Chapter 26
Wendy realised she was holding her breath as the hospital grew nearer, and she had to remind herself to breath. The children were running now; dashing through the streets, ducking around the occasional adult, and swerving to avoid the few motor cars and carriages that still trundled along to their various destinations.
"This way… it's quicker!" called John, ducking into an alleyway that connected two streets.
The other children skidded to a halt before taking off again to follow… but they were quickly brought to a sudden stop once again as John bumped up against a large figure, and was knocked backwards, almost off his feet.
The adult turned eerily towards the children to reveal crooked teeth, a grizzled face, and empty eyes that seemed to pierce through their own.
"Eh…" His voice was guttural and moist, as if he was drowning in his own mucus, "What you kids playin' at?! No place or time for you to be out, gallivanting..."
The children were all transfixed with terror at this vagrant's appearance, and only reacted as his had roughly closed around John's arm; As John struggled to be free of the monster's grasp, his siblings hurried to his aid, trying to pull him away, or beat off the adult as they yelled and scream at him to let go!
The old cockney conceded, and released his hold on the boy. Watching the whole rabble of children race off down the alley, he shook his head in reservation and took another swig from his gin bottle.
What seemed like only a few minutes later, (although alcohol had muddled the passage of time), the old man was once again disturbed from his solitary drinking by the shouts of a gent and lady who were hurrying along the street, almost as quickly as the children had been. They were clearly distressed, even to his own intoxicated eyes.
"Wendy! Boys!"
"John! Wendy!"
Mary was beside herself with worry and guilt; she should never have let herself become so angry at her own daughter. Wendy was justifiably concerned about Peter, and Mary sorely regretted loosing her temper; she should not have begrudged Wendy and the boys wanting to help their friend. Now she and her husband were frantically searching for their darlings, desperately hoping to find them before anything terrible befell them; they might be run-over… or kidnapped… or attacked!
Mary screamed as an old, decrepit man with rotting teeth and filthy clothing suddenly appeared in front of her, far closer than she deemed gentlemanly. Immediately, George was in front of her, putting some distance between her and the unseemly vagrant.
"Away with you!" George demanded.
His words were met with an expression of surprise and derision from the shabby individual, who looked back and forth between Mary to George, but did not move.
Losing his nerve a little, George tried again to scare the fellow off, though the force was now conspicuously absent from his voice; "We have no money."
At this, the man looked decidedly insulted, and George feared a more physical altercation… something that he was decidedly bad at, and terrified of.
Thankfully, the old man seemed to swallow his outrage, and spoke with a slurred but strong voice; "Might you be looking for some kids, Mrs?" he asked, addressing Mary.
She gazed at him in astonishment, words failing her for some moments before she regained her wits; "Yes! Yes, we are!"
The old fellow sniffed and eye-balled her for another moment, before continuing. "A whole gaggle o' kids scarpered off down that way, not five minutes past," he declared, gesturing to the alley and looking proud of himself.
George and Mary exchanged a look of hope and relief, reassured that their children, (until recently at least), were unharmed and nearby. Then they both felt a nagging embarrassment at their initial impression of the man before them; although unkempt and slightly intoxicated, he had revealed himself to be a most decent an obliging man.
Mary beamed at him. "Thank you," she said, taking his worn and grubby hand briefly in her own before hurrying to the alley he had indicated.
George gave a weak smile and hesitantly raised his hand in thanks… but thought better of, considering the man's filthy appearance. Instead, he gave an awkward wave, then ducked away to follow his wife.
The old man watched as the pretty woman and pompous bloke disappeared from sight, before turning his attention back to his bottle.
He failed to notice the other man, handsome, confident and imposing, inconspicuously follow the couple through the alley.