Chapter 12

"You don't get to choose how you're going to die or when. You only get to chose how you're going to live."-- Joan Baez (b. 1941)

Tom was on his way back to Boulder. He moved at night and slept during the day, he didn't know why he did this or why he chose to leave during a full moon but he did. Tom figured he was told to do this when Glen had hypnotized him. Larry did say that he had done a better trick this time and he thought this was part of it.

During his journey at night, his thoughts had been on Darien and Hobbes. He had seen Darien brought in a circus like atmosphere and then shortly before he left, Hobbes was brought in much the same way. He was sad that he couldn't save them, but he knew he had to get back. So, at night alone, he traveled east.

Stu cooked a rabbit that Kojak had caught, but he wasn't very hungry. He was sick with the flu, not the super flu, but the common everyday flu that strikes during the fall. Stu coughed and threw the food at Kojak who had no problems with his appetite. It was ironic to Stu that he might die of the flu after all. He rested up against the car and his thoughts were on Frannie.

"Fawkes…come on, let's not do this." Hobbes turned around trying to get an idea on where Darien was standing.

"Oh but Robert, you know how much I enjoy this."

Hobbes felt the cold hands on him and he was thrown across the room. He landed on a table and slid across it before hitting the floor. "Here I go again," Hobbes said as he rubbed his back.

Darien chuckled and walked closer to his prey.

Larry, Ralph and Glen were approaching the Nevada/Utah border. They could see a road block ahead of them. The three men stopped knowing that this was it.

"I will fear no evil," Ralph said.

"I will fear no evil," Larry repeated.

They held hands hoping to give each other the spiritual strength they would need and walked towards the road block.

One of the men signaled that someone was coming. They raised their rifles and pointed them towards the trio. "Hold your fire…Flagg wants them taken alive," Dorgan announced. He was still feeling pretty good about the day before when he caught Darien, now it was time for him to shine again.

"Are you Stuart Redman, Glen Bateman, Larry Underwood and Ralph Brentner?" Paul Burlson asked.

"Man, what's the matter with you," Ralph said annoyed, "Can't you count?"

"Which one is missing?" Burlson asked.

"Stuart Redman met with an accident, he couldn't make the trip but he does send his regards," Larry said mockingly. He noticed how Burlson shook holding the gun, "You better be careful with that or else you may have an accident yourself."

Dorgan stepped up, "I'm Barry Dorgan, Chief of Las Vegas Security and by the virtue of the power invested in me, I arrest you and order you to come with me."

"Yeah, in whose name?" Glen asked nearly as soon as Dorgan started speaking.

"You know who I speak for," Dorgan said. He had dealt with a smartass yesterday and now he's got three more.

"Then why can't you say it?" Larry asked.

Dorgan and the others were silent.

Ralph shook his head, "Okay, then I'll tell you. He calls himself Randall Flagg, the walking dude, the dark man and even the tall man. But of course he's also Beelzebub, the apostate of hell and you men kiss his ass."

Larry and Glen both looked at Ralph in astonishment. Larry started to laugh. Ralph shrugged his shoulders, "Just thought I'd get that out."

"Cuff 'em and put them in the cars," Dorgan said. "Put farmer John and laughing boy in one car and put the old man in the other."

Larry and Ralph were in one car and Glen was in the other car. They headed towards Las Vegas and their meeting with Flagg. Ralph turned to Larry, "How do you think Stu is doing?"

"Dying," Larry said. "And so are we?"

Hobbes started to sit up when he heard a sound on top of the table. He stood up, "Fawkes?" he looked at the table and saw a burst of silver confetti.

Darien was hunched down on the table like a predatory animal waiting to spring on its prey. Darien's grin was deadly. Hobbes backed up from the table, "Fawkes, you need help."

"No, I'm fine now," Darien sprang from the table using his long legs.

'Like a friggin' grasshopper,' Hobbes thought to himself.

Darien sailed through the air with his arms outstretched. Hobbes put his hands up to try and push Darien away, but Darien's momentum was too strong and they both crashed through the glass window. They landed on the sidewalk and rolled in the broken glass.

Hobbes took the brunt of the impact, but Darien hit his head on the glass as they went through it. Darien staggered to his feet; blood from the cuts marked his face. Hobbes moaned and tried to sit up. He propped himself on his left elbow and saw a bloodied Darien walking towards him. Hobbes tried to reach for his gun, but Darien lifted him off the ground and grinned, "I don't think so, Hobbesy."

"Sorry, partner," Hobbes brought his knee up and hit Darien in his groin.

"Aughhh!!" Darien dropped Hobbes and then bent over; cupping his groin with his hands he dropped to his knees.

Hobbes walked over to Darien and took out his gun and held it up, "Gotta do this, pal." He was about to hit Darien with it when Darien reached out and grabbed Hobbes leg.

"Don't think so," Darien pulled with all his might and Hobbes fell backwards hitting the ground with a loud thud. The gun was knocked out of his hand and Darien picked it up. He cocked the gun and pointed it at Hobbes.

Hobbes looked up, "Don't do it, Fawkes. You don't have to listen to Flagg."

"I like listening to Flagg and right now he's telling me to kill you. I'll give Claire your love," Darien fired the gun.

A black crow flew off at the sound of the gun.

Claire jumped suddenly.

"Are you alright, Claire?" Dr. Richardson asked.

"I don't know, I just have this feeling that something awful happened to Bobby," Claire started to get nauseas. She ran to the bathroom and vomited. She washed her mouth and looked in the mirror at her stomach. Claire touched her stomach with her hands, "I'm pregnant and Bobby's dead." Claire started to cry.

Larry and Ralph were put in cells next to each other and Glen was put in a cell on another floor. Glen watched a cockroach scoot along the floor. He admired that bug for sometime, for its way to adapt and for the fact the bug will be still around even after he's dead.

Flagg walked up and promptly stomped on the roach, "So much for the roach outliving you, Glen."

Glen stood up and walked over to the bars to get a better look at Randall Flagg. "Randall Flagg, you're not half the boogy-man we made you out to be," Glen said gripping the bars.

Flagg just stared at Glen and thought to himself, 'He isn't afraid.' Flagg turned to Lloyd, "Glen Bateman meet my associate, Lloyd Henreid."

Lloyd shook his head, "Meetcha."

"Same here, Mr. Henreid." Glen said staring at the young man. Glen figured that Lloyd didn't want to be there anymore than he did.

With a tone that showed sympathy, Flagg asked Glen, "How's your arthritis, Glen?"

Glen closed and opened his hands, "Fine, better now that I'm in here." Glen struggled through the pain, but maintained his smile.

Flagg's smile turned to almost rage at Glen's demonstration. He lightly touched Glen's hands and little blue streaks of lighting struck Glen's joints.

"I've decided to let you go. You can leave on a small motorcycle and go back to Boulder. You have nothing to fear from me." Flagg stated with a smile.

"Of course I can't leave without my friends," Glen said fighting back the pain in his joints.

"Yeah, they're free to go too. All you have to do is get on your knees and ask. I'll let you go with the others and I'll take the pain away." Flagg's tone sounded sincere.

Glen burst out laughing, the pain in his hands not so bad now, "I can't believe we made such a big deal about you in Boulder, you're nothing but a cockroach that's afraid of the light." Glen was laughing whole heartedly now.

Flagg's continence grew eerily dark, his eyes turned a yellowish color and his smile faded. "Stop laughing!"

Glen only laughed harder.

"Stop laughing at me!"

Glen continued to laugh.

Flagg turned to Lloyd, "Kill him!"

Lloyd looked in shock, "I can't kill an old man." Lloyd had killed a least a dozen times in his life time, committed robberies, but he would never kill an old man.

Flagg became enraged and approached Lloyd, he gripped the stone and turned it into a key again and then back to the black stone, "Remember that you owe me, Lloyd. Now kill him!"

Lloyd approached the bars and fumbled with his gun.

"If you're going to shoot somebody, shoot him." Glen pointed at Flagg and started to laugh again. "Why don't you just kill me yourself, Flagg, or is it because you can't, you always have to have someone do the dirty work for you don't you?"

Flagg looked irritated, "If you're going to shoot someone will you at least hurry up."

Lloyd pulled the trigger and the gun went off, and missed Glen. Flagg became even more angered, "He's right in front of you, Lloyd!"

"You're losing your magic, Flagg. All your plans are falling apart and you know it. Your time is short and you can sense it.

Flagg turned to Lloyd, "Its guys like this that put you in prison and left you there to die, Lloyd. I came and got you out."

Lloyd hit the bars with his hand, "Mister, you don't fool me."

"He lies, Mr. Henreid, his whole existence is based on lies." Glen commented as he calmed down from his laughing attack.

"No, he's told me more truth than anyone else I know." Lloyd fired the gun. The bullet hit Glen in the stomach.

Glen slouched on the bunk and he looked at Lloyd, "Its okay, Mr. Henreid, you don't know any better."

"Shut up!" Lloyd fired two more times and watched as Glen's body fell lifeless to the floor.

Flagg patted Lloyd on the back, "Well done, my good and faithful servant."

Lloyd dropped the gun and started to cry. He had killed people before and it was no big deal, but now he killed a defenseless old man.

Darien sat on another motorcycle. He checked his rear view mirror and saw Hobbes' body lying on the ground, "So long, my one time partner." His gaze turned eastward, "I'll say hello to Claire for you. We have unfinished business to take of and you and Monroe are not around to interrupt us this time." Darien put on sunglasses to hide his red eyes and with a malicious smile, he drove off singing.

Get your motor running
Head out on the highway
Looking for adventure
In whatever comes our way

Yeah, darling
Gonna make it happen
Take the world in a love embrace
Fire all of your guns at once and
Explode into space

Like a true nature child
We were born
Born to be wild
We have climbed so high
Never want to die
Born to be wild
Born to be wild