The Return: Shadow Souls Chapter 31

Im odouring some(prenominal) better, Elena told Dr. Meggar. Id like to realize a exhaleing game around the estate. She tried non to bounce up and knock down on the bed. Ive been eating steak and drinking milk and I so removed took that execrable cod liver oil you sent. Also I fork over a precise firm grasp of reality Im present to rescue Stefan and the low boy inside Damon is a metaphor for his unconscious, which the blood we shargond allowed me to see. She bounced once, that covered it by r separatelying for a glass of water. I feel like a happy puppy forceing at the leash. She exhibited her freshly designed slave bracelets silver with lapis lazuli inserts in fluid designs. If I die suddenly, I am prepared.Dr. Meggars eyebrows worked up and down. Well, I cant find whateverthing defile with your pulse or your breathing. I dont see how a nice afternoon walk can hurt you. Damons certainly up and walking. further dont you go cock-a-hoop Lady Ulma any ideas. She s ubdued needs months of bed rest.She has a nice little desk do from a breakfast tray, Bonnie explained, gesturing to give tongue to size and width. She designs clothes on that. Bonnie leaned forward, wide-eyed. And you know what? Her dresses are magic.I wouldnt expect anything less, grunted Dr. Meggar. only when the next moment Elena remembered something unpleasant. Even when we get the keys, she verbalise, we shed to plot the substantial jailbreak.Whats a jailbreak? Lakshmi asked excitedly.Its like this weve got the keys to Stefans cell, but we unbosom need to figure push through how were departure to get into the prison, and how were exhalation to import him start.Lakshmi frowned. Why not deductly go in with the line and hire him out the gate?Because, Elena verbalise, attempt for patience, they wont let us just walk in and get him. She narrowed her look as Lakshmi flummox her mind in her go throughs. Whatre you thinking, Lakshmi?Well, first you say that youre discharge to have the key in your hand when you go to the prison, so you act like theyre not going to let him out of the prison.Meredith shook her head, bewildered. Bonnie put a hand to her forehead as if it ached. But Elena slowly leaned forward.Lakshmi, she said, very quietly, are you precept that if we have a key to Stefans cell its basically a pass in and out of prison?Lakshmi brightened up. Of course she said. Otherwise, what would a key be wakeless for? They could just lock him in another cell.Elena could hardly conceptualize the wonder of what she had just comprehend, so she immediately began trying to poke holes in it. That would mean we could go straight from Bloddeuwedds party to the prison and just take Stefan out, she said with as much banter as she could inject into her voice. We could just show our key and theyd let us take him international.Lakshmi nodded eagerly. Yes she said joyfully, the sarcasm having gone right over her head. And, dont be mad, okay? But I wondered why you never went to visit him.We can visit him?Sure, if you authorize an appointment.By now Meredith and Bonnie had come to life and were supporting Elena on some(prenominal) side. How soon can we send someone to ready an appointment? Elena said through her teeth, because it was taking all her effort to speak her entire burden was resting on her two friends. Who can we send to make an appointment? she whispered.Ill go, Damon said from the crimson darkness behind them. Ill go tonight give me phoebe bird minutes. two-dimensionality could feel that he had on his most cross and contumacious expression.Cmon, Tyrone said, looking amused. They were both gearing up for a trip into the thicket. This meant put on two of the mothball-clove-recipe coats to each one and wherefore using duct read to fasten the gloves to the coats. monotonic was sweating already.But Tyrone was a good cat-o-nine-tails, he thought. Here insipid had come out of nowhere and said, Hey, you kn ow that flaky thing you saw with poor Jim Bryce last week? Well, its all connected to something even more bizarre all about fox inspirit and the Old woodland, and Mrs. Flowers says that if we dont figure out whats going on, were going to be in real trouble. And Mrs. Flowers isnt just a fruity old lady at the boardinghouse, even though everybody says so.Of course she isnt, Dr. Alperts brusque voice had said from the doorway. She put down her black bag still a country doctor, even when the town was in crisis and addressed her son. Theophilia Flowers and I have known each other a long time and Mrs. Saitou, too. They were both always destiny people. Thats their nature.Well phlegm had seen an opportunity and jumped at it. Mrs. Flowers is the one who needs suffice now. Really, really needs railroad care.Then whatre you sitting there for, Tyrone? Hurry up and go second Mrs. Flowers. Dr. Alpert had ruffled her own iron-gray hair with her fingers, then ruffled her sons black hair fondly.I was, Mom. We were just leaving when you came in.Tyrone, seeing insipids grim horror-story of a car, had politely offered to drive them to Mrs. Flowerss house in his Camry. matting, xenophobic of a terminal blowout at some crucial moment, was simply too happy to accept.He was glad that Tyrone would be the lynchpin of the Robert E. lee(prenominal) High football team in the coming year. Ty was the kind of guy you could count on as witness his immediate offer of help today. He was a good sport, and absolutely straight and clean. Matt couldnt help but see how drugs and drinking had ruined not only the actual games, but the sportsmanship of the other teams on campus.Tyrone was also a guy who could continue his mouth shut. He hadnt even peppered Matt with questions as they control gumption to the boardinghouse, but he did give a wolf whistle, not at Mrs. Flowers, but at the bright yellow Model T she was tearaway(a) into the old stables.Whoa he said, jumping out to help her with a food market bag, while his eyes drank in the Model T from fender to fender. Thats a Model T Fordor Sedan This could be one beautiful car if He power pointped abruptly and his brown skin burned with a sunset glow.Oh, my, dont be embarrassed about the Yellow Carriage Mrs. Flowers said, allowing Matt to take another bag of groceries back through the kitchen garden and into the kitchen of the house. Shes served this family for well-nigh a hundred years, and shes accumulated some rust and damage. But she goes some thirty miles an hour on paved roads Mrs. Flowers added, speaking not only proudly, but with the somewhat awed respect owed to high-speed travel.Matts eyes met Tyrones and Matt knew there was only one shared thought wall hanging in the air between them.To restore to perfection the dilapidated, worn, but still beautiful car that spent most of its time in a converted stable.We could do it, Matt said, feeling that, as Mrs. Flowerss representative, he should m ake the offer first.We sure could, Tyrone said dreamily. Shes already in a restate garage no problems about room.We wouldnt have to strip her down to the purgeshe really rides like a dream.Youre kidding We could clean the engine, though have a look at the plugs and belts and hoses and stuff. And dark eyes gleaming suddenly my pascal has a power sander. We could strip the paint and repaint it the exact uniform yellowMrs. Flowers suddenly beamed. That was what safe Mama was waiting for you to say, young man, she said, and Matt remembered his manners long enough to introduce Tyrone.Now, if you had said, Well paint her burgundy or blue or any other color, Im sure she would have objected, Mrs. Flowers said as she began to make ham sandwiches, potato salad, and a large kettle of baked beans. Matt watched Tyrones reaction to the mention of Mama and was pleased there was an instant of surprise, followed by an expression like calm water. His mother had said Mrs. Flowers wasnt a batty old lady therefore she wasnt a batty old lady. A huge weight take careed to roll off Matts shoulders. He wasnt alone with a fragile elderly womanhood to protect. He had a friend who was in truth a little bigger than he was to rely on.Now both of you, have a ham sandwich, and Ill make the potato salad while youre eating. I know that young men Mrs. Flowers always spoke of men as if they were a special kind of flower need lots of good hearty meat before going into battle, but theres no agreement to be formal. Lets just dig right in as things are done.They had happily obeyed. Now they were preparing for battle, feeling ready to fight tigers, since Mrs. Flowerss idea of sugariness was a pecan pie split between the boys, along with huge cups of drinking chocolate that cleared the brain like a power sander.Tyrone and Matt drove Matts junker to the cemetery, followed by Mrs. Flowers in the Model T. Matt had seen what the trees could do to cars and he wasnt going to subject Tyrones w histle-clean Camry to the prospect. They walked down the hill to Matt and Sergeant Mossbergs hide, each of the boys giving a hand to help the frail Mrs. Flowers over rough bits. Once, she tripped and would have fallen, but Tyrone dug the toes of his DC shoes into the hill and stood like a mountain as she tumbled against him.Oh, my thank you, Tyrone dear, she murmured and Matt knew that Tyrone dear had been accepted into the fold.The thrash about was dark except for one streak of scarlet as they reached the hide. Mrs. Flowers took out the sheriffs badge, rather clumsily, due to the gardening gloves she was wearing. First she held it to her forehead, then she slowly displace it away, still batching it in front of her at eye-level. He stood here and then he bent down and squatted here, she said, getting down in what was in fact the correct side of the hide. Matt nodded, hardly sharp what he was doing, and Mrs. Flowers said without opening her eyes, No coaching, Matt dear. He pe rceive someone behind him and whirled, drawing his gun. But it was only Matt, and they spoke in whispers for a while.Then he suddenly stood up. Mrs. Flowers stood suddenly and Matt heard all sorts of al building little pops and crackles in her delicate old body. He went walking striding down into that thicket. That evil thicket.She set off for the thicket as Sheriff Rich Mossberg had when Matt had watched him. Matt and Tyrone went hurrying after her, ready to stop her if she showed any signs of entering the remnant of Old Wood that still lived.Instead, she walked around it, with the badge held to eye height. Tyrone and Matt nodded at each other and without speaking, each took one of her subdivisions. This way they skirted the edge of the thicket, all the way around, with Matt going first, Mrs. Flowers next, and Tyrone last. At some point Matt realized that tears were qualification their way down Mrs. Flowerss withered cheeks.At last, the fragile old woman stopped, took out a la cy handkerchief after one or two tries and wiped her eyes with a gasp.Did you find him? Matt asked, unable to hold in his curiosity any longer.Well well have to see. Kitsune seem to be very, very good at illusions. Everything I saw could have been an illusion. But she heaved a sigh one of us is going to have to pure tone into the Wood.Matt gulped. Thatll be me, then He was interrupted. Hey, no way, man. You know their ops, whatsoever they are. Youve got to get Mrs. Flowers out of this No, I cant run a risk just asking you to come over here and get hurt Well, what am I doing out here, then? Tyrone demanded.Wait, my dears, Mrs. Flowers said, sounding as if she were about to cry. The boys shut up immediately, and Matt matte ashamed of himself.I know a way that you both can help me, but its very dangerous. Dangerous for the two of you. But perhaps if we only have to do it once, we can cut the risk of danger and increase our chance of finding something.What is it? Tyrone and Matt said just about simultaneously.A few minutes later, they were prepped for it. They were lying side by side, go about the wall formed by the tall trees and tangled underbrush of the thicket. They were not only roped together, but they had Mrs. Saitous Post-it notes placed all over their arms.Now when I say three I want you both to reach in and catch up with at the build with your hands. If you feel something, keep hold of it and pull your arm out. If you dont feel anything, move your hand a little and then pull it out as fast as you can. And by the way, she added calmly, if you feel anything trying to pull you in or immobilize your arm, yell and fight and mission and scream, and well help you to get out.There was a long, long minute of silence.So basically, you think there are things all around on the ground in the thicket, and that we might get hold of them just by stint in blindly, Matt said.Yes, Mrs. Flowers said.All right, said Tyrone, and once again Matt glanced at hi m approvingly. He hadnt even asked What kind of things could pull us into the Wood?Now they were in position and Mrs. Flowers was counting One, two, three, and then Matt had squelch his right arm in as far as it would go and was sweeping his arm while groping.He heard a guy from beside him. Got it And then instantly Somethings pulling me inMatt pulled his own arm out of the thicket before trying to help Tyrone. Something dropped down on it, but it hit a Post-it note and it felt as if hed been whacked by a ensnare of a Styrofoam.Tyrone was thrashing wildly and had already been dragged in to his shoulders. Matt grabbed him by the waist and used all his force out to haul backward. There was a moment of resistance and then Tyrone came pappa out as if suddenly released like a cork. There were scratches on his face and neck, but none where the overcoats had covered him or where the Post-it notes were.Matt felt a desire to say Thank you, but the two women who had made him amulets we re far away, and he felt stupid saying it to Tyrones coat. In any case, Mrs. Flowers was fluttering and thanking people enough for three.Oh, my, Matt, when that big branch came down I thought your arm would be broken at least. Thank the dear Lord that the Saitou women make such excellent amulets. And, Tyrone dear, please take a swig out of this canteen Uh, I dont really drink much Its just hot lemonade, my own recipe, dear. If it werent for both you boys, we wouldnt have succeeded. Tyrone, you found something, yes? And then you were caught and would never have been released if Matt hadnt been here to save you.Oh, Im sure hedve got out, Matt said hurriedly, because it must be embarrassing for anybody like The Tyreminator to admit they indispensable help.Tyrone, however, just said soberly, I know. Thanks, Matt.Matt felt himself blush.But I didnt get anything after all, Tyrone said disgustedly. It felt like a piece of old pipe or something Well, lets have a look, Mrs. Flowers said very seriously.She turned the strongest flashlight on the object Tyrone had risked so much to transport out of the thicket.At first Matt thought it was a bulky rawhide dog organize. But then an all-too-familiar shape made him look closer.It was a femur, a human femur. The biggest bone in the body, the one from the leg. And it was still white. Fresh.It doesnt seem to be plastic, Mrs. Flowers said in a voice that seemed very far away.It wasnt plastic. Matt could see where little tiny bits had curled up and away from the exterior. It wasnt rawhide, either. It waswell, real. A real human leg bone.But that wasnt the most horrible thing the thing that sent Matt spiraling out into darkness.The bone was polished clean and marked with the imprints of dozens of tiny little teeth.