The battered jeep had obviously seen better days. But its shining coat of paint and clean look spoke of it being well maintained no matter its age though. The wheels conjured up small dust devils as they traversed the old sand road leading towards town. The sides of the car were already dulled with dirt.
Wondering why the newcomers came by the old road and not the freeway, the clerk at the gas station got up, squinting at the sun. Situated outside the actual town most people stopped at Sam “Yosemite” Lowell's gas station to refill fuel or get something cold to drink. Summer in Denver proved most of than not to be hot, dry or dusty or all of the above.
Lowell wiped his hands on an oil-stained rag. Sometimes the sand played havoc on the engines as well. But by the sound of the even purr of a well kept engine, he went in the direction of the gas pumps. As he had expected the jeep pulled up against the nearest pump. A young man wearing jeans and a grey T-shirt leaned back in the driver's seat.
“Howdy,” Lowell slowly spoke. “Should I fill her up for ya?”
“Yep. Thanks.”
The answer was distinctly Western flavoured. The young man looked no older than twenty, eyes hidden under dark sunglasses. Underneath a patterned, mostly red bandanna long sienna curls were poking out.
Lowell busied himself with his task, leaving the younger man to slip out of the vehicle to stretch his legs. He wasn't very tall, but the lean frame spoke of strength as did the air about him. Listening to the sound of gasoline pouring into the gas tank Lowell glanced into the back seat of the jeep. Two bags and a backpack were crammed into the confined space, along with an assortment of sweets, some wrappers, a denim jacket and a pair of small sneakers. Looking closer Lowell discovered a small red jacket as well as a ragged looking brown teddy bear that was safely placed on the floor of the car, between seats.
The young man hadn't moved far from the car. Lowell could see him check the other front seat, and then he leaned against the car's front. Hanging the nozzle back up, Lowell closed the lid to the gas tank. Reciting the price, he got a nod in return. Nodding back Lowell moved forward, frowning a little at the curled up form in the seat next to the driver's seat. The form turned out to be a sleeping boy of around six years old. Most of him was covered in a thin plain wool blanket, unruly red-brown hair sticking out. Lowell noticed the other man's eyes on him and quickly moved on. Money in hand he went inside to make change, stroking his beard as always when he had something on his mind.
“You heading into town?” he asked when he returned, as the young man was getting back into his car.
“Reckon so. You wouldn't know if anyone's hiring? I don't mind what kinda work.”
Lowell thoughtfully scratched his greying hair. The scene in front of him could be a lot of different things, most likely two kids on the run. He'd do his best to help them though, whatever it was that sent kids running like that, it was usually bad.
“Well, there's Mr. Larabee's horse ranch, guess he could be looking for some new hands. Or Dr. Jackson at the clinic. Tell you what, when you get into town you ask for a Josiah Sanchez. He'll know.”
“Thanks, Mister.” He was rewarded with an easy, wide smile. “See ya.”
“See ya, kid.”
The jeep turned, but not before Lowell had seen the young man check on the sleeping child and tuck the blanket better around him.
+ + + + + + +
Dark was approaching fast over the town. Yellow light diluted the darkness, coming from the houses along the street and the silent sentinels of street lights aligned with the pavement.
Walking around the car Vin carefully opened the door and gathered the small bundle into his arms.
“Hey,” he softly said, stroking the boy's chestnut hair. “Wake up, Ez, we're here.” He smiled when the boy snuggled closer. “Come on, bro, we gotta get some food into you and find a place to stay.”
Large green eyes blinked open. A hand came up to rub at the sleepy eyes.
“Where are we, Vin?” the boy spoke in a deep Southern accent.
“A town called Four Corners,” Vin replied, taking another look around. “There should be a boarding house around here. Then we'll find a restaurant. You hungry, kid?”
“A little.” Ezra seemed content to stay in Vin's arms. The seven year old had been asleep for only an hour when they had reached the gas station and Vin figured that they would get a quick bite to eat and then he needed to get them a room for the night. He could just as well sleep in the car, but he wanted the younger boy to be able to sleep in a proper bed with a roof over his head. The jeep was parked not far from the sheriff's office and he used the blanket to cover up their bags. Sitting Ezra down on the hood of the car he helped the small boy into his jacket.
“I can walk m'self,” the boy protested as Vin moved to lift him again.
Vin had to smile. “Alright, Tiger.” He took Ezra by the hand instead. “You ready?” He received a serious nod in return.
The centre of the town wasn't big. The usual buildings lined the main street on both sides; a bank, a drug store, groceries stores, a clothes shop and a hardware store… Vin made note of the few restaurants and the fast food store. At the end of the street though, lay a pleasant looking house with a rooms to let-sign on the door.
“What do you think, Ez?” Vin looked down on the seven year old. The younger boy clung to Vin's hand. “You want to stay there?”
“Okay.”
“Then there is it.” Vin lifted Ezra up, overhearing the protest knowing that the boy was about dead on his feet. Together they made their way into the boarding house to be greeted by a smiling woman behind the reception desk.
“Looks like you need a room, my friend,” the pretty, dark lady smiled when seeing them. “I know weary travellers when I see them.” The name tag on the burgundy vest over the peasant style white blouse read ‘Inez Recillos, manager'.
Vin smiled back while Ezra gave her a shy look before hugging Vin a little tighter. Miss Recillos caught the subtle action and winked at the small boy. Chatting amiably with Vin she soon had a key for them and directions towards the elevator and which floor to find their room.
The room in question turned out to be light and decorated in a flowery print going through the whole room from wallpaper to curtains to bedspread.
“Not very manly, is it?” Vin chuckled. “Ok, you wait right here, and I'll go get our stuff.” He crouched in front of Ezra who was sitting on the side of the bed. “You stay right here, you hear me, Tiger? I'll only be gone a few minutes. When I come back we'll go downstairs to the restaurant.” Green eyes studied him seriously. “Then you can have a bath before you go to bed, deal?”
At last Vin got a smile.
“Deal.”
“Good.” Vin rose to his feet. “Now you don't fall asleep when I'm gone, ‘kay? And you stay put.”
“I will,” Ezra promised.
“Good boy.” Vin bent down and gave Ezra a quick hug. “I won't be long.” Making sure that Ezra locked the door behind him Vin hurried back to the sheriff's office, content to not seeing any activity in the mostly dark office. Hefting the backpack on his back he slung a bag over each shoulder and made his way back to the boarding house.
The restaurant was on the right side of the reception area on the ground floor. To the left a short hallway led to the bar and nightclub on the side of the boarding house. Still holding Ezra's hand Vin looked around the room. Finding a table in the back, he made sure that they had easy access to the door and that they would be shielded from view from the windows as much as possible. Once they were seated, Ezra's small face wore a worried look.
“Vin?” he tugged at the older boy's sleeve. “How much money do we have left? We could stay in the car…”
Vin quickly stopped him. “I don't want you to worry about that, Ez. We got money still and once I've gotten a job, we'll be set.” Seeing the still worried face, he added: “It's going to be ok, Ezra. We'll be safe here, little brother. He won't find us here.” He got a tentative smile in return.
“Hey boys! What can I get you two?” The dark haired woman standing in front of their table smiled ruefully in apology for having startled them.
Vin smiled, then he took a quick look at the pre-placed menu. “We'll have two Cokes, please, and a cheese burger with fries... He looked at Ezra who nodded. “Better make that two.”
“Ok. I'll just be a minute, boys,” the woman Vin recognized from the reception desk replied. The restaurant was beginning to fill up as their orders were delivered to their table. In their corner the two of them ate their meal quietly talking and relaxing properly for the first time in weeks. Not long after the seven year old's eyes started to droop in earnest.
“I'm just gonna pay, Ez. Then we'll go upstairs.” Again Vin looked up to find Miss Recillos at their table. A soft smile played over her lips. The other guests had kept her busy, something that Vin was thankful for. He was still wary about drawing too much attention to them.
“You go put the little man to bed,” she said, her voice coated in a smooth Mexican accent. “I'll put the tab on your room.”
“Thanks,” Vin shyly replied. Getting up he lifted Ezra into his arms. The long drive had taken its toll on both of them.
Once in their room he found a clean pair of night clothes for the younger boy, and sent a yawning Ezra to the bathroom. Kicking his shoes off, Vin followed, carrying a bag of toiletries. After telling Ezra to go brush his teeth, he started drawing a bath for the seven-year-old.
Half an hour later found Ezra dressed in his pyjamas and almost completely asleep against Vin's shoulder. Smiling the teenager tucked his little brother in, pausing to run his hand over Ezra's hair. The room was half dark, only the lamp on the bed side table was lit. Carefully Vin lay down on the other bed, studying the smaller boy.
They had been on the run for several weeks now. Vin rolled to his back, contemplating the ceiling. It would have been easier if Ezra really had been his little brother for real. If they went to the police now the seven year old would be put in foster care and they'd take him away forever. Or worse, they'd manage to track down that insane bitch who had given birth to him once. Vin refused to call her Ezra's mother. The woman had no idea what it took to be a mother. There was no way Vin was letting her get her hands on Ezra again. Not after she had left him with that man, who had nearly killed him.
Sighing, Vin thought back. After a year in college, he had landed a summer job working at the Harburg estate. At the estate he had met Ezra for the first time, Mr. Harburg's step son. Seeing himself in the lonely, unassuming seven year old, Vin had quickly made friends with the quiet little boy. During the weeks Vin had worked there, the boy had slowly transformed from the pale faced, scared little thing to the sweet, charming and clever child he really was. Gaining Ezra's friendship and trust Vin discovered that he really liked the small shadow following him around everywhere he went. Everything had been fine until the day Ezra hadn't come to meet him in the morning. Later the same day Vin had heard from the other workers that Mr. Harburg had returned from abroad, without his wife of the last six months. Then just before he was to leave for the day…he came upon Ezra sitting by the little duck pond, knees drawn tightly to his chest, head bowed.
“Hey Tiger,” Vin greeted him, pushing the bushes out of the way so he could walk to the pond and the young boy. The pair of ducks quacked at him, quickly checking if he carried any treats, then they went back to ducking for water bugs. Becoming alarmed when Ezra would answer or even look up, Vin sat down next to him.
“Ez? What's wrong?” Vin laid a careful arm around the tense shoulders. “Ezra, you're starting to scare me here…come on, Tiger, look at me?” He kept his voice calm and gentle.
The tension in the small boy grew, but very slowly Ezra lifted his head. He rubbed his eyes with his hands, removing what Vin knew was tears. Unhappy green eyes looked up at him and Vin drew a startled breath, too shocked to move for a second.
The fresh bruises stood vividly out against Ezra's pale skin. There were traces of fresh blood under his nose and on the split lower lip. The rest of it was smeared on the dirty shirt the boy was wearing.
“Oh my God…” Vin reached out a trembling hand to touch Ezra's cheek only to have the smaller boy flinch away. “It's ok,” Vin hurried to say. “I'm not going to hit you… What happened? Who hurt you?” Anger simmered up in him. He'd be damned if he was going to let Ezra go through what he had gone through in some of the foster homes he had been in while growing up.
Fear was radiating through the young boy's eyes. “I… I can't tell…not allowed to…”
“You can tell me, Ez.” Gently, not to scare the other boy, Vin placed Ezra in his lap. The small whimper told of other, non-visible hurts. He felt a small twinge of relief as Ezra leaned into him trustingly.
“Who did this to you, Tiger?” He held Ezra close. “They're not going to get to do it again. I won't let them…” His grip tightened. “It was Mr. Harburg, wasn't it? He looks like a mean bastard.”
“He was mad at mother,” a small voice replied. “She didn't come back.”
“She didn't…?” Vin was puzzled.
Ezra shrugged. “She must have had some other business to attend to. She always has. Mr. Harburg doesn't understand. She will be back again.”
“She done this before, you mean?”
Now Ezra nodded. “But she always comes back again. And she always arranges for me to stay somewhere too…”
“Yeah,” Vin snorted. “Like with Mr. Harburg?”
“He was just mad because he thought that mother had left him,” Ezra tried to explain. “I told him that she would be back.”
“And let me guess, he didn't believe you?” Vin couldn't help the dryness of his tone.
“No…” Ezra burrowed closer to the older boy. “He was drinking, so I got scared. I hid in the closet.”
“You were there all night?”
“I fell asleep.” Ezra sounded almost apologizing. “When I woke up it was morning and I was going to sneak back to my room, but…”
“He caught you again.” Vin wasn't asking.
“Yes. Then I ran out here.”
“You've been out here all day, Ez? And nobody came looking for you at all? Well, that's it then…” Vin got up, taking Ezra with him. “We're going to get you into some warm clothes and get you something to eat. Now don't you worry about Mr. Harburg. We'll use the kitchen entrance. Mrs. Dougray will take care of you while I get some stuff for you.” Vin hesitated, then made his mind up. “Then you're coming with me, Tiger. I'm not letting him near you again.”
The astonished look on Ezra's face nearly made him cry.
“You…want me…to come with you?”
“Yes! I'm not about to leave you here with that…that asshole!” He stopped his angry tirade when he noticed Ezra looking at him with a big smile. Before Vin could say anything else, Ezra threw his arms around the other boy's neck and hugged him for all he was worth.
That special memory made Vin smile. He had taken Ezra back to the house, knowing he could trust the kind cook not to tell on them. Mrs. Dougray was a stern, stout woman, having spent most of her life in or about a kitchen. She had the habit of sneaking the help both in the house and outside various treats, like homemade cookies. She had fussed up a storm when seeing Ezra's battered face, her mouth fixed in a thin line as she gently washed his face.
“Ain't right what that man does…ain't right of the lad's mother to leave him here, not when she knows fully well what's going on…”
Vin's blue eyes narrowed. “You mean she knows about Harburg hitting Ez? It's not the first time?”
She shook her head.
Vin straightened. “Would you look after Ez for me, Mrs. D? I'm gonna go upstairs and get him some clothes.”
“Of course.” Mrs. Dougray had finished cleaning Ezra's face and had also washed his hands. Now she was in the process of piling a plate high with cookies along with a glass of milk. “I'll make sure the little one eats a little.”
After that Vin had run upstairs, knowing approximately where to find the room Ezra was staying in. Searching the closet until he found a bag, he started stuffing it with clothes. Tucked in the corner of the bed he found the only toy he could see in the room, an old and worn teddy bear. He put it on top of the clothes and zipped the bag up before hurrying out again.
Outside in the hallway he heard noises. A door was slightly ajar. The voice drifting out sent a chill down Vin's back. A name being mentioned made him put the bag down. Silently he crept closer, his heart thundering in his ears.
“I don't care, you find her, you hear me?! Nobody makes a fool of me like that and on top of it all she leaves me with that little brat of hers… Damn woman took off with my money…” Harburg seemed to be listening for a while. “Bring her back?” He barked a laugh. “Hell no, what do I need that bitch for? You deal with her; I don't care in what way as long as she ends up dead.”
The words felt like a punch in the gut, Vin backed away from the door only to stop when Mr. Harburg continued.
“I'll deal with the brat myself. No one's going to miss him.” He laughed again. “Maybe I'll take him out to that pond he likes so much…let him end up as food for the damn ducks… At least I'll get some fun out of this after all.”
Vin didn't wait to hear more. Running down the stairs he barged through the ground floor and skidded to a stop in the kitchen. Not offering any explanation he slung the bag over his shoulder and lifted Ezra up.
“We have to leave, Mrs. D!” he stated quickly, eyes begging the middle aged lady to understand. “Or something really bad is going to happen… You won't tell them that we're gone, will you? Please?”
The lady looked at him. “You're really serious, aren't you, boy?” She impulsively placed her hand on Vin's cheek. “You take good care of him, you hear me?” She was suddenly moving again, stuffing a pile of cookies in a plastic bag along with some already made sandwiches. “You hold on to this, son,” she said as she put the bag in Ezra's hand before patting his cheek. “You be careful, boys. Now you best be going.”
“Thanks,” Vin whispered. Then he ran.
“Vin, my teddy!” The urgent words had been quiet, half hearted, waiting for Vin to say that they didn't have time. Vin heard the expectance of a refusal in Ezra's voice and hugged him a little closer.
“It's in the bag, Tiger, don't worry.”
They had gotten into his jeep and driven to Vin's apartment. The teenager had quickly packed and they had made stops to withdraw what was in Vin's savings account at the bank, then they had gone to the grocery store for supplies. Picking up a first aid kit, Vin hurried to pay for the goods. Making sure Ezra had his seat belt on, he turned the jeep out onto the road and they were off.
And they had been on the run ever since. Vin hadn't told Ezra about what Mr. Harburg had said about Maude, or the threats he had made about the boy. At times he felt bad about that and bad about thinking so badly about Maude who might not be alive anymore…but he couldn't really do anything about it. It would mean placing his little brother in danger, it could mean losing him. Knowing he was about to fall asleep fully clothed, Vin forcefully pushed the alarming thoughts away and got out of the bed. He quickly washed up and brushed his teeth. The bed side lamp was left on as Vin got back into bed and under the covers. Hoping for no nightmares he settled down with a sigh. There were a lot of things he didn't know of in Ezra's past. By the dreams that plagued the child, some of those things were really bad.
The night was quiet outside. They were a lot of miles away from home and from the people that wanted to hurt them. Tomorrow they were going to start a whole new life, Vin mused. Ezra's accent proved to be a bit of a problem with the two of them posing as brothers. He'd tell people that they were cousins, Vin figured, both of them orphans. He needed to add some years to his age so no one would question why a 19-year-old had custody of his seven-year-old cousin. They also needed to find a last name for them to use in town. He would worry about getting them new papers later, he would need a social security number and ID if he was going to get a steady job, and in not too long Ezra was going to be enrolled in the school… Closing his eyes, Vin decided to let everything rest until morning. Then he'd go find this Josiah Sanchez and they'd take it from there.
The End
Sequel: Hopes
