Quest Chasers: The Screaming Mummy (A Magic Fantasy Adventure Book Series)

by Thomas Lockhaven

  “OK, perfect, so he’s away from the house. But how do we get in? I’m pretty sure he’s not gonna just leave the door open,” said Tommy matter-of-factly.

  Tommy opened the Google satellite picture again and switched to street view. The ranger’s house appeared at ground level. “Well, he has two windows on the front of the house, so I’m guessing there are a couple on the back,” Tommy said. “Our best chance is to go through one of the back windows.”

  “Our window of opportunity,” smiled Eevie.

  “Drew could hide and keep us updated on the ranger via our phones. If we need to get out, Drew could let us know,” said Tommy.

  “So, we simply have to find the secret passage, and then what?” Eevie asked while stretching.

  “Well…,” said Tommy, pausing, “we see where it goes.”

  “Tommy, you do realize if we get trapped, or locked in, and have to wait until the next day when the ranger leaves, our lives are over.”

  Tommy nodded. “We just need to make sure that that doesn’t happen,” he answered reassuringly. “OK, we’ve got a plan for getting in, and searching for the entrance. We just need to figure out what to bring, and it looks like we need to do a little spying on the ranger to find out his routine,” continued Tommy.

  “Leave that to me,” smiled Drew. “If anyone catches you near that park again, your parents will never let you leave your house.”

  Tommy looked at Drew, his eyes filled with respect. “All right, Drew, our lives and freedom depend on your expert surveillance! Make us proud!”

  “Tommy,” said Eevie, “if you can figure out what you think we’ll need to bring, I’ll focus on deciphering and learning as many of those spells as I can. I caught the ranger off guard once. This time I fear he’ll be ready.”

  Don’t Forget to Delete Your Browser History

  Four days had passed since the meeting at the Donovan Hawthorne Library. The three agreed to have very little contact so they didn’t draw any unnecessary attention to themselves. More importantly, they wanted to make sure that Drew had sufficient time to establish the ranger’s routine. Each night they would meet on Skype video to fill each other in on their accomplishments.

  Drew looked like he was about to explode. So Eevie, who looked unusually exhausted, asked him to go first.

  “Alright,” said Drew excitedly, “the ranger definitely has a pattern. About twenty-five minutes before the park closes, he jumps onto his ATV and disappears down the trails for about twenty minutes. He then sits by the front gate and waits for everyone to leave. As soon as everyone is out of the park, he wraps the chain around the gate, locks it, parks his ATV, and goes back inside.”

  “So just to be safe, the most we have is probably twenty-five minutes, with a tiny five-minute safety buffer. Problem is, getting out of the park,” said Eevie.

  “Not a problem,” said Drew, smiling. “I’ll be monitoring you guys from outside, and I’ll have this in my backpack.” Drew held up a huge knotted rope for Eevie and Tommy to see. “I’ll throw this over the wall so you guys can climb out.”

  “Drew, you win the genius T-shirt. Great job!” beamed Eevie. Tommy was nodding his head as well. They had twenty-five minutes—that should be plenty of time.

  “What did you find out, Tommy?” asked Drew.

  “So, first let me say, I had to delete my Google search history because my parents would have launched my computer out the window. I Googled how to pick locks, how to break into a window, and extreme survival gear.”

  “Just what parents want to find on their teenage son’s computer,” said Eevie.

  “The window is definitely gonna be our best and safest option,” said Tommy, continuing. “I did learn a cool trick on the special ops website. It said to not only have a backpack with you, but also to duct tape things to your first layer of clothing, like another flashlight, lighter, knife, etc. Lastly, I also bought two black, military-grade, slimline, waterproof backpacks from Amazon. I’m going to hope my genius IQ gets me a scholarship because I just spent all of my money on these bad boys.” Tommy held them up to his camera.

  “Woah!” exclaimed Drew. “Nice!”

  “All right, Eeves, dazzle us with what you found out,” said Tommy anxiously.

  “So,” Eevie slowly began, “I’ve deciphered just about every spell in the book.” She paused, her face filling with disappointment. “But I must be doing something wrong. The first two spells work perfectly, but the others...I can’t seem to get them to work. I think my wand is even frustrated with me.”

  “Eevie,” smiled Tommy reassuringly, “you’re the smartest girl I know, and I know like fifteen—maybe more. It’s probably just something simple. You’ll figure it out! Plus, you finished figuring out the rest of the book—you’ve got to be exhausted.”

  Eevie nodded. She had barely slept. “I know,” she said, but she couldn’t help feeling frustrated and a little afraid that...maybe she wouldn’t be able to get the spells to work.

  “You’ll get it, Eevie. You just need some rest,” said Drew reassuringly.

  Eevie nodded in thanks.

  “OK,” said Drew, looking at his friends to make sure he had their attention. “On the park’s website, it says Saturday is their busiest day. If we’re lucky, that may even buy you guys a couple extra minutes of time.”

  Tommy nodded in agreement. Saturday was two days away. “OK,” said Tommy, his eyes staring into his best friend’s eyes. He could see the fear and the exhaustion. “Everyone get as much rest as you can tonight and tomorrow. Saturday will be here before you know it. Good night, guys.”

  “Good night,” said Drew and Eevie in unison.

  Tommy texted Eevie an emoji with little hearts circling around it, and typed: Please get some rest—we’ll figure this out together, we always do. He closed the lid of his laptop and climbed into bed. Here we go again...here we go.

  The Ranger Must Be a Minimalist

  If skies had personalities, this one was definitely sulking. Gray clouds like puffed-up cheeks threatened to spew icy rain onto the trio as they biked to the delicious but not so nutritious Donut Shack.

  Eevie and Tommy hid their bikes behind Donut Shack’s giant blue dumpster, which was hidden from view by a tall, wooden wall fence. And, thanks to Drew’s reconnaissance, they knew that the trash company would not be by to empty it until Tuesday.

  The small café was buzzing with activity, as festive holiday music descended upon them from tiny silver circular speakers. The aroma of coffee and fresh baked goods seemed at odds with their current state of mind.

  “Listen,” said Tommy as he attempted to casually slide across a sticky, burgundy, half-moon-shaped vinyl cushion. “I’ve come up with a name for us. We can be known as TED.” Tommy looked at his friends expectantly.

  Eevie and Drew returned his stare with expressions that said, What did I do wrong in my life to deserve this?

  “Get it? Tommy, Eevie, and Drew. The first letter of each of our names spells T-E-D.” His voice trailed off. “TED,” he said softly, looking from Eevie to Drew. “Awe, come on, guys, our names,” he said, crestfallen.

  “It’s a great idea, Tommy,” said Eevie, gently smiling at her friend. “But I’m not really in the mood to laugh or make jokes. We really need to focus. I mean—laser focus. We can’t mess up this time. We can’t afford to get caught. We’ll be trespassing, breaking the law, going into the house of a crazed man who tried to kill you. And if all of that wasn’t bad enough, if something happens...” Eevie’s voice cracked, “...our parents will never trust us again.”

  Tommy slowly put his hands around his cup of coffee, interlacing his fingers. It was a bit too hot to hold, but for some reason it calmed him. Drew sat silently, thinking, taking everything in.

  “All right,” said Tommy, “I was just trying to lighten the mood a little.”

  Drew smiled. “You’re a good friend, Tommy.” He paused. “Guys, it’s 3:40,” he said, loo
king down at his Apple watch. “The park closes at 4:30. We need to get ready because the ranger will be leaving his house in about twenty minutes.”

  Tommy put a $10 bill under his coffee cup. As they stood to leave, Frank Sinatra’s “I’ll Be Home for Christmas” drifted through the café. Eevie closed her eyes as raw emotion filled her heart.

  ******

  Tommy and Eevie pulled their hoodies over their heads. They stood diagonal to the park’s main entrance, waiting for an opportunity to sneak across the street and hide without being seen. Drew had already slipped across the street and was lying flat on the icy ground, hidden from view.

  “Go!” whispered Drew urgently.

  Tommy and Eevie raced across the street, then dove behind a large clump of bushes just as a group of people walked out the gate.

  “That was a little too close,” said Tommy, quietly watching the group turn and walk toward the bus station.

  Eevie jumped as her phone gently vibrated against her leg. She could hear Drew’s voice in her earbud. Tommy’s phone vibrated next as Drew conferenced him in.

  “Can everyone hear each other?” asked Drew.

  “I can hear you, Drew,” said Eevie quietly.

  “It’s as if you were right here,” said Tommy.

  Eevie smacked Tommy on the back of the head. “Be serious!”

  “Fine,” said Tommy, looking at Eevie. “That’s an affirmative.”

  “You guys stay down. I have a clear view of the ranger’s house,” said Drew. “Remember, as soon as you go through the gate run to the left. He has a huge pile of logs stacked about fifty feet from his house. I’ll let you know as soon as he leaves. Remember, leave your phone on!”

  “OK,” said Eevie, “sounds good.”

  Tommy gave a thumbs-up.

  “He can’t see you, Tommy,” moaned Eevie. “Oh, God, we’re doomed.”

  Drew looked at his watch: 3:55 p.m. A flow of cars and pedestrians were steadily streaming out of the park. Then he saw him. The ranger was limping toward his ATV. Drew’s heart began pounding in his chest like an angry neighbor.

  “Guys,” Drew said, his voice wavering with nervous energy, “he’s leaving now.”

  “OK,” Eevie acknowledged. “Let us know when it’s clear.”

  “Go…NOW!” Drew commanded.

  Eevie and Tommy raced down the icy sidewalk, slipping and sliding through the gate. They were completely relying on Drew to get them to the woodpile unseen.

  “Go, go, go!” exclaimed Drew. “Down, down!”

  Eevie and Tommy dropped flat to the ground as if they were about to be raked by enemy fire. However, this full-frontal assault came in the form of a silver Honda Accord. Tommy watched as the car slowly took the curve and then stopped alongside where they lay in the snow, just inside the front gate.

  “No way they’re not going to see us,” whispered Eevie.

  They watched in horror as a man and woman wearing matching white puffy winter coats and what appeared to be brown fluffy winter hats adorned with reindeer antlers quickly clambered out of their car.

  “Oh, great,” whispered Tommy. “He’s pulling out his phone—we’re so dead.”

  “Blend with the terrain,” said Eevie through gritted teeth. “Blend into your environment.”

  “How?” whispered Tommy without moving his lips. “We’re literally laying on a huge white blanket of snow.

  Eevie didn’t answer as she lay motionless. Tommy surreptitiously placed a tiny dead tree branch across his face. The only thing that moved was Tommy’s eyes—and they didn’t like what they saw.

  The man and woman turned and looked at the ranger’s house. Eevie and Tommy lay out in the open, holding their breath, willing themselves to be invisible.

  The man held up his phone in the universal selfie position as his companion lay her head on his shoulder. Flash! The couple jolted their heads back simultaneously, and then broke into spontaneous laughter. The man hunched over and appeared to be fiddling with his phone. The woman leaned in and gave him a peck on his cheek. Tommy and Eevie let out a sigh of relief when they heard the soft ding-ding chime of the doors opening.

  “Rookies. They’re probably too blinded by the flash to see anything...” Eevie was proven correct when the man nearly drove into the gate as they left.

  “Thank goodness for narcissism,” whispered Tommy.

  Eevie turned and looked at Tommy, bewildered.

  “What? I have a massive vocabulary.” She didn’t believe him. “Fine,” said Tommy, “it was on my Word of the Day calendar.”

  “Sorry to interrupt, but...”

  Before Drew could finish his sentence, Tommy and Eevie were already up, sprinting to their next hiding place. They kneeled, hidden behind a massive pile of snow-covered logs. They slowly raised their heads, taking in their surroundings. In the distance they could see cars and people exiting the park. No one was looking their way.

  “All right,” said Tommy, touching Eevie’s shoulder. “Let’s go!”

  Eevie and Tommy dashed through the woods until they were safely behind the ranger’s house. Tommy gently placed his ear against the cold wooden panels and listened intently. There was no sound coming from inside.

  “It sounds empty,” he said. “I don’t hear anything.”

  “OK, guys, you have twenty-five minutes tops,” said Drew excitedly.

  Tommy snuck quietly to the front of the house and climbed the wooden railing onto the front porch. Kneeling low, he tried twisting the front door knob and pushing. The door didn’t budge. He leaned over the railing and gave Eevie the thumbs-down. “Locked,” said Tommy disappointedly.

  “OK,” whispered Drew, “plan B.”

  Eevie looked up at the windows. There were two of them, and they were both about five feet off the ground.

  “They didn’t look this high in the picture...,” said Tommy.

  “It’s fine. Let’s just see if they’re unlocked.”

  Tommy leaned against the house and interlocked his fingers, creating a foothold for Eevie. She placed her right foot on Tommy’s makeshift step and, using her left foot, propelled herself up. The window was divided into two sections of four glass panes. She dug her fingers on the bottom edge of the frame and pulled upward. The window creaked and groaned, but it wouldn’t budge.

  She looked down at Tommy, frustrated. “I think it’s locked.”

  He nodded. “Let’s try the other one,” he said.

  They hurried over to the next window, repeating the same pattern. This time Eevie banged her fist against the window and tried prying it and then hitting the frame with her palms, but no matter how hard she pulled and pushed, the window stood its ground. “It’s no use,” she said angrily. “They’re locked.”

  “Eevie, I have an idea. Give me just a second.”

  Tommy ran into the woods, then returned carrying a log and large rock.

  “Tommy, what are you doing?”

  “Look, the ranger broke into my house and tried to kill me. He threatened to kill you.” Anger flashed in Tommy’s eyes. “A window is not going to stop us.”

  Tommy reached into his backpack and pulled out a roll of black duct tape. He tore off two ten-inch strips of tape with his teeth and stuck them to the front of his hoodie, then handed Eevie the roll of tape.

  Eevie watched silently as Tommy placed the log under the window and then climbed on top. He steadied himself and then, one at a time, he pulled the strip of tape from his hoodie and made an X across the glass pane. Eevie grabbed him by the waist to help support him.

  “Everything OK?” asked Drew into their earbuds.

  “We’re OK,” said Eevie, concentrating. “We’ll let you know as soon as we are inside.”

  Tommy reached into his front pocket and pulled out the rock he’d found. He smacked it against the window in the center of the taped “X.” There was a sharp crack as the glass shattered.

  The duct tape did it
s job, the sound was minimal, and glass shards didn’t rain down on top of them. Tommy carefully reached through the broken pane and turned the lock. He put the rock back into his pocket and then pushed on the window. The window shuddered and moved just a hair. From the amount of cobwebs, Tommy observed that, he probably hadn’t opened these things in years.

  “Twenty minutes.” Drew’s voice echoed in their ears.

  “Tommy, we’re running out of time,” said Eevie, her voice full of worry.

  Tommy smashed the heels of his palms upward into the wooden frame. The window moved up a few inches. “Yes!” he exclaimed.

  He drove his hand upward again, and finally the window acquiesced. He gripped the bottom frame and visualized himself curling a thousand pounds. The window shot up, slamming the top of the frame.

  “I got it,” said Tommy excitedly. “It’s open!”

  “I heard,” said Drew. “I think they heard that two states away.”

  Tommy dropped to the ground. He was about to ask Eevie if she was ready, but she was already on the log pulling herself up. Eevie’s feet kicked out, as she used the toes of her shoes on the wall to propel herself upward.

  Tommy cupped his hands under her kicking feet and lifted, perhaps a little too hard, causing Eevie to torpedo through the window. He cringed as he heard a loud oomph and several additional crashes that sounded like furniture falling and glass breaking.

  “Eevie...,” cried Tommy through clenched teeth as he clambered up the log. “Eevie, are you OK?”

  Tommy pulled himself up through the broken window. On the floor lay Eevie, staring up at the ceiling. A small, broken table lay on top of her, and a shattered picture frame lay on the floor just past her head.

  “Eevie?”

  “I’m OK,” she half-groaned, half-whispered.

  “Thank God,” said Tommy, his voice filled with relief.

  “Tommy, remember when you said tables would be turning?”

  “Yeah,” said Tommy.

  Eevie pushed the table off her chest. “I didn’t realize you meant that literally.”