Free INK: Blue (INK Trilogy Book 3) by Al K. Line Page A

definite gleam in his eye.
    "Oh. Oh! Mm, me too, feeling so sleepy." Lash let out a huge fake yawn, stretching her arms over her head.
    "Oh please, spare me," said Aiden from the rear.
    Edsel and Lash smiled at each other; the hunt for a place to stay the night was taken up with renewed urgency.
     
    ~~~
     
    The following morning they were back in the car early, ready for another day of adventure after spending the night in an old cottage — it was obvious it was unoccupied by the living as soon as they set eyes on it. The door was lost behind an overgrown ivy that had claimed the whole front of the building, the garden so wild it was like trekking through a jungle. The only thing visible from the road were a few tiles on the roof and the chimney — if not for that they would have missed it entirely.
    Inside was dark, but there was enough light to check the rooms and discover the building was empty, not even a corpse left to deal with, which was always a blessing.
    "So, did everyone sleep well?" asked Edsel, shutting the driver side door and putting his seatbelt on.
    "I feel like a new woman," said Lash, her huge brown eyes full of energy.
    "Me too," quipped Edsel.
    "Cheeky." Lash punched him gently on the arm.
    "Oi."
    "Well you may have had a lovely night, but I certainly didn't," said Aiden grumpily from the back seat. "Those walls were paper-thin you know."
    "Oops, sorry. Now shall we get going? Will everyone just promise me something?"
    "What?"
    "That we will stick together, and won't do anything daft. Okay buddy?" Edsel turned to Aiden.
    "Okay."
    "Lash?"
    "Of course, we're a team. Let's go see what we can see."
     
    ~~~
     
    It took the better part of the morning just to make what would have been a short drive — the closer they got the worse the roads became, with countless dead-ends and numerous wrong turns as a consequence.
    This feels like some of these blocks are done on purpose, which is a pretty good idea.
    Edsel turned in the road at yet another barrier — a tree across the moss covered road, a sight that was becoming all too familiar.
    Someone is definitely doing this. How many trees can just happen to fall across the road like this?
    Edsel followed the road back the way they had come and took another turn, hopefully in the right direction. After a few more minutes the way opened up to a wide road and he picked up speed. Ten minutes later they all had the same feeling at the same time.
    "We've gone past it, I'm sure," said Aiden.
    "Yeah, it's like the only way to go is away from where we actually want to be. I'll turn around. Keep your eyes open, someone's just being cautious and doesn't want anyone stumbling across them uninvited."
    "So maybe we shouldn't just turn up unannounced?" said Lash.
    "We don't have much choice if we actually want to go and say hello, do we? Not like we can give them a call or anything," said Edsel.
    "There, there. Stop the car," shouted Aiden, pointing at the thick line of trees skirting the road.
    "What? I don't see anything," said Edsel, scanning the area, seeing nothing out of the ordinary.
    "There, look closely. You can see that there is a gap in the trees. I bet they've just hidden the entrance to their property; you wouldn't ever know it was there unless you were looking closely."
    Aiden was right, there did seem to be a thinning of the trees if you knew where to look, and there did seem to be a difference to the ground — it was flatter, compacted.
    Guess I better go do the adult thing and check it out.
    "Okay, wait here, and be on your guard. I don't want any nasty surprises."
    Edsel grabbed his machete and walked cautiously across the road, heading where the tree-line did look slightly different. Aiden was right, there was a gap in the trees just wide enough for a vehicle, and there was a lattice fence that had been covered with foliage to make it look as inconspicuous as possible. Looking about carefully, he then pushed it aside, rested it against a tree and saw a