by Laura Dragon
With another shudder and one long, deafening crack, a fissure began at the front eave of the house and ran in several directions up the roof. Gus was on one side, and the children were on the other. Before anyone could move, the fissures widened and jagged sections of the house fell away. Then, the entire structure collapsed, dumping the kids into the deep, dark, water. Gus, dangling above them on his wire, managed to stay in the air. He made a swirling motion with his hand, grabbed the basket again, and dropped near the kids with a splash.
“C’mon!” he yelled, sinking the carrier into the water.
Hollis pulled Algie, who had slipped into the water next to him, into the basket first. He then waved for Leta. She paddled up and climbed in with Algie. Hollis squeezed into the basket last. He knew that the ride up would be a tight one. With a smooth jerk, the basket rose, twisting back and forth in the air. Remaining in the water, Gus watched them ascend.
Hollis laced his fingers through the wires of the transport and settled himself on the bottom of the basket as well as possible. After pushing Algie into Hollis’s lap, Leta squatted in the tiny space that was left. Hollis kept his eyes fixed overhead, urging the men to pull faster. The basket seemed too light and fragile to hold them all, and the twisting that had begun when they left the water only increased as they ascended.
Algie squirmed in Hollis’s lap. “I don’t like this ride, Hollis. It’s makin’ me d-dizzy.”
“Algie, sit still,” Hollis exclaimed, letting go of the basket’s sides and grabbing the little boy. Algie sat still for a moment and then lunged forward, trying to scramble to his feet.
“Algie!” Leta and Hollis both cried in terror.
Algie managed to get to his knees before Hollis hauled him back into his lap. The already twisting basket now swung like a pendulum.
“I wanna get down!” Algie screamed. “I don’t like it!”
“Algie, stop!” Leta yelled. “You’re making it worse. Sit still!”
A large hand grabbed the side of the basket, bringing it to a jolting halt. They had reached the helicopter at last. Hollis stared into the body of the chopper, but he couldn’t see much.
The coast guardsman hauled the basket against the machine, attached it to a hook, and then reached in to pick up Algie. Algie twisted in the basket and threw his arms around Hollis’s neck. It took Leta, Hollis, and the guardsman to pry him off. Finally, Algie let go and clapped his hands over his ears to block out the noise of the whirling blades overhead. The guardsman swung the boy under his arm like a big sack of rice. To Hollis’s surprise, Algie squeezed his eyes shut and clung to the man’s gray jumpsuit instead of fighting. Hollis scrambled out of the basket and put his arms out to take Algie, but the guardsman gestured for him to sit on the floor against the opposite wall.
Hollis could see much more now that he was inside the chopper. Several people were already there, sitting on the floor. One man gave him a tired smile as Hollis crawled past. Leta scooted over to join him, and the coast guardsman handed Algie back to them.
“Can you keep him still?” the man said, yelling over the noise.
Hollis shrugged. How can I know what Algie will do in a helicopter? The man hesitated and then nodded. To Hollis’s relief, Algie stayed still and stared around with big eyes.
Gus appeared at the door and swung inside. After the other guardsman slid the door closed, the big machine moved forward with a smooth jerk. While the guardsman took the seat up front next to the pilot, Gus crawled over to sit with the three children.
Making sure we don’t cause any trouble. Hollis looked at Algie, who was sneaking sideways glances at Gus. Probably a good idea.
“Took a swim, eh Gus?” the pilot said with a laugh.
Gus nodded but didn’t speak. As Hollis watched, an intent expression crossed Gus’s face, and one of his eyebrows flew up. “What?” he said, touching his earpiece. “Yeah, I know we’re shut down. For the night, right?”
He listened as the person on the other end replied.
“Why completely?” Gus’s voice grew sharp. “Who cares about looting? We’re here to save people, not to stop looters.” He listened for a while, and when he spoke again, he sounded subdued. “Yeah, we’ve heard the shooting. I don’t think it was at us, but still—” He listened for a long time and then said “Out” and knocked on the back of the pilot’s chair.
“What was that about?” yelled the pilot over his shoulder.
“We’re shut down,” Gus shouted. “Too dangerous. People on roofs are shooting at the choppers.”
“You’re kidding! Why?”
Gus shook his head. “Don’t know. They think it might be looters trying to get us to go away or people on the roofs trying to get our attention. I can’t imagine that people who want help would shoot at the people trying to help them. But who knows?”
“Nothing about this operation has gone as expected,” the pilot said. “We’re rewriting the book on this one.”
“They’re calling us in until the National Guard says the shooting is under control.”
Leta and Hollis glanced at each other. “Guess we got picked up just in time,” Leta whispered. “Wonder if anyone found Jonas yet.”
The helicopter landed with a soft bump. With Hollis and Leta close behind, Algie followed Gus out of the chopper into a roped-off landing area. Gus ducked his head to avoid the helicopter blades. Hollis grinned as Algie copied Gus, even though the blades were far above the little boy’s head.
Looking around, Hollis wondered where they were. It seemed to be a parking lot of some kind. He could just make out yellow lines on the hard black ground. Huge generator trucks with floodlights, like the ones Hollis had seen at City Park during the Christmas light show, sat here and there, providing some pools of illumination in a few patches. Everything else was dark, but Hollis could see lots of people hurrying all over the place just outside the roped-off area.
Taking Algie by the hand, Gus left the roped area and entered the crowd. Hollis grabbed Leta and, pulling her along, ran to keep up. They passed police, National Guard, and lines and lines of buses. The noise and fumes from all of the machinery battered Hollis.
“This way,” Gus yelled.
The three children scurried after him. He halted outside a tent, where a large group of coast guardsmen were gathered, and crouched in front of them.
Jostled this way and that by the mass of people, Hollis made out the buildings of Lakeside Mall through the shadows. Usually bright and beckoning, the structures were dark and silent hulks squatting in the center of the lot. Gee had brought them to Lakeside Mall every Christmas to see Santa. It was crowded then, but nothing like this. Even the crowds at Mardi Gras were nothing like this.
“Where do you three have family?” Gus asked.
Hollis rubbed his head. Grammy Williams lived in Baton Rouge, but Hollis didn’t know where. He’d talked to her a few times on the phone, but they hadn’t been to her house since their father had left them.
“Mr. Marvin said he’d try to get Miz Jackson and Gee to Baton Rouge,” Leta said.
Hollis nodded. “Baton Rouge.” They could go there to find both Gee and Grammy Williams. Maybe she would even know where his father was.
“That’s fine,” Gus said. “You’ll go to the Red Cross shelter in Baton Rouge. Your people can pick you up there.” He glanced at Hollis. “You’re in charge, kid. I’ll go find out where the Baton Rouge bus is. Wait right here.”
Hollis nodded. Gus vanished into the tent. Hollis turned back to Leta and Algie.
“Food and getting off the roof.” He grinned. “Best birthday ever!”
Leta laughed and then grunted as a dark shape pushed past her, followed by two more.
“Ouch!” Algie yelped. “He stepped on my foot! Hollis!”
“Come closer to me,” Hollis said. “It’s so dark, no one can see us, I guess. There’s a light over there. Let’s go stand by it so people won’t trample us to death.”
“But Gus said—” Le
ta began.
“He’ll see us. In fact, he’ll see us better. It’s just right over there. We can watch the front of the tent.”
Hollis moved toward the light and fell over a short shape that squawked at him. Apologizing to the child and the tall shape next to it, he hustled his brother and sister to the pool of light provided by the lamp. He relaxed as people in the brightly lit area passed without running into them.
“See? This is better. Now, as soon as I see anyone coming out of the tent, I’ll—” He was interrupted by a man in a muddy track suit running past, almost knocking him over. Before Hollis could react, the man grabbed Algie and disappeared into the crowd.
Chapter 14
Shelter-Jacked
“What the—?” Hollis sputtered. He stared at the space where his brother had been only a moment before and then glanced at Leta. “Run!” he screamed, sprinting after the man who’d vanished into the darkness.
Hollis could tell which way the man had gone because of the angry noises people made as he shoved past. Darting in the man’s wake, he yelled, “Stop that man! He’s got my little brother! Stop that guy!”
Suddenly, something barreled into Hollis, plowing him backward into a dimly lit clearing next to a generator truck. He was knocked back against the side of the truck with a ringing clang. It was the man, still clutching Algie under his arm. Hollis and the man stood glaring at each other, their chests heaving. With his heart battering against his ribcage, Hollis leaned against the truck for support. He wondered if the man would kill them. Algie hung like a rag doll in the man’s arms, his Spongebob pajama top ripped open in the front. As Hollis watched, the little boy held an arm out toward him.
Rage flooding him, Hollis stepped away from the truck. “Give me my brother.”
Her footsteps slapping the pavement, Leta appeared behind the man, who leaped to the side and held Algie like a shield. Leta halted, gasping for air.
“Go for help, Leta!” Hollis yelled.
“You don’t go nowhere, Leta!” the man said. “’Less you want this little man here to get hurt.”
Leta had started to turn, but she stopped at the sound of her name. Hollis beckoned her over. She scuttled across the clearing to him, tears on her cheeks.
Hollis’s eyes never left the man. “What do you want with our brother?”
The man laughed. “Don’ want him. Need him. Them rescue people? They want families on they buses. People with kids. Got no kids. Saw you in the light. Now dis kid? He my kid.”
Hollis saw Leta glance his way. My fault he got us. Leta was right. Shoulda just stayed where we were. He studied the man so that he could describe him to the police. He was black, thin, and short. Since most of the people being rescued looked rough, Hollis didn’t fault him for the patchy chin hair or the filthy track suit. The man’s teeth were another story: cracked, broken, and missing. Hollis knew a drug addict when he saw one, and he knew he couldn’t trust one with anything, let alone his little brother.
“You help me,” the man went on, his lips twitching, “you get little man back.”
Hollis considered the offer. He didn’t see any alternatives. No one appeared to be coming to help them. All Hollis wanted was to get Algie and return to Gus. We can go with him, tell the bus driver the truth, and go back to where we’re s’posed to wait. Everything’ll be fine.
He nodded.
The man closed one eye and peered at Hollis. He began squeezing Algie’s sides. Algie started to cry. “Seem like he bruise easy.”
Leta squeaked.
“You rat, either of you, and he gets more than bruised. You get me in trouble, he pays.”
Hollis lowered his head and nodded again. He saw the man’s eyes narrow and then watched him grin.
“I’m Oscar, jus’ in case they ax. Don’ forget.”
Hollis nodded. He had stopped fighting, but he hadn’t stopped thinking. “Plan B” presented itself as the man turned away. Get on the bus. Wait ‘til he lets Algie go. Tell the bus driver to let us off.
“Come on,” he said to Leta. “We better go.”
Leta wiped her nose with the top of her shirt and fell in step with Hollis behind Oscar, who led them toward one of the buses. Hollis sensed Leta looking at him, but he avoided her eye. He kept his attention on Oscar.
In charge. What a joke. “This would never, ever have happened to Jonas,” he whispered to Leta.
She sniffled and patted him on the back. It made Hollis feel better. “Maybe he’s getting on the Baton Rouge bus,” she said.
A wild hope streaked through Hollis. “That would be perfect!”
Leta showed him her crossed fingers.
Oscar and Algie stopped in front of a middle-aged woman next to a bus loaded with people.
“These my kids,” Oscar told her. “I got three, see?”
The woman frowned. “Why are they crying?”
The man shoved his face forward until he was inches from her eyes. “Look around, lady. Wouldn’t you?”
After a slight hesitation, the woman stepped aside. As Oscar grinned, Hollis saw the woman grimace.
Great! Now they think this crackhead is my old man. Tears stung his eyes. Being in charge sucks. Please, please, let this be the Baton Rouge bus.
Air conditioning wafted over Hollis for the first time in days, causing him to shiver in his sweaty clothes. Ignoring the empty seat at the front of the bus, Oscar tromped to the only other open one, which was in the very back. Algie marched ahead of him, and when they reached the end, Oscar pushed Algie into the seat and squeezed in beside him.
Hollis and Leta waited by the front row. When Oscar gestured for them to sit down, Hollis and Leta slid into the seat behind the driver. The woman guarding the door got on the bus and sat across the aisle from Hollis and Leta.
“Thank God we’re finally full,” she said, her hands shaking. “Too many angry, upset people out there, and it’s getting worse. Let’s get out of here!”
“Don’t have to tell me twice,” the bus driver said.
He turned and floored the accelerator. Hollis and Leta fell backwards in the seat, while the rest of the people on the bus howled and cheered. The bus driver raised a fist like he was a champion. Hollis and Leta stared at each other in dismay.
A moment later, a tearful Algie appeared at Hollis’s elbow.
“You can’t run around on the bus, little boy,” the woman told Algie, who was in the process of climbing over Hollis to get to a relieved Leta. He turned and stuck his tongue out at the woman.
“He won’t,” Hollis said, sending the woman a wobbly smile. He and Leta hugged Algie, who said he wasn’t hurt.
“Aren’t you going to tell them what Oscar did?” Leta whispered.
“Do you think we should? He’s still here.”
“There’s a lot of other people here, too. They’ll stop him from hurting us. They’ll probably put him off the bus. That would be great!”
Hollis still hesitated. “What if they don’t?”
Leta bit her lip. “At least find out where we’re going.”
Turning to the woman, Hollis leaned across the aisle. “Excuse me.”
The woman shook her head. “Not now, little boy. This has all been terribly . . . upsetting.”
“But—”
“I said, not now! I know you’ve been through a lot, but we’ve been here all day and I’m exhausted. I just can’t talk right now.” She turned her head away.
Undaunted, Hollis leaned forward and touched the driver on the back. “Excuse me.”
“Driving!” the man said in a loud, angry voice. “Can’t talk and drive! And don’t touch me!”
Hollis sat back and caught Leta’s expectant eye. “You ask them.”
Leta’s chin dropped and she said nothing.
“Great time for you to get shy. We’ll just ride to wherever they’re going, and if it ain’t Baton Rouge, we’ll take the bus back again. Or catch one that’s going to Baton Rouge. I don’t know what else to do.”
Leta sighed. Leaning back in his seat, Hollis let Algie stretch across his lap to go to sleep. Leta nodded off soon after. Lulled by the comfort of the plush bus seats, Hollis soon joined them. He slept a long time—through six states.
Chapter 15
Stuck
“Little boy? Little boy?” A soft voice broke into Hollis’s awareness. “Wake up. You’re here.”
“Here?” Hollis mumbled, stirring. A scent drifted into his nostrils. Gardenia. “Gee?” he grunted.
The voice didn’t sound like Gee, but he was too excited to notice that. His eyes flew open, but Gee was not there. Yelping in surprise, he scrambled sideways and slammed into the sleeping Algie and Leta.
“Oh, honey.” The wrinkled witch, who had loomed inches from his face, became an ordinary elderly lady with faded gray eyes and curls as white and shiny as his mother’s good plates. She straightened up and smiled. “I didn’t mean to scare you.”
Hollis nodded, his hope crushed. “You smell like my grandmother,” he said without enthusiasm.
“Well, that’s very nice,” she said. “It must be the perfume my grandchildren bought for my birthday.”
Leta and Algie sat up rubbing their faces. Hollis moved over to give them room. “Where are we?”
“You’re at First Methodist Church in Charleston,” she said.
Hollis frowned. That didn’t sound like Baton Rouge.
“South Carolina?” Leta squeaked.
“No, dear,” the lady said. “West Virginia.”
Hollis tried to remember where West Virginia was.
“I gotta pee,” Algie said. “Is West Virginia in B-Baton Rouge?”
“No, dear,” the lady said.
“It’s by Ohio, Algie,” Leta said.
Hollis tried to think of where Ohio was.
“You know your geography, don’t you, dear?” the lady said to Leta, who looked smug and nodded.
Of course she does. Hollis gave up trying to figure out where they were. He’d ask Leta later.
“There’s a bathroom on the bus,” the lady told Algie. “But if you can wait just a moment, I’ll take you to a nicer one inside.”
