The Despairing Tribulations of a Doomed Boy

Chapter 15

There was nobody in the backyard. At least not that they could see. They stared through the sliding glass door for ten minutes waiting for the mystery lady to show up, but she didn't appear. "Maybe she's waiting for you to go out first." Ruskin said, "She's probably hiding in the woods back there." The two of them squinted to peer past the fence into the trees beyond it. As kids, they had explored every inch of that small wood. Otto was certain he could find his way to the stream while blindfolded and probably even the log they used as a bridge to the other side. Beyond that was a community park where toddlers ran wild in the daytime and at night, teenagers drank beer and made out on the jungle gym.

If anything should go wrong tonight, Otto thought, I know how to run through there without stumbling and make it all the way to the convenience store on the far corner past the park before I have to stop and catch my breath in the back alleyway. "Listen, Ruskin," Otto said, "Remember what I told you. If we get caught or if anything happens, just blame it all on me. Tell them I told you I'd destroy the world if you didn't help me."

"Don't talk like that, man, you're scaring me."

"Yeah well, if I've learned anything in the past week, it's to be ready for anything," Otto said as he put his new nose casing on. "Stay in here," He said and opened the door to step outside.

As he walked towards the back fence, he saw a figure emerge from the woods. It was Nurse Vickers—with short, dark hair and no glasses. She was how he remembered, down to the scarf around her neck which matched her nose-button. She smiled as they approached each other.

"I wasn't sure it was really you," Otto said.

"I figured you'd be cautious," She said at the fence. "You've been through a lot." She held out her hand across the fence line for Otto to take hold.

"Both of you freeze and put your hands on your head!" Someone called from the neighbor's yard. Nurse Vickers grabbed Otto's hand in a flash and pushed her nose-button, but nothing happened. "Oh no," She said under her breath.

"What's wrong?" Otto asked.

"I said put your hands on your head!" The shadow called out again. There were more of them. Otto could see their forms moving in the darkness to surround him and Nurse Vickers.

"It's that man," Nurse Vickers said. "Otto, run!" And with that, she took off for the woods.

Otto jumped the fence and ran into the woods. Several shadowy forms followed after him, but he saw others branch off to follow Vickers. Running with a nose casing on his face was not as easy as running casing-free like he did the night he escaped HOME. Panting made his mouth dry out and exhaustion set in a lot faster. But his familiarity with the woods was an asset.

He heard Nurse Vickers trip nearby and immediately the law-enforcement were on top of her, telling her to stay still while they cuffed her. But Otto dodged trees and jumped the stream at the place he knew was easy to jump. Behind him, he heard the splashes of law-enforcement in the stream. Before they had managed to pull themselves up the stream bank, Otto was running across the park and towards the convenience store on the far corner, passing a group of teenagers on the playground. Maybe they'll slow law-enforcement down, he thought.

He made it to the alleyway and began zigzagging through the buildings. In the distance, he heard the sirens of the law-enforcement cars. They'd catch up to him soon. And it wouldn't take much to corner him. On his left, he heard music thumping in the walls and somewhere behind the music, there was talking and laughter. Otto changed directions as soon as he found a passage through to the main street and found a place that he had never seen before. It looked like a bar or a club with posters plastered all over its front windows, but outside, a group of people clad in heavy black clothing smoked cigarettes and talked loudly.