"GHOULS NIGHT OUT"

HALLOWEEN 2007 HARDY BOYS CONTEST ENTRY

GUARDIAN ANGELS

by

Author F

Chapter 6

The Chapters

INTRO

CHAPTER 1

CHAPTER 2

CHAPTER 3

CHAPTER 4

CHAPTER 5

CHAPTER 6

Vanessa threw her arms around Joe’s neck and clung to him.  He was holding her – crushing her – rocking back and forth and sounding like he was trying not to cry. She gazed at the tall corn stalks over his shoulder, feeling oddly disoriented.  Wisps of memory swirled around her, just out of reach.  She frowned in concentration and then winced.

‘Ow!’ 

Reaching up she touched two fingers to her forehead, only mildly surprised when they came back sticky and tinged with blood.  Staring at her red-stained fingertips something floated just out of her memory’s reach.  An image…of a girl? She shook her head to clear it, and winced again.

“Joe…what happened?” she asked, her voice trembling.

“You got…hit,” Joe said, swallowing hard.  “But it’s a graze, just a graze.  You passed out for a minute but you’re okay now.”  He brushed a hand over her hair and gave her a shaky smile, his voice quavering. “You’re okay.”

Vanessa stared at him for a moment, seeing grief and sorrow in his eyes and then immense relief.  They stared at each other for a long time, both instinctively knowing yet neither able to fully remember…tragedy had come to them tonight.  But something…no someone… had stepped in and intervened on their behalf.

Vanessa blinked as the image flickered and wavered again, just out of reach, but she was able to grab it one for a split second. A woman, a girl, and just as quickly it was gone.  But it was enough.  Vanessa knew with absolute clarity this girl had reversed their tragedy, changed their destiny and sealed their fate…to each other.

…

Joe held Vanessa for a long time, sensing he’d almost lost her…lost this, although he still wasn’t quite sure what this was.  All he knew was that something had happened tonight, something had changed.

Eventually he pulled away, but refused to let Vanessa go completely.  Looking into her eyes he saw something reflected there, as if she could feel the emotions swirling inside him.  And then she smiled – serene and contented – and he knew she sensed it too.

Kissing her tenderly he realized that the grief he’d felt only a short time ago had been replaced by…peace.  He would never be able to explain how or why but Joe knew from this moment on everything they were would be defined by this night.  Prior to this evening they had been ‘a couple’, they had been ‘dating’, they had been ‘serious’.  But now as Vanessa returned his kiss with a passion he didn’t even know existed until this moment, he understood they no longer had a ‘relationship’; they now had forever….

*****

Frank was running, dragging Callie behind him as they made their way through the maze, brushing up against the corn stalks as they took the twists and turns.

“I think it was down here,” Frank said, breathlessly.  They turned the last corner and Frank came to a skidding stop.  Callie stumbled, trying not to run into him and he heard a soft gasp as she saw it too.

In the center of the row, Joe was sitting on the ground, holding Vanessa in his arms, cradling her tightly and rocking back and forth.  That could only mean one thing….

“Oh, God,” Callie whispered, her voice shaky. “Is she…”

“Joe!” Frank called out, trying to quell the fear in his voice.

Both Joe and Vanessa turned at his shout and he heard Callie let out a huge sigh.  “Thank God,” he murmured.

They jogged the short distance to the younger couple and Frank handed Callie his cell phone. “Call Con. Tell him we found them,” he said, his voice curt.  He looked down on Joe, trying to get a handle on his fear-fueled anger.

“Why didn’t you answer me?!” he demanded.

Joe looked at him, puzzled. “Answer you?”

“Joe, we were yelling for you – both of you!” Frank snapped, waving his arms.

“I guess we didn’t hear you,” Joe shrugged, perplexed.

“We’ve been looking for you for an hour! How could you not hear us?!” Frank cried out.  Seconds later Callie squeezed his arm in a silent signal even as she talked quietly on the phone. He glanced at her and she gave him an encouraging smile.  He nodded, took a deep breath and tried to calm down.

“I’m sorry,” Joe repeated, exchanging a confused glance with Vanessa.

“Where were you?” Frank asked, growing less angry and more worried.

“Huh?” Joe said, bewildered. “We were right here.”

“No, Joe, you weren’t,” Frank said.  “We’ve been by here several times. And before that the SWAT team swept the whole maze – twice.  None of us saw you,” he finished. 

Joe stared at him, his eyes holding a quiet desperation. “I – I don’t understand….We’ve been here the whole time.  Vanessa…she got hurt….I wouldn’t have moved her,” he finished, nervously.

Immediately Frank dropped to his knees and put a hand on Vanessa’s shoulder, his voice gentle. “Van?  You okay?” he asked.

Vanessa lifted her head from where it was nestled against Joe’s chest and he could now see the small crease on her forehead.  She nodded gamely and gave him a shaky smile.  “Yeah, I think I’ll be okay.”

Frank looked back at Joe and got a chill.  He was absolutely certain Joe and Vanessa had not been here, in this spot, all this time.  He and Callie had passed by it several times and there had been no sign of the younger couple.  Yet when he looked at Joe now, he saw no sign of deceit in his brother’s eyes.  Joe truly believed he and Vanessa had not moved from this very spot once the bullet had grazed her.

Frank eyed both Joe and Vanessa closely.  They were clinging to each other almost desperately, like they were afraid to let go. ‘No,’ he corrected himself, ‘like they don’t ever want to let go.’  

“Con wants to know if he should call an ambulance?” Callie’s voice interrupted his thoughts and he looked at Vanessa, his eyebrows raised in a silent question.  

“No, not for me,” she said quietly, reaching up to touch her forehead. “I’ll be fine.”

Frank watched as Joe stood up and helped Vanessa to her feet, struck by the way they seemed unwilling to let each other go, even for a second.  The two younger teens were always demonstrative and playfully affectionate with each other but this time something was different between them, something he couldn’t quite put his finger on.

He looked at Callie, who had ended the phone call and was also watching Joe and Vanessa curiously.  She gave him a look and shrugged then looped her arm through his.  They fell in step behind Joe and Vanessa and began the trek back to the entrance.  As they walked Frank was certain something had happened here tonight…something that had affected Joe and Vanessa profoundly.  He was just as certain whatever it was would remain a mystery forever.

*****

“You know I’d feel a lot better if you got checked out, too,” Frank said, watching as Callie gently pressed a strip of adhesive in place, holding the small bandage snugly against Vanessa’s forehead.

Vanessa, seated on the back bumper of the Hardy brothers’ van with Joe clutching her hand tightly, gave him a tired smile. “I’m okay, Frank.  Honest. If I have anything worse than a little headache tomorrow, I’ll call my doctor.  Promise.”

Frank sighed and exchanged a helpless glance with Callie. 

“Well okay, then,” Callie said, snapping the First Aid kit shut.  “We’ll drop you at home first and then I’ll take him to the E.R. for stitches,” she nodded at Frank who rolled his eyes.

“Let’s get it over with,” he muttered, motioning Joe and Vanessa towards the open side door of the van.

Frank watched discreetly as Joe helped Vanessa up and they simply stood there for a moment, staring at each other.  He would have expected them to be shell-shocked by their ordeal but, strangely, they seemed to be at peace…and very content.

Again Frank was sure something had happened to them tonight although he wasn’t sure if they even knew what.  It was almost as if during the time Joe and Vanessa had been ‘missing’ the entire axis of their relationship had changed…

Frank patiently held the door open and waited as Joe and Vanessa gazed at each other a moment longer and then, arms wrapped tightly around each other, walked towards him. 

Stopping at the open door, they turned and looked back at the maze one last time and…smiled.  They climbed in and Frank slammed the door shut.  The wind suddenly picked up, sending fallen leaves skittering across the parking lot and a mournful wail through the trees. 

Under the full moon and the blanket of stars, as the young couple clung to each other in the back seat, the dark-haired girl watched from the shadows.  For all she’d lost so long ago and all she’d given back tonight, she cried.

As the black van pulled away her voice whispered on the wind…

‘I love you, Joe. Be happy…’

THE END

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