Two Against Two
Chapter 16
December 23, 1990-4:02 A.M. EST
(Christine's PoV:)
Kevin and I are just skating along the ice, having a wonderful time, bonding with one another, by showing him some skating tricks I know. "Watch this trick, Kevin," I tell him, as I perform a graceful double axel. The cold wind just smacks me in the face, as I jump, twirl in the air twice, and land nicely on my feet.
Kevin claps at my performance. "That was awesome, Christine!" he cheers.
I take a graceful bow, and we soon both start laughing at how silly I'm being. "I think it's time we go home, Kevin," I say, looking at the darkening skies on the horizon.
Kevin just groans, "Do we have to?"
"Yes,"
As we are leaving the skating rink, two mysterious people suddenly appear from out of nowhere. They pick up my brother and take off, running down the path that leads away from the ice rink. One of the kidnappers has Kevin over their shoulder.
"Try and catch us, you ginger-haired bitch!" one of the kidnappers calls me, while flipping me the bird.
"Give me back my brother, you asshole!" I scream, tears forming in my eyes, while running after the two, who kidnapped my brother.
The chase soon leads us into the dense area of the snow-covered park, near the ice rink. I try to keep up with the two bastards, while trying to dodge broken tree branches and rocks that they're throwing in my path to impede me.
"Christine! Please help me!" I hear Kevin scream, as I pick up the pace in trying to catch up with these two sons of bitches.
The chase has now taken us deeper into the park, near the cliff that overlooks the fountain, surrounded by a bunch of trees. "I'm getting close now, you scumbags!" I scream at them, as I close the distance between myself and the kidnappers.
An unseen rock causes me to trip, and I find myself face first on the ground. I begin screaming, crying, and shouting vulgar words, as the kidnappers, Kevin, and myself soon fade into a void of blackness…
…
I soon find myself looking up at the ceiling, back in my parents' bed, surrounded by a bunch of pillows. I quickly jolt up and look to see if Kevin is still laying next to me. Seeing Kevin laying there, snoring, causes me to feel a mixed flurry of emotions, and I break down crying.
"It was just a nightmare. A very real nightmare…" I say to myself, sobbing, with my hands covering my face. I climb out of bed and head for the bathroom. It's still dark outside, and the street is quiet, after taking a quick peek through the window. I lean over the sink, looking at the mirror, as I take a cold washcloth over my face and wipe the tears streaking down my cheek.
"Mom, Dad, please come home soon, because I'm feeling really scared right now. I'm worried that I won't be able to keep myself or Kevin safe, if or when the burglars return. It would be a big comfort, if the both of you were here right now. Everything seemed like it was going okay, until those burglars tried to break in yesterday morning.
"The experience was a horrible one, Mom and Dad. Luckily, I was able to scare them away, but the trauma is still there, because I've been a nervous wreck. I'm just waiting for them to come back and try to hurt Kevin or I. I don't want to die, Mom and Dad, because I want to make peace with the both of you, apologize for my behavior, and tell you that I love the both of you, but I'm afraid those burglars are going to kill me, before I get the chance," I say to myself, as I break down and start crying again.
I soon make my way back to bed after calming myself down and making sure Kevin is still asleep. "No point in staying awake, since it's only four in the morning." I speak to myself again, as I climb back into bed and go back to sleep…
(Time Skip)
December 23, 1990-9:15 A.M. CST
(Christine's PoV:)
The bright morning sunshine shimmering through the window, is the first thing that greets my eyes, as I slowly wake up. The nightmare I had from earlier this morning is still on my mind, as I sit up, stretch, and yawn. I check the clock over on the nightstand, and it reads 9:15 A.M..
Normally, I would be getting ready for work around this time, but not today, since Uncle Buck gave me a couple weeks off, with a nice holiday cash bonus, which I discovered after paying that foolish pizza driver. My temper flares briefly about that encounter, but I'm able to get myself calmed down through the techniques my therapist taught me.
I would normally just get a week off, because the shop is closed for the holidays, since Uncle Buck and his wife, Chanice, usually go to California to visit Chanice's family. I just love Uncle Buck's cleverness about giving the extra weeks off. It's his way of trying to get me to patch up things with my parents.
Maybe I should've told him the truth about therapy and wanting to forgive Mom and Dad, especially after everything he's done for me, like getting me a job and a place to live.
Christmas week was usually me sitting all alone in my apartment, watching Christmas shows, because Tia would be in Indianapolis, visiting her maternal relatives. I would have Mr. Marley to talk to over the phone, to see how he's doing, and ask him how my family was doing.
I also would try to get the courage to call Mom and Dad, but couldn't, out of fear of being rejected. Other than that, Christmas was just a lonely time of the year for me. I'm kind of happy Mom and Dad left Kevin home alone, because at least I wouldn't be alone at Christmas, and I'll finally get to confront Mom and Dad.
I'm shaken out of my thoughts, when I hear my brother yawn, as he must be waking up. "Morning, Christine," he says to me, yawing.
"Morning, Kevin," I greet, smiling. "You sleep okay, little brother?"
"Yeah, no nightmares, or anything. How about you, big sis?" he asks me.
"I slept, without any problems," I tell him, lying through my teeth, because the truth would frighten him.
"So, what are we going to do today?"
"A lot of things. For starters, we have to go to the grocery store; the house needs cleaning, the laundry needs to be done, etc…" I explain to him.
"Can I help out? I'm never allowed to do anything to help, when Mom and my older siblings clean, because I usually get in the way and make new messes. I usually get sent upstairs to my room to babysit Fred, so he won't get in the way, either," Kevin asks, as well as giving me an explanation.
"I was hoping you would ask, because I'm going to need your help today. I can teach you the basics of laundry and grocery shopping, and show you some basic cleaning methods, if you want me to?" I explain, with question in my voice.
"I want to learn, because I want to show my older siblings I'm not helpless, especially Buzz and Megan," Kevin replies, eagerly.
I just laugh at my brother's enthusiasm. "How about we start off with some breakfast? I think there's some leftover cheese pizza from last night,"
"What are we waiting for, sis? That pizza isn't going to eat itself! Come on!" Kevin motions to me, while jumping out of bed and acting all hyper.
"I'm coming, Kevin," I tell him, trying to hold in my laughter, as I climb out of bed and follow my hyper brother downstairs to the kitchen.
After a quick and unhealthy breakfast of leftover pizza and Pepsi, while watching some old reruns of Laverne and Shirley, Little House On The Prairie, and Happy Days on the TV in the den, Kevin and I soon get ready to head out for the day—repeating the same routine from last night, when we got ready for bed.
I stand in front of the dressing mirror in Mom and Dad's room, mumbling what to buy at the store, while dressing in a similar outfit, like I wore yesterday—a turtleneck, pair of jeans, and leather boots. I'm soon finished dressing and go to see if Kevin is ready.
I knock on his bedroom door and ask, "You ready, Kevin?"
"Yes! Just tying my shoes!" he yells.
"Well, come on, then. We have to get to the store, before it closes early today," I reply back.
"I'm coming, sis," Kevin soon comes out of his room, dressed in a blue sweater, tan khaki pants, and brown shoes.
"Ready to go, little brother?" I ask. Kevin just nods, as we both head down the back stairwell to the kitchen. I put on my brown trench coat, brown leather gloves, sunglasses, brown fedora hat, while Kevin puts on his tan jacket, tan hat, red scarf, and the matching gloves.
We both head outside, where the air feels cold and windy, after making sure everything electrical is shut off and all the doors are locked tight. "Don't want those burglars nabbing anything, do we?" I mumble to myself, as I head to my car, where Kevin is waiting.
"Nice car, big sis. Nice and simple, compared to Mom and Dad's fancy cars," Kevin compliments, being careful not to touch the car, out of fear of setting off the alarm.
"Thanks," I reply back, smiling. "It gets me where I need to go, and that's all that matters," I disable the alarm and manually unlock the doors. "Well, get in, little brother."
Kevin opens the door, gets in, and buckles himself in the front passenger seat. "Buzz would be jealous that you have your own car, when all he has is his learner's permit, but he's not allowed to drive, since he's still grounded for being caught with cigarettes last Summer, and for trying to cover it up," Kevin chatters away, telling me the whole story about Buzz being caught with cigarettes.
"Wow. I never realized Buzz was that much of an idiot and a jerk," I snicker. "I may have been rebellious, but I've never done anything that stupid, like smoking, because it's not good for your body. And I'd better not catch you doing either, or I will box your ears." I tell him, as I buckle up and start the car.
"You don't have to worry about me doing it, Christine. I don't want black lungs or a sick liver," Kevin says, as I pull out of the driveway, after making sure it's clear both ways.
"So, where do Mom and Dad do all the shopping for the groceries?" I ask Kevin, while driving down the road towards the Corner Store, where I bought Kevin's breakfast.
"Lakeside Food Center. It's in the Village Square Plaza, close to Santa's Village," Kevin tells me, but his tone suggests he's hiding something.
"Do you want to visit Santa's Village after we finish shopping?" I ask, knowingly, driving on the main road that leads to the Village Plaza.
"How did you guess?" he asks, shocked.
"Your tone and my past experience. Mom forgot to take me to Santa's Village, when I was nine years old after she promised to take me. I just assumed Mom promised to take you, but forgot to. I guess being busy with work and planning for a big trip can do it," I explain to him, understandingly.
"You're right about Mom forgetting to take me. It somewhat upset me, to be honest, since Mom and Dad always forget about taking me to where I want to go or they don't have the time to spend with me, alone. Being the youngest sometimes really sucks, when you have four older siblings to compete with for attention," he tells me, looking down.
"It just makes you want to do things that get you in trouble, because it gets you noticed, right?" I ask, knowingly.
"Yeah," Kevin replies.
The rest of the trip is a quiet one. It doesn't take long to reach the Village Plaza, with so little traffic on the road. Finding a parking space is a different story, as it's packed, but I do find one.
"We're not getting that many groceries, just enough to hold us over until after the holidays pass, when the store opens back up. We don't know when Mom and Dad will be back home. Also, be sure to stay close to me," I tell him. We both get out of the car and head toward the entrance of the supermarket, with the nightmare about Kevin being kidnapped playing through my head.
"Okay, Christine," he replies to me, understandingly.
I grab a shopping basket and start giving Kevin shopping tips, as we make our way around the nicely-sized store, grabbing some basic items, like bread, eggs, cheese, milk, juice, chips, Christmas cookies, Pepsi, deli meat, laundry soap, frozen pizzas, and some toy soldiers that Kevin begged for, etc… This reminds me that I still have some Christmas shopping to do.
"Want to handle checking out the stuff alone, Kev?" I ask him, just before we get in visual range of the cashier.
"Yes!" Kevin replies, very eager to help.
"Okay. Just calm down!" I laugh. "Here's the money and the coupons. Remember, just be polite, but firm, if the cashier gets nosy about you checking out by yourself. You don't have to answer any questions that are personal," I explain.
"Where will you be at, Christine?"
"I won't be far, just close to the exit, out of the cashier's view. She won't be able to see me or be aware that I'm with you. I'll still be able to observe what's going on, just in case any trouble occurs,"
Kevin nods, understandingly. "Gotcha, Christine…"
(Kevin's PoV:)
Christine signals for me to get in line, while she heads off towards the exit. I can't believe how awesome Christine has been today, so far.
She's been teaching me how to shop, giving me tips about interacting with people, besides the "don't talk to strangers" speech that Mom and Dad gave me, and now she's trusting me to check out. Mom never would give me that much responsibility. I can't wait to show the family what Christine has taught me when they return home from Paris.
I soon see Christine chilling close to the exit, and she gives me a thumbs up that she's watching me. I push the cart up to the checkout counter and start unloading the groceries onto it.
"You shopping all by yourself?" the female clerk asks me, smiling, which looks forced.
She starts ringing up the stuff that Christine picked out. She looks to be around Christine's age, and with light brown hair. Her name tag reads "Mindy" on the green-colored vest she's wearing.
"Yes," I lie.
She just gives me an impressed look that a kid my age is shopping alone, but she doesn't know that my big sister, Christine, is watching her like a hawk. Mindy just gives me a questioning look, when she holds up the toy soldiers that I begged Christine for.
"For the kids," is the response I give the clerk, being the first thing that comes to mind. I look to see that Christine is snickering at the clerk right now. The clerk, on the other hand, gives me a look of skepticism, as she scans both the toy soldiers and the latest issue of Pro Wrestling Illustrated.
"Hey, I got a coupon for the twelve-pack of Pepsi. It was in the morning paper." I interject, before Mindy rings them up.
Mindy just gives me a deep suspicious stare, as she takes the coupon and adds up the final total on the cash register. She's still gazing deeply at me. It's very unnerving. In addition, I can tell Christine is becoming less amused with the clerk, which is not a good sign.
"Your total is $20.45," Mindy states, her expression still mistrustful. I give her the money to pay for the stuff.
"How'd you get here?" Mindy suddenly asks.
"I rode my bike here," I lie.
Mindy gives me an incredulous look, as she must be thinking that I'm crazy for riding my bike in the cold, which she doesn't know is a lie. Christine doesn't look happy about how intrusive the clerk is becoming, when I take a quick glance over at where she is.
"What's your phone number and your address?" Mindy asks me, foolishly, because Christine is now marching her way over here, looking upset.
"He doesn't have to tell you that or anything else, because you're just a stranger that needs to mind their own business," Christine chimes in, harshly, startling Mindy.
I wish I had some popcorn right now, because things are about to get interesting between Mindy and my sister. They're glaring daggers at one another. Luckily, no one is behind me, waiting to be checked out, to witness this.
I hope a cat fight doesn't break out between the two, like on the ones that I see on The Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling, a show that my Dad, older brothers, and I enjoys watching every Saturday morning behind our Mother's back. My Mother and sisters hates pro wrestling. I wonder if Christine likes pro wrestling?
"Are you this kid's Mother?" Mindy asks Christine, bluntly, still glaring. Uh-oh. Wrong thing to say to my sister, Mindy…
"You're close. I'm his sister, actually, and I've been observing you the whole time… Mindy, is it?" Christine smugly tells the clerk, who's now glaring daggers at me, for making her look like a fool, with the lies I told her. I thought Christine was going to lose her temper, but she didn't.
"Could you please finish checking us out? Because, we have things to do, besides play 21 Questions," my sister snarks. Christine is really rubbing it in now.
Mindy finishes the transaction, with a sour look on her face and gives me the receipt. "Thank you for shopping at Lakeside Food Center. Please come again and have a merry Christmas," Mindy says, sourly, as we leave the store, with our groceries.
It doesn't take long to load the groceries into the car and get back on the road. "Do you need to go anywhere, before I take you to see Santa at his village?" Christine asks me, while driving.
"I need to go to Woods Drug Store and pick up a new toothbrush, but I can wait until tomorrow to do that," I tell her.
"Alright. It's Santa's Village, then," she tells me, as we drive passed St. Gerhard's Church. "Does our family still go there?" she asks me, out of longing on how much she misses being part of the family.
"Every Tuesday for Mass, and Sunday for regular services. All the kids attends the parochial school on the other side of the Church. Did you go to St. Gerhard's School?" I ask her.
"I did. I graduated from there at age sixteen, because I skipped to the twelfth grade in what should've been my sophomore year (tenth grade). It was a very happy moment for me, because Mom and Dad expressed how proud they were that I graduated so early. I planned on attending a tech school close to home, with a major in auto mechanics, but running away from home ruined those plans, because of my temper," Christine shares with me.
"Wow. You must be smart, like Linnie," I praise my sister, whose cheeks blush in embarrassment. She mumbles a "thanks".
Excitement soon builds inside of me, when I spot Santa's Workshop that sits in the middle of a big grassy field, surrounded by a small inflatable village. "Hasn't changed a bit," I hear my sister say, as she pulls into the gravel lot, next to the village. "So, what are you going to wish for from Santa, Kev?" Christine asks me, curiously.
"You'll just have to wait and find out for yourself," I reply, as we both walk away from the car, toward the village. It doesn't look too busy, since it's still early in the morning.
"Welcome to Santa's Village, young man," greets an elderly-looking female, dressed like an elf that reminds me of the warm, caring nature of my Aunt Leslie and Aunt Georgette.
"Thank you, and merry Christmas," I reply, being polite.
"You're welcome, young man. Merry Christmas to you and your friend," the elf replies, smiling, as Christine and I make our way to the workshop, which is just a small walk away.
Soon, we reach the entrance of Santa's Workshop, where a younger-looking female elf waves us to come inside.
"We're here to see Santa," I tell the smiling elf.
"Go ahead. He just got here himself. Merry Christmas," the elf tells us.
"Thank you, and merry Christmas," I tell the elf, as Christine and I head over to where Santa is sitting, looking all decked out and jolly in his iconic red outfit.
"Ho! Ho! Ho! Merry Christmas, little fella! Come sit on my knee and tell Santa what you want for Christmas!" the Santa impersonator booms.
I climb onto Santa's knee and begin telling him what I want for Christmas, "My name is Kevin, and I know you're not the real Santa Claus, but you do work for him," I softly say to make sure no other kids can hear.
The Santa acts as if he didn't hear the part I said about him not being the real one. I notice Christine trying to withhold a snicker. "What I want for Christmas, is for my family of Peter, Kate, Buzz, Linnie, Megan, and Jeff to come home for Christmas. No presents, just my family." I tell him.
Santa just gives me a look of sympathy. "I will try to do my best, young Kevin! Have a merry Christmas! Ho! Ho! Ho!" his voice booms, loudly.
"Thanks, Santa, and merry Christmas," I tell him, as I hop off his lap, feeling like a small burden has been lifted off my chest.
"That's a very thoughtful wish, Kevin. I'm sure it will come true," Christine tells me, smiling.
"How about you, young lady? Do you have anything you want Santa to bring you for Christmas?" Santa vocally booms.
"Nah, I'm kind of too old to be talking to Santa Claus. I just brought my brother to see you," Christine tells him, looking embarrassed.
"You're never too old to talk to Santa. You don't have to sit on my lap, or anything. You just tell me what you want for Christmas,"
I bet Santa said that part about not having Christine sitting on his lap, just to avoid giving out the wrong impression about why a twenty-something-year-old girl is sitting on an older man's lap. I'm sure the parents of young kids would object. Christine would punch his lights out, too, if he did something perverted.
"I just want to have the chance to tell my parents I'm sorry, and I want to live to see the new year. I don't want anything else," Christine tells him.
Santa just gives my sister a look of deep sorrow. "I will try my best, young lady. Merry Christmas," he tells my sister, in a sincere voice.
"Thanks, Santa. Merry Christmas," Christine turns to me. "Come on, Kevin. We have groceries to get home." She motions me to follow her.
Talk about a morbid wish. I wonder what her motivation is behind the wish of wanting to live to see the new year. I hope she's not sick, or anything. I follow her out of Santa's Workshop, after being handed two candy canes by the smiling elf, and we head for the car…
December 23, 1990-10:30 A.M. CST
(Harry's PoV:)
"This trip back to Winnetka better be worth it, or there's going to be Hell to pay," I mutter to myself, as I get off the interstate.
We drive into the city of Winnetka and pull into the McDonald's for some quick breakfast, before heading over to Lincoln Blvd. to clean out that last house on the block. Hector has already arranged our transportation to New York City, once house 671 is cleaned out, and the goods are fenced into cash.
That's why I'm grumpy this morning, because of the phone call from Hector last night. He chewed out Marv and I both about not finishing the job on time, as we promised him. The delay cost him a nice sum of money, apparently, with the illicit arrangements he made getting us to New York City, and us missing them, being the reason.
He told us if there are any more delays or if we're caught, he is going to put out a price on Marv and I's heads. Though, if we succeed, we owe him a cut of any money made fencing the goods. So, I'm hoping to score big today, as to make enough money to pay off Hector, and still have a decent profit for Marv and myself.
"Hey, blockhead, wake up. You want any breakfast?" I ask Marv, gruffly, after smacking him hard across the head to wake up the lazy idiot.
"Yeah, two egg and cheese biscuits, hash-browns, and a coffee with two sugars," Marv tells me, yawning, still looking bleary-eyed. I might as well get the same, so I place the order into the speaker.
Breakfast doesn't take long to eat, and the both of us are soon back on the road, heading for Lincoln Blvd. "So, Harry, what's the plan, once we get to the house?" asks Marv, knowing failing the job would mean a lot of trouble with Hector.
"It's busting in and looting the place, like we planned," I tell him, as the van turns onto Lincoln Blvd..
"What about the car alarm? If it goes off again, and we get caught…" Marv briefly pauses, before saying, "I don't want to die, Harry,"
"Marv, relax, will ya? Nothing is going to happen, because I'm starting to believe that a bird shitting on the car was the cause of the alarm going off, like you said at the truck stop last night. It would be freak luck, if it happened again, because what are the odds of a bird shitting on the same car, while we're there? Not likely, in my opinion," I slow down the van, once house 671 comes into view.
I quickly notice the old man isn't home, which is good, because it makes the job a lot easier, without the risk of him interfering, and me having to kill him. I take a glance around the area to make sure it's clear. That's when I notice the car we saw at 671 yesterday is now gone.
"How in the hell can a car just leave, when the family that owns the car is supposed to be in Paris?" I mutter to myself. "Notice anything different about 671, Marv?" I quiz him.
"Uh, let me look, Harry," He pulls out a pair of binoculars I didn't know he had and takes a look at the house.
"Where did you get those binoculars, Marv?" I ask, astonished.
"The Murphys' place. I thought they would come in handy for future jobs in New York,"
"I just love it whenever your brain does some actual work," I snark. "So, you notice anything different, Marv?"
"The nice car with the loud alarm is now gone. It's possible a car thief might've swiped it. The parts would net a lot of dough on that kind of car, if it was stripped down," Marv explains.
"That's all we need, is another thief working the block, especially a sloppy one that attracts attention," I reply, as I feel a migraine forming.
"Since the car is no longer a worry, and the old man isn't around, wouldn't this be the perfect chance to break in and plunder 671 of all its goodies?" Marv asks.
"It seems too perfect, and that doesn't feel right to me. I want to make sure that car is truly stolen, before making any move on that house," I reply, not liking the situation. If the car isn't stolen, then who's driving it?
"I think we should hit the house now, while the chance is ripe for picking. It would get Hector off our backs," Marv retorts, suddenly becoming angry.
"Do you remember what happened the last time we acted hastily, Marv?" I snap back at him, while driving on to avoid causing attention.
"Uh, no…"
"Of course you don't, you stupid blockhead! Well, what happened, was that we ended up in frickin' prison, because I lost my temper and took someone hostage! You had to rob that store, while we were trying to leave the State!" I raise my voice.
"I'm getting sick of you calling me a blockhead, Harry! Are those insults necessary?! I have feelings, you know!" Marv yells back. "I also feel like you're making a mistake about not hitting 671, while we had the chance,"
"I'm the brains of this outfit, Marv, and you take orders from me. Don't be afraid about Hector killing you, because I'm about to do the job myself, if you don't shut up. Remember, I told you once, that if I feel like you're becoming a liability, I will kill you,"
"Then, kill me, if you have the guts," Marv taunts me, causing my temper to rise.
"That's it, Marv. I've had enough of your flippant attitude," I grab the revolver from my coat pocket, place it on Marv's head, and click the hammer back, while keeping one hand on the wheel.
"Pull the trigger, Harry. I dare you. I may be afraid of dying by Hector's hand, but not by yours, old pal," Marv nastily laughs, like if he's actually enjoying this—his childlike demeanor gone.
My fingers grip the trigger tightly, my heart is racing, and my hands are sweating. I can't go through with it. Not right now, when I'm going to need his help in looting out the McCallister place. I just can't kill my brother, all but in blood. I lower the gun from Marv's head.
"Got anything smart to say, Marv, since I didn't go through with pulling the trigger?" I ask.
"I have one thing to say, Harry: Hit the brakes, before we smash into that Ford Escort crossing the intersection!" Marv screams.
"Ah, shit…" I mutter to myself, as I slam on the brakes, bringing the van to a screeching stop, launching Marv and I forward, against the dash, and causing stuff to clunk around in the back. Marv and I would've been in deep shit with the cops, if we hit the car. This van is stolen, and my driver's license is expired.
I'm about to have words with this stupid driver. I roll down the window and signal the driver to roll down their window, as well.
"Hey, young lady! Don't you know you're supposed to look both ways, before crossing the intersection?! I almost smashed into you and your little friend there, if I couldn't stop! It would be sad, if the both of you ended up in a morgue on Christmas!" I scold the young driver, whose window is now rolled down.
"Yeah, Santa doesn't visit stiff bodies in the morgue on Christmas," Marv chimes in, with that goofy look of his.
It's really his fault, to start with, because I wouldn't have almost hit the car, if he didn't get flippant with me, to the point where I wanted to shoot him. I'm not going to let her know that, though.
"Sorry. I'll try to pay better attention next time," the woman replies. I wonder what this woman's problem is. She seems anxious. I didn't do anything to her.
"It's okay. Please do pay attention in the future, okay? Merry Christmas," I smile.
First, the girl being anxious, and now the kid is acting funny, when all I did was just smile. I can see the kid whispering something to the older woman, and the car quickly pulls away. Now, I'm starting to feel suspicious about all this.
"Hey, Harry, that car the young girl was driving looks exactly like the one we saw parked at the McCallisters' place. You think it might be one of the same?" Marv asks.
"It could be, considering the way both the woman and kid were acting. Let's follow it, and see what house it goes to, just to make sure," I reply, as I catch up and begin following the car, discreetly. The car seems to be slowly increasing in speed, as we continue to follow it.
"Why is the car increasing in speed, Harry?"
"It has to be the kid. He knows something, or why would he start acting funny, when all I did was just smile at him and his friend? He must've told the girl what he knows, and I intend to find out what it is; even if it means taking the both of them into a back alley and having to slap it out of both of them," I tell Marv, while trying to match speed with the car.
"Isn't that kind of aggressive, Harry?" Marv asks.
"Considering the situation we're in, at the moment, no, it isn't," I reply, continuing to follow behind the car. Marv looks like he wants to object, but wisely holds his tongue, because I would've shot him in between the eyes, if he didn't hold it.
The car makes a sudden sharp turn around the corner and speeds away. I quickly try to do my best to catch up, when I turn the corner, but the car is nowhere to be seen. "I'm pissed now. I'm not just going to smack them. I'm going to whack the both of them with a pipe wrench," I mutter.
"It seems like we've lost them, Harry," Marv chimes in.
"Don't you think I know that? I wonder where those two could've went…" I wonder, stopping the van.
"You think they went into that Church?" Marv asks, pointing at the Cathedral-looking Church to our left.
"Maybe, but I'm not going in there. Good way to attract attention. Speaking of attracting attention, we'd better get out of here. Let's check out 671 again," I tell Marv, as I drive on.
"Look at that, Harry," Marv points to some cops gathered around, investigating one of the houses we've hit.
"Goddammit… Can this day get any worse? More frickin' time wasted, thanks to chasing that girl, and now having to lay low," I curse.
Seeing the cops at one of the houses we've hit, forces us to wait until tonight, before making another attempt at 671. If I ever encounter that girl or kid anytime soon, they are as good as dead.
I pistol whip Marv in the back of the head with my revolver, knocking him out for his mouthy attitude from earlier. His head thunks against the dashboard, while I continue to drive on to a spot that's not so hot with cops…
(Christine's PoV:)
"So, what do you want for lunch today, Kevin?" I ask, while continuing to drive home.
"Maybe a sandwich and chips for lunch," Kevin answers, as he looks out the window at the houses decorated for Christmas.
"Sounds good, little brother,"
I smile, before stopping at a stop sign. It's hard to see if any traffic is coming, when I look both ways. The sun is obscuring my vision, making it hard to see. I decide to take a chance and cross the intersection.
That's when I hear Kevin scream, "Christine! Watch out for the van about to crash into us!"
I quickly turn my head and look to see a van barreling down the road, screeching its brakes to stop itself from hitting us. I'm too frightened to scream or do anything. All I can do, is think that Kevin and I are about to die. I close my eyes, waiting for the van to smash into us. Mom and Dad, it looks like I'm going to die, after all. I'm sorry about not being able to tell you how sorry I am, and that I love you both.
I open my eyes to discover that Kevin and I didn't die. I can see Kevin, clutching his body, shaking in fear, while the driver is motioning for me to roll down my window. The driver looks like he's upset, which kind of scares me, but I do so, anyway, to avoid any legal trouble.
The driver, who is male, bald, with a grouchy-looking face, and has an Italian accent, is currently scolding me about not looking both ways and almost smashing into me. I did, but the van must've been speeding.
The bald-headed weirdo is now creeping me out, with talking about how Kevin and I could've ended up in the morgue on Christmas. Talk about no tact… The big crossed-eyed goof next to him just makes me more anxious and creeped out by mentioning how Santa doesn't visit stiff bodies in the morgue on Christmas.
I just want this discussion to end, so I tell the driver I'm sorry and I would make sure to pay better attention next time. The bald-headed man tells me it's okay, and wishes Kevin and I a merry Christmas, smiling. He has a big gold tooth that looks like it came from Fort Knox. That's when my brother panics.
"Christine, I've seen that guy before, with the gold tooth. He was a cop asking Mom and Dad questions, like about security and when the family was leaving," Kevin whispers into my ear, afraid.
A chill suddenly shivers down my spine, as in my inner subconscious is telling me to flee. I roll up my car window and quickly drive way. I see the van is now following me, when I look in my rear-view mirror. What are they following me for? I wonder, feeling spooked.
They're doing a sloppy job, if they're undercover cops, but I haven't done anything wrong, except hit Chuck. If he reported me, a uniformed cop would've came by. Maybe they're just heading in the same direction I am. I wonder if they'll do anything, if I increase my speed and pull away from them. It seems like the van is now trying to catch up with me by speeding up.
"These guys must be sick perverts, who like to rape and molest young women and innocent kids in the back of their van, and then dump their bodies out in a field or ditch to die, when they're done," I tell myself, as a dirty, sickening feeling overtakes my body, while my heart is thumping in fear.
I have to get away from these creeps and find somewhere safe to go, without letting them know where I live. That's when I see the intersection up ahead that will take me all the way back around to St. Gerhard's Church, if I make a left.
I still remember the layout of the neighborhood after all these years. I quickly make a sharp left turn and floor it. I soon make another sharp turn into the Church parking lot and park in a secluded spot, where Kevin and I cannot be seen. Kevin, during this whole incident, has been scared silent.
My heart spikes, as I soon see the van that was tailing me stop in front of the Church, obviously trying to find Kevin and I. I notice, from my view, that the two are now talking, as I try to make out what they're saying, by trying to follow their lip movements. My fear level spikes, when I see the tall goofy bastard point over this way. The short man looks like he doesn't want to bother looking around a Church.
"Evil heathens…" I mutter.
The last part of the conversation is what really sends my fear level spiking, when the bald-headed man mouths about trying to hit 671 again. The van finally drives away, giving me some relief. Those two must be the punks, who tried to break in yesterday morning. Those two are the people that Mr. Marley warned me about.
Those two are the ones I've been fearing about killing me, and must really want to kill me now after the Hell I put them through, in chasing me. Plus, they likely put two and two together by connecting my car to my parents' house, and I'm the reason they fled, because of my panic alarm. I silently cry, as not to scare Kevin.
"Christine, is everything okay?" my brother asks, scared.
"Everything is fine, Kevin," I lie. "I think we should be getting home, with all these groceries. We also still need to clean the house." I tell him.
Not to mention I need to be ready, when those punks return tonight, and tell Kevin those two men were the ones that tried to break in. I pull out of the Church parking lot and drive on home, not before looking around to make sure everything is clear and those punks are nowhere in sight.
Maybe it's a good thing that van almost hit us, in a way, because I wouldn't have had a clue what those burglars looked like, if it didn't happen. It makes preparing to defend the house for their arrival a lot easier now, since I know exactly what to look for…
END