vamoose
********************
Chuck paced around the stone room. His employer, Dr. Sampson, knelt in front of her small laptop. She occasionally stood and passed a camera slowly over the ancient stone wall, then returned to the computer.
“How much longer?” Chuck asked.
“It takes as long as it takes.” The small woman said.
He sighed and leaned against a wall. He felt something odd that triggered his survival instincts. The wall was shaking slightly. He got down to the floor and felt. The vibrations were there too. It felt like stone slowly starting to slide against stone. His eyes widened.
“Hey Doc, we need to go. Like, now.”
“No, Chuck, no we do not. It’s still early. We have plenty of time.”
“No, we don’t. Grab your stuff and let’s go.”
She kept working. “This is important work. It takes time to finish.”
Chuck grumbled. The vibrations were starting to get stronger. It was a slow process, but it was also starting to get faster. Chuck made the decision. He waited until she stood, then moved. His closed the laptop, grabbed it, then picked up Dr. Sampson and threw her over his shoulder.
“Hey! What do you think you’re doing? Put me down, you brute! I’ve got important work to do and you’re ruining it!”
“Sorry Doc, no can do.”
He started moving at a brisk jog while his charge thrashed. She kicked and battered him, but she was not a particularly strong woman. She screamed at him to stop and put him down. He kept going.
“As your employer, I order you to put me down right this instant!” she called.
“As my employer, you can just be quiet and let me do the job you paid me for.” He replied.
The shaking was getting worse. The sound was almost audible. More or less. Dr. Sampson’s screaming in his ear made it difficult. But it was definitely getting worse. He picked up the pace, moving from a light jog to a moderate run.
“If you’re going to abduct me, couldn’t you do it in a more comfortable way?” She said in a half scream, half growl. “This is hardly dignified.”
“Don’t care.” Chuck said.
“Can you at least put me down and let me run on my own?”
“If I do, will you actually follow me, or will you try and go back?”
She chose to answer by resuming her thrashing. It was actually getting difficult to contain her. She was not that heavy, but carrying a fully grown adult over a long period was not easy. Especially when that person did not want to be carried. But, he made it.
They emerged from the ancient stone ruins to the daylight. He kept going until they were well clear of the old building before he put her down.
“Finally!” She shouted. “Do you have any idea what you’ve done? You’ve ruined months of careful planning and…what are you doing?”
As she was talking, Chuck held out his hand and closed his eyes. When the time was right, he started slowly lowering his fingers, one by one. When he lowered his last fingers, the rumbling grew far more intense. So much so that a part of the ruins collapsed. A part that the two of the had recently occupied.
Dr. Sampson looked at the ruined building, and then at the large man. Her mouth opened and closed wordlessly.
“You’re welcome.” He said.
He handed her the laptop and started walking towards the camp. She followed in a daze. It would not be until they made it that she would find her words. Chuck really wished she had not, but he was paid to keep her safe. Not to keep her from talking. As much as he wished otherwise.
************************************
Don't you just love people who think they know better than others? It's especially great when they think they know more than an expert, or someone hired to do a specific job. Yeah, isn't it so. Much. Fun?
No comments:
Post a Comment