Exodus (9 page)

“Okay, I think it’s safe to say that’s the place we’re looking for.”

“Yeah, but there’s no way we’re getting in there.  They killed those guys.”  Mikey said grimly.

“More reason to get in there.  What do you think they’re gonna do with Anthony?  And who was in that bag?  I say we go tomorrow.”

Mikey just shook his head and took a deep breath.  Nickie was still covering her face in the front seat.  She hadn’t said a word or moved since they’d left the LSK office.

Steve stared at her for a moment and then looked back at the road.  “Mr. Clark is gonna flip huh?”  He asked.

Nickie slowly turned her head to him.  Tears welled up in her eyes as she spoke.  “He killed those guys.  He just killed those guys.  Maybe you were right…maybe this is too much.”

Steve didn’t respond.  He looked back at Mikey then back to Nickie.

“I think I’ll just go home.”  She sobbed.

Steve thought about responding, but simply smirked and bit his lip.  Nickie sighed and slumped back in the seat.

The Camaro sped down the dark highway cutting through the night like a bat.  Mikey had fallen back asleep and was busy covering Steve’s leather seats with a fresh coat of drool.  Nickie stared out of the window in silence.

As they pulled up in front of Mr. Clark’s house, Steve tapped the brakes hard and Mikey was slung face first into the front seat.

“Oh sorry.  It was a cat.”  Steve grinned.

Mikey groggily wiped at his face and rubbed his head.  He shot Steve an angry look then yawned.  Sniffling, Nickie stepped out of the car and slid the seat forward.  Mikey tumbled out of the door and rolled into the grass and stood up.

“My face hurts.”  He mumbled.

“I know.”  Steve laughed.

Nickie turned and started to walk towards her car.  Shaking his head Steve jogged after her.

“Nickie wait up.  You’re coming back tomorrow, right?”

“Yeah…yeah I’ll be back.  Just need to clear my head and let this soak in.  Besides, I wanna see what else my stepdad has lying around.  You’re gonna need help figuring out how to get in there.”  Nickie leaned back against her car and grinned.  “Why?  You gonna miss me Stephen Hanson?”

Steve let out a little laugh.  “Yeah, you’re okay Sutherland.  I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Nickie smiled back as she got in her car and started to drive off.  Steve waved then turned towards the house.  Mikey was standing behind him grinning from ear to ear.

“Nice to see you two making up.  Is Anthony gonna have some competition when he gets back?”

“Shut up.”  Steve said as he shoved him and headed up the porch.

Mikey rolled his eyes and followed Steve into the house.  The front door squealed as it opened, a sound that had become so familiar to them they didn’t even notice it.  The rusty hinges barely held the door anymore, the screws clinging to the rotted wood.

Stepping into the foyer, a carpet of darkness fell over them.  It blanketed the house, suffocating the rays from the streetlight outside.

“You trying to go green Mr. Clark?”  Steve yelled as he flicked the light switch on the wall.

When nothing happened he flicked it again then stumbled to the lamp in the living room and tried that.

“Mikey don’t close the door, I can’t see a thing.”  He yelled back as he wiggled the switch on the lamp.  “Mr. Clark, Mit where are you?”

“Steve!  Steve, there’s blood on the door handle!”  Mikey yelled in panic.

X

The bright lights of the waiting room were dizzying.  The smell of death mixed with sanitation clung to every particle of air.  Mr. Clark shook his leg feverishly, his eyes swept back and forth in a blur.  Every time someone passed he jumped to his feet and in disappointment he slumped back onto the pink vinyl chair.

“I think that’s him!”  Mit said anxiously.

Springing out of the chair, he pointed down the hallway.  A middle-aged, brown haired man wearing glasses was slowly walking towards them.  He kept his eyes on the floor and didn’t look up until he was standing directly in front of Mr. Clark.

He held his hand out and forced a smile on his face.  “I’m Dr. Novacks; I handled your mother’s surgery.”

“Surgery!”  Mr. Clark repeated.

“I was certain someone had told you.”  He reached into his pocket and took out a white rag.  “Oh boy.”  He sighed as he wiped his face.  “Fullerton, there have been some complications.”  The doctor said in a monotone voice.

“Why was my mother in surgery?”  Mr. Clark asked forcefully.

“The CT scan revealed an aneurism in your mother’s brain.  We had to perform emergency surgery to save her life.”

“I don’t…I don’t understand.”  Mr. Clark started to mumble.  “We brought her here for stitches.  The other doctor, he said she might have a slight concussion.  That was all.”

“Honestly Fullerton, that’s what saved her life.  I’ve never seen anything like it.  The onset was immediate, it developed so quickly.  If you hadn’t brought her here tonight she would’ve certainly died.  As it is she has a tough road ahead of her.”

“Can I see her?”  Mr. Clark asked with tears in his eyes.

“Most certainly.  She’s in an induced coma right now, recovering from the surgery.”

Mit grabbed Mr. Clarks arm and started to walk him down the hallway.

“Nurse.”  Dr. Novacks called.  “Can you escort these gentlemen to room 306.”

“Right this way sir.”  The nurse said.

*********************************************

Nickie slowly cracked open the door to her stepfather’s office.  She glanced behind her ensuring the coast was clear then disappeared inside.

The office was dark except for the faint glow from the computer screen.  Tiptoeing, she made her way across the laminate floor to the bookshelf on the far wall.  She ran her fingers across the book spines trying to remember where she’d last seen something about elementals.

A light flickered on in the kitchen and Nickie whipped her head around.  The cadence of footsteps headed in her direction clicked loudly.  She dropped to her knees and crawled under the metallic desk.

The door to the office eased open.  From under the desk Nickie could see a pair of hairy feet rocking back and forth in the doorway.  Slowly, they marched towards her and stopped just in front of the desk.

Nickie’s heart beat like a battering ram threatening to tear loose from her chest.  Her whole body vibrated from the pounding metronome.  She wiggled her nose fighting the sensation to sneeze, squishing her upper lip and shaking her head.

The wrapping of nails on the top of the desk made her hair stand on end.  Each nail sounded like thunder as it collided with the metal surface.  She watched in horror as the feet started to move around the side of the desk.

Nickie closed her eyes and pulled her legs to her chest, clenching into a tiny ball.  She held her breath and tried to ease the thundering of her quaking heart.  The sound of rustling moved closer and closer and then suddenly stopped.

There was a long silence and she didn’t move a muscle.  Her ears soaked up any noise like an owl.  Eventually she had to pry her eyelids open.  The dark office was stale and empty.

Hesitantly, Nickie poked her head out from under the desk.  The office door was closed and she was alone in the dark.  She pulled herself back to her feet and quickly ran to the bookshelf.

As she started to scan the books again, a twinkle caught her eye.  She turned around and the computer that was on the lock screen earlier was now sitting open with the cursor blinking.

She walked back to the desk and grabbed a pen and pad of sticky notes.  Sliding into the chair, she started searching through the computer.  Within five minutes she’d written a small novel and was headed out of the door.

Nickie closed the office as quietly as possible and crumpled the sticky notes in her hand.  She started to walk off when she felt a set of cold fingers settle on her shoulder.   

“Ah!”  Nickie screamed.  “Jesus you scared me Mark.”

“I’d prefer it if you called me dad.”  Nickie’s stepfather declared, striding out of the shadows.

“Yeah, and I’d prefer it if I didn’t.”  Nickie said, rolling her eyes.

He glared at her suspiciously then forced an awkward smile.  “What were you doing in there anyway?”

“Oh, I needed to borrow your charger…lost mine.”  Nickie smiled holding up the white cord she’d tucked into her pocket at the last minute.

“Hmph.  Well make sure I get it back.”

“Will do.”  Nickie said as she walked past him and headed for her room.

“Nickie.”  Her stepfather called just as she had started up the stairs.  “What’s that in your other hand?”

“What?”  Nickie said tightening her fist.

“That paper in your other hand.  What is it?”

Nickie swallowed and took a deep breath.  “Um, it’s…”

Just as she started to respond the phone in the office rung loudly.  Nickie’s stepfather smirked at her and then turned around.

“Get to bed.”  He yelled back as he stepped into the office and closed the door.

********************************************

“If you can hear me, I want you to know I love you.”  Mr. Clark said as he stared down at the lifeless body of his mother.

He leaned forward and kissed her on the forehead.  Mit stared at him from the doorway, his face wet with tears.  He really didn’t know what to say, he wasn’t good at this sort of thing.

“Visiting hours are over.”  A heavy set nurse called from the hallway.

Mit turned and rolled his eyes.  Throwing his hands to the side he walked out into the hall.

“It’s okay.”  Mr. Clark called to him.  “She’ll be here for at least three weeks.  We need to keep the nurses on our side.”

He bent over and kissed his mother again and then joined Mit.  As they started to walk towards the exit, Dr. Novacks ran after them.

“Fullerton!”  He yelled.  “Fullerton wait.”  Dr. Novacks gasped.

Mr. Clark and Mit looked to him with puzzled faces.

“What is it Dr. Novacks?”  Mr. Clark asked.

“Your mother, her condition, we’ve never experienced anything like it.  With your consent we’d like to transfer her to our facility in Bonita so we can gather more information.

“What!”  Mr. Clark exclaimed.  “You said the aneurism was gone, that you operated.”

“Yes, yes we did, but…”  Dr. Novacks removed his glasses and rubbed his face.  “While the doctors were administering the CT scan, the aneurism developed.  They literally watched it occur.  As far as I know this is unprecedented.”

Mr. Clark shook his head in confusion.  “What you’re saying is she didn’t have an aneurism when we brought her in?”

The doctor nodded.  Mr. Clark looked to Mit and took a deep breath.

“How long will she need to be in Bonita?”

“No longer than a week.  As I said she is stable, but we really want to find out what caused it.”

“What do I need to sign?”

Mr. Clark followed Dr. Novacks back to the reception desk and filled out the appropriate forms.

“If it’s all the same with you I’d like her moved as soon as she’s able to.”  Mr. Clark said as he sat the pen down on the desk.

“We can arrange the transfer for tomorrow if that gives you enough time.”

“That’s fine, I’ll bring her things tomorrow morning.”

Mit raised his eyebrows, but Mr. Clark shot him a look.

“Okay, well that’s all I need from you.  I’ll see you tomorrow.”  Dr. Novacks smiled and shook his hand.

Once they got in the car Mit erupted.  “What the hell Mr. Clark!”

“Mitchell, you watch your language.”

“I don’t get it.  What are you doing, just sending your mother off to some hospital in Bonita.  You didn’t even think about it.”

“Oh I’ve thought about it, more than you know.  Mitchell, someone was at the door and my mother answered it.  That’s when she passed out and hit her head.  Her sudden aneurism is unprecedented because it’s impossible.  Whoever was at the door did this to her and I think they may come back.  We are getting too close to LSK and I think sending my mother a hundred miles away from all of this is a great idea.”

Mit sulked down in his seat.  “I’m sorry Mr. Clark.  This is all our fault.  Mrs. Clark would be fine if you’d never met us.”

“Nonsense Mitchell.  My father was involved before I ever met you.  I would’ve carried on his research regardless.  But they know who we are and where we are.  We need to be careful and find your friend fast.”