AN: For right now, no authors notes…just read on…
Oh, I almost forgot. For any German buffs out there, for one thing, the name 'Gunter' usually has umlauts over the 'u'. But I just don't know how to do it, so we'll pretend. And I'm not writing in the German accent because I'm not good at it. So that's that. Let's move on.
Oh…and for all you overly-sensitive people…this chapter may get a teensy bit graphic. I can't say anything more without giving away a major 'surprise and shock the reader' part. So just use your imagination and your own judgement.
Skittery
They took me to the one place I never would've guessed- Pulitzer's mansion. They had turned the place into some kind of headquarters, basically a fort. In a matter of minutes I was tied up and sat down against the wall of a room on the third floor.
"Ya lousy bums! I'll soak ya!"
Wait a second…I recognized that voice. But it couldn't be him…it just couldn't be.
Spot Conlon himself was suddenly shoved into the room, his hands already tied, and the door slammed shut behind him. He shouted a few more curses at the closed door, and his eyes widened when he turned and saw me.
"You too?"
I nodded, and he sank down beside me, breathing hard as he leaned back against the wall. For a moment he just caught his breath, and then he turned his head to look at me again.
"What'd ya do?"
"I punched one of 'em."
"What'd ya do that for?!"
"Cause he hit Snitch."
He started to say something else, but the door opened and the officer who I'd punched walked in. He sneered at me, and then gestured to the guards and said something in German. I was yanked to my feet and pulled into an adjoining room, and then they sat me down in a huge, wooden chair.
The other soldiers walked out and the officer stood in front of me, a knife in one hand.
"You still wanting to fight?" He asked, and then he stabbed the chair in-between my legs- and very close to a muscle I'd very much like to keep.
"Bastard."
"I could've made that a whole lot closer. Care to try me?"
"Love to. But if I'm goin' ta hell, I guarantee, I's takin' you with me. One way or anudder."
He suddenly grabbed me by the chin and pressed his lips to mine, and after the initial shock, I bit down as hard as I could. He jerked back, his lower lip now dripping with blood, and I spit on his well-polished shoes. Cigars and vodka…exactly the taste I needed in my mouth right now. Yuck.
"Like I said before, you are feisty. Much too feisty." He pulled the knife out of the wood, and I waited for him to kill me. I expected it. But instead he strolled around behind me, and then he pressed the blade against my throat, his stale breath on my neck. "I told my men that you would agree to wear a German uniform and help us."
I didn't speak. I was afraid to. The cool metal pressed against my jugular was enough to make me think twice about uttering a sound.
"So what's your answer?"
Oh, so he actually wanted an answer? I'd give him an answer.
"You'd have ta slit my throat to get dat uniform on me."
He laughed, grabbing me by the hair and pulling my head back. "And what about your friend in the other room? I noticed that you two knew each other."
"You cheap, fucked up-"
"Hold that…do you really want to insult me when I could order him killed in a snap of my fingers?" he let go of me and pulled the knife away, and I started breathing again. He suddenly knocked twice on the door, and a soldier walked in, carrying a uniform in his hands. The officer stood me up and cut the ropes off my hands, and then he shoved the uniform into my arms.
"You're going to be our little hostage…and our guide. You know this city well. You will take us wherever we want to go, and you will do it without saying a single word unless asked. Do you understand?"
I nodded, and he snickered.
"It's too bad you were so easily broken. Friends do a number on the conscience, don't they?" He grabbed me by the shirt, and at first I tried to jerk back, but then he raised his hand, preparing to snap his fingers. I could barely contain my rage as his lips met mine again, the coppery taste of his blood filling my senses. He shoved me backwards and walked out, and I felt like just breaking down and crying.
But I had a uniform to put on.
Dutchy
We got to the lodging house about the same time as Jack and David, and since the sun had dropped behind the buildings, they couldn't see who we were. I jumped off the horse and ran to them, and I saw the panic on their faces as I approached.
"Jack, it's me! Dutchy!" I said, and he squinted, studying me carefully.
"Dutchy…what are ya doing in those clothes? And who's that?"
I turned around to where Specs was still trying to get off the horse, his foot getting caught in the stirrup on the way down. He hit the ground hard, his left foot still tangled in the stirrup. The horse snorted, seeming amused by this.
"It's just Specs, Jack. Is Itey okay?" I asked.
"I don't know."
Jack and David headed inside, and I made my way over to Specs and helped him up, shaking my head and laughing.
"Dis isn't funny." Specs muttered, brushing himself off.
"I happen ta think it's hilarious."
"Just get me away from dat thing."
I tied the horse up and we went inside, where Jack had laid Itey down on a table in the front room. Itey didn't look so good- David was trying to keep him conscious, but it didn't look like he was going to stay that way for long.
Jack's expression looked grim. "We're gonna lose him. He needs a doctor."
"If we go back out there, they'll kill us." David said. Specs and I looked at each other, both thinking the same thing.
"We'll go find a doctor. You stay here and keep him alive till we get back." I said. Jack raised an eyebrow at me, a gesture of skepticism.
"And what if one of 'em tries ta talk ta you?"
I let out a string of German, and Jack's mouth dropped open.
"You speak German too?"
"Yep. My mom was Dutch, but my dad was German."
"Jack…make it stop hurting…" Itey begged, gasping for breath between almost every word. I sprang for the door, and Specs started to follow. I turned around and stopped him, and he gave me a look of pure confusion.
"I…don't think you should come." I said.
"Why the hell not?"
"Well, for one, if you sit just outside and salute passing officers, they'll think you have this district and they won't go into the lodging house. And for another, you might blow my cover, since you don't know German."
"But…I don't want you to do this alone."
"I don't want to. I have to."
I turned to walk out, but Specs grabbed my arm.
"Don't…don't do anything stupid, okay?"
I smiled. "You know me."
With that, I jumped onto the horse and left, and Specs sat down on the lodging house steps.
I would've given anything to not have to do this alone.
Bumlets
Race and I made out way through the alleys of Manhattan, hiding from passing soldiers and moving only in the shadows. He was distraught over what had happened, but I managed to convince him that there was nothing we could do until we found the others. Two of us couldn't act alone.
"Stop! Stop right there!"
Two horses pulled up in front of us, and we decided to stop. Maybe if we just acted civil, they would decide not to shoot us.
"Where are you going?"
"Home."
"Where do you live?"
Race took over. "Third Street. Not far from here."
I kept my eye on the second officer, the one that wasn't talking. He was wearing a hat that set low on his head, hiding his eyes from us, and that made me suspicious.
The first officer stared us down for a moment, and then he turned to the other officer.
"Are they telling the truth?"
As the second officer raised his face, the dim streetlight caught his features, and my heart took a flying leap into my throat.
"Skittery?!"
The first officer turned and looked at me, and then he smiled. "Oh, you two know each other? You see, your friend graciously offered to help us find our way around the city. Wasn't that awfully nice of him?"
"Skittery…dat ain't true…is it?" Race asked, stumbling over the words. Skittery didn't answer us; he just swallowed hard and dropped his gaze to the ground.
Oh, God…it was true.
Or was it?
The first officer obviously got bored, because he kicked his horse on, and Skittery followed without question. But just as he passed me, he mouthed three words, and I immediately understood.
They'll kill Spot.
We had to find the others…and we had to find them now.
Cause I had the feeling that they weren't going to keep Skittery and Spot alive for much longer.
AN: Reviews…must have reviews…