Book 1-Alex Bishop and the North Side Detectives

Continue Alex Bishop and the North Side Detectives

                                                                                           Chapter 11

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     Mr. Wells helped Mrs. Marks herd the students out of the lunch room doors and down the smoke filled hallway to the front entrance, which was open wide.  Alex, Dawn, Glenna, Lee and Fletch ran through the doors along with Mrs. Marks.  Alex helped up a little 7th grader who had fallen and was crying,  and rushed through the exit with her, his arms protectively around her shoulders.  When Alex reached the rest of the group of friends,  Mrs. Marks hugged the little girl and spoke words of comfort to her.

     Alex looked over the lawn to see the side yard and parking area fill with fire engines and police cruisers.  The smoke was so dense that it was impossible to tell how many vehicles were on fire.  Students and teachers were coughing, sobbing and holding on to each other, terrifying looks on their faces.

     Some staff members were exiting the building with stragglers, including Sam and Matt, Fletch's brothers.  He spied them coming out of the school and bounded toward them.  "Where were you?"  I've been looking every which way for you two.  And where's Nick?"  Fletch shouted.  "Take it easy little bro."  Matt said, rolling his eyes.  "Yeah.  We're fine.  And here comes Nick now."  Sam said, pointing to a blond headed boy with a smudged face coming toward them.

     "Where were you?"  Fletch shouted at them again.  "In the bathroom."  Matt said, unperturbed by Fletch's raving.  "Yeah.  When you gotta go, you gotta go."  Sam agreed with a smirk.  "And you?"  Fletch said, his eyes flashing at Nick, who had just arrived at Sam's side.  "With them."  He said innocently, and pointing to the twins.  "We had to be all done up.  If you know what I mean Fletch."  Matt said with a great deal of bravado.  Fletch said nothing but just glared at them suspiciously.

     Fletch was about to say something else when Mr. Wells came panting up to the group and distracted him.  "Everyone's out!"  Mr. Wells exclaimed, then bending over with his hands on his knees.  "Thank God!"  Mrs. Marks breathed.  "Why is there smoke in the school?"  Alex said in a dazed voice.  "Because the blast blew out a window in the west wall."  Mr. Wells panted out.

     Honking horns were suddenly heard beyond the front lawn.  A line of cars were forming and parents begin to run onto the grassy yard, screaming for their children.  Alex spied a large burly man rushing toward him with his wife at his heels.  When the two of them reached Alex, they both embraced him with such force, he had to cry, "I can't breathe."

     A moment later, Fletch, Lee and Glenna's parents arrived on the scene and immediately crushed their children to themselves too.  Fletch's mother was attempting to hug all three of her boys at the same time, knocking their heads together.  Lee's father put an arm around him and his friend Nick, who was just like another son to him.  When Nick's parents arrived they took over.  Glenna's mother arrived in tears and hugged her daughter while Mrs. Marks patted Mrs. Williams' arm in a comforting way.

     Over his father's shoulder, Alex saw a young woman hurrying in the direction of the large group of friends carrying a baby in her arms.  She grabbed a hold of the little girl who stood beside Mrs. Marks, while still trying to keep hold of her struggling baby.  Mrs. Marks offered to take the boy from her so she could comfort her daughter.

     "Where's Linney?"  Alex asked, still in that dazed voice.  "She's with Amy's parents Alex.  I didn't think she should see all of this."  His mother answered hoarsely.  All the moms in the group were still clutching their children.  Finally, Fletch and his brothers yelled,  "I'm alright Mom!  Stop it!"  Everyone laughed, including Mrs. Clark.  The laughter seemed to calm everyone and the group seemed to relax a little.

     The firefighters had managed to put out the worst of the fires.  It was still smoky across the lawn, but it was a gray film instead of the dense black smoke of earlier.   While the firemen continued to pour water on the charred parking lot and what remained of the vehicles, and the side of the building, police and medical personnel were walking slowly among the parents, teachers and students to make sure that no one needed medical attention.  Max, Alex's father, spied an officer that he knew coming through the crowd.  Max made his way over to him.  "What happened Chris?" he asked, as everyone around them listened in.