The Brokers
The summer night was warm; the cool air from the mountains came in refreshing waves while Noah sat with the three of them at a small patio set outside of some kind of bar that was much fuller inside than out. It had turned to night; Tipp and Aneish had stayed with them even after checking into the inn. Tipp had insisted on going to the bar and then starting a drinking competition with Hannil and Hannil had easily out-drank her in minutes; he laughed at how she nearly hissed at him and smacked the table at his notable sobriety.
"Who taught you to drink?" Tipp asked after their sixth shot, she quickly followed up: "How old are you?"
"Nineteen," Hannil answered with a smile, "My family drinks socially. It's expected that I know how."
"Is this not social?" Aneish asked. He had refused to drink which had made Noah feel better about having water instead of the drink that sat next to it.
Hannil nodded, "We're not alcoholics by any means...well, some people would say that we are, but it's all a lie. A front! I tell you!" He chuckled and raised his drink back to his lips.
Tipp leaned back in her chair and waved her hand dismissively, saying that she did not believe him. Hannil chuckled at her motion before he set his drink down in favor for his cigarette.
"You don't really seem like the normal ones," Tipp said after a minute. "What do you do? Both of you. Neither of you said anything about it."
"Squeak doesn't really talk," Hannil replied.
Tipp began to laugh uncontrollably. "'Squeak'?!" She said.
Noah straightened his back, his ears turned red with embarrassment. "Don't tell them that!" He hissed to Hannil.
"Oh, I get it. He's squeaky," Tipp snickered.
Hannil nodded to her before he looked back at a dejected Noah and winked.
"I want to be an actor," Hannil answered finally, "Stage. Not really into movies and the sort."
"Doing the family business before you go to your dream?" Tipp asked.
Hannil nodded.
"What a catch you are," Tipp replied sarcastically.
Noah tried to keep in mind that Hannil had managed to tell them that they were merely traveling for work. That it was the only reason they were moving at all, why they wouldn't go sightseeing with them. What that work was, Hannil hadn't divulged but Tipp and Aneish seemed to believe them.
"You ever do plays before?" Aneish asked.
Hannil looked over to him.
"You look familiar," he explained.
"I've done a few," Hannil replied.
"Look, you've already got fans," Tipp jeered before she looked back to Hannil, "Or are you the type that wants to be climbed all over?"
Hannil snorted a laugh, "God, no. That's what you've got security for. I'm rather picky about who I fawn over and I suppose that's all that really matters."
"How bold," Tipp sarcastically replied.
Noah snickered and put his elbow on the table, looking down into his first alcoholic drink that he had still yet to finish. He felt as though he had had all of Hannil's shots, the table was blurred and he felt he had to keep ahold of it or he'd fall down. When he felt as though a lot of time had passed in his staring into nothing, he jolted himself back and quietly sipped his water again.
"I'm getting another," Hannil said as he stood up from the table.
He ruffled Noah's hair, the motion alone made him groan and he could vaguely hear Tipp call to him to get her whatever he was getting. Noah smiled vaguely at the contact, his eyes moved back to his amber drink rather than remind himself that he was at a table alone with strangers.
"That road doesn't go very far," Tipp said and it brought Noah's attention to her. He realized, by the way she looked at him, that she had talked to him for a while but he hadn't responded.
"Sorry," Noah said, "Been traveling all day, I'm tired."
"Where did you two come from?" Aneish asked.
"Um," Noah scratched his forehead, "Switzerland."
"Switzerland?" Aneish replied. "Surely I thought you came from um," he snapped his fingers, "Paris."
"Oh, no," Noah swayed a bit and shook his head, "That's where we're heading."
"Oh, good luck up there," Tipp laughed loudly, "Then again if you're coming from Switzerland I imagine you just left a big mess."
Noah nodded, his eyes closing on the image of Hanna's body falling into the roof of the car, he flinched at the noise inside of his head. Mi Na's scream haunted his ears, he didn't think he'd ever forget it. He rubbed his forehead, feeling achy at the memory. He felt they were as blurry as the table.
"Can you believe what they're doing?" Tipp said to Aneish, "Fucking unbelievable, innit?"
Aneish didn't respond but Noah could hear him hum in agreement. Noah felt himself zoning back out and wondered if he could convince Hannil to either party on without him or go to bed. He'd much prefer to seep, he didn't know if he could sleep without being drunk or all alone with his hoard of new memories.
"Did you come from Leuthold?" Tipp called out to Noah.
Immediately, Noah's hand moved from his face; he held it only an inch or so away from him in place. He felt the dizziness go away when he looked back to her, her attention turned to him. He felt the world focus, she was in perfect view.
"Wh..what?" He stammered.
"Leuthold? You heard of it, yeah?"
Noah felt his mouth run dry as he stared at her; his drunkenness threatened to tell the truth and his sobriety kept him from speaking, it left Noah in a standstill with nothing to say. He had lied once and he didn't feel as though he could do so again. He tried to speak but choked on the words that wanted to come out. He stared at her; oh god, he thought, she knows.
"Guess not," Tipp shrugged and leaned back into her chair, "They're just making such a big deal out of it I assumed everyone knew. Berg's got us all running around, looking everywhere for some kid. Who gives a shit about 'em?"
Noah's fingers fit easily into the rings of the cast iron table and he grasped it more and more tightly. He swallowed thickly after he heard her bring up more details he knew she shouldn't know. He had to get away, even if she believed his blank stare to be ignorance, he didn't know how long he could lie about it. Hannil could though, he decided, Hannil had to come back.
"Excuse me," he managed to choke out before he got up from the table.
Inside of the bar was louder and brighter; the crowd was packed into the bar and dancefloor. Noah felt as though he were swimming in people as he weaved his way. He wasn't very short, but he felt small and insignificant in the crowd, bounced from person to person. He tried not to bump into any of them; in avoiding one man's swinging arm and a girl's back, Noah stumbled backward into yet another person that caught him. He was more than thankful when the person he bumped into was Hannil.
"You alright?" Hannil asked.
Noah scrambled for words, he felt as though the floor were tilting upside-down. His panic had him shaking down to the ends of his hairs. The more he stared at Hannil, the more his gratitude dropped and the less able to speak he became. He didn't know where to begin or how to speak; like before, his word choked him.
Hannil reached out for his shoulders and gently held them. "Take a breath, Noah. Come on, breathe with m—"
"Berg sent them!" Noah blurted out.
Hannil's eyebrow arched before his eyes widened. He looked back in the direction of the patio. Noah was relieved that he didn't need to say more.
"All right, don't panic," Hannil whispered.
"'Don't panic'?! We're going to die!" Noah exclaimed, "They're looking for us!"
"No, no, shh, shh!" Hannil dragged him away from the crowd and into a hallway that led to the bathrooms, Hannil stood between Noah and the crowd, blocking his view of them. He bent down to be move level with Noah, he whispered: "They don't know we are the ones they're looking for, right?"
"I don't know!" Noah exclaimed, "They—they asked me if I came from Leuthold!"
"Did you tell them?"
"No!" He panicked, "She...she asked and I-I just stared at her!"
"Good," Hannil nodded and patted his shoulder. "I think I can salvage this. You just have to trust me."
Noah stared at him for a long moment.
"Trust me," Hannil tapped his chest a couple of times before he headed back into the crowd.
Noah felt as though he were soon to throw up what little alcohol, water, and pretzels he had. He grasped onto the wall, the red wallpaper was rough beneath his fingers. Noah couldn't control his breathing, or how his heart began to race so violently he thought it would stop. He couldn't help but notice that people were looking at him.
They all knew, he thought. Berg had sent people after them. The roads monitored. They were trapped. The roof might as well have collapsed on top of them. It might have given them a way out if it had.
A woman asked him something in French as she walked by, Noah could only understand her to be asking if he was alright.
"No!" Noah managed to say before he shoved by her, knocking her drink to the ground. He didn't care enough to apologize, his mind only focused on leaving.
Noah went in the opposite direction of the patio to the doors. He could hear some French words about his rudeness and him entirely but they were background noise to the hammering of his heart. The door never felt so good beneath his hands as he swung it open and heard some people gasp at the loud noise of it slamming into the entrance's iron gate.
The warm, summer's night air wasn't as welcoming after he walked onto the sidewalk. It disoriented him; the lights that went by and the chatter of people, the sound of music coming around, the noises of a city. He hated them all, they were too bright, too loud, too much.
Noah covered his ears and wished his heart would stop so he wouldn't have to hear it any longer. He held his ears until a feeling like a ping from a tuning fork came over him and the world went silent. He couldn't hear his own breath or the car that rolled by. It allowed him to look around once again with the lights blurring, the sounds whirring like he was underwater.
A single car went by and illuminated all around him save for one spot that Noah felt he was forced to look at on the sidewalk. It was dark and solid, yet it didn't frighten him. His eyes traveled up from the shadow's base, over its form and up and up before it turned into a true figure with a head and shoulders that loomed over him. Noah recognized it immediately as the one he had seen int he forest and the one that had watched them leave Leuthold. It was so close that Noah saw that it was someone with a dark cloak on, a hood drawn over their head, no face or any other distinguishing features inside.
As if he were reminded of the strangeness and danger, Noah jumped back with a yelp before he proceeded to swear when he heard a yelp that wasn't his. He hadn't noticed a red dog standing behind him until he had already stepped on its paw, he barely saw it when it ran away. When he looked back to the figure, it was gone; the world was normal again, cars rode by and the noises of the city returned. It was loud.
"Hey, hey!" Hannil's voice came just before was grabbed on the shoulder.
"There," Noah pointed at the spot where the figure stood, he dared not fully extend his arm as he might touch it.
"I saw it!" Hannil said as he pulled his wrist, his voice was more panicked than Noah's. "Run." he said before he shouted: "Run!"
Noah took off after him, around the bar and back toward the inn they had checked into. They skidded to a stop only a few shops from it, seeing that people had gathered outside. They didn't strike Noah as being odd, but Hannil had stopped dead in his tracks, grabbed ahold of him, and kept them in the shadow of a candle shop.
"What's wrong?" Noah whispered.
"I think Aneish and Tipp made us," Hannil said as he gestured his head at the group of people, "Cops."
Noah looked back at them, having first seen them as nothing more than people standing around. He slowly saw their searching eyes and whispering, the way they watched and did not move.
"Oh, God," Noah pulled his hair, "We are gonna die."
"No, no," Hannil grabbed onto his shoulder, "This is the whole point! Neither of us are dying!"
Noah stared at him for a long moment. Hannil wasn't looking at him, his attention focused on the shop and down the alleyway that ran on the other side of it. His eyes searched, frantic for a moment before he looked back to something and Noah felt he could see his mind turn in thought.
"I have an idea," Hannil nodded once.
Hannil and Noah went through an alleyway to find a set of four French teenagers playing with a soccer ball in the parallel alleyway. Hannil stopped at the corner and pulled out his wallet and began to count what Euros he had left before he whistled at the teens and announced in French:
"Odd question from a stranger, but who wants to make six-hundred Euros in fifteen minutes?"
The teens stopped their game with a single turn and the four girls stared at him. Noah didn't know what Hannil was doing or where the conversation was going. He stayed in the alleyway and glanced over his shoulder only once.
"Sounds illegal," a girl answered in English.
"Not in the way you think," Hannil replied and quickly continued. "Six-hundred Euros for two of you just to drive a motorcycle around the block. Hell, keep the damn thing if you like it."
The girl relayed the information to her friends who had seemed hesitant but quietly walked toward them. Hannil met them after only taking a step large enough that Noah followed him, not willing to leave him.
"That's it?" The girl asked.
"That's it," Hannil took the keys out of his pocket to show her.
"What are you doing?" Noah whispered as he grabbed his shoulder.
"The only thing I can think of," Hannil replied.
"What's the risk?" The girl asked.
"Some people are chasing us—not the police but not friendly people either. We need two of you to pretend to be us leaving the city. I doubt they'll hurt you even if they catch you." Hannil explained quickly.
One of the girls blew a bubble from her gum. "I'll do it," she said in French. Her answer surprised her friends and they all went to her and had a small conversation in a huddle before they turned their attention back to them.
"Fine," the girl that spoke English agreed with a smile. "Sounds like fun to outrun a few Englishman."
"I am indebted," Hannil handed the keys to her.
Hannil and Noah took off their jackets and explained where the bike was and what it looked like to the two that matched their height. The two girls happily put on their jackets before they ran off in the direction of the bike, the smaller one, the same that had spoken English, even sang as she swung the keys around her finger.
"I can't believe they agreed to this," Noah whispered to Hannil.
"Need a place to watch?" Another girl called from behind them. She was holding open a door that led to a staircase and Hannil agreed before he pulled Noah along.
They walked through what Noah could only think would make his father curl his nose and say "hippie-den". It smelled of marijuana and had posters all over the walls and the only beds were on the ground with rugs and other mats. Several art projects had been started and stopped, several more lay empty, bottles and cans were around, a few cats and dogs watched them go by.
The girl showed them to a window through their living room before she and her friend sat down on one of their couches and began to roll a joint. Noah watched them for a moment before he went back to Hannil.
"What are you doing?" He whispered.
"We gave away our entire plan," Hannil answered. "I knew that Berg would only do what he thought he would if he were in our shoes, I've been taking advantage of that. Now he knows even some of our cards, he'll start watching the roads I wanted to take. He'll know we're in France."
Noah ground his teeth in anxiety, his eyes welled with tears. He couldn't speak for fear of his own thoughts; he couldn't voice them and give them reality.
"No, no," Hannil grabbed onto him, he held him around his jaw and neck, "It's good. It means we can take the main roads and make our fourteen-day journey in only a few days!"
Noah looked away to the window once again, it was a decent view of the street and plaza. He could see their inn and the bar they left; Hannil had been right, Noah could easily make out Tipp and Aneish talking to the cops that were standing outside of the inn. They were pointing around but it was clear that they didn't know where Hannil and Noah had run off too. Noah guessed that it wasn't a great assumption that Hannil would pay four French teenagers to hide them. He wondered, for a moment when he looked back to the two on the couch, where their parents were.
Hannil tapped the glass and Noah's attention went back to the window. They watched as the group in front of the inn stopped talking and look toward the parking lot before the black bike he and Hannil had been traveling on came speeding out of the lot into traffic, nearly causing an accident.
The other two girls skipped to the other window to watch with glee. They cheered on their friends as those with Tipp began to chase after their bike and the bike sped in the direction of the highway. Noah was surprised by the girls' excitement, he watched them more than the people that attempted to chase the motorbike on foot. Tipp tossed her arms up into the air in defeat after she ran across the plaza, she turned back and Noah could almost see her look of frustration.
"Now Berg will be a step ahead of us," Hannil whispered, a smirk on his lips.
"Why is that a good thing?" Noah replied.
"No one ever looks at the step behind them," Hannil replied.
[ A/N: I forgot to do an author's note on the very last chapter (oops) so hello! I hope you are still enjoying this story and if you are, please let me know by voting and/or commenting!!! Thank you so much for reading and making this story #1! Thank you so, so much! ]