The man patted Danny’s head. “He’s a good little boy. I can feel it. I don’t have much family left, and it’s nice to hold a little one close every now and then. I don’t know how much time I have left to do this.” He sadly released Danny’s hands. “Seeing little ones always reminds me of how precious life is.”
Danny turned to Michael. “Tell him he’s going to be okay. He’s not ready to go to the light yet. The medicines the doctors are giving him are working.” Michael stalled and Danny pulled on his sleeve. “It’s true, Michael, tell him. He needs to know so he’ll fight harder!”
Watching the man’s labored breathing, Michael felt he might be giving him false hope, but Danny kept tugging on his sleeve. He turned to the man. “Sir, my brother feels you have more time than you think. That the medicines you’re taking are working.” How in the world could Danny know this? Whatever power he had, he wasn’t a doctor.
“Well, we’ll just have to hope he’s right, won’t we?” the man sighed. “Time will tell. It always does, one way or another.” The man stood and moved over to the snack table, dragging his IV unit behind him.
After retrieving their food, Michael brought Danny over to a patio table to eat. “How can you possibly know that man will be okay?” Michael asked, before stuffing a tiny sandwich into his mouth.
“It’s easy. There aren’t any birds waiting around for him.”
Michael was about to pop another sandwich in his mouth but stopped, mid-bite. “What?”
Danny looked at him as if he were the dumbest brother on the planet. “If that man was going to die, there’d be a bird waiting for him. And I don’t see any birds here. At least, not any waiting for him.”
Michael whirled around. “Where do you see birds? I don’t see any.”
Danny pointed towards the window. “There’s some out there. Can’t you see them?”
He looked to where Danny was pointing. A few were outside on the window ledge, pecking at flecks of food.
“Oh, yeah, I can see them,” Michael said, confused. “But I thought all birds were people. Are you telling me some birds don’t have any souls yet? That they just wait around for someone to die?”
“Kind of. Mommy said when a person is a bird and finally goes to the light the bird body has to go somewhere so it’s empty until it gets called,” Danny explained.
“You mean like an empty vessel?” Michael asked. “How can that be? Who controls them?”
“There are things Mommy says she doesn’t know, but she read about angels and she’s sure that when someone leaves a bird body and goes to the light, an angel takes over the bird until someone else is called.”
“And you can tell when a bird has no soul inside?”
Danny nodded. “Those birds on the windowsill outside have no souls inside them yet, but I can tell who they’re waiting for.”
Michael leaned closer to Danny and glanced around, grimacing. “Are they for anyone around here?”
“Not for anyone having snacks. They’re waiting for some of the people in the rooms.”
Michael was creeped out. “Danny, how can you possibly know this?”
Danny shrugged. “I just do. They talk to me and tell me. Just like those birds in the park. It’s like a picture of what they want to tell me comes into my mind and I can understand what they’re saying. You understand?”
Michael shook his head. “I’m trying, Danny. I’m really trying. So those birds outside can talk to you. What are they saying?”
“They’re not talking to me now, but they know I know what they are.”
Michael rubbed his shoulders, chilled. “It’s just all so unbelievable.” He stood. “You want some more food?”
Danny nodded. After they ate for a little while longer, Michael glanced at his watch. He wanted it to be later so he and Danny could move around easier. That’s when he decided he would call the FBI himself. He tapped his brother lightly on the shoulder to get his attention.
“Those fake cops should be gone by now but I want us to get going. I saw the buses come on the hour and it’s about four. Hey, I’ve got a great idea. Want to go catch a movie?” That would buy them a few more hours. Sitting in a dark theater had to be safer than walking around the streets.
Danny jumped up and down excitedly.
They returned the hall pass and made their way outside, walking over to the bus stop. Two minutes later the M6 came to take them through the heart of town near the mall, where there was a ten-plex theater.
The driver broke a five-dollar bill and within seconds, he and Danny were hunkered down in the backseat of the bus. Michael sat back and relaxed as he watched his brother stare out the window.
Twenty-five minutes later, the bus let them off near the movie theater and Michael purchased two tickets for the showing of the latest Disney movie at five. They were a little early, so the theater was still relatively empty and no one gave them a second glance. They made themselves comfortable up front. Since he couldn’t hear the film, Danny always liked to sit as close as possible to the screen. He said it made him feel like he was really in the movie.
Two and a half hours later, after seven promos and a feature-length film, the movie ended and the lights came on. Danny jumped up.
“Hey, Danny,” Michael said, pulling him back. “Stay in your seat until everyone leaves. I don’t want us to attract any attention.”
It was too late.
“Hey, Mommy! That kid signed to that little boy. He looks like the one from TV.”
Michael turned to see a small child pointing in their direction and his stomach somersaulted. Ten seconds ago they had been anonymous. Now the entire theater stared at them. Some of the adults actually screamed and pulled their children back into their seats as if Michael and Danny had the plague. The rest of the people glared at them threateningly, and some of the men started to move towards them. Michael stood and took his brother’s hand.
“You’re making a mistake,” he said. “We’re not those kids on TV.”
“Oh, really?” an angry, bearded guy asked, as he made is way down the aisle. “That’s funny, because you sure look like them, you little murderer. Now, why don’t you stay right there, keep your hands where we can see them, and hopefully no one else will get hurt.”
Murderer? “What are you talking about? I didn’t kill anyone.”
The man kept advancing and Michael started to back up. He turned, seeing a neon exit sign at the front of the theater.
“Listen, you stay away from us,” Michael yelled. “I’m telling you, you’re making a mistake.” Out of the corner of his eye he could see a second man slinking quickly through the aisles, trying to cut them off from the side.
“Watch out, he might have a gun or a bomb,” someone yelled. Screams tore through the theater as mothers flooded the aisles with their children, desperate to flee the room.
Michael saw the looks in everyone’s eyes, the anger, the fear, and knew none of these people would help them. He signed to his brother, lightning fast. “Run to the exit behind me. The bad men are here.” Danny immediately turned and ran. Michael was close behind him. He flung open the doors and heard them swing shut, drowning out the noise of the other men running full speed down the aisles after them.
“Danny, run that way!” Michael signed, once they were outside. “Through the cars.” It was crowded in the parking lot, and he hoped they’d be able to lose themselves in all the vehicles.
As they sprinted through the lot they attracted more and more attention. There were shrieks and screams. “Look! It’s them. The kids from TV. Get them!” Michael was never so angry and scared in his entire life. He didn’t know why everyone was turning on him and his brother. They were just kids. It didn’t make sense. Did they actually think he had killed someone?
Understanding flooded him. Mr. Jacobs. He was being framed. There was a bounty on their heads and people weren’t just going to help Herrington’s people find them because their parents might have worked for Herring
ton. They were going to turn them in because they were considered killers. He wanted to throw up.
They plunged out of the parking lot and behind an Applebee’s restaurant.
Danny whimpered. “I’m scared.”
“I know, but we can’t stop yet or we won’t get away. Look, over there is another motel.” He pointed towards a Days Inn situated behind the restaurant. They ran toward the motel and through the main lobby and out to the inner courtyard. A few patrons jumped out of the way as they raced past them. When they got to the courtyard, Michael pulled Danny upstairs. “Come on. I need to get a better look at who’s after us.”
Peeking around the corner of the second floor of the motel, he saw about fifteen people milling around the dumpster of the Applebee’s. He could see them scanning the area and a few of them were yelling.
Michael grabbed Danny, pulling him down the hallway towards the back parking lot of the motel. It was backed against a cemetery. They bolted down the steps and across the lot. Michael hoisted Danny over a small rock wall enclosing the cemetery and together they started running, trying to lose the crowd for the moment.
The cemetery was empty and after a few minutes Michael felt a little safer and sat Danny on a concrete bench. He knew it was only a matter of time before their luck ran out. Someone was going to catch them. Danny started to tremble. Michael leaned over and put his arms around him to comfort him. It wasn’t much, but his brother calmed down a little. Now he knew how escaped convicts felt.
A cool breeze brushed by them, and Danny shivered. Michael leaned over and zipped up the nylon windbreaker Danny had put on that morning. He wished he had his own jacket. The breeze brought more than just cold air. It also brought voices, and through the rustling of the trees, Michael heard the sound of angry people. They were far away but he knew it was the men and women from the theater. Worse, it sounded like their numbers had grown in size. No matter how many there were, Michael would fight every last one of them to keep his brother safe. He had seen first-hand how crazy people could get when they wanted something really bad, be it a fight over a girlfriend or the latest hot toy during the holidays. People became insane. He could just imagine three or four men each trying to make a grab for Danny. They would tear him apart. The worst part was, they wouldn’t even care. Danny was no longer a person—not even a little kid in their minds. They had both become nothings.
Michael stood. “Danny, we have to go. Come on.”
They made their way briskly through the cemetery. The area was well lit, but there were plenty of dark patches to stay in. After a few minutes they reached a small mausoleum and from their vantage point, could see the front gates.
“I don’t want to go through the front entrance,” Michael signed to Danny. “The people might be waiting for us.” No sooner had he said that when he saw the sedans pull up outside the gates. Even Danny recognized them for what they were and cringed, pushing up against his brother for protection.
“Baa mem,” Danny said, trying to speak.
“Yeah, that’s right, Birdman, bad men,” Michael echoed.
He led Danny across the main reception building and over to a rock wall on the far side of the cemetery. This one was harder to climb, and Michael had to actually piggyback Danny over it as they made their escape. As they jumped down to the other side, Michael saw they were in someone’s back yard. He put his brother down, and they ran through the yard to the front of the house.
All of a sudden he heard the shout he was hoping not to hear. “I see them. There they are.”
Michael desperately searched for the source of the voice, but it was too dark. Then, he finally saw the crowd. It was so much bigger than he had thought, and he became paralyzed with fear. There were approximately thirty people running towards them from the end of the long block. Michael tried to move, but he couldn’t, his limbs were frozen.
It was Danny who came through. He started screaming, jerking Michael back to reality with a sick thud. Danny never screamed like that and the sound chilled Michael’s heart. His paralysis broke.
He pushed Danny and they ran blindly through the neighborhood, trying desperately to lose the crowd. Michael suddenly found his bearings and pulled Danny through a side street into a backyard. Through the trees Michael could see the outline of Rockland County High School. They sprinted across the street.
The side door by the gym was open for practices that night. He raced with his brother towards the entrance and into the school. What he needed was a weapon and remembered the dissecting knives in the biology lab. They bolted upstairs to the lab and burst in on Mr. Daley, Michael’s high school biology teacher. One look at them and Daley took control.
Day 4 Thursday 5:00 a.m.
In the car.
Michael took another long look at his sleeping brother and turned back to the road. After a few more hours of driving, Michael pulled the car into a truck stop and parked in the rear where he hoped no one would bother them. It was now daylight, but he just couldn’t drive anymore. He desperately needed some sleep. Danny had woken up, but was now content to play with some paper and pencils he had found in the back seat of Daley’s car.
“Danny, I need to take a nap for a little while,” he explained. “Wake me if anyone comes near the car, okay?”
Danny nodded and started drawing.
Michael woke up almost three hours later to Danny pulling on his leg.
Sheepishly, he signed, “I have to go to the bathroom.”
Michael rubbed his eyes, groggy. “It’s time for us to get something to eat anyway, and I have to fill up the car with gas.” He opened the car door and the both of them took care of business in a crop of bushes.
They zipped up, and Michael nodded. “Okay, let’s go.”
Chapter Nine
Day 4, After a full day of driving: 8:00 p.m.
“Wait here,” Michael signed. He got up to answer the door. “Who’s there?”
“Room service,” a man’s voice answered.
“Just a second.” He waved at Danny to hide in the bathroom. Michael released the deadbolt, removed the chain on the door, and let the steward inside, keeping his head down and trying to hide his face behind his hair.
“Where do you want it?”
“On the bed is fine,” Michael answered.
After the steward put down the tray, Michael sifted a five-dollar bill from his pocket. “Thanks,” he said.
The steward took the bill and left the room.
Michael relocked the door and turned to get Danny. He couldn’t help laughing. His brother was peering around the corner of the wall. All Michael could see was the very top of his head and his big brown eyes. “It’s okay to come out now, you geek. Come on, let’s chow down, my man.”
They dove into the hamburgers and fries. As an extra treat he had ordered them both hot fudge sundaes for dessert. They were half-melted by the time they got to them, but they were still great, making them feel some semblance of the comforts of home.
“Are we going to stay here?” Danny asked, ice cream dribbling down his chin and onto the comforter. “I like this place much better than the other hotel.”
“We can’t stay, Birdman,” he said. “We’ve got to find the man Mr. Daley told us about. He’s going to be able to help us get out of this. Besides, Mr. Daley gave us some money, and I don’t want to blow it all on hotels.”
Back in Rockland County, and then once in Pennsylvania, Michael used his credit card to fill up the gas tank and stock the car with bottled water and snack food and then threw it out into a garbage can at one of the rest stops. If anything, all those spy movies he had watched were finally coming in handy. In every single one of them, someone always got nailed because the bad guys traced the person by his credit card. They would only be able to trace him so far.
After dinner, Michael could see that Danny was fading fast. He removed the tray and tucked him into one side of the king-size bed. “Don’t you worry about a thing, Birdman. We’re on our way to peo
ple who can help us.” Michael trusted Daley. He had always liked the teacher and he had an air about him that made you feel like he really cared about you. Michael kissed his brother on the cheek.
“Goodnight, Michael,” Danny signed and closed his eyes.
Michael shut the lights off and turned on the television. He had to find out what people were saying about them. What he heard horrified him. Apparently, he was being blamed for the death of Scout Master Mark Jacobs and also for the death of the 7-Eleven clerk. The word on the street was he was a traitor along with his parents.
The newscaster spoke to the audience. “Please be advised Michael is considered armed and dangerous. Hi-Core Industries is devastated at the connection to their company and has offered a five million dollar reward for finding the boys.”
A picture of Mr. Jacobs surrounded by a team of Boy Scouts flashed on the screen, another with the clerk holding a guitar and singing with a band onstage. Michael thought he was going to be sick.
Now, an old video of Michael when he was in a play in junior high popped up on the screen, along with some recent photographs of him in the chess club and the varsity swim team. His dinner gurgled in his stomach. It was disconcerting to watch his younger self, parading as a pirate in Peter Pan for the world to see. He couldn’t believe how much his life had changed in just days. How out of control it had become. The things they were accusing him of. Someone had to know the truth. He had to get to California, to the man Daley was sending him to. He had to be the one to help them.
Disgusted, he shut off the television, but not before a photo of his entire family from a fishing trip they took last summer flashed on the screen. Seeing his parents made his stomach lurch. He hoped it wasn’t the last picture they had all taken together.
He lay on the bed and spoke to the shadows. “Mom, Dad, where are you? I don’t know what you did and I don’t care anymore if you’re spies or not. I need you.”
Michael turned to his side and fell into a troubled sleep.
Chapter Ten
Flying to the Light Page 8
