Chapter 3
Four Months Later
May 25, 2002
7:45 AM
On the street
Chuck,Bernie,Lois,& Crumb have been out in the
strrets doing the best they can catching the things
that haven`t changed by themselves in the paper.
"What time did it say fror that hold-up?,
Bernie?" asks Chuck.
"8,o,three." Bernie replies.
Just at that second they see a man run around
the corner who looks like Gary probably would if he
were months late for a haircut. Being so worried
about Gary as they have been they decide to tail him.
"How can we be so sure it`s really Hobson?" asks
Crumb as they run down the street.
"It`s worth a try, isn`t it?" Lois asks.
"It`s him!!" Bernie & Chuck screamed in unison
as they got a look at his face.
But as they round the corner to where Gary has
gone. They find him staring with a dreamy look in his
eyes at a boiling "LAKE MICHIGAN!!!" As they realize
that it is Gary who is somehow making this happen.
Chuck makes a half-witted attempt to jump Gary from
behind in order to try and calm him down. The idea
not turning out as Chuck had hoped, results in Gary
promptly lighting Chuck`s hair afire.
"F***! Shit! Help! Aahh!" Chuck`s screaming.
Gary lighting Chuck`s hair while frightened and
out of control,tries to help as he realizes it is Chuck.
And is promptly pushed out of the way by a misunderstanding
and shocked Bernie and Crumb.
A distraught Gary runs away from the scene.
***********************************************************************
Later
Joan`s Apartment
Gary arriving at Joan`s apartment in the
misunderstanding that his parents, Chuck, & Crumb want
nothing more to do with him, hopes that perhaps Jake &
Joan still will love him and maybe be willing to help.
After ringing the doorbell Gary promptly faints.
Upon opening the door and finding a fainted
Gary, Joan calls for Jake who carries Garys limp body
into the apartment and places him on the bed. Ruby,
Alice, Mark, Steinie,& Jakes parents whom are visiting
and have accepted an invitation to have dinner with
the rest of the bunch crowd into the room to see what
is wrong with Gary. Mr. & Mrs. Evans whom don`t know Gary
glance suspiciously at Jake as he checks Gary`s cheeks
and forehead for signs of fever and finds heis nearly
burning in his skin. Jake is also trying to decide
how to break Gary`s identity to them since he hasn`t
yet mentioned to them his search for his biological
family. After Jake steps back from the bed Gary starts to act restless.
"Maybe we should call Dr. Ross. When I went to
get Gary at the hospital mistaking him for you he told
me he could make house calls."Joan says to Jake.
"Yeah. Good idea. Go ahead and call him." Jake
replies.
An hour later Dr. Ross arrives. While awaiting hi
arrival, Alice, Ruby, Mark, & Steinie leave to go to their respective
homes. After Jake had explained as gently as he could to Mr. & Mrs. Evans, they seem to accept Gary and evenstay to hear the doctors diagnosis.
"He`s really burning up. His temperature is over
one-fifty. He can stay here there`s not much we could do for him at
the hospital that you couldn`t do here. Just try to keep him comfortable and keep him in bed with ice packs and cold compresses." says Dr. Ross.
"He can stay here." agrees Joan.
"Anything else doctor?" Jake asks.
"Not much. He hasn`t eaten much for a very long
time. If you can try to find out where he`s been & what`s happened to
him give me a call. Give me a call in the morning also. I`m giving him something to help him sleep. I`d like to know hom much it helps and if his temperatures' gone down any." replies the doctor.
The doctor leaves. Jake takes his parents to
their hotel. Having left Joan with Gary. He returns to have Joan decided Gary can stay in the bedroom. She`s going to sleep on
the sofas' pull-out bed and Jake can sleep with Gary to
keep and eye on him.
The Next Day
Dr. Ross is enthusiastic when he gets a call the
next day from Jake stating that Garys' temperature has dropped a
little over 20 degrees during the night. Gary has
also come to his senses and is able to recall what has
happened to him over the past few months.
Being that Gary is still ill and Jake & Joan both
have to get to work the Evanses agree to spend the day with him at
Joan`s.
A Week Later
After a few accidents (including catching a
newspaper and a trash can afire and boiling water in the toilet and
bathtub.) Gary realizes that he is also pyrokinetic (the ability to light fires just by thinking about them.) even though he can`t understand or control it. Joan & Jake try to help him learn to control it. While Ruby and Dr. Ross council him on dealing with it.
***********************************************************************
Another Week Later
3:15 PM
Mc Ginty`s
Gary having snuck a letter of explanation and
apology in the mail when no one else was around.
On a slow Thursday afternoon that letter arives
in the mail and is left unopened on the bar, to await his parents,
Chuck, & Crumb`s return from a day out with the paper. It is to the bunch (Mr. & Mrs. Hobson, Chuck, Crumb, Marissa, Erica, Patrick, & Henry) even though only Bernie & Lois`s names are on the envelope.
Twenty minutes later Bernie, Lois, Chuck and
Crumb return.
"There is a letter for you there on the bar."
Erica tells the Hobsons as they go to check in with Marissa.
"Thanks Erica." Lois replies. Then steps back
to pick it up off the bar.
She looks at the name with the return address
and gasps.
"What`s the matter?" Bernie asks her as Chuck,
Crumb, Erica, Marissa,& Henry face her wearing confused looks.
"It`s from Gary." Bernie says as he turns the
envelope in their direction.
Bernie taking the envelope from her opens it
and begins to read:
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
6-3-2002
Dear, Mom & Dad , Chuck, Crumb , Marissa,
Erica,
Patrick, & Henry,
Thanks in advance if you take the time to read this.
My guess is you are probably pissed-off
at me. If you are?,You`ve got a good reason to be.
For what I did to Chuck. If you`re not it`s probably
just my over-sensitivity as of the past few weeks.
But anyways I hope Chuck is alright. I hope the rest
of you are as well.
Well, I guess I`d better cut to the cahse
and explain why I did what I did. This letter will be
long because of that.
It all started in January. I went to one
of the labs at John Gearigson Hall to prevent a
suicide during the Lot Six experiments there. Being
mistaken for one of the paid volunteers, I ended up in
it too. During the experiment in which i was injected
through intravenous with Lot Six. I and the other
volunteers experienced, or so they claimed
'hallucinations'. Also in the end there was one
suicide and a cardiac arrest. Which the doctors
denied they even happaned, though I saw them with my
own eyes between my times of being `high` on the drug.
The experiment lasted 48 hours.
Once we were paid and released, I walked
out the doors and took off down the street I couldn`t
believe the things going through my head it was like
working with the paper but without it. ( by the way
it`s alright to tell Crumb about the paper as long as
he won`t tell anyone else about it.)
This happened for four months right?
Thats how it seemed.
Well after the accident at the lake when
I started thinking you all wanted to be rid of me, I
ran away. I don`t know how long it took but somehow I
ended up here at Joan`s apartment. Joan is Jake`s
girlfriend. Jake is Aunt Jane and Uncle Mike`s ...
"Son!" Bernie and Lois continued,
reading together now. They Continued
... son that was put up for adoption after
the crash. Jake found out about where we were around
Christmas. When I got to Joan`s i`m told I fainted
after ringing the doorbell. They brought me in, put
me to bed and called in a doctor of whom I was a
patient before. I had over a one-fifty temperature
and was severly malnourished from being on the streets
the whole time and never stopping to eat, I`m doing
fine enough now to be able to get around the apartment
and write you all.
Joan and Jake are friends of a
psychiatrist named Ruby Stern. The three of them plus
the doctor helped me to realize I`m now telekinetic
and pyrokinetic, I was totally out of control when
you found me at the lake. It was my first pyrokinetic
experience. I`ve now learned to control the pyro
kinis, and the the telekinisis is why I was able to go
out without the paper.
The telekinisis and pyrokinisis are
side-effects from the experiment I`ll have for the
rest of my life. I just wanted to write this to
explain everything to you and apologize for what I did
to Chuck, You can disregard this letter or come see
me. The address is on the envelope. This is the last
you have to hear from me if that is the way you want
it. I won`t pester you.
Love
Forever,
Gary
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
***********************************************************************
Later That Evening
Joan`s Apartment
Bernie, Lois, & Chuck realizing the whole thing
was only a bunch of misunderstandings arrive at Joan`s apartment. When
they are invited in after Jake & Joan recognize Chuck, introductions are made, afterall it`s been 31 years since Jake last saw Bernie & Lois. Gary wakes to the sound of extra voices and after seeing his parents and Chuck again. Jake & Joan leave them some privacy, a tearful reconciliation follows. After starting plans with Jake & Joan for a family reunion Bernie, Lois & Chuck take Gary home to McGinty`s. When they get there, Gary is fast asleep they put him to bed.
Erica,Marissa,Patrick,Henry and Crumbwhom have
stayed after the customers left smiled as they witness Bernie and Chuck
carry in the sleeping Gary. Bernie, Lois and Chuck let them know that even though Gary`s still sick he was well enough to be brought home.
***********************************************************************
Three Days Later
9:30 AM
Mc Ginty`s
While the gang sits at the bar eating a late
breakfast together after seeing Henry off to school, the door opens and in walks detectives Armstrong & Brigatti.
"Good Morning." they say to the gang.
"What can we do for you,today?" Gary asks.
"Where here to ask what you know about the lake
boiling a few weeks ago." replies Brigatti.
At the mention of the lake boiling, Gary starts
to choke on a bite of toast. Crumb asks if he`s
alright and gives him a pat on the back to help him
out. Armstrong raises an eyebrow at gary while
flashing a questioning look his way. Gary takes a
drink of his juice to wash the crumbs down. Then
asks...
"Anything specific you`re wanting to know?"
"Well a few agents from the group that developed
the drug Lot Six are looking for you. They are also
the people who conducted the experiment. They know it
was because of you , what happened at the lake. We
know it`s you too. You`re not in any trouble for that
though." replies Armstrong.
Bernie, Lois, Erica, Chuck, Marissa, Patrick, &
Crumb simultaneously look from the detectives to
Gary, then back to the detectives.
"This is the second time they`ve done this."
says Brigatti as she continues where Armstrong left
off. "We are just trying to warn you so you`ll have
time to get away from here. They are on their way
from their compuond outside of Washington D.C. right
now."
"You said this is the second time. What is this
the second time for exactly?" Crumbs asks.
"That this is the second time they`ve done the
experiment and that one of the volunteers developed
pyrokinesis. They tried to catch the girl. But she
committed suicide when she found ou what they were
going to do to her. They want to do the same to you."
Armstrong says to Gary. " Capture you then take you
to their compund and run tests to see what makes you
work. It`s like a mental autopsy. Which is why we
suggest you get out of here as soon as you can today.
Go where you don`t know anyone except if you pick
someone to go with you. If they catch you they could
have you spending the rest of your life, like a
sideshow freak."
"I know a place for you to hide. I`ll take you
there and stay with you." Crumb offers Gary.
"Th..Thanks." Gary replies,his words stumbling
out of his mouth. As he stares at his eggs.
"It`s an abandoned group of camps, my family
owned one of them in the fifties. It`s still in
good enough shape to stay in for awhile." Crumb
says as he and Gary clear their plates so they can get
ready ,and be on their way.
Four Months Later
May 25, 2002
7:45 AM
On the street
Chuck,Bernie,Lois,& Crumb have been out in the
strrets doing the best they can catching the things
that haven`t changed by themselves in the paper.
"What time did it say fror that hold-up?,
Bernie?" asks Chuck.
"8,o,three." Bernie replies.
Just at that second they see a man run around
the corner who looks like Gary probably would if he
were months late for a haircut. Being so worried
about Gary as they have been they decide to tail him.
"How can we be so sure it`s really Hobson?" asks
Crumb as they run down the street.
"It`s worth a try, isn`t it?" Lois asks.
"It`s him!!" Bernie & Chuck screamed in unison
as they got a look at his face.
But as they round the corner to where Gary has
gone. They find him staring with a dreamy look in his
eyes at a boiling "LAKE MICHIGAN!!!" As they realize
that it is Gary who is somehow making this happen.
Chuck makes a half-witted attempt to jump Gary from
behind in order to try and calm him down. The idea
not turning out as Chuck had hoped, results in Gary
promptly lighting Chuck`s hair afire.
"F***! Shit! Help! Aahh!" Chuck`s screaming.
Gary lighting Chuck`s hair while frightened and
out of control,tries to help as he realizes it is Chuck.
And is promptly pushed out of the way by a misunderstanding
and shocked Bernie and Crumb.
A distraught Gary runs away from the scene.
***********************************************************************
Later
Joan`s Apartment
Gary arriving at Joan`s apartment in the
misunderstanding that his parents, Chuck, & Crumb want
nothing more to do with him, hopes that perhaps Jake &
Joan still will love him and maybe be willing to help.
After ringing the doorbell Gary promptly faints.
Upon opening the door and finding a fainted
Gary, Joan calls for Jake who carries Garys limp body
into the apartment and places him on the bed. Ruby,
Alice, Mark, Steinie,& Jakes parents whom are visiting
and have accepted an invitation to have dinner with
the rest of the bunch crowd into the room to see what
is wrong with Gary. Mr. & Mrs. Evans whom don`t know Gary
glance suspiciously at Jake as he checks Gary`s cheeks
and forehead for signs of fever and finds heis nearly
burning in his skin. Jake is also trying to decide
how to break Gary`s identity to them since he hasn`t
yet mentioned to them his search for his biological
family. After Jake steps back from the bed Gary starts to act restless.
"Maybe we should call Dr. Ross. When I went to
get Gary at the hospital mistaking him for you he told
me he could make house calls."Joan says to Jake.
"Yeah. Good idea. Go ahead and call him." Jake
replies.
An hour later Dr. Ross arrives. While awaiting hi
arrival, Alice, Ruby, Mark, & Steinie leave to go to their respective
homes. After Jake had explained as gently as he could to Mr. & Mrs. Evans, they seem to accept Gary and evenstay to hear the doctors diagnosis.
"He`s really burning up. His temperature is over
one-fifty. He can stay here there`s not much we could do for him at
the hospital that you couldn`t do here. Just try to keep him comfortable and keep him in bed with ice packs and cold compresses." says Dr. Ross.
"He can stay here." agrees Joan.
"Anything else doctor?" Jake asks.
"Not much. He hasn`t eaten much for a very long
time. If you can try to find out where he`s been & what`s happened to
him give me a call. Give me a call in the morning also. I`m giving him something to help him sleep. I`d like to know hom much it helps and if his temperatures' gone down any." replies the doctor.
The doctor leaves. Jake takes his parents to
their hotel. Having left Joan with Gary. He returns to have Joan decided Gary can stay in the bedroom. She`s going to sleep on
the sofas' pull-out bed and Jake can sleep with Gary to
keep and eye on him.
The Next Day
Dr. Ross is enthusiastic when he gets a call the
next day from Jake stating that Garys' temperature has dropped a
little over 20 degrees during the night. Gary has
also come to his senses and is able to recall what has
happened to him over the past few months.
Being that Gary is still ill and Jake & Joan both
have to get to work the Evanses agree to spend the day with him at
Joan`s.
A Week Later
After a few accidents (including catching a
newspaper and a trash can afire and boiling water in the toilet and
bathtub.) Gary realizes that he is also pyrokinetic (the ability to light fires just by thinking about them.) even though he can`t understand or control it. Joan & Jake try to help him learn to control it. While Ruby and Dr. Ross council him on dealing with it.
***********************************************************************
Another Week Later
3:15 PM
Mc Ginty`s
Gary having snuck a letter of explanation and
apology in the mail when no one else was around.
On a slow Thursday afternoon that letter arives
in the mail and is left unopened on the bar, to await his parents,
Chuck, & Crumb`s return from a day out with the paper. It is to the bunch (Mr. & Mrs. Hobson, Chuck, Crumb, Marissa, Erica, Patrick, & Henry) even though only Bernie & Lois`s names are on the envelope.
Twenty minutes later Bernie, Lois, Chuck and
Crumb return.
"There is a letter for you there on the bar."
Erica tells the Hobsons as they go to check in with Marissa.
"Thanks Erica." Lois replies. Then steps back
to pick it up off the bar.
She looks at the name with the return address
and gasps.
"What`s the matter?" Bernie asks her as Chuck,
Crumb, Erica, Marissa,& Henry face her wearing confused looks.
"It`s from Gary." Bernie says as he turns the
envelope in their direction.
Bernie taking the envelope from her opens it
and begins to read:
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
6-3-2002
Dear, Mom & Dad , Chuck, Crumb , Marissa,
Erica,
Patrick, & Henry,
Thanks in advance if you take the time to read this.
My guess is you are probably pissed-off
at me. If you are?,You`ve got a good reason to be.
For what I did to Chuck. If you`re not it`s probably
just my over-sensitivity as of the past few weeks.
But anyways I hope Chuck is alright. I hope the rest
of you are as well.
Well, I guess I`d better cut to the cahse
and explain why I did what I did. This letter will be
long because of that.
It all started in January. I went to one
of the labs at John Gearigson Hall to prevent a
suicide during the Lot Six experiments there. Being
mistaken for one of the paid volunteers, I ended up in
it too. During the experiment in which i was injected
through intravenous with Lot Six. I and the other
volunteers experienced, or so they claimed
'hallucinations'. Also in the end there was one
suicide and a cardiac arrest. Which the doctors
denied they even happaned, though I saw them with my
own eyes between my times of being `high` on the drug.
The experiment lasted 48 hours.
Once we were paid and released, I walked
out the doors and took off down the street I couldn`t
believe the things going through my head it was like
working with the paper but without it. ( by the way
it`s alright to tell Crumb about the paper as long as
he won`t tell anyone else about it.)
This happened for four months right?
Thats how it seemed.
Well after the accident at the lake when
I started thinking you all wanted to be rid of me, I
ran away. I don`t know how long it took but somehow I
ended up here at Joan`s apartment. Joan is Jake`s
girlfriend. Jake is Aunt Jane and Uncle Mike`s ...
"Son!" Bernie and Lois continued,
reading together now. They Continued
... son that was put up for adoption after
the crash. Jake found out about where we were around
Christmas. When I got to Joan`s i`m told I fainted
after ringing the doorbell. They brought me in, put
me to bed and called in a doctor of whom I was a
patient before. I had over a one-fifty temperature
and was severly malnourished from being on the streets
the whole time and never stopping to eat, I`m doing
fine enough now to be able to get around the apartment
and write you all.
Joan and Jake are friends of a
psychiatrist named Ruby Stern. The three of them plus
the doctor helped me to realize I`m now telekinetic
and pyrokinetic, I was totally out of control when
you found me at the lake. It was my first pyrokinetic
experience. I`ve now learned to control the pyro
kinis, and the the telekinisis is why I was able to go
out without the paper.
The telekinisis and pyrokinisis are
side-effects from the experiment I`ll have for the
rest of my life. I just wanted to write this to
explain everything to you and apologize for what I did
to Chuck, You can disregard this letter or come see
me. The address is on the envelope. This is the last
you have to hear from me if that is the way you want
it. I won`t pester you.
Love
Forever,
Gary
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
***********************************************************************
Later That Evening
Joan`s Apartment
Bernie, Lois, & Chuck realizing the whole thing
was only a bunch of misunderstandings arrive at Joan`s apartment. When
they are invited in after Jake & Joan recognize Chuck, introductions are made, afterall it`s been 31 years since Jake last saw Bernie & Lois. Gary wakes to the sound of extra voices and after seeing his parents and Chuck again. Jake & Joan leave them some privacy, a tearful reconciliation follows. After starting plans with Jake & Joan for a family reunion Bernie, Lois & Chuck take Gary home to McGinty`s. When they get there, Gary is fast asleep they put him to bed.
Erica,Marissa,Patrick,Henry and Crumbwhom have
stayed after the customers left smiled as they witness Bernie and Chuck
carry in the sleeping Gary. Bernie, Lois and Chuck let them know that even though Gary`s still sick he was well enough to be brought home.
***********************************************************************
Three Days Later
9:30 AM
Mc Ginty`s
While the gang sits at the bar eating a late
breakfast together after seeing Henry off to school, the door opens and in walks detectives Armstrong & Brigatti.
"Good Morning." they say to the gang.
"What can we do for you,today?" Gary asks.
"Where here to ask what you know about the lake
boiling a few weeks ago." replies Brigatti.
At the mention of the lake boiling, Gary starts
to choke on a bite of toast. Crumb asks if he`s
alright and gives him a pat on the back to help him
out. Armstrong raises an eyebrow at gary while
flashing a questioning look his way. Gary takes a
drink of his juice to wash the crumbs down. Then
asks...
"Anything specific you`re wanting to know?"
"Well a few agents from the group that developed
the drug Lot Six are looking for you. They are also
the people who conducted the experiment. They know it
was because of you , what happened at the lake. We
know it`s you too. You`re not in any trouble for that
though." replies Armstrong.
Bernie, Lois, Erica, Chuck, Marissa, Patrick, &
Crumb simultaneously look from the detectives to
Gary, then back to the detectives.
"This is the second time they`ve done this."
says Brigatti as she continues where Armstrong left
off. "We are just trying to warn you so you`ll have
time to get away from here. They are on their way
from their compuond outside of Washington D.C. right
now."
"You said this is the second time. What is this
the second time for exactly?" Crumbs asks.
"That this is the second time they`ve done the
experiment and that one of the volunteers developed
pyrokinesis. They tried to catch the girl. But she
committed suicide when she found ou what they were
going to do to her. They want to do the same to you."
Armstrong says to Gary. " Capture you then take you
to their compund and run tests to see what makes you
work. It`s like a mental autopsy. Which is why we
suggest you get out of here as soon as you can today.
Go where you don`t know anyone except if you pick
someone to go with you. If they catch you they could
have you spending the rest of your life, like a
sideshow freak."
"I know a place for you to hide. I`ll take you
there and stay with you." Crumb offers Gary.
"Th..Thanks." Gary replies,his words stumbling
out of his mouth. As he stares at his eggs.
"It`s an abandoned group of camps, my family
owned one of them in the fifties. It`s still in
good enough shape to stay in for awhile." Crumb
says as he and Gary clear their plates so they can get
ready ,and be on their way.