Disclaimer: I do not own the Hardy Boys or any of the canon book characters, and am making no monies from this story. Any Original Characters belong to the author(s).
Note: This story was originally co-written with another person, who is not currently available to ask for permission to post it. Therefore it is being posted under one author name. Also, it was written in the late 1990s, so technology is not at a 2017 level. Please pardon that fact.
September Song
By EvergreenDreamweaver
Chapter 15
Azure eyes lighted like stars.
"Frank!" The syllable was part gasp, part cry. "Oh, Frank!"
Frank was across the room in three bounds, skirting Ted Crowley's unconscious form. He whipped out his knife, and severed Megan's bonds with a few quick, careful strokes.
"Come on, let's get out of here…" Frank suddenly sniffed, and looked more closely at his surroundings. "What's that smell? It smells like – oh my gosh – gasoline?"
Megan nodded, clinging to his arm as she attempted to get to her feet. "Mr. Crowley was pouring it around – on the floor and the desk. Oh, Frank, he was going to set the building on fire and leave me!"
As she spoke, Crowley stirred. The two teens froze, then Frank began quietly making his way toward the office door, half-carrying Megan. He had made it perhaps halfway when Crowley shook his head and pushed himself onto his elbows. He stared about him for a few seconds, then his eyes fell upon Frank and Megan.
"Where do you think you're going, you little—" The man lunged to his knees, fumbling in a jacket pocket as he did so.
"Megan! Come on! Run!" Frank leaped for the door, dragging Megan after him. Crowley, roaring inarticulately, pulled out a pistol and fired. Frank instinctively threw himself forward and down, and the bullet skimmed over his head. He heard a sharp ping! as it hit something, then he was rolling and scrambling for the door, still tugging Megan behind him with one hand. Crowley fired again, and again Frank heard the pinging sound.
There came a sudden whoosh, as a spark flew from the impact of a bullet on the brass table lamp to land on the gasoline-soaked carpeting – and the office exploded into flames!
"Come on!" Frank scrambled to his feet and yanked hard, pulling Megan upright and out the door. "We've got to get out of here!"
"What about him?" she screamed. "We can't just leave him to burn up, can we?"
Before Frank could answer, the bark of the gun echoed through the hallway, and another bullet whizzed past his head. Ted Crowley wasn't giving up.
"I'm not going to try to save someone who's trying to pump bullets into me!" Frank yelled. "Come on!"
Their hesitation proved unwise, for the flames and smoke were spreading rapidly into the hall. Megan tried to run, but her feet were numb from being tied up. She stumbled, then fell to her knees.
"Frank! I can't wal—" She broke off, coughing violently as a wave of smoke rolled over them.
"Yes you can! You've got to!" Now Frank was coughing too. He fumbled in a pocket for his handkerchief, but couldn't locate it. He pulled Megan to her feet once more, and put a supportive arm about her. "Come on – you can—" He gasped for breath, and inhaled more smoke.
Megan reached for the gag that hung about her neck. She pulled it up over her nose, hoping to filter out a little of the smoke, then grasped Frank's hand tightly. "Okay! Let's go!" she shrieked over the roaring of the spreading fire. Together, they started toward the stairs at the far end of the hall, at times barely able to see through the thickening smoke.
Behind them, Ted Crowley yelled again, and they heard him stumbling in pursuit. Just as they reached the doorway to the stairs, there was another resounding whoosh! and the fire seemed to leap after them.
"What did he do?" Frank gasped. "Dump gas all over the whole building?" He spotted a fire alarm box on the wall, and smashed the glass, setting the alarm ringing. He lurched against the wall for a moment, gasping for breath, then he staggered toward the stairwell, feeling the heat enveloping them.
"I think so." Megan leaned heavily against the railing as they made their way down the stairs. "I think he started pouring it down on the first floor." They heard another explosion as the fire made another leap.
"Is there an automatic sprinkler system?" Frank yelled as he leaped down two steps at a time. Megan gamely tried to follow his example.
"I don't know!"
Above them, the door was yanked open, and footsteps thundered down the stairs. Ted Crowley was still in pursuit! Frank was beginning to feel lightheaded from a combination of exertion and smoke, but he didn't dare stop to rest. If Crowley didn't catch them, the deadly fire would.
Down, down, and around. Frank reached the doorway into the first-floor hallway and shoved the door open, gasping in the relatively smoke-free air with relief. But the emotion was short-lived, for again Crowley's gun spat above them, and Megan screamed as a bullet smacked into the wall just above her head. She leaped through the doorway after Frank and they dashed for the main entrance.
They had nearly made it when Ted Crowley burst through the stairwell door. He was screaming at them to stop, waving his gun at them, wild-eyed and incoherent; and Frank pulled Megan to a halt, trying to shield her with his body. He was desperately afraid Crowley was going to shoot them both, but didn't dare make a break for the door.
But Ted Crowley had an even more demonic plan in mind. Juggling the pistol in one hand, he pulled a lighter and a crumpled sheet of paper from his pocket, and held the flame to the paper.
"Crowley, don't be a fool!" Frank shouted, but his voice was raw and hoarse from smoke, and he began coughing violently. Crowley uttered a raucous laugh, and tossed the burning paper to the gasoline-sprinkled carpet, then jumped back as flames shot up and traveled rapidly towards the place where Frank and Megan stood. Through the fire, Frank saw their adversary turn and dart toward the back hall, away from them.
"Frank, we've got to get out!" Megan screamed between coughs, tugging on his arm. But the elder Hardy was doubled over, coughing and gasping for breath in the billowing smoke, and couldn't manage to respond to her exhortations. His knees buckled, and he leaned heavily on her shoulder.
"I – I can't – can't breathe—"
The sharp sound of shattering glass interrupted him, and suddenly two dark-clad figures were beside them. One grabbed Megan; the other seized Frank about the waist and held him up.
"We got tired of waiting for you!" Joe bellowed in his older brother's ear. "Do you always have to do these things with so much noise and fuss? Come on, we've got to get out of here, now!"
Frank felt himself half-shoved, half-carried forward. He was reaching for Megan, trying vainly to find her amid the smoke, when one more loud whoosh sounded; the roar of the fire increased to a deafening thunder, and Frank felt himself lofted into the air and flung forward. For a second or two he was airborne, then he hit the ground with an impact that knocked out the little air he had remaining in his lungs. Multicolored sparks flew across his vision…and faded into blackness.