Last Chance

by Bradley Boals

  Determining blame for the death of one’s parents was not an easy process to go through, especially for a sixteen-year-old girl. The laid-out plans for her life had been gutted and there was no longer a clear path to take. Her little brother lay beside her, still asleep, and, for the most part, oblivious to what had happened to his mother and father.

  She wondered, “What will his life be like now?” She began to realize that she had been forced into a role of mother for little Steven Jr. Mother was not a role that Amanda wanted to play until much later in her life.

  At a much younger age, she had promised herself that she would not become a local young girl who ventured into motherhood too early. This was different, though, and as scared as she was, she knew that it was her responsibility to take care of her brother.

  Amanda’s thoughts were disturbed by a sound coming from the bathroom. A continuous drip, drip, drip, could be heard from the faucet. She thought, Can’t anyone else hear that? It’s so annoying.

  She thought about her parents. She thought about the times that her mom and dad had taken her and Steven on vacation. They always wanted everything to be so perfect. Her mom would tell her dad, “This trip is for the kids. I wanna make sure they have a great time. We won’t get to have these times with them forever.”

  A small tear formed in the corner of Amanda’s eye as those words played over and over in her head. Amanda told herself, Mom wouldn’t let that sink keep dripping and wake up the kids. I won’t either.

  She didn’t want to wake up either Steven or April, so she slithered her body down to the end of the bed until she could get her feet planted on the floor. She tiptoed to the bathroom and turned on the light. The problem was quite obvious as the drip was catching a loose piece of plastic attached to the sink drain. It vibrated every time the drip hit it, so Amanda simply took a small towel and placed it between the plastic and the drip.

  As Amanda turned to switch the light back off, she was startled to see Matthew standing in the doorway. Amanda took a step back from him. Matthew raised his hands to show that he meant no harm and asked, “Are you OK? Do you need anything?”

  Amanda slowly made her way to the bathroom door and clicked the light back off. As she passed Matthew, she whispered into his ear, “My parents.”

  Matthew stood at the door to the bathroom and watched Amanda carefully crawl back into the bed with his mother and Steven. She had done an excellent job making sure that she didn’t wake either of them, but her comment to Matthew guaranteed he would get no sleep.

  Amanda grinned and closed her eyes. She was happy with herself. She wanted to make Matthew feel as bad as she felt. Whether it was justified or not, Amanda had convinced herself that everything bad happening to her was Matthew’s fault, and she was going to make sure that he knew it. In her mind, he didn’t care about her anyway.

  Amanda didn’t know if the Chance family was completely nuts or not. If the time came that she and Steven Jr. needed to make a run for it, she was going to be ready. With that on her mind, she finally began to fade away and get some much-needed sleep.

  Matthew stood at the doorway to the bathroom for a few minutes and tried to process what Amanda had said to him. Matthew didn’t need the power to read someone’s mind to know that she was very upset with him. Even though he had saved her and her little brother, it didn’t seem to make up for those he couldn’t save.

  Matthew took his spot back on the floor and stared at the stained ceiling of the hotel room. He couldn’t sleep. He couldn’t talk to anyone. He just stared at the ceiling and thought. He thought about his mother, his brother, and the decisions he had made.

  It was difficult for Matthew to quantify what he had done over the last two weeks. He went from the brother who no one really paid much attention to, to the one who was dating the most beautiful girl in school. He went from the brother who followed Connor’s lead, to the brother who took the lead. Ever since he put on the Hathmec, and even before they came back to 1984, he had felt different. It wasn’t just the healing charm and attribute charm’s power; it was something else that just felt right.

  This feeling of right had engulfed Matthew for weeks now. He felt it when he made the decision to save Amanda and her family. He felt it when he thought about protecting his mom and his brother. He felt it when he thought about all the things that he had seen since he came through the R tunnel. He knew the things happening back home were wrong and regardless of how he knew it, he knew that things would never be the same.

  He had found someone to care about in a way that he had never cared before. This same girl now hated his guts, or at least, he thought she did. He tried to convince himself that he did the right thing. Two people were alive who wouldn’t have been otherwise.

  He tried to legitimize what happened to Officer Charles. I never asked for his help. He’s a cop; things happen to cops all the time. He was losing the argument with himself and he started to doubt his decisions.

  Doubt was a powerful emotion. It could, at times, be either a good thing or a bad thing. In this case, it could only be a bad thing. Doubt filled this small hotel room just outside of Atlanta, Georgia. Matthew doubted his own decisions. Amanda doubted her own abilities and her future. She also doubted the Chance family’s sanity. Connor doubted his experience in 1984 and April doubted her duty to Walter Wainright and her own humanity. It would be a long night.

  April awoke first and began to mill around the room. She wanted to make sure nothing was left behind before completing their run to the park. The dreams of staying in 1984 had all but evaporated from her mind as she reverted back into the leader of the family. A leader had to deal with the realities of the situation, not dream of one that was impossible.

  Connor and Amanda woke up and started to get their things together. No words were spoken between Amanda and Matthew, so Connor was more than happy to fill in the silence. “Did you get any sleep?”

  Amanda replied, “I got a little, but it was hard to sleep with all the noise.”

  Connor pointed to the bathroom. “That dripping sound was driving me nuts. I guess somebody got up and fixed it during the night.”

  Amanda noticed that Matthew was eavesdropping on her and Connor’s conversation and mustered up a little giggle and said, “Well, someone had to make sure we got some sleep. There’s a lot of time traveling today.”

  Connor shot a grin back and said, “We’re really not crazy. We are going into the future.” He threw a blanket back onto the bed and added, “All of us.”

  Matthew became jealous of Connor and Amanda’s discussion and tapped Connor on the shoulder. “Make yourself useful and take these backpacks to the car; we’re gettin’ outta here as soon as possible.”

  Connor turned to his brother and said, “There’s nothing wrong with your arms and legs; you take the bags.”

  Matthew grabbed the bags and snapped, “Absolutely, your highness. I would hate for you to break a sweat.”

  Connor threw a bag on the floor and rushed after his brother. He slammed him against the wall, knocking down a picture hanging over the bed. “You don’t talk to me like that, little brother! I can still kick your butt.” Connor had his hands on Matthew’s arms as he pressed him against the wall.

  Matthew seized Connor’s hands and said, “You wanna bet?”

  Matthew began to push Connor’s arms away from him and Connor lowered to one knee. “You have to use your little charm to take me down, you wuss.”

  April saw what was going on and stepped in. “Both of you stop it right now!”

  Matthew released Connor and he stepped back. April got in between them and said, “We’re not going to do this. We’ve come too far to fall apart now.” April put her hands on each of their shoulders and said, “You two are brothers, and we need each other to get home.”

  Steven Jr. woke up from his long sleep amid the commotion. As the young boy looked around
the room, he saw nothing familiar. He saw ugly dog pictures hanging on the wall and an old ice bucket at the foot of the bed. The boy began to panic and started calling out to his mom and dad.

  “Mom, Dad! Where are you?”

  Amanda rushed over to her brother’s side and said, “It’s OK, I’m here.”

  Steven looked to his sister and asked, “Where are we? Where’s Mom and Dad?”

  Amanda tried to keep her brother calm and told him that everything was going be OK. “I’m here and we’re gonna be fine.”

  The young boy started to remember what had happened to him the night before. He remembered the fire and the sound of his parents yelling to him. He remembered how scared he had been and the men in his house. He came to the realization that his parents were gone. His young voice strained to utter the words, “They’re dead, aren’t they?” Amanda put her arms around her brother, not knowing what to say, and just held him.

  Steven had tear-filled eyes and asked again, “They’re dead, aren’t they? Aren’t they?” He began to struggle to get away from his sister, and Amanda realized that she didn’t know what to do.

  “Yes, they’re gone. I’m sorry.”

  Matthew and Connor halted their squabble as they realized the magnitude of the situation. They saw the distress in Amanda and had no idea how to help.

  April could see that Amanda was having problems, so she took Steven from her. April knelt down so that she could look into Steven’s eyes. “Steven, my name is April. I’m Matthew’s mother.” April knew that Steven had met Matthew, so she hoped that would calm him.

  “Your parents were killed in the fire that happened at your house last night. Do you remember that?” Steven nodded his head that he remembered it. April continued, “Your mom and dad were able to get you and your sister out of the house before you were hurt. They did everything they could to get out themselves, but they just couldn’t.”

  “Your parents love you so much that they gave their own lives to make sure that you were OK.” April began hugging Steven and told him that his parents asked her to take care of him and his sister. “I promised them that I would take care of you and Amanda from now on, and I promise that I will.” Steven’s eyes continued to fill with tears but he seemed to be calming down. She added, “Isn’t that right, Amanda?”

  April and Steven looked up to Amanda for her blessing. Amanda knew why April was saying these things and agreed with her. “Yeah, Ms. Chance is going to take care of us for now—just like Mom and Dad wanted.” Steven heard this reassurance from his sister and grabbed April around the neck and hugged her as hard as he could.

  April was shocked by Steven’s acceptance and started to let her guard down. A faint smile popped onto April’s face as she squeezed the young boy. She gathered herself and let him go. She said, “Now we have to get going, so go get ready, OK?” The boy made his way to the bathroom and Amanda went with him to make sure he was all right.

  A rush of love filled April’s heart as memories of her two boys at Steven’s age flooded her mind. She realized that Steven was no different than Matthew or Connor when they both came into her life. This was a child who needed to be taken care of and it was her job to do so.

  Connor asked his mother, “Why did you tell him that his parents got him out of the house?”

  April said, “It was important for him to think that his parents wanted him with us. It will just make things easier.”

  Matthew grabbed his mother’s hand and said, “You didn’t lie. His mom and dad made sure I got their children out before letting me help them.”

  Connor observed, “I guess you have three sons now.”

  April started to reply but didn’t know how to, so she simply put her arm around both of her boys and said, “We’ll see. Now go ahead and take everything to the car.”

  She grabbed Matthew’s arm before he rushed off and said, “You did the right thing yesterday. I’m sorry for how I acted.”

  Matthew smiled at his mother and replied, “You just want what’s best for us. I knew you’d come around.”

  The boys filled the car with the backpacks and did a quick look around the parking lot to make sure they didn’t see anything out of place. Connor said, “I don’t think anyone in the world knows we’re here or where we’re going.”

  Matthew closed the trunk of the car and replied, “I hope not.”

  April closed the hotel door behind them and exclaimed, “We’re only three hours from the park, so let’s get going.”

  Amanda asked Connor, “Will you sit in the back with me and Steven?”

  The Chance family and what was left of the Curry family loaded into the car in search of the R tunnel. April and Matthew sat in the front seat, while Connor, Amanda, and Steven filled up the backseat.

  As their car cleared the front of the building, another vehicle, a black van, made its way around the corner of the hotel. The occupant of the black van pressed down on the CB trigger and said, “They’re on the move, but I’m tracking them.”

  A voice from the other end of the CB radio echoed, “Let them get to the park, and then you know what to do.”

  Chapter 18

  hit like a girl

  “This is it, Spicewater Park.” April pulled into the deserted parking lot of the largest public park in the state of Georgia. “It doesn’t seem very full this morning, does it?”

  Connor replied, “I guess no one else woke up early to see all the nature.”

  Amanda asked, “What exactly are we doing here?”

  Matthew turned to the backseat and answered, “This is where we left the tunnel that brought us here and will get us back to 2185.”

  Amanda rolled her eyes, still unconvinced that the Chance family was from the future. Steven tapped his sister on the shoulder and asked, “Are we gonna go into the future?”

  Amanda whispered into her brother’s ear, “Don’t worry, everything will be fine.”

  Steven looked out the window and asked, “Are we gonna go fishing?”

  April stopped the car and told the kids to get everything out of the trunk. “We’re not coming back to it, so don’t leave anything behind.” The boys grabbed the backpacks and slung them over their shoulders.

  Matthew asked Connor, “Do you have the bag with the camotape and the boots?”

  Connor peeked into his bag and replied, “Yeah, I’ve got ‘em.”

  April told little Steven to stay close to her. “We’re gonna go on a little hike and then you’re gonna come home with us.”

  Steven began to walk toward April, but Amanda grabbed his hand and said, “I think I should stay with him. I’ll make sure he doesn’t get lost.”

  Connor sensed the tension and asked Amanda if she wanted him to walk with her and Steven. Amanda checked to make sure Matthew had heard his brother and then answered, “I think that would be a great idea.” Connor took her hand and she took the hand of her brother. The three of them walked toward the main office of the park with April and Matthew following behind them.

  April saw a sign that stated the office would be closed until noon. “I guess they weren’t expecting many people today.” She looked over her crew of kids and explained that they would go ahead and make their way to the tunnel. “It will probably be a little slick on the paths, so everyone watch their step.”

  She asked Matthew to lead the way since he still wore the watch that would lead them to the tunnel. Matthew told his mother, “With the watch leading the way, we’ll find the tunnel in no time.”

  The watch displayed a simple arrow that pointed him in the right direction. It was like playing a video game. Matthew waved his hand in the air and said, “Follow me, everyone.” April was on Matthew’s hip as they made their way down the hill and up a path next to Spicewater Lake. Connor, Amanda, and Steven brought up the rear.

  Steven was excited to see all of the boats at
the dock and the birds that played in the water. The wind popped the water on the bank of the lake and the sun shot rays of light through the dense edges of the woods. He almost tripped over his own feet due to the distractions. “Pay attention, Steven,” barked his sister.

  It was a nice morning by the lake. It wasn’t too warm, but wasn’t too cool either. It was perfect hiking weather. The Chance family was in no mood to do any sightseeing. Their only goal was to get back to the tunnel with everyone in one piece.

  Connor asked Matthew, “How much farther do we have? It’s starting to look a little familiar now.”

  Matthew was confident that his watch was leading them in the correct direction. He realized they were to the break in the woods that led to the tunnel. He replied, “Not far at all. Actually, all we need to do is follow this path into the woods, get up over that hill, and we’ll be there.” Matthew pointed to a path that led much deeper into the woods. “This is where we came out last time.”

  Connor let go of Amanda’s hand and headed to Matthew. He wanted to make sure Matthew knew what he was doing.

  “Are you sure this is right? I thought we were farther away from the lake when we came out of the woods last time.” He grabbed Matthew’s wrist to look at the watch. “We should be going this way.”

  Matthew pulled his arm away from his brother and replied, “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  As Connor and Matthew argued about the location of the tunnel, Amanda motioned to her little brother to stay quiet. She moved her finger to her mouth and whispered to Steven, “Follow me, but be quiet.” Amanda slowly backed away from the Chance family. She was careful not to shuffle her feet in the fallen leaves. She turned around with her brother to make a run into the woods. She didn’t care where she ran, as long as it was away from the Chance family.

  She noticed a shadowy figure at the end of the path they had just traveled. The figure started calling out, “Amanda, Amanda!”

  Amanda dug her feet into the soft ground and yelled back, “Dad!”