Run. Just Run.

Chapter 24

James and Ashley lay still, not wanting to make a noise. Listening intently for a response.

"No, can't say I've ever heard those two names." Mr Sanders answers. "How about you, Ruth?"

Ashley and James sigh in relief. Thank goodness they hadn't told the Sanders their real names! Then they can honestly say they'd never heard of them!

"Well if you hear of them, please call us. We will make it worth your while." A voice says from below.

"Goodbye now! Goodbye!" Mrs Sanders shuts the door behind them. James and Ashley hear a car start and drive away. They run down the stairs.

"Wanna explain all this, Jacob and Asher?" Mr Sanders says nonchalantly as he's reading a newspaper.

James nods as he quickly tries to summarize their story. Their names are Jacob Browning and Ashley Jackson. The men were searching for them, and they'd already hurt at least two people to get to them. James winces at the thought of this. They decided it best not to tell them just how 'hurt' James' mom and dad were.

"I just didn't appreciate the way they acted. They seemed odd to me, coming in and asking for a couple of kids, that's the reason I didn't tell them about you two being upstairs. Besides that, they were very rude and impatient-acting fellows." Mr Sanders says as he shakes his head. "And now I know I was right. They were up to no good."

"Well what do they want from you lot?" Mrs Sanders asks quizzically.

"We have no clue!" Ashley spurts out. "They just want me, and nobody knows why!"

"They certainly know why." Mr Sanders states blatantly as he looks up from his pipe. "And it must be a mighty good one."

James and Ashley feel like they should keep running, they wouldn't want to put these nice old people in any more danger, so they say goodbye, thanking them for their generosity. Mr Sanders tells them to wait a second, and he walks out of the room. He returns with a wallet.

"Here. Take this. There's not a lot inside, but you'll need it." He hands it over to James. James looks inside, and all that's inside are ten-dollar bills, probably just over a hundred dollars!

"Uhh, thank you sir, but we can't take this." James sputters. "You've been kind enough already."

"No no no! We insist!" Mrs Sanders says firmly. "Besides. Your 'traveling with no money' excuse won't work on everyone." She says with a smile and a wink.

"You'll take the money." Mr Sanders adds, as if it was already said and done. "And that's an order!" He says with a chuckle.

James smiles ruefully. "Yes sir!" he answers. "And thank you."

Ashley smiles. There it is again, James calling people sir and ma'am.

James and Ashley say their goodbyes to the Sanders, thanking them profusely for all they've done, and promise to return someday down the road, when everything's back to normal. Then they set off through the woods, away from the roads running by the house.