The trek to her father’s house was a blur, adrenaline and uncertainty pumping through Aura with each beat of her heart clapping in her ears. To keep her hostage from returning to her family home, she tossed her sweater over his head and guided him by looping one arm through his, while the other kept the gun pointed towards him. The rain had picked up, and the dirt floor of the crop fields had turned into a thick stretch of mud, causing her boots to stick with each step.

[b]Bam. Bam. Bam.[/b]

The heavy wooden door only creaked open a couple of an inches with an eye peeking out. 

“It’s me.”

Her father sighed, not opening the door any further. “What have you done?”

“I need the garage tonight. And two changes of clothes.” Moments passed, with only silence and the patter of the rain to fill the void. “Please… I’m sorry.”

“Be out by dawn,” he huffed, followed by snapping the door shut. The man returned moments later with a sack that he tossed to her, giving no time for another word between them before shutting the door once again.

Once entering the garage, Aura forced the man into a seated position on the floor and removed her sweater from his head. The garage, detached by a few hundred feet from the home, held a tractor and other machinery, along with an array of tools that lined the back wall, a fold out cot, and a wooden desk. She hastily lit a couple of candles until the garage was illuminated with a dim, yellow light, then she grabbed a retrieved from the wall and threw it over her shoulder. 

“You’re changing first,” she instructed, shoving a plain, large t-shirt and cotton pants into the man’s hands, taking his bag in response and kicking it across the floor towards the cot. Her hand that held the gun trembled, unsure if it was from the frigid rain or her nerves, but her eyes shot to the ground in an attempt to give the man some privacy.

Once finished, she tied his arms behind him around a support beam that sat in the center of the garage, then grabbed her own change of clothes. These must have been Ion’s, her younger brother, who towered over her much like the mystery man. She put the large t-shirt on, then slipped the wet clothes beneath off of her, then slid on the pants, then took their wet clothes and draped them over a chair to dry.

What would her endgame be here? If she let him go, he could kill her - or worse, notify the AA of her treason. He knew her name already… that she had family. She should have just shot him in the street when she had the chance.

Aura felt around in his bag and removed the gun, placing it gently on the ground next to hers. Next his paperwork, which for now, she just glanced over before setting placing them on the cot. 

So,” she sighed, crouching down in front of him. “A runner, huh?” Her eyes scanned him in curiosity. “Why are you in F?” Before continuing, Aura realized that she still hadn’t had her one question answered since she had seen the man in front of Mae’s tavern.

“What’s your name?”