Chapter 1
The Infamous Two
Episode 1 • Chapter 1: The Run
Monday, 1 August 2022 • 20:00–00:30 • Small Heath, Birmingham
The summer air hung thick over Birmingham, warm and still, the distant hum of traffic drifting down quiet streets. At 8pm sharp, a streetlamp flickered on outside Number 42—just another neat semi, a bicycle propped by the gate. But inside, silence pressed heavy against the walls.
Roman stood in his dim bedroom, red LED light glowing along the skirting board. His rucksack lay half-packed: clothes, tins, torch, water, first-aid kit, his secret savings, a battered notebook, one small photo, his Game Boy and games, ten spare batteries. At 15, sharp-featured and dark-haired, he pulled on all black—jacket, cargo pants, trainers—pocketed an old Nokia, knife, flashlight, gloves, sunglasses, and tucked his Walkman and Michael Jackson tapes safe inside. Modern phones were left behind—too easy to trace.
Downstairs, voices droned on—familiar shouting, the same old fights. This house had never felt like home. But tonight, he wasn't waiting it out.
He'd planned this for months, whispering about it with Veronica whenever they could slip away. Midnight. The old garage. Go.
At 11:40pm, he sat on his bed, watching the red light pulse. He was seven when his da yelled at him for nothing, and little Vee had climbed the fence, sat under the oak tree beside him, shared her sweets and said "One day we'll get out of here." Best friends, bound by the same quiet unhappiness. They'd always had each other.
Midnight. He eased the window open, waited till the house went quiet, climbed out onto the roof, down the drainpipe. Grass damp under his feet. One last look back at the dark house—no triumph, just a cold, sharp ache—then he slipped through the gate.
The old garage stood nearby, doors rusted, windows grimed over. His sanctuary. He pushed through the side door. Hinges groaned.
"Roman?"
"Vee?"
Veronica stepped from the shadows—15, tall and sharp-eyed, her soft Scottish lilt cutting through the dark. She wore dark practical clothes, backpack on tight.
"Yer actually here," she said, a small breath of relief. "I was startin' tae think somethin'd gone wrong."
"Had tae wait till they were snorin', dinnae I?" Roman grinned faintly. "But I'm here. You alright?"
"Aye. Got out the back way. Nobody heard a thing." She gestured to the loose bricks at the back, pulling out two wrapped bags and a metal box. "Everything's here. Checked twice."
They spread things out—spare clothes, food, water, blankets, notebooks, every penny they'd saved. Two Game Boys, same games, another old Nokia for her, their Walkmans and tapes, batteries split between them. No passports, no plans, just over two hundred pounds and a desperate need to be gone.
Veronica counted the notes. "Two hundred and twelve quid."
"That'll get us somewhere, eh?" Roman breathed easier.
"For a bit. But we cannae stay. Come morning they'll be tearin' the place apart. Police'll be askin' questions before breakfast."
"Then we're gone before anyone even notices we're missin'." Roman looked at her, steady. "I'm doin' this, Vee. I'm sure."
"Good." She zipped her bag, jaw set firm. "'Cause I'm not turnin' back either. Together, remember?"
"Together."
They slipped out, door creaking shut behind them. No lights on at home yet. Good. Keeping to shadows, away from main roads and cameras, they walked until the city centre glowed ahead—New Street Station bright against the night.
"Bus or train's daft," Veronica said, watching the station. "They'll check everything. We'd be stopped before we reach the platform."
Roman followed her gaze. A big white logistics van idled at the loading bay, two workers chatting by the back doors, not looking their way.
He raised an eyebrow. "You reckon...?"
"We get in. Now. Before they drive off."
"Bloody hell, you're serious." But he was already moving. What other choice was there? Go back to the shouting? No chance.
Sticking close to the walls, they darted across the open bay and squeezed into the van's dark rear before anyone glanced round. Doors slammed shut—darkness, sudden and total. The engine revved, and the whole vehicle lurched forward.
Roman found her hand in the dark. She gripped his tight.
"Still wi' me?" she whispered over the rumble of the road.
He smiled, eyes closing as the van carried them away from everything they'd ever known.
"Always."
END OF CHAPTER 1 ✨
