Chapter 29

Jason was breathing so hard that his sides ached horribly and his throat burned raw from the cold air. He steered his bike off the street and wobbled to a stop along a chain-link fence bordering a field. He nearly fell off his bike as he dismounted. He staggered to the side and stood gasping for breath.

He had reached the west edge of town before he had to stop. He stared into the darkness that lay ahead of him, the tops of the hills standing out in sharp relief against the clouds. Snow wafted down in thick flakes.

He looked around, his hand clutching at a small flashlight in his pocket. His heart lurched at every small sound. He was sure that his father was tailing him somehow. He had changed his route to thwart it, but now it left him weak in the legs from the extra pedaling.

The cell phone tucked into the inside pocket of his jacket vibrated.

He yanked it out, the light from the LCD screen like a bright torch in the darkness. He cursed himself for not thinking to find an option to dim the display. Still breathing hard, Jason said into the phone, "Yes, hello? Cassie?"

"Yes, it's me! We ... Jason, are you all right? You sound..."

"Winded ... That's all ... What is it?"

"We got a signal from Diane. They've headed out."

Jason's eyes widened. "Really? Only now? Where are you?"

"We're almost there! We just passed the city limits, and now we're going up the hill road. What about you?"

"Just at the edge of town. I'll be there in another twenty minutes if I hurry." He started towards his bike and winced. The short break had been enough to make his already tortured muscles stiffen. His legs felt like lead. "I better get started now."

"Jason, have you seen or heard anything from Richie?" Cassie asked.

"No, nothing. I don't believe he's taking the same route."

"I just wish we could've given him a cell phone, too..."

"No, it was too risky. We don't know how bad things are with his mother, and, well, he's not the most tech-savvy person around."

Cassie sighed. "I know. I just wish..."

Jason mounted his bike. "I've got to get going now, Cassie, and I can't talk and ride at the same time. I have to get there before Melissa does."

"Okay, Jason, we'll see you in a bit. Please hurry!"

The phone chimed softly as the call ended.

Jason shoved the phone into his jacket. He took a few deep breaths and forced life back into his aching legs.

Richie came barreling down the street in his mad rush to put his mother and the Darkness behind him. He covered half the distance to the Sovert household before he finally spotted the car idling in front of the walk and the figures walking towards it.

Richie tried to stop, but his bike skidded on the slick pavement. He steered it off the sidewalk, where it bumped hard as it hit asphalt, his teeth clicking loudly as they came together. A parked SUV loomed ahead of him.

Richie wrenched the bike around hard. The bike turned sideways, the wheels sliding out from under him. Both he and the bike tumbled to the ground. Richie came to an immediate stop on his backside, barely suppressing a curse by clenching his teeth. One wheel of the bike slipped under the car before it finally came to rest.

Up ahead, the figures paused.

Richie tried to peer through the back window of the SUV and the windshield at the other end. For a heart-stopping moment, the figures remained still, their heads turned in his direction. Finally, one of them -- Richie thought it was Melissa -- gestured impatiently to the others. Richie watched as they climbed into the car. A few seconds later, the car pulled away from the curb and turned out of view at the intersection.

Richie cursed, both at himself for almost blundering into them, and at his mother for delaying him. Now Melissa had a head start on him, and there was no way he would make it there before her.

Now what? Was there any point in going on? Everything had counted on all the Harbingers getting there before Melissa.

His mind burned with the memory of the confrontation with Jason on the day when Richie was to finish the enslavement of his teacher at Nyssa's bidding. He remembered how he had told Jason that there was no point in fighting it. It was too big. They were outclassed.

Richie stood up. His hand closed tightly around the baseball in his pocket.

Outclassed, Richie thought. Yeah, right. Dad was outclassed, but he didn't let it suck him in, and he didn't fucking give himself to it. Not like you did, Richie, you dickhead.

Richie took out the baseball. An image came to him, albeit dimly, like peering into a mist. It was his room, back in the old house in Randall. He was five again, holding the baseball in his hand for the first time.

"You practice with that now, Richie," his father had told him. "It'll take you awhile to build yourself up, before you get good. Just don't give up."

But his father gave up, didn't he? The going got tough and he left.

Richie closed his eyes tightly and thrust the ball back into his pocket. He picked up his bike.

You think you know it all now, huh? he thought. Yeah, right. You don't know shit. You only think you do.

Richie mounted his bike and pulled it back onto the sidewalk.

Stop fucking around and DO something.

Richie set his face hard and started to pedal. This time he had the devil in his sights, and he was damned if he was going to let it get away from him.

Doctor Henry Conner lifted his head as his cell phone vibrated against his hip. He kneaded the bridge of his nose with one hand as he dug out the phone with the other. He sighed, and his shoulders slumped as he read the number on the caller-ID.

"Great," he muttered. He thumbed the answer button and brought the phone to his ear. "Yeah, honey, what is it?"

"Jason's gone!" came Audrey's anguished voice from the other end. "He's gone, Hank!"

Henry leaned back in his chair. "What do you mean gone, Audrey?"

"What the hell do you think I mean?! Stop playing games with me!"

"Audrey, I have a splitting headache, I'm trying to keep tabs on a critical patient, and I am up to my armpits in paperwork. Could you please explain to me what you mean?"

"I went to check on Jason, and the lights in his room were off. I thought it was rather early for him to go to bed, so I checked on him to see if he was sick. He just had a bunch of pillows stuffed under his blanket! He's nowhere in the house, and his bike is gone!"

"All right, calm down, for Christ's sake. You sound on the edge of hysterics."

"Why wouldn't I be?! I have no idea where he is!" Audrey sobbed. "I-I have to call the police, Hank, he's out in the dark and cold somewhere a-and..."

"No."

"I ... wh-what??"

"Do not call the police, Audrey."

"I can't just wait around wondering where he is or when he'll come home!" she wailed.

"I'll take care of it."

"What? How??"

"Never mind. I have an idea where he is."

Audrey gasped. "You do?? Where?"

"It would take too long to explain."

Audrey sighed. "Great. Just great. First he keeps secrets from me, and now you! When the hell am I going to know what's going on in my own son's life?!"

Henry closed his eyes and rubbed briefly at one of his temples. He reached into a drawer of his desk and pulled out a bottle of aspirin. "Audrey, I don't have time for histrionics." He shook out two tablets. "I will take care of this. Jason will be home safely later. I promise you that."

"And you better both be ready to tell me what's going on!" Audrey cried.

Henry dry-swallowed the tablets and paused for a moment as they seemed to blaze a trail down his gullet. "Fine. But I have to get going now if you want me to take care of this. I'll talk to you later."

He ended the call before his wife could reply and slipped the cell phone back into his pocket.

Yes, he had an idea where his son was at that moment. He even had a small idea of what his son was trying to do. He also knew that if Jason succeeded, the Darkness would be handed another major setback. It would take the entity awhile to recover from it and extend its influence over the town once more.

Henry leaned forward in his chair and went back to work.

Jason's bike wobbled to a stop, the headlamp swinging drunkenly from side to side.

His legs burned as if on fire. His throat hurt almost as badly as the time he had strep as a kid. He nearly fell off the bike and had to wheel forward a few more feet until he could rest a hand against a tree. For the moment, he did not even have the energy to dismount.

"Jason! Is that you?"

Jason was too winded to speak. A battery-powered lantern bobbed towards him. Cassie and Ned soon rushed to his side.

"Oh, thank goodness!" Cassie said, resting a hand against her chest.

"Richie... " Jason croaked as he gulped in air. "Is he ... here yet... ?"

Cassie's eyes widened, and she traded a worried look with Ned. "No, he's not! I was hoping he was with you."

Jason shook his head. "Haven't seen him ... anywhere..."

"Aw, crap. We need 'im, dude," Ned said. "He's the strongest of any of us."

"I know! ... We'll have to make do..."

Ned made a face. They had counted on Richie to grab Melissa and hold her long enough for Cassie to take the box, Ned to take the pendant, and Jason to cast the memory spell at her. Diane's role was to provide a moment of distraction. She would be the signal that would cause the others to converge on Melissa.

Success hinged on all of them doing their part. They hoped that both surprise and the simultaneous attack from all sides would prevent Melissa from focusing her mind control or telekinetic powers effectively enough to stop them.

Jason finally recovered enough to get off his bike, though his legs screamed in protest. He walked his bike further up the road and dumped it behind a tree to conceal it. "Look, he may still get here in time. If he doesn't, then here's how we change it. Ned, you grab Melissa. Cassie, you get the box. I'll do the spell."

"What about the pendant?" Cassie asked.

"I think the box is more important to get away from her than the pendant. We can take the pendant once I've tranced her with the memory spell."

"I dunno if I can hold onta her fer long, dude," Ned said. He raised his arms and flexed them. "Ain't 'xactly Mr. Universe material here."

"Doesn't have to be for long, and we'll have the element of surprise. I hope, anyway."

There was a faint beep.

Cassie handed the lantern to Ned. She whipped her cell phone from her purse. "Diane just gave us another signal, Jason! They're starting up the hill to the picnic grounds. They'll be here in ten minutes!"

"We gotta hide," Ned said.

"But where do we go? We have to be close to her."

"I gotta be behind her if I'm gonna grab her."

Jason looked around and started towards one end of the clearing. Cassie took the lantern from Ned and followed. His eyes briefly alighted on the stakes that still thrust up from the ground. He shivered at the thought of what had happened here. He actually felt sorry for Melissa. In a way, this was not her fault. She was something of a victim herself.

Jason looked towards the other side of the clearing and pointed. "That way is back towards town, towards where the node is. Agatha stood facing that point, right along the force line. So if Melissa does the same thing, she'll stand..." He gestured to a spot a few feet from him. " ... about here."

"Then we skedaddle and hide..." Ned gestured to the line of scraggly bushes behind them. " ... in there."

Cassie raised her lantern and stepped towards the bushes. "With all the leaves gone, it's not much cover."

"Hide behind the trees just past them," Jason said.

"I'd rather be closer," said Ned.

"So would I. That's why Diane is going to distract Melissa and hopefully cover any noise we make."

Ned nodded. "Gotcha, chief."

Cassie took a deep breath and let it go. "We better do this, Jason."

Jason nodded. "All right, let's go."

He headed towards the trees. Ned followed, but Cassie grabbed his arm and stopped him. When he gave her an inquisitive look, she drew him into a quick, tight hug. They smiled weakly at each other and headed into the trees.

A few moments later, the scene became still once more. Cassie turned off the lantern and plunged the clearing into darkness.

Richie knew he could never keep pace with Melissa. He tried hard to do just that at first, and almost caught up with her when she hit a bit of traffic. But when he realized he might give himself away, he backed off and let her get ahead of him again.

Gotta think straight, man, he thought. Can't fuck this up more than it already is.

Richie kept going along Main Street for awhile after losing sight of Melissa, skirting the edge of the street where he could, as the asphalt was better than the concrete for keeping his bike from sliding. Cars passed by with little regard for him.

As he neared the west edge of town, a police car approached from behind. It slowed and held pace as it came alongside him. Richie noticed it, but took no more than a cursory glance, not wanting to draw attention to himself.

The police cruiser pulled ahead of him. Its brake lights glowed, and it pulled to the curb directly in Richie's path. Richie immediately slowed down and started to go around it. He had barely begun to make the turn around the back fender when the cop stepped out of his vehicle and stood astride it, facing him.

Just as Richie came alongside the vehicle, the cop silently held up a hand in a stopping gesture.

Aw fuck, Richie thought. For a very brief moment he considered pouring it on and zipping around the officer. Instead, he brought his bike to a shuddering stop, sliding a bit as he crossed a tire track of compacted snow left by the police car.

Okay, play it cool, Richie thought. He gave the cop what he hoped was an innocent look as he said in as polite a voice as he could muster, "Evening officer. What can I do ya for?"

The officer was tall and lean, with an angular face and a gaze of intense scrutiny. He leaned against the open door of his cruiser and nudged his hat back. "Bit late for you to be out, isn't it?" he asked in a neutral voice.

Richie shrugged. "Dunno. I go out late like this lotsa times. Did I do something wrong?"

He tried not to be combative. For all his faults, Richie rarely got into trouble with the law. The few times he was picked up, it was generally because of the crowd he hung out with combined with being at the wrong place at the wrong time.

The cop regarded Richie for a moment. "What's your name, kid?"

Richie paused for only a second. "Brad Weston."

The office rubbed his chin and gave him a speculative look.

Richie grinned. "Maybe you've heard of me. I'm a jock at Haven High. Big man on campus, that sorta thing."

"Hrm. Really."

Richie did not reply. He couldn't help but shift his eyes to the side in his impatience to get going.

The cop folded his arms. "You sure your name wouldn't happen to be Richard Gardner?"

Richie snorted and tried to look amused. "What, that loser? Nah, not me. I'm Brad."

"Uh-huh."

Richie knew that tone. He remembered it from those other times he had told a cop he was innocent of whatever wrongdoing his friends had perpetrated. The police never believed him even when he told the truth.

"Stay right there, ah, Brad," the cop said. He leaned into his car and pulled out the mic from his radio. "Dispatch, this is car six. Gimme the description of that Gardner kid again, willya?"

A voice crackled back. "Fifteen. Brown hair, sort of tousled. Freckles. No glasses. Wearing a Red Sox jacket."

The cop eyed Richie for a moment. He clicked the mic. "Yeah, okay, got it. Thanks." He replaced the mic and stood. "Wanna try running your name by me again, kid?"

"I told you already, I'm Brad Weston."

The office sighed. "Right. Well, see, some people think you're some kid named Richard Gardner. Like your mother, for instance. How about we take you to her and you can let her decide, hmm?"

His mind raced as he shrugged. "Yeah, sure, whatever. Want me to just follow along on my bike?"

"No. We'll attach it onto the back of the car."

Without another word, the officer stepped forward and grabbed Richie's bike. Richie dutifully stepped aside. As soon as the officer's back was towards him, Richie rushed forward. He kicked hard at the cop's feet while slamming his shoulder into the cop's back.

The officer slipped on the snow and fell hard onto the bike, knocking the wind out of him. He was barely on the ground when Richie turned and ran as fast as could, nearly taking a tumble himself on the snow.

Richie heard the cop shout just as he ducked into a side-alley.

Two beams of light swung sharply through the whirling flakes. Wheels crunched against gravel and snow as a car came to a stop. A few moments later, the lights flicked out and the laboring engine was silenced.

A flashlight clicked on inside the car from the back seat. A smiling Melissa pointed the beam at Susan behind the wheel, and then Ann next to her.

"Bringing back memories, you two?" Melissa said. "Fond little memories of how you tricked me into your little initiation? Oh, what fun times those were!"

Susan and Ann exchanged a look but said nothing. Ann sobbed softly.

"But now you get to do the same thing," Melissa cooed. "I get to give you girls an initiation of my own. You just love that idea, don't you?"

Susan and Ann both shivered and moaned. They squirmed in their seats as their pussies throbbed.

"Yes, that's it. You just can't stop cumming at the idea, can you?"

Ann mewled. Her hips jerked. There was a squishing noise as her thighs shifted position. Susan panted. Her nipples became erect and throbbed along with her cunt.

"Oh, and we can't forget Heather, now can we?" Melissa said. Next to her, Heather shuddered. She let out a strained gasp and a shrill whimper. There was a muffled splash as she squirted into her panties. "Yes, she's all excited about it too. Make your slave excited as well, Heather. Tell her to cum, also."

Diane's eyes widened.

"Uhhn ... c-cum, Diane..." Heather moaned.

Diane hesitated for just a moment. She closed her eyes and writhed in her seat, uttering what she hoped was a convincing moan. Her heart pounded so hard she was sure Melissa would hear it.

"At least I let you all cum," Melissa said. "Not like some that drove me into a frenzy and then left me like that. All right, everyone out of the car, now."

Melissa waited for the others to exit before she got out. She turned to Susan and smiled, shining the light in Susan's face. "Remember, Susan? Remember how you made me strip right here? With only the icy cold car to lean against?"

Susan shuddered, her pussy still throbbing softly. "Uhh ... I-I'm sorry, Melissa ... I didn't..."

"Shut up."

Susan bit her lip and fell silent.

"Strip."

Susan whimpered and started to undress.

"All of you. Strip. Heather, keep Diane cumming, just like you."

Heather trembled. Occasionally, another small splash of fluid spurted from her slit, though it diminished each time. "Keep cumming, Diane," she said softly. "Cum for Melissa ... don't stop cumming..."

Diane moaned and forced her breathing into a light pant. It got harder as her clothes came off, the cold biting her and making her shiver. The other girls were shaking as well. Their areolae puckered in the chilly air, and their nipples stood out like hard nubs. Susan wrapped her arms around her helpless, naked body, her hips still swaying in a continuous, rolling orgasm even as her limbs trembled with the cold.

Melissa nodded once in satisfaction when all four girls were naked. Susan's keys flew from the pocket of her jeans into Melissa's hand. She unlocked the trunk and took out three propane lanterns, which she placed on the ground. She then carefully withdrew the small wooden box. She cradled it in her hands, taking a deep breath and letting it go as a sigh of excitement.

She returned to her four charges. "Yes, that's it. Keep cumming your little brains out. Get used to it. This is all you're good for now. Forget about thinking for yourselves anymore."

Their orgasmic moans were mixed with despairing whimpers, except for Diane. Keeping up the act was growing more difficult and more nerve-wracking. Maintaining even a simple expression of slavish devotion on her face was taxing. The way Melissa treated the other girls was heartbreaking. She wanted to cry for them.

"Heather, Susan, and Ann, go get the lanterns and turn them on."

Diane stood where she was, swaying her hips back and forth and making small moaning noises. Her heart thumped.

Melissa smiled. "It's almost too bad that Heather enslaved you. You're not even aware of what I'm going to do to you. You're already mindless."

Diane didn't dare say anything in response.

There was a hissing sound and a flicker of brilliance as a lantern came on. Melissa glanced at it casually before returning her attention to Diane. She was about to say something when...

Something is not right about Diane.

Melissa narrowed her eyes. Diane tried to ignore it. Now she was glad for the cold, as her shivering hid her growing fear.

Diane is not cumming at all.

Two more lanterns flared into light, illuminating the entire area. "Heather, come here," Melissa snapped.

Heather staggered up to Melissa, the lantern swinging in her hand. She swayed, shifting her weight from icy foot to icy foot, her thighs stained with her cum. "Y-yes?"

"You told her to keep cumming, didn't you?"

"Yes, I did ... she'll c-cum as long as you want..."

Diane is faking it. She's not even aroused. It's a trick of some sort.

Melissa's eyes flicked between Heather and Diane.

Don't let on. She's planning something. Find out what it is first.

Melissa gave the two of them a shark-like smile. "Okay, girls ... time for the party to start..."

Richie clutched at a stitch in his side as he emerged from behind the garbage cans placed at the edge of the curb. He peered down the street where the police cruiser had disappeared around the corner.

He was closer to his destination, despite having run a twisting path through the streets and back alleys to avoid the cops. The road where the cruiser had disappeared ran right along the city limits. He was just a few blocks north of the road that led into the hills and up to the picnic grounds.

Ignoring the pain in his side, he sprinted towards the street. He caught a pair of headlight beams swinging around as a car turned onto the street. Richie ducked behind a parked car and let it pass. Another sprint, and another car. He shrunk behind a tree and waited for it to pass.

He had almost made it to the corner when another flicker of light appeared on the road. Cursing to himself, he dropped behind a hedge.

This time it wasn't a car. The light had been a street lamp reflecting off metal. He peered hard through the falling snow. It was someone on a bicycle.