A Abba's Apocalypse (15 page)

              I stop and observe at the end of this alley. The surroundings look familiar, but I am slightly confused on how to proceed. Last time I came to Katie’s from another direction. Adjusting for this new information I determine Katie’s place is close now. I still hear the ringing of drums affecting my ability to accurately detect sound. I know I must be making “huffing” sounds as I try and catch my breath. I’m afraid my breathing

may alert a passing LD. I try and slow my breathing, but my chest is fighting me for the ability to control the air supply. Its expansions and contractions are in a race with my pounding heart. I place my hand over my mouth suffocating the uncontrollable sound until the race is over. Slowly, I move my head past the picket fence that I’m currently crouched behind. I peer left, and then right. I strain my hearing trying to observe for any unusual noise, but my eardrums are numb. I lean up and get ready to bolt across the street. All of a sudden, I see Moses! He’s dashing across the adjacent framework of fences lining the street that I’m preparing to cross. I realize, if I hurry straight up the next alley I might be able to intercept him at the next intersection. I am greatly relieved that he’s alright; at least for the moment.

              I run across the street into the adjacent alley, pounding the pavement all the way. My lungs and heart try and catch up as I stop at its end to observe. I listen for the enemy, but all I hear is the thumping and pounding of my body, as my hearing begins to return. A cold sweat drips off my warm forehead blurring my vision. I don’t have enough time to swipe it away, or wait for my heart and lungs to settle. I dash left hoping to cut off Moses.

              Suddenly, I notice the two LD giving chase behind Moses. I immediately dive to the ground hoping to fly under the LD radar. I lift my head just enough to see them vanish pass the fence. “Poor Moses” is the only thing I can think of. I give all out chase just behind the LD as I turn onto their street. I see them closing in on Moses. I watch Moses advancing in a duck and cover maneuver. I immediately realize he doesn’t realize he’s under attack. If he continues on his present course he’ll lead them straight to Katie and the kids. I reckon Moses is about a half a block ahead of his pursuers, which are a half a block ahead of me. I wish Moses would turn his head around to see them. I think, “Maybe I could alert him to the approaching LD?” I got to do something to thwart the perpetrators before it’s too late.

              Frantically, I look around for anything I can use to cause a diversion. “Got it,” I tell myself. I see a glass bottle at the base of a dead tree. I dash up to it. I launch it into the middle of the street, and then hide behind the nearest tree. Two seconds later it explodes with a popping noise followed by a thousand tingling chimes. My hearing returns and goes on full alert. My ears turn into radars searching for any sign of approaching LD. My body shuts down all operation of its external motion rededicating its resources to my hearing. But, my heart and nervous system refuses to cooperate. I shake uncontrollably and shout at my heart, “Be quiet!” Crunching sounds come from the street as I think, “They bought it!” I peek out past the far side of the tree, trying to see Moses. “Thank God!” my mind exclaims. I see his tail end sticking out behind and old abandon sofa. I realize he knows about the LD following him. I decide to secure the deal with the LD. I blast the loudest whistle I can muster, and then scurry back towards the alley. The plan is for them to chase after me.

              I hear the thumping of one set of feet follow me. I silently pray for a miracle as I run as fast as I can back to the alley. I don’t dare slow down to make my turn into the alleyway. I lean away from my legs as they fight the “inertia slide” forcing them in the other direction. . My pumping legs try to pass my rushing feet, but their lack of oxygen and the slippery sand beneath my shoes won’t let them. I am praying this LD does not have the supernatural power of a Demon as I run up the alley. I make it to the next alley as my gas finally runs out.

              I hear the steady pounding of the encroaching LD “zero in” on me. My mind grows fuzzy as my selfish body steals all the oxygen for itself. My emergency overdrive is now over driven. I collapse to the ground. The sound of the impending racing LD answers the question; it is demonically powered? I seem to be going into a dream state as my eyes stare at the space ahead of me. The only things I feel is numb and tired. I fight to stay awake, but my pending doom convinces me to

just sleep. My sense of fear drifts away, which scares me. I see something strange ahead and wonder if this is what happens when you’re about die. A small fuzzy jet is streaming right towards my location just as I give up the fight. I think how unlucky I am to have taken on a Demon and a enemy jet.

              My head’s pounding as I come to. I have no idea what time it is, or how long I’ve been unconscious. I’m wondering why I am still alive. My blurry eyes squint as they adjust to the overpowering light. I feel a tiny presence touching my shoulder as I lay on my belly. I slowly turn my head around as my fear returns. I suspect this LD wants to torture me before it kills me. My blurred vision can only make out the detail of one small eye staring directly at mine. I strain my vision and my face to see more clearly. I notice this Demon has an awfully small eye. A tiny powerful punch hits me right between eyes. “No,” my mind yells! I reason this was not a punch; it was a knock. Again, it thumps me in the same spot. Suddenly, my vision magically returns revealing the owner of this mysterious eye.

              Flicker’s face pecks my forehead once more, as if to check my conscious reflex, or just maybe to say “hello.” My extreme emotional state “flip flops” from fearing, to feeling fantastic. My whole body shakes under the influence of the tremendous change of emotions. I see his friendly little blue face covered in blood, and then wipe my head to see if it came from me. My hand returns clean, as I use my other arm to slowly lift my body. I don’t have to wonder long where the blood came from. I see lots of blood and a battered eyeball lying on the ground. Just behind it are a couple blue feathers and several bloody footsteps staggering away. I remember now thinking that the approaching jet looked kind of weird. It was blue and awfully small. I thought at the time my eyes were playing tricks due to the jet’s speed and distance; and my state of mind. Again, he pecks me. “Okay,” I tell my little friend, “I’m getting up!” I try and pat his little head and tell

Him, “You sure are amazing.” But, he leaps and flies away

before I can. I head out in Katie’s direction and pray Moses got away alright too.

              I make it to the end of the alley and see the old gas station one more block away. I notice the front door is open as it slowly swings and squeaks in the warm morning breeze. This may be a sign Moses made it inside. Everything is remarkably still and quiet at this moment. My urgency slips back to a high state of reconnaissance. The last thing I want now is to alert any more LD. I play it safe and take my time searching and observing the premises before trying to enter it. I wait several minutes to see if there is any movement in the immediate area. My senses affirm it should be safe to move out. I leave the safety of my current position towards my objective inside the station.

              The door swings slowly open at the moment I arrive. I dash inside the dusty building as a cloud mysteriously closes the front door behind me. I see a fresh set of footprints through a slight haze leading towards the mechanic’s bay. My concern for the family hastens me, but my vision blocks my approach. The sun is painting swipes of tiny bright golden galaxies that are reflecting off the airborne dust. Each of these stripes of light blinds and muddles my perception. Their contrast is making it hard for my eyes to focus. I salute with respect to the light and proceed with my partially covered eyes honoring my sight towards the darkness.

              I shuffle through the trail of leaves covering the bay till I reach the hidden door. Leaning over the top box concealing the door I direct my whisper behind it. “Moses, Katie, it’s me Joey.” I hear the doorknob screech as a thin line of light emerges in the door jam. Through it an eyeball appears. Quickly, the door opens, as Katie tackles me with her hug. “Thank God it’s you. Hurry honey and come in,” she softly commands me. I jump around Katie as she kicks the unwelcome leaves back into the bay. I see Moses at the table

sitting and doing something with his arm. Katie locks the door

and gives me a quick explanation of what happened to Moses

while she tries to hurdle past me towards him. “My baby is hurt and I’m doctoring him up.” I realize now that Moses is applying direct pressure with a towel to a wound on his arm. He turns and gives me a big smile. Katie pulls back the towel slowly as Moses repeats, “Owie.” Katie continues administering “first aid” as the big guy waves his available arm inviting to hurry over.

              I jostle through and hurdle over the clutter while hearing the kids play in the corner of the room. I stop for a second and remember the candy. I toss a few pieces to the tots who immediate recognize the delectable contents. I hear, “Thanks Mr. Joey,” as I continue to move over to the table. Moses informs me, “I don’t know what I would have done if you didn’t alert me to the LD? I would have led them right here.” I ask Moses, “How did you get away from that last LD?” I reach back into my sack and toss Katie my “first aid” kit. I tell Katie, “It comes complete with stitching equipment.” She grabs it and goes to work on the big guy. Moses continues by stating, “I didn’t! He caught up with me and tried to kill me. I just beat him to the punch.” I sense Moses had no enjoyment putting it out of its misery. Moses hangs his head down in sorrow more than shame. “It was either that evil creature or me. I thank God he gave me the strength to break its neck.” Moses goes on to tell me how it caught him and tossed him around like a “ragdoll.” He hit the thing many times with all his might, but it just kept coming; like it didn’t feel any pain. “The scariest moment is when it choked me and I saw straight into his empty eyes. He didn’t have any pupils or a soul. I just wrapped my arm around his thin neck and squeezed as hard as I could. He dug his fingers into my arm, but I wasn’t letting go till it was dead.” I watch as Katie sews the pair of eight inch long gouges close. I ask him what he did with the body. Moses states that he stuffed it down the manhole in the street. I think hiding the corpse may have bought us some time. I’m hoping it will be enough time to get

this family back to the “old department store.”

              We go on talking about all the activity we saw today. I try to draw some possible conclusion about the airstrikes this morning, while Moses continues to give me additional details about his encounters. He saw some Irreverent fleeing from the direction of the explosions. He hid from those evacuating their hiding spots and watched them search for new places to hide. He wanted to somehow help them, but his main concern was to get back here to his family. We both determine that last night’s defeat has provoked all the evil forces to all out war on Irreverent. We immediately devise a plan to get all of us out of here tonight and back to the safety of the store. The sooner we get there, the better it will be for us all. I check the time and see it’s already getting close to sunset. I ask Moses if they can be ready in one hour as I watch Katie finish applying a dressing on his wound. He tells Katie to bring only a small bag of personal belongings and to dress the kids warmly. I grab the remaining “first aid” supplies and shove it back in my sack. We all eat one last MRE before we head out.

              I check my watch and flashlight. It’s exactly 7:00 pm and the batteries still work in my light. Katie gathers the kids as I go over some rules with Moses. “I’ll take the lead with Katie as she follows just behind me. You bring up the rear just in case they sneak up from behind. Make sure none of the kids fall behind Katie too far. In an emergency; you grab one kid and I’ll grab the other. Then, we all run.” Katie finishes attending to the children as I explain to her my command signals. I tell her what each signal means and how we will move to the store. She repeats my hand gestures proving to me she knows them. I look Moses in the eyes and ask, “Are you ready?” The big guy exhales a sigh of worry and says, “We’re all ready.” Katie looks around one last time. It’s more a look of respect at what has been her home the past several years than a “good bye.” I don’t think she’ll actually miss the isolation and cramped quarters, but it was still home to her and her babies. Moses steals the opportunity by asking

if he can lead us in a prayer. I bow my head as Katie joins our

hands. “Lord, I know you’re here. I saw the miracles you performed last night. I never been much for praying, but I promise I’ll do better. Give us another miracle tonight and keep all of us safe. Oh, and thank you for my new best friend. Amen.” I look at him and graciously nod my approval. Moses tells the kids they’ll need to be “quiet as a mouse.” I open the door as the light goes out.

              I hold Katie’s hand and lead her through the path of crumbling leaves. She holds Jordan’s hand, and he holds Hanna’s. Momma warns them to keep a tight hold on each other all the way. She tells Jordan not to let go of his little sister’s hand no matter what happens. She reminds Jordan he’s her big brother and a big boy. I can smell the dark dust clogging my nostrils. The only evidence anyone is behind me in this darkness is the children’s muffled coughs, and Katie’s holding hand. We stop at the front door. I explain to the group to stay here until I motion momma. “When I tell you kids to come, run with your mom. Do you think you two can run fast, but real quiet?” Both of them whisper, “Yes.” “Okay everyone, here I go.”

              I stick my head slowly out the entrance and look around. I notice it is really dark again. Everything seems to be fine as I dash to the abandoned car at the edge of the station lot. I bend down and observe with my head just above the hood of the car. Everything seems clear and exceptionally quiet. This worries me because any noises we make will really standout tonight. I pray, “God hide us and protect us.” I wave Katie on as I continue looking around over the hood. I hear the tapping of all the little steps approaching me. Now, I hear a set of thumping. I already have my next shelter position picked as Moses whispers, “Okay, we’re all here.” I want to tell him, “Everyone within a mile knows that by your loud footsteps,” but I say, “Good job,” instead. I warn him to try and run a little more quietly though. I dash again making my way to what looks like a mound of trash on the other side of