Hope To Escape (23 page)

The black SUV followed with a fast turn of its own. The weight distribution of the larger vehicle could not handle the turn like the small BMW, and the change from concrete to gravel made it unable to grip the sharp bend. It rolled onto it's side at the entrance to the path, and slid across the terrain until it slammed into a tree. The damage from the torn metal and crushed roof stopped the assailants in their tracks.

Roden heaved a sigh, after witnessing the collision, while Manda clutched the door handle with white knuckles; her eyes still squeezed shut to keep from seeing what might be hurtling towards them. Max and Martin could only stare behind them in disbelief at the destruction. No one in the car seemed able to find their voice to speak.

Roden kept going down the dirt path, which was much narrower and even more secluded than the paved road, continuing with as much swiftness as possible. Martin finally calmed himself enough to direct him to drive to the end of the path. They would be able to hike towards the house from there.

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

Max, Roden and Manda reluctantly followed Martin through the rough milieu of the woods. After a serious threat to ensure Martin didn't try anything conniving, they grudgingly let him guide the way. Max stayed close, and kept the gun in his belt, where he could reach it at a moment's notice if he became even remotely suspicious of the unreliable crook in front of him. Martin tried to appear offended by their mistrust, but couldn't hide his amusement at the measures they tried to take to keep him in line.

Roden glanced back at his car a few times, until it was no longer visible in the dimness of the trees. He hated to leave it behind, worried that he wouldn't be able to find it again; or worse, that someone else would find it first. He carefully traced his steps so that he could retrace them again when the time came.

Manda continued her quiet state over the gravity of the situation. They were closer to Ess than ever, and the idea of breaking and entering into the well secured home was enough to terrify anyone into silence. Instead, she channeled her anxiety into the pretzels she carried in case the dogs showed up by stuffing handfuls of the twists into her mouth. Roden was thankful. Earlier, he had been almost sure she would remark and complain the entire way, destroying any hope of creeping up on the enemy. Eating through her fear might not be a sound coping mechanism, but they could deal with that issue at
a
later time.

After what must have been at least three uneasy hours, they reached the high fence that Martin had described. It was turning late in the day now, and the sun had started sinking behind the trees, casting long shadows throughout the forest. The lights from the house in the distance shed an unnatural glow to the surrounding wilderness, and the bars of the fence imparted
a
cold and towering menace that would be enough to deter a less desperate group of trespassers.

From here Martin wound along the fence until he found the location he had mentioned using on a previous occasion as his covert entrance to the grounds. It turned out to be a small ecological reservoir for catching rainwater runoff from multiple natural ditches, which ran down from a small slope off of the main lawn. Martin waded into the water, and they noted that it rose nearly half way up his calf at the deepest point.

"I'm going to test it." Martin broke the silence. "If I feel any heat from the lasers, I'll let you know. If there is, then you better run. The lasers give off a silent alarm to warn the security guards, so they won't be far behind."

With that said, he stuck his hand through the bars, and waited. After about ten seconds he said, "Nothing." He withdrew his hand and gave them his devious smile, proud that his plan was still intact. "Come on, follow me."

"No," Manda whispered loudly. "Let Max go first. We don't want any funny business from you."

Max and Roden nodded in agreement. Max slipped carefully through the bars, and Martin followed. Manda found the swampy little pool to be rather difficult to cross in her high heels, and Roden had to assist her several times in prying her feet from the mud. She did eventually make it through the bars, but the squeeze turned out to be a bit tough for Roden. He wasn't as lean and spry as he used to be.

"Okay, we're in." Roden got up close to Martin so that he could keep his whisper to
a
minimum. "Now show us how to get into the house."

"This way." Martin waved them on. They kept to the fence until they reached another angle of the property, then cut up the lawn towards the house. The four prowlers weren't more than ten steps out when barking could be discerned in the distance.

Manda clutched the pretzel bag to her chest and cried, "Oh, my god!" Max and Roden turned to give her a warning look, but she already broke into
a
sprint in the opposite direction from the one they had intended.

"Damn it," Martin responded in a loud whisper of irritation. "I should have warned you all not to run. She'll just spur those demons on now."

Still in her high heels, which were now coated in slippery mud, Manda couldn't flee with much speed across the lawn, and it only took a moment for Roden to catch up to her. He reached out to stop her, but she lost her footing and fell, pulling him down with her.

As Roden got to his feet and began to help Manda up, he turned towards the sound of the fast advancing canines. Max and Martin snatched both Roden and
a
half risen Manda and began to drag them along to a nearby copse of trees.

Max thrust Manda towards the first tree that he discerned to be climbable. As the three helped her to climb up, the dogs approached, charging across the yard at an alarming pace. Dobermans.

The first dog attacked low at Martin's ankle, while the other jumped up on Roden's chest, throwing him against the tree. Martin stifled his scream of surprise and pain, and fell to the ground grabbing for anything that could pull him away from his attacker. Roden couldn't cry out because the wind had been knocked out of him. His attacker returned to the ground to reposition itself for the next strike.

Max, who had a knack for staying level headed – at least when not in Ess's presence – scanned the debris of the surrounding area, and eyed a rather sizeable fallen birch branch. He hoisted it up with his hands and took a quick moment to weigh its solidity for his purpose.

In the next moment the thwack of wood hitting canine cranium was nearly drowned out by a yelp as the dog flew away from Martin's body. The force of Max's swing rendered the animal unconscious.

Max then turned to his friend. The second Doberman had attached itself to Roden's arm, where it shook its head frantically to aid its teeth in digging into the injured doctor's flesh. The position of the man and the dog made it difficult to achieve an effective swing; and the consequence of the last blow left the tree branch unsturdy, anyway. Max had to think of a swift alternative.

A flash of an idea came to him. He threw down the branch, and tore off his leather
bomber
jacket. Spreading the garment open with his hands, he leapt onto the dog and covered its head, startling the animal into releasing its prey. Using all of his strength, he wrapped his arms around its neck. It struggled for freedom, and tried to buck its captor off of its back, but Max held on with all the strength he could muster. When the dog couldn't throw him from its back, it rolled onto its side, and began to flail its limbs. Max kept his grip around the dog's neck, and clutched his legs around its body to prevent the beast from maneuvering out of the hold.

After about a minute or two of struggling, the dog slowed down. Without use of its eyesight and weapon-like teeth the animal could not comprehend
a
way to free itself. Max still held on, figuring that the leather around its head would make it impossible to breath, and in the end, the dog passed out from suffocation.

Finally, Max felt confident enough in their immediate safety to see to his injured companions. Roden's own thick jacket made the Doberman's teeth less penetrable. While he did suffer some bruising and a puncture wound on his forearm, after regaining his breath, the older man claimed he would survive.

Martin's condition appeared to be a different story. The teeth marks visible through his shredded slacks showed a rather mangled ankle. Blood welled up in large puncture holes and ran down from the gnawed skin that had been slashed wide open.

"Oh, Jeez." Max commented. "You need medical attention." Roden seconded him on that, and they exchanged dismayed looks at one another. This certainly put a damper on their rescue mission.

"No, no." Martin waved them off and began to stand. "Just get me into the house, and I can take care of it myself." He tested his weight on his leg and hissed at the pain.

"Here, lean on me." Max lent him his shoulder.

Roden, with breath still quickened from his own ordeal, stepped over to the tree Manda had climbed into and offered her help in getting back out of it. This couldn't be accomplished without some struggle and awkwardness between the places Roden had to put his hands and Manda's inappropriate attire for the situation. Max laughed.

Manda managed to shoot him
a
glare from her position, half way down the tree. "I can't believe you're laughing at a time like this."

"Max," Roden also supplied a disapproving look. "That's inappropriate. You shouldn't laugh over this." Max snorted and continued snickering. "Really, Max. I can't believe you would laugh at someone else's struggles." Manda tangled her dirty heal in Roden's belt at this point and almost lost her grip on the tree branch she was descending from.

Between chuckles, Max responded, "I can't believe it either, but obviously you can't see what I can see."

Roden, with a puzzled look on his face, stared at the amused man while grasping Manda's waist. "What?"

Max looked up at Manda and asked, "Really, Manda? Granny panties?"

Martin busted up in muted laugher and leaned forward to see the view. Sure enough, there were white cotton granny panties underneath her slinky skirt. "Not just any granny panties. Those look like the kind that hold things in."

Roden, the only man present who was able to keep his laughter in check, interrupted their entertainment. "Alright, boys. That's enough. Let's just get her down."

While Roden finished helping her out of the tree, Manda exclaimed in the loudest whisper that she could, "Well, it's a good thing I wore granny panties, I didn't know so many immature delinquents would be looking up my skirt." When she landed back on the ground, she gave Max a swift punch in the arm to accompany her indignant feelings.

"Let's get moving before those hounds from hell come to." No one seemed objectionable to Roden's proposal.

They dragged the dogs' bodies into the cover of the trees in order to hide the recent scuffle; and, at Martin's rather demented but useful suggestion, they bound the dogs together by their collars. "This way, when they come to, they'll be too busy struggling against each other to come after us."

As they continued in the direction they had originally intended, Max whispered to the invalid Martin, who had leaned in for support, "You know what the granny panties mean, don't you?"

"No." Martin shook his head in confusion. "What?"

"It means she had no intention of putting out when you were on your date." Max gave Martin a moment to let it sink in, and then added, "You weren't going to get any."

Martin huffed. "You wanna bet. I could have, if I'd had the opportunity."

Max let out an angry scowl. In less than
a
second, he let go of Martin and delivered a prompt punch to his right eye.

"Ah, wha-tha fu - aahh". Martin grabbed at his eye as he fell to the ground. "Shit man," he tried to keep from shouting as he rocked back and forth in the grass. "What the hell did you do that for?"

"Opportunity? You filthy worthless son of a -" Max began to spit out.

"Damn it. I didn't mean I was going to slip her a roofie." Martin shot back. "I was talking about my charm. I meant that I could have charmed my way into her panties."

"Oh," Max replied as he helped him up. "Well, you still deserve that punch anyway, for being a slimy bastard."

"Fine." Martin replied in resignation. "Whatever you say. Just stop punching me now. I'm helping you out, you ass hole." Max just gave him
a
satisfied smile.

Roden and Manda, who had trekked several yards ahead already, looked back at them in askance, but Max just shook his head to wave the incident off. The four intruders then continued on in silence. Two obstacles down. Who knew how many more hurdles to go?