Ally? Chapter 11
"Bos! You're too close! It's kicking up too much dirt!" Nat held her
sleeve over her mouth as she shouted across the van, trying to breathe
through her nose.
They had caught up to the black suv as it sped away from the
industrial park. Dirt, stones and twigs flew into the van, glass
glittered on the dashboard from the smashed windshield, skittering around.
"Ok kids! I'm taking this off-road!" Bos swerved the van off the dirt
road, trying to overtake the suv from the side.
"Sit down, Max!" Alex commanded belatedly as he crashed to the floor
in back. He groaned and just lay there, letting the van bump his body
around. "Come on! Get onto the seat and lie down so I can look at you."
His face was bloody and wan under the dirt and sweat. Alex took an
alcohol wipe and started to dab at the cut over his eye.
She let out a startled cry as the van shot forward, the force throwing
her down and rolling her to the back. "Hey! Watch it up there!"
Nat and Bos bounced in their seats as the path besides the road became
bumpier. She grabbed Alex's gun bag and fished out a fresh clip.
"That's right, baby girl! Shoot that mutha's tires out!" She propped
her feet up on the dash in front of her and pushed back into the seat
as she fired through the broken windshield.
Bullets clanged and sparked as they ricocheted off the bumper and
wheel wells. The suv was moving up and down too much for her to get a
clear shot.
Suddenly, the suv picked up more speed and Bos bore down on the gas
pedal. "Forget it!" Alex clutched at the side of Bos's seat, swaying,
"Let them go, we got other worries!" She shook Bos's leg "BOS! The
damn engine's going to fall out!"
"Jesus, would you look at that." Nat and Alex turned to follow Bos'
gaze. The suv had managed to double, then triple, its distance in a
few seconds. If it hadn't been for the huge empty horizon, it would
have vanished, instead of flitting about in the distance-a tiny black
speck.
"Can we get one of those?" Bos said. "There's no car-no car! Let
alone an suv, that can move like that!" He punctuated with a bang on
the steering wheel.
"Well, something tells me, we ain't in Kansas any more," Nat said
grimly. "Bos, let Alex drive," Nat shot her a look. "Yeah, Bos, why
don't you clean up Max and I'll get us to the clinic," Alex followed
along.
Bos moved into the back, "Hey kid, how are you feeling?" He picked up
the bag of alcohol wipes and opened one.
"I feel a little sick." "Well, you are-you're a little con-cuss-ed."
He chuckled at his joke. "Seeing as you fell about three stories off
that bridge."
Max put his hand to his forehead,"Really? I fell hard, but it didn't
seem that far." He turned his head to let Bos look at the scratches
on his neck.
"Boy, you've been hit a lot harder than I thought, then," Bos dabbed
at the oozing scratches on his collarbone. "'Cuz you fell a long, long
way down--"
Nat climbed back, "What happened back there? We thought that the Thin
Man was going to kill you."
Bos paused in his dabbing,"Well, wasn't he--with that cane
raised--looking like Satan himself?"
"Wow, is that what happened?" Max knocked Bos' hand away from his
forehead, "I'm fine, dammit!"
"Oooo, you watch it, boy! You've got a concussion and that affects
your brain!"
"I'm telling you..." Max sat up slowly. "Look, something weird
happened back there. The Thin Man--he saved me. He-he stopped-he
stopped time!"
Nat and Bos looked at each other, Alex glanced into the rear view mirror.
Bos gently pushed Max back down onto the seat. "After we climbed the
stairs in the second building, we sped over the bridge. There was
this bright white light at the end. I thought it was just really,
really bright 'cuz it's day. But I guess I didn't realize that the
bridge was split. By the time I figured it out, I was already
falling. Then-then there were these-these things. And the buzzing."
Max and Bos shuddered at their respective memories. "Anyway, all I
remember is that these things started to attack me- and I turned and
saw the Thin Man with his cane raised-then everything stopped. And
next thing you know it was like the sky-folded-or something. Then
there was thunder and lightning and those things-there were so many of
them I couldn't breathe- they were all over the bike and clinging to
my legs-just flying everywhere. Then they disappeared and then I
fell-but I only fell like 15 feet-nothing serious-just like at the
Coal Bowl. My head hit the gas tank, though." Max gingerly rubbed the
bump on his head, careful not to re-open the gash.
He stopped and Alex slowed the van down a little,"What's that ringing?"
"Dylan!" Nat got to her hands and knees, trying to follow the sound of
the cell phone.
"What the hell happened?" Dylan's voice was small and tinny. "Dylan,
you've got to get out of there, we've run into a problem and Max's
been hurt."
"I'm fine, for God's sake!" Max shouted exasperatedly.
"The Thin Man is coming--" Nat continued,"-what? What do you mean you
already have it taken care of? But it's been- not even ten minutes!"
She paused, "Right, well, can you hang for a couple of hours-we need
to drop Max off at the clinic and then get some wheels. But I think
we should move him before the others re-group. Ok, sit tight, and
we'll see you soon."
Dylan hung up the black ear piece onto the side of the antique
phone,"Oh, don't you worry."
She walked over to the bed, where the Thin Man lay spread-eagled-- and
finished tying his wrist to the upper corner of the bed post. "We're
going to be just fine."
"Bos! You're too close! It's kicking up too much dirt!" Nat held her
sleeve over her mouth as she shouted across the van, trying to breathe
through her nose.
They had caught up to the black suv as it sped away from the
industrial park. Dirt, stones and twigs flew into the van, glass
glittered on the dashboard from the smashed windshield, skittering around.
"Ok kids! I'm taking this off-road!" Bos swerved the van off the dirt
road, trying to overtake the suv from the side.
"Sit down, Max!" Alex commanded belatedly as he crashed to the floor
in back. He groaned and just lay there, letting the van bump his body
around. "Come on! Get onto the seat and lie down so I can look at you."
His face was bloody and wan under the dirt and sweat. Alex took an
alcohol wipe and started to dab at the cut over his eye.
She let out a startled cry as the van shot forward, the force throwing
her down and rolling her to the back. "Hey! Watch it up there!"
Nat and Bos bounced in their seats as the path besides the road became
bumpier. She grabbed Alex's gun bag and fished out a fresh clip.
"That's right, baby girl! Shoot that mutha's tires out!" She propped
her feet up on the dash in front of her and pushed back into the seat
as she fired through the broken windshield.
Bullets clanged and sparked as they ricocheted off the bumper and
wheel wells. The suv was moving up and down too much for her to get a
clear shot.
Suddenly, the suv picked up more speed and Bos bore down on the gas
pedal. "Forget it!" Alex clutched at the side of Bos's seat, swaying,
"Let them go, we got other worries!" She shook Bos's leg "BOS! The
damn engine's going to fall out!"
"Jesus, would you look at that." Nat and Alex turned to follow Bos'
gaze. The suv had managed to double, then triple, its distance in a
few seconds. If it hadn't been for the huge empty horizon, it would
have vanished, instead of flitting about in the distance-a tiny black
speck.
"Can we get one of those?" Bos said. "There's no car-no car! Let
alone an suv, that can move like that!" He punctuated with a bang on
the steering wheel.
"Well, something tells me, we ain't in Kansas any more," Nat said
grimly. "Bos, let Alex drive," Nat shot her a look. "Yeah, Bos, why
don't you clean up Max and I'll get us to the clinic," Alex followed
along.
Bos moved into the back, "Hey kid, how are you feeling?" He picked up
the bag of alcohol wipes and opened one.
"I feel a little sick." "Well, you are-you're a little con-cuss-ed."
He chuckled at his joke. "Seeing as you fell about three stories off
that bridge."
Max put his hand to his forehead,"Really? I fell hard, but it didn't
seem that far." He turned his head to let Bos look at the scratches
on his neck.
"Boy, you've been hit a lot harder than I thought, then," Bos dabbed
at the oozing scratches on his collarbone. "'Cuz you fell a long, long
way down--"
Nat climbed back, "What happened back there? We thought that the Thin
Man was going to kill you."
Bos paused in his dabbing,"Well, wasn't he--with that cane
raised--looking like Satan himself?"
"Wow, is that what happened?" Max knocked Bos' hand away from his
forehead, "I'm fine, dammit!"
"Oooo, you watch it, boy! You've got a concussion and that affects
your brain!"
"I'm telling you..." Max sat up slowly. "Look, something weird
happened back there. The Thin Man--he saved me. He-he stopped-he
stopped time!"
Nat and Bos looked at each other, Alex glanced into the rear view mirror.
Bos gently pushed Max back down onto the seat. "After we climbed the
stairs in the second building, we sped over the bridge. There was
this bright white light at the end. I thought it was just really,
really bright 'cuz it's day. But I guess I didn't realize that the
bridge was split. By the time I figured it out, I was already
falling. Then-then there were these-these things. And the buzzing."
Max and Bos shuddered at their respective memories. "Anyway, all I
remember is that these things started to attack me- and I turned and
saw the Thin Man with his cane raised-then everything stopped. And
next thing you know it was like the sky-folded-or something. Then
there was thunder and lightning and those things-there were so many of
them I couldn't breathe- they were all over the bike and clinging to
my legs-just flying everywhere. Then they disappeared and then I
fell-but I only fell like 15 feet-nothing serious-just like at the
Coal Bowl. My head hit the gas tank, though." Max gingerly rubbed the
bump on his head, careful not to re-open the gash.
He stopped and Alex slowed the van down a little,"What's that ringing?"
"Dylan!" Nat got to her hands and knees, trying to follow the sound of
the cell phone.
"What the hell happened?" Dylan's voice was small and tinny. "Dylan,
you've got to get out of there, we've run into a problem and Max's
been hurt."
"I'm fine, for God's sake!" Max shouted exasperatedly.
"The Thin Man is coming--" Nat continued,"-what? What do you mean you
already have it taken care of? But it's been- not even ten minutes!"
She paused, "Right, well, can you hang for a couple of hours-we need
to drop Max off at the clinic and then get some wheels. But I think
we should move him before the others re-group. Ok, sit tight, and
we'll see you soon."
Dylan hung up the black ear piece onto the side of the antique
phone,"Oh, don't you worry."
She walked over to the bed, where the Thin Man lay spread-eagled-- and
finished tying his wrist to the upper corner of the bed post. "We're
going to be just fine."