Bitesize 2.4

Bitesize 2.4

Ed sat outside on the doorstep, one hand holding the gun under his jacket and kept watch. The street was pretty empty save for the odd passing car and Ed found himself mulling over what Odolf had told him. Crowley was still alive? Surprising although Ed had no trouble dealing with the possibility. Raddick he knew, was ageless and T Alpha was supposedly centuries old. The Bureau had hoped to one day isolate that part of Raddick's DNA to benefit all mankind, but to think he was actually involved in all of this. If Odolf was right then Raddick wasn't even truly human anymore. But what of these demons Crowley had invoked? Could this prove to be evidence once and for all that there is an afterlife? Or could they be beings from another dimension. Maybe even both. The scope of it hurt his brain and he couldn't concentrate on it for long before his mind started to wander. He wondered how long it would take Crowley to find this house. It raised a lot of questions and Ed didn't have any answers.

The door opened and Odolf came out, clutching a holdall. Ed stood up.
"You ready?" and after the German nodded, "Do you have a car?"
"Yes, why? Didn't you come in one?"
Ed shook his head.
"Let me get the keys."
Odolf disappeared into the house again and emerged a minute later clutching a key ring. He led Ed to the side of the house and opened the garage. Inside was a beaten up Opel Senator.
"I thought you had money?"
Odolf shrugged.
"I walk most places. A friend gave me this for free, said it wasn't worth the scrap."
"Well as long as it will get us to the airport."
The two got into the car and after a couple of stuttering tries Odolf eventually got the engine started. The gearbox was semi-automatic and he slid it straight into drive and eased out onto the road.
"Haven't done this for ages." he said as they cruised along the streets.
Ed pulled out his phone.
"I'll ring ahead, tell the pilot to get the plane ready."
He tapped in the number and waited. The phone rang.
And rang.
And rang.
Ed hung up.
"That's odd."
He dialled again and waited. After five or six rings it was finally answered.
"Hello?"
The voice wasn't that of the pilot. Ed hung up immediately and turned the phone off.
"Shit."
"What?" said Odolf, glancing at him while trying to concentrate on the road.
"Something's wrong." said Ed, biting his lip nervously. "I think the pilot's dead. Someone else answered his phone."
"Maybe he lost it?"
Ed shook his head.
"No. No. That wouldn't happen. Something's happened to him."
"Crowley?"
"I dunno. I can't see the military killing him, but I wouldn't rule it out."
"Crowley might have found me."
"That quickly?"
"Well you did." Odolf retorted.
Ed had to agree with that. Crowley could have been monitoring the military communication channels too somehow.
"Then he must have guessed you'd head to the nearest airport." said Ed, "Turn round."
Odolf took a U-turn and the big old car slid round.
"So we go to another airport? In the opposite direction?"
"No." said Ed. "Head North. He would have thought of that too. For all we know he's already found some of your comrades and has them watching other airports."
"So where do we go?" Odolf was starting to get panicky.
"A ferry." said Ed, "It'll take longer but we don't have much choice. Either Rotterdam or..."
"Calais?" Odolf suggested.
"You know the way?"
"We could head through Belgium."
"Ok, do it." Ed switched his phone back on and dialled Ellen. "ellen, put me through to Alf. It's an emergency."
There was a pause and then,
"Ed? What's going on?"
"Alf, listen. Something's gone wrong. I think the pilot's been killed so me and Odolf are taking a detour. We're getting the ferry in Calais. Can you send someone to pick us up from Dover?"
"How long are you gonna be?"
"How long Odolf?"
"I dunno." said Odolf, "Five, maybe six hours?"
Ed relayed this back to Alf.
"Ok Ed, I'll have a driver waiting for you. I'll look into what happened to your plane."
"I'm gonna need a new phone too Alf. They might be able to trace the call I made to him. I'm gonna ditch this one asap."
"Ok Ed. I'll see you soon."
Ed hung up and turned off the phone. He opened the back and took out the battery.
"Pull over when you see a bin." he told Odolf.

Ed dumped the phone in one bin and the battery in another a few miles away and the pair carried on driving, heading out of Germany and into Belgium. They made one stop in Belgium to fill up the tank on the car and kept right on driving. They were only about 20 miles from the French border, on the A18, when suddenly Odolf screamed. He went rigid, his eyes glazed over, staring straight ahead, shouting "Nein" repeatedly. His hands left the wheel and the car began to veer over to the left. Ed grabbed for the wheel and pulled it, bringing the car back onto the right side of the road. Odolf was still screaming in his ear and his foot was stuck down hard on the accelerator. The car picked up speed and Ed struggled with the wheel, trying to weave between the traffic.
"ODOLF!" he shouted but the German didn't respond.
As he swerved around a slow moving lorry Ed elbowed Odolf in the face as hard as he could. The impact brought him back to his senses and Odolf stepped hard on the brakes. As the car lurched and the tyres squealed Ed twisted the wheel, sliding the car to the side of the road. It slid across the hard shoulder and scraped along the barrier before coming to a stop. Ed let go of the wheel and let out a long breath.
"Fucking hell Odolf. What happened?!"
Odolf took a grip of the wheel again.
"I... I don't know... I think I saw him."
"Crowley?"
"Yes. His face. Those eyes. It was so real. The anger..."
Ed just looked at him. Odolf rested his head on the wheel.
"He knows. I don't know how but he knows I've gone."
"In another few hours it won't matter. He can't catch us up Odolf, not now."
"Can't he?! How do you know?" spat Odolf, "You don't know what he's capable of, neither do I."
A few moments of silence passed.
"You drive." said Odolf finally, sounding wearied.
The two got out and switched seats and Ed got into the driver's seat and turned the key in the ignition. The engine struggled but didn't start.
"Shit." said Ed, trying it again. Odolf slumped in the seat beside him.
"He's gonna find us. He's gonna find us and..."
He trailed off, leaving the threat of a fate worse than death lingering. Ed stamped on the accelerator and twisted the key again. The engine almost started, then powered down again.
"Fuck, fuck!" Ed swore. He popped the bonnet and got out and went to look at the engine. He wasn't a mechanic. He didn't know anything about cars. There were no obvious leakages and he slammed the bonnet down again angrily and got back in. He tried the key twice more and the second time the engine finally spluttered into life.
"Oh thank God." he sighed and wrenched the wheel left hard and with a scrape of metal against metal the Senator pulled away from the barrier...