As Chickowski closed the door to his office behind them, he motioned the two ladies to the couch. "First, let me assure you that everything is under control, but we have had a small problem develop."
Both women stood up as though they were Siamese twins. Chickowski motioned them back down. "We don't think it's anything serious, and we've got it in check, but I'm afraid two of the girls have come down with a serious viral infection."
It was Denise who found her voice first. "How is that possible? The nurses have been watching them closely. They've not been outside except under the most rigid of controlled environments. How in the world could they've gotten so much as a common cold?"
Dr. Chickowski shook his head. "We don't know that yet, but what's most important is to be careful it doesn't spread any further. That's the reason for the quarantine and why you can't see your children—not yet."
Denise stood up again and leaned over Dr. Chickowski's desk. "Why don't I believe you? I want to know where Lionel or Franklin is. I want to talk to them about this."
"I'm afraid Lionel is off on some wild goose chase with Chunk, and Franklin is not available right now. I'm in charge here Denise, and I'm afraid you're going to have to take my word on this. Now, if you insist on making trouble, I will have no choice but to restrain you. Believe me; I don't want to resort..."
Bridgette interrupted him. "That won't be necessary Dr. Chickowski. We're just worried about our children." She walked over to Denise and placed her hand on her shoulder, squeezing it harder than necessary.
"He's just doing what is necessary for our children, Denise. I'm sure everything will be alright."
Denise started to answer her, but then, caught the intense look on Bridgette's face and closed her mouth.
"I would presume that our quarters are in the quarantined area," Bridgette continued.
"Unfortunately yes, but we've set up some temporary quarters in the east wing. I'm sure you'll be comfortable there for the time being." Chickowski reached over and called the guard on the intercom.
"Thank you, Doctor, I'm sure we will." Bridgette guided Denise toward the door, her hand still on her friend's shoulder. The same guard, who had stopped them in the lobby was waiting to escort them to their new quarters. Neither of them spoke until the door to their room closed behind him.
"What in the world are you doing, Bridgette? Surely you don't believe that cock and bull story!" Denise burst out.
"And why shouldn't I?" Bridgette replied. As she did so, she reached into her purse and pulled out a notepad and a pen. On it, she scribbled the words, "Monitor" and "Parking lot."
Denise glanced at what she was writing and nodded. After a few moments, she said, ''I'm going for a walk to cool off. Want to come?"
"Sure, there's nothing to do around here. Maybe it will help me sleep."
The two of them hurried out the door and down the hall.
"What do you think is happening?" Denise asked as they left the building.
"I don't know, but I sure as hell don't trust that rat, Chickowski. We'll get to my car and find some help. We'll start by checking at Lionel's apartment. If he's not there, we can leave him a message. She pointed to the lone car close to the building in the vacant parking lot.
"What if he's not there? We can't just wait until he comes back."
Bridgette stopped next to her car and started rummaging through her bag for the keys. "We'll go to the police if we have to. We can make up our own story. Whatever it takes to get the kids away from that nut. Damn, where are my keys? I hate this pocketbook. Can't find anything when I need it."
From the shadow of the building behind them, came a man's voice. "Leaving us so soon, ladies? I'm afraid that will never do." Dr. Chickowski and two guards stepped into the light. "You see, you might already be contaminated with the virus and spread it to the rest of the community. No, no. I can't allow that."
Alp sat on the floor watching the guard, her eyes darting from his steel gray eyes to the gray muzzle of his handgun. He reached behind him for his walkie-talkie and radioed a message for additional support.
In just a few minutes, more guards will arrive, and our chances of escape will be next to zero, Alp thought. I’ve got to make some move, even if it's the wrong one.
"Don't just stand there," Alp shouted with as much gusto as she could muster. "Can't you see he's choking to death? Give me a hand."
The young guard's smug look was replaced with one of surprise and worry. Alp waited until he stepped into her range. As he bent over to get a better look at Mel, Alp kicked out with all her might, catching him squarely in the crotch with her foot. The worried look was replaced with one of intense pain as the guard slumped to his knees, and fell like a large oak to the floor, still clutching the revolver.
Alp scampered to her feet as he lay groaning on the floor. Frantically, she looked around her for a weapon to equalize the sides. She found a lone ski boot lying next to the safe and without hesitation, she picked it up and slammed it against the guard’s temple as he struggled to regain his footing. With another groan, he collapsed in a heap next to Mel.
"Good work, sis," Mel rasped out between clenched teeth. "Give me a hand, and let's get out of here."
Alp fought back the wave of nausea that threatened to double her over. Instead, she focused her attention on the matter at hand. She bent over the fallen guard and quickly searched his pockets, taking anything that might be useful. She smashed the hard plastic of the walkie-talkie with the butt of the gun, then, fumbled with it until she’d figured out how to empty the bullets from its chambers.
"What are you doing?" Mel whispered. "Bring the gun. We can use it."
"No!" Alp shouted at him. "No guns. I won't have it." She threw the empty weapon into the trashcan and pocketed the bullets. "Come on. The other guard will be here any minute. Lean on my shoulder."
She helped Mel to his feet and together, they limped out of the lodge. Within a couple of minutes, they heard the shrill sound of the other guard's whistle. They hung close to the side of the building in the shadows, slowly inching away from the alarm. As they reached the edge of the ski resort's property, every muscle in Alp's body screamed for relief.
She paused briefly and glanced behind her in time to see the sheriff's car pulling up in front of the lodge. Out of it came the familiar shapes of the same two men that had been at Madame Sarrah's. They were followed a second later by the sheriff, and all of them were highlighted by the mercury lamps of the parking lot. Who are those two strangers, she wondered, and why are they shadowing so close behind us?
She continued to push herself until the nightmare of the guard's bloody face was far behind her. Back at the flat rock that had become their only haven, she finally collapsed, resting her head on Mel's chest. Despite the chill in the air, it took only a few moments for her to doze off.
Tripping
The call had come in on the sheriff's radio as he drove Chunk and Lionel back to the airport.
"That's the ski lodge just up the mountain. I'll need to double back and check on it. It might be your two kids stirring up more trouble," the sheriff said as he made a U-turn in the road.
The security guards met them at the front of the lodge. "Yeah, it was those two kids of Madame Sarrah's," he answered to the sheriff's questioning. "One of them caught Alex by surprise. Beat him up pretty bad. He's still a mite groggy, but he was able to describe them to me. We've been chasing them for months. Almost had them this time. They're sure smarter and faster than you'd think for their age and size...meaner too."
The sheriff shook his head as he turned towards his car. "Guess I better get the word out to be on the lookout for them. I can't have those two terrorizing my whole county."
"They're not going to hang around this area," Chunk said. "And, I want to be sure we catch them before they get to their destination. I want them caught right here."
The sheriff nodded absent-mindedly, then, looked up. "You haven't told me what you want them for. Why are t
he feds involved anyway? Hell, you were here before we knew anything about Madame Sarrah."
"I'm not at liberty to say anything. Just be clear that those two kids are far more dangerous than they look. Remember what happened to Madame Sarrah, and she was their mother. Call in the report on the way to the airport. It's my guess they'll try to get out of here the fastest way possible. I want to be sure they don't."
"Wake up, Alp. We've got to get out of here." Mel shook his sister's shoulder until her eyes fluttered open.
"Mel, what's...what's wrong?" Alp slurred groggily. "Are you all right?"
"Still weak, but better. I'm getting signals from our sisters. Something is very wrong with them. We've got to figure out a way to get to them."
Alp rubbed the sleep from her eyes and sat up. "Are they okay?"
"As far as I can tell no one is hurt, but they're very frightened. The problem is that I don't know how we can get to them. I'm afraid I'm all tapped out of ideas. I've really botched our escape. Now, we're hotter than ever and still broke."
"Not exactly," Alp answered as she dug into her pockets. "We have this."
She pulled a large wad of bills as well as a wallet out of her pocket. "I took these off the guard. I suspect, from the size of his bankroll, he had some illegal dealings of his own going on the side."
Mel took the wallet from her and rifled through it. "Eureka, our luck is changing," he said as he held up a gold charge card. "This should be able to get us wherever we want to go."
"Like to the airport?" Alp asked with a smile.
"No, I don't think so. We're too hot. They'll be looking for us there for sure. It'd be too easy to get caught."
Alp told him about the sheriff and the strange men appearing at the lodge.
"That settles it. I don't know who they are, but I'm sure they're looking for us. We've got to get out of here and to our Kindred, but we'll have to try some other way. They'll be expecting us at the airport, so we'll go to the bus depot. I'm sure someone will be there too, but it's likely to be the second team. Besides, the depot has less security. Let's get going. No telling how long it'll take to hitch a ride into town. We'll stop along the way and call in for our tickets. You'll have to help me for a while. My head is still spinning."
Alp helped him to his feet and supported him by holding onto his arm. Together, they made their way slowly down the mountain to the road leading into Marlington.
"Who was that on the radio?" Elmer asked as he dealt cards to the three men at the table.
“The sheriff, of course. Who else ever disturbs our poker games?" Deputy Carlson Talbott sat back down in the empty space. "Frankie, you been watching him deal? You know Elmer tends to forget which side of the deck to deal from once in a while."
"Sorry, Carl wasn't paying much attention. Woolgathering over here, I'm afraid. Maybe we should call it a missed deal." Carl picked up his cards and glanced at the three queens in his hand. "No, that's okay. I trust Elmer not to cheat on his good friends."
"Are you going to have to go out?" Elmer asked as he studied his cards. It was all he could do to keep from smiling. The three queens had done their job. He separated out the three aces in his hand and looked up at his friends. Oh, how he loved to cheat on them.
"Yeah, 'fraid so, in a little bit. Been some trouble on up the mountain. Got to go down to the depot and scout around for a couple of dang kids. I'll do that just as soon as I get myself in the black again. Maybe after this hand." He tossed a couple of bucks into the pot. "I'll raise you all a dollar."
Frankie threw in his cards. "Too hot for me."
Elmer displayed his most worried look. "Sounds like your luck is about to change, but you might be bluffing too. I'll have to stick with you for a while. I'll call you and raise you another buck. How many cards do you want?"
Carl tossed in his two losers. "Two will do me just fine."
Elmer gave them to him. Should be another queen in there if I've calculated right, he thought. That should keep him going for at least another couple of bucks.
Carl smiled, as he looked at his new cards. "I'll see your buck and raise you two." Elmer continued to frown into his cards. Count to three before you reel this fish in. He counted to himself before he looked up, shaking his head.
"Don't know on this one, but I say you're bluffing. I call your two and raise you...oh, what the hell, I'll raise you two. Let's see what you're made of."
Carl smiled as he matched the bet, and then, put his four queens down. "Read’em and weep." His hand started for the pot.
"Mighty pretty set of ladies there, Carl. Shame these ugly aces beat them." Elmer broke out into a smile for the first time, as he laid down his four aces. "You might be here for a while, iffen you're looking to break even this evening."
The twins continued to wave at the Sedan as it pulled out into traffic.
As they turned away from the kind couple that had given them a lift, Mel leaned heavily on Alp. "See any sign of the cops?" he asked.
"No, I don't. Can you sense any trouble?"
"With this buzz saw running in my head, I can hardly sense where my feet are going. We'll have to depend upon our eyesight on this one, I'm afraid. No hocus-pocus for a while."
The two of them strolled towards the bus station, wary as two cats on the prowl. After a few minutes watching from outside the station, they entered the swinging glass door and walked as briskly as Mel was able to the ticket desk.
"We've two tickets reserved under the name of Alex Davenport," Alp said with her cutest smile to the elderly man sitting behind the window. "Our folks are waiting in the car to see us off. They're letting us do this all by ourselves," she said proudly.
"Well, I think that's just fine," the old man said between chomps on his chewing tobacco. "More parents should let their kids learn for themselves. Here you go. Two tickets for Raleigh, North Carolina. You kids have a right fur piece to go. You'll only be making two stops along the way, though. One in Danville, Virginia and a second in Durham, North Carolina. But you won't need to get off the bus unless you just want to stretch your legs. Be sure the bus driver knows you're getting off, so he doesn't leave without you." He handed Alp the tickets. "They've already been paid for, so you're all set."
Alp took the tickets and thanked him. Grasping Mel's elbow, she led him to a long row of wooden seats. "How are you doing?" she asked as he sat heavily in one of them.
"Still pretty weak, but I think the buzzsaw is a little quieter, or I may just be getting used to it." Mel smiled weakly at her. "Get us on this bus, and I'll be fine. I just need to rest a little." He slouched in his seat and closed his eyes.
The P.A. system crackled on and announced the arrival of their bus. "This is going too easy," Alp said. "Maybe they're going to wait and grab us when we try to board."
"Don't know why they'd do that unless they're as vindictive as Sarrah was. It might just be that our luck is changing. It'd be about time." Mel opened his eyes and winked at his sister.
"We'll wait until the last call for boarding. We don't want to get trapped on the bus. Be ready to get us out there quickly when I say so." He closed his eyes again and sighed heavily.
Twenty minutes went by with Mel dozing in his chair as Alp stood watch. As they heard the last call announced over the loudspeakers, Mel's eyes fluttered open. "That's us. Let's go. And, keep your eyes posted."
They started for the door that led to the line of buses outside. As Alp pushed the door open, the smell of exhaust assaulted her nose. "God, I hate that smell," Mel muttered between tight, pale lips. "This is not the way I had planned on leaving West Virginia."
They walked to the bus marked "Danville" and handed the driver their tickets. "Is he all right?" the driver asked, as he scratched his potbelly with the edge of the tickets.
"Sure. He was just sleeping in there, and he's slow to wake up," Alp replied. "He'll probably sleep the whole way there."
"I hope he's okay. I don't need no trouble on my bus. If he starts to barf on the b
us, there are bags in the seat in front of you. Don't let him make a mess."
"I told you; he's fine. We won't be any trouble," Alp retorted with an edge to her voice." Are we ready to leave yet? The schedule said 10:45, and it's almost 11:00 already."
"Cool your jets, honey. We'll be off when we're off. Buses don't need to run on schedule like planes. We're a bit more casual about it."
"Strange. The uncle I'm going to visit is vice president of this bus line. I've never heard him say anything like that. He'll be interested to know your views on it."
The bus driver glowered at her but held his tongue. "Okay, okay. All aboard. We're going to get Miss Priss here to her uncle on time."
Within moments, the bus backed out of its slot. As it pulled onto Main Street, it had to swerve farther out than usual to avoid the deputy sheriff's patrol car as it pulled up in front of the bus station.
Carl waited for the bus to go by before stepping out of the car and strolling into the station. He walked around for a while looking for any suspicious kids without their parents, but the only people left in the station were a few winos taking refuge from the night chill. After a few minutes, he walked over to the ticket counter.
"Evening, Jake. Don't suppose you've seen any kids in here in the last few hours? Somewhere around eight to ten years old. They would have been by themselves."
"Why, as a matter of fact, I have. Probably about half an hour ago, maybe forty-five minutes."
"You have?" Carl felt his stomach knot, and his mouth suddenly felt like he'd spent the day in the desert. "Where in blazes are they now?"
"I think they just left on the bus to Danville. Why? Anything wrong?" Jake spat at and missed the spittoon. "Dang."
"Ah, no. Nothing's wrong. Just listen to me, Jake. If the sheriff comes by, I've been here all evening; you got it? I got here about 9:30. It's important. Do ya hear?"
"Yeah, I hear," came a stern voice from behind Carl.
Carl turned around to the familiar face of the sheriff and two strangers standing behind him. "Who won the poker game, Carl?"
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