Convergence

Chapter 10

Allafair made a sharp turn to the right, grabbing Melline's wrist and yanking her behind him. He studied each of the houses that flashed by, searching for a way out of this mess. Who was following them? Why were they following them? He finally decided on a two-story house. He headed straight for it, cutting across lawns and launching himself over fences. Melline followed closely, but seemed confused. When they reached the house, Allafair cut down the side of it and lifted his foot onto the small ledge sticking out under a window.

He grabbed hold of the awning that stretched out over the front porch of the house. He pushed off from the window and swung onto the awning. Every so often, he'd glance down the street, watching the men chasing them approach while he helped Melline to the awning. She swung up beside him with ease, then she gave him a brief, questioning look. What now? she seemed to ask.

Allafair turned and spotted another window. A sudden crash startled him from his thoughts. He turned to see that the men had attempted to jump over a fence, but had fallen into it. They were moaning on the ground, writhing in pain. One of them had a shard of the fence sticking out of his left shoulder blade. Allafair didn't know who the men were or why they were after himself and Melline, but he felt a wave of sympathy crash over him.

The sympathy quickly passed when a new group of men rounded the corner at the end of the street and came running towards them.

"Why are there always more?" Allafair muttered. He turned and ran for the farthest window. He stared up at the remaining six or so feet between him and the roof, wracking his brain for an idea. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted something coiled up at the corner of the awning. He hoped it was rope, but once he got close enough to see what it was, he found that it was something he could use just as well: an extension cord.

Silently, he gave thanks to the people who owned this house and snatched up the cord. He squinted at the roof and saw exactly what he had hoped to find: a hook. "Melline, get on my shoulders now. Hurry!" he told her urgently, casting a glance over his shoulder. The men were only a house away now. Melline immediately did as she was asked and clambered up onto Allafair's shoulders. He handed her an end of the extension cord and said, "Put this on the hook." She did just so.

"What do we do now?" she called down. To their surprise, a light turned on in the window to their right. Allafair looked up at Melline when she looked down at him and they nodded to one another. At that moment, Allafair bent down, then straightened as Melline jumped from his shoulders. She held onto the extension cord and pulled herself up toward the roof, then scrambled onto it.

The other window slid open, and the head of a man, about the same age as Allafair, peeked out. When he spotted Allafair, the man said, "What do you think you're doing?"

"Get back inside!" Allafair answered, waving frantically at the man.

"I want to know why you're on my house!" the man replied angrily. At that moment, the men chasing him and Melline clambered onto the awning. The man looking out from the house turned and shouted at the newcomers, but it did him no good. Allafair began climbing just after he watched the men drag the poor man from the window, and threw him off the awning.

Melline pulled Allafair up next to her, and they jumped to their feet. Allafair took Melline by the hand and pulled her towards the edge of the roof at a sprint. When they reached the edge, he released her hand and threw himself over the gap between that house and the one across from them. When they hit the roof, they continued running, then threw themselves to the next house. When they reached the end of the street, the turned to the right and kept running across those rooftops. Allafair almost forgot they were being chased until they heard the dreaded sound of gunshots.