Liverpool. They were on the southbound carriageway and so by
deduction it was a safe bet this guy had been heading for home. Probably his
taco graph had demanded he stop, and so he had slept away the day and had now
gone in, to the toilet or for a cup of coffee and some carbs before finishing his
delayed journey. He would be annoyed because he hadn’t made it home in time
and so hopefully, less likely to do much checking before he got back on the
road, especially in the rain and cold.
Putting his finger to his lips to warn Sylvie against
speaking he took a knife from his pocket. He cut an L shaped slit in the heavy
siding, he lifted the edge to peer inside. The truck was part loaded with
wooden boxes, tied and secured and he judged it to be as safe as they could
hope for.
He ran around the back without much hope and, as expected
the doors were padlocked. Using two hands he stretched the gap he had made in
the curtain.
“Do you think you can get in here, if I lift you up?”
She nodded and raised her hands to hoist herself towards the
entrance he’d made, holding the wet curtain away from her face. Wrapping his
arms around her he lifted her to the space and she slithered inside on her
belly, kicking and squirming. It was dark, dirty and unpleasant and she was
terrified. As soon as her legs were in she rolled over onto her behind and
pushed herself into a sitting position. Shakily she rose to her feet, Samuel
was pushing the bag of money in through the hole and she bent down to grab it
with both hands and drag it across the scarred wooden boards. He followed and
then turned to pull the trailer side back into place. He couldn’t do much but
it was taut and would face away from the wind as the truck moved. Providing the
driver didn’t examine his charge on this cold, wet night they should get away
with it, all they could do was hope.
The light was very dim, only the glow from a small window in
the roof, but Samuel checked the strapping on the boxes, watching him Sylvie saw
this wasn’t the first time he had done this. He shoved and pushed at the load
testing it for movement, though it had obviously been okay for the first part
of its journey. He turned back to her and tried a smile, it was a valiant
effort under the circumstances but it was empty, she took what she could from
it and curved her lips upwards in response.
There was a pile of dirty blankets neatly folded in the
corner near to the back doors and Samuel pointed to them, she nodded and
flopped down onto the hard makeshift seat. Her insides were in turmoil, this
was very frightening. She had no idea what it would be like when this great
leviathan moved off but she didn’t expect it to be pleasant, she was cold, wet
and scared. Samuel lowered himself to the floor, wrapped his big arms around
her and hugged her to him. She laid her head on his shoulder and relinquished
all responsibility for what was happening, her eyelids closed squeezing out two
fat tears which dribbled down her cheeks and unregarded dripped away to be lost
in the muck and moisture on her jeans.
She had never felt so tired, so dreadfully weary or so utterly
content all at the same time. She was shivering still, from fear and cold, but
as his body heat and the strength of him leached into her bones she relaxed and
let herself drift in the dark, cold void that held her now.
Chapter 31
In the event the movement in the back of the trailer wasn’t
as bad as Sylvie had feared. It was disconcerting to hear the traffic
swhooshing by on the road without a view of it, but the rocking was soothing
and they sat cradled together, silent in their exhaustion.
She had left everything behind save the things in her
handbag, her phone was there but the battery had flattened long since and with
no charger it was useless. Samuel had flung his from the car window before they
had reached the service station. She had some money, not
deduction it was a safe bet this guy had been heading for home. Probably his
taco graph had demanded he stop, and so he had slept away the day and had now
gone in, to the toilet or for a cup of coffee and some carbs before finishing his
delayed journey. He would be annoyed because he hadn’t made it home in time
and so hopefully, less likely to do much checking before he got back on the
road, especially in the rain and cold.
Putting his finger to his lips to warn Sylvie against
speaking he took a knife from his pocket. He cut an L shaped slit in the heavy
siding, he lifted the edge to peer inside. The truck was part loaded with
wooden boxes, tied and secured and he judged it to be as safe as they could
hope for.
He ran around the back without much hope and, as expected
the doors were padlocked. Using two hands he stretched the gap he had made in
the curtain.
“Do you think you can get in here, if I lift you up?”
She nodded and raised her hands to hoist herself towards the
entrance he’d made, holding the wet curtain away from her face. Wrapping his
arms around her he lifted her to the space and she slithered inside on her
belly, kicking and squirming. It was dark, dirty and unpleasant and she was
terrified. As soon as her legs were in she rolled over onto her behind and
pushed herself into a sitting position. Shakily she rose to her feet, Samuel
was pushing the bag of money in through the hole and she bent down to grab it
with both hands and drag it across the scarred wooden boards. He followed and
then turned to pull the trailer side back into place. He couldn’t do much but
it was taut and would face away from the wind as the truck moved. Providing the
driver didn’t examine his charge on this cold, wet night they should get away
with it, all they could do was hope.
The light was very dim, only the glow from a small window in
the roof, but Samuel checked the strapping on the boxes, watching him Sylvie saw
this wasn’t the first time he had done this. He shoved and pushed at the load
testing it for movement, though it had obviously been okay for the first part
of its journey. He turned back to her and tried a smile, it was a valiant
effort under the circumstances but it was empty, she took what she could from
it and curved her lips upwards in response.
There was a pile of dirty blankets neatly folded in the
corner near to the back doors and Samuel pointed to them, she nodded and
flopped down onto the hard makeshift seat. Her insides were in turmoil, this
was very frightening. She had no idea what it would be like when this great
leviathan moved off but she didn’t expect it to be pleasant, she was cold, wet
and scared. Samuel lowered himself to the floor, wrapped his big arms around
her and hugged her to him. She laid her head on his shoulder and relinquished
all responsibility for what was happening, her eyelids closed squeezing out two
fat tears which dribbled down her cheeks and unregarded dripped away to be lost
in the muck and moisture on her jeans.
She had never felt so tired, so dreadfully weary or so utterly
content all at the same time. She was shivering still, from fear and cold, but
as his body heat and the strength of him leached into her bones she relaxed and
let herself drift in the dark, cold void that held her now.
Chapter 31
In the event the movement in the back of the trailer wasn’t
as bad as Sylvie had feared. It was disconcerting to hear the traffic
swhooshing by on the road without a view of it, but the rocking was soothing
and they sat cradled together, silent in their exhaustion.
She had left everything behind save the things in her
handbag, her phone was there but the battery had flattened long since and with
no charger it was useless. Samuel had flung his from the car window before they
had reached the service station. She had some money, not
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