Chapter Thirteen

Ultimate Cost

Meg: Yes, it's been over a month since I last updated. I'm sorry; September was just the worse month ever. I have an injury from running and no one believed me for almost two weeks (not even my own father, who's a physical therapist!) Then my shins swelled up so much that there was a bruise, and my parents and my head coach finally believed me. So I've been doing mainly the school thing and lifting weights and going on long bike rides and going to physical therapy and getting my shins Saran Wrapped (yes, I said Saran Wrapped; my father used Saran Wrap on my shins) and taped up. And I still can't run a mile without my leg hurting like heck. Sheesh, how did I go from being one of the top Varsity runners to this?

Anyway, back to the story. Boy, I hope you all actually want to read this story. You've all probably forgotten the whole storyline by now. I'll refresh everyone's memory: Arlen and Dawson have walked in on the other guy who wants the Eye of Diom; Meg's hiding under the reception desk; Basil, Mrs. Butler, Hunter, and his ninnies have just entered the Indiya Inn; and Toby is waiting outside in an alley. Don't forget that Arlen is afraid of dogs. Okay, I think that's it. Enjoy.

It took Dawson a minute to recognize the elderly mouse. "But you're-"

Before he could finish his sentence, the mouse shoved Dawson over with an unexpected strength, and then rushed out of the room.

Hunter shoved Basil up to the desk.

"Good evening," Basil said brightly to the innkeeper. "We need the key to room Number Fourteen."

My heart jumped at the sound of the detective's voice. He was supposed to be with the kidnappers; what was he doing here? I then realized that they were all probably there- Basil, Mrs. Butler, and the kidnappers.

The innkeeper looked warily at the whole group. "That room's occupied."

Now I knew that we were in trouble. The other guy was probably already in there!

"Oh. Well, I need to get into that room," Basil replied. "It will only take a minute."

"No. I can give you another room-"

"We're not looking for another room!" Mrs. Butler cut in. "We need that room!"

"It's occupied ma'am, which means that someone else is already in there."

"Listen buddy!" Hunter snarled, pulling out a gun and pointing it in the poor man's face. "We are going in there whether you like it or not!"

"Don't shoot!" The innkeeper screeched, ducking under the desk.

He bumped into me. I shrieked because I had been discovered. He shrieked because he had not expected to find someone already under his desk.

I pushed the innkeeper aside and scrambled out from under the desk.

"Meg?" Basil asked, baffled. "What are you doing here?"

"What is this?" Hunter snarled.

At that exact moment someone flew out of a room overhead and down the stairs carrying a bust with him.

"STOP THAT MOUSE!" Arlen Gillespie yelled from the top of the stairs.

"It's... the butler?"

"Luther?" Mrs. Butler said weakly. "What are you- come back here!"

I leaped over the desk and ran after Luther, the Butlers' butler.

Basil started to follow Meg when Hunter pressed a gun to his head. "You're not going anyway until I get my emerald!"

"You fool! That mouse just took your emerald!" Arlen exclaimed.

"What are you doing here Gillespie?" Basil asked, slightly annoyed at having no idea what was going on.

Dawson appeared next to the Mouseland Yard official. "We came here to get the emerald before someone else did."

"What? Where is the Eye of Diom?" Hunter yelled.

"Beneath an Emperor / And within another of the same," Dawson recited from memory. "The butler got a hold of our final clue, and is now currently running off with a bust which contains the Eye."

"WHAT?" Hunter took off after Luther and Meg.

Basil followed.

After the detective left, the henchmen exchanged uneasy looks. They did not appear to know what to do now that Hunter was gone.

Dawson and Arlen looked at each other, as unsure as the henchmen. "What are we going to do?"

Luther was amazingly fast for such an old mouse. I could barely keep up with him as I chased him through the streets of London.

"COME BACK HERE!" I shrieked.

Luther glanced back at me, but gave a little laugh when he saw that it was a woman who was chasing him. He turned a corner.

When I finally reached the corner, I saw Luther sprawled out on the ground. He must have tripped. The bust was lying several feet away.

The riddle started to make sense to me. The bust was of Julius Caesar. The Eye of Diom was inside the bust!

I made for the bust but as I passed Luther he grabbed the hem of my dress, preventing me from moving forward. I kicked his arm to get him to let go of me.

Hunter appeared. He took out a pistol and aimed it at us.

"NO!" Basil tackled him, sending both of them to the ground. He screamed at me, "Meg, GET OUT OF HERE!"

Luther let go of me, sending me sprawling to the ground. He ran to the bust, but I grabbed his trousers as he passed me, tripping him. I got up and attempted to get the bust again, but Luther grabbed my foot again, causing me to trip. We were only moving forward by inches. It was starting to get ridiculous.

As we both got up once again Luther pulled out a knife and faced me. "Move," he said in a low voice, "or I'll kill you."

I pulled out my switchblade. "I'd like to see you try."

He stood there in shock for a few seconds, probably deciding whether it was worth fighting me or not. A few drops of rain started to fall around us.

By this time Basil and Hunter were on the ground fighting for the gun. Luther must have been inspired, because he then replaced the knife for a revolver.

"Now... MOVE!"

"Hunter's left us here with the broad and her two little brats!" one of the henchmen, an albino mouse, shouted from the top of the stairs. "We get nothing out of the deal. He just wants the Eye for himself. And we stupidly believed the bastard!"

Several of the kidnappers muttered amongst themselves. Dawson could sense a situation arising. He nudged the Yardie. "Gillespie, I fear they're going to rebel," he whispered. "We have to get Mrs. Butler and those children out of here!"

The Mouseland Yard official nervously tugged at his tie.

Dawson felt irritated; Gillespie did not even look like he cared. "Well what are we going to do?" the doctor snapped.

"I don't know!" Gillespie exclaimed. Dawson realized that Gillespie did care; he was just uncertain as to the best course of action to take without anyone getting hurt or killed.

"Hunter's only thinking of himself!"

"Yeah, the yellow-livered bastard!"

Dawson began to inch toward Mrs. Butler and the children, unnoticed by the kidnappers.

"So what are we going to do about it?" the albino mouse questioned.

"Let's get that detective! He has the Eye!"

Dawson took Mrs. Butler's arm and led her, Rose, and Michael away from them.

"Wait!" one of them called out.

"What is it?" the albino asked impatiently. Dawson and company had reached the door.

"We have Butler and the kids. Hunter has nothing to bargain with. Why don't we just offer them all up?"

The kidnappers instinctively looked toward Mrs. Butler, but did not see her where she had last been standing. The albino scanned the room, and caught sight of them as they were leaving.

"Hey! They're trying to escape!"

"RUN!" Dawson said, shoving them out the door.

The rain came down more quickly. I hesitated. Luther could kill me, but the Eye was vital to saving Mrs. Butler's children. I could not let anything happen to them.

The gun Hunter and Basil had been fighting over clattered to the ground a few feet away from me.

My brain was trying to form some sort of plan, but nothing came. The gun was too far away from me. Luther was armed and ready.

He began to move sideways towards the bust, still keeping his weapon trained on me. I watched helplessly as Luther picked the bust up.

Dawson whistled as they ran out of the Inn. A moment later Toby bounded out of the alley.

"Get them Toby!" Dawson yelled, pointing to the kidnappers.

For once the bloodhound listened. He leaped over the doctor and barked at the kidnappers. They scrambled over each other to get back inside.

Arlen laughed as he watched Toby paw at the chipped green doors, trying to get to the kidnappers. "Never thought a dog could be a lifesaver!"

"MEG!" Basil cried out. His voice sounded so panicked that my heart practically jumped out of my chest.

I tore my eyes away from Luther only to discover Hunter running past me, holding a bloodstained dagger. Luther's gun went off. I threw myself to the ground, while Hunter attacked Luther. I got up and looked at them. I saw the bust go sailing through the air. It hit the ground and smashed into a thousand pieces.

Hunter managed to club Luther with his own revolver, temporarily stunning him. He got up and frantically scattered the broken pieces apart. He held up the largest emerald I have ever seen.

"Finally, it's mine!" Hunter cried triumphantly.

Luther stumbled to his feet. "It's mine!" he said, lunging for it.

Hunter took off, Luther hot on his heels.

As their footsteps died away, I breathed a sigh of relief. It was over. I did not care who had the emerald now. It was finally over.

"Basil, did you see that? They're gone! Hunter can't hurt Mrs. Butler's children now!" I turned to him. "Basil?"

He was lying on the ground, his hands against his side. "Meh... Meg?" The rain pattered around us.

I could tell something was terribly wrong. I hurried to his side. "Basil? What is it?"

"Nothing..." he said quickly, trying to get up. He turned pale, and slowly lay back down again. I saw his hands were covered in blood.

My stomach did somersaults. "Basil, what happened?" I cried in a high-pitched voice, trying my best but miserably failing to be calm.

"Hunter tried... ah, nicked me a bit."

I took his hands and moved them away from the wound. Blood was slowly pouring out of a gash in his side. I almost threw up.

"Oh God..." I said weakly. "No God, no!"

Mrs. Butler hugged Rose and Michael to herself.

"My darlings, my sweet little dears... Oh, how Mummy missed you!"

Dawson smiled in satisfaction.

"Uh oh," Arlen said quietly.

"What is it?" Dawson asked.

Arlen pointed down the street. Someone had called Mouseland Yard.

(Meg is still tied to the chair.)

Meg: I hate you, you hate me, let's tie Barney to a tree...

(RAEB enters, takes a look at Dr. Sno, squirts him with a water bottle, and then darts out of the room.)

Dr. Sno: (grabs his water bottle and runs from room) GET BACK HERE MISS RACHEL! I KNOW YOUR MOTHER! I'VE WORKED WITH HER FOR YEARS!

Meg: (jaws drop) RAEB never does stuff like that...

(JWJ walks in.)

JWJ: Haha, look at you all tied up and watching "Barney and Friends," of all things!

Meg: GET ME OUT OF HERE!

JWJ: Not until you agree to destroy all the John Kerry propaganda that is littering this school. Like the Kerry/Edwards signs in the composition teacher's room, and that bulletin board you decorated in your history teacher's room for Kerry.

Meg: Let me think... NO! I DON'T CARE!

JWJ: Fine. (Exits)

Meg: Hey, come back! No fair!