Stolen Car

Chris limped out of the hospital and went down the street to get to his car. People smiled at him when he walked by but Chris didn’t even look at them. His cell phone beeped. Sighing he looked at the text.

Sent at 7:32 from Alec Murphy,

Hey brother turns out I’m not guilty despite all your protests. Meet me at my place at 8:45 and don’t be late!

AM

Chris started texting back.

Look Alec I can’t come today or any other day. I’ve already told you I want nothing to do with you!

CT

Chris pressed send and continued the journey to his car. When he got to where his car was he saw it wasn’t there anymore. “Great just what I needed. This day can’t get any worse.” Chris said to his self.

Charlotte walked briskly down the street, not meeting anybody's eye but staring at the electronic carriage "cars" rushing down the roads, turning and stopping and flashing electronic lights all over the place. It was a miracle to still be alive, a second to be displaced hundreds of years in time, and a third miracle to manage not to be hit by any carriages as she crossed these hazardous paths. And now to find a place to live, something to do other than be confused and alone in another country.

There was a man, looking irritated but obviously having the time to stand by the street and frown for several minutes. He was dressed professionally, with a white coat that others had told her signified un docteur. "Excuse me, sir... doctor. Hello."

Chris looked up at the woman and sighed. "I'm off for the day right now so if you need any medical attention you'll have to find another doctor to bother." Chris said. He didn't care that he was being rude. He just wanted to go home to his lousy apartment. He started limping down the street. If he couldn't drive home he would have to walk. Chris really hoped the woman wouldn't follow him. His phone beeped again. Chris looked at the screen.

Sent at 7:41 from Alec Murphy,

You'll regret not coming over... I have my eye on you!

AM

P.S. Be carful!  

"Fantastic..." Chris mumbled. Now his older brother is stalking him. "He's up to something." Chris whispered to his self.

Charlotte picked up her pace a little to catch up with the retreating man. "Please! Je ne... I'm not from this country. Do you know of a place I could sleep and live? And..."

Now he was muttering to something in the palm of his hand. Lost in his own problems. "Docteur, I think I'm... seeing... things that are not real. And I'm supposed to be dead--is this l'enfer? Is this Hell?"

Oh, Dieu... don't cry. You can't cry. But she had no idea what was going on and now no one was going to help her...

Chris looked up at the woman. "No this isn't hell. Then again I don't believe in those silly things ever since my leg." He said.

Chris noticed the woman looked like she was about to cry. "Look don't cry I..." Chris started to say.

He noticed his older brother walking up to him. Chris cursed. "Look that man over there is very dangerous so I have to get away from him." Chris said.

He could really use his car now. Chris started to limp away but his brother spotted him. Alec grabbed Chris's jacket.

"You can't get away this time." Alec said calmly almost like he was bored.

"Look that man over there is very dangerous so I have to get away from him."

Charlotte whirled around to look at the man coming up to the doctor. Very dangerous. She should run away, but then where would she go? This was the only person willing to talk to her-

"You can't get away this time." His look was cruel but blasé, almost like he was toying with the doctor as he grabbed his coat. Charlotte felt her knife pressing against the inside of her thigh, but didn't pull it out. Not yet. "Who are you?" she asked, crossing her arms.

"What are you Chris's girlfriend? I never thought you'd ever get one Chris."

"No she's not I don't even know her name and Alec I don't need this right now." Chris tried to remain calm but that is kind of imposable when your brother is a murder. Chris tried to shake Alec's hand off of his jacket but it didn't work. Now Alec was griping onto his arm.

"I know you caused the car crash. You did this to me!"

Alec laughed. "So yeah I might of brother but you don't have any proof."

Chris tried again to get his arm free from Alec.

Charlotte's brain kicked into high gear, translating all the information pouring in. The man's name was Chris. Chris had hurt his leg in some sort of accident, and he thought this other man had caused it. The dangerous man. His brother.

"Leave him alone or I will send for the police," she said, seriously, seriously hoping this wasn't actually a police-less hell. She had little idea how she was going to summon them, but perhaps if she screamed, someone would come... but only if things became worse.

Alec laughed. "Sure whatever, see you later brother!" Alec walked away.

Chris almost fell over when Alec let him go. He used his cane to steady his self. He was scared very sacred but no one could tell from his face. His face had no emotion showing at all well that was pretty usual for him though. "There are some hotels around here but there not very good." Chris looked at the woman. She seemed a bit usual but he couldn't tell why.

Charlotte sighed of relief at the man's departure. No need for screaming or police after all. The man said Chris would see him again, but that wasn't really her concern, was it?

Chris turned back to her, face looking decidedly stoic, a stifling of emotion. "There are some hotels around here but they're not very good," he said.

If hotel meant the same thing in English as it did in French, this would be a place to stay. "Thank you very much, docteur. I will go there." There was a question on her mind, but she knew it would make her sound odd, not just French. She sighed again. "However, there seems to be a sort of problem... every place I have gone so far, people continue to ask me for something called 'I.D.' What is that?"

Chris looked at the woman curiously. He thought she must be lying but he couldn't tell. "You mean identification? You'll need that to do a lot of things around here..." Chris wondered if she had any. Well, she has to other wise how did she get here in the first place? "If you don't mind me asking if you don't have any identification how did you get here?" Chris looked at his watch he really had to get going soon. Well, not really but he wanted to get home soon.

"I got on a boat," Charlotte said, frowning. "I went around selling my old currency to antique coin collectors and got enough money to leave. No one questioned it until I came here. It seems like there were less people travelling by boat than usual."

She didn't tell him about why she needed to get out of France, or why she had centuries-old money to sell, or what "usual" actually meant to her. It was too long and too recent to tell, and besides, she would see him checking his timepiece. "If you want me to leave, that's fine... I'll just go to one of the hotels."