Flying With Destiny

CHAPTER 2

CHAPTER 2

 

"Well, well, well. What do we have here boys?" said a voice from behind a tree somewhere to my left. I didn't dare turn my head for fear of sudden movements getting me blown to pieces. But I didn't have to, I knew who it was, and he definately knew who I was. His name used to be Timothy R. Quertz, but he hated that name, so his gang called him Taser. Stupid name right? They say he killed someone when he was, like, nine with a tazer, but I'll bet it was some sort of freak accident.

Well, here he was again and it seems like this taser wouldn't run out of charges. This was probably the second time his gang had "caught" me this year, and it was only May. Hmm I must be slacking, he usually doesn't catch again until at least June. Even though I knew there was a high chance of getting my head blown off my shoulders by various types of guns, it was a simple matter for me to pull a fast one and dart out of there, since most of the guys with peanuts for brains around me were slow and sluggish. I'd done this several times before, but it's been getting harder recently, and, quite frankly, today I didn't feel like almost being blown to bits. I felt like waiting until he took me to his "Army hut" and sent his goons to lunch and THEN trying to escape when his voice cut into my thoughts. "So where's the little brat been hiding this time? Another little tree hut in Missouri? Oh, or maybe an old shed behind an abandoned house?" Ok, not some of my best hiding places, but, hey, I was desperate, hungry, and tired.

"Nice to see you, too, Timmy," I said, knowing that would make him angry.

"Don't call me that!" he screeched, then took a breath and started again. "That's not my name anymore. Use that name again, and I might be persuaded to let Chain here have a little fun with you." He gave me one of his little devil smiles and I got the feeling that Chain's idea of fun wasn't a stroll through the local amuesment park, given the crazed look he got in his eye and the hair-raising cackle he let out. And I sure didn't want to find out.

"Aw, you ruin all the fun," I said, getting over my momentary lapse in sarcasm.

At that precise moment, an extremely loud and high pitched whooping came through the trees and I quickly covered my ears before the sound could progress enough to cause serious pain. Taser and his thugs, however, were not aware of this strange wail's effects on human ears and within the next few seconds were in the fetal position on the leaf covered ground clutching at their ears, some adding their own shrieks to the noise. Suddenly the wailing stopped (not the thugs, they continued for a while). I took the earplugs out of my ears and stared expectantly in front of me as a girl my own age walk calmly out of the trees.

"Hey, Shriek," I said. Her real name wadn't Shriek of course, but that's what everyone called her, and you can guess why.

"'Sup? Looked like you needed some help there," she gestured behind her at the still screaming party of thugs.

"Yeah, thanks. I think Timmy was about to sick Mr. Maniac over there on me," I said, motioning toward Chain. Now that he was writhing around on the ground screaming, he didn't seem so threatning, but I made a mental note to keep away from him in the future.

"So, you seen Spaz and Cyber?" she asked.

"No, I thought you were with them!" I exclaimed, the images of what could happen to Spaz, the crazy eight year old and Cyber the imaginative thirteen year old. They were always having crazy, and very dangerous, adventures without us.

"Oh, crap," Shriek whispered, thinking the same thing I was. She look at me and together we ran towards the nearest town.

. . . . .

"Oh, my..." I gaped, staring at the city.  

"Crap," said Shriek, pretty much summing up what I was thinking. Together we stared at the flaming city, watching dozens of fire trucks trying to put out fires and failing, and screaming people run away from the burning buildings.

Did I mention the boys liked to play with fire?