Title: Ghost Town - the alternative universe rewrite
Chapter: 13
Author: squeezynz@free.net.nz
Rating: PG
all the rest, see chapter one

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Steve opened his eyes and looked curiously at his hand. A narrow bar of morning sunlight lay warmly on his outstretched arm where it rested on the wooden floor under the planter. After a few seconds of contemplating his hand Steve noticed that the rest of his body was cold, a shiver shaking him as he rolled onto his side and attempted to sit up. His whole side ached where he'd used the crutch to expedite his escape from the house, and he absently rubbed at his bruised armpit while taking in the other occupants of this strange hideout. Mark and Valerie lay a few feet away, apparently still asleep. Valerie was snuggled into Marks chest, his arm curled protectively around her shoulder. Steve smiled ruefully to himself as he shuffled over and shook Mark's shoulder.

" Time we were moving,"

" Yeah, I'm awake,"

Mark gently patted Valerie's face, relieved when a pair of sleepy blue eyes greeted him, blinking at the bright sunlight.

" How did I get here, and where are we ?" Valerie asked, surprised to find herself comfortably clasped against Mark's chest. Blushing she pushed herself upright and surveyed their sparse surroundings.

" How are you feeling ?" asked Mark, stretching out his cramped limbs.

" Um...fine, I think. That awful dizziness has gone and I don't have a headache anymore,"

" What about you Steve, how's the foot ?"

" It's better, I'll find out how much when I try and stand on it,"

" You still haven't told me where we are ?" said Valerie, looking up at the low wooden ceiling festooned with cobwebs.

" It's a box planter on the deck outside Ackman's back door, Mark carried you here last night when we escaped from Lizzie, she tried to force us out of the vent by turning on the heating."

Valerie gave Mark a grateful smile, a flush staining her cheeks as she realised she'd spent the night warmed and protected in his arms.

" What are we going to do now ?"

Valerie looked from Steve to Mark, getting no immediate reply.

" Anything happen after we crashed last night ?" asked Mark, peering out from under the edge of the planter to survey the deck beyond.

" I heard Ackman come back to the house shortly after we got out, after that nothing," said Steve, easing himself over to look out over their surroundings.

" I'm guessing it's still early. If we can get down those steps we'll have plenty of cover if anyone comes out of the house," said Mark, pointing to the railing where the edge of the deck appeared to end in a sheer drop.

" Valerie stay here, we'll go and check out the steps,"

Without waiting for a reply Steve scooted out from under the planter and stood up, starting to hobble slowly across the planking to the railing. Mark followed close behind, casting looks back to the door for any signs of movement. Reaching the edge they paused to take in the drop to the first step. A wooden banister ran down the edge of the steps like a steep slide, the uprights, turned spindles like huge Egyptian columns, towered over their heads.

" If we secure a rope to the top we could slide down from post to post," suggested Mark, " it's wide enough so we wouldn't slip off the side,"

" Do we have enough rope to just climb straight to the bottom, off the side of the stairs ?" asked Steve, leaning out to look over the rim. Below the stairs plants sprouted upwards, reaching about halfway to the deck so they couldn't see the ground. Mark shook his head.

" Without knowing what we're landing on, I don't want to risk it,"

" What about the steps then ?" asked Steve, looking down at the flat expanse of the first step way below where they stood.

" Certainly shorter climbs, but it'll take longer and we run the risk of getting caught half way down,"

" Then down the slide we go, lets get the gear and get started."

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Lizzie rested her arms on the window ledge, the sunlight making her squint as she looked out over the lawn towards the woods. She had had to abandon her pursuit of the Little People in the heating duct when her Grandfather had returned, her ready reply to his query about her being on the stair allaying the old mans suspicions. Now she assumed that her quarry was long gone. Glancing down at the roof of the deck below her window her eye was caught by a tiny flash of light that just as quickly disappeared. The flash had come from the steps that were just visible from her bedroom window. She waited for the flash to repeat and was just about to get up when a faint flash, this time further down the stairs winked again.

" Maybe I didn't drive them out far enough," Lizzie mused, taking a last look at the stairs before rushing to her cupboard and pulling on clothes. After dragging a comb brutally through her hair, she pulled on a pair of sneakers and quietly opened her door onto the landing. Tiptoeing carefully to the head of the stairs she paused, then hurriedly negotiated the stairs and padded across the lobby to the back door. The sun was streaming in the glass panels, making her squint against the bright light. Pulling back the bolt and turning the handle, Lizzie opened the back door and slipped through. She fumbled in her pocket for the net and drew it out as she carefully approached the first step leading down to the garden. As the stair came into view, she saw a movement near the bottom of the side rail and a flash of red. Biting her lip she shook out the net and grasped it in both hands. Holding her breath she gently stepped onto the top step, then the next until she was only two steps away from where the Little People were climbing down. They had nearly reached the bottom step and it was obvious that if they reached the ground they could reach cover and be lost. With a practised flick of her wrist, Lizzie sent the net sailing through the air to land with unerring accuracy on top of the three tiny people, the weights on the edges of the net wrapping around the struggling figures and securing them so they tumbled the last few feet to the dirt and lay there, looking up at their captor.

" Thought you'd get away from me, did you?" Lizzie crouched next to the small bundle of netting, " Don't worry, I won't harm you...at least not right away, but I will put you somewhere so you won't hurt yourselves, it's very dangerous for Little People, too dangerous to let you roam around on your own," reaching down, Lizzie scooped up the net, a sudden sharp prick making her nearly drop the precious bundle.

" Ouch...what have you got in there ?" Lizzie sucked on her finger then saw the shiny pin sticking out of the netting. Plucking it out she let the pin drop on the ground.

" Can't have you playing with such a dangerous weapon now can I, you might injure yourselves."

Starting to walk around the side of the house, Lizzie mentally went through the various cages currently empty of pets.

" I think you might have to share a cage with one of my pets, but I don't want you to be eaten, so I'll have to choose carefully, won't I ?"

Reaching the lean-to where the animals and reptiles were kept, Lizzie reached a decision.

" I think you'll be safe enough with my pet tortoise, he's a herbivore and quite harmless, unless he steps on you of course."

Lizzie held the net up to her face to peer at her captives, then carefully lowered the net and its contents into a deep, glass tank.

" There you go, now don't go annoying my pet, and I'll be back soon to see how you're all doing. Bye bye!" Lizzie grinned at the bundle of netting, secured the glass roof, and skipped away, her step light.

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Dan, with some of their precious water supply, helped Betty to clean up her battered face, the result showing a deep, ragged cut on her scalp that fortunately appeared to show no signs of infection. Betty was still vague about what had happened to her, her recollection of their crash landing on the planet and subsequent adventures beyond her memories reach. She seemed to only remember arriving at the spaceport, before the passengers arrived. After that, her memory failed her. Dan had told her everything that had happened to their small group but she only shook her head in confusion, hardly believing what her ears were hearing. With their new light source, Fitzhugh and Barry had laid out the food left by Ackman and waited for Dan and Betty to join them on the flatbed of the truck. After their impromptu meal, Dan scouted around the workshed and found some more tarpaulins, enough to keep everyone snug until the morning. Once everyone was settled again, Dan snuffed the lamp and sat on watch until Fitzhugh relieved him several hours later.

In the morning, they discussed their next move. Finding Steve, Mark and Valerie was their most pressing need, and Dan suggested that they try checking out the house, taking care to avoid contact with Ackman or Lizzie. Fitzhugh was all for staying in the barn and Dan suggested that maybe Betty would be better off staying behind, but she voiced her own protest and wouldn't allow Dan to coddle her, despite her injuries.

Eventually they packed up their meagre supplies, making backpacks out of the tarpaulins with some thin wiring found coiled against the wall, and headed out. Dan lead the way, having seen some of the ground around the control room, his view of the town from being held in the glass jar by Lizzie imprinted like an aerial map on his mind. They tramped for the better part of the morning, reaching the narrow grove of trees that separated the model town from the grounds of the house without meeting any Giants or other hazards. They had just reached the edge of the small wood and were preparing to head out over the clipped lawn when vibrations alerted them to the approach of a Giant. Crouching down behind a large rock, they waited while Ackman stomped past. Behind Ackman, Lizzie skipped along the path, her expression smug and self-satisfied. Dan, knowing the extent of the Giant girls cruelty, wondered at that expression, his sixth sense telling him that she had something up her sleeve, and it boded no good for any of them.

They stayed hidden for some time, in case the Giants returned to the house, but eventually Dan lead his small group around the edge of the garden and approached the house, finding cover in the plants growing under the deck. By now it was past midday and they consumed their remaining rations while resting in the shade of a huge, broad-leaf plant that towered over their head and waved gracefully in the slight breeze.

" I want to check out where Lizzie keeps her pets," said Dan, looking at the tired faces of his companions.

" How do we know where that monstrous child keeps her menagerie," exclaimed Fitzhugh," I'm not entering that house, to be caught again."

" I doubt if the animals are kept inside, more likely they're in a shed or lean-to at the side of the building," said Dan, smiling gratefully at Betty as she passed him the last of the water.

" We'll have to cross the path to reach the other side of the house, it will expose us if the Giants return,"

" Not really, we could push our way through this undergrowth and see what's under the decking, it might be fairly easy going there and we won't be out in the open,"

" That sounds like a good idea Dan," said Betty, " that sun is sure hot,"

" My thoughts exactly," said Dan, " in the meantime, you all stay here and I'll scout around this side of the house before we venture any further,"

" Can Chipper and I come with you Dan ?" asked Barry, who looked the freshest out of all of them.

" Sure, why not, but keep Chipper on the lead, okay ?"

" What should we do if the Giants return ?" asked Fitzhugh in some alarm.

" Keep and eye on them, and keep out of sight," Dan replied, flashing the concerned man a wide grin.

" Be careful Dan, don't be gone long," said Betty, her transparent panic at losing her only familiar face obvious in her nervous smile.

" I'll be back before you miss me," Dan quipped, getting to his feet and starting to push his way out of the undergrowth, Barry and Chipper close behind.

Fitzhugh settled himself back on the warm ground, his hand waving in front of his face like a fan. Betty stood awhile longer, watching where the man and boy had disappeared into the plants. Finally she turned and joined Fitzhugh where he leaned against a stalk, his eyes closed, apparently dozing.

" I hope we find the others soon," said Betty, coming to sit next to where Fitzhugh lounged.

" They also serve who only sit and wait," Fitzhugh quoted lazily, " so we sit and we wait,".

" Dan told me about how we came here and what's been happening, but he didn't' tell me what you're part is in all this, Mr. Fitzhugh,"

" That's because nobody knows or has cared to ask," Fitzhugh replied.

" And you're not going to tell me either, are you ?"

" No my girl, I'm not, so please be quiet and let an old man get his beauty sleep."

Shutting his eyes again, Fitzhugh settled himself again and turned slightly away from Betty. Taking this as her dismissal, Betty got to her feet and wandered over to where the plants thinned enough to allow a clear view back towards the trees that screened the tiny town. She chewed her thumb nail as she watched for Dan and Barry's return. Her mind remained stubbornly vague in regards her time spent with this odd group of strangers, but Dan atleast was familiar and she held onto that fact with grim determination, taking heart that Dan seemed to think it would all come back, given time and patience.

Betty hoped fervently that he was right.

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Steve hobbled over to the glass wall and thumped his fist against it in frustration.

They had been lucky not to incur more injuries with their capture by Lizzie. Apart from being shaken and jostled in the net, and having knees and elbows unavoidable entangled, they had survived their latest disaster intact and unhurt. Once Lizzie had left they had unravelled themselves from the net and taken stock. Apart from removing the needle, Lizzie had left them with everything else, even a length of rope and a hook. The only problem was that the side of the glass tank was simply too high for even Steve to throw a line over, and with nothing to stand on or climb they were completely stumped. Mark had tried to crack the glass with the rocks inside the terrarium, but they had proved too lightweight to have any impact. The occupant of the tank, an enormous armour plated tortoise, sat recumbent in the far corner of the enclosure, munching contentedly on a pile of leaves, its rheumy eyes intent on its meal. The rest of the environment was made up of a sandy base coarse with rocks and branches scattered about, a tray of water in one corner and a food tray in another. In the time since they'd arrived Mark and Steve had dragged several of the bigger pieces over to a triangle of rocks to form a corral, a paltry defence if the tortoise decided to investigate his new roomies.

Since Lizzie had left them, several hours ago, they had explored every inch not occupied by the reptile and found no escape. They now watched the tortoise munch its meal, their own hunger gnawing at them. They could see that several pieces of fruit were also laying in the food tray and Mark had already suggested they try and get hold of it for themselves. Now he and Steve were making their way around the back of the tortoise, getting closer to their objective, apparently unnoticed by the feeding reptile. Steve was closest but just as he tried to dodge behind the huge shell the animal moved and blocked his access. Mark had frozen as the giant head turned in his direction, the watery black eyes fixing on his position, unmoving and steady. After long seconds the eyes blinked and the head dipped to grab another green leaf, giving Mark a chance to relax and take a breath he hadn't realised he was holding. Seeing that Steve was blocked, Mark continued to approach the food tray, the fruit temptingly close. Keeping an eye on the maw munching steadily on the thick leaf, Mark leant over the edge of the tray and grabbed a firm hold on the largest piece he could reach. Moving slowly he pulled back and started to walk away, casting looks over his shoulder to make sure the animal didn't follow. Seeing no change he picked up the pace after signalling to Steve and started back to where Valerie watched anxiously from their redoubt.

Once back, they waited for Steve to arrive before apportioning the fruit.

" Not exactly gourmet fair, I'm afraid,"

" Do you hear me complaining ?" said Steve, sitting down heavily on one of the rocks, his foot still causing him considerable pain.

" Mmmmmm its like apple," said Valerie, sampling a wedge that Mark had cut for her, " its very sweet...tastes heavenly,"

" Here Steve, try some," Mark held out a chunk, smiling when Steve's grimace turned to a grin after the first bite.

" Hey, not bad, my compliments to the chef,"

They consumed the fruit, getting thoroughly sticky in the process.

" I need a bath after that, we all could," Valerie laughed, her sense of the ridiculous taking the edge off of their precarious situation. The two men looked at her in astonishment, then at eat other, seeing the grubby faces and sticky hands, like children caught raiding an orchard.

" I guess we could all do with cleaning up, who's for a trip to the water tray," said Mark, tossing the bits of rind as far as possible from where they sat.

" If our stolid friend doesn't mind us using his water source, of course,"

" Where is he, anyway ?"

" In the other corner, that meal must have sent him to sleep, I can only see the shell," said Valerie, standing on one of the rock to see.

" Let's visit the water trough then. Mark, can I borrow your pocket knife ?"

" Yeah, what do you want it for ?"

" Is it sharp ?"

" Always,"

" Good, I want to scrape some of these bristles off, they itch," said Steve, rubbing his fingers over his chin, a faint rasping noise accompanying the action.

" I think I'll live with mine until we get back to the ship, never was much good without a mirror, and I've had enough blood lost this trip,"

They made their way to the trough, finding the water fresh enough for drinking and washing. Mark kept watch as Valerie and Steve cleaned up, then Steve kept watch for Mark. Finally they all made their way back over the sand and pebbles to their small enclosure.

" I wonder how Dan and the others are getting on, do you think they've returned to the Spindrift ?"

Steve shook his head. "Dan won't leave Mark, he'll be looking for us."

" How can he find us, stuck in here, and even if he does, how can he get us out ?"

Steve looked around their glass prison.

" I don't know Valerie, I really don't know."

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