Abe Sapien and the Witch

Chapter 28

Chapter twenty-eight

Switching to the main BP chatter line, she was shouting into the headpiece in a panic now as she ran back through the tunnels, asking whether any of the BP officials above ground had seen anything suspicious. Where was Red and Blue?

"Reds just made it above ground, tiny," one of the agents reported back, "he has just reached topside but, uh, he appears to be a bit confused. He doesn't seem to know where he is..." She clenched her teeth together and tried to move as fast as she could, having no choice but to bend over and walk crouched like that through some of the smaller sections of the tunnel.

How had Red even managed to squeeze himself through here, she wondered. In her rush, she found herself blinded by the lights of the BP research team that was stationed at the sewer mouth, waiting for them. She skimmed her gaze across the gathering of colleagues, her eyes finding Red straight away. She headed right towards him.

"Where is Abe?" she asked, tugging at the man's sleeve in desperation. He looked down at her without answering and she knew that witchcraft was at fault here. The dull stare of the man was all the proof that she needed that a low-level amnesia spell had been used on him. "Dammit...Red, I know you are confused, and it will wear off in about an hour or so, but is there anything you can tell me about Abe now?"

"Abe?" he replied, then laughed to himself, "that's a funny name, Abe..." She whirled around to the two nearest agents that were holding electronic devices, flicking and pressing at the little screens with gusto. "Can you find him?" she asked, leaning over to look at the on-screen data. "It's the strangest thing..." the agent on her left said, "we were getting very clear readings, the heart rate evaluations and everything else was fine for all of you, and then Blue just...wasn't there anymore."

She could feel the breath catching in her throat now as dread set in. She knew exactly where Abe must be. "Dammit!" she screamed into the air, startling the two agents. "C'mon guys, we need to get back to the BP right away!"

"But, what about...?" "Abe isn't here anymore, but I think I know where he is- we need to move fast. Get the team together while I make sure that Red is in his right mind again- please, we need to get going right now!"

*****

"...so, he's most likely taken Abe back to the main coven grounds, where he lives. Where I used to live..." She explained to the group, who stood scattered in the library like lost lambs in a daisy field.

Red was more or less back to his usual self, and more than angry at the gall of the witches for putting a spell on him and stealing his best friend. "I HATE witches! Except, you know..." he lifted his arms towards her in a limp gesture and she patted him on the elbow.

"It's ok, I know...I hate witches too." She agreed, biting the side of her lip. "What are they doing to you...?" she whispered, and Liz was at her side, reassuring her. "Don't you worry about Abe, he can look after himself and we're all going to go and get him back together, okay? Let's just focus on the task at hand, and not think too much about...anything else."

She nodded, appreciative of her friends advice but knowing full well that every horrible scenario she could imagine would keep playing through her mind for as long as Abe was still missing.

"Are ve really going to vage a full out var on ze vitches?" Johann asked, his head bobbing from each person as he spoke. "Ve can't just go in, all guns blazink! Perhaps ve could..."

"You bet your ass we can, Krauss, and that's exactly what we're gonna do. Blow their Goddamn house down around them. Let's go, " Red said, turning towards her, "Lead the way, Tiny."