135 Depature (2/2)
A flurry of questions were now on the tongues of the townspeople, who'd been deeply traumatized by the event.
They hadn't blown their cover yet, but a single mistake all it'd take to ruin it now. Reed was positively sure that it wouldn't be long before Chosen arrived in the town to inspect the place and search for clues.
Shit...! And this is right on the heels of that clean-up job Lu'um did on that island a couple of weeks ago. This only going to make things harder for us, goddammit!
A young couple from Cem-Elle visited Mardiemus a month ago and around the same time, an important place to the South had been destroyed by some unknown Chosen...
And now, a month later, a sudden disturbance occurred right around when the couple returned back to Cem-Elle, a town in the middle of nowhere?
Reed groaned and said, ”I don't think we're going to be able to stick around here for long, Sweetcheeks. Maybe tonight, at best. But after that, it'll be too risky.
We're gonna have to leave as quickly as possible. In fact, we might as well start packing now.”
Lu'um looked at Reed with a forlorn expression and sighed.
”I was about to tell you the exact same thing too, dear. It seems we're both of the same mind.”
Reed bitterly stared at the bakery and said, ”We'll take what we need and close up the bakery. I'm really sorry about this. It's my fault. Hopefully, we'll be able to come back here one day under better circumstances...”
”No... it's okay. I knew that one day, it'd end. I'm just a little sad that the day's finally arrived...”
It was time to leave. They couldn't stay anymore, even if they wanted to.
Before they left though, they paid one last visit to Hartford's house.
Reed smiled when he saw that it was still standing. Completely intact aside from a couple of strewn roses that'd been blown off their bushes. From the look of it, the house had faired pretty well. Even their windows had survived intact.
It looks like they were pretty lucky, huh. No, perhaps it was a hidden blessing for all the good they've done. That'd make more sense.
When Reed knocked on their door, he heard a muffled, ”Coming!” on the other side.
Old Man Hartford opened the door with a confused expression and said, ”Sonny? It's almost ten o'clock! What are you doing here, eh? Come to finally deliver me the good news?!”
Reed laughed from the bottom of his heart. The old man never seemed to change, no matter what life threw at him. It seemed as if he hadn't even cared about the fact that there'd been an incredibly dangerous fight not too long ago.
What a fearless old man... I swear, it's like he's got a spine made of steel or something...
”No, Gramps, it ain't about! Look, Lu'um and I are... gonna go on an adventure, you see. We've gotten tired of the slow life, and after hearing about all of your incredible exploits, we've decided to journey around the world a bit.
You know, to properly live out our youth. Best to not waste our years out on the pasture yet, right?”
Old Man Hartford stroked his and said, ”That's a pretty smart decision there, sonny. I was hoping you'd finally realize that there's more to life than the simple pleasures. Well, make sure to call us whenever you feel like it, you hear! Don't be strangers, alright?!”
Missus Hartford walked over to the front of the house when she realized that Reed and Lu'um had come to visit and said, ”Oh? What a surprise?! Are the two you okay?! That hubbub outside was quite the spectacle, don't you think? What have the two you of come here for, sweeties?”
Old Man Hartford stroked his and said, ”That's a pretty smart decision there, sonny. I was hoping you'd finally realize that there's more to life than the simple pleasures. Well, make sure to call us whenever you feel like it, you hear! Don't be strangers, alright?!”
Missus Hartford walked over to the front of the house when she realized that Reed and Lu'um had come to visit and said, ”Oh? What a surprise?! Are the two you okay?! That hubbub outside was quite the spectacle, don't you think? What have the two you of come here for, sweeties?”