Chapter 11

"If destruction be our lot we must ourselves be its author and finisher. As a nation of free men we must live through all time, or die by suicide."-- William Adams

Harold didn't know how long he laid there after making a few attempts to crawl out of the ravine. It didn't matter now, he knew he was getting weaker and his chances of survival were slim. But he kept on trying; the great human instinct to survive drove him. The upward climb looked long and hard, with a broken leg and other bruises it was nearly impossible.

Nadine had left him there. She told him that he was never in the picture that it was never about him. In the deepest recesses of his heart he realized he had been used. A pawn in a mad man's game of chess. The nature of the devil, he used Harold for a job and when it was completed, Harold was thrown out like yesterday's trash.

All Harold could think about was Frannie, what he done to her and to…Stuart Redman, it was his entire fault anyway. If Stu had not moved in on his Frannie, she would still be alive. And what of Nadine, she used him as well, playing her whore games with him. Never allowing their sex to go to what she called, "the little thing". She had given him pleasure but not what he wanted.

Harold did shoot at her and missed. How did he miss her anyway, she was standing still as a deer caught in headlights. The bullet must have whizzed by her cheek, he had been that close to killing to the darkman's bride. Now he contemplated his own death. He took out his notebook and scribbled a message on a piece of paper. Harold wrote a long note trying to explain his actions, not so much give an excuse, there was only one he could give and he wrote it down. 'I was mislead'. He usually signed his published works as Harold Emery Lauder,but this time he signed with using the name given to him in Boulder, 'Hawk'.

With the note written and tucked into his jacket, he took out his colt and put it in his mouth. He looked up at the blue sky and counted in his mind…one…two…three…he pulled the trigger.

Stu slammed the car to a stop. Larry and Ralph in the back seat nearly sat in the front with Stu and Glen. "Whoa…Stu!" Larry cried out as his outstretched arms kept him from sitting in Stu's lap.

Stu turned his head and spit out the window, "It's Harold, he killed himself." He spit again, "I can taste the oil from the gun." Stu put the car in drive, "May God have mercy on his pitiful excuse for a soul."

Larry and Ralph looked at each other and put on their seat belts.

Darien stirred in the back of the van. Hobbes had the window open so hear when Darien woke up. "Whoa…what hit me…oh yeah…you," Darien tried to move his hands, but he knew that Hobbes had tied him up. Darien let out a sigh.

"You okay back there, partner?"

"No, you should have left me." Darien said.

"Nope, that's a negative."

"Crap! Hobbes, you're not taking me to Boulder are you?" Darien's voice sounded irritated.

"That's affirmative. Taking you to the Keep, she'll come up with something."

"Damn, Hobbes! That's what Flagg wants! You know as well as I do…there is NO counteragent. How is she gonna come up with it anyway?" Darien was angry and being in stage 2 was not helping.

"She has all the information on QS9300 Project on disc. She can whip some up for you and we can figure this whole thing out."

"Hobbes, Hobbes, come on, think man! This is not like before; the gland is not releasing the toxins in my blood stream. It's Flagg! Even if Claire did come up with counteragent it won't work. I could be in stage 5 by the time we get there and then I would only have 12 hours before I'm in permanent stage 5. And then what?" Darien tried to break the belt that held his hands together.

"I have to do something, Fawkes."

"That's easy, take me back to Flagg." Darien peered through the metal mesh that separated him and Hobbes.

"That my friend, is not an option," Hobbes looked at Darien in the rear view mirror. He saw Darien's expression on his face to his comment.

"Bobby, please, if you won't take me back to Flagg, then don't take me to Boulder either. I don't want to hurt anybody." Darien softly spoke. It was rare that Darien called him Bobby. He lay himself down on the floor of the van and curled up in a ball. Another sharp pain sent his body into convulsions. It was getting close; he could hear the voice in his head again.

"I want you to break free, Darien. Break free and kill him." The cold voice commanded.

Darien moaned, "Please kill me."

Hobbes heard the painful plea and his heart thumped hard in his chest. Darien was right, counteragent would not work and he knew it. But in his mind, it was worth a try, anything was worth a try to save his friend. Going back to Flagg and confronting him was not in the game plan. That was for someone else to do.

Stu stopped the car, "I think we have a problem." He said as got out of the car. Ralph, Larry, Glen and Kojak followed Stu to where the bridge had washed out.

"Great, now what?" Larry asked.

"Should we look for another way?" Ralph asked looking around at what appeared to be the results of a flash flood.

"No, we'll lose time. We're gonna have to walk it from here." Stu said.

Glen looked at his dog, "What do you think, Kojak, can we do it?"

Kojak barked and ran down the slope with ease. The four men cheered and whistled at the dog below wagging his tail happily. "Well if a dumb dog can do it so can we," Glen took the first turn and made it down the slope safely.

"Woohooo!! Professor…shoot that curl!" Larry yelled. He walked over to the edge where Kojak and Glen had made there descent and Stu motioned for him to go next. With his guitar still strapped to his back, Larry let out a shout and made his way down the slope.

Ralph was next followed quickly by Stu. Kojak barked and ran around the four men. They walked across the dried out river bed and gazed towards the climb they would have to make.

"Okay, who goes first now?" Larry asked.

"I'll go, piece of cake," Stu said as he started his climb. A few times it looked as if he might fall but he made it up to the top. The ground under his feet gave way and he fell down the slope. There was an awful snap as he rolled to a stop at the bottom.

Larry touched his leg, "Stu, you okay," there was another loud snap and Stu screamed out in pain clutching his broken leg.

They propped Stu up against a car and splintered his leg the best way they could. Glen had given him his arthritis pills and had found some coke for Stu to drink. Larry had wanted to make something to carry Stu on but he refused.

"No, Larry, remember what Mother Abigail said, 'One would fall by the wayside', this is God's will."

Larry argued his case but again he didn't win, just like he argued about sending over spies and lost that one too. Glen called for Kojak but the dog didn't move he was going to stay with Stu.

Larry, Ralph and Glen made it safely up the slope. They looked down on their fallen friend, waved goodbye and set off on the last part of their journey, not knowing if they would meet up with Stu again.

Night time fell. Hobbes had found a place to stay and he secured Darien as best he could. The words out of Darien's mouth were pleas for Hobbes to kill him. Hobbes just ignored him; soon the tone would change anyway. He would probably have to gag Darien at that point. It killed Hobbes to see Darien in this condition, the pain and the anguish. But soon that would all melt away and Darien would be in stage 3.

Stu sat up against the car; he had taken some of Glen's pills. They helped somewhat and it was better than nothing. The hardest thing was trying to keep warm in the cool desert night air. Kojak lay next to him, looking up at Stu every now and then to make sure he was alright. Stu rubbed Kojak's fur, "Dogs always seem to know when someone is sick or hurt, don't you boy?" Kojak settled on Stu's lap and kept guard over the injured man.

Nadine had to ditch her bike and walked during the heat of the day. She welcomed the night. As she walked she heard a voice calling her name.

"Nadine, over here."

Nadine followed the sound of the voice and saw a campfire. She walked towards it. Out of the fire came a man, it was him. It was Randall Flagg, the one she was meant for. They walked towards each other and embraced. Flagg told her that he waited for her and picked her up and took her to the blanket. He put her down and took his shirt off. Nadine ran her hands over his hard chest and he started to take her clothes off.

It was then that Nadine realized what was going to happen and she grabbed at her pants, "No…no…no!"

"It's too late to say no, my dear." Flagg's face changed into the monster that he really is and forced himself upon her.

Nadine' screams intermingled with Flagg's shouts of pleasure as he filled her with his cold dead seed again and again.

Darien writhed again in pain against the bonds that held him. Hobbes was there at his side to help him through the pain, "You can fight this, Darien. Like you said this isn't the same madness, just fight Flagg."

Darien eased up and his body relaxed, "I have every intention of fighting, just not Flagg."

"Open your eyes, Fawkes." Hobbes grabbed Darien's chin and pulled his head up.

Darien opened his eyes to reveal red blood shot eyes, "I wouldn't fall asleep if I were you, Hobbesy."

"Oh crap."

Flagg arrived with Nadine early in the morning. There was a group waiting for him in the lobby including Lloyd. There was some news he needed to tell Flagg and none of it was good.

A girl named Julie Lawry had been saying that she spotted who she believed was a spy not too long ago. She became upset when Lloyd didn't give her the chance to tell Flagg herself.

Flagg, Nadine and Lloyd walked into his suite. Flagg helped Nadine to sit down and told Lloyd that she was expecting little Randy Junior. "You want a drink Lloyd?" Flagg asked.

"Yeah sure, okay."

"I know when something's bugging you Lloyd. What happened?"

"There was an explosion at the airfield. Trash set off one of the bombs. All the pilots were killed."

"Where's Trash now?" Flagg asked angrily.

"We don't know, I have men looking for him now. What do you want to tell them when they find him?" Lloyd asked keeping his distance from Flagg.

"Make it quick, I rather liked that boy. Had high hopes for him. Well, I still have my bride and of course the secret agent man." Flagg poured another drink and then looked at Nadine, "Sorry hon, but the surgeon general said that alcohol is harmful to babies…of course until he died from the flu, isn't that right, Lloyd?" Flagg chuckled.

"Uhmm yeah, I guess so. About Fawkes…he and his friend, Robert Hobbes escaped yesterday. I have the look out teams keeping an eye out for them."

Flagg laughed, "It's okay, Lloyd, I know they escaped. That's what I wanted. The pilots were supposed to finish what Fawkes left behind." Flagg paused and looked as if he was counting, "Hmmm…Fawkes should be in stage 3 by now and maybe even stage 4. What a surprise those people in Boulder have in store for them. You thought you were a killer; you haven't seen Fawkes in action. Tell me, Lloyd, what did that bat faced girl down stairs go crazy about?"

"Oh that's Julie, she said she thought that she saw the third spy the other day," Lloyd noticed that Flagg's hands had changed shape and the liquid in the glasses started to boil.

Flagg became so enraged that he threw the glasses up against the wall, alcohol splattering the paint and wallpaper. He yelled at Lloyd and threatened to break his neck. The TV went flying across the room and Flagg threw patio furniture over the ledge. By the time he walked back in he was back to looking human again and calmer. "How's that drink, Lloyd?" Flagg asked like nothing happened.

"Oh it's great; it's all over the wall." Lloyd said holding his throat.

Flagg laughed and said that he liked Lloyd because he had guts, the same thing that he admired about Darien. Both of them had no qualms about expressing what was on their minds. Lloyd left the suite to check on the search for Trash and to set up another road block.

Flagg was upset about Trash, his crazy pyromaniac who set fires in any way he could. Trash had been in and out of mental hospitals since he started his first fire. Flagg knew he'd fine someone else to replace him. The next set of business was the four remaining men of the old black witch's committee. He knew they were coming and he had also asked Lloyd to set up road blocks for them as well.

"Your plan is falling apart," Nadine said standing outside on the balcony.

"What?"

"They're saying that the Judge got by your men. They want to know what happened to Dayna. A simple retarded man out witted you. Some are leaving and you don't even see them." Nadine stood up, "They're coming for you, Stu, Glen, Ralph and Larry. Hobbes will stop Darien and there isn't anything you can do about it. And that's when your time will end." Nadine stood on the ledge of the balcony, her all white hair dancing in the wind. She had told him that she would watch from hell holding their son in her arms. And then she jumped.

Flagg tried to stop her but he was too late. He sat on the floor, decided that he was going to stay and there was no backing out now. He had waited and worked for this moment too hard to give it all up now. Flagg may have changed his mind if he knew what Trash was up to.

Trash had found a storage facility where the military stored their nuclear weapons. He traveled through the facility on an ATV. There was only one thing on his mind and that was to bring back the big one for his master, the one he would give his life for.

Hobbes had stepped out to find some food and when he returned he saw the straps he had used to secure Darien lying in shreds on the ground. He looked around, "Fawkes?"

"Glad you came back, Robert. Now I get to play cat and mouse. You get to be the mouse." Darien's disembodied voice was haunting.