It is night time. A theatre sat between two other stores. Inside, a local acting company is performing Macbeth. The part of Macbeth is played by a traveling, Irish actor by the name of Liam Danby.
The janitor, Pepper Eriksson, says she is an usher to people backstage. She slides up to Liam backstage and abruptly asks him to marry her.
“No. Leave me alone and go back to doing whatever it is strange girls like you do.” He walks to his dressing room. Pepper runs around the stage and to his dressing room, where she has time to sit before he arrives a few seconds later.
"I'm not moving until you agree to marry me. I've been sitting here long enough to decide on that! You were supposed to run here to meet me right before I sat down!"
"Let me explain this to you. I just finished doing my job and I want to go to my dressing room. Some random girl asks me to marry her and a few seconds later, she's in front of my dressing room door, trying to threaten me with not moving.” Liam sees no reaction from Pepper and sighs. “Do I need to say that I will get security to take you out of here?"
"I'm not going to move. There's nothing you can say to get me to move out of this spot other than 'I love you and I want you to marry me!'"
Seconds later, she is escorted out of the theatre and is told to go home by her co-workers. Liam enters his dressing room and sees a hastily scribbled letter on his desk. It reads:
Liam,
Assassins have been hired to kill you. I suggest that you find a place to stay and keep yourself off-stage for a while. -Pierre
Liam raises an eyebrow. “This isn’t the first time you’ve told this to me, Pierre,” he says to himself, “but did you ask that same schizophrenic fortuneteller this time?”
He leaves the dressing room and walks toward his agent's office, but stops when he sees a group of armed people outside the office. They start running toward him and shooting. He turns and runs around a corner and out onto Broadway. He turns left and continues running.
Pepper is still walking home. “Why didn’t he say yes? We’re perfect for each other!”
A nameless citizen bumps into her and doesn't apologize. She turns around. Liam is running toward her. She runs to him and tackle-hugs him.
"I knew you'd change your mind, sweetie! Come on, let's go to my apartment! We have lots of plans to make! We have to buy rings, pick out our wedding colors and songs..."
Liam’s face contorts. "Do you think we could hurry? There are some people chasing me that want the same thing."
"They want...Oh! There is no way I’m letting that happen! Come on! It's this way!"
They run a few blocks to her apartment. When they arrive, Pepper opens the door and pushes Liam inside. He finds his footing in the middle of her living room, which has no decoration except numerous vases of flowers and pictures of him.
"So, honey, where do you want to get married? Theoretically, we can get married wherever we want. We can get married in..."
"I still don't want to marry you. Those people weren't chasing me for the same reason you were. They were hired to kill me. I just need somewhere to hide that they wouldn't think of looking for me."
"You don't want to marry me? But you ran after me when they kicked me out! You made me take you here, to my apartment! You just wanted me for tonight?"
"When did I say that? I don't want you at all! I'm running from people who were hired to ki-" He takes her arm and tries to pull her with him, but she hesitates.
"Yeah, yeah, whatever. No one is out to get you! You're not THAT famous! Well, you are, but no one would want to kill you! You're too perfect."
"That's not what these people think. Someone had to hire them." He tries to run again, but she remains steadfast.
"Sweetie, I don't see how anyone would want to kill someone like you. Your first story made more sense. I'll let you invite whoever you want to our wedding. I think I'll invite all my friends. I hope we can get enough money...we're going to have at least four hundred guests. I wonder what they'll get us. What do you want them to get us?"
"I don't know.” He says with extreme frustration. “They can all get us blenders for all I care! I want to be alive for a wedding! If you haven't forgotten, there are assassins hired to kill me!"
"What would we do with that many blenders, silly? I'm thinking silverware, dishes, silver toothpicks, houses, matching scooters; you know, just the essentials."
Liam scoffs, but says nothing as he looks through her kitchen cupboards, which are immaculately organized.
"Oh, we'll have to meet each other's parents. Are you free tomorrow?"
"Really, I don't want to bring your parents into this like I did to you. My parents are probably being watched by the assassins, so it's not safe there."
"Let me guess, the next thing you'll say is that you can't sign the lease 'cause they'll find you. Tha-"
"You're right! I can't stay here if I have to sign my name anywhere!"
"As I was saying: That's just ridiculous. There aren't people coming to get you. That's just butterflies in that cute tummy of yours, sweetie. Come on, if they really wanted to find you, they could just threaten my boss. He's easy to scare. He'd tell them I was talking to you and they'd find out where I lived. They'd probably already be here!"
Liam jumps up from the chair he's perched himself in. "I doubt it, but they could have followed me more closely than I thought. We have to get out of here. Now. Get up!" He pulls Pepper up from her chair, "Look, I don't even know your name and already I've gotten you into a dangerous situation. I'm sorry, but I have to go now!"
"Pepper. My name is Pepper. And, sweetie, we're together now, so we do things TO-," she pulls his arm off of hers, "GETH-," she moves as close as she can to him, "ER," she takes his hands in hers, "I know a great place to hide. I haven't told anyone about it, so I know they won't look for us there. We'll have a great story to tell the kids, won't we?"
He looks at her. "Kids?”
"Yeah, I forgot to tell you. We're going to have lots and lots of little Liams and Peppers, only they won't be called Liam and Pepper, of course. They'll be Katie, James, Lily, George…" her voice trails off as she realizes Liam is only nodding because he's waiting for a moment to tell her to shut up. She looks up at him sweetly to imply she'll have to tell him all about their many, many children when they're not minutes away from people who want to kill them.
They leave through the fire escape. When they get to the bottom, Liam jumps down and starts leaving the alley.
“You can’t get there without me!” Pepper says, just loud enough for him to hear.
Liam sighs and returns to the bottom of the fire escape. Pepper slides off the edge and nearly knocks him to the ground.
“Have you gained weight since the last time I saw you?”
“I’m not fat, silly! That’s a good thing, though. You’ll have to carry me to my secret place.” Pepper holds her feet up to show that she has no shoes on.
“You can still walk.” Liam slid out from under Pepper and rose to his feet. Pepper pouts on the ground.
“Fine, if that’s what it takes. You whine too much.”
“And you’re mean. I‘d tell you where we‘re going, but the ‘assassins’ might hear us. Just start walking that way.” She points up the street. As they round the corner, they see the assassins and Liam gets a quick look at one he assumes is the leader. Is that...no, he may be a poor loser, but he'd never kill anyone.
Liam and Pepper arrive at an abandoned hardware store.
“This is it? I walk seven miles for a hardware store?”
“Yep! And we would have been found if you hadn’t switched streets so many times!”
Pepper unlocks the door with a key hanging from an silver chain around her neck. Inside is a room filled with empty shelves, a counter with a broken cash register, and dust.
“Don’t leave any marks on anything, okay? He’ll kill me if anyone finds this place.”
“Who is he?”
“You’ll see! Take me to the back of the counter.”
“Looking for money in the register? I don’t think you’ll find much in there.”
Pepper looks at him, but says nothing. She flips a switch under the counter and the floor in the back of the store drops down, forming stairs. Liam carries her down.
“He’s down here. He’ll make sure we’re completely different people. Completely illegal, but he’s done it so much, no one can tell the difference. Fake Ids, new names, new birth records, even. He does it all.”
“So I’m not the only person you’re unnaturally obsessed with?”
“Oh, no, no. He’s not my type. I want someone with a legal job.”
Liam chuckles and walks through a door at the end of the long hallway. They hear the stairs behind them rise up and return to being a floor. The first thing they both notice is the room is completely empty.
“No! He’d never leave without telling me! Something’s wrong! Let‘s go back.”
“Maybe he did. It’s still safer here than at your apartment.”
“Maybe not. If he left without telling anyone, he would have had to have been threatened pretty badly. He’s really good at getting himself out of danger, so either the cops finally found him after all these years or he was in more danger than he could sweet-talk his way out of.”
“Let’s just stay here. You’re just scaring yourself. Besides, I can’t carry you anymore.” He puts her down on the floor, which is peculiarly dusty for him having been here as recently as Pepper had implied.
“How long ago do you think he left?”
“No idea; he always covers his tracks. He could have dusted the floor and left within a few minutes.”
Liam walks to the other end of the room and looks at the one thing still on the wall; a small niche with a miniature statue of Nabu, the Babylonian god of writing and wisdom.
“I’ve seen this statue before. I doubt this one’s an original, but I saw one like it when I went to London once. Did he ever do anything with this?”
“No. There was a painting over it before. Why?”
“Well, wouldn’t you think someone as secretive as him would use it to hide a secret entrance?”
“This isn’t a story! You act like it would be easy to make something like that!”
“Well, let’s see.” He turns the statue. Nothing happens. He picks it up. It still had no effect.
“I told you so. He wouldn't do something that obvious, anyway. Put it back in and push. I If it works, I'll leave you alone forever.”
Liam smiles and frantically puts it back where it was. Nothing happens. Pepper stands up and puts her arms around him.
“You don’t need to do that.” He says, but doesn’t attempt to stop her. “Why are we wasting our time here, anyway? Let’s…er…”
“Where will we go?”
“You can’t go anywhere at all, miss.” A new arrival to the room says. “We’re all here, by the way. Don’t think you can get out.”
“Couldn’t you guys be less predictable?” Pepper said, turning around to face the man in the door. “If I were stalking him, I’d wait until he wasn’t expecting it to jump out and say boo.”
“She's telling the truth, Jim. That's what she did.”
“Shut up! Just shut up! I was considering letting the girl go.” He walks closer and holds Pepper’s chin up with the end of a pistol. She moves his arm away with her own. Liam stands in front of her defiantly.
“Ah, so you’ve picked up a girlfriend since we last met. I won‘t say you don‘t have taste, but you don‘t change, do you?”
“She’s not part of this. Let her go and live in peace.” Liam says.
“I think I should have some fun with this. This started with a gamble. Let’s end it with one. There’s only one way she’s leaving here. Hold them, Thom! Andy!” A man takes both of Pepper’s wrists, followed by another who holds Liam. “Now it looks fair. Ready? This'll be just like old times!”
“You’re still bitter over that?” Liam says.
“Oh, no. I’d almost forgotten about it before Mr. Krieg hired me.”
“Krieg? He always did have all that money and his promises.” Liam tries to fight his way out of Andy's arms, but to no avail.
“He pays better than all the games you won in the pub back home. That reminds me, it’s time for a game.” Jim reaches into his pocket. “I’m only doing this because you’re a good lad and, me being the generous man I am, I want to give you a chance to choose who lives and who dies. Before you say anything, I won‘t give you the chance to be noble and take the bullet or be a selfish coward and kill her.
“I know what you'd say if I did.” Jim takes a deck of cards out from his pocket and shuffles them. When he’s done, he fans them out, face down, in front of Liam. “If the card is red, she lives. If it’s black, you do. Simple game. To make this a little more fun…” Jim takes out all but two cards and puts them back in his pocket. “Let’s hope you get your way.”
Liam hesitates, but gets elbowed in the back by Andy. “This is cruel.”
“I was paid to kill you. Do you really think I care? I need to have some fun or I'd go crazy. Now, pick a card or I will.” Jim waits and gets no response from Liam. “My choice, then.”
Jim draws the Queen of Diamonds. He laughs like a silent movie villain before shooting Liam twice in the chest. “You're cut is thirty percent, Pep.”
“I want thirty-five, honey!” Pepper whines as they all leave the room.
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