One Step Ahead

Wal-Mart Run

      They dashed through the dimly-lit industrial neighborhood, ducking behind dumpsters or shrubs whenever they heard sirens approaching, only slowing their pace when they began to notice the lighted signs of open businesses.

      Ducking into a secluded doorway to catch their breath, they looked around the area, relieved to see that the traffic was still fairly heavy, in spite of the time. Ashley raked his hair back from his face and turned toward Briar. "Okay, what exactly do you have in mind, Tink?" he inquired, raising an eyebrow.

      "First off, we need to find somewhere that'll let me use their phone," she replied. "I need to make a call, and then we'll have some help. Right now, the only cops I'd trust would be Sanger and Han, because they were with us when this miserable freak was in your house."

      "I could call one of the guys, any one of them would be willing to help us..." he began, but she raised a hand to cut him off. 

      "Yes, I'm sure they would, Ash," she stated calmly. "But we both know that it's a fuckin' coin-toss whether any of them could get out of their houses without crazed fangirls or the bloody paparazzi on their heels. Besides, that would put them in danger, too, not to mention their girlfriends, and neither of us wants that."

      "Yeah, you're right," he sighed. "But the same thing would be true for whoever you're planning to get in touch with, wouldn't it?"

      "It's true for basically anybody," she agreed. "But the person I have in mind has gotten out of some pretty hairy situations himself, and he can stay under the radar a lot easier than your bandmates can."

      Realizing that the noise from the sirens had dwindled away, they stepped out of the doorway and studied their surroundings. There was a small convenience store almost directly across the street, and Briar said, "I would try there, but those places all have the front counter boxed in to keep from getting robbed, so that's out."

      "There," Ashley stated, pointing further down the street. She turned to follow his gaze and saw a Wal-Mart barely a block from where they currently stood. "You can tell them you locked yourself out of your car, and ask to use the phone," he continued. "And since they have such a big parking lot, and not a lot of windows, they can't really prove otherwise."

      "And there are always people there, which makes it a hell of a lot safer than standing out here in the open," she added. "So what are we waiting for? Let's make a Wal-Mart run."

      They crossed the street and sprinted to the store, which was still quite busy, despite the time. As they entered, Ashley leaned toward Briar and muttered, "While you make your call, I'm gonna go take a piss. They'll be more likely to believe you if they don't see us together before you use the phone, anyway."

      "Yeah, I guess. But keep your eyes open for anything weird, okay?"

      He nodded, and walked toward the men's room, while Briar approached a friendly-looking  older man in a manager's vest, as the service desk was closed for the night. "Excuse me, sir, but is there any chance that you'd have a phone here somewhere that I could borrow?" she inquired. "I've locked myself out of my car, with my stupid phone on the charger inside, and I need to call my brother to bring me the spare keys."

      "Of course, hon," he replied, patting her shoulder. "I have a daughter around your age, and I wouldn't want her standing out by herself in the middle of the night. There's a phone right on the corner of the desk over there, just help yourself, as long as it's a local call. But you'll need to dial "nine" first to get an outside line."

      "Yes, sir, it's local. Thanks a lot." She moved to the service desk, seeing Ashley emerge from the restroom and pause, as if he were interested in the contents of the tag-engraving machine that stood just outside the door. Picking up the phone, she hit the nine, then continued with the familiar number, hearing it ring several times, which almost caused her to panic. But just as she was ready to hang up, she heard the call connect.