a bus stop. Then, remembering her bag and slinging it over he shoulder first, she clambered straight up a tall stone wall and into the trees beyond. After a few metres, she burst through the trees into some open ground. There was a fence up ahead and without any great effort she climbed over it and into the grassy land on the other side. Where was she? That question was abruptly answered when a herd of what she thought might have been gazelles ran in front of her.

'I'm in the bloody zoo!' she exclaimed to herself. At least she knew where she was though. She headed upwards, climbing steadily up the hill Edinburgh Zoo squatted on, jumping more fences when she needed to, until she reached the Corstorphine Hill Tower. The stone finger of the tower loomed darkly out of the trees, a single black finger that seemed to be pointing angrily at her. She ran on, following the path past the golf course and eventually to the street. Here she slowed to a walk and tried to slow her breathing. She walked on a half mile or so further until her nerves had settled a little. As she walked she took her phone out of her pocked and checked where she was. It only told her what she already knew, which was the she was still miles from home. Weighing all her options up in her mind she came to the conclusion that it was probably better not to be out in the open any more than she needed to be, so she ducked into an alley, removed her hoodie to reveal a bright red T-shirt that had a print of snarling tiger on it, then stuffed it into her bag on top of all the loot. She then let down her hair, which then sprang up into an unkept mess, and put on her glasses. It wasn't much of a disguise, but at least she looked a lot less like a burglar. After a few deep breaths she took out her phone again and called an Uber.