Escape Artists

Chapter 9 • Richard Macall

It was around midday when the door opened. It was Lennon. "Come down." he said with his usual dry and unbothered voice when he spoke to Evelyn. Evelyn stood up and grabbed Lennon's coat. "No need for that." Lennon said "Nobody here knows that you were supposed to be my victim." He leaned against the doorframe, his hands in his pockets. Evelyn hesitated for a moment but put the coat away.

Lennon walked down the stairs already when Evelyn left the room. He looked back. "Stay close to me or these older men will touch you. Or don't, I don't give a fuck." Lennon said, his voice so dry. Evelyn rushed to catch up with him, since Lennon didn't bother to wait for her. Evelyn walked on his left, a little behind him.

Lennon sat down by a table with two chairs. The table was a little offside from the other tables. Evelyn hesitated for moment before sitting down infront of Lennon. She looked down onto the table, trying to avoid looking into Lennon's face. A waiter came to them and Lennon ordered something to eat. Evelyn didn't listen to what he was ordering. Her mind was swirling with thoughts about Azalea and her mother. Was Naima still alive? What happend to the people in Azalea? Will she ever be able to return to her home? What's up with Lennon? That was his name, right? As far as she could think back, it was.

Lennon didn't talk at all. Evelyn was lost in thoughts. She didn't even notice when the food came. "Enough daydreaming." Lennon's words woke Evelyn up to reality again. She looked down at the food. It was fish. Just blank fish, no side dishes, just salt and herbs. Lennon had the same. He began to eat without looking at Evelyn once. Evelyn did the same.

Lennon finished eating before Evelyn and leaned back in his chair. He looked around the bar, at the other people and also at Evelyn. Evelyn kept trying to avoid looking at him in any way, but Lennon didn't seem scared to watch her. When Evelyn finished eating too, she just sat up straight and stared at the floor next to her.

Why did he save her? He was supposed to kill her...

She didn't notice when Lennon stood up. He had already paid for the food and everything. "Daydreaming again, huh?" he said in his usual dry tone. Evelyn stood up without looking at him. She followed him back to the room. Lennon locked the door once they were both inside. Evelyn sat down on the edge of the bed and stared at the floor. She tried to avoid Lennon's face at all costs.

Around 2 hours had passed when the dim voices that were hearable from the bar fell silent. Lennon had stood by a window with his hands in his pockets. He turned his head around, towards the door. Evelyn had also looked up. It was awfully quiet, as it was a loud bar, where there were always people talking. Just a minute later after everything had fallen silent, there were footsteps. They came up the stairs. Evelyn heard the dim voices first. "The most quiet room is sadly taken, I'm sorry!" it was the voice of the owner of the bar. "I don't care! I want the quietest room you have. I hate being disturbed!" Lennon heard the voices too now. He instantly walked away from the window, past the bed where Evelyn sat and to the door. He listened. There was a knock.

Lennon abruptly turned his head around  and looked right into Evelyn's eyes. Evelyn did not expect that at all. He didn't say anything, instead did a gesture to tell Evelyn to keep quiet. There was knocking again. Now, Lennon did a nod signaling Evelyn to follow him. Evelyn stood up and followed him to the window as quietly as she could. Lennon opened the window and bent out to look how high it was. He looked back at Evelyn. She stood behind him with some little distance. Lennon turned around with his whole body and came really close to her face. He whispered: "If you wanna live, be fucking quiet and trust me."

Evelyn took a little step back, not only because his face had been so close to hers, also because he just said she should trust him. How could she trust him if his job was to murder her? Lennon's cold eyes stared into hers. Was this a trap? Or was he really trying to save her? He already did it once... There was banging on the door. Evelyn hesitated for a moment but then nodded.

Lennon grabbed Evelyn's wrist and pulled her to the window. Without a warning he picked her up. Evelyn's heart skipped a beat, but she kept quiet because she remembered what Lennon said. 'If you wanna live be quiet'.

Lennon had climbed out of the window with one leg already. Evelyn was scared. Would he just jump out of the window? What if he wouldn't land on his feet? His second leg was hanging out of the window too now. He sat in the window frame and looked down. "Hold onto me." he said dryly, as always. Evelyn instantly wrapped her arms around his body. She wasn't that afraid anymore. The sound of keys unlocking the door; Lennon jumped. He jumped out of the window, holding Evelyn in his arms. He landed perfectly on his feet. Once he landed he began to run from Blade Bar as fast as he could. For 20 minutes straight he ran, with Evelyn in his arms, and didn't even seem to get tired.

Lennon stopped running. Evelyn tried to get out of his arms and Lennon let her. He looked back. Nobody was there. Evelyn kept quiet first up, but then gathered the courage to speak. "Who-" Evelyn wasn't able to finish her sentence. "Richard Macall. One of the most well known assassins in Death Blade. They know my mission was to murder you, and if they would've seen you, they'd kill me." Lennon didn't look at her while speaking. His voice was dry as always, he never spoke to her in any other way. Evelyn didn't answer.

He had already saved her two times...

Lennon didn't speak. He had leaned against a tree while Evelyn walked around a little. "Duster", Lennon called out. Evelyn turned her head to him. She hesitated for a moment before walking towards him. She tried her best to avoid looking at him while Lennon's eyes were fixated right on hers. "We're going." he said, not moving away from the tree yet. "Where...?" Evelyn asked quietly. "Anywhere except Blade Bar and Death Blade." he answered, his eyes never leaving hers. Evelyn looked up to his face for just a moment; Their eyes met; and she instantly looked down again. Lennon didn't actually know where to go either.

He thought for a minute. "I know a place." he says unbotheredly. He pulled his hands out of his pockets and started walking northeast before Evelyn could answer. She followed him with distance.