Chapter Six: The Strangers

Enrico parks safely the car in a parking lot near the Train station. The time strikes at quarter minute before two in the afternoon. They spot on two blaring trains stop over at the station. One bound to London and the other one bound to Liverpool. Each train contains massive passengers coming outside and inside. Few stampedes occurring, because of rush hour, and they afraid that Mira would not make it.

Walking, chasing and congesting, entire station crowded enormously, passengers coming back and forth from different places. Each of them, waited for over two hours already, trying to fetch up sold-out train tickets and the congesting trains coming. Hasting, waiting, rushing, and bumping, the crowd’s activities on the station occurring. Perhaps, something announced earlier the other day about today’s queue and since its Friday, Enrico’s inference would nearly accurate.

They quickly heading to the ticketing booth, but unfortunately, the queues prolongs as expected. As they scanning the platforms, it’s fully occupied. Undoubtedly, Enrico left them unattended on the queue so he could check the other platforms. He roaming around, he met a tall burly black guy, with a piece of cigar in his brownish mouth, sweating wrinkled face and wearing a navy blue police-like uniform. Enrico believes he's a train inspector, because of the logo embroidered to his uniform in his left chest, and he's holding a paper handy like a typical inspector or authority who roams around to check any activities in the station, like collecting tickets in each passenger, checking some baggage and inspecting any suspicious.

"Excuse me, sir. Can I ask a question?" Enrico smiles as he inching him.

"What's that lad?" he tunnels his eyes to him, trying to examine this lad.

"Any… platform’s vacancy, sire?" Enrico scans his sight unto him.

"Oh well. I'm afraid it'll be fully occupied this day, because of an urgent announcement from the palace." he snorts as he placing a pen in his mouth.

"May I know the announcement, Sir? he asks politely.

"The BBC announces yesterday about bad weather news of the upcoming hailstorm tomorrow at dawn. There were few booked trips that have been cancelled, because of this announcement." He yawns whilst leaning his head on the post.

"Oh, dear…" Enrico pushes back his eyeglass and narrows his sight down to the inspector’s paper, he clasping in his left hand. "Well, lad, you better ready for this platform thirteen. It's the last train from Liverpool to London. However, I'm not sure if the tickets were sold out already. Better check it now." he shrugs his shoulder.

"Thank you, sir... Thank you…" Enrico smiles as he acting to leave him.

Enrico headed back towards the ticketing booth which still in a long queue ‘til this moment. From a distant, he perceives Elizabeth’s and Mira’s anxious, frowning faces painted of unhappy mood contributed by noise pollution, congesting crowds, and pestering passengers next to them. The two strangers inching them intentionally, they are in average height, wearing black lounge suits along with their dark sunglasses, suitcases and black fedoras. Both of them taken for granting their thriving beards glued in their curvy chins. One of them cornered a cigar in his parched lips. Enrico believeth that they’re foreigners from Italy, because of their accent.

"Oi, Delizioso! Bello ragazza." the other guy igniting his cigar and blowing it unceasingly.

"Uh-oh─ it seems you have a hard time carrying your luggage young ladies, need some help?" the other guy whispers from their behind.

"Who are you? What do you want from us?" Mira asks as she cornering her eyes behind.

"You look so delizioso, bello ragazza." The guy with the cigar whispers, staring at them so sharply.

"Mira, who are they? Do you know them?" Elizabeth worries as she stepping back and clenching Mira’s hand.

"I don't know Miss Elizabeth but─ my God please save us. I have a bad feeling." Mira shivers as these strangers inching them.

Enrico feels anxiously disturbed by these strangers. He observes them. His suspicion might prove true about these henchmen. In a split of a second, he alarms when these men slipping their hands to Elizabeth’s and Mira’s shoulders. He sneaks quickly behind them and flabbergasting them by his tuned modulation of voice.

“Hello! How may I help you─ gentlemen?" Enrico clears his throat.

For a few seconds, Mira and Elizabeth twist their sight unto him as they escaping from the cue swiftly. They loop each of their arms to his left and right biceps, clasping tightly and fumbling his undeveloped triceps like a caress of a whore in a brothel and yanking themselves to his shoulders. Enrico distinguishes their anxious facial expressions as they yanking together to him whilst the two men murmuring strange words as they cornering their eyes sharply unto them.

"Who are you… secchione ragazzo?" a guy with a cigar smirks and lowering his sunglass.

"You don't have a business to us, ragazzo, back off! We're just interested in these delizioso bello ragazza vi accanto!" the other guy lunged and threatening him.

"What are these guys up to? You don't understand them, do you?" Elizabeth murmurs at the right side of Enrico.

“Enrico, do you have any plans? This is going to be bad.” Mira asks anxiously, clasping his biceps so tightly.

"I'll tell you later. For now, I'll help you both out here." he whispers to them.

As the time fading, every single moment crucially getting worse, but Enrico stands firm, trying to fight back his fears. He negotiates them by speaking some Italian words to amplify his confidence and it would balance the situation, but the strangers compel to showcase their guts to the young lad. They confidently threaten him by warning his intervention between the ladies.

"Hey back off! Don't you fear us, secchione Ragazzo?" a guy with a cigar warns him by raising his voice.

"Scusi per favore… gentiluomo! I'm their escorte… please, we've got to go." Enrico pleads.

"Oh, questa secchione ragazzo, parlare Italiano. I'm afraid my ragazzo you can't… ha-ha." the other guy larking.

"Piacere fermarsi questa minaccia! Noi avere ere andare…" Enrico declares as he pushing back the ladies from his behind.

" Follia! Stupido!" the guy with the cigar, yelling extremely.