fast car | STEVE HARRINGTON [2]

13. run, ringo, run

"I CAN SEE IT, IT'S JUST RIGHT THERE," Jessica whispered to the blonde behind her, crouched down and peeking in around the open door to what seemed to be a sort of security room. The guards were armed, as were the others, but they didn't seem to serve any other purpose than sitting around waiting. The 'it' with which she was referring to was of course the large set of keys the nearest guard had attached to his hip.

The guard had his back to the door, but he wasn't alone in the room - there were two others sitting in adjacent desks, actually facing the door and therefore complete flight risks preventing them from sneaking in and snatching it like a heist movie. Ringo crawled forward, resting on top of Jessica's back so she too could see around the doorframe. The two friends watched intently as one of the three suddenly checked their watch, clapped their hands once with excitement and called out something in Russian. His words sparked a reaction in the other two, with one reaching for the radio next to him and turning the volume knob up.

"-you guys get to have a special edition of Radio Ringo today in that, well- we don't actually have Ringo," a familiar male voice spoke through the speakers, leaving Jessica and Ringo's mouths agape in shock.

"Yeah, what the kid said," her mother was next to speak, leaving her listening daughter now altogether baffled. "So instead you can have her mother and her friend. You might be disappointed, but I'm finally going to give people what they want. Something my daughter has deprived you of for weeks. Here's The Beatles."

"Dammit," Ringo swore under her breath, her detestation of the band her namesake was a member of never ceasing. She didn't know what to be more surprised by - the fact her radio show had been hijacked, the unexpected duo Julia and Ben seemed to have formed or the fact these very terrifying Russian guards were excited to listen to her.

"Dude," Jessica scoffed, "you're like a celebrity to them. Maybe they'll just give you the keys."

"Okay, here's what we're going to do," Ringo started, "Dustin and Erica you're going to knock over those shelves down the hall and then you're going to hide. Jessica will guard the door and I will search the room for a spare set of keys while they go chase up the sound. Capiche?"

"Why the hell do I have to do the heavy lifting?" Erica sassed, crossing her arms over her chest while Dustin already darted off - eager to save his friend.

"Because you two are the biggest fuck-ups between us all and at least if you mess anything up you'll still get their attention," Ringo snapped in return, shooing her away with her hand. The remaining two stayed watching until the ear-splitting shatter resounded through the empty hall. The guards' heads snapped up in unison, a chorus of groans following as the nearest guard gestured for the other two to stand up. It was clearly his turn to be exempt.

The two girls scampered backward into a crook in the wall, hiding in the darkness until two of the guards passed by to investigate the ruckus. A look was shared between them that suggested they were both equally as frustrated that one guard remained.