Chapter 16: The Edge of the End #2
The town was bustling with noise and people. The market place was filled to the brim with customers and sellers, negotiating on prices, arguing or even gifting each other. The town itself was simple. Whether it was how the people dressed or how the tiny houses were arranged side by side, forcing people to share love and space.
The whole town was lit with light bulbs that shone on the roofs, some even connecting some houses to the other by cords and lights descending from them.
If the moon wasn't out and she wasn't checking the time each second, she would have thought it wasn't this late at night.
"Come on, now." Elliot pulled her hand to help her catch up to him in speed. She ignored the feeling of their hands interlocked and brought the jacket she was wearing closer to her to block the wind out.
When they had first arrived, Elliot left the car behind some building and made sure to buy clothes for both of them first. She had changed from her jeans and top to a simple gray dress, a jacket to warm her up and made sure to buy a watch. For him, he had burned their clothes and chose to wear a red shirt and pants with a windbreaker. She was thankful that they found such items in the stalls.
He also had made sure to borrow water from a lady to wash their face clean from all the dirt and blood, that had accumulated on them. It was such a relief.
As they had walked in the middle of the town hall, heading toward a three-story building shaped to appear as a cottage. They had tried to act normal and blend in with the crowds, but the locals probably noticed how stiff and in a hurry they were. Gladly, they still would offer smiles and kept on asking if they needed anything else.
When they reached the building, Diana discovered that it was a hotel of some kind. The ground floor was divided in half, one half for reception area and the other half had round tables and people ordering food from. They walked toward the reception.
"A room please," Elliot had requested from the lady that welcomed them with a smile. Diana frowned and tugged at their still interlocked hands. He glanced at her and smiled. "One only,"
"What's your name, sir?"
"Phil,"
The lady complied easily and gave him the key after taking the payment for a one-day stay. Diana stared holes at Elliot the whole time they were climbing up the stairs.
He didn't give her any answer until they reached the room and he locked the door behind them. "We needed to do this," He started, "We will act as if we really rented this room. They will suspect we will use a fake name anyway. After a few minutes, we will go downstairs and listen to the locals for any news."
He was standing close to her again. She wished he would stop doing that, stop displaying such intimacy, even if it was a small one. It only made her hold tightly to her feelings. From the corner of her eyes, she saw his fingers lightly touch her face, and his eyes glowed in the empty room. They glowed with pain and love.
His fingers seemed to be tracing an invisible line from the corner of her eyes to her cheeks and as it got closer to her lips, she held his hand to a stop. "Time is ticking." Her voice was lower than she intended it to be. "We need to go." He blinked and seemed to get back to reality. He nodded.
She swallowed thickly and went around him to walk out of the door and down the stairs. She heard him following her. The tables were almost all full with customers, who seemed to enjoy the food there. They chose to sit in the middle.
"I got few goodies from the city last week. I'm sure they will sell for a good coin." Someone had chuckled.
"Then treat us, brother! We will wish you prosperity and that reach new heights in your steals- ugh, work!" The men on the biggest table laughed and cheered as they all raised their glasses, full of liquor, to the sky.
This town sure knew how to party.
"You two seem awfully new." The third empty seat was taken by a man with a joyous grin. By now, Diana had a bad impression on almost any man with a smile, so she didn't feel comfortable speaking with this stranger.
On the other hand, Elliot was in his elements. He gave a respectable smile to the round man and spoke, "Yeah, we were enjoying our honeymoon and on the way back our car broke down," Elliot held her hand on the table and gave her a reassuring smile, she tried to match his smile, for the play that they were apparently conducting now.
She looked at the man who had a surprised look on his face. "We were lucky to find such a great town to spend the night in," She said, matching her words with a soft look, brushing a strand out of her face gently. She had straightened her back and leaned closer to the table.
Her act had worked out because the man and Elliot couldn't help but looking at her. Diana exuded, at that moment, a different aura. She had her hair down, and her face was free of any makeup. The dress she was wearing, even though simple and supposed to look modest, only helped in giving her a clean look. With how the light was descending on her, her soft expression and kind words, she looked magical.
The man coughed as he noticed that he was staring at another's wife. "There is a car you can rent near here. A man can ride with you guys if you don't have time to drop it back." They both displayed a thankful expression and continued talking a little bit with the man.
When they saw the man excuse himself and leave. Diana dropped her happy look and said to Elliot, "So? Should we trust him?" Elliot seemed to be deep in thoughts.
"It was kind of random how he came to us to talk. I think we should find another way." They both agreed on that.
Diana played with her watch and saw that there were only an hour left. She traced the timepiece and wished she could pull the handles back and have a little more time.
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
tara_
tara_ We are nearing the end of this arc~
What do you think is going to happen?
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