CH 45

After rebelling against his violence once, Hindley began to look at Rosen suspiciously. When she came back from the market a little late, he grabbed hold of her and asked where she had been.

It was around that time that he began to think that Rosen was having an affair.

Things were not looking good. She couldn’t afford to take things slow anymore.

She stole quite a bit of money from Hindley’s coat pocket on three occasions. It was risky, but not difficult. Much easier than stealing food from the orphanage. All Rosen had to do was put a drink in the cupboard and wait for Hindley to get drunk.

Emily packed their clothes and food.

They decided to disguise themselves as a traveling couple. Rosen found Hindley’s old ID card deep in a drawer.

To get to Malona from Leoarton, you had to go through the small town of Saint Vinnesée.

The problem was that they could walk from Saint Vinnesée to Malona, ​​but they had to take a train or wagon from Leoarton to Saint Vinnesée. The Tobe Mountains, the only road connecting Leoarton and Saint Vinnesée, was infested with beasts.

Walking would make them a snack for beasts.

“Shall we ride a carriage?”

“The train is fine. There are a lot of people there, so the checkpoints will be weak.”

After much deliberation, they chose the train. It seemed safer to hide in the crowd. To rent a wagon, you had to present your personal ID, which was too risky.

Rosen had no choice but to put her hopes on the negligence of the train ticket office. The ticket office had already been taken over by soldiers. They took advantage of the desperate refugees to sell tickets for illegal profit.

A train ticket to Malona was already three times the regular price. In other words, if you gave them enough money, you could get through without due process.

By that time, Rosen was taller than Emily. On the day of their escape, she cut her hair short. She put on a hat and a fake beard. Emily wore a red scarf to cover her necklace.

They left home in the middle of the night, after dr*gging Hindley.

***

The train station was full of refugees. Every time a steam locomotive pulled up to the platform with a roaring hiss, people rushed into it like grains of sand. It was so bad that Rosen wondered if the residents of Leoarton, who had led an easygoing daily life, were actually fools deceived by the government.

There were far more people than expected, so they panicked. Just three days ago, the train station was not this packed. It was so crowded that it was impossible to see the ticket office. Emily grabbed a middle-aged woman who seemed the least interested in her surroundings and asked.

“Why are there so many people?”

“Are you asking because you don’t know? Another raid happened in the South a few days ago! Two cities were completely destroyed. The people who were going to stay home changed their minds, and all packed up!”

“I didn’t hear that on the radio.”

“Are you stupid? It’s been a long time since the government started controlling radio broadcasts.”

“I did not know. We’re from Leoarton…”

“Just stay at home. Getting tickets to Malona is like plucking a star from the sky! Don’t you know how many people are anxious to settle down in Leoarton?”

The woman was annoyed. As the woman’s voice rose, the children hanging from her skirt burst into tears. The woman seemed to have lost all her composure, yelling at her children not to cry.

“No, we have to go. How long do I have to wait to buy a ticket?”

“Look over there! They are all lining up!”

“…”

“I have been waiting for six hours, even though I paid five times the regular price. If you’re going to buy it at full price, there’s really no guarantee.”

They were frozen. The lines overlapping and tangling in several layers were already beyond recognition. Rosen calculated how much medicine she had put into Hindley’s glass and how much time there would be until he woke up and realized that they were gone.

The conclusion was simple. 

They had to hurry.

“Six hours…”

“Emily, how much money do you have left?”

“I was originally going to buy it for three times as much. If you want to buy it for five times… Even if we do that, it’s six hours, so…”

Money could be stolen again. Rosen never thought the day would come when her pickpocket skills would be helpful. If they took the train, they could at least escape Hindley.

“…We will go to Saint Vinnesée and think. We need to get out of Leoarton as soon as possible.”

They told her that she had to pay just to get to the ticket office. She grabbed a soldier wearing a khaki uniform. She lowered her voice as much as possible and gave strength to her stomach. She couldn’t look suspicious or feminine. There were so many hardships to overcome.

“I need a train ticket to Malona.”

But as soon as the soldier looked down at her, Rosen’s heart couldn’t help but start pounding with fear. It had been a long time since she had been in a place with a lot of people, and it had been a long time since she had talked to anyone other than Hindley or Emily.

“I beg your pardon. I can’t hear anything.”

The soldier stuck a finger into his ear. Rosen thought her voice was small. She didn’t know how much of a coward the bloody Hindley had made her. Rosen squeezed Emily’s hand as hard as she could and spoke again. 

“Two train tickets to Malona!”

“It’s hard to get…”

“…There is money.”

“How much?”

“Enough.”

Rosen took a bill out of her pocket and showed it to the soldier. He glanced at it and he blinked without saying a word.

“Follow me.”

Soon a group of soldiers surrounded them and took their money. The train ticket to Malona suddenly became available for six times the regular price. Rosen doubted whether these b*stards were scammers or soldiers.

After the men emptied their wallets, Rosen and Emily were led to a line that looked the shortest. But it was equally terrifying. The soldier sitting at the ticket office was the size of a thumb. Still, the waiting time continued to increase due to the clash of clamoring refugees and soldiers trying to negotiate prices higher.

Three hours? 

Four? 

It was overwhelming. 

What if Hindley woke up early?

A second felt like a year. The line had shrunk sensibly. Emily looked at Rosen, who was biting her nails, and whispered softly with a smile.

“Don’t be nervous, honey.”

Without realizing it, Rosen let out a small laugh. 

Honey.

It was a name she had never used for Hindley. Emily rummaged through her bag and put a piece of her candy in her mouth. 

It was cinnamon, Rosen’s favorite.

“Did you really pack these little things?”

“It’s what you like. A must for train travel. Is this your first time riding a train?”

“I’ve never been out of Leoarton.”

“It will be fun. Everything will be fine… ”