As we walked through the bustling streets, I couldn't help but feel paranoid. It felt like everyone's stares were on us.

"What's the plan now?" I whispered. Getting away seemed to be relatively simple in hindsight. But now we were left aimless.

Nick stopped walking to scope out the street. He narrowed his eyes at a sign before looking back at me. "I think we should stay in an inn for the night. It would be within our best interest to keep a low cover for now."

Right. Bennett is probably looking for me as we speak. Hiding is the best course of action right now. The longer we're in public sight, the better his chances are of finding me.

As we approached the counter to an inn, we were met with an elderly man struggling to stay awake between yawns.

"Hi, we'd like a room for the night," Nick said with slight shakiness evident in his voice.

To our delight, the man didn't pay much heed to our nerves. He simply took a key off the board rack and tossed it to the counter. "That'll be $107 per night."

With a sheepish smile, Nick fished out the money from his pocket. Yikes, I hope Nick has enough money to cover it for the two of us. I forgot to take any with me before leaving. Ugh, I'm such an idiot!

The man took the money without saying a word and picked up a newspaper to read. Well, that went easier than expected...

As I followed Nick down the creaky hallway, we were met with a rotting door to our room. This place really looks like it's on its last leg. But I suppose I'm not in the position to complain right now.

With a forceful tug on the handle, we entered the room and were instantly met with a musty odour. Yuck! The room itself wasn't too bad, perhaps slightly old-fashioned with the yellow floral wallpaper and abstract carpet. But besides that, there didn't appear to be any mould which was all I cared about at the end of the day.

After closing the door behind me, I exhaled in relief. "So now what?" I asked as I dropped to the bouncy double bed.

Nick emptied his pockets as he placed the poison to the side and started to count his money. "The local coroner in these parts is pretty lax from what I've seen." Nick shrugged his head to the side. "He never once questioned the deaths of those who died in my previous mining job."

So, Nick was working in manual labour before finding me. I suppose that makes sense. It doesn't seem like the worst job at the end of the day. But I can't say I myself would like to be working in mining specifically...

"So, all that matters is having our deaths being reported. As long as we're officially declared dead then we'll be in the clear."

In theory, Bennett wouldn't have any reason to keep looking for me if he believes I'm dead. For all I know, he might assume I've moved onto the next world. Which would work out in my favour since he'd leave this world to chase me in the next.

Nick sat down beside me with slight blush evident on his face. He avoided my eyes while speaking. "Since there's only one bed, you can have it. I'll... take the couch."

Oh, right. I didn't realise there was only one bed in this room. After Nick pointed out our surroundings, I felt more aware of myself. Just as he was about to stand up, I caught the tail of his shirt.

"I... don't mind sharing." I looked up at Nick nervously as I tried to suppress the butterflies in my stomach. "I like you, Nick."

Nick swallowed a gulp before cupping my hand. "Just like?" He sat down once more and pulled my body in close. "Because I don't just like you Vana. I... I love you!"

My heart skipped a beat as a nervous, yet excited squeal escaped my mouth. "M-M-Me too! I love you, Nick."

Nick didn't waste another second as he enveloped me in a deep and passionate kiss. I was left panting for air as I fell onto my back with Nick crawling on top of me.

He stopped for a second as he held my hand fondly to his face. "Are you sure you want to take this further?"

My eyes softened as I gave him a heartfelt smile and nod. "Yes." Nick kissed me sweetly once more, before stroking my head. With my consent, he then started to unbutton his shirt as I followed in his footsteps.

Once we were both left feeling fatigued, I curled up against Nick's chest as he played with the ends of my hair. "I can't wait till it's just the two of us. Away from... all of the madness." I remarked.

Nick chuckled to himself. "Same here. I think living somewhere remote would be nice. Maybe like the countryside?"

I looked up at him dubiously as I playfully pinched his nose. "I think a secluded island would be romantic. That way there would be no unwanted intruders."

"Wow, a secluded island... Someone sure wants to live in luxury." Nick teased back.

Sitting upright, I giggled before shrugging my shoulders playfully. "What? A girl can dream. Besides..." I leaned in closer to kiss Nick.

As I slowly pulled away from him, I couldn't help but smile. "Anywhere is fine with me, really. As long as you're by my side, I have no complaints."

Just as we enjoyed the serenity, our peace was short-lived as an axe was suddenly thrusted into the door.

"AHHHH!!!" I screamed as I jumped back into Nick's embrace.

With a forceful tug, the axe was yanked out of the door. And at the speed of light, a hand shot through the newly formed hole in the door to unlock it. "VICKY!"

Once the door busted wide open, all I could do was shriek as I busted into tears. I had never seen Bennett this mad before. His dark eyes were filled with uncontrollable rage as he gripped the bloody axe tightly in his hands.