The Leache
Wight
The town was eerily quiet as Kirt pulled the 4.x4 into the town. The small car-park was in the centre of the town, around a weedy water fountain. Kirt parked the car in one of the spots which were all empty bar a battered up city hatchback. How it ever got here is a mystery in itself. The three accomplices got out of the car and started to walk to their destination. There was no-one about. It seemed as if the town had cleared out for these foreigners.
"This place gives me the creeps" said Finn, keeping his exposed arms warm against the cold and rain. Ransu lead them up a steep hill and then onto a plateau. The road stretched for 100 yards either way, before ending abruptly and the door of a house. Along the top of the road were four more houses. Two had lights on in various places. THey took a left and walked to the house on the end of the left-side of the row.
It was the abandoned house, and their new hide out.
Ransu had brought the crow-bar from the car maintenence kit and used it to prize open the door, which was bolted shut. The door opened after several attempts, with the wood around the handle splintering and cracking as it did so. They walked into the dark dusty front room and flicked on thier heavy-duty torches. The room was covered in dust and the furniture was protected by thick sheets. The light switches were non-functioning so they removed the heavy shutters on the window. Although there wasn't much light outside it made a considerable difference and the house was filled with dusty light.
They explored the house, and found two bedrooms, a dining room/kitchen, a living space and two bathrooms. Ransu and Finn opted for the master bedroom, whilst Kirt, having been decided as the hardest working member of the group got the single bedroom all to his self. After putting thier meagre belongings in the wardrobes, they decided to to go into town and buy some stuff for the long-term: food, clothes, batteries, several heaters and other electronic goods. They returned to the centre of the village and each set off with a fistful of Blood Shillings, eager to start their new lives, but deep down, they knew that the SIA were still after them...
The road leading down to the huddled cluster of shops was steep and was often encroached by thick clumps of heather. The road was damp and unmaintained, with several cracks and potholes. No car had come down her for years it seemed. The group of shops was not much to be admired: A small grocery store which stocked the bare essentials, an eatery called Mac's, an auto repair shop which would come in handy and, rather strangely, a funeral directors. Further down the road was a tumbledown church with a few broken gravestones around its overgrown grounds.
They split up into two groups, Finn and Ransu went to the grocery store while Kirt went to Mac's to see what he could find out. The grocery store was unattended when the pair walked in, but a few minutes later two short dark-haired women scuttled through the glass door.
"Morning" the first one barked, without even glancing at the Svenga pair. It was morning? Finn and Ransu couldn't tell because of the heavy cloud cover and persistent rain. The other women disappeared into a back-room. Whilst the first lady took her place behind the counter the pair took a look at the sparsely stocked shelves.
Finn tapped his partner on the shoulder, presenting to him a small tin.
"Canned fish-heads? Really?"
"Eugh" Ransu replied. The speciality of Svengarda was anything to do with fish, and to see such low quality fish was disgusting to the pair.
"Not from round here are you two?"
The pair turned to face the woman behind the counter.
"Haven't had a blonde person here since Mrs Frederick's' Vespa broke down here 34 years ago."
"Err..."
"So where you from then?"
"Svengarda, up north" Finn replied
"Svengarda?!" piped up the woman from the back room. She emerged from the gloom with a box of tins in her tiny arms. "My uncle's cousin's daughter's friends once went there. Is it true that it's very cold there?"
"Err..yes, very cold"
"Not much difference then" she said, before cackling quietly to herself and returning to the back room.
"So what you doing here then?"
"University studies"
"Oooh, I'd better leave you be then. Alcohol is behind the counter"
"Thanks" Finn replied with a tired smile. They continued on their search through the shelves for edible food. They managed to pick out bread, eggs, and milk. They bought out every box of a cereal named Bland Flakes and several boxes of pasta.
"What have you got?" asked Ransu, pointing to the cabinet of booze beneath the counter.
"Beer, wine, spirits"
"I'll take two six packs of beer, whatever you have."
She leaned down to open the doors of the cabinet and brought out two packs of Grumpy Farmer beer and placed them in their baskets. Ransu handed over the appropriate money whilst Finn flicked through a well-thumbed copy of Wightling National Press. It was a few days old, and the headline read something about some goings-on in the centre of the country. The print was thick and fuzzy, and tiring to read.
Finn and Ransu left the shop and walked the few yards to Mac's. They spotted Kirt sitting at one of the plastic tables and entered to join him. They were met with a delicious smell, like cooking meat. They put their numerous shopping bags down besides the table and sat on the plastic chairs around Kirt.
"So what's going on in the place then?" questioned Ransu
"I'm might just as ask you the same question. The people don't really seem keen on talking. They seemed bemused by my hair, something about Mrs Frede-..."
"We heard"
"So yep. Weird place"
Finn turned to survey the cafe. Behind the glass counter was a man wearing white overalls, presumably Mac. Two other tables were occupied, one by an old man wearing all tweed clothes filling out a crossword, and the other was occupied by a foreign looking woman by herself. She had slightly tanned skin and dark eyes and hair. She looked blankly at a map of Wight on the far side.
"Can I get you anything sirs?"
Finn turned with a jolt. The man standing over him was Mac. 5ft 4" and completely bald. He held a notepad and was tapping his pen impatiently.
"Two coffees, and..." Finn squinted at the blackboard sitting by the counter. "And a Potato and Pickle sandwich. Oh and a pie for Ransu?"
"Rabbit or goat?"
"Goat, please" replied Ransu, who still had his eyes fixed on the mysterious woman at the other table
Without writing anything down Mac grunted and trotted off back behind his glass fortress. The rain was falling harder now, and Finn could no longer see the car park where their car was parked. Mac returned with the food a few minutes later and Finn was about to take a bite of his sandwich when something caught his eyes. Rolling past the fogged up glass of the diner was the unmistakable grumble of the SIA 4x4...
