Dark Creations: Dark Ending (Part 6) (13 page)

But instead of complicating matters further with apologies for things he could not change that
had happened in the past, he decided to inform them of the present, and the future. 

He approached them and waited, shifting his weight from one leg to the next awkwardly then cleared his throat.  When they both turned toward him, he spoke.  “This house we’re going to,” he said and pointed to the sallow looking
rectangle ahead.  “An older woman and her adult daughter live there.  It’s going to be the same plan as before.  Daniella, you and Alex will ring the bell and when they answer, we’ll move in.”

A crease appeared between Daniella’s brow
s and she began wringing her hands anxiously.  Alexandra folded her arms across her chest, her features hardened and unreadable. 

“What is it ladies?” he asked and encouraged them to speak up.  Time was crucial. 

“Well, it’s just that it’s after midnight,” Daniella began.  “And I don’t think,” she started then said, “I’m worried that,” she did not get to finish her sentence because Alexandra interrupted.

“I think what Daniella is saying is that
this new scheme seems even crazier than the last two we’ve pulled off, and they were pretty fucking crazy.  And now that you’ve told us that there are women there, not men, well, that just adds an extra layer of crazy to it,” Alexandra smirked, satisfied with her eloquent analysis of the plan.

“What are you saying?” Jack asked and wondered whether they were backing out. 

“We’re saying that this is nuts and will be harder to pull off, that’s what we’re saying,” Alexandra huffed at him as if he were dense. 

He sighed silently, relieved that they were still willing to cooperate.  This was a much trickier endeavor than the kidnapping of the mayor and sheriff.  There was no “Plan B” for this one.  He and his men could not simply kick down the front door, not with members all but certainly on their trail.  A damaged door, or any sign of struggle, would alert them that something was off, that perhaps resistance awaited them.  

“Everything is going to be fine,” he told them.  “And what does it matter whether there are men or women there?”

Alexandra glanced at Daniella then to Jack.  “Is he for real?” she asked
Daniella incredulously.  “We seriously need to find him a woman when all this is over.”

“Hello, thanks for talking about me like I’m not standing here,” he grumped. 

“How can you even ask what difference it makes?” Alexandra asked and splayed her hands out at her sides.  “Do you think women give a shit about checking out my goodies or Daniella’s while we pretend to need help?  No, they don’t,” she answered before he could.  “They will think with the head on their shoulders and wonder what the hell we are doing ringing their bell in the middle of the damn night.”

Alexandra did have a point, but forgot to consider that women were more inclined to help another woman in need than they were a man, that most women were more compassionate than most men.  True, they would be cautiously compassionate and less apt to stumble over their tongue
s as they rushed heedlessly to be a hero, but he firmly believed they would help.  He wanted to share the thoughts running through his mind, but judging from Alexandra’s fiery mood, he was not about to engage her in an argument.  There was simply not enough time. 

“All your points are valid,” he said and got right to the point.  “But we need to move.  You guys are the only chance we’ve got right now and the town of Eldon
’s survival depends on you both.”

Alexandra threw her arms up, “No pressure or anything,” she complained.  “Jeez!”

“What do you want me to do, lie to you?  Sorry, not going to happen,” he answered her in the same tone she’d just used. 

“All right,” Daniella interjected calmly.  “That’s enough.  We’
re going to do this, and we know what’s at stake.  Everything is going to be fine,” she said and he did not know whose benefit she’d said it for more, hers or theirs.  “And we don’t need our
goodies
for everything we do,” she concluded and looked to Alexandra.  He could not see the exact look Daniella had shot her, but guessed it was a stern one.  He smiled to himself and thought about what a good mother she would make someday then silently prayed that “someday” would come, that a future would exist for them.

“So we’re good here?” Jack asked quietly.

“Yeah, we’re good,” Alexandra answered.

“Let’s get this over with,” Daniella said and
took several steps away from the car.

“Y
ou see, even the kids you’ve brainwashed into helping you with this ludicrous plan of yours are having second thoughts!” Mayor Sheldon wheezed at him from the back seat of the car.  He’d somehow managed to lower the window and was now lashing out at Jack verbally.  “You’ll never get away with this.  Crazy bastard,” he muttered breathlessly.

“Pipe down, old man,”
Ryan cautioned and raised his gun so that it was level with the mayor’s temple.  “You need to see what your town is up against,” he added coolly.

“Yeah, you fat bastard,” Alexandra chim
ed in, eager to direct her pent-up hostility at someone.  Unfortunately for Mayor Sheldon, he was that “someone.”  “My friends and I are
not
brainwashed and Jack is not crazy!”

“Humph!” Mayor Sheldon huffed
and tipped his bulbous nose up haughtily.  “Such a pity to see a pretty girl like you, ruined by the likes of him,” he spat.  “Good luck finding a husband after this!”

“What?” Daniella hissed sharply.  “Are you kidding me?”

“Yeah, you dumbass fuc–” Alexandra began one of her trademark obscenity laced tirades.

“Hold on a second, Alex.
I got this,” Daniella interrupted.  “My friend and I are not crazy, first of all,” she began in a calm, controlled voice.  “And once you see what happens at the house we are headed to, you will owe both my friends and me a sincere apology then heartfelt thanks for warning you in time to save your beloved town.”

Everyone was silent for a moment. Then the mayor sighed loudly and Daniella
snapped, “I sincerely hope you do not intend to speak another word, Mayor Sheldon.  We are tired and hungry and have seen frightening sights we won’t soon forget, so please, shut the hell up.”

“Damn,” Alexandra drawled.  “She told you, Mr. Chauvinist Mayor.  Best you just shut your ass now!”

“All right, girls,” Jack said.  He would have loved to hear them tag team both the mayor, and the sheriff, too for that matter, for dismissing and mocking his earlier warnings, but had felt compelled to step in and maintain some semblance of order. 

Ryan glanced over his shoulder
from Joe’s car and said, “Love you, babe,” to Daniella and she returned the sentiment.  Mayor Sheldon had finally quieted and was unusually cooperative beside him.  Jack hoped he wasn’t planning some kind of escape attempt.  He turned to the sheriff to see whether he and the mayor were exchanging furtive glances and couldn’t help but be reminded of how oddly compliant and quiet he was as well.

“You all right over there, s
heriff?” he asked.  “I haven’t heard a peep from you in a while.”

“Didn’t your girls just tell us to, uh, what was it she said
again, oh yeah, shut our asses,” the sheriff said resentfully.  “My ass is shut, Jack.”

Jack gritted his teeth and suppressed the biting comment he wanted to make.  The
y needed to get moving.  The house was waiting and the time had come to act.  There wasn’t time for quibbling. 

“Okay,” Jack addressed the group and everyone
turned to him.  “Ryan, as Joe told you, we need you and James to stay here and keep an eye on our esteemed guests until we are inside the house.  Once we’re in, we will radio to you,” he gestured to the transponder hooked on his belt.  “Once you hear from us, bring Mayor Sheldon and Sheriff Baker to the house.  Okay?”

“You got it,” Ryan nodded.

“I’ll wait to hear from one of you,” James agreed.

“Good,” Jack said and wrung his hands in front of him.  “If you see or hear anything suspicious, anything at all out of the ordinary, radio us right away.”

Both James and Ryan consented with sober nods.

“I’ll see you soon.  Be safe,” he concluded before he began walking up the dirt lane with
Joe, Daniella and Alexandra.  Joe paced him and he addressed him with the plan he’d formulated.  “We will flank the front door while Daniella and Alexandra ring the bell and wait until the door opens, then we move in.”

“
Yep, that’s the plan,” Joe concurred. 

“
That’s the plan,” Jack echoed and rubbed his hands together. 

The air was warm and thick, but Jack felt
a chill settle deep within him.  His hands, in particular, could not seem to warm and trembled slightly.  He was repulsed by the endeavor he was about to embark upon, but knew it was a necessary step in convincing the mayor and sheriff, as well as saving the women who lived in the house they were about to barge into.  He told himself that what he was about to do was a means to an end over and over as he led the others to the front door.

“Remember, be convincing,” he whispered to Daniella and Alexandra.  They did not respond verbally but tipped their chins in understanding.
  They strode to the front door and rang the doorbell.

Jack stood to one side of the doorway while Joe waited at the other. 
They were armed and he wondered whether Joe’s loaded gun felt as cold and heavy in his hands as his suddenly did.  He was accustomed to handling weapons, trained expertly in their usage and had fought in a war overseas, yet he had never felt as he did about the metal object in his hand as he did now.  Weighty and cool to the touch, the loaded gun felt less like a familiar instrument he’d used to defend himself with in the past and more like a tool of terror, of destruction.  Perhaps it was not the weapon that was foreign, but the intention of its wielder,
his
intention.  He had never used one against someone other than an enemy. 

Sweat beaded Jack’s brow, though he felt cold, and his palms were clammy.  At any moment, an unsuspecting civilian would open her door and her life would change dramatically.  A small part of him wished she’d ignore the toll of her doorbell.  But a
fter several minutes of waiting with bated breath, a rattle at the front door meant someone was coming.  The door opened, but the screen remained closed and locked. 

Jack could not see who spoke, but heard a clear voice say tersely, “Who’s there?” as the porch light came on.  “What are you doing here?  This is private property.”

The woman was curt and concise and Jack began to doubt she would ever hear what Daniella and Alexandra had to say, much less unlock the screen door.  Though they desperately needed access to the home, a tiny part of him countered that need and felt oddly relieved. 

“Please ma’am,” Daniella pleaded.  “We got lost a ways back and our car broke down.  We
don’t have cell-phone service out here and have been walking for hours.  Please, may we use your phone?”

There was a long pause then a heavy sigh from the woman at the door.  “Stay there.  I’ll get the portable phone from the kitchen,” she said and was about to close the door again when another voice chimed in. 

“Anna!” a rougher female voice chastised.  “I raised you better than to turn away a couple of young girls who’ve run into a bit of trouble!”

“Please, mother, go back to bed.  They can call a tow truck just as easily from the porch as they can from our living room.  And these
young
girls who aren’t that much younger than I am could be homicidal maniacs,” she added.

While Jack truly
admired and respected her level, methodical line of thinking despite the late hour, his plan was still dependent upon her unlocking that screen door.

“Oh come now!  Do they look like homicidal maniacs
to you?” the older voice asked the younger.

“No, but they never do, do they?”

“Girls, you’re not killers, are you?” the older woman’s voice asked Alexandra and Daniella.

“No, oh G
od no, we’re not!” Daniella answered. 

“Ma’am, we don’t want any trouble.  We’ve had enough for one night,” Alexandra added
, her voice pathetic and beaten.  “You have every right to turn us away if you want.  Letting us use the phone out here is already very generous of you,” she said meekly and crossed one leg over the other while she smiled forcedly.

“Are you okay, dear?” the older woman asked
her.

“I’m fine, ma’am,” Alex
andra answered.  “Thank you for asking,” she knitted her brow then bowed her head.

“Dear, do you need the restroom?” the older voice asked sympathetically.

“Desperately,” Alexandra said with feigned embarrassment. 

T
hunder rolled in the distance.  Both girls flinched involuntarily and their actions could not have been more pitch-perfect had they been scripted by a Hollywood screenwriter.  Their acting was impressive as well.

“Oh Anna, you can’t leave these girls out here in need of a restroom and with a storm coming,” the older voice said and Jack
heard the click of the lock on the screen door release the latch mechanism.