Connor, frustrated with the search, told Matthew, “I think they’re gone. Maybe they shouldn’t come back with us anyway.”
Matthew threw down a rock and replied, “We’re not leaving them. If they stay here, they’ll die and none of this would have been worth doing.” He continued to shuffle leaves and searched the bottom of the hill.
Connor restated, “They’re gone. We should do the same thing and get out of here before more of Keith’s men show up.”
Matthew threw his arms in the air and said, “If you’re too scared to stay, just go on.”
Connor pushed his brother away and said, “I just saved your life and now I’m a coward. I’m not scared of anything, but I’m also not so stupid as to stay here and get killed.”
Matthew pushed Connor back and said, “You don’t care for anyone but yourself.”
Connor grabbed Matthew by the arms and threw him to the ground. “She doesn’t care about you, but I do, so get up and let’s get out of here.”
The two boys noticed several rocks and stones rolling down the hill to their sides. Both boys looked at each other as if to signal that something was wrong. Before they could react, Keith Kellington had grabbed Matthew from behind and torn his Hathmec from his neck.
Keith had Matthew around the neck with his forearm as Connor looked on. He didn’t know what to do. Keith held the Hathmec up in the air away from Matthew. The pendant was trying to pull away from Keith and return to Matthew.
Keith said, “It’s amazing how these things know who to go back to. You should really get one of these transport charms; they come in handy when you want to sneak up on somebody.”
Keith threw Matthew to the ground and pulled out a gun. He pointed it at Matthew’s head and said, “Now I really want to know where you boys came across these, but I have a little business to finish first.” He called out, “Amanda Curry! Amanda Curry, show yourself or I will kill this young man.”
He pressed the barrel of the gun into Matthew’s forehead and said, “After I shoot this one, I’ll shoot the other one, too.”
Matthew yelled out, “Don’t do it, Amanda; just stay away!”
Keith took the butt of his pistol and popped Matthew across the face. Matthew fell to the ground. His face was now smeared with the mud at the bottom of the hill.
He cocked the gun and pointed it to his head again. “You have to the count of five or his brains will get splattered across this lovely landscape. One.” Keith looked around for Amanda, but there were no signs of her. “Two.” He looked around again, with no movement. “Three.” Matthew looked to his brother, who was frozen with fear, and closed his eyes. “Four.” Keith waved the gun for a moment and said, “I guess saving her life isn’t enough for her to save yours, kid. Five!”
Chapter 19
change of heart
Amanda Curry knew what it felt like to be loved. Amanda knew her parents gave up their own lives to save her and her brother’s life. Amanda knew how much her parents loved her. Amanda had known the juvenile love of her youth and the empty feelings that those left behind.
What Amanda didn’t expect was how she felt about a young boy she had only known for two weeks. He felt strong enough for her to give his own life. Now she knew it.
As Keith counted ever closer to five, Amanda began to shake. The shaking was not out of fear. Amanda Curry feared what was about to happen, but it was not fear that held her back. Amanda had cried for the last day remembering her parents and wondering how she was ever going to be able to take care of her brother. This time there were no tears. There was a fire in her eyes she had never felt before. This feeling was a realization that this was all real. This emotion was different. This was anger.
The count reached five and Amanda Curry jumped up from her position, only fifteen yards from Keith and Matthew. A shaken, rage-filled young lady yelled out, “Stop!” Keith turned to his left to see Amanda Curry, arms wide open. “If you want to kill me, then go ahead and do it! You’ve already taken my family, but you won’t take this one.”
Keith turned the gun in Amanda’s direction. He was ready to pull the trigger but couldn’t help himself. He made one more bone-chilling, evil, and honest comment: “I’ll end up killing them, too.”
Keith began to pull the trigger but was suddenly thrust up into the air. He landed between Matthew and Amanda. His gun flew off toward the mound of leaves at the bottom of the hill. Matthew’s Hathmec flew off toward the tree line. The Hathmec turned in midair and returned to its rightful owner, Matthew.
Keith oriented himself to see the youngest of the Curry kids, Steven Jr., standing there with a round disk in his hand. Connor looked to the young boy who had used the camotape to work his way around the tree line without anyone seeing him. Connor told Steven, “I told you that would come in handy.” The boy grinned with a sense of accomplishment, but there was no time to waste.
Matthew yelled out, “Connor, get him outta here!” Keith jumped to his feet and threw a barrage of carrier stones toward Connor and Steven, but his attempts to stop them with his control charm wouldn’t work. Both Connor and Steven wore Hathmec pendants and ran out of sight.
Keith started to pursue them, but Amanda would have none of it. She leaped at Keith and jumped onto his back. She clawed at his face and tried to put her fingers into his eyes. She was holding on with all of her strength, but Keith grabbed her arms and flipped her onto the hard ground. He jumped on top of her and put his hands around her neck. He squeezed and exclaimed, “I don’t see a Hathmec around your neck, young lady.”
Matthew got his Hathmec back around his neck and ran to Keith and Amanda’s location, just yards ahead of him. He released some carriers in both Keith’s and Amanda’s direction and grabbed Keith’s hands. He used the attribute charm to gain both Keith’s and Amanda’s strength. He pried away Keith’s hands and pulled him away from his position on top of Amanda.
Amanda struggled to catch her breath and her hands went directly to her throat. Keith turned to face the much smaller Matthew and said, “You really think you can match my strength? I can feel your strength, your brother’s strength, even that little kid’s strength.”
Keith wasn’t able to stop Connor and Steven, but the carriers that were linked to them allowed Keith to pull their strength.
Keith and Matthew threw each other around from tree to tree. Matthew called out to Amanda, “Run, Amanda! Get out of here!” Amanda continued to lie on the ground and struggled to catch her breath. She could see Keith and Matthew as they struggled on the ground.
Keith rolled on top of Matthew and moved his hands to Matthew’s throat. “I told you, kid, even with that pendant you can’t match me.” The interesting thing was that Matthew was matching the larger man’s strength. He started to move Keith’s hands away from his throat.
Matthew looked on in amazement as he pushed the larger man away from him. How is this possible? he thought. Regardless, he was beginning to overpower Keith Kellington. Keith realized that he didn’t have the advantage he thought he did, and he jumped away from Matthew in shock. Matthew picked himself up from the ground and said, “Had enough?”
Keith tossed a handful of carrier stones to the ground and grimaced from the pain left on his wrists from the smaller Matthew. “You know, kid, I bet you’re just like your mother. She was pretty strong too.” Matthew stared a hole in Keith Kellington as he prepared himself for the filth to come. “She didn’t have a complete Hathmec either.”
Keith motioned to the ground and a large log plowed into the side of Matthew. Matthew realized that multiple rocks that were lying at the base of one of the trees were now zeroed in on him. He tried to duck and dodge out of the way, but he was pelted by multiple, large, sharp rocks. Matthew’s face was cut and blood started to drip from his forearm. The rocks had struck him in the side, the legs, and in the back of the head.
Matthew was knocked for a
loop but he began to get his senses back. He saw that Keith had moved back toward the location of the gun. Matthew gazed to his right and saw Amanda running toward him. “Matthew, are you all right?”
Matthew pushed Amanda away and said, “You have to run; go find Connor and go with him. I’ll hold off Keith as long as I can.” Amanda knelt down to Matthew, who struggled to get up from the pummeling of the rocks.
Amanda helped him to his feet and stuttered, “I won’t leave you.”
Keith had found his gun and pointed it directly at Amanda. Matthew pushed Amanda behind him and yelled, “Run!” Amanda got up and began to run toward the far tree line, but Keith stopped her.
“Don’t move!”
Amanda stopped, unable to move.
Matthew realized that he had not given Amanda a copy of his Hathmec, so she had no protection against the controlling charm of Keith. “Turn toward me!” Keith ordered. Amanda fought the urge to turn but couldn’t. She faced Keith and the weapon that he planned to use in her death. Amanda couldn’t move or talk, but her mind was racing with anger, fear, and a sense of regret that she wouldn’t be able to tell Matthew how she felt about him.
Matthew jumped in front of Amanda and told Keith, “I won’t let you shoot her.” This was the first time that Matthew’s voice had trembled. He knew that he couldn’t stop a bullet, but maybe he could break the contact between Keith and Amanda.
Keith replied, “You just don’t give up, do you?”
Matthew felt a gust of wind come from the west and Keith cupped his hands. “You see, when you have the elements charm, you can control all of the elements.” He released his hands and a massive wave of wind and air crashed into Matthew. It knocked him into a pile of dirt more than twenty yards from Amanda.
As he lifted his head, he heard Keith say, “Time’s up, Ms. Curry.”
Matthew thought, Time? The watch!
Matthew reached down to the watch on his wrist. Walter Wainright had said to only hit the red button for an emergency and this was certainly one of those. Matthew pressed the red button and he heard the shot of the pistol. He screamed out, “No!”
The scream of “no” echoed in the background like someone in another state shouting it through a bullhorn. Matthew got up from the ground and realized that there was no movement. The wind wasn’t blowing, the trees weren’t swaying, and Keith Kellington stood as still as a statue, just as Amanda had been left. Matthew could see the bullet that had come from Keith’s gun stuck in midair, just five feet from Amanda’s head.
Matthew peered at his watch and saw a countdown on the face. It was already at fifty and going down from there. “I only have a minute.” Matthew realized that the countdown was telling him how long time would stay frozen. Matthew ran to Amanda, picked her up, and carried her to just inside the tree line, well away from the bullet’s trajectory.
He saw that he only had thirty seconds left, so he ran over to Keith’s location and removed the Hathmec from his neck. Matthew knew that the minute he released it, it would try to return to Keith, so he locked the chain around a small limb of a tree. “Only ten seconds left.” The only thing to do was get the gun from Keith’s hand. Matthew used his own strength to pry Keith’s hand from the gun.
Just as Matthew got the gun from Keith’s hand, a bright light flashed over the area. Time was no longer frozen and Amanda was no longer under Keith’s power. Keith looked to the sky at the flash of light and realized that Matthew now stood in front of him. He staggered backward with a look of disgust. Matthew threw the gun as far as he could down the hill and grinned at Keith. Keith’s eyes opened as wide as they physically could as he yelled out, “That’s it!”
He rushed Matthew with a closed fist and attempted to punch him square in the face. Matthew caught Keith’s fist and squeezed. Keith went to his knees in pain as he realized that he was no longer wearing his Hathmec. Matthew closed his fist and with the added strength of the Hathmec, knocked Keith out.
Amanda emerged from the tree line and ran to Matthew. “I thought I would never see you again.”
Matthew tried to calm her. “We’re gonna be all right. I don’t think Keith will be a problem anymore.”
Amanda looked into the eyes of the boy that was willing to give his life for hers. She had been so wrong about him.
“We need to get to the tunnel.” Matthew took Amanda’s hand and began to lead her through the foliage and back to the main trail. It would lead them to the R tunnel. They ran past stumps, insects, and birds singing in the trees. Matthew thought of his mother and what Amanda had said to him. Maybe she cared for him as much as he cared for her.
“There it is!” Matthew saw the low light that radiated from the tunnel coming from a small clearing just down a hill.
Amanda looked at the tunnel and asked, “This is the tunnel you were talking about?” She put her hand over her mouth and said, “You’re not crazy. Do you think Connor and Steven have already gone through this thing?”
Matthew looked around and replied, “I hope so.”
Matthew made another copy of his Hathmec with the health charm and gave it to Amanda. “You’ll need this for the trip home.” Without warning, a voice came from the tree line and startled Matthew.
“You didn’t think we would leave without you, did ya?”
Matthew turned to see his brother and Steven standing behind them. Amanda picked up her little brother and said, “You were so brave; I knew you could do it.”
Steven replied, “Yeah, I got that jerk good.”
Connor said, “We were using the camotape. I knew you would make it.”
Matthew shook his head and replied, “We just barely made it.” He looked around one more time and asked, “What about Mom?”
Connor shook his head no. “I was hoping she would show up like you two did. I don’t know where she is.”
Matthew took Amanda by the hand again and told her that he was going to look for his mother. “You and Steven go with Connor through the tunnel, and I’ll come later with Mom.”
Connor stepped in and said, “You can’t go after her; she wants us to get back, no matter what.”
Matthew pushed his brother away and said, “I can’t leave here without her. We’re a family.” Suddenly, the boys heard a rustling coming from the trees.
Connor said, “That must be her.”
A figure emerged from behind a large tree and rustled the leaves on the ground. He was spinning a loaded pistol in his hand. “No, boys, it’s not your rotten mother.”
Connor yelled out, “It’s Keith!” Keith walked clear from the tree and the boys could see that he had found his Hathmec and his gun.
“When you take someone’s Hathmec, you need to make sure you attach it to a really sturdy branch.” Connor and Matthew stood in front of Amanda and Steven as Keith cracked his knuckles. “Now, who gets to die first?”
Connor tilted his head to the right, grinned, and said, “I don’t think it’s any of us.”
Keith felt a small tap on his shoulder and turned to see April Chance holding a large piece of broken wood. “Try this one, sweetheart!” April reared back and blasted Keith with the block of wood. It knocked Keith across the clearing and square into a boulder. April dropped the wood and ran to her kids. “We don’t have time to chat. Everybody grab hands and walk into the tunnel.”
April grabbed Steven’s hand and said, “Don’t worry—it won’t hurt a bit.”
Matthew and Connor both took Amanda’s hand and the group walked into the tunnel. Matthew looked back just as he entered and saw Keith getting up and making his way toward them. That was the last image Matthew saw in 1984. He was plunged, once again, into a sea of lights, images, and colors.
Keith reached the tunnel just as it closed. A quick snip of light was all that remained where the tunnel had been. He placed his hand in the area where he had last seen the Chanc
e and Curry families, but there was nothing there. Keith was irate and confused, but he knew what to do. He followed the trails back out of the park and reached the main park station, where he found a pay phone. He ran through the numbers quickly and waited for a response from the other end of the line.
“Hey, it’s Keith.”
The person on the other end of the line replied, “Did you take care of it?”
Keith replied, “We have bigger problems than just those two kids. I think you need to come to Georgia.” Keith cleared his throat and said, “They just vanished.”
There was a long pause on the other end of the line and then, without warning, Keith felt a hand on his shoulder. The same voice followed it, saying, “Show me.”
Keith walked the man to the former location of the R tunnel. The man watched as Keith’s helpers reached the area. They were all beaten and bruised from their interaction with the Chance family. Keith explained, “They were right here one second and gone the next.”
The man reviewed the area and stared at the small speck of light that was starting to flicker out. He put his hand on Keith’s shoulder and said, “I know what to do.”
Back in 2185, Matthew started to regain consciousness from the latest trip through the tunnel. He looked to his side and saw April and Connor coming to as well. He asked, “Where’s Amanda and Steven?” As he staggered to his feet, he realized that this room was not the same room they had left from. “Johnson, Walter, where are you?”
A door opened from behind the R tunnel and Matthew made his way to the sound of the creaking door. “Walter, is that you? Hey, we need to talk about something.”
The figure closed in on Matthew and replied, “Don’t you worry about them. I’m taking care of it.”
Matthew caught a glimpse of the man and stumbled backward. “It can’t be.”
The man replied, “Surprised to see me?”
Last Chance Page 27
