I'm guessing. Well, keep up the good work, Trax. Hey, you still up for a few rounds at Marko's later?"
"You know it," Trax said, as he holstered his gun.
"Fantastic. I'll tell Marsha you're coming. I know she'll be excited. I can see you're working, so I'll let you get back to your business. See you later, terminator." The man snapped his fingers then made the shape of a gun with his hand and pretended to shoot.
Had the whole world gone mad? Link looked for his little brother and found him next to Celia, holding her hand. Link wasn't sure if it was bravery or the failure to fully comprehend the dire nature of their present predicament, but Ayden appeared unaffected by the most recent twist in events.
Meanwhile, Link and Tom struggled beneath the cumbersome weight of Mr. Hartkins. They did their best not to slow down, but this became harder with every step. Link pushed through the discomfort. He didn't want to risk another violent outburst from Trax, who casually walked a few paces behind them.
When they reached the parking lot, Trax pointed to a shiny black Hummer with flashy, polished rims. The strain of moving dead weight caused Link to stagger. He wasn't sure they were going to make it.
"Get in," Trax said. He removed the keys from his pocket and pressed a button on a small remote. The truck beeped twice and lights flashed as all the doors unlocked. He pointed at Ayden and Celia. Then he used his gun to indicate where he wanted them to sit. "You two first," he said. "Then use the cuffs that are already there to handcuff yourselves to the metal bar on the backseat." Trax monitored Celia and Ayden from the front seat of the truck. When he was satisfied that they both were secured, he pointed to where Mr. Hartkins was to sit. Through the combined effort of both boys, they succeeded in manhandling Link's father into position next to Ayden and Celia before locking his wrists with the cuffs.
"Good." Addressing Link and Tom, Trax said, "Now it's your turn."
Link was more than reluctant to strap himself into the back seat of this maniac's truck, but what could he do about it? He was trapped. And since the camera had no effect on the living, he was also defenseless.
"It's not a good idea to make me mad," Trax said, seeming to sense Link's hesitation. "I'm not nearly as nice when I get angry."
Link finally mustered up an acorn-sized dose of courage and asked, "Are you going to kill us?"
"Son," Trax began, "you wouldn't be worth a dime to me if you were dead." He removed identification from his back pocket while keeping the barrel of the gun trained on Link. "I'm a bounty hunter. Now get in the truck and stop asking stupid questions. I'm supposed to bring you in alive, but my boss didn't say anything about whether or not you had to be conscious."
Link noticed the man had said 'my boss,' not 'the police.' Link stepped into the Hummer and found his seat. He was about to cuff himself to the bar when he heard a familiar rumbling sound off in the distance. It was a deep-throated buzz that hummed like a gigantic bee. Link cringed at the notion of a ten-foot bumblebee coming to attack him. He didn't know if there were any good ways to die, but he was positive that being impaled by a four-foot stinger would not be one of them.
49
A Possessed Maniac
Just as the volume of the buzzing peaked, the rumble suddenly stopped. Link watched as an old man on a motocross bike teetered into the gas station and parked next to a pump. Link recognized him. It was the same guy he'd seen outside his house a few days ago. The geezer now wore a fluorescent green racing jacket, but his gray hair, shriveled features, and hunched shoulders were unmistakable.
"Hey, isn't that Max?" Celia whispered from the backseat of the car.
Link looked at the man for a second time. Was this the same Max that Mrs. Kidacki had talked about contacting before she'd disappeared? It couldn't be. This guy couldn't help them. He was so...old.
"I'm giving you to the count of three, boy," Trax growled.
"One..."
Link fumbled with the handcuffs. His shaking hands played havoc with his ability to swing the latch closed.
"Two..."
Why couldn't he get the stupid thing fastened?
"Thr-"
There was a loud grunt. Link squeezed his eyes shut and tried not to picture what Trax would do if he had to come back and help. He had to give his body credit. This numbing deal was amazing. Link didn't feel a thing.
Then, another idea crossed his mind. What if he were paralyzed? What if Trax had come back and hit him so hard Link would never walk again? What if another dead polar bear, or even a giant bee, for that matter, broke into his house and found him in a wheelchair? What would he do then?
"Yo, kid," an unfamiliar voice said. "This ain't the time to be messing around."
Link opened his eyes to find Trax slumped over the steering wheel. His mammoth arms draped over the dash like a pair of wet rags. A slow stream of blood trickled from the side of his head. "Is he...dead?" Link's gaze darted beyond the fallen bounty hunter. A man Link had never seen before held a crowbar in one hand and offered assistance with the other.
"Let's go, kid. We need to get out of here!" The man anxiously peered over his shoulder every couple of seconds, apparently scanning the horizon for something he did not want to see.
"Roland? What's taking you so long?" the old man Celia had called Max called.
"I'm coming!" he said. He turned back to Link and spoke in a kinder, more sympathetic voice. "Look, kid, I know it's a lot to take in. But we need to get out of here now."
Link barely listened. He was too busy trying to find a way to open Ayden's cuffs. "I can't leave without my family," he said.
"Look at me!" the man demanded. When Link refused to turn around, the man grabbed the back of his shirt and forcefully yanked him from the truck. "Look at me!" he said again. "They're coming for you! YOU! Not them. They don't care about anyone but you. You'll only put them in danger by staying. Raythuse will stop at nothing until he has this." He pointed to the camera around Link's shoulder. "Are you going to wait around here and give it to him?"
Link raised the camera strap over his head and held out the camera, offering it to the man. "Well, if this is what they want, let them have it." He shoved it toward the man, urging him to take it. "Go on," Link said. "It's all yours. That thing has done nothing but screw up my life since the day I found it."
Tom's eyes widened. "I'll take it," he said. His hands darted out toward the camera, but the rescuer's hands were faster. He slapped Tom's hands away.
"No you don't!" The man snapped. He turned back to Link. "Kid, whether you like it or not, this is your responsibility. Now pull yourself together. We have to go. Now!"
Roland cuffed both of Trax's wrists to the steering wheel then confiscated his gun. "We've already notified the authorities. They'll be here soon to help your family. Let them sort it all out."
"But?"
"Link, either you stay here and watch them die, or you come with us and draw the Broken away from your family. It's your call, but you need to make it quick. By not deciding, you're going to get us all killed."
"Go!" Celia said. "Get out of here. Save Panch. I'll take care of Ayden." Her smile was forced, but Link appreciated the effort. He looked at Ayden, but Celia drew his attention back to her. "Link, just go. We'll be fine. Everything's going to be all right."
In that moment, triggered by the very words he had come to loathe, Link knew, wholeheartedly, that Celia could not have been more wrong. Things were not going to be all right. Not this time. Even if they worked out in the end, his life was never going to be the same again. And now, because of his selfish wishes to be different, everyone he loved most was being forced to pay the price.
Link leaned into the back and kissed his brother's forehead. "You stick by Dad and Celia, okay? I'm going to need you to be brave. This will all be over soon."
Ayden puffed out his chest and said, "Supewhewo."
"That's right, little man. And don't you forget it." With pleading eyes, he turned back to Celia and whispered, "Keep them safe for me." W
ithout waiting for a response, Link followed Tom and Roland, who were already running toward the motorcycle parked on the other side of the Hummer.
Max pulled up alongside them and said, "You're with me, kid. Hop on back, and make it snappy. If we're lucky, maybe we'll get a couple of miles away before they kill us."
"Tom," Roland said, "you're with me."
Link remembered how slowly Max liked to ride around the block. Unless the mighty Raythuse had chosen a slug for his next body to inhabit, they were in trouble. Why Mrs. Kidacki had thought it was a good idea to call Max was a mystery to him.
Seeing no other option, Link obediently swung his leg over the back of the bike. When Max warned him to hang on, Link halfheartedly cooperated even though he doubted such a measure would prove necessary. If at any point he fell off the bike, he could likely catch up by simply walking alongside the old man and jumping back on. But as soon as he grabbed Max's waist, the man throttled the bike into full gear. Smoke billowed behind the back wheel as Max peeled out of the parking lot. In a blur, the pair rocketed off into the street, Max driving like a possessed maniac, and Link praying desperately that he wasn't.
50
Whom to Trust
By the time Link and his rescuers had reached the Harrington Complex, rush hour traffic had subsided. The sun burned brightly, but its enthusiasm for the day waned as it slipped lower into the sky.
Having pulled up in front of the hospital complex, Link dismounted the