A Quill Ladder (57 page)

But maybe her mother was just worried about Abbey
’
s dad. Something about the mention of Selena
’
s visit, and the fact that Abbey
’
s dad had gone and talked to Selena downstairs, had really upset her.

Abbey wanted to tell Jake more, about the map, about everything. But he sure seemed to make some bad decisions about whom to help. So she didn
’
t.

Jake leaned in again.
“
I don
’
t know. Whoever it is, they don
’
t seem to be trying to get any closer.
”

They quickened their pace and went one block up, and from time to time, Abbey was sure she heard the footsteps too. Then a black car sped past them, with Frank and Francis at the wheel. Abbey waved her hands to try to flag them, but they ignored her and carried on.

*****

“
Marion! Marion!
”
Mark turned to see Sandy running down the street toward them. She practically bowled Ms. Beckham over before coming to a stop.
“
Please. You have to help me. They
’
re following me!
”

A car, much the same as Simon
’
s except black, sped past. Mark could have sworn it was HT One and HT Two in the front.

“
Who
’
s following you? What are you doing here?
”
Ms. Beckham said.

Sandy wiped a tear from her face with her sleeve, leaving a smear of dirt across her cheek.
“
Frank and Francis are. Ian has them following me. I was just here looking for my dad. He
’
s been acting strange lately, hanging around with Selena, and I
’
m worried. But Ian won
’
t leave me alone. He
’
s been stalking me in the present too. Every time I turn around, there he is. It
’
s starting to really scare me. I don
’
t think he
’
s taking our breakup very well. Please let me stay with you. I
’
m afraid he
’
s planning something.
”

“
Did Ian date
everyone
?
”
Caleb said from where he huddled against the wall of the apothecary.

“
Caleb. That
’
s enough,
”
Ms. Beckham said.
“
How did you get here? Abbey and Caleb said Sylvain destroyed our stones?
”

Sandy waved a hand in the air.
“
There
’
s a set east of the city in the hills. Didn
’
t you know? How were you planning to get home?
”

Mark squinted at her. So there
was
a set east of the city, as they had guessed. One would have to hike for at least four or five hours up a mountain in the present and then retrace their steps again in the future to use them though, unless they were picked up on this side in a spaceship, or they had built a train.

Ms. Beckham cocked her head and wore a funny expression that Mark couldn
’
t quite decipher.
“
We
’
re going home another way,
”
she said.

Sandy grasped pleadingly at Ms. Beckham
’
s shirt, causing it to rise up just a bit, and Mark noticed that Sandy had a pentagram tattooed on her lower back, except it was upside down.
“
Please let me come home with you, Marian. Please. Ian
’
s acting crazy. And you know, you kind of owe me one.
”
Sandy offered a teary smile at this.
“
Then we
’
ll be even.
”

Mark saw Ms. Beckham
’
s body stiffen.
“
I
’
m not so sure helping you to get home is the equivalent of you saving my life and then having to spend twenty years in Nowhere, Sandy.
”

Mark was trying to process this when Abbey, Jake, and Farley whipped around the corner, running toward them at breakneck speed.

*****

Abbey would have fainted with relief at the sight of her mother, Caleb, and Mark if the stitch in her side had not been so painful. She gasped for air and staggered the last few steps, then saw Sandy. Sandy? What was she doing here?

“
We need to go. Someone
’
s following us,
”
Abbey choked.
“
Jake. Break the apothecary door. Now.
”

Jake came to a skidding stop in front of the apothe
cary and looked at Abbey uncertainly.

“
Just do it,
”
Abbey ordered.

“
I
’
m sorry, Ms. Beckham. We don
’
t always seem to meet under the best of circumstances,
”
Jake said as he picked up a rock and tossed it like a fastball through the glass apothecary door, right by the handle. Then he covered his hand with his sleeve, plunged it through the door, turned the deadbolt inside, and opened the door.

“
Wait,
”
Abbey
’
s mom said.

A door inside the apothecary swung open, revealing a pool of yellow light and three people. Sylvain, Russell, and Anna.

For a second, everyone just stared at each other in shock.

“
You could have just knocked,
”
Anna said.
“
It would have been cheaper.
”

“
We
’
re being followed,
”
Abbey said, stepping inside the glow of the interior light.
“
Please help us.
”
Everyone else piled in behind her.

“
What
’
s wrong with Caleb?
”
Anna said. Caleb leaned heavily against a display of vitamins.

“
He
’
s hurt. We really need to go home. Now,
”
Abbey said. She already stood at the door to the basement. But she didn
’
t know what to do. She didn
’
t know how much the rest of them knew, about the tunnel, and why her mother seemed to be hanging back. Sylvain
’
s eyes flicked to door to the basement. He knew.

“
Absolutely, my dear,
”
Sylvain said, giving her a little nod.
“
Go ahead. Russell and I just need to speak with Ms. Ford in the office here, privately.
”

“
You!
”
came a raspy voice from outside. Ian careened into the doorway, his face a mask of dried blood and his left arm dangling at a precarious angle. He lifted his right hand, in which he held a gun
—
Damian
’
s presumably, since Abbey still had Nate
’
s tucked in her pocket. Or, she realized with a chill, perhaps Ian had a gun of his own.

“
I can
’
t believe you actually did it,
”
Ian said.

Who was he talking to?
The gun seemed to be pointed at Jake, Sylvain, her mother, and Sandy all at the same time.

A gunshot echoed through the apothecary. Multiple people screamed. Sylvain leapt at Ian, pushing the gun up into the air.

“
To the tunnel!
”
Abbey shrieked. She had Ian
’
s key. They could lock him out of the tunnel. She flung the basement door open and thundered down a few stairs, dragging Farley behind her, then stopped and turned to make sure everyone was following. Caleb, her mother, Mark, and Sandy stumbled past her. Jake came last, slamming the door, and he almost seemed to fall down the stairs. Abbey grabbed his arm to right him and her hand encountered a warm, wet smear of blood.

“
You
’
re hit,
”
she said.

Jake nodded, his hand pressed hard against his side.
“
It
’
s just a graze. I
’
m okay.
”

“
It wasn
’
t me,
”
they heard Ian yelling above them.
“
I didn
’
t shoot. We have to stop her.
”

Then Sylvain
’
s voice.
“
Selena!
”

This was followed by more gunfire and the scrabble of feet on the wooden floor above them.

“
We need to get to the tunnel,
”
Abbey
’
s mother said, the gunfire seemingly snapping her to life. She ran through the shelves of pharmaceuticals to the back of the basement.

“
I have the key,
”
Abbey called as she chased her mother through the maze of stores.
“
Should we go back and help them?
”
She wasn
’
t quite sure whom they should be helping, though.

“
I have my own key,
”
her mother said. She withdrew a key similar to Ian
’
s from a pocket inside her sleeve and slipped it into the door.
“
And no. We should leave them to sort out their own issues. Let
’
s just get a little way down the tunnel and then I
’
ll bandage Jake
’
s side.
”

Inside the darkened tunnel, the sounds of the conflict upstairs were muffled. Mark flicked on his flashlight. Abbey
’
s mother seemed unsurprised to see the trolley and automatically flipped the lever to start the cable.

Caleb got in the trolley and sat down heavily. Mark got in next to him. Abbey let go of Farley
’
s leash and the dog wandered over to Caleb, nosing him worriedly.

“
See, I told you Ian was crazy,
”
Sandy said, as Abbey
’
s mother locked the door behind them.

“
I don
’
t feel so good,
”
Jake murmured.
“
I
’
m just going to sit down here.
”
He flopped to the ground in a little hollow away from the rest of the group.

“
Jake, you have to get up and get in the trolley. We have to go,
”
Abbey
’
s mother called.
“
I
’
m just going to see if Ian has a first aid kit in this thing.
”

“
I just need to rest for a few seconds. Build up my strength.
”

“
I always knew there was something wrong with him,
”
Sandy said, as Abbey
’
s mother rifled through the glove box of the trolley. Abbey couldn
’
t be certain, but she could have sworn Sandy dropped something as she approached the trolley.

“
There
’
s nothing here,
”
Abbey
’
s mother called.
“
I
’
m not sure which direction we should head to get Jake to a hospital the fastest. Get him over here and we
’
ll try to tie a jacket around the wound. Mark, go help Abbey.
”

“
You need to get up now,
”
Abbey prodded Jake.

Mark clambered out of the back of the trolley. Then there was a loud sound, and suddenly dirt was raining down from the ceiling. Abbey screamed and pressed herself against Jake in the hollow, while the dirt piled up around them.

“
Abbey! Abbey!
”

Abbey opened an eye a crack. The dirt seemed to have stopped falling, but she could no longer see Mark
’
s light.