by Aubert, Remi
"Come inside with me," Pip whispered to her. As soon as they were inside the bathroom, Pip quietly shut the door and locked it. Moonlight was shining through the large glass window from above the toilet.
Before Gail could say anything, Pip approached her, immediately pulled her arm to bring her ear down toward his mouth.
"We need to escape. They're coming to get you," he whispered frantically.
Chapter 4 – Stone's Throw
"Who?" Gail whispered back. She felt the hairs on her arms beginning to stand on end, and her mind ached from all of what was happening. She walked toward Pip, who had already let go of her arm and had gotten himself up on the toilet seat. He was carefully pushing the window open.
"No time," he whispered to her. "Let's hurry!"
To Gail's frustration, he pushed himself up and out of the window.
All of a sudden, someone was banging on the bathroom door.
"Gail!"
It was Mr. McLaw.
"Gail, open the door! There's something we've gotta show you!"
The banging became more violent. Instinct told Gail to follow Pip. She scampered on top of the toilet seat and grabbed the window frame. The door began to shake as if two bodies were hitting themselves against it.
"Gail! Don't you listen to that boy!" Mrs. Travis shouted from the other side. She could hear Mrs. Travis hiss at Mr. McLaw, which sounded something like "the little snitch!"
Gail pulled herself through the window and fell down, rolling on the grass. Pip was standing next to her. He signaled her with his hand to follow him, quick! Then he began to run. She picked herself up and, half-blindly, followed him. She could hear shouts from behind her from her two former companions.
Pip was running toward the thick fields of wheat. Gail trailed along behind him as fast as she could. For a small boy, Pip was quite fast. She could hear the noisy rustling of the wheat stalks as she brushed past them. Run, just run, her thoughts focused on getting away, far from danger. Run as fast as your legs can carry you, Gail!
Mrs. Travis and Mr. McLaw certainly sounded like danger back there. She could hear them cursing and shouting.
They were now deep in the fields. She could barely see Pip in the midst of the tall wheat stalks. Pip had stopped in the middle of the field and was lying on his stomach on the ground. With his right hand, he sent a signal to her to approach him and do the same and she did.
He pushed his forefinger to his lips to signal her to stay quiet. He then held his palm against his mouth. She followed suit. There was a rustling of wheat stalks, then several voices that were not too far from where they were hiding.
"Darn it, where d'you think they ran off to?" Gail heard a deep voice saying. It happened to be Mr. Stanner.
"I believe they're just somewhere around here." It was Mrs. Travis.
"Why'd you let us meet your blasted son anyhow, Stanner?" Clearly, Mr. McLaw was not the friendly town tailor anymore.
"Didn't think Pip is immune to it," Mr. Stanner said glumly. "Didn't think he'd have the courage to be a snitch!"
"We're just gonna have to punish him, then."
"I've got no problem with that. You can even kill him, if you want," Mr. Stammer said nonchalantly. "Him ruinin' the plan, and all..."
"Shh... Both of you!" Miss Travis hissed. "They could be hidin' around here and we can't hear 'em if you two keep yappin'."
Gail could hear them searching around the field again, so she turned to face Pip, but the boy signaled for her to follow him. They both crawled farther into the fields. Without saying anything, they both managed to understand each other that they should time their movements with that of the group of adults.
The moonlight was bright, which helped them to see a bit of where they were heading. Gail hoped that Pip knew exactly where he was going as they continued to crawl as silently as they could through the field.
Pip was a little ahead of her when he suddenly froze. She heard a faint whimper from him, but she saw that he clamped his mouth to keep himself from screaming. Gail did the same before she knew what caused Pip to panic. It was a close call, because they had just came across Mrs. Stammer.
Or what used to be Mrs. Stammer.
Mrs. Stammer's body was lying on the ground, her limbs pointing at odd angles, her neck twisted too far back that indicates that she is already dead. Her face was expressionless and bloody and her mouth partially open, revealing missing teeth. Her faded pink dress was soaked in crimson red. She looked like she had been stabbed several times and had struggled with her captors. The smell of dried blood wafted in the air.
Pip's eyes were brimming with tears, but the poor boy was brave enough to know that he should not become hysterical. It almost seemed as if he knew this was going to happen.
Pip stifled his sobs as Gail ran her hand down his back as a gesture of comfort, but they both knew there was no time to mourn. Even though the rustling of the wheat stalks was faint, it was still a sign that Mrs. Travis, Mr. McLaw, and Mr. Stammer were not too far behind.
They picked themselves up to a crouching position. Instead of crawling, they began to squat walk. They moved to the side to avoid the body before they continued on a straight path. They began to move faster, until finally they reached a fence made out of barbed wire.
As Pip signaled for them to start digging a trench underneath the wire for them to crawl through, a horrifying image crossed her mind and made her feel faint.
Mrs. Stammer had no eyes.
Chapter 5 – Sheriff Farce
Gail held the barbed wire up so that Pip could crawl underneath through the trench to the other side. When he finally got through, he held the barbed wire for her as well.
Finally, they were both on the other side of the fence. They were on an empty field. Across it, there was a trail far up ahead.
"We need to stay low," Pip whispered to her. "Let's follow that trail. It's a shortcut that'll bring us closer to the sheriff's office."
They both ran for the trail. They were now out in the open, and Gail feared that at any moment, their three hunters would catch sight of them.
As soon as she got to the trail, she glanced back. To her horror, she could see Mr. McLaw's head poking out of the wheat field, his head facing their direction. She could almost see his mouth stretched out into a malicious grin.
"Run fast!" Pip whispered to her hoarsely. They both broke into a sprint, following the trail as fast as their legs could carry them. They could hear the distant voices turning into a commotion from behind, but this time, Gail did not bother to look back. Just run! Run for your life, Gail! her mind screamed.
She could feel her heart almost bursting inside her chest, her lungs painful and almost out of breath. She continued to run, a bit more slowly, but just to catch her breath. Pip ran farther away before he stopped, turned to her, and waved his arm to signal her to keep going.
She picked up her pace and began to run again. Please, she thought. Mother, help me!
The image of her sister suddenly appeared in her mind, and this gave her the courage to run faster. She had to save her sister from this madness! She continued to follow the trail until she reached the main road again. Pip was waiting for her. As soon as she caught up with him, he began to run again, this time, across the road toward the back of a small building.
The sheriff's office! Her heart began to beat wildly.
The lights were on inside, and she could hear people talking. She and Pip quickly ran to the front of the building and pounded on the door.
"Hold your horses!" someone said from inside. The door was opened by the paunchy, mustached Sheriff Farce himself.
"Please, help us!" Gail cried out. "They're out to get us!"
"Get in." That was all the sheriff said when he ushered them into the small building and shut the door.
"They're chasing us!" Gail panted. "They might still be outside!" She immediately went over to the window to take a peek. Pip was catching his breath, one hand on his chest.
&
nbsp; "Who's been chasin' you?" the sheriff asked curiously.
"My father," Pip piped up. "And Mrs. Travis and Mr. McLaw. My mother... My mother's dead."
"Your mother is what?" The sheriff sounded shocked. He immediately locked the door and made Gail and Pip sit down.
"My father, he killed my mother," Pip continued. "Mrs. Travis an' Mr. McLaw want to kill her, too." He pointed at Gail.
"Now, what you're saying is a very serious thing," the sheriff began. "those are kind Saw' folk you're talking 'bout."
"It's true!" Gail wailed. "We were on our way to this office here when Mrs. Travis hit something, and then her car broke down along the way, and then ... Well, I think you'd better call for backup. There's three of them and one of you!"
"Now, hold on..." The sheriff went to pick up his radio and tried to his officers through it, but there was no response. He placed his radio on his table and picked up the telephone. He started to dial a few numbers then he pressed the receiver against the side of his head.
"No dial tone..." he muttered. He placed his hand on his gun as if to assure himself that he is still safe. He then checked the phone lines, but shook his head when he realized that there was nothing wrong.
Gail watched him as he picked up his radio once more and attached it to his utility belt. He turned to look at them, but before he could say anything, Gail blurted out, "I need to fetch my sister. I need her with me."
"Yes, but we need to get to the bottom of this situation, young lady," Sheriff Farce said. Then he turned to Pip. "You are the Stammers' son, am I right?" he said gently.
"Yes, sir," Pip said. He had started crying quietly while the sheriff was busy trying to contact his officers. "Please, sir, they're on their way, and they will hurt us."
The sheriff walked toward the door and checked that he had locked it. Then, he checked his gun if it was loaded and began packing some extra bullets into his utility belt.
"We're going to go out there, kids," he said to them. "For some reason, I can't reach my officers. I'm gonna have to keep trying, but in the meantime, I'm driving you to the town's health center. There's bound to be more people there, and God knows the doctor can help you two out."
He grabbed his car keys, peered through the window, and said, "Alright, now I'll secure the area outside for you, and once I tell you to come out and get inside the car, you do so instantly. Hear me?"
"Yes, sir," Gail said. "But what about my sister? She's still at the Carvers’ apple grove."
"I'll check up on her as soon as I'm done with the Stammers' residence."
"My mother's body is still in the field," Pip said softly. "She's just lying there."
"You are very brave, son," the sheriff said. "I will make sure to have your mother receive a proper burial, but let's get going now."
He went out, his gun in his hand, then shut the door behind him. Gail and Pip rushed to the window to look. The sheriff approached his vehicle and whipped out his keys then he unlocked the door and stepped inside. Gail breathed a sigh of relief.
He drove the car to the front of the building then honked to let them know that they should come out now.
Gail and Pip stepped out of the office, locking the door behind them. They approached the car, opened the door to the backseat, then quickly slid inside and shut it behind them. Then she immediately pressed the lock down.
"You settled, kids?" The sheriff turned to look at them. "First, I'll bring you to the town center, then I'll..."
CRACK!
Gail shrieked and Pip jumped when a huge mallet hit the windshield of the sheriff's car. She saw Mr. Stammer's grinning face outside the sheriff's, his eyes blood red, his hands gripping the handle of the mallet.
"Hello there, Sheriff." he said. "Where are you taking my son?" He raised the mallet over his head to take another swing.
The sheriff revved the engine and backed up to avoid another heavy blow. Gail could feel him concentrating hard to take them out of the driveway.
As they drove out onto the road, she saw Mrs. Travis and Mr. McLaw standing by the side. It was dark, but she could see that they were grinning. The sheriff began to drive fast while calling through his radio once more.
"Code eight! Code eight!" he barked, but there was no response at all.
He continued to drive toward the residential area of Sawyerville, and to their horror, all of the lights were out.
"I'm bringing you kids to secure yourselves in the health center," he said. "Then I'll have to go back to the office and arrest Mr. Stammer and the other two."
Gail nodded silently. She didn't want to stay put while her sister was still out there, but she needed to make sure that Pip was safe. The sheriff seemed to have made up his mind, so she was going to have to take things into her own hands if she wanted to save her sister.
"Tell me exactly what happened," he commanded.
Gail and Pip took turns telling him everything that happened, starting from the eyeball Gail had received up to the time when they were chased along the trail. Gail heard Pip mention that he had heard his parents arguing outside the house while he was still inside an hour before Gail and the other arrived, then he heard his mother scream.
The lights were already out, and all he did was cower close to the candle his mother had lit for him. He said his parents often argued, but he never thought that it would go that far. Gail felt sorry for the pooroloy.
"I'm sorry to hear that, son," the sheriff said kindly. "I thank you for saving Gail from... them." He was about to say something more, but he shut his mouth and concentrated on driving.
As soon as they arrived at the health center, they stepped out of the car and strode over to the front door. The lights were out, except for a candle that was flickering behind a glass window.
The sheriff knocked on the door.
"This is Sheriff Farce!" he called out. "I need to speak with Doctor Anderson." Gail heard someone unbolt the door and turn the knob.
"Hello, Sheriff." It was Doctor Anderson himself. He pushed his thick, horn-rimmed glasses up the bridge of his nose as he peered at them.
"I hope you do not mind me leaving these two under your care, Doctor," the sheriff said. "There is a disturbance in town that I need to address immediately. It seems that the health center is the best place for these two."
The sheriff nudged Gail and Pip in through the doorway.
"I don't mind at all, Sheriff," The doctor smiled warmly at them and said, "You take care out there and let me know how I can help."
"Thank you, Doctor." The sheriff nodded once, then briskly walked back to his car. Doctor Anderson shut the door behind him and showed Gail and Pip to the couch. As soon as they sat down, the doctor asked, "You're Fuller's daughter, right?"
"Yes, Doctor."
"Ah, so your father is out of town?"
"He is, but he'll be back tomorrow."
"What about you, you're..."
"I'm... I'm Pip Stanner." Pip kept his head bowed. He seemed to be concentrated on picking the dirt from underneath his fingernails.
"Ah, well then, I hope you're father's doing well."
Pip didn't look up to face the doctor but continued to pick at his nails.
"So," the doctor began to say as he took off his glasses and began to rub the lens with the hem of his shirt. "What's going on out there?"
But just as Pip was about to say something, Gail pressed his hand and held it. "There was a brawl outside, Doctor," she said as calmly as she could. "We almost got caught in it, but the sheriff managed to save us and bring us here."
"I see," the doctor stroked his chin. "Well, I'd better get you two some refreshments to cheer you up." He walked over to another door that probably led to a small kitchen and entered it.
"Come," Gail fervently whispered to Pip. "We have to get out." She quietly stood up, taking Pip by the hand. Quickly, she opened the front door, and they stepped outside.
They began to trot away from the health center and in the direction of Gail's ne
ighbor's house, which was a 20 minute walk away. She began to pick up her speed until she was running again.
"What's wrong?" Pip asked in a scared voice.
"Didn't you see?" Gail couldn't help sounding frightened as well, "His eyes, they were bleeding..."
Chapter 6 - Shaney
Gail and Pip did their best to stay hidden by walking in the dark side of the road, and to dodge behind bushes as often as they can. Every now and then, they could hear screams echoing from some houses, but they kept moving forward as quietly as they could.
They were five minutes away from the Carvers' apple grove when someone grabbed Pip's shirt from behind.
"Aaargh!" Pip screeched. Gail turned to see what had just happened and saw that it was Camille, Shaney's best friend. Her face was pale and her skin damp, but it was the fresh wound on her left cheek that was dangerously close to her eye. She clung to Pip's shirt desperately.
"Please!" Camille cried in a hoarse whisper. "Please help me!"
Gail pried Camille's hands from Pip's shirt and held them between her own.
"Camille," Gail said, trying to keep her voice steady. "Where's Shaney?"
"No!" Camille cried. "Let go of me!" She quickly jerked her hands from Gail's trembling grip and ran in the direction from where Gail and Pip had come.
"Camille!" Gail blurted out. "Come back here!"
In the moonlight, Gail and Pip could see that some people were starting to come out of their houses. Some of them were carrying weapons: a hoe, a pitchfork, a knife.
"Camille!" Gail cried out again. Pip was about to come after her, but Gail held him back. "We need to go to apple grove and look for my sister."
They both ran toward the house. When they finally reached the front porch, they could see a small figure sitting on the floor next to the door. The figure was thin and frail, and she was covering her face with her hands, but the faded gingham dress looked all too familiar to Gail.
"Shaney?" she called out softly. "Shaney, it's Gail! I'm here."
The figure did not move an inch.