Beneath the surface (ENGLISH VERSION)

VI : Erina and Arian in Wonderland

Arian.

"Arian, wake up. Your friend is finally in good condition.

—OK."

My friend? Oh, he must be talking about my target.

I run my hand over my face then run it through my hair to push it back. I get up and go to join Erina and Tommy who are at the car. I raise my head towards the sky, observing the Moon which shines more among the stars. They are beautiful.

"Hey Galileo! Come this way." Calls me Erina.

"Y-yes... Thirty seconds."

I take one last look at the Moon and walk towards them, arms crossed. Erina's emotionless gaze pierces me, I turn my head towards my target as her voice echoes in the deafening silence of the forest.

"Tommy briefly explained the situation to me. Unfortunately, I don't have anyone living here in Cullman. The only relatives I have left are in Russ- are not here." She corrects herself.

"OK. We're going to have to walk.

—What ? Erina says indignantly, getting up. We drove almost two and a half hours and do you think I'm going to walk? Out of the question.

—Well, find a solution for us, you who are so intelligent." I provoke, the smile etched on my lips.

Her mouth twitches as she draws her gun to point it at me. I do the same, but no one shoots. The tension is palpable between us. I am about a meter away from Erina while my forehead is less than an inch from her weapon. Tommy removes the joint from his mouth and stands between the two of us.

"Oh, oh... Slowly, you two. I've already buried one body this evening, that's enough for me. Lower your weapons."

I listen to my friend and lower my gun, slowly, fully aware that if she wants to kill me, she can. Luckily, she doesn't shoot and lowers her gun before putting it behind her back.

"Go for a walk, then!" Erina gives up, taking the path towards the road.

We walked for a while, several cars passed by us, but no one stopped. Except for one trucker, but Erina told us openly that he was "too scary", result: he heard and left. We are still moving forward in the dark, along the road. My feet are starting to hurt, my calves are pulling and I'm on the verge of giving up. Even if it means sleeping outside, that doesn't bother me.

"Whore ! There's dinner!

—Rohhh... Finally!" Tommy exclaims, out of breath.

We continue walking to the entrance of the famous diner, passing through the door, we find a woman half asleep behind the counter.

"Hello Mrs. Are you making food at this time?"

She wakes up with a start and puts her glasses back on. She looks a little lost, then looks at her watch.

"Yes, Yes, of course. On site or to take away ?

—On the spot.

—OK. Should I let you watch or will you order right away?

—Now, I'm just going to have a tray of fries, extra mayonnaise." I inform.

"I'll have... A hamburger and fries, and onion rings.

—No thanks. I won't eat anything.

—You're sure ?" Tommy asks, intrigued.

"Yes. I never eat after an... Overdose."