Title: Ghost Town-the alternative universe rewrite
Chapter: 11
Author: squeezynz@free.net.nz
Rating: PG
all the rest, see chapter one

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Dan could almost taste freedom. He pushed against the glass wall again, the beaker rocking as he threw his weight back and forth. With a final effort the glass jar teetered, teasingly balanced, then it crashed onto its side, Dan spilling out as the jar started to roll across the floor.

Scrambling to his feet he made his way around the end of the wooden crate and looked out over the expanse of ground. Looking back he saw the other glass container, still holding the spider. Giving an expressive shudder, Dan started to run, making for the closest cover afforded by the low growing plants around the control room. Lizzie hadn't had alot of time to hide her captives, shoving them behind some empty crates beside the control room before her Grandfather had appeared. She hadn't bothered securing the sheet of wood that made up the makeshift roof of Dan's prison, although, as he wasn't able to climb the sides it was effective enough. Having spent a short time slumped in despair, his natural ebullience resurfaced and he started to look around for a way to escape. Having the gleaming eyes of the spider watching his every move spurred him on to greater efforts, and after he witnessed Lizzie's dressing down and dismissal he realised his chance had come. Once Ackman had also disappeared Dan had applied himself to getting himself out.

With that accomplished he now had to find his shipmates. Having watched as the old man had returned with the box of train bits, Dan figured that the others had either escaped into the woods or hidden around the out-buildings. With this in mind Dan skirted the edge of the cleared area, keeping the bushes between him and the railway line. Reaching the first building he ducked behind the wall, looking for a window. Finding one, he peered in, cupping his hands around his eyes to see into the gloom. Seeing nothing moving he continued on, checking the rear wall and finding a door half open. Slipping inside he rested against the wooden wall and surveyed the interior.

" ANYONE IN HERE ?" he called, pitching his voice to reach the far corners. Getting no answer he moved back to the door and looked outside again. Pushing past the door he sprinted to the next building, crouching down and looking around for any sign of life. Slinking along the side of the building, which he recognised as the one he and Steve had found the red truck in, Dan found the back door and pushed it open.

Only to duck as a lump of timber whistled through the air, narrowly missing his head.

" What th....!!!"

" DAN" Barry launched himself at the co-pilot, wrapping his arms about the mans middle in a crushing hug.

" Barry....are the others with you, who took a swing at me ?"

" Sorry Dan, that was me," said Fitzhugh sheepishly, coming out of the shadows and dropping the piece of timber that he had been brandishing.

" Just as well you never played baseball, Mr.Fitzhugh, I'd be minus my head with that swing,"

" How did you escape ?" asked Barry. Dan looked around the dimly lit barn, hoping to see the others.

" I tipped over the jar and rolled out, Barry. Fitzhugh, what's happened to the others ?"

" We haven't seen Betty since the train crash, same with Chipper," Fitzhugh hedged.

" And the others, where's Steve and Mark, what about Valerie ?" Dan pushed, not understanding why the older man was avoiding the question. Barry decided to answer for him.

" We saw a Giant woman come and capture Captain Burton and the others and take them away. We don't know who she was or where she went."

Dan looked sharply at Fitzhugh, a horrid suspicion forming.

" Why didn't you follow them and find out ?"

" We had a duty to keep ourselves safe, so we hid, we would be no use to them getting caught," said Fitzhugh stiffly, his posture defensive.

" I see, so now we don't even know what direction the woman took, or where they are to rescue them," Dan bit out, his opinion of the older man's cowardice plain in his voice.

" I heard Chipper barking earlier on," Barry told him, not understanding Dan's anger or Fitzhugh uneasy manner.

" We don't know if it was Chipper, and anyway it was a long way off," Fitzhugh explained, dismissing the boys observations.

" He may have found Betty, did you think of that ?" Dan accused, his frustration evident.

" Well now you're here we can go and see if it was Chipper," Fitzhugh suggested, trying to divert the co-pilots attention from himself.

Dan bit his lip, to prevent him saying anything more. He was in an impossible situation with few options.

" Okay, lets see what we can find to help ourselves," he said," is there anything in here we can use ?"

" We found some rope, and some tools," Barry told him, his expression hopeful.

" Then lets pick up what we can and start looking for the others."

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Steve was practising with his new crutch, his foot and ankle strapped up and feeling alot more comfortable. He hobbled back and forth across the table top, his makeshift support tapping along as he struggled to get the hang of his new 'third' leg. Mark and Valerie watched as he turned around and came back towards them, a triumphant grin plastered on his face.

" This isn't so bad, who'd have thought you could make a crutch out of Sellotape and a needle threader."

" Better go easy Steve, you don't want to break the speed limit," Mark joked, one hand absently scratching at the new dressing on his shoulder, the bulky pad of bandages visible under his new shirt.

" I'm glad it worked out alright," said a voice above them.

Sira smiled down at the Little People, her plain face keenly interested in Steve's progress with the crutch. She had left the two men to fend for themselves with their injuries, providing them with the water and ointment and tiny bandages she'd cut from a fine linen handkerchief. She had amused herself making another shirt for Mark, his own shirt beyond salvaging. Keeping the design simple, it ended up more like a long sleeved, loose fitting t-shirt than the dress shirt he'd been wearing. Once his shoulder was cleaned up and bandaged Mark was more than happy to don the new apparel, the loose fit comfortable against his bruises.

Valerie watched with mild amusement, her head still aching but more alert since having something to eat and drink. She had only needed to freshen up, having no visible injuries other than a lump the size of a small orange on her scalp at the back of her head. Her vision tended to blur alarmingly if she moved to suddenly and she had spent most of her time reclining on a soft wad of material, watching as the men tended to their wounds. She had wanted to help but one episode of nearly toppling over as she bent to pick up a bandage convinced Mark and Steve that she was better off resting than risking further injury or worse. Now she watched sleepily as Steve lowered himself awkwardly to the ground using the crutch for balance.

" Valerie, are you okay ?" Marks voice came to her as if from a distance.

" You need to keep her awake, or atleast wake her every hour or so. If she has a concussion from that bump you need to keep a close eye on her. I could try and get a lump of ice, but its a problem to get it small enough to use." Sira explained, her expression concerned.

" We could care for her better if we returned to our own home. Are you going to hand us over to Ackman, Sira ?" asked Steve, watching the Giant woman closely.

" I don't want to, but I can't believe you'd be safer out there. There are so many hazards in the woods, how do you expect to survive ?"

" We've managed so far, Sira." Steve stated," and you can't believe that giving us into Lizzie's clutches will mean anything more than our eventual death."

" Maybe her Grandfather will keep her away from you, keep you safe,"

" You don't really think that's going to happen. He only has to leave us alone for a minute and Lizzie will find a way to get back at us, you said yourself, this isn't the first time she's shown cruelty to small creatures. What will happen when she tries another stunt with the snake, or maybe next time it'll be that huge black spider," Steve pressed, trying to make his point of view unarguable. Sira looked down at the trio, her face indecisive.

" It would be a shame to see all your hard work go for nothing," Mark chipped in, seeing Sira waver.

" I suppose if you were to escape while I wasn't looking, there's nothing I could do, is there ?" she finally announced.

" What you tell or don't tell your employer is up to you, we won't say anything," said Steve, his hope rising.

" What will you need ?" asked Sira, her expression resolute.

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Lizzie backed away from the keyhole, her face twisted into a grimace of satisfaction. So the Little People were going to 'escape'. Not if Lizzie had anything to do with it. She was already hatching an idea of how to stop the creatures from evading her clutches. That Mrs.Phall was on their side was of no account. It would be her word against the housekeepers. Thinking quickly she realised that they would most likely use the heating vents to reach ground level, which gave her an idea. Slinking back to her bedroom Lizzie closed her door and sat on her bed, her brain turning over and discarding possible scenarios.

" It has to be something they can't blame on me," she mused, tapping a finger against her cheek.

Hearing a noise she rushed to the window and watched as her Grandfather walked back to the house, two glass jars in his hands. Even from this distance Lizzie could see that one was empty, the other still containing her pet spider.

" Blast, the little insect got away," she hissed, her brow wrinkled in a fierce scowl. Watching until her Grandparent disappeared from view, she flounced back to the bed and flopped down on her stomach.

" Another crime to add to my list," she sighed," at this rate I won't be leaving my bedroom until next Thrumbeldinbar Day."

She listened to her Grandfather stomp up the stairs, calling for Mrs.Phall, then the sound of the sewing room door open and shut, the housekeeper's shoes tapping along the hall and her voice answering the old man. Rolling over and sitting up, Lizzie started to straighten her clothes, knowing that if she showed a truly repentant face her Grandfather might shorten her incarceration enough to allow her to put her plan for recapturing the Little People into action.

Schooling her face to naive impassivity, Lizzie awaited her Grandfathers arrival.

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" I'm sure I heard Chipper barking from over there," Barry pointed, " Chipper, here boy, can you hear me, CHIPPER !"

Fitzhugh looked around nervously as the boy called to his dog. They had canvassed all the outbuilding, finding no sign of Betty or the dog. Fitzhugh shifted the coil of knotted rope from one shoulder to the other, rubbing where a knot had chafed through his thin shirt.

" How far are we going to look, its getting late and we need to have some shelter for the night," he commented almost instantly regretting opening his mouth when Dan turned around and shot him a darkling look.

" And Betty will be out there, possibly injured, alone and in danger,"

" We can't leave Betty out here, Mr.Fitzhugh, but if your so concerned about your welfare, you can stay here, Barry and I will search for Betty and Chipper." Dan glared at Fitzhugh, his face set while Barry looked on with impassive interest.

" There's no need to be abrasive, I was only suggesting we stop...maybe, if you think otherwise, then far be if for me to object," Fitzhugh blustered, his protest withering under Dan's icy stare. The three had just entered the wood in search of any clues to the missing members of their group when Barry suddenly stopped, his hand gripping Dan's arm.

"What is it Barry ?" Dan asked, looking down at the boys arrested expression.

" I can hear something, very distant, but I think it's Chipper...he's whining I think."

Dan and Fitzhugh both scanned the surrounding trees, trying to hear what the boy obviously had heard.

" Which direction Barry, can you tell ?" Dan asked, giving up on trying to hear the dog.

" This way," said Barry, taking off at a run, brushing past a thicket and quickly disappearing from sight. After a moments hesitation, Dan and Fitzhugh gave chase.

" I'm really not up to this gallivanting around," puffed Fitzhugh, his face perspiring as he followed Dan around the base of a massive tree. On the other side, Barry had stopped, his head tilted to one side, listening hard. Then just as the others stopped he was off again, leaping nimbly over low rocks and darting around bushes.

" This way Dan, hurry," he called back to the others, who, after a brief respite followed his lead.

Barry burst through a particularly thick hedge of growth into a small clearing, the sound of Chipper now very close.

" Chipper, good dog, where are you ?" he called as Fitzhugh and Dan reached the clearing. Suddenly they all heard the sound of the dog barking, but it sounded muffled and hollow. Dan put down his coil of rope and started to look at the ground, trying to find an opening, or hole where the dog appeared to be stuck. Reaching a clump of weeds he pushed them aside and looked down into a narrow hole, the edges rough as if recently broken. Kneeling down, he edged closer and peered into the dark opening.

" Betty are you there ?"

" Dan...Dan ?" a voice quavered, its owner not too far away, another excited bark from Chipper confirmed the identity of the missing pair.

" Are you hurt, can you stand ?" Dan asked her, trying to see into the gloomy interior.

" Uh...no...I don't know, can you get us out ?" Betty asked weakly, her confusion evident. Dan frowned in concern, sitting back on his heels and looking round for an anchor point for the rope.

" We'll have you out of in no time, I just have to attach the rope to something and I'll come down and help you climb out."

" Oh...okay..." said Betty, vaguely. Dan inched back from the hole, waving Barry and Fitzhugh back from the crumbling edge.

" Take this end and find something to attach it to. It's going to have to take my weight so make it secure, got that ?" He watched as Fitzhugh nodded vigorously, turning at once and scanning the surrounding bushes. Barry was also looking and shouted that he'd found some roots sticking out of the ground, forming a thick loop that would hold the rope. Dan went over and inspected the fibrous root and pronounced it suitable, then tied the first line to that, leaving Fitzhugh to keep an eye on it in case the root gave way or the rope unravelled.

Going back to the hole, Dan spliced the second rope to his and carefully wrapped the end around his middle, then edged his way to the mouth of the opening.

" I'm coming down Betty, stand back and keep Chipper away, in case the ground disintegrates some more."

" Okay Dan,"

" Barry, keep back from the edge, I'll call if I need you to come any closer."

Barry nodded his understanding and watched as Dan eased himself over the lip and down into the hole, the rope swaying as it took his weight. A few minutes later he heard and shout and carefully made his way to the hole, lying on his stomach for the last few feet. Peering down he could see Dan about ten feet below him, holding onto a dusty looking Chipper.

" I've got Chipper tied to the rope, get Fitzhugh to help hauling him up, okay ?"

" Okay,"

Between them, Barry and Fitzhugh easily lifted the little dog out of the hole, its tail wagging despite the rather bumpy ride. Once out they untied Chipper and a fulsome welcome between boy and dog ensued. Then they lowered the rope once more and Dan attached Betty to the sling, securing it under her armpits and giving Fitzhugh and Barry the signal. With Dan helping from below and the two hauling from above, Betty soon appeared at the lip of the hole, her eye's squinting in the sudden light. With a last kick she lay panting on the ground, then rolled over and crawled to where Fitzhugh and Barry waited.

" We're so glad we found you," said Barry, his face split in a wide smile. Chipper was still hopping about, his tail wagging madly.

Betty looked rather vaguely at the two people staring at her so intently.

" I should know you, but I'm...I'm not sure..." she said, slowly pulling the makeshift harness off over her head. Fitzhugh took it and threw it back into the hole, leaving Betty staring intently at Barry's face as if she could remember him from sheer force of will alone.

" Ready Fitzhugh ?" Dan called from the hole.

" Ready."

With Fitzhugh bracing the rope, Dan quickly climbed out of the trap, rolling away from the edge and coming to his feet a little way away from where Betty sat, her knees drawn up, still casting worried looks at the boy and his dog. Fitzhugh sidled over.

" What's wrong with her ?" he asked, pitching his voice low to avoid Betty hearing his query.

" From the look of her injury, she took a hell of a knock, she could be suffering from amnesia,"

" What can we do for her ?" Fitzhugh asked, his hands raised in confusion.

" Nothing really, I knew a pilot who was in an air accident. He got pretty badly banged up and couldn't remember a thing. He did get his memory back...eventually,"

" How long was 'eventually'?"

" Two years,"

Fitzhugh swallowed hard.

" Let's get back to the train sheds, we can get Betty cleaned up and sort out how we're going to rescue the others, always supposing we can even find them." Dan started to coil the rope, sending Betty a warm smile when the girl turned towards him, scrutinising his face closely.

" I know you're name is Dan, but I can't remember where I know you from," she said, her forehead creasing in a frown of concentration.

" Don't worry Betty, we'll fill you in on what's been happening, maybe that will help to jog your memory," said Dan, coming over and giving the bewildered girl a hand up. Cutting off a short piece of rope, Dan handed it to Barry to make a lead for his dog.

" Let's get moving, I don't want to be outside when it gets dark."

Not waiting for an answer, Dan took Betty by the hand and started to lead her back the way they'd come. Fitzhugh, hoisting the rope coil over his shoulder, followed along behind. Barry finished tying the rope around Chippers neck and quickly jogged after his friends, happy that atleast some of the group had been reunited. Now they just had to find a way to rescue the others and they could finally leave this terrifying adventure and get back to the Spindrift.

Behind the tall trees, the sun started it's journey to the horizon, the sky streaked with vivid banners of orange and purple, the shadows on the forest floor lengthening and deepening as the tiny troop of Little People trudged towards the uncertain safety of the out-buildings.

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On hearing Ackman calling for her, Sira was only able to push the sewing basket in front of the Little People before hurrying out of the sewing room, closing the door behind her. On the table, Mark and Steve unwound a reel of thread, creating a rope to use in their escape.

Valerie had been despatched to find something to be used as a grappling hook. She had found a glass jar with a screw cap that contained a variety of safety pins and wicked looking hooks that she recognised as part of a carpet making tool. Realising that she couldn't manage the lid on her own she checked some of the open jars and boxes, finding some blunt metal curtain hooks that would make good grapnels. Hauling them out of the box she made her way back to the men. Steve had completed knotting the rope and was struggling to hoist the rope over his shoulder while balancing on one foot. Mark was over by the side of the table checking their best way down.

" There's a jar of safety pins, but it has a screw lid and I couldn't manage that, I did find these curtain hooks, can we use them ?"

" They'll be fine if we can find something to attach them too, did you see anything we could use as a weapon ?"

" There are some wicked looking darning needles, and some long crochet hooks. Also there's a seam splitter that has a blade but its pretty small."

" I didn't realise you knew so much about sewing Valerie," teased Steve, getting an arched eyebrow in reply.

" I have been known to mend the odd tear in an expensive hemline, just don't ask me to darn your socks, not unless you want a huge lump where the toes are supposed to be."

" I'll bear that in mind."

They watched as Mark returned across the expanse of benchtop, his expression thoughtful.

" What did you find ?" asked Steve.

" We have a couple of choices, there's a light cord that we can use to reach the floor, but its a long climb. Otherwise there's a chair we can reach using a short rope, then climb down the leg to a box below the chair, finally to the floor. It means three short descents rather than one long one."

" Given our combined injuries I think the three short sounds more feasible. Valerie found some hooks to use for anchors and we should have enough rope to do the job." Steve showed the hooks to Mark.

" Lets get these attached and make a start, Sira has bought us some time but I wouldn't like to push our luck."

The three made their way to the edge of the table. Valerie had to carry the parcel of material containing the last of the food, and Mark carried the rope and hooks, as well as the darning needles. Steve had tried to carry the rope but his awkward gait meant it slipped off his shoulder. Mark, seeing his friends difficulty had simply picked up the rope and walked on, leaving Steve to manage at his own pace, unencumbered.

Hooking the rope over a protruding drawer handle, Mark helped Valerie step onto the metal lip and grasp the rope. It was a short climb down to the chair seat and she made it with ease. He then lowered their small bundle, then Steve's crutch tied together with the needles. Then he helped Steve to get himself over the edge and down the rope, finally climbing down himself and joining the others where they stood, peering down at the box, someway below them. After unsnagging the rope, they repeated the procedure to get down the chair leg to the upturned box, reaching that without incident. Then it was a final clamber down the outside of the box to the floor. Once there, they gathered up all their supplies and made their way to the floor vent. A waft of air greeted them, slightly musty. Pulling on the lever Mark opened the slats to their fullest and climbed inside to look around. Inside, it was dark and dusty, with wispy cobwebs stirring in the faint breeze.

" It seems okay, lets get the gear inside,"

He took the coil of rope from Valerie then helped her through the vent opening. Steve poked his crutch through the gap and hopped through the slats unaided, the vent on the other side being plenty big enough for him to stand upright. He could see that a short distance from where he stood the duct formed a t-junction, going to left or right, but thankfully on the flat. Letting Mark take the lead, Steve hobbled along behind Valerie, his makeshift accessory thunking hollowly on the metal floor of the vent.

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