The Golden Talisman
Page 42
Jack stared dumbly at the television set, though he no longer could hear anything the reporter was saying. His mind was stuck like a broken record on the phrase ‘gleaming golden tower of destruction’. It repeated over and over in his terrified mind, with the steady drone of his own pulse throbbing noisily in his head as he fought to remain calm. In desperation, he closed his eyes and took several slow deep breaths, praying that this effort to soothe his nerves wouldn’t make him stand out.
“Here you go, sir!” the hostess called to him, abruptly grabbing his attention. He had been so involved with his breathing exercise that he failed to notice the television station had returned to its original programming, which for the moment featured a local bass fishing show.
Although it took less than twenty minutes for the cooks to prepare two hefty orders of bacon, eggs, and pancakes (along with juice and coffee, which was obtained by the friendly hostess herself), it seemed more like an hour to him. After paying for the food, he gathered the pair of large bags that contained everything and smiled at the hostess. She returned his smile, but something in her eyes made him certain his nervousness didn’t go unnoticed by her, as she had ample opportunity to study him.
After leaving the restaurant, he quickly made his way back to the car, where he immediately started telling Jeremy about the news report and his suspicion the hostess may have recognized him. He did this before he was safely inside the protected privacy of the Camry, much to his brother’s irritation.
“Calm down, Jackie!” Jeremy chided him. “Now is not the time or place to lose your composure! Here, you hold onto this shit and let me get us out of this place before you alert anybody else to our presence.”
Jack told Jeremy about the news reports, and Jeremy seemed to take all of the information in stride, never giving an indication as to how it affected him. But, the mere fact he wasted little time in getting them back on the highway said all that was needed, even though he did so smoothly and deliberately so as to avoid any further unwanted attention.
The brothers ate their breakfast while heading south, and soon were on I-85. By 9:00 am they had left Virginia and were well on their way to Greensboro, North Carolina. They stopped briefly in Durham to fill up the Toyota with gas, and to purchase two pairs of sunglasses to go along with another baseball cap.
After passing through Greensboro around 11:00 am, they made it down to Charlotte by 12:30 pm. They took their lunch at a local Wendy’s drive-thru restaurant, and were back on the highway in under ten minutes. By now, Jeremy was running out of steam, since neither of them had slept at all in over twenty-four hours. He felt he had just enough resources to last another hour or two, so he let Jack sleep while he drove them to Greenville, South Carolina.
Once they neared the outskirts of Greenville, Jeremy decided it was time to replace the rest of their wardrobe. He pulled off the highway and drove until he found a discount department store, settling on Target since it was the first one he found. Again, Jack was elected to go inside the store to purchase their supplies. Disguised in the new ball cap and sunglasses, Jack quickly grabbed two pairs of jeans and a couple of dark T-shirts apiece for him and Jeremy, along with two packs of underwear briefs and socks. He made excellent time doing this until he neared the audio/entertainment department of the store.
Unable to resist the temptation, he slipped in amongst a row of television sets on display. Moving quickly while trying to remain nonchalant, he turned one of the sets to CNN Headline News. Since it was three o’clock that afternoon, he felt fairly confident he would be in time to catch the latest developments in the search for him and his brother. His hunch proved correct. But the updated report indicated serious trouble for them. Local agencies and other authorities had since joined the intensified manhunt, and the worse bit of news was the fact the search had shifted to the southeastern section of the country.
Upon learning this, he immediately worked his way over to the checkout counters, anxious to escape any suspicious stares from the multitude of shoppers around him. After he paid for the clothes, he fought the urge to simply run out of the store, forcing himself to maintain a steady pace all the way to the car. He nonchalantly climbed into the front seat, where he then explained the latest developments to Jeremy.
“Damn it!” Jeremy hissed and slapped his open palm against the steering wheel. The disappointing news immediately revived him. Once they exited Target’s parking lot, Jeremy made a beeline for the highway. He remained focused like this until they were safely in Georgia, at which point Jack heard him whisper a prayer of thanksgiving under his breath that no roadblocks were set up yet.
“I believe it’s time to make another switch, Jackie, as far as our mode of transportation is concerned,” he said. “And, we need to do this before we reach Atlanta. We’ll have a better chance of avoiding detection with local plates on our vehicle. I’m certain of that much.”
Jeremy made his move near Braselton, Georgia, this time securing a Jeep Grand Cherokee from the year 2000 near the far end of a local supermarket. Though it was a few years older than the Camry, he was surprised anyone would leave a nice vehicle parked so far away from watchful eyes. He wasn’t about to look a gift horse in the mouth, especially when it felt like time was starting to run out on them.
For the third time, they gathered their gear and moved into a new vehicle, carelessly leaving the Toyota nearby. At first Jack worried about this, since it seemed like leaving an open invitation to their pursuers. But once they made it through Atlanta and were on I-20 with a full tank of gas in the Jeep, he felt better about their situation. The only things he did worry about were the roadblocks he overheard an older couple discussing at the Shell station they had just left, and the sheer exhaustion threatening to overtake him and Jeremy. Hopefully, the abundance of coffee and Max Alerts would sustain them at least to Birmingham.
As they approached the border of Alabama and the likely prospect of being stopped, Jeremy suddenly headed south on Highway 100 near Jake, Georgia. Jack was far too tired to even question this sudden change of plans, finding it difficult to care about anything other than a good night’s rest or a decent meal, now that his stomach began rumbling again.
The Jeep’s clock read 6:40 pm when Jeremy actually set out on this road. They stayed on it for nearly twenty minutes until it flirted with the Alabama state line. At that point, Jeremy switched over to Highway 48, leaving the state of Georgia behind near the Alabama town of Graham. He followed the highway until they reached another small town, called Wedowee, where they exited onto Highway 431 north, taking this historic thoroughfare until it brought them back to I-20 again.
Jeremy got them safely into Alabama without the confrontation Jack fully expected to take place at the state line. He let out a joyful whoop as they now sped toward Birmingham, the last stop before they would reach Tuscaloosa. Despite the prospect of a smooth ride home, Jack wasn’t able to join his brother’s celebration. He couldn’t stop thinking about everything that had happened during the past few days. He felt drained and saddened by it all, which reminded him again of the horror he experienced with Genovene so long ago.
Much had changed since he was a carefree thirteen-year-old kid in Carlsdale. Granted, things change for most folks as they grow up. But, the continual impact on his life from that adventure seemed like it would never end. Jeremy and Grandpa’s lives had changed nearly as much, and for all three of them, there was no turning back to reach that simpler time. Yet, what loomed on the horizon was assuredly more ominous. The rendezvous he and Jeremy were irresistibly drawn to might shape the course of history in ways most human beings could scarcely imagine.
* * * *
A beautiful sunset, that was far more magnificent than the wonderful sunrise they witnessed earlier, spread steadily across the western sky. It was the type of natural, yet simple, event that inspires one to hope and give thanks for being alive. Jack smiled wearily. He hoped there would be many more spectacular sunsets to see. But it all depended on wha
t awaited them at 1016 South Queens Court
.
Whatever it was, he knew it would affect more then just Jeremy or himself. After what they had been through and seen, he knew it had to be much larger then he could even imagine. As the Jeep’s engine droned on, he looked over at his brother and offered a silent prayer. That somehow we would all survive.
About the Author
J. Stefan Jackson began writing stories in the summer of 1997, after spending fifteen years pursuing a career as a songwriter. Many of his songs dealt with the mysteries of the supernatural, where he explored the angst and personal struggles that often result from broken human relationships.
It was a natural progression for him to leave this mode of expression and venture into the world of a different type of wordsmith: the novelist. Mr. Jackson resides just south of Nashville, Tennessee with his lovely wife and two teenage sons.