"I didn't break in here just for vegetables."

☆

The truck pulls away down the road, leaving Carlos and Rio at the crossroads. Rio watches the vehicle disappear into the rising sun as they are eventually left in silence. He takes a step towards the white painted sign. "Cottisbrook… 3 miles." He looks in the direction of the sign where in the distance, civilisation could be seen. 

Carlos looks in the opposite direction. We need to go this way." 

"Oh no." Rio shakes his head. "We're not going that way."

"But that's the way we need to go " Carlos argues. 

"Are you hungry? I'm hungry. I've not eaten since before you invaded my life."

Carlos looks at Rio. He furrows his brow. "Are you forgetting who is in charge here?" 

Rio stops and turns to face the other male. He looks him up and down. "How are you in charge? Did you patch up your own head? Did you get us a free ride out here? What do you do exactly to warrant being in charge?"  

"I…I…" Carlos tries to find a reason. "All this was my idea." He finally says. "Breaking free from my other life and you chose to follow. That was my idea." He smiles, feeling satisfied by his response. 

"Ok." Rio sighs. "So we both have our strengths." He puts a hand on Carlos' shoulder. "But don't you see, we are now a team. We've already discussed this, haven't we?" 

Carlos takes in the words. It was true that he had desired to step out of his sister's shadow. To finally be the one calling the shots, but he also knew that his quest for a new life would be over already if it weren't for Rio. "Ok. Maybe we are equals, but we still need to go this way." He points to the road leading to nothingness. 

Rio removes his hands, placing them on his hips as he shakes his head. "Do you really want to trek for miles on an empty stomach? We can decide what to do when we've slept a little more and eaten." 

Carlos puts a hand to his stomach. He couldn't remember the last time he had taken a bite. "Ok, but if you're wrong, then I'm in change." He grumbles as they finally decide to head in the direction of Cottisbrook. 

As they take the weary steps towards a small village, Carlos suddenly stops in his tracks as a white cottage comes into view. It stood isolated from the rest of the village. It's door opening out onto the roadside, with high stone walls enclosing a back garden. Smoke could be seen billowing from it's chimney and a faint aroma of baking was floating on the breeze. He inhales deeply, closing his eyes as if to savour the smell. "I need to eat." He says out loud, not wanting to open his eyes and break the fantasy that he was eating the aroma. 

"Hey, give me a hand."

Carlos opens his eyes to see Rio trying his best to peer over the wall. "What are you doing? There's clearly someone home." 

"I know, I just need to check who that someone is… Come on, give me a leg up." Rio gestures Carlos to help him once again as his own hands hold onto the top of the wall. 

"What if there's a dog?" Carlos points out as he gets on one knee in order to help the cause. 

"Why? Are you scared of dogs?" Rio says, getting a better grip on the wall. 

"I just don't want any trouble…" 

Rio stops trying to climb as he junps down to face Carlos. "Are you serious? It's too late for that. You have already waved your gun about, people are out looking for us,  including your sister, I guarantee the police and now you're worrying about getting into trouble? I just want some food. That's all, so help me over." He again gets into position.

Carlos crouches down once again, with a feeling of rage inside of him. Rio had just laid bare his lack of doing anything successfully. He was a useless gangster, a bad kidnapper. He couldn't do a thing right and always ended up having to pay the price for it. Even Rio, an innocent taxi driver, was better at playing the role than him. 

Soon, Rio is up and over the wall, with Carlos having to dodge an old hose being hurled over the wall. "Come on." Comes the stealth like whisper from the other side as Carlos manages to use the rope to hurl himself up, just enough to climb down to the other side. As his feet hit the ground, he is graced with an immaculate garden, with pretty pink and purple flowers in borders around the edge, a vegetable patch near the bottom end and some clothes blowing in the breeze on the washing line.

Rio hurries to the vegetable patch, grabbing at some pea pods and devouring them. "I didn't break in here just for vegetables." Carlos mumbles, with the urge to redeem his failed image pressing, as he heads to the washing line, feeling the clothes are touch dry. He begins to pull his jacket and shirt from his body, only to replace it with a patterned sweater. He then pushes his gun into the back pocket of the new jeans he has aquired. It causes Rio to turn and smile.

"Now you're getting it." He says as he approaches the hanging washing and grabs a pillow case and proceeds to use it as a bag to grab at the many fruit and vegetables on offer. 

Meanwhile, Carlos is making his way towards the back door. He peers through the small glass square panes on the upper part of the door. It looks like there is no one around. He tries his luck with the handle, and to his surprise, the door is unlocked. 

Carlos feels the adrenaline crank up a notch as he steps foot inside. He sees a few coats hanging to his left. He reaches out, pulling a blue woolly beanie from the hook and pulls it over his head to hide the bandages, before he turns his attention to a set of keys which to him, looked like were for a vehicle of some kind. It is now that he should have made a quiet exit. Taken the keys and made a run for it, but he had to go and look at the kitchen table. 

He sees the prize. Fresh bread, sitting on a rustic board, alongside a teapot, and the rest of the setup for what looked like a fantastic breakfast. He didn't realise how hungry he was until he saw it, and now, without thought of consequence, he makes a beeline…