Lynchpin

Ryan rested back on the quilted bed at the local inn. His hands were placed across his chest clutching to one of the many quilts the inn keeper gave him. He kept blank stare up to the rafters that shown above unable to sleep in the late hours of the night. There was a slight draft coming from somewhere in the room, and the guests down the hall were being rather loud. The traveler tried to pinch his eyes shut, turning over in the lumpy bed, but nothing was helping. He could hear everything.

All the howls of the wind as it hit the inn, the creaking of steps as the inn keeper made his rounds that night, even the chipper of the coyotes out in the distance. He could hear everything that the others shouldn't have been able to hear. He curled his body into a fetal position on the bed as he covered his ears from the noises. This was the third night that he was alone and every noise still terrified him.

He felt his emotions starting to get the best of him again, but every attempt to push back his tears of fear only made it worse. He clawed at his head, trying to block out the noises, when a tap rang at the window. He flinched, finding himself buried under the warm blankets. The tapping rang out a few more times and a muffled voice called out.

“Hey, demon! I know yar' still up.”

Confused, Ryan peaked his head out from the covers. Even if there was no light on in the room, he could still see every detail perfectly. The figure of the boy from before waved at the window. They were on the second floor. How'd he get all the way up there?

Ryan rushed to the window opening the window to the boy that was barely holding onto the sill. He gave a smile and hopped into the room.

“What are you doing-”

“Here,” he pushed a package wrapped in a cloth to Ryan's chest, “a gift from my ol' man.”

The boy was much taller than Ryan was and wore no shoes as he looked around the room pleased with what he saw. Ryan opened the wrapped cloth to find a loaf of bread hiding inside. He was about to ask again what he was doing in his room, giving him something that could have been given the next morning.

“Ya, know, I don't think I've eva' been in this place since I set the kitchen on fire two summers ago.”

“You set the kitchen-” Ryan shook his head not wanting to get side tracked, “Look-”

“Name's Cid,” he violently shook Ryan's free hand and leaned as if ready to tell a secret, “don't think I'm goin' to tell ya' my real name. Ol' man must be crazy if he wanted me to do such a thin'.”

Ryan only gave him a strange look and Cid jumped back in an exaggerated pose of fear. He complained to stop staring at him with his demon eyes. He straightened up his tall back and placed his hands on his hips proudly. His silly tone “got down to business” as he started to order Ryan to quickly pack up his things.

“What?”

“Ya' heard me, get yar' things. We need to get ya out of town.”

“What...?”

Cid's arms dropped as he moaned aloud, his thin flippy blonde hair moved with every move he made. He started throwing Ryan every little object of his that he owned, most of which fell on the floor. Ryan wanted to yell at the strange guy, but only more objects came flying at his face. Even the quilt the inn keeper gave was thrown his way. Cid claimed to take everything of value, opening and closing every drawer in the desk tucked away in the corner. Ryan dropped everything onto the floor and stormed over to the blonde freak, just about ready to push him back out the window. Cid fought back with the pulling on his body when a shot fired off in the distance.

“Crap, they're early.”

“They?”

Cid dove for Ryan's bag, looking at the amount of things on the floor and the little duffel in his hands. He started to stuff everything in anyway. Ryan slipped back to the window as other shots fired off and loud voices echoed from the ground below. A wagon, pulled by a large horse and a few motorized bikes came rolling down the dirt road. A handful of people dressed in the same colored outfits and bandanas hopped out of the wagon and approached the same old man from before. A girl fired a gun into the air again, waking who else was asleep in town.

The leader of the group proudly walked up to the old man and was quickly joined by his lackeys which he ordered off to go find something. The two talked, well the leader talked while the old man stood his ground with a hard look on his face. The other men who were left behind were looking at every window in search for any faces they didn't recognize. Ryan may have not known who they were, but they were clearly part of a bandit gang. Cid cursed pushing Ryan's head down, keeping them both out of the windowsill.

“Come on, let's get ya' out of here.”

He threw Ryan his bag, which was much heavier than it was before, and beckoned him towards the door. Ryan didn't move from where he sat and Cid's beckoning only grew faster. This non verbal battle went on for a few moments until another shot fired off down below. The inn keeper's voice echoed from the bottom floor along with angry voices. Fear flooded Cid's face as he pointed for Ryan to join him one last time.

“Don't ya' want to find 'Lynchpin'?! Get yar' butt over here!”

In the matter of seconds Ryan was by Cid's side and they both were running down the opposite way where the others were coming up. Ryan could hear a crash as his room was being turned over top and bottom in search for him. He heard a woman scream in anger and rush out of the room ordering the others she was with to find “the Upper”. Taking two steps at a time, the boys raced out towards the back door of the kitchen that claimed to once have been burned down. Ryan was about to jolt for the door when Cid tightly pulled at his arm, dragging him out of sight from a guard waiting on the other side of the open back door.

Cid held Ryan's mouth that was about to yell and kept his arm back as the beast sized man shifted on the other side of the door. Cid kept his index finger to his lips and pointed to the door to the pantry that was left ajar. He smiled whispering something about the inn keeper never letting them down. He released his quite strong grip on Ryan and the both nodded. Keeping an eye on the large man, and noticing the approaching footsteps of the angry woman above, the two slipped across the ceramic tiled floors into the closet.

The woman stormed into the kitchen, turning on any lamp or light that she could. She shoved every single object aside, big or small in search for the boys. The blonde haired woman stopped, hearing a hatch in the pantry close. A few other men joined her as she gave a sly look motioning towards the closet. They forced the door open to find a pantry full of barrels and crates of food. Her sharp eyes automatically noticed the hatch located in the center of the floor. She laughed evilly at the stupidity of the Upper she was after. Her buddies opened the heavy latch to the wooden stairs which opened to a tunnel beneath the inn. A few orders she barked out later, she and the men including the one by the door were walking down the dark pathway to find the escaped boys.

After the latch closed behind the last person, a laughter came from one of the barrels in the pantry. Cid twisted off the top keeping him hidden.

“They're gone, demon, ya' can come out now.”

Ryan peaked out of his hiding spot and glanced down to the hatch which Cid was pushing a few crates over. He waved Ryan to join him knowing that even though this threat was gone, they needed to leave. Ryan was weary to leave the comfort of his crate, but he was again reminded on how strong Cid was. The two quickly raced outside and heard voices coming from the main road. The old man was still talking up the leader who was waiting for the news from his subordinates. Cid predicted aloud that they only had a few more moments before the leader will give up and go home. He motioned down the back way and told his demon friend about the motorbike he had hidden back there.

That was when a different gun shot rang out in the night. Cid stopped in his tracks as a few screams filled the air. His eyes looked distraught as his carefree smile turned into a scared frown. Te turned to look behind him to hear the angry leader ordered more of his men to go find Ryan, calling him by name.

“Cid... did he just say my-”

“They've never-”

The shadows of figures running past the main road lights came into view and quickly starting firing their guns down the alley way. Ryan yelled in fear as Cid pulled the boy as fast as his bare feat could take them. The rusty motorbike that belonged to the lanky boy laid in waiting in the other alley. The bike started up fairly quickly and before any of the shooters could round the corner, the two were riding out of town in a dirt storm behind them.