*******************************
CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX:
Two days went by, and still no sign of the Lashallal. No other women matching Isabel's description had been attacked. Isabel walked around town every day, trying to draw the attention of the murderer who could be anywhere nearby, but still had not brought the menace out of hiding. As she walked around town, she was always watched by Sheriff Valenti, Kyle, or Michael, and Alex was always with whoever was keeping watch. The others went about their business, waiting for a call to come to Isabel's aid.
On the third day of waiting and watching, Kyle and Alex sat in the former's patrol vehicle, and watched Isabel go into the Crashdown. "Should we join her for lunch?" asked Kyle.
"She's not going in to eat," said Alex. "She and Liz are going to call the folks and check on the kids."
"Oh," said Kyle.
"I wish this would just happen already," said Alex. "I hate sitting hear, WAITING for something to happen to her."
"What choice do we have?" asked Kyle.
"I don't know," said Alex. "I just..."
Alex was interrupted by an alarm sounding over the radio. "Attention all patrol units," said the voice of the dispatcher. "We have a report of a shooting at 122 Danvers Street. All available units respond."
"Jesus," said Alex. "That's in our neighborhood. That's on OUR BLOCK!"
Kyle picked up the radio. "This is unit 5," said Kyle. "Any reports on casualties?"
"Affirmative," said the dispatcher. "One victim in critical condition."
"Description of victim," said Kyle.
"Victim is Miss Sarah Holt, age 24," said the dispatcher.
"I know her," said Alex. "And she looks a lot like Isabel, in general at least."
"Damned," said Kyle. Then, he spoke again into the radio. "Dispatch, how long ago?"
"Around five minutes," said the dispatcher.
"Unit 9, this is seven, come in," said Kyle into the radio.
"Go ahead, seven," said Michael's voice over the radio.
"That shooting, the victim matches the description we've been waiting for," said Kyle.
"Got it," said Michael. "I'm enroute. Meet you there."
"What about Isabel?" asked Alex.
"Go inside, stay with her and Liz," said Kyle. "We'll respond to this, and hopefully pick up the guy's trail."
"Good luck," said Alex, who hopped out of vehicle, and watched as Kyle took off down the road.
Alex went into the Crashdown. There were only two customers in the whole place, considering that it was a 2PM on a weekday and most people were at work. Maria was in class, so one of the other waitresses was watching the place. He went into the back room, and found Liz and Isabel on the phone.
"Hi, Alex," said Liz. "We've got Kevin on the line. Want to talk to him."
"You bet," said Alex.
**
Michael pulled up to the address where the shooting took place, just in time to see the victim being taken out to an ambulance on a stretcher. He got out, and saw Kyle speaking to one of the neighbors.
"Hey Kyle," said Michael. "What's the word?"
Kyle turned to Michael. "We've got a description," he said. "White male, around 6 feet tall, dark hair, wearing a trench coat. Normally, I'd say put out an APB, but..."
"We have to deal with this on our own," said Michael in a knowing tone. "Let's scout the neighborhood, see if we can spot him. Remember, don't engage him alone, though. We need to mass our firepower on him."
"Right," said Kyle.
***
"Yeah, Charlie, Mommy and Daddy miss you," said Liz into the phone. "Charlie? Charlie, can you hear me?"
"What's wrong?" asked Isabel.
"All of a sudden, the phone went dead," said Liz. "That's weird. I'm not even getting a dial tone."
****
Sheriff Valenti was driving through downtown Roswell, on his way to the scene of the shooting. He was speaking to Kyle over the police radio.
"You said Isabel is at the Crashdown," said Valenti.
"Yeah," said Kyle. "Alex is there with her and Liz."
"Alright, I'm going to call them on the cell, just to make sure everything is okay,:" said Valenti. "My ETA is five minutes. Out."
Sheriff Valenti pulled his cell phone out of his pocket, and dialed the Crashdown. He got an automated message, saying that the number was out of service.
"What the hell?" asked Valenti.
*****
Alex was checking the connections on the phone in the back room when he, Liz, and Isabel, heard a scream come from the front room. Liz went to the door to the front, and looked through the window. Almost immediately, she jumped away from the window.
"UP THE STAIRS! NOW!" she yelled.
The three of them ran up the stairs, as the door to the front dining area burst open. Through the door stepped a tall man, carrying a sawed off shotgun. He raised the gun and fired it in the direction of Alex, Isabel, and Liz, as they ran up the stairs to escape the blasts. The shots barely missed them, impacting on the brick wall running up the side of the stairwell. Shards of brick struck Alex's back.
"Out through Liz's old room," said Alex. "The balcony."
They ran into the room, and shut and locked the door. The trio dashed out the window as a blast from the shooter's shotgun blasted the lock off of the bedroom door.
"Down the ladder," said Alex, pulling out a pistol which he had been keeping ready for the past couple of days.
"Alex!" protested Isabel.
"GO! NOW!" said Alex.
As the two girls went down the ladder running down the back of the Parker home, Alex crouched low like the Sheriff showed him, and took aim at the gunman who was trying to climb through the window. He fired his pistol, and the impact of the bullets sent the guy flying backwards into the room. For a moment, Alex thought he might have stopped the guy cold, but the now shaking Alex saw the gunman immediately begin to pick himself up off of the ground, barely fazed by Alex's fire.
"SHIT!" yelled Alex, who then ran for the ladder, and began to climb down.
"Alex, come on!" yelled Isabel, who was now on the ground with Liz.
"GO!" said Alex. "I'm coming!"
Isabel and Liz ran down the alley, as Alex climbed down the ladder. The latter looked up and saw the gunman appear at the top of the ladder. He looked at Alex with a lifeless expression, then looked in the direction of where Isabel and Liz were running down the alley. The gunman then jumped off of the balcony and landed on the ground.
"ISABEL,. RUN!" yelled Alex. "He's in alley!"
Alex, in a last ditch effort to protect Isabel, jumped off of the ladder and landed on the Lashallal's back. The gunman easily threw Alex off of him and sent the young man crashing into the wall.
End of Chapter Thirty-six. Chapter Thirty-seven coming soon.
Stay tuned for the next chapter to find out what happens next.
CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX:
Two days went by, and still no sign of the Lashallal. No other women matching Isabel's description had been attacked. Isabel walked around town every day, trying to draw the attention of the murderer who could be anywhere nearby, but still had not brought the menace out of hiding. As she walked around town, she was always watched by Sheriff Valenti, Kyle, or Michael, and Alex was always with whoever was keeping watch. The others went about their business, waiting for a call to come to Isabel's aid.
On the third day of waiting and watching, Kyle and Alex sat in the former's patrol vehicle, and watched Isabel go into the Crashdown. "Should we join her for lunch?" asked Kyle.
"She's not going in to eat," said Alex. "She and Liz are going to call the folks and check on the kids."
"Oh," said Kyle.
"I wish this would just happen already," said Alex. "I hate sitting hear, WAITING for something to happen to her."
"What choice do we have?" asked Kyle.
"I don't know," said Alex. "I just..."
Alex was interrupted by an alarm sounding over the radio. "Attention all patrol units," said the voice of the dispatcher. "We have a report of a shooting at 122 Danvers Street. All available units respond."
"Jesus," said Alex. "That's in our neighborhood. That's on OUR BLOCK!"
Kyle picked up the radio. "This is unit 5," said Kyle. "Any reports on casualties?"
"Affirmative," said the dispatcher. "One victim in critical condition."
"Description of victim," said Kyle.
"Victim is Miss Sarah Holt, age 24," said the dispatcher.
"I know her," said Alex. "And she looks a lot like Isabel, in general at least."
"Damned," said Kyle. Then, he spoke again into the radio. "Dispatch, how long ago?"
"Around five minutes," said the dispatcher.
"Unit 9, this is seven, come in," said Kyle into the radio.
"Go ahead, seven," said Michael's voice over the radio.
"That shooting, the victim matches the description we've been waiting for," said Kyle.
"Got it," said Michael. "I'm enroute. Meet you there."
"What about Isabel?" asked Alex.
"Go inside, stay with her and Liz," said Kyle. "We'll respond to this, and hopefully pick up the guy's trail."
"Good luck," said Alex, who hopped out of vehicle, and watched as Kyle took off down the road.
Alex went into the Crashdown. There were only two customers in the whole place, considering that it was a 2PM on a weekday and most people were at work. Maria was in class, so one of the other waitresses was watching the place. He went into the back room, and found Liz and Isabel on the phone.
"Hi, Alex," said Liz. "We've got Kevin on the line. Want to talk to him."
"You bet," said Alex.
**
Michael pulled up to the address where the shooting took place, just in time to see the victim being taken out to an ambulance on a stretcher. He got out, and saw Kyle speaking to one of the neighbors.
"Hey Kyle," said Michael. "What's the word?"
Kyle turned to Michael. "We've got a description," he said. "White male, around 6 feet tall, dark hair, wearing a trench coat. Normally, I'd say put out an APB, but..."
"We have to deal with this on our own," said Michael in a knowing tone. "Let's scout the neighborhood, see if we can spot him. Remember, don't engage him alone, though. We need to mass our firepower on him."
"Right," said Kyle.
***
"Yeah, Charlie, Mommy and Daddy miss you," said Liz into the phone. "Charlie? Charlie, can you hear me?"
"What's wrong?" asked Isabel.
"All of a sudden, the phone went dead," said Liz. "That's weird. I'm not even getting a dial tone."
****
Sheriff Valenti was driving through downtown Roswell, on his way to the scene of the shooting. He was speaking to Kyle over the police radio.
"You said Isabel is at the Crashdown," said Valenti.
"Yeah," said Kyle. "Alex is there with her and Liz."
"Alright, I'm going to call them on the cell, just to make sure everything is okay,:" said Valenti. "My ETA is five minutes. Out."
Sheriff Valenti pulled his cell phone out of his pocket, and dialed the Crashdown. He got an automated message, saying that the number was out of service.
"What the hell?" asked Valenti.
*****
Alex was checking the connections on the phone in the back room when he, Liz, and Isabel, heard a scream come from the front room. Liz went to the door to the front, and looked through the window. Almost immediately, she jumped away from the window.
"UP THE STAIRS! NOW!" she yelled.
The three of them ran up the stairs, as the door to the front dining area burst open. Through the door stepped a tall man, carrying a sawed off shotgun. He raised the gun and fired it in the direction of Alex, Isabel, and Liz, as they ran up the stairs to escape the blasts. The shots barely missed them, impacting on the brick wall running up the side of the stairwell. Shards of brick struck Alex's back.
"Out through Liz's old room," said Alex. "The balcony."
They ran into the room, and shut and locked the door. The trio dashed out the window as a blast from the shooter's shotgun blasted the lock off of the bedroom door.
"Down the ladder," said Alex, pulling out a pistol which he had been keeping ready for the past couple of days.
"Alex!" protested Isabel.
"GO! NOW!" said Alex.
As the two girls went down the ladder running down the back of the Parker home, Alex crouched low like the Sheriff showed him, and took aim at the gunman who was trying to climb through the window. He fired his pistol, and the impact of the bullets sent the guy flying backwards into the room. For a moment, Alex thought he might have stopped the guy cold, but the now shaking Alex saw the gunman immediately begin to pick himself up off of the ground, barely fazed by Alex's fire.
"SHIT!" yelled Alex, who then ran for the ladder, and began to climb down.
"Alex, come on!" yelled Isabel, who was now on the ground with Liz.
"GO!" said Alex. "I'm coming!"
Isabel and Liz ran down the alley, as Alex climbed down the ladder. The latter looked up and saw the gunman appear at the top of the ladder. He looked at Alex with a lifeless expression, then looked in the direction of where Isabel and Liz were running down the alley. The gunman then jumped off of the balcony and landed on the ground.
"ISABEL,. RUN!" yelled Alex. "He's in alley!"
Alex, in a last ditch effort to protect Isabel, jumped off of the ladder and landed on the Lashallal's back. The gunman easily threw Alex off of him and sent the young man crashing into the wall.
End of Chapter Thirty-six. Chapter Thirty-seven coming soon.
Stay tuned for the next chapter to find out what happens next.