SIDEKICK

Chapter Fifteen: Super Trooper

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Super Trooper

Peter paces back and forth in the lounge. Everyone left in the Hold, excluding Arus is in the same room, waiting.

Seth looks up. “Stop pacing, you’re making me antsy.”

Peter ignores him and continues up and down across the couch. Seth opens his mouth to make another comment, but Oliver slaps his hand over Seth’s mouth. He gets the message and shuts up.

Victor sits up on the couch; his headphones hang around his neck, the music blasting out heavy metal.

He’s got good taste.

Peter glances at the trapdoor. He suddenly storms towards it, “I’m going after them.”

Oliver gets up quickly and grabs his arm. “Chill out Pete. They’ll be back soon!”

Peter shakes him off. “It’s been two hours already! We haven’t had word from any of them, and I’m going to check it out.”

Oliver’s hand returns to Peter’s arm. “Don’t underestimate them. They’ll be back.”

He and Peter hold their gaze at each other, and silence falls. Then Peter sighs and returns to pacing.

“Pete, give it a rest,” I tell him. “There’s no point in pacing.”

Peter ignores me. Les has his thumb to his lip, bites the tip of it.

“John’s right,” Les agrees with me. “They’ll be back any minute.”

Bang!

I snap my attention to the source of the noise. The trapdoor rattles with each heavy knock. Les stands up, and quickly climbs up. He fiddles with the trapdoor and it opens.

From the trapdoor, a pair of legs comes through, and Les holds them. He calls over his shoulder.

“I need some help here!”

Seth and Oliver rush forward towards him. The legs are lowered down and Les struggles in supporting the body from the ladder. Oliver grabs the legs and Seth takes the arms and the body is placed on the carpet.

I can see the blonde hair.

Shit. It’s Joseph.

Les quickly climbs down, and a second body floats down. Peter catches the bundle in his arms and lays her beside Joseph.

Naveen.

He kneels beside her and grips her hand. Deidre jumps down in her pink dress and hurries to the kitchen.

“Victor, some assistance please!”

Victor gets to his feet and runs after her. Lance levitates down; the trapdoor closes as he reaches the ground.

Oliver and Seth kneel beside Joseph, and I wheel closer. Chills ripple up my neck as I see blood on their torsos and face. They each have a nasty cut across their chests.

Lance lands heavily on the floor. Peter whips his head to him.

“How did this happen?!” he demands.

“Peter!” Deidre barks when she re-enters the room, the door she exited from wide open. “And the rest of you,” she directs at us. “You’ll need to leave, now!”

“But-“we all say.

“Not another word!” she orders. “I need to treat them. Victor and Lance will assist me. The rest of you, return to your rooms!”