GHOST SITTER
(Part 6)
"Wait,
what happened to Kathy and Tara?" asked Jake.
"Well,
I didn't know then, but Kathy wrecked Robin's car into this big tree on the
highway."
"So
they wrecked and you and Robin are still in a bind," said Jake, beginning
to understand a little better.
"Yeah,
but not for long," said Josh. "Robin couldn't hold her breath
forever."
"So
then what happened?"
"They
came in and got me and took me back out to another truck."
"Robin
didn't follow you?"
"She
tried, but they knew where she was, so they dropped a cage around her. We gave
'em a major fight, though." grinned Josh.
"What
about Mr. Tishaki?"
"Oh,
yeah! Okay, this is the good part. He told them he had the antidote on him to
save me and Robin, but when they checked him, they couldn't find it..."
Josh sat nervously
against the back wall of the huge Mack truck as it roared into motion. This
truck was lighted on the inside and had a lot of electronic equipment inside,
reminding him of something out of "Knight Rider". About 10 feet from
him, the man who had captured him in the first place was talking to Yushiro on
a walkie talkie while coolly loading a .45 caliber Luger.
"The antidote wasn't
on him?" said the man. "Well, describe it and I'll check the boy
before we kill him." As Yushiro spoke of the small glass vial it would be
in, Josh reached into his pocket and pulled out the piece of glass he'd knelt
on in the other truck. As he looked at it in the light, he realized that he had
unwittingly found Robin's antidote.
He looked at the man, who
was still receiving orders from Yushiro, then at the hole in the floor they had
come up through. He crept quietly to the hole and unlocked it, suddenly
revealing the speeding highway below. For a moment, he was afraid he might have
made a bad decision, but when he saw Yushiro's henchman lunging at him, he
jumped out and grabbed the tire rack under the truck.
No way he'll follow me
out here, thought Josh. They'll have to stop and then I'll take off.
But when the man looked
out at Josh to see where he was, he was holding the gun in one hand. Josh
yelled in terror as he aimed at him, then frantically clambered hand over hand
toward the back of the truck. The man took a few more miscalculated shots at
him, then disappeared as Josh finally grabbed onto a ladder attached to the
back door. He pulled himself up onto it, then hung on for a moment to rest.
Even as he did, the door
swung open, slamming him against the side of the truck. Coughing and gasping in
pain, he began climbing as fast as he could to the top of the truck. This time,
he didn't bother to take a moment to rest. He ran to find a spot to climb down
to freedom, but couldn't find another ladder. Then he tried running back to the
door, but found the man trying to clamber up after him. Thoroughly panicked,
Josh looked to see where they were headed and yelled in shock.
Outlined in the
headlights of the truck was an overpass that couldn't have been more than a few
inches above the top of the truck.
Josh dropped flat on the
truck, eyes closed in mortal panic. This
was no way to die!, he thought, agonized in the knowledge that he couldn't
possible survive. What am I gonna...?
"Josh!!!"
Josh's head popped up at
the sound of Tara's voice. "Tara...?!" he began.
"Jump!" came
the response. He jumped up, arms outstretched in the darkness and just as he
was about to be swept off the top to his death, he locked arms with Tara and
swung upward to safety.
"God, am I glad to
see you!" he gasped, grinning weakly up at Tara, who was hanging off the
bridge.
"Josh, now is not
the time to be grateful," groaned Tara.
"Wait a minute; if
you've got me, who's got you?" asked Josh.
"I've got him!"
Tara yelled.
"Thank God!"
came Kathy's voice, Josh looked up and he could see her grabbing the back of
Tara's jeans and pulling her up.
When the two were safely
on the bridge, Josh asked, "How'd you get here? Where's the car?"
"We found the key
you dropped at the airport and we followed you as far as we could, but we
wrecked against that tree over there," said Tara, pointing to a large oak
in the distance with a little red Suzuki Sidekick wrapped around it.
Josh whistled low in
shock. "Man, Robin's gonna...wait, they've still got Robin! We've gotta go
back before they kill her!"
"What! You saw
Robin?" exclaimed Tara.
"Yeah, they
accidentally caught her when they caught Mr. Tishaki!"
"Whoa, whoa, whoa,
slow down and 'splain this to me, 'cause I'm lost!" said Kathy, shaking
her head.
"Not now," said
Tara, pointing to the truck which had stopped about a mile down the road.
"'Splain it on the way."
"On the way
where?" asked Josh.
"I have no
idea," said Tara, "but we better move, anyway!"
"You
can't be serious," said Jake flatly, tossing his pencil down in disgust.
"What?"
"You
cannot possibly expect me to believe that a precocious preteen adolescent and a
slightly overweight college student performed a death defying rescue attempt
from atop an overpass on Highway 360, something that the exceptional
stuntperson couldn't do without years of practice."
"Fear
does a lot for the exceptional stuntperson in a kid," nodded Josh.
Jake glared at Josh, who
shrugged.
"Let's
assume that the three of you made it safely away from this truck." growled
Jake slowly. "What happened after that?"
"I
filled Kathy and Tara in on what was going on."
"And
then?"
"And
then Mr. Tishaki came and led us back to the tunnel Robin and me first went
through."
"Holdit,
holdit, holdit, I thought you said Tishaki was locked up in a room in the
tunnels?"
"He
still was."
Jake
sighed. "Look, you just finish the story and I'll just sit here and
listen."
"Thank
you!" said Josh, slightly exasperated...
"All you must do is
climb down the ladder and go to the room Yushiro locked you in before,"
Mr. Tishaki said. "Your friend is still there trying to escape. You must
hurry, for without the code to enter the complex, the alarm will sound within 3
minutes, causing the destruct mechanism in the core to detonate 10 minutes
later."
"How do you
know?" asked Tara.
"Yeah, and if you
really do know, why didn't you just save her yourself?" added Josh.
"I don't think he's
all there, you guys," said Kathy softly.
"I'll say!"
Tara agreed.
"No, I mean
literally," said Kathy. She reached out to touch Mr. Tishaki's arm and
only succeeded in blurring the image of the man standing before her.
"Holy shaving
cream," said Josh quietly.
"An astral
projection!" Tara gasped.
"You must
hurry," said Tishaki, fading away. "Give the antidote to your friend
before 12am Friday or she will fade completely. Do not try to save
me..."
"But..." began
Josh, but he was too late. Mr. Tishaki was gone.
"Go." said Tara
firmly, pushing Josh toward the tunnel.
"I'm going." he
said, pushing the fake turf aside to reveal a circular portal.
"Wait a minute, you
guys, I better go. I'm the oldest," said Kathy.
"As if that
mattered," snorted Tara.
"You can't go, it'll
take you too long to find Robin 'cause you don't know where she is," said
Josh.
"Yeah, but if
something happens and you get hurt or something..."
"Then I'll be hurt
or something," replied Josh.
"If I'm not back in ten minutes, then..."
"Run like
crazy," nodded Tara.
"Basically,"
grinned Josh. He opened the portal and slid down the ladder, thinking, I
must be completely out of my mind!!!
It took him a few moments
to reach the door, but when he did, he pushed the panel on the outside of it
and opened the door. Robin knelt in front of it, looking rather dejected and
holding her head. She looked up at him in surprise.
"Ho-ly...!" she
began.
"Don't pray,"
he said, "move!" She jumped up and dashed out the door past him to
the other door. "What were you doing?" he asked.
"I was trying to
concentrate enough to go completely through the door," she replied.
"I think I've got a concussion."
"Well, we gotta save
Mr. Tishaki," he said. "Then we'll fix you up." Josh ran over
and flung the door open.
Both of them gasped as
they saw the old Japanese merchant slumped over in his chair.
"Uh, Robin?
Shouldn't he be, like, breathing or something?" asked Josh uncertainly.
"I think he's
dead," breathed Robin, starting toward him. "In fact, I know he's
dead!"
"Then he really was
a ghost!" said Josh.
"Huh?" The door
behind them began to open and Josh gasped.
"We're gonna be
joining him if we don't get outta here!" he added, almost forgetting
himself and grabbing for her hand as he took off.
The two turned to run
down the hall, but were stopped by Yushiro's men entering from the observation
room.
"Don't move,"
said one of them, holding a gun.
"Oh, God, I think
we're really gonna die here," said Josh under his breath.
"What was your first
clue?" replied Robin, only slightly sarcastic in her fear.
"Give us the
antidote or..." The man's statement was interrupted by the sound of a loud
bell, then an automated voice saying,
"This complex is
timed to self destruct in 10 minutes. Please make you way to the nearest exit
as quickly as possible. Thank you."
The two men looked at
each other, then took off toward the ladder to the above ground.
"Saved by the bell!"
said Josh and Robin simultaneously, giving each other a high five. Once again,
the two began running to the exit.
"Not so fast,
children," came Yushiro's voice behind them. They stopped and looked at
each other.
"Tell him I am not a
kid," growled Robin.
"I don't think he
cares, Robin," replied Josh. The two turned around and found themselves
facing a man with a gun.
"Mr. Tishaki!"
exclaimed Josh. "We thought you were dead!"
Mr. Tishaki looked at him
strangely for a moment, then spoke. "No, I am fine." he said,
lowering the gun. "Hurry and bring me the antidote so I may help your
friend."
"Josh, that's not
him," said Robin.
"What?"
"That's not him! Why
would he have pulled a gun on us?" Josh shook his head with a confused
look and Robin turned to Yushiro Tishaki. "Shouldn't we get out of here
first?" she asked. But Yushiro could not hear her and did not respond.
"See? The real Mr. Tishaki could hear everything I said and see me,
too!"
"What are you
waiting for?" he asked.
Josh looked at Robin,
then back at Yushiro. "You're not Hasung Tishaki."
For a moment, Yushiro
looked as if he might try to keep up the charade, but the automated voice over
the intercom reminded him of his limited amount of time.
"Eight minutes to
detonation," it said.
"You are correct in
your assumption, young man. I am his twin brother, Yushiro. The antidote, if
you please," he said, reaching a hand out for it.
"Give it to him,
Josh, or he'll kill you and take it, anyway," said Robin.
"Yeah, but if I do
that, then you can't change back," replied Josh.
"Rest assured that
your friend will be unharmed in her state," said Yushiro. "As soon as
I decifer the chemical makeup of the antidote, I'll try it out on her. Of
course, if I have to forcibly take it from you, she may not be so lucky."
"She'll be gone by
midnight Friday, anyway," said Josh.
"What?" asked Robin, turning to look at him in
shock.
"You're fading, or at least, you will be by
Friday."
"Well, nice way to
tell me! Haven't you ever heard of tact?"
"Shut up for a
second, willya? I gotta think!"
"You do not have
much time to think, young man," smiled Yushiro.
And suddenly, it hit
Josh. "You can't get this antidote ever again, either, 'cause Mr. Tishaki
is dead. You need it as much as we do."
"What? Dead?"
echoed Yushiro.
"See for
yourself," said Josh, turning for the ladder.
"Not without
company," he said, waving his gun to direct Josh down the hall in front of
him.
"Uh, maybe you
should tell him about our time schedule..." suggested Robin.
"You can't just take
my word for it?" asked Josh nervously.
"I must be
sure," said Yushiro, waving them down the hall with his gun barrel.
"Move."
"Six minutes to
detonation time," said the automated voice as they reached the room.
"Aren't you worried that
your people aren't all getting out of bombing range?" said Josh.
"The Yushiro
Underground, although intricate, is not nearly as spacious or as populated as
you may think. My people will be long gone before the detonator goes off, as
will I."
"Tell him to please
cut to the chase, here," begged Robin, looking at the clock in the corner.
"Okay, well, he's
dead, are you happy?" said Josh.
"Far from it. Now
that he is dead and the book of remedies beyond reach, the antidote you possess
is the only hope I have of ever learning his secrets, unless I just keep you
alive and have your friend read the remedy to you."
"Right, so treat me
nice and let me go," said Josh.
"Or wait here until
your love of life convinces you to hand over the antidote."
"I don't like the
sound of any of this, man," said Robin.
"Five minutes to
detonation time," came the voice.
"Don't you know
you'll die in here, too?" said Josh.
"Yes, but I, my
young friend, am prepared to die. Are you?"
"Touche," breathed Robin, looking at the clock
again.
"Either way I'm
dying, so I might as well go with the antidote than without," replied
Josh.
"You know how stupid
both of you sound?" snapped Robin. "We're talking nuclear freakin'
explosion here and you guys are screwin' around!"
"He'll give up, just
wait," said Josh to her under his breath. "If he's so hot after this
potion, he's gotta wanna live."
For a few tense moments,
Josh and Yushiro stood staring at each other as Robin paced between them
nervously.
"Hey,
waitaminute!" she gasped, running back to Josh. "I could run straight
into him and knock him down!"
He frowned in confusion.
"Yeah, but if my dad..."
"Yeah, he went
through me, but did I ever try going through your dad? I mean, that's why I
couldn't escape in the first place, remember?" And before Josh could say
anything, Robin was rushing Yushiro Tishaki. She ran directly at him, but
instead of hitting him, passed right through him and hit an instrument panel
behind him with a terrific crash. He turned to see what the noise was and Josh
ran over to him, kicking him in the leg. As he leaned over to grab it, Josh,
using every bit of strength he had, grabbed the gun and clocked Yushiro over
the head with it. He dropped to the floor and Josh dropped the gun.
"I knocked him
out!" he gasped. "Did you see that?"
"Oh, yeah,"
groaned Robin, standing up shakily. "It was incredible."
"You okay?"
Josh asked, running over to her.
"One day I will
be," she replied, shaking her head as if to clear the pain away.
"Three minutes to
detonation," came the voice.
"Uh, Josh...?"
"Time to go?"
he asked.
"Time to go!"
she agreed as they tore out the door into the hall.
"It took two minutes
to get to this room, so we've got a minute to climb the ladder and get out of the
way," gasped Josh as they ran. "We're not gonna have enough
time!"
"We were walking
before, Josh," said Robin. "We've got a little time."
They skidded to a halt
under the ladder and Josh scrambled up it. When he looked back to see Robin,
she was looking up from the bottom.
"I can't hold on to
the rungs, Josh!" she yelled.
"Yes, you can!"
he hollered back. "It's all in your mind! You hit that control panel in
the room and you can't go through doors, so move it!"
"Two minutes to
detonation," came the voice.
Spurred on by this, Robin
grabbed the first rung with little success.
"Come on!"
yelled Josh.
Gritting her teeth in
determination, she tried again and this time, she didn't go through. She began
climbing, slowly at first, but then picked up speed as she became more
confident.
"One minute to
detonation. All exits are sealing off."
"WHAT!!!" the
two gasped, but the portal lid began closing. Josh threw himself into it,
trying to keep it from closing.
"NOOOO!!!" he
shouted, but the lid was too strong. With a clang, it shut and locked, trapping
Robin inside.
"Josh!" came a
voice behind him, "get out of the way!" Kathy ran up behind him and
pulled him off the portal.
"She's still in
there!" he yelled. "We gotta help her!"
"We can't open it;
come on!" She dragged him away, still yelling, behind a huge stone about
200 yards away, where Tara lay waiting.
A few seconds later,
there was a dull earth shattering boom that nearly threw them back a few feet,
even as they lay on the ground. They looked over the rock and saw a a briliant
spurt of fire and smoke filling the air as it shot up from the portal and a few
other hidden entrances.
"Oh my God,"
said Tara softly.
"Robin," said
Kathy.