Road to Heaven
Chapter Twelve
"Are you all right Son?" Fenton asked, reaching over and touching Frank's shoulder. They had both gotten a jolt when the tree had crashed behind them, only branches falling onto the car. But for their seatbelts, both would have gone through the windshield.
"Yeah," Frank assured his father, unbuckling his seat belt. He tried to open his door but it was kept closed by one of the tree's massive branches.
"Sorry," Fenton said ruefully. "If I hadn't put on the brakes, it would have missed us."
"Don't worry about it," Frank told him as another bolt of lightening lit up the night sky.
"Oh, no," Fenton siad softly, staring out the front windshield. He undid his seat belt and pushed open his door. Frank, who had also seen the twister in the front windshield, was right behind his father as he climbed out the driver's door. They ran as fast as they could toward the gulley on the other side of the highway. They dived down and scrambled up the other side, positioning themselves behind the great stone pillar which helped to support the road above.
The noise got louder as the funnel cloud got closer. They kept their heads tucked inside and closed their eyes to avoid flying debris. Otherwise, they might have seen the car they had just vacated and the tree which had stopped them, get swept up and tossed, coming down a few hundred yards away, hood first into the pavement as the twister continued it's eastward journey. After what seemed like hours, but in reality were mere minutes, the noise was gone as was the thunder and lightening. The rain had descended into a normal downpour and the night air was cool.
Frank and Fenton stood up and looked at the devastation caused by the twister. Frank gave a low whistle when he saw their car, the only man-made thing which had been in the line of fire on the stretch of road they had been travelling on.
Not wanting to jog all the way home in the rain, they sat back down and waited for it to end.
Three hours earlier at the Hardy house, Laura had become alarmed when she heard about the tornado warning. "Relax," Joe said, trying to calm his mother. "Frank and Dad will take cover." She nodded, realizing Joe was right. "And we need to go down to the basement," he added.
"You're right," she agreed, standing up. "I'll go get some bottled water and the radio and you go get some flashlights." Joe ran upstairs to grab his and Frank's flashlights and rushed back downstairs.
"Mom," he called out, reaching the living room.
"In here," she called back from the kitchen.
Joe came into the kitchen with one flashlight tucked under his arm and the other open in his hands. "Do we have any more batteries?" he asked, looking up and freezing.
Benton stood there, holding a gun to his mother's head. Before Joe could even register what was happening, each of his arms were taken into vice-like grips. Both flashlights fell to the floor as Joe's head swiveled from left to right, revealing his captor's to be none other than Kurt Smyte and Charlie Andrews. "Your money isn't here," Joe told them.
"I actually believe you," Benton told Joe from behind his mother. "But you know where it is and I'm betting so does the rest of your family." He pushed Laura to the floor.
"You creep!" Joe shouted, trying to lunge at him while Andrews and Smyte held fast and laughed.
"Female hostages are far too much trouble," Benton said. He looked down at Laura. "Give a message to your husband and son," he ordered her. "They must get the briefcase of money and have it here by noon tomorrow. I'll call and let them know where to leave it then." He gave her a thin smile as he continued, "Be sure to impress on them the seriousness of the situation," he added. Bending over and taking her chin in his hand, he forced her to look over at Joe.
Smyte had taken hold of both of Joe's arms so Andrews could remove a lighter from his pocket. Andrews pulled one of Joe's arms away from Smyte and held it straight out. He lit the lighter beneath Joe's arm causing Joe to howl in pain as the flame touched his arm.
"No!" Laura screamed, tears starting to fall from her eyes.
"Noon tomorrow," Benton repeated, as Andrews put his lighter back up. "Unless you want your baby here to be charcoal." He pulled her to her feet.
"Leave her alone!" Joe demanded, his anger stronger than the pain which still choursed through him although the burning had been brief.
"Easy, kid," Benton ordered Joe. "I'm not going to hurt her. She's got a message to deliver." With that, he pushed her over to the basement door. "Move," he told her, forcing her inside. She took three steps down the basement steps and the door was shut and locked behind her.
Chapter Twelve
"Are you all right Son?" Fenton asked, reaching over and touching Frank's shoulder. They had both gotten a jolt when the tree had crashed behind them, only branches falling onto the car. But for their seatbelts, both would have gone through the windshield.
"Yeah," Frank assured his father, unbuckling his seat belt. He tried to open his door but it was kept closed by one of the tree's massive branches.
"Sorry," Fenton said ruefully. "If I hadn't put on the brakes, it would have missed us."
"Don't worry about it," Frank told him as another bolt of lightening lit up the night sky.
"Oh, no," Fenton siad softly, staring out the front windshield. He undid his seat belt and pushed open his door. Frank, who had also seen the twister in the front windshield, was right behind his father as he climbed out the driver's door. They ran as fast as they could toward the gulley on the other side of the highway. They dived down and scrambled up the other side, positioning themselves behind the great stone pillar which helped to support the road above.
The noise got louder as the funnel cloud got closer. They kept their heads tucked inside and closed their eyes to avoid flying debris. Otherwise, they might have seen the car they had just vacated and the tree which had stopped them, get swept up and tossed, coming down a few hundred yards away, hood first into the pavement as the twister continued it's eastward journey. After what seemed like hours, but in reality were mere minutes, the noise was gone as was the thunder and lightening. The rain had descended into a normal downpour and the night air was cool.
Frank and Fenton stood up and looked at the devastation caused by the twister. Frank gave a low whistle when he saw their car, the only man-made thing which had been in the line of fire on the stretch of road they had been travelling on.
Not wanting to jog all the way home in the rain, they sat back down and waited for it to end.
Three hours earlier at the Hardy house, Laura had become alarmed when she heard about the tornado warning. "Relax," Joe said, trying to calm his mother. "Frank and Dad will take cover." She nodded, realizing Joe was right. "And we need to go down to the basement," he added.
"You're right," she agreed, standing up. "I'll go get some bottled water and the radio and you go get some flashlights." Joe ran upstairs to grab his and Frank's flashlights and rushed back downstairs.
"Mom," he called out, reaching the living room.
"In here," she called back from the kitchen.
Joe came into the kitchen with one flashlight tucked under his arm and the other open in his hands. "Do we have any more batteries?" he asked, looking up and freezing.
Benton stood there, holding a gun to his mother's head. Before Joe could even register what was happening, each of his arms were taken into vice-like grips. Both flashlights fell to the floor as Joe's head swiveled from left to right, revealing his captor's to be none other than Kurt Smyte and Charlie Andrews. "Your money isn't here," Joe told them.
"I actually believe you," Benton told Joe from behind his mother. "But you know where it is and I'm betting so does the rest of your family." He pushed Laura to the floor.
"You creep!" Joe shouted, trying to lunge at him while Andrews and Smyte held fast and laughed.
"Female hostages are far too much trouble," Benton said. He looked down at Laura. "Give a message to your husband and son," he ordered her. "They must get the briefcase of money and have it here by noon tomorrow. I'll call and let them know where to leave it then." He gave her a thin smile as he continued, "Be sure to impress on them the seriousness of the situation," he added. Bending over and taking her chin in his hand, he forced her to look over at Joe.
Smyte had taken hold of both of Joe's arms so Andrews could remove a lighter from his pocket. Andrews pulled one of Joe's arms away from Smyte and held it straight out. He lit the lighter beneath Joe's arm causing Joe to howl in pain as the flame touched his arm.
"No!" Laura screamed, tears starting to fall from her eyes.
"Noon tomorrow," Benton repeated, as Andrews put his lighter back up. "Unless you want your baby here to be charcoal." He pulled her to her feet.
"Leave her alone!" Joe demanded, his anger stronger than the pain which still choursed through him although the burning had been brief.
"Easy, kid," Benton ordered Joe. "I'm not going to hurt her. She's got a message to deliver." With that, he pushed her over to the basement door. "Move," he told her, forcing her inside. She took three steps down the basement steps and the door was shut and locked behind her.