Chapter Seven: A New Friend

 

Scazzarda opened her eyes to bright moonlight streaming in through the window. She was sleeping on the parlor couch in Cloudy’s home. Meredith and Leo, Springtime and Showerstorm, and Cloudy’s siblings were asleep upstairs. Everything was quiet as a tomb and completely peaceful. So why had she woken up?

Then a soft scraping sound reached her ears. Her eyes traveled to the window next to the parlor’s window, and she saw a silhouette slip past the pane and melt away into the darkness. A tight grip of fear seized her heart as she realized the house was being watched!

Scazzarda slowly stood to her feet and crept over to the window, drawing back the pink translucent curtains a tad. At first she saw no one. Gradually, as the minutes ticked by, she saw the shadowed figure of a man standing on the porch steps, a gun in hand, looking out over the pasture, his back stiff. He furtively scanned the area with his eyes, his face a mask of enigma. After a while, he gave a low whistle and two more men appeared on the outskirts of the pasture, rifles in hand, brown felt caps pulled low over their foreheads. On the front of the cap, carved into the felt, was carved the insignia of a one-eyed serpent.

Scazzarda really started to panic then. The house was being guarded by three armed men! She wondered if she should wake the others but then discarded the idea. No use—it would probably put them in more danger than they already were. Then what to do?

Scazzarda could hear the men talking outside, and she tiptoed closer to the door to hear them better. At first all she heard were faint murmurings, but then began to detect full sentences.

“I don’t like this,” the first man said nervously. “If we wake these folks up to ask where Tilry is, we might raise suspicion.”

“Oh, cut your yakkin’, Derek,” the third man scoffed. “It ain’t that big o’ a deal. If they get too nosy in our affairs, we’ll club ’em over the heads with our guns.”

“Yeah, Joe,” said Man Two. “And besides, Derek, who says they’ll suspect anything? We’ll jest pretend to be hunters who’ve lost out way, and we’ll fake that we live near the hospital Tilry’s in. Once we find out which hospital he’s is, we’ll kill ‘im. Short, simple, and to the point!”

“Well said, Sam,” said Joe. “And you know the deal, Derek. Boss’s orders.”

“Yeah, but I don’t know!” Derek said. “It seems too risky! What if they call the police or something?”

“No need to worry ’bout that,” Joe laughed. “I just turned off all the electricity.” He frowned and fingered his rifle. “Don’t be chicken, Derek. You’re not gettin’ paid to be a wimp. Now get up to the door and knock.”

Derek obeyed, banging lightly on the door. Scazzarda knew now she had no choice. She had to wake the others. Turning, she stumbled up the stairs, almost tripping on one of the steps, and ran into Springtime and Showerstorm’s bedroom. “Springtime! Showerstorm!” she hissed. “Wake up! There’s trouble!”

Springtime stirred and opened her eyes. “Scazzarda?” she asked in bleak surprise. “What time is it?” Her gaze went to the alarm clock, which was blank. “Why is the clock turned off?”

“Please listen!” pleaded Scazzarda. “There’s three armed men at our door who are pretending to be hunters in order to know where Tilry is so they can kill him! They turned off the electricity to prevent us from calling the police!”

“What?” Showerstorm was alarmed. “They’re armed? With what weapon?”

“Rifles,” answered Scazzarda briefly.

“Oh, no!” whispered Springtime. “What shall we do?”

Then came the knock again, louder this time.

Showerstorm slowly let his breath out. “The panel that houses the switches for the circuits is at the side of the house. If I can sneak out the back door and manage to flip the switches back on. . .”

Springtime gasped, terrified for her husband’s safety. “No! They’ll see you and shoot you! it’s too dangerous!”

“Hon, I have to,” Showerstorm firmly replied. One look at this face told his wife he was serious about this deal. There was no changing his mind. “I want you to turn all the light and appliances off and answer the door. Play along with any story the men tell you and don’t act suspicious.”

Scazzarda and Springtime obeyed to the letter. They switched off all the upstairs devices and lights while Showerstorm slipped out the back door. Then they raced downstairs and did the same to the rest of the appliances.

Just then, the knock came on the door once more.

“Open it!” Scazzarda commanded her friend.

Springtime hestantly cracked open the door a little, blinking sleepily. Scazzarda hung back out of sight. “Yes?”

“Oh, hello, miss,” Joe said politely, doffing his cap. “We were hunting in the woods a little ways from here, but we lost our way home. We were wondering if you knew Tilry Stellarum.”

“Do you have a permit?” Springtime asked.

Joe blinked, taken aback. “I beg your pardon?”

“Do you have permission to hunt in the woods?”

“Well, of course,” Joe said, frowning.

“May I see the permits?” Springtime requested.

Joe scowled darkly at her. “Look, lady, I don’t have time to show you our measly permits. I just need to know which hospital Tilry is in. We live near him.”

“If you live near him, you should know where he is,” Springtime said bluntly.

Joe raised an eyebrow. “We, uh, forgot the name of the hospital. It had an odd name, I know that.”

Springtime smiled mysteriously. “Sorry I can’t help you. You could try the nearest house from here.”

While the men and Springtime were talking, Showerstorm had sneaked around to the side of the house and had quietly opened the panel door. He carefully pilled several levers to activate the power, keeping an eye on the men all the while. He was in direct eyesight of them, yet they never so much as glanced over in his direction.

“Lady, I would think you would know which hospital we’re talking about,” Joe said. “Tilry Stellarum’s there.” He shot her a searching look. “Surely you know Tilry.”

“I can’t say if I’ve ever heard of him,” Springtime said, still smiling in her cryptic way. “But I might have.”

Showerstorm figured his wife needed some help, so he turned to go back inside. But as he did, he stepped on a twig. The twig gave a loud crack which resounded throughout the night.

Joe stopped speaking. “What was that?”

Springtime’s heart was pounding wildly, but she tried not to show her fear. “What was what?”

“I heard something snap.”

“I didn’t hear anything.”

Showerstorm remained motionless. Joe and his cronies listened closely, but heard nothing more.

“Probably just some animal,” Springtime suggested, but she couldn’t help smiling at her pun.

Joe glanced at her. “What are you smiling about?” he demanded.

“Me?” Springtime questioned. quickly rearranging her facial expression to look serious.

“Yeah. you, lady. I’m not talkin’ to the door,” said Joe.

“I thought so,” Springtime said. “You don’t really strike me as the kind to talk to doors.”

“Just hurry up and answer the question,” Joe said sternly.

“Oh, okay. What was the question again?”

“Why were you smiling?”

“I don’t know. Why were you smiling?” asked Springtime, pretending to get mixed up.

Joe rolled his eyes. “Ma’am, I’m not standing around here all night playing games with you. Just answer my question and get on with it.”

“Did you know where Tilry is or why I was smiling?” Springtime inquired, stalling for time.

“Both.”

Showerstorm quickly hurried through the back door and softly shut it, then padded upstairs into his room. He picked up the telephone, dialed the number of the nearest police department, and waited. After a few dial tones, a woman picked up and said, “Hello?”

In a hushed voice, Showerstorm hurriedly related the situation to her. When he finished, the woman said, “Okay, we’ll send out a few officers to apprehend those men. Be careful and stall as long as you can.” There was a slight pause. “I’ll be praying for you.”

“Thank you.” Showerstorm felt his heart warm as he put down the phone. No one in the police department had ever said such a thing to him before. He crept down the stairs and behind the front door with Scazzarda. Springtime was still speaking to the “hunters.”

“Do you know the name of the hospital or not?” Joe impatiently asked.

Springtime was not about to endanger the life of Tilry. “I don’t know if I do or not,” she answered. “It’s hard to say. There are probably several hospitals around here. I can never keep them straight.”

“Then answer the second question. Why were you smiling?” Joe asked.

Springtime thought fast. “Oh, I just thought of a joke, was all. Want to hear it?”

“No,” Joe said firmly. “Look, we need to get going. We’ve wasted enough time.” He began to edge away.

“Oh, you have to hear this one,” Springtime insisted. “It’s hilarious.”

Joe sighed irritably. “Fine. Hurry up and tell it.”

“Okay. How do you stay warm in a cold room?” asked Springtime.

Joe threw up his hands. “I give up.”

Springtime grinned. “Just find a corner—they’re always ninety degrees.”

Joe scoffed. “Ha, ha, ha. I’m dying from hysterical laughter. That was so funny.”

“Thank you,” Springtime said, ignoring his obvious sarcasm. At that point, the sound of a police siren broke the silence. Joe’s eyes grew wide.

“The police!” cried Sam.

“Is there a problem?” Springtime asked, faking concern.

Six police cars came into view, speeding as fast as they could down the road, their red and blue lights flashing wildly. Joe loaded his rifle and pointed it straight at Springtime’s face! “Did any of you call the police?” he shouted.

Springtime was so frightened she couldn’t answer. The police cars pulled up in front of the house and several officers emerged from the cars, each holding a flashlight and taser.

“Joe, we need to get out of here!” Sam shouted, tugging his buddy’s sleeve. Already the officers were running across the pasture.

Joe took the hint and darted away toward the woods, Sam and Derek in tow. But the officers were faster and reached them before they could hurdle the half-mark fence. Two officers pinned Joe’s arms behind him and a third grabbed Sam around the neck and threw a headlock on him. Only Derek managed to yank free from the fourth officer’s hands and run away into Whispy Woods He vanished into the black, shapeless mass of forbidding, crooked trees and shrubbery.

“Oh, no!” the second officer shouted.

“Get him!” yelled the first.

“No use,” Springtime panted, running out to meet them. “He got away.”

“Who are you?” the first officer interrogated.

“Springtime. My husband called you,” Springtime explained.

The first officer nodded and shone his light of Joe’s and Sam’s faces in turn as the second officer clicked handcuffs on the two prisoners. “Hm. These look like buddies of notorious killer Joseph Unswall’s dishonest gang.”

“Joseph Unswall!” Springtime cried out.

The officers looked at her in surprise. “You know him?” inquired the fourth officer.

“He kidnapped my two friends’ daughters,” said Springtime. “I believe these three were going to stage an attack on Tilry Stellarum at Oromo Thuli Hospital.”

Joe stared at her in surprise. “You mean you knew the name of the hospital all along?!”

“Of course,” Springtime answered dryly, “but I would never have told you.”

Sam turned pale as he listened. Springtime looked at him and asked, “Do you know where Joseph Unswall is?”

Sam nodded.

“Then where?” the third officer asked.

“He’s at the abandoned Finkins cottage,” Sam replied.

Springtime studied his face, but saw nothing dishonest in his eyes. “Hm, fine,” she said. “I’ll take your word for it.” She turned back to the officers. “Could you go out there and rescue my friends’ daughters?”

“We’ll try,” said the third officer in a calm manner. He lifted a radio to his lips and spoke into it, saying that several officers had arrested Joe and Sam but Derek had gotten away. Then he placed the radio down and told Springtime, “If you want, you and a few of your friends can come with us.” He handed Joe and Sam over to a few police sergeants, and the two men were hustled off in the direction of the waiting cars.

“I would like to,” Springtime answered gently. “And I’m sure my husband would like to go too.”

“Then get ready. The Finkins cottage is about twenty miles away,” the officer remarked gravely. “And if Derek gets back to his boss and reports what happened, Joseph might kill the girls. We’ll have to move fast.”

“Understood,” Springtime calmly replied.

 

* * * * *

 

“You mean you know where my daughter is?” Meredith cried out in joy.

“Sam said she and Liloy were at the Finkins cottage twenty miles away from here,” Springtime explained. “The police said they would bring a few of us with them to aid in the rescue.”

“I’m going,” Leo said quietly. Meredith gasped.

Showerstorm’s expression was one of doubt. “Are you sure, Leo? This is going to be very dangerous. . .and you just got out of the hospital too. . .”

Leo shut his eyes. “I’ve got to. My daughter is in danger, and it would be so unlike a good father to not help rescue his child from a serial killer.”

“I’m going too,” Scazzarda added.

Springtime cast a nervous glance at her husband, then at Meredith. “Meredith, can you take care of the children all by yourself or do I have to call my sister or Mrs. Ivy to stay with you?” Mrs. Ivy was Cloudy’s kindergarten teacher

“Don’t bother disturbing them,” Meredith said shortly. “I can care for them myself.”

“What if Derek returns?” Sniper asked. He and the other children were standing on the stairs, listening to the conversation.

“We’ll have a few officers guard the house,” answered Showerstorm, glancing at his son. “Don’t worry.”

Sniper briefly looked back at his siblings, who gave him serious looks. Then he stepped forward. “Daddy, can I join you and Mommy and the other officers on the rescue mission?”

Springtime started and stared at Sniper. “Are you serious, dear? You want to come along?”

Sniper nodded, and for the first time, he seemed completely responsible and willing to fight for his friends’ lives. “I want to go.”

Showerstorm nodded his approval. “All right, son. Come along and prove your worth to the team.”

“Can I go too?” Star asked.

“Yes, but hurry and get ready,” Showerstorm told her. “The sun will be rising in a few hours, and we won’t be able to hide so easily. Let’s go!”

When the children were ready, the adults herded them out to the police cars.

 

* * * * *

 

About an hour or so after all this excitement took place back at Cloudy’s house, Cloudy and Meta Knight were awake and talking. But after they finished their talk and were silent for a time, a twig snapped deep  the recesses of the woods. Meta Knight tensed and slowly stood, drawing his sword with the utmost caution, gesturing for Cloudy to get behind him. The child obeyed, her green eyes as big as marbles.

“Who is there?” the soldier demanded, his weapon at the ready.

A man in his early twenties with a brown cap and rifle stepped into a pool of moonlight filtering through the thick canopy of trees. He halted, surprised, at sight of a blue-caped knight and a frightened Malamute puppy.

“Who are you and why are you here?” Meta Knight quietly asked, standing his ground. His fingers tightened around the rapier’s hilt.

“Derek Haslon.” The man unloaded his rifle and set it on the ground, approaching them warily. “I ran away from the police.” He didn’t seem afraid to speak the truth, and Cloudy found that quite remarkable.

“Why were the police after you?” she asked.

Derek sat down on the grass and a few feet away from the two. “It’s mighty risky to tell ya this, but I got to. My boss put me and my friends up to trying to ask some woman named Springtime where Tilry Stellarum is.”

“Springtime!” Meta Knight said in astonishment.

Derek nodded, confused by the knight’s reaction. “You know her, then?”

“She’s my mom,” said Cloudy.

“Ohh.” Derek cupped his chin in his hand. “Um, anyway, as I said, me and my friends was put up to the task of locating Tilry’s hospital.”

“Why?” Cloudy wondered. “Why were you put up to that?”

Derek rubbed his temples as if his head hurt. “Boss wanted us to attack Tilry and kill ‘im.” Meta Knight gasped. “But I didn’t want to do it.”

Cloudy stared at him. “Why not?”

“Because I don’t want to be a criminal,” Derek answered.

“Why?” Cloudy asked again. She found it odd that he was part of some weird criminal gang but yet he didn’t even want to be a criminal.

“I was sort of coerced to join Joseph Unswall’s gang,” Derek explained, a tone of distant regret and shame in his voice. Cloudy’s eyes widened at the name of Unswall. “My family and me was destitute and needed money real bad to live. Joseph met my dad at a restaurant one night about a year ago and blackmailed him through some means. I was forced to join his dirty gang under threat of Dad being harmed and with a promise that I would get paid.” He lapsed into a gloomy silence, then continued, “I didn’t do nothing real bad. Maybe I stole a few times and knocked someone out with my gun, but it ain’t like I killed anyone or something.”

Cloudy wanted to tell him that anything that went against God’s righteousness was a sin, but she didn’t right then. “So what happened tonight?” she questioned. “How did you get away from the cops?”

Derek bit his lip. “Joe turned off the power so no one could call the police should anyone in the house get too suspicious. But somehow the power got turned back on and somebody called the police. Joe and Sam was arrested, but I manage to run away.”

Meta Knight sighed. “So you work for Joseph Unswall.” He shook his head. “If I were you, Derek, I would not go back to him. He might kill you.”

Derek shivered. “That’s what I’m afraid of,” he admitted.

“Then why not come with us?” suggested the puppy. “You can help us save Miriam and Liloy!”

Meta Knight stared at Cloudy in surprise.

Derek’s mouth dropped open. “How did you now about them?”

“We’ve been trying to track them for a while,” Cloudy said. “They’re our friends.”

Derek took off his cap and ran his fingers through his black hair. “So you’re saying you want me to join up with you guys?”

“Yeah. If you’re tired of working for Joseph, then come with us and go straight from now on,” said Cloudy. “Wash your hands of this mess and don’t look back. Change.”

Derek heaved a sigh. “I’d love to, but Joseph might get heated if he finds out I’m workin’ on the opposite team.”

“But it might get your sentence lightened when the police catch up with you,” Cloudy pointed out.

Derek frowned.

“Look, yo have to take responsibility for your actions,” Cloudy insisted. “If you committed those crimes, then you have to serve the time for those crimes. It’s the law.”

Derek slowly puffed out his breath and scratched his head. “Yeah. . .I guess you’re right. Okay. When the police find me, I’ll go willingly and serve the time required in jail.”

Cloudy grinned and wagged her tail. She hoped Derek was sincere about turning over a new leaf.

Meta Knight was less enthusiastic about Derek joining their side, but when he saw how gracious Cloudy was being by allowing Derek to have another chance to prove his trustworthiness, he decided to follow her lead, It might be a mistake, he thought, but the greater mistake would be to doubt him altogether.

“The come with us, Derek,” commanded Meta Knight. He sheathed his rapier, but kept his hand on the hilt. “Take us to the girls. At once.”

Derek nodded agreeably. “Follow me,” he gestured, and led the way, running off toward the road.

“Wait a minute!” Meta Knight hurriedly ran back to their campsite, stuffed the blankets in the pack, slung it over his shoulder, and ran after Cloudy, who was waiting on the grass with Derek. The three then darted off into the inky blackness of the early morning.

 

* * * * *

 

Springtime, Showerstorm, Scazzarda, Leo, Sniper, and Star clambered into three separate police cars. The one who had arrested Sam, Officer Rokstaun, invited the two siblings into his car; their parents were put into Officer Vaysten’s; and Scazzarda and Leo entered Officer Jayme’s.

“Buckle up, kiddos!” Rokstaun shouted and he climbed behind the wheel and turned off the flashing lights on the top of his car. “We’re on a hazardous mission here, so do as you’re told. Okay?”

“Yes, sir!” Star answered smartly, saluting,

“Aye, aye!” Sniper returned.

The three cars started up and drove down the road, Star felt terribly ill at ease but also a little excited, She knew this mission could potentially be extremely perilous, but she was determined to move forward and be brave. Looking at the grim face of her brother, she could tell he felt the same way.

Rokstaun gunned the car faster, telling the brother and sister to hang on to their seats. “It’s gonna get awfully bumpy,” he warned.

Star whimpered when the car rocketed over a medium-sized bump in the road. It would have thrown her out of her seat had her seatbelt not been protecting her. Sniper, on the other hand, didn’t seem to care. He roved his eyes over the underbrush and thick growth lining the sides of the road, as if looking for somebody.

In Officer Vaysten’s car, Showerstorm was talking to his spouse. “Hon, do you suppose there’s a possibility we could meet up with Cloudy on this road?”

“I would love to see her safe and sound,” Springtime confessed. “But she could be miles away from here by this point. Or she could be way out in the woods.” A look of terror overshadowed her face. “Oh!”

“What?” Showerstorm didn’t like how pale she had become. “What are you thinking of?”

Springtime turned a pair of frightened eyes upon him. “Derek!”

“Derek?” he repeated.

“Yes!” she cried. “He escaped and ran away into the woods, remember? W-What if he meets up with Cloudy and Meta Knight and decides to harm them?!”

“Oh my gosh.” Showerstorm had never even given thought to that possibility, but now it was as lain as day to him. . .Could something possibly happen to her and the knight?

 

* * * * *

 

Cloudy, Meta Knight, and Derek ran along the curved road as fast as they could, The sky had changed from dark purple to light punk mixed with a dab of orange and blue. The first pricks of the sun’s rays peeked over the horizon’s edge. The birds were beginning to chirp their good morning calls to many passersby. A mother robin hopped along a patch of bare ground and dug a fat worm from the earth, then flew with it back to her nest. The cry of three baby robins greeted the ears of the tree searchers as they flew along.

As they were running, Cloudy tripped over an unseen root and fell to the ground with a thud. Meta Knight stopped to help her up, but Derek kept running. Meta Knight frantically shouted after him, “Wait, Derek!”

To the knight’s chagrin, Derek didn’t stop. He continued to dart on and turned into the woods, charging into the undergrowth. He disappeared among the thick foliage.

“Why did he do that?” Cloudy asked.

Meta Knight let out a low gasp, shocked at the thought that had come to him. “Maybe he abandoned us here! Maybe he wasn’t leading us in the right direction after all!”