After the Fall Ch. 05

Ezra, Yvonne, Andy and Jack crept into the bedroom. They crouched listening at the bedroom door for several minutes, but other than their own breathing, the only sounds were from downstairs. Yvonne eased the door open enough to look through it. Nobody was in the hall. The door started creaking, so she quickly pulled it open the rest of the way. Even if the creak was a little louder that way, a short creak would be more easily dismissed than a drawn-out creak.

They waited again, but the sounds from the first floor didn't change. Desultory conversation filtered up from two men in the vicinity of the fireplace. Occasional clinking sounds from the kitchen suggested a third man, but they didn't hear any other voices. There weren't any sounds of activity from the back corner of the house where they'd seen the lantern in the window.

On Ezra's signal, Yvonne slipped into the hallway. Ezra followed behind her. Jack followed Ezra. Andy remained inside the master bedroom's door. When she reached the second door down the hall, Yvonne tried the doorknob. She exchanged stunned looks with Ezra and Jack when the knob turned freely. Jack eased past Yvonne down the hall to cover the top of the stairs. Yvonne pushed the door inward and crept in first. Since there were no women in Hawley's group, they hoped her appearance might be reassuring to Sarah.

Sarah was secured to the bed by a single chain around her ankle. She appeared to be asleep. Yvonne crawled toward the bed while Ezra worked his way to a position on the opposite wall. Then they heard footsteps on the stairs. Yvonne slid under the bed. Ezra stood up against the wall, partially shielded from the door by a tall dresser. The steps on the stairs woke Sarah. Even in her sleep, she must have been listening for that sound.

Sarah saw Ezra right away. Her eyes widened and she clutched at the sheet on the bed. He quickly put his finger to his lips to signal her not to speak, and was relieved when she gave him a little nod. In frozen silence, they all listened to the footsteps. When the steps reached the top of the stairs, Ezra and Yvonne waited to hear signs that Jack had subdued the man. Instead, the footsteps continued toward the opposite end of the hall. A moment later, they could hear a groan as the man took a noisy piss.

The bedroom door opened and Jack backed in. Sarah's eyes widened, but Ezra waved to get her attention and put his finger to his lips again. Without turning around or taking his eyes off the hallway, Jack whispered, "He's drunk. Too drunk to have the sense to stay quiet if I grab him. He just walked by without even noticing me. We could let him go back downstairs. Orders?"

Ezra whispered. "If he walks past the stairs towards us, use a chokehold and drag him in here. If he goes downstairs, let him go."

Everyone waited in silence. Ezra looked at Sarah and gave her what he hoped was a reassuring smile, but he was afraid that it might not seem very friendly with all the face paint. She tried to smile back, but she was plainly terrified. He saw the reflection of tear tracks on her cheeks and wished they didn't need to let the noisy pisser go back downstairs unmolested. None of these guys should go unpunished.

They heard the footsteps again and held their collective breath as the drunk approached. He stopped. A few seconds later, they heard his footstep on the stair. When he reached the bottom of the stairs, they heard him shuffling off to the back corner of the house. He must have been the person who had the lantern back there. That meant there were at least four people downstairs. Jack slipped back into the hall to take up his position outside the door.

Ezra whispered to Sarah. "There's a lady with us. Don't be afraid."

With that, Yvonne crawled out from under the bed. Sarah gasped and jumped further back on the bed. Ezra cringed. He should have handled that better. Sarah was holding her hand over her mouth and her eyes were wide as saucers. She looked petrified, probably afraid someone might have heard her gasp.

"Don't worry, Sarah," Ezra whispered. "Nobody could have heard you. This is Yvonne."

Sarah looked over to Yvonne and grimaced. She was probably trying to smile, Ezra thought, but she was just too scared. He gestured to Yvonne, and they switched places. He knelt beside the bed so he could whisper to Sarah. "I'm Ezra. We're Mariah's friends."

Sarah looked hopeful. "Is Mariah okay?"

Ezra nodded. "She wanted to be here, but it wasn't safe for her to come. We need to get you free of the chain. Would you like Yvonne to help you?"

Sarah looked over to Yvonne. She was still spooked by Yvonne's sudden appearance from beneath the bed. She looked back at Ezra, pleading with her eyes.

"Do you want me to help you?"

She nodded.

"Okay. We need to hurry, so I'm going to have to touch your ankle a little bit where the chain is. Are you ready for that?" He didn't' know what had happened to Sarah since being abducted, and didn't want to make her panic.

"Okay," she whispered.

He took a look at the lock. They hadn't even bothered with a manacle. The lock was looped directly through two links of the chain. Even in the dark, he could see that her skin was raw and abraded where the chin had rubbed it. It looked like she had tried to free herself. The heavy links of chain looked obscene around her delicate ankle.

The lock itself was just a basic padlock. He could have picked it with a couple of bobby pins, or even bent paperclips, but he didn't have to improvise. He pulled a kit from one of his pockets and selected a small tension wrench and a single-pin lockpick.

He inserted the L-shaped tension wrench into the slot for the key. It would turn the lock once the pins were lifted, so he kept pressure on it with one hand, like he was turning a key. He slid the pick in the keyhole next to the tension wrench, with the pick's curved end pointing up in the same direction that the teeth on the key would have pointed. There were four pins. All he had to do was rock the pick so that the pointed end of the pick pushed each successive pin up in its channel until it caught on the cylinder. When the fourth pin caught, the tension wrench turned the lock. The entire process took less than thirty seconds.

As quietly as possible, Ezra removed the chain and left it laying on the bed. Sarah's hands flew to her ankle. He saw the tears shimmering in her eyes when she whispered her thanks. Before he put his kit away, he took a couple of bobby pins from it, twisted them, and left them beside the lock. If everything went right, Hawley's men would assume Sarah picked the lock herself.

"Can you walk?"

She stood beside the bed, but stumbled. Ezra steadied her. She leaned close to whisper to him.

"My foot's asleep from the chain."

His jaw clenched and his teeth ground together. He was tempted to burn the whole fucking house down once they got her out.

"That's okay. How about this? You can get on my back and we'll get out of here. Do you think you can do that?"

Sarah's lip was trembling, but she nodded her agreement. Ezra unstrapped the gear from his back and handed it to Yvonne. He crouched down and Sarah climbed onto his back. She didn't weigh more than a full pack.

"Okay, Sarah. We're going to leave now. Put your chin on my shoulder and tighten your arms around my neck. You won't hurt me, so just hold on as tight as you can. Same thing for your legs. Just squeeze them around me as tight as you can. If you feel like you're going to let go or fall, just whisper to me. Ready?"

"Ready."

When they got to the door, Yvonne went first and Jack took up the rear. They closed the door behind them to delay discovery that Sarah was gone. They made it to the sliding door in the master bedroom without incident, and Andy fell in behind them. Jack took the broomstick out of the door's track so it would look like Sarah got out that way.

When they were out, Ezra motioned them all close. "Jack, wait for us to get to the tree line before you set the door back in, just in case it makes noise. Then join Nate and head for Dave's cabin. If you can't draw him out or get into the cabin in twenty minutes, come back to the vehicles. If you're not back by," he checked his watch, "20:41, Michael will drive Sarah back and Yvonne and I will come back for you."

Jack nodded. Ezra carried Sarah down the stairs, followed by Yvonne, Michael and Andy. Nate gave them a nod as they set out for the trees. The sky was clear and the moon had risen while they were in the house. They were uncomfortably visible in the moonlight, but they didn't have far to go. They started running after they were safely within the cover of the trees. In a matter of minutes, they were back at the lay-by.

Michael took the driver's seat in one of the jeeps. Ezra crouched to let Sarah get down, then lifted her into the jeep. "Sarah, this is Michael. Mariah's been staying with him."

"Hi, Michael." It came out in a croak, and she started coughing. Her throat was dry, and it was the first time she had spoken above a whisper in a long time. She drank eagerly from the canteen Yvonne offered her. Ezra wondered how long it had been since those assholes gave her any water. He quickly looked away so his anger wouldn't frighten Sarah. The last thing she needed was an angry-looking man in face paint looming over her.

Sarah handed the canteen back to Yvonne. "Thank you. I was thirsty." Her voice was soft and mellow now, with only a hint of roughness remaining.

Ezra turned back to Sarah. "Yvonne and I need to stay outside the jeep to keep an eye out for the others. Can you stay in here and keep Michael company?"

"Okay," she agreed, but she looked frightened. She wasn't afraid of Michael. She was just nervous about being away from Ezra because she felt safe with him.

"Andy, take the wheel in the other jeep. Don't start it until we see them, but be ready."

Once Michael was alone in the jeep with Sarah, he was at a loss for something to say. Sarah spoke first. "Ezra said Mariah's safe."

"Yes, she is. The house is locked up tight until we get back to it." He thought about the way he'd left Mariah. She was safe, but definitely not happy. He hoped she would forgive him when she saw Sarah safe and sound.

"What about Henry? Those guys were asking about Henry."

"Yes, Henry's with Mariah. I'm not sure how much you know about what's happened, but they never did have their hands on Henry. Julia and Duncan are safe at home, too. So are the mouse and the cricket."

"Julia and Duncan are at home? At Mariah's house?" She was immediately alarmed.

"No, I meant my house. All of them are with Mariah at my house. That's where we're going to go as soon as we get out of here, and you can see them all for yourself."

A little later, he asked, "Are you okay? Do you need a doctor or anything when we get back?"

"I'm just shaken up pretty bad. My ankle hurts, but besides that, I'm okay."

"Nate's a medic. You might not have seen him. He was near the bottom of the stairs when we came out. He can look at your ankle for you."

"Thank you."

He was relieved that Sarah didn't seem to share Mariah's habit of avoiding any sort of assistance. It was nice to be able to just help her. Seeing her in the backseat, Michael understood why Mariah kept saying Sarah was tiny. It wasn't just that she was petite. She was so delicate that she looked fragile.

"Are you hungry?"

"Yes. It's been a while since I've eaten."

"I'm sorry. We'll get you something to snack on as soon as we get back. Then Marcus can fix a real meal for you. He's a really good cook. Mariah calls him my kitchen wizard."

Sarah smiled. "I'll be glad to see Mariah. I've been so worried about her."

"She'll be glad to see you, too. As soon as she realized that Hawley's men must have you, she started trying to get you rescued."

"Did they try to get her? I don't know what happened. I only know they wanted to get her."

"They tried earlier today. They made her think they had Henry, so she went to them, but we caught them right away. Henry was safe the whole time, but she didn't know that."

Sarah burst into tears. "It's my fault! I told them about Henry! I told them there was nothing they could do to get Mariah because her pets were the only thing she would come for, and they were safe inside the wall."

"Sarah, that's not your fault. You didn't have any reason to think they would find a way to use that information. It's their fault, not yours. Besides, they didn't get her. You'll see her very soon without a scratch on her."

She kept crying anyway. Ezra opened the door and saw Sarah crying. He glared accusingly at Michael. Michael held his hands up helplessly.

"Get the engine started. They'll be here in a few seconds." Nate and Jack had made it past the tree line and were running for the vehicles. When they reached the jeeps, Nate climbed into the passenger's seat beside Michael. Jack and Yvonne ran to the jeep Andy was driving. Ezra climbed in beside Sarah. He helped her with her seatbelt as they drove away. Her tears subsided to a few sniffles.

"Did you see him, Nate?" Ezra wanted to know if they had identified "Dave."

"Sure did. He came out after we threw gravel at the window. He's Burt Lansing. Last I knew, he was working for Gregory Quinlan."

Michael's hands tightened on the steering wheel. They drove in silence until they neared the old airfield.

Ezra cleared his throat uncomfortably. "Sarah, I'm going to have to ask you to close your eyes and lean forward over your knees so you can't see anything. I'm sorry about it, but the way into the compound is something we have to keep secret."

"It's okay. I understand."

"Thank you. It will just be a couple of minutes." Ezra patted her shoulder reassuringly.

As soon as they arrived in the garage, Ezra told Sarah she could open her eyes. As they were getting out of the vehicles, he radioed everyone on the regular channel.

"We're back. Seth, you can take the house out of lockdown."

Ezra looked surprised when various cheers and whoops came over the radio.

"Did you find her?" Amy asked.

"Yes, Sarah's with us."

"Are you okay, Michael? Is everyone okay?" Paula asked.

"Everyone's fine. It went off without a hitch," Ezra assured her.

When they got out of the car, Ezra began giving instructions. "Yvonne, take over from Seth at the video feeds once you've had a chance to clean up. Jack and Andy, once you guys have cleaned up, get that ass—" he glanced at Sarah, "uh, get Carruthers to a bathroom. It looks like we're going to have to keep him overnight, so get him something to eat and drink, too. Stay with him until he's done eating. I don't want dishes or utensils left in there with him. He'll have to make do with the cot that's bolted to the wall without any sheets or blankets. You can leave him unrestrained in the room for the night, but we'll have to schedule periodic checks. I don't want him to know that we paid his buddies a visit, so make sure you don't have any camo paint left on you when he sees you. Since I asked him earlier about the layout up at the lake, I don't want him putting two and two together until after we question him again."

When they all got into the elevator, Sarah thanked them. "I didn't think anyone would come for me. I was so scared. They were having a big party tomorrow, and they were going to—"

Ezra interrupted. "Mariah explained the parties."

"Then I hope you know how grateful I am."

The elevator door opened, and Mariah pounced. "Sarah!"

She drew her friend out of the elevator and looked her over. "Can I hug you? I don't want to hurt you."

Sarah threw her arms around Mariah and cried against her shoulder. The others filed out of the elevator, stepping around the two women. Paula arrived a few seconds later, fussing like a mother hen with a new chick to care for. She shooed the security team away, but Ezra hovered anxiously nearby. The other members of the household made appearances, only to be shooed off by Paula. Michael called Marcus back before Paula chased him away.

"Marcus, can you make something for Sarah? Maybe you can find a snack now and then cook her something?"

"I'll be happy to."

"Sarah?" Marcus tried to get her attention to find out what she would like, but she was still crying.

"Mariah? What does Sarah like? For a snack and for a meal?"

Mariah tried to remember. She moved to Ashland and met Sarah during the early days of The Fall. Intermittent food shortages were already a problem. What she was used to seeing Sarah eat had very little to do with what Sarah actually liked.

"Let's try some fruit and bread, and then I can let you know what else she wants."

The room was finally cleared of everyone besides Sarah, Mariah, Paula, Ezra, Nate and Michael. Nate was standing off to the side, waiting to check Sarah's ankle. Michael leaned against the wall and took a deep breath. The nervous energy keeping him on edge was dissipating, leaving him feeling strangely flat, like someone coming down from a stimulating but unpleasant high.

He wondered how Mariah had gotten out of his wing. She couldn't possibly have guessed the reset code for the digital console in his room, so she must have found the hidden panel in the floor of the hallway. But how did she know to look for it? He ground the heels of his palms against his eyes. He was suddenly so tired.

When he looked back up, Mariah was looking at him over Sarah's shoulder. She smiled when he met her eyes. "Michael, can we get Sarah upstairs?"

"Of course, but maybe Nate better look at her ankle first."

Mariah disengaged herself from Sarah to look. "Sarah! Your ankle!"

"They had her chained by her ankle," Ezra muttered.

Mariah led Sarah to a bench seat to sit down, then knelt down in front of her and took her hands, trying to get her attention. Sarah still hadn't stopped crying.

"Sarah, you're safe now."

Sarah only cried harder.

"She thinks it's her fault they claimed they had Henry," Michael explained.

"Sarah, is that what it is? You think it's your fault?"

Sarah nodded and tried to talk between sobs and sniffles. "When they came looking for you, I said there was nothing they could do because you were inside the estate. They said that's why they were taking me. They were going to get you to trade yourself for me. I told them they were too late, that the only thing you would have come out for was Henry, and he was already inside. I was just trying to make them give up. I'm sorry."

Mariah squeezed Sarah's hands. "You didn't do anything wrong. There's no way you could have guessed they would pretend to have Henry. Besides, if they didn't do that, they would only have gone back to their original plan. Nothing you could have said would have stopped them. They were always going to try to get me, and it would have turned out the same. If you didn't tell them Henry's name, we never would have known they had you. I'm sorry you've gone through all this because of me, Sarah. You have absolutely nothing to apologize for."

"Neither do you."

Mariah gave her a grin. "Okay. Neither of us needs to be sorry, and we'll blame it on, hmmm... I dunno... the jackasses who keep kidnapping people?"

Sarah smiled a little. "They're going to be confused when they find out I'm gone. Ezra made it look like I picked the lock and got out by myself." She glanced over at Ezra, who gave her a comforting smile.

"Can Nate take a look at your ankle? He's a medic." Mariah almost asked Sarah if she had any other injuries, but decided to wait until they had some privacy. She was afraid Sarah might have injuries of a more personal nature, and the thought was making her sick to her stomach.

While Nate was looking at Sarah's ankle, Mariah introduced Paula. Paula kept Sarah talking during the examination, so Mariah stepped out of the way and stood against the wall next to Michael. It took him by surprise when she slipped her hand into his. He had been expecting to be on the receiving end of her wrath for locking her in his private wing before he left.