Somehow They're Alive (part 9)

Welcome to part nine of "Somehow They're Alive". Let me warn you that this one is a little different from the others. Hopefully you like it and find...

it interesting. Please leave some comments on what you think after your done reading. I thought that it'd be a good idea to mix it up on this one.

Created by: Topaz
  1. ***Jaslina's Point of View*** We're only a few miles away from Tom and Rosie's house and we're feeling a little bit scared. Nobody knows where we're driving to. Not even Rayla knows, and she's the one who's driving. It's been a year since I've been this scared. I was hoping that I'd never have to feel this way again, but it'll be worth it if we can find dad and Josephine. Tammy is in the back seat writing on a tablet of paper that she got out of her luggage; she said that she's taking inventory. Among our necessities is the luggage that we got back. By some miracle we actually remembered to pack it at the last minute. We didn't have room for all of our suitcases, so we each brought four or five changes of clothes and stuffed them in a garbage bag. It was Tammy's idea to write our names on the tags so we don't get them mixed up. Scribbling something down, she says, "Jaslina, can you count the jars of canned peaches. I thought that I counted twenty-three, but I'm not sure. I'd do it myself, but I'm busy counting how much cured meat there is." I shrug and go through the boxes as we're driving down the road. A minute later I say, "You were right, Tammy. Twenty-three jars." "Okay. Thanks, Jaslina." While Tammy is going through the meat I steal her notepad and look it over. There is a carefully written out chart of how much of what type of food each of us get per meal. Her rationing idea is genius. She also wrote down the amount of money we have and how much we should spent at a time, and she also counted out how much soap and shampoo we have and how long it should take until we have to buy more.
  2. Jay's words break my train of though. "Hey, aren't we forgetting something?" I look up from the notepad. "Forgetting what?" "Never mind. I'm sure it's nothing." "Tell us anyway," says Rayla. "This van is much too quiet." "See, I was just wondering if anybody got the name of the mountain or its coordinates from Tom." I turn to Ryan. "Ryan, I thought you got them." "No, I didn't. I thought that somebody else did while you and I were on our date." His statement is followed by a worried chorus of "no's". "Well what now?!" says Rayla. "I can't just turn back around. Sapphire and Landon are at that house!" "When we left they were going to bed," I point out. "I'm sure if we park in the bushes they wouldn't spot us. We could send one person to the door to get the information for us. After they get the information they run back to the van and we leave. It's as simple as that." "Alright," says Rayla. "If everybody's okay with it, I'll go back." Since nobody protests, Rayla turns around. The car is completely noiseless all the way back to the house. Or I guess I should say most of the way back, because Audrey eventually breaks the silence.
  3. "What's that?" She points to the sky. The others don't seem to notice it, but I notice. The street light illuminates a perfectly round cloud of smoke. It's not too far away and it's not too close. Really, it's the same distance away as Tom and Rosie's house. It seems that Jay sees it too because he says, "Uh oh. That isn't good sign." As we get closer the smoke gets blacker and thicker and there's also a bright orange glow to go along with it. Jay's right. That isn't a good sign. Audrey gulps. "You wouldn't happen to be thinking what I'm thinking?" "No," says Tammy. "It can't be. They wouldn't!" Without the slightest warning Rayla slams on the gas pedal and races toward their house while I'm praying in my head that it's just somebody's camp fire. Unfortunately I'm dreadfully wrong. Rayla brings the car to a halt the moment the fire's source comes into view. My heart breaks; Tom and Rosie's house is being reduced to nothing more than a pile of amber ashes before my very eyes. How could we have let this happen? Nobody makes a move to get out of the car. All we can do is stare at the furiously burning house in a dreadful sense of awe. Why would Sapphire and Landon do this? It doesn't shock me that they'd set somebody's house on fire, but why Tom and Rosie's house? Jay mumbles something to himself that I don't understand. Ryan taps on his shoulder. "What did you say?" he asks him with his voice shaky. "We did this."
  4. "Jay, what are talking about? We didn't do this!" "Yes we did. We stayed with them, Sapphire and Landon found out, and now they've eliminated Tom and Rosie." When he says that Audrey starts to cry. "He's right. This all our fault! Two innocent people are dead because of us!" "Audrey, you don't know that they're dead. They might've gotten out in time," says Tammy "What if they didn't? If they got roasted to death it's because of us." Ryan, scared like the rest of us, also shows another emotion on his face. Confusion. "I don't understand," he says. "Even if they did know we were there, why would they try to kill them? Tom and Rosie were giving them a place to stay. It isn't like Sapphire and Landon to do that." Tammy starts to yell. "There's nothing strategic about why they burned the house down, Ryan! When will you realize that they do what they do out of evilness and insanity?"
  5. Right then it dawns on me. It all has to do with Rosie's phone conversation with Sapphire. In an instant the whole conversation echoes through my head and then stops at one part. That one part of the conversation, that one sentence, goes through my mind again and again like a broken record. "After what you've been doing I have a half mind to tell that girl the truth!" It seems that there's more for them to protect than just the White-dressed Woman's journal. I'm about to say something, but I don't get the chance. My voice is drowned out by the sound of fire engines. "We should go," says Rayla. "If we're caught at the scene we might be counted as suspects." Flooring it, the six of us go off into the night. There's nowhere we can go and nowhere where we'll be safe. Yes, I'm very upset about Tom and Rosie's deaths'. How can I not be? They were so nice to us. Yet their early demises have also led to an alarming inconvenience. Without the coordinates for that mountain it'll be nearly impossible to find my father and sister and Audrey's parents. It's hopeless.
  6. *** Even with the illumination from the dying fire, the forest behind Tom and Rosie's house is still pitch black. If you stand far enough away, that is. Those dozens of firemen have no idea that the girl who set the house aflame is only a few yards away watching the whole thing play out like a movie. Or at least that's where Landon thinks she is. This is the direction he saw her run off in. He would've went with her, but he had business to take care of. Business that was much more important than seeing a friendly couple almost die a tragic death. Of course, only Landon knows that that it was only "almost". Landon breaths a sight of relief. "Almost," he says. "Thanks to me it was only almost." At first Sapphire's motives for breaking out of prison and coming to Ireland seemed pure, but now Landon isn't so sure. Why would she burn these people's house down? It's insanity! Suddenly the image of Sapphire running for the trees carrying a lighter and a can of kerosene pops into his head. When will anyone ever understand the twisted maze of frightening strangeness that is Sapphire? Never, he assumes. No one could ever understand his girlfriend. If only he'd have never betrayed his friends back in Iraq! He finds himself chuckling. Why does he still call them his friends? After what he did, they'll never be his friends again. "Landon!" Startled he turns and nearly collides with Sapphire. "Sapphire, there you are. I didn't see you." "Well, now you do see me. Now let's get out of here before we're caught. We already escaped from prison once. I don't want to have to do it a second time." Trying to appear happy, Landon reluctantly follows. "What have I gotten myself into?" Landon thinks to himself.
  7. ***Ryan's Point of View*** Eventually we got tired and stopped at a cheap, homerun, bed and breakfast. Tom did give us quite a bit of money but we still need to save it. So, as a survival tactic, we got a room that's just large enough to fit all six of us. At the start it appeared that there only being two beds would be a problem. Nevertheless we managed to make use of our resources. Tammy and Rayla are sharing one bed while Audrey and Jaslina will be sharing the other. Me and Jay have the blankets and pillows from the van and are sleeping on the floor. To cut down on the awkwardness of sharing a room with the girls, we tied the remaining blankets together and formed a makeshift curtain separating the girls' side from the guys' side. It wasn't hard to stretch across either; this room would start to get cramped with only three people. At the moment it's only ten o'clock, and nobody's asleep yet. Whether it's because of fear or not being tired I don't know. The point is we're all wide awake. "So what are we going to do tomorrow?" I hear Rayla ask. "I don't know. Without the information we need there's nothing much we can do." Tammy replies. "Well, we have to start somewhere." "What are we supposed to do? Go to the first mountain we see?" asks Audrey. Despite the situation Jaslina chuckles. "That's probably what we're gonna have to do." "That's seriously all we can do?" asks Jay. I'm surprised. Normally he has to look at the people he's talking to. "Yup," they reply in unison.
  8. We stand up. Jay says, "Hey, can we come over there? It's hard to have a serious conversation when you can't see the people you're talking to." "Sure, come on over here," says Rayla. We walk over to their side of the room. Most of the girls are covered up to their necks with blankets. Their pajams must not cover too well. For some reason Jaslina is looking at me funny. The other girls are trying hard not to look at me. It's then I realize that I forgot to put on a shirt. "Ryan, you'd better go put on a shirt before Jaslina floods the room in drool," says Jay trying not to laugh. Jaslina looks down and the bedspread and blushes. I can't help but smile. "Alright, fine. Seeing as I am a distraction I will go find a shirt." It only takes a second for me to return with a shirt on, and then we get down to some serious discussion. Tammy speaks first. "Does anybody have the slightest idea of what we're supposed to do?" "You're going to have to be a little more specific," Rayla says nervously observing her nails. "How are we supposed to find them now? We don't have any information regarding the mountain and the two people who could've helped us are probably dead. I'm afraid that we might be next on the hit list, too." "Might be next? I wouldn't be surprised if Sapphire and Landon are looking in our window with a sniper rifle right now!" Audrey exclaims
  9. Jaslina sighs. "Ryan," she says, "are you sure that your mother never gave a single hint as to where the hiding spot is?" Jay confirms her question by asking another one. "Is there anything that your mother used to say very often? You know, like a code?" I run my hands through my hair. Was there? My mom used to say a lot of things that didn't make sense to me, but none of them ever struck me as a secret code. In an attempt to answer their question I dig through the recesses of my memory. Finally something comes to mind. "Now that you mention it, there is one thing that mom always said to Tom and Rosie before she left." "Can you tell us what it was?" "I guess I will, but I don't think it'll matter much. What she said never made much sense." After a slight pause I continue. "When mom was walking out the door ready to leave Rosie would always ask, "˜Are you going to your usual spot?' Mom would always give the same response. "˜Yes I am. After all, my favorite color is purple.'" Tammy scoffs. "Well, that's real helpful." Rayla yawns. "Maybe we should get some sleep, and try figuring it out tomorrow. It might make more sense then." Without a word Jay and I go back to our side of the room and flip the light switch. I turn over on my stomach and eventually hear Jays rhythmic breathing a few feet away from me. At least he's able to sleep. Before finally falling asleep myself I pray inside my head. "˜Lord I had no idea what I was getting myself into when we left the USA. We need your protection. Otherwise we'll never survive this nightmare.'
  10. ***Unable to sleep, Landon stands up and walks to the motel window. The stars are shining and the moon is full. If Sapphire weren't so tense lately it'd be a beautiful sight for them to enjoy together. The only sounds in the room are Sapphire's breathing and the ticking of the wall clock. Listening to make sure she's still asleep, he grabs a long peice of rope and sneaks out the door. It's five o'clock AM. The sun will be rising soon. It suddenly occurs to Landon that it's lucky Sapphire insisted on following the van that they saw near the scene of the fire earlier. Actually, she insisted that he follow it while she looked for a place to sleep. By the way Landon remembers, they stopped at a bed and breakfast. Unsure of what to do, he finds himself wandering away from the dirty little motel and toward the street, forgetting who lies asleep at the motel. Right now the only think that matters to him is the destination.

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