Chapter Five: Lydecker

Aldrea was halfway into the cupboard by the time Eloise had gotten the door unlocked and stepped inside.

"Mommy! It's just you," said Aldrea.

Eloise dumped her daughter's blanket and stuffed animal from the car on the floor. "Yep, so no troubles?" wondered Eloise, glancing at the clock on the wall. It was 7:10 already.

Aldrea shook her head 'no' and said, "I'm hungry."

"Mmm, how 'bout you have some cereal. I'm gonna go get dressed."

Eloise pulled up her jeans, and looked out the third floor window.

She gasped.

Lydecker, not Lydecker's men, but Lydecker himself was studying the cars in the parking lot. One by one, checking the license plates of any car even slightly resembling Eloise's. He even checked a truck that's only quality resembling Eloise's car was the color.

Eloise wiped a tear from her stricken face. Damn. If she hadn't heard that helicopter, she'd probably be dead by now. Swallowing a lump in her throat, she pulled a gray zip up sweatshirt around her shoulders.

She and Aldrea had to get out of town until Lydecker was gone.

"Aldrea!" Eloise called. "Aldrea! Come on and get dressed now."

"I'm not done eatin' yet mom!"

"Are you starving?" asked Eloise, stepping into the kitchen.

Aldrea shook her head and milk dribbled off her chin.

"Then you can eat later… I'll pack up some snacks. You go in your room and get dressed. Quickly please, and we'll go see Brian at the school."

Aldrea grinned happily. The last time she'd been to see Brian at work it had been after classes were out, and Aldrea had played with the puzzles, and read some of the books. Brian kept a very colorful classroom, and Aldrea loved it. Of course, she'd never actually been there during the school day. Eloise didn't think Brain would be too happy about them showing up, but she couldn't just go and take her boyfriend's SUV and then not return it for three or four days. She had to ask first.

Aldrea pulled Eloise's arm down the hall on the way to Brian's classroom. She had only been there once before, but she remembered the way. "C'mon Mom! This way."

"Settle down Aldrea."

Aldrea stopped outside the open doorway of "Mr.Brian's" classroom. "Who are they?" Aldrea asked, referring to the students.

"What are you doing here Aldrea?"

"Mommy's here too!"

Eloise waved tenativly into the classroom. Most of the kids were engaged in an activity. "Hey, I was actually just sort of wondering… If I could borrow your SUV."

Brian raised his eyebrows.

"My car's sort of unavailable. We had to walk here."

"What happened to your car?"

"Um… I think someone drove it off a pier…"

Brian stared at her. "That's a little weird isn't it?"

"Hey, we're living in this post pulse world, things get a little strange."

"Mommy, can I go play?" asked Aldrea.

"No, we're going to leave in a minute kiddo."

"Well," said Brian. " I don't mind if you borrow my car. Where are you going?"

"We're just going out for the day. In case the psycho who drove my car off the pier comes back you know."

Brian nodded and smiled. He loved Eloise's humor, even when it completely escaped him.

"Mom packed snacks!" Aldrea told him.

----

There was no way out of the city. Lydecker's men were everywhere. All day Eloise drove around, just trying to evade them, and maybe sneak away, but now it was dark out, and they had gotten nowhere.

Eloise came to a corner, and the road stopped going straight. Tall buildings on both sides prevented her from looking down the roads, and Lydecker's guys might be down either turn. Aldrea sat calmly in the back seat, oblivious to the danger of the situation, and Eloise couldn't bear to drive her into more danger.

"Wait here a sec," she told Aldrea and got out to check it out around the right corner on foot. She turned onto the dimly lit street to see at least two dozen soldiers, half of which carried menacing guns of shining black metal.

The nearest soldier approached her. "Ma'am, what is your business here?" he asked. Eloise looked down so that her hair obscured her face.

"I was just out of a walk," she said in a soft voice that was not her own.

"I'm sorry ma'am, but access to this area is restricted tonight. Unless you live down her, you'll have to turn around."

"Okay," Eloise said, still in her disguised voice. She backed up slowly. Through the dark hair over her eyes she saw one of the soldiers nudge the soldier she had talked to with his elbow, and whisper something to him. The other soldiers' eyes widened, and he shouted for Eloise to, "hold up!"

Eloise stopped obediently, not wanting to seem guilty.

"I'm supposed to take a look at the back of your neck. It's just a precaution you see, we're looking for someone. You understand."

Eloise's stomach plummeted, and the soldier approached her. He began to brush her hair away, and Eloise brought her elbow back.

With a loud crack it connected with his face, and he fell to the concrete like a bag of rocks.

Gunfire began immediately, and Eloise leapt high, as only and X5 can, and landed on the rusted fire escape of a six-story building.

Dull thwacks and resonating clangs rang out as bullets hit the building and the metal of the fire escape. Eloise blurred at a speed faster than the bullets that hunted her and in impossible time, she made it to the roof.

Fwoop fwoop fwoop fwoop.

A helicopter with a searchlight was right over her!

Eloise dashed behind the door to the roof and hid from the twisting beam. As soon as she got her chance she began slamming the door with her shoulder. After the second hit the door collapsed open and she rushed in, and down the stairs.

She had only gone down two floors when her path was flooded with soldiers.

Eloise swung herself over the railing and dropped out of sight.

She fell four stories, as the stairs of the building twisted around in a square spiral, that allowed one to look right down to the ground level.

She landed smoothly, bending her knees as far as she could upon the impact. As last she wiped her hair out of her face, and dashed for the exit.

Brian's SUV was idling right outside, Aldrea still sitting in the back, almost bored. Eloise threw herself into the driver's seat and took off in reverse.

She skidded to a stop after about twenty feet and dodged down a one way side street, littered with garbage, and lined by dank buildings.

"Where are we going now?" Aldrea asked, just as the SUV flew out onto an open street.

More of Lydecker's men were here, and they now knew the vehicle.

Bullets pelted the windows and sides as Eloise bombarded the soldiers.

"Aldrea! Get down!" Eloise ordered frantically.

Aldrea dove down to the floor between the seats, and glass crashed down around her.

Eloise continued to barrel down the street in the SUV, until the soldiers were far behind. Great, she thought. I went through two cars in one day.

After getting passed Lydecker's men, Eloise found herself on an almost quiet, tree lined paths. She was near what used to be one of San Francisco's parks, before the Pulse.

Eloise came to a stop and ditched the car for now. Lydecker's men still might be able to follow it this fart somehow. She pulled Aldrea out of the backseat, and found that the three-year-old was covered in numerous small cuts, including a nasty gash above her eyebrow, but other than that she was fine.

Eloise ran her hands up and down Aldrea's arms and legs looking for any other wounds, to make sure.

Aldrea whimpered softly, from the shock of the life threatening experience.

"It's all right Kiddo," her mother soothed, and Aldrea collapsed into her inviting arms tiredly.

Of in the distance, Eloise could pick up voices with her enhanced hearing.

"Hey, I think she's over this way," said a male voice about five minutes off.

Still holding Aldrea, Eloise ran into the poor excuse for woods that sparsely covered the overgrown park. Aldrea hugged close to her mother nervously as they huddled beneath a large bush. Heavy footsteps drew nearer, and Aldrea whimpered into Eloise's shoulder.

Stomp…

Stomp…

Stomp… the dewy grass slipped beneath the footfalls to the pursuer.

TBC….