Chapter 8:
Spud froze when he realised the handgun on his forehead. The big black dressed person in front of him weared a mask and had a oxygen-tank on his back. A diver... a normal diver... but with a handgun. In the boat, Trixie pulled on the chain as strong as she could. But Spud didn't moved under water, in a shock he lift the big metal-piece in his hands and smashed it into the divers arm.
The arm with the gun lift and a shot was realeased. Spud screamed and hold his ears. The bullet passed his left ear just a few inches but the bang hurt in his ears. With the other hand he smashed his instant-sun on the head of the diver. When the bottle broke... a bright light blend the diver who let the gun drop. Spud grabbled the gun and shot on the chain to release himself from the anchor. In that moment Trixie got much more in panic and pulled on the chain again.
Spud raised up and point with the gun on the diver. The diver was still dazed and confused from the bright light. Spud thinked about to shoot on him. But that would turn him into a real murder...
In the boat Trixie pulled the chain back into the boat. Full of adrenaline and fear she could see something appearing on the surface. In the next second a maybe two feet wide metal-piece land in the boat. In the next second Spud's hands grabbled the boat and he lift himself into the boat. The gun fell into the boat and Trixie screamed when she saw it. The wet and tired Spud laid on the bottom of the boat and start to froze. The icy water made him unable to move.
Trixie put off her jacket and threw it over Spud.
„Spud... Spudinski what happend?" she asked.
Spud turned his head and looked in shock on Trixie. „We have to leave. NOW!"
In shock Trixie went to the motor, turned it on and the boat start to move away. Trixie looked back on Spud and for the first time she realised that something really terrible happend down there. Than she saw the metal Spud found on the bottom of the ocean and saw that it was worth.
In New York...
The doorbell rang in the Carters house rang and Trixie's mom went to the door to open it. A man, wearing a uniform that represent him as an employee of InterFly Airways stood in the corridor and smiled.
„Captain Carter?"
„Yes!" she answered. „How can I help you?"
„I'm from the airline. May I come in. I have something to discuss with you..."
She let the man in and together they entered the living room. Both sat down on the couch and the man opened a file. „Captain Carter... Captain George Fredricson, the captain on flight 531, was a friend of you? Right?"
She agreed. „Yes. We spend some years together on the 767. It's a shame... he was a good man. He had 4 children. I can't imagine how his children feel now."
„Captain Carter... please subscribe me... how do you handle a fire in the engine?" the man asked.
„Hmmm... well, I... press the button for the fire-extinguisher when it worked, I switch the thrust to zero and close the fueling. Than I contact the ATC." she explained.
„Oh... really. Well can you explain me why captain Fredricson used the wrong procedure that maybe caused the second explosion..."
„What? This is ridiculous! He was an expert..."
„So,... This are the data we found on the black-box. This data prove that the fire in the engine got worse because the wrong handling after the fire broke out."
Trixie's mom took the paper and read it...
„No... No... Nobody... nobody gives full thrust when an engine burns... This have to be a mistake!" she said.
„We are surprised, too. But the datas prove anything. The fire-extinguisher was never activated... and the thrust increased. I don't know why... but for me this is looking like a typical pilots error. Did you know about Captain Fredricsons stress-problems?"
„Stress-problems? No! No, he had no problems..."
The conversation was only 5 minutues long when the man left the house with a smile on his face...
Back in Maine... Trixie tried to dry Spud's clouthes and they talked about what happend under water.
„Look's like... somebody is looking for evidence, too. But... I don't think that this guy was going to release the truth..."
„You mean... someone is going to prevent that the truth gomes out?" Trixie asked in shock.
„Yes... and I'm pretty sure... that it has to do with the burglar in the shop and that what I saw on the island." Spud said. „On the island, I think... I... ughh... is that cold."
„Don't worry. We go back to New York now... and than we look what to do now." Trixie said when the boat reached the shoreline and both jumped out.
„Oh my gosh... look at this!" Trixie said when she put the evidence Spud found out of the boat.
It was a piece of the pylon. That part that conect the engine with the wing. That what they saw was that it was cut off. There was a straight line, like someone cut with a knife into a piece of butter. The engine didn't just fell off... it was cut off...
„How is that possible? How someone cut off a engine in flight?" Trixie asked shocked.
„How?... With magic, of course!" Spud said when they reached the place the elevator waited. „Hello! You can come out!"
The elevator plopped out of the ground and the troll inside was mad. „Shhh... louder! The humans couldn't hear you!" he said sarcasticly.
„Sorry... But fortunatelly you are here!" Trixie said and the stepped in.
„You are wet!" he said when he saw Spud.
„And you get us to New York. Canal Street Electronics if possible." Spud said.
Just minutes later... the elevator popped out threw the concrete behind the shop and both left the elevator. Trixie turned and handed the troll 20 Dollars.
„You never met us!" she said.
„Of course I never met you!" he answered after he took the money and disappeared with the elevator back in the ground.
Inside the shop both stared on the metal which laied now on the table. That was it... this was the evidence that proved that the crash was not an accident. It was an attack on Jake. A magical-attack that killed more than 200 inoncent humans...
„We have to show this to someone. But not to the concil." Trixie said.
„Yes, I agree with you!" Spud said when he changed his clouthes in the restroom. „Sun! Yes... Sun. We can trust her!"
„Forget that!" Trixie said disappointed and Spud came out of the restroom. „Look what I found!"
Trixie found a letter on the table. It was from Sun.
'Hello Trixie and Spud. I was in the shop to meet you but you weren't there. And I couldn't reach you by phone... so I have to write you. After Haley's death, the concil sends me back to Korea to teach other dragons. I have to leave New York as soon as possible. When you read this, I'll be on the way back to Pyongyang. I wish you the best for the future and good luck. Sun.'
„I can't believe it... Sun is from North Korea?" Spud said.
„That's not the point. The concil sends her away, shortly after she lost her student. Her favourite-student. And she is not even able to contact us? I call her!" Trixie said and pulled out her mobile. Only seconds later she put it away again and turned to Spud. „The nummber you have dialed is currently not available! That was so clear...!"
Spud didn't said anything. He only shake his head... and hit with his fist on the table...
„Turn on the computer... I want to check something!" Spud said and walked over to the desk where Trixie prepared the magical-books for the concil.
„What are you looking for?" she asked after the computer turned on.
„You remember that the old man wrote down really everything what happend? All of Jake's missions and dragon-jobs and all other magical-incidents and accidents that occured?" Spud asked when he found the book he was looking for. „I'm pretty sure... that the old man never knew about the magical-artefacts in the Landmark jet."
„The Landmark-Airlines-crash? You mean... there is a conection between that all? But why?" Trixie asked.
„Who knows? It's just a theroy. But as you can see..." he said and handed her the book. „...the old man never knew about them... a human was transformed and dangerous artefacts went missing and the old man didn't knew? What they tell in the Internet?"
Trixie turned to the computer and start to read: „The survivors told that shortly before the lights and the engines went off... a bright flash appeared outside. The national weather service told about weak summer-thunderstorms in this area... bla bla bla... that a flash possibly destroyed the whole electric of the airliner... I slowly start to believe that there is really a conection!" Trixie finished.
A hour later both left the shop and locked the door before they start to walk home. It was already dark outside. Trixie hid the metal they found in the magical-purse she had found and carried it home.
„What we do next?" Trixie asked.
„We wait! Tommorrow, at the airport... we show this to Henry and the vampire... and than we decide what to do next." Spud answered.
Later... Spud was at home and sat with his parents on the table for dinner.
„How was your day?" his father broke the silence.
„Hmm... okay... Mom, Dad..." Spud began and remembered Henrys words. „Was there... ever... ever any strange moment in your life?"
„What do you mean with strange?" his mother asked.
„I mean... did you ever had the feeling that you... or that the things went wrong... and that everything has to be different?" Spud asked. Henry told him that it is innate. So his mother or his father normally had to be a Knower too. But who...
None of them showed any emotions.
„Arthur, I don't understand what you mean..." his mother said.
„Nobody does!" Spud finished.
Meanwhile...
Trixie sat with her mother in the kitchen and had dinner, too.
„Where is granny?" she asked.
„You forgot it, right?" her mother asked. „She is with her friends on this trip to Florida... I was with her, they went on by bus."
„Oh, right!" Trixie said and realized that her mother was sad. „Something wrong?"
„Oh... today... I got visit from the airline. They say that it was the fault of the pilot..."
Trixie knew that it was wrong... „Why they think so?"
„The flight-data-recorder told it..." her mother answered.
Trixie imediately remembered the words of the vampire that they are still looking for the black-boxes. „Mom... that's not true!"
„Trixie? What are you talking about..."
„That was not an employee of the airline." she said angrilly and walked over to the purse she hid in the kitchen-shelv. „They think they can trick me by confusing my family..."
„Trixie, what's going on..." her mother asked confused. „Who want's to trick you?"
Trixie stopped. Carefully she pushed the purse back into the shelv so that her mother couldn't see it. She was shocked about herself. She almost presented her mother the magical-purse and some potions.
„Sorry... I just... don't want to belive that!" Trixie said and sat down again.
„Oh... before I forget... your father comes."
„Really?!"
„Yes... after I told him what happend he..."
„Oh... thank you mom..." Trixie was surprised. But also worried now. After that what happend today and the fact that someone was in the house... her father would be in trouble, too.
Later that evening...
Spud drunk the whole bottle he got from the wizard and prepared for bed. He was afraid. He had no clue what will happen in the next night. Spud laid in his bed and stared on the lamp on his celling for a hour maybe... before he finally fell asleep...
When Spud opened his eyes he was in the shop. All shelves where empty. The windows where broken and graffitys filled the walls. Spud walked threw the front door and stood in a forest. In front of him was something that looked like a motel. When he came closer the building faded and than he stood in a plane-cabin again.
„Oh... no... not again!" he said scared.
„Don't worry... we are alone!" a well known voice said. Spud turned and saw Lao Shi sitting there and smile on him. „It's good that you drunk this potion... so we have a chance to talk."
„I... I thaught that this potions prevents that I dream anything... and now I'm still confronted with death people." Spud said and sat down next to Lao Shi. „Why? Please tell me why you never told me about this! Dead people are following me in my dreams. I have scary visions about things I can't controll or change..."
„Because they happend, before someone changed the past!" Lao Shi explained. „I'm sorry! I'm so so sorry. But there was never any reason to tell you something about your abilities. But now... we are all dead... so I used all my powers in the moment I died... to activate yours."
„So... you are responsible for..."
„Yes... Spud, it sounds ridiculous for you... but you and Trixie are the only people who can help us... my soul is strong enough to talk to you even with your medicine. You have to find the truth..." Lao Shi finished and disappeared. Spud fell... he fell threw clouds under him the wide ocean. When he looked up he saw the InterFly jet spinning down. The left wing in fire. He floated threw the smoky cabin. All people became senseless due to the G-Forces. Instead of Lao Shi who called him... „Find the truth..."
Spud woke up... and sat upright in his bed. He breathed fast... sweat poured down his face. But slowly he calmed down. Because he understood this message...
Only a hour later he left the house and ran threw the foggy streets. He ran as fast as possible to reach the shop as soon as possible. He entered and went to the back-room where the bloody couch stood.
„Okay... Jake and his family are in Portugal. I and Trixie come to the shop... but why?" he asked himself and looked around. „Here we surprise the burglars... we fight..." Spud took a knife from one of the boxes. „...the burglar tries to attack me... I'm able to get the knife and smash it into the burglars chest." he placed the knife on the couch and waited for a vision or something else. But nothing happend... „Aww... come on..." he screamed.
Ashamed Spud walked back to the front room and sat down on the other couch... in this moment it began.
„Hide..." Spud screamed. All moved in time-elapse again. Trixie was next to him and together they hid behind the desk. His view was weird. Two black dressed people walked threw the the shop and looked for something. Both talked in another language... a baltic one maybe...
What followed was like the fast-forward of a video-tape. All moved so fast that Spud could only see the fight at the end where he killed the female intruder... than he turned his view to the other intruder. That one start to scream... and pulled out a gun of his pocket shooting on Trixie. I shock Spud saw how the bullet hit her forehead and smashed out on the other side. Blood sprinkled everywhere and Trixie fell down on the ground... dead!
Spud lift his head back to the intruder who realised that he was off of munition and threw the gun on Spud. It hit his head and Spud fell backwards on the table and broke it. The intruder just played with something in his hands before he said. „You will pay for that. My revenge will be horrible..." the person, a woman, said... before she lift her hand and shattered the windows... glass sharps smashed into the pedestrians and injuring them hardly... the woman ran out and disappeared... Spud took something from Trixie's pocket and he ran out threw the back-door...
Spud woke up and had horrible headache again...
End of Chapter 8
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