The Thought Traveler: A Tale of Mischief, Wonder, and Woe. Part IX

I unlock and open the door and almost exit when I feel him. I draw my pistol and ask him to come around the wall and in the door, slowly. I guarantee the dry wall will not spare him, and neither will I. He begins his entrance. I point the gun at his forehead, alone I ask? “Yea”, and not happy about it. I give the workers a glance or two to let them know they are not forgotten. I back up a cautious step then two and suggest with the pistol that he drop whatever it is he is carrying. A pretty hefty security club, good choice, not necessarily lethal. I again command with the barrel, a seat for the gentleman. I then swing around and shut the door.

Do not tell me your party is getting off work and hordes of you will be entering the building, I ask. “No, not at all. I was just straggling back to see Mathew before going on to the compound. I forgot my… some stuff, and I had wanted to talk to him”. And, what is your name? “I am Phil Markum.” I see, why where you going to brain me then? “I did not know who you were, and I wanted to make sure these two were safe.” Ah, ahah. You see, that is not a good answer. Either you are a fool, a liar, or a lying fool. I am starting to think you all are real trouble. Now, are any of you considering interfering with my quiet exit? “No”, nearly in unison. I do not suppose you would mind if I borrowed your club, just for a bit, would you? “No” he says and nods. I really thought about hitting him on the head with it, then handing it back… control, friend, control I thought to myself. You should be able to find the club hereabouts tomorrow, should you really want it back. I go to the door again, listen, open it, a quick glance one way, then the other, a solid look up and down, and I leave the room. I shut the door, and decide to lock it. I head toward the guarded room. When I get to the corner, I turn around and head back down the hall, locking every door. I get to the worker room, and I hear muffled conversations but do not bother to attempt to eavesdrop. I complete the locking process and move toward the stairs. Isabelle appears, and begs attention. I feel rushed, but grab a few treats, offer one, scratch behind her ears as I squat and listen, then leave a few more treats and move on.

Down to the second level I go, and I make my way to Cindy’s room. Oh, yes, the code. I run through this, then check the door. Locked, so I get out the keys and unlock it. I enter and see no one, I look in the room I first saw her, then check the rest of the rooms. She is gone. Well, that makes my job easier. And, I had considered tricking her away too, so I cannot be too sore. I am too tired to mess with checking for food items, and being low, she most likely would have cleaned the place out when she left. I do, however, close and lock the door. Down the hall, down the steps, right on to the manager’s spaces. So far, so good. I unlock the door, grab the Legos, and head out. With my list, and the fact the group in the top floor is not foraging, I suspect that with a mild use of caution, I should be able to sort and cache the food and items at my leisure. Tonight is over, this boy is tired.

I head out, moving toward my now familiar wooded retreat. I take the path through the foliage, and am about to cut around my usual path home. “Jeff”. It was not loud, or harsh, or even said while someone was moving toward me, but it was just enough above the sounds of hush I needed and expected that I drew, kneeled, and aimed, at Cindy in a heartbeat. I glance around and see it is just us two. She is clean. I lower, then holster, as she recovers a bit and then wonders what to say. I move toward her, hello Cindy. “Hello. Hey, I heard some things upstairs and I became afraid. I decided to get out and believed this is the way you would go, so I waited here. Here is what food I had left, and some other things”. Bring them along, we will check them at my place. Oh, I cannot believe I am taking her to my place, my CAVE! Maybe we can find her a place of her own soon. Yeah, a girlfriend would not be bad, but uhm, she is a bit young and a bit pretty for me, and this is not exactly the time for romance. She does have a cute wiggle. Off we go. Hmm, how did she do that? I am just trying to remember just how that happened. She did not even ask, and as it seems, did not have to ask. Had I not been so side-tracked, back to her apartment since I consider it safe she would have gone. I had better watch this one, and myself around her. I do not like tricks.

As we are about to leave the sheltering wooded area, a pause, I take a good look around, and then motion her closer. I mention the need for caution, I suggest she walk softly, and I also suggest that she avoid contact, follow my lead unless I suggest otherwise, and get my attention quietly if she notices some one or something I have failed to notice, then whisper in my ear, perhaps point if that seems safe or it is vital. I tell her that if we are separated, to meet back here, or if absolutely not feasible, then go to her apartment and meet there. I check her understanding, and suggest that if she is a perpetual difficulty, I will abandon her. She seems to understand. A quick check and away I go. I do slow my pace to accommodate, at least at this point. In time, I will expect her to be able to keep up the pace while moving quietly, should we become allies.