Chapter 11
“Stupid, stupid, stupid!” A tall man with dark hair
and eyes paced around his office. His
six young ‘employees’ cowered in front of his desk. “What were you thinking about?
Nothing, that’s the answer. Why
would you leave evidence like that in broad daylight? Did you even try to move the bus off the street, did you even try
to hide the bodies?”
The fiery red haired young man with blazing green
eyes tried to stand his ground, “We were nervous, it was our first time, and
those guys were putting up a good struggle.
We got the bus off the highway, it was on a country road... We hid the
bodies in the bushes.. We didn’t know
that..”
“We didn’t know...” The man mocked the boy,
“Ruined! The plans have been
ruined. Every FBI officer in the nation
should be swarming those houses by now!”
“But that shouldn’t matter,” Brendon tried to argue,
“The FBI encourages people to pay..” His sentence cut off as a hand encircled
his throat, “But after we get the money... we are on the run. Everyone will be after us.. And those Boys will be material
witnesses. Now we have to kill
them. But after we do that, murder will
be added to our wanted posters..”
“Then why don’t we just let them go,” spoke the
Zalia, with long cinnamon colored hair and hazel brown eyes, “We can’t gain,
but we also don’t lose. It sounds like
this operation has been blown..”
“From your own carelessness!” The boss raged.
“Mr. Paricio, we are sorry...”
“I don’t want your apologizes! I only want my money, and dear Zalia, the
reply to your suggestion in no! I do
not know why I even let you in on this, you are much too soft hearted.”
“Cause I’m your daughter,” Zalia said softly,” and I
have some sense to know when someone is getting into something too deep. And we’re in over our heads now, our safest
out is to let them go.”
“No,” Mr. Paricio said, “That may be the safest
route, but also the poorest. But dear
daughter, if you do not want to take anymore part in this you may go... After
all, daddy will take good care of you either way.”
Zalia stared her father down, hazel against
black... She lowered her head, “I stay
with you. But when this whole thing
goes up in smoke, it’ll all be on you.”
“Oh I wish I was an Oscar Meyer Wiener...”
“Do you actually know that whole song?” Brian mused
glancing at Nick who was sitting next to him on the couch flicking rubber
bands.
“Nope,” Nick shook his head, “just that first
line. I think that’s all anyone really
knows for sure anymore.”
AJ glanced at the two having a rubber contest and wished
he could be like them, cool, calm... Brian had his faith, he knew God would let
him come out alright... Nick had... Well Nick was just crazy. AJ liked to believe that he had faith too,
that worrying was a sin... But he couldn’t help but feel fear every time he
opened his eyes and realized where he was again. Howie wasn’t helping. He
went around pacing and muttering to himself, despite what anyone had tried to
tell him. He also wasn’t eating. Kevin was always trying to talk sense into
him, and Howie would blow him off. AJ
felt like the oddball, he was the only person not doing anything, but watching
the others.
A rubber band popped AJ on the side of the head and
he glanced over to see Nick and Brian giggling about it. He decided to join them, to do something to
take his mind of the situation. About 5
minutes into the rubber-battle, a rubber band went astray and popped Howie in
the forehead. “Uh-oh,” Nick breathed
trying to hide behind Brian. Brian
tried to hide behind AJ.
“Would you three stop acting like children for more
than 5 minutes?” Howie demanded. He
glared daggers at all three of them and charged over. Kevin followed, “Howie, calm down. They’re just trying to pass some time. Maybe we could all sit down and play some sort of game that will
keep us occupied until the...”
“Ninjas,” Nick supplied.
Kevin cracked a small smile, “Until the ninjas come
back down and tell us what’s happening up there.”
“Think we could ask for a TV while they’re down
here?” Nick frowned, then pelted Brian with another rubber band. Brian took this as a signal that the war was
back on. Rubber bands began to fly yet
again and Howie had had enough.
“STOP IT!” He
shoved both Nick and Brian over. Brian
fell against the card table hitting his head, “Ow Howie!” He quickly jumped up
ready for a fight, and Howie was willing to give him one. Nick fell back over the couch, causing more
dirt and dust to fly, “Gross!” he managed to yell between his immediate
allergic reactions.
“Howie I am sick of your attitude! You’ve been bitchin’ at everybody since
we’ve been down here. You’re scared,
I’m scared, but just because I’m tough enough not to be a nutcase over it
doesn’t mean...”
“So what are you sayin’ Brian, that I’m a
coward? That I can’t handle a problem?”
“Yeah,” Brian said angrily, “and you’re taking all
your frustration out on us. I say
CHILL! You’re driving me crazy! I will not walk on eggshells around the
Great Howard!”
Howie aimed a punch at Brian’s chest but AJ caught it
and held him back, “Howie he’s right.
You’re scarin’ us, ok? You need
to chill!”
“Chill, I’ll chill when we get out of here!” Howie
yelled fighting against AJ.
“Hey guys,” came Nick’s small voice from behind the
couch. He pulled himself up slowly, but
leaving his head bowed, “Is anyone else having trouble getting a deep breath?”
Brian frowned, forgetting about his fight with Howie
and Kevin, and was making his way over.
“No, are you?”
Nick nodded, moving to sit on the couch and put his
head between his knees.
“You need your inhaler,” Brian smacked his hand to
his forehead as he realized it, “You don’t have it?”
Nick shook his head, “I left it on the bus... in
front of the TV.”
“You mean you actually did need that thing?” AJ asked incredulously letting go of a calmer
Howie, and coming to the couch to kneel by Nick.
“No, no, everybody back up,” Kevin said, “Uh..” he
looked like he was wracking his brain.
Suddenly his face lit up, “AJ, go in the bathroom and see if that bath
tub in there has a shower head. If so
turn it on high with hot water, and call me when you start to see steam.”
AJ nodded and hurried into the bathroom, he clicked
on the light and the others could hear his colorful language as he made his
observations of the place in the light.
Nick tried to snicker, but wheezed instead. “Stop that,” Kevin instructed.
Brian was running his hands through Nick’s hair,
“Kev, what good is this gonna do?”
“Sometimes steam can help,” Howie spoke up soberly,
for the first time since the argument, “One of my cousins has asthma, my aunt
did the same thing one time.”
“Ok, I see steam... and you don’t wanna know what
else,” AJ said shying out of the bathroom, “That is so disgusting.”
Kevin and Brian helped Nick up and got him into the
bathroom and shut the door. After a minute Brian busted out of there, “That is
nasty! Now I know why I never turned on
the light when I had to go in there!
And I am never taking a bath in that!”
AJ snorted.
About 5 minutes later Kevin came out with a disgusted
look on his face, “That bathroom is unsanitary.”
“How’s Nick?”
“He’s fine. I
told him to stay in there for a few more minutes,” Kevin bit his lip and looked
down at his hands.
“What?” Brian had looked relieved now he was getting
worried again, “What Kev?”
“Nothing,” Kevin shook his head, “We won’t worry
about it now.”
“YUCK! I will
never do that again!” Nick said slamming the door closed to the bathroom and
making a face, “It was so much better in the dark.”
Brian grinned at him, “But you’re afraid of the dark
Frack.”
“Not in there.
I’m cool with it in that dungeon,” Nick said taking a seat on the card
table.
“Guys, what I was...”
There were clumping noises coming from upstairs
making everyone stand at attention.
Their heads snapped up towards the stairwell. The clumping noises got louder and closer. Footsteps.
The doorknob was turning, the door at the top of the stairs was
opening... Now maybe they would find
out what would happen to them. Were
they gonna be set free, or...?