Title: Ghost Town - the Alternative Ending Rewrite
Chapter: Four
Author: squeezynz@free.net.nz
Rating: PG
For all the rest, see the first chapter

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Steve took longer than usual to get dressed the following morning. His clothes had been draped over the end of the bed, almost dry but stained with mud and water. Sitting on the edge of the bed, he watched the strips of sunlight creep over the bare floor. His mind seemed to be conveniently blank, as if conspiring to give him some peace of mind, a state almost forgotten since the Spindrift's crash on this alien planet. Eventually nature took control and a loud rumble from his stomach prompted him to stir and prepare himself to face what he knew would be a difficult encounter. Facing the rest of his crew and passengers downstairs, and the questions that would inevitably be asked.

Straightening his jacket as best as he could, Steve let go a long sigh and walked over to the door of the bedroom. He paused, gathering his emotions and dredging up his best Captain's face, in readiness for the ordeal to come. On the landing outside his room he paused, shutting the door behind him, then walked to the head of the stairs. He could hear a murmur of voices coming from the kitchen as he slowly paced down the stairs. The sun shone mockingly through the pebbled glass of the front door, making the hallway especially cheerful after the gloom of the previous day. As he started to walk down the corridor to the kitchen he heard the voices die away, as if someone had turned down the volume on a radio. Giving his jacket one last tug, Steve opened the door to the back room and walked through.

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Mark decided that opening his eyes was proving just too hard a task. He could feel the dried silt on the skin of his face, making it feel tight. His mouth, when he ran his tongue over his teeth, tasted gritty. He could hear the rustle of the dry straw under his back, the stiff stalks digging into his sore skin when he tried to move. His arms and legs felt as if they were encased in lead, heavy and weak, as if he'd been lifting weights too long. Running his tongue over his dry lips, he tried to slip back into the velvety blackness, but his return to consciousness had brought an awareness of all the bruises and small cuts that seemed to encase him in one, overall, mass of aches and pains. He had also realised, early on, that he was still wearing all his clothes, even his shoes, which seemed to amuse him in an odd way, as if it was a triumph against the water, that he'd somehow managed to keep all his meagre belongings despite the floods best efforts. Bringing one hand up to try and rub the grit out of his eyes was almost too much effort, his arm flopping back onto the straw, his fingers brushing his hair that appeared to be liberally coated in mud, feeling stiff and spiky to his questing fingers. Deciding that he just had to see where he was, he slowly unstuck his eyelids and took a peak through his lashes at his surroundings. It looked all too familiar.

" A box cage...great," he croaked, swallowing what seemed to be a mouthful of grit just to get those few words out. Panting slightly, he tried to roll onto his side, in preparation for an attempt to get upright, but as soon as he moved the dull pain roared into a burning flame and he only managed to let go a sharp groan before the darkness rushed in and he flopped back the few millimetres onto the straw again.

Lizzie, returning to her room, heard the faint groan and rushed over to the box, only to be disappointed to see the little man once more passed out. In her frustration she picked up the cage and tried to shake the man awake, making his body roll back and forth bonelessly. Setting the box back down, Lizzie plumped herself down on the edge of the bed and crossed her arms, her face puckered in a frown.

" Damn, damn, damn...its too bad, I want to have the fun of seeing your reaction to being captured, but its no use if your not awake," she fumed at her tiny, unconscious captive.

Getting to her feet, Lizzie went to look out of her bedroom window, pulling back the curtains to get a better view. The sunlight streamed in, showing the rapidly drying puddles in the path leading to the miniature town. She saw her Grandfather leave the house and start down the path, stepping round the shining circles of water and eventually out of her sight, into the trees. Letting go a huff of annoyance, she turned away, walking out of her room and skipping down the staircase. " If I can't have fun with you, Little Man, I'll just have to find a way to have fun with your friends," she told herself, a smile slanting across her lips to replace the frown. Opening the front door, Lizzie walked around the side of the house and checked on her pets, finding them all safe and sound. Getting herself another box-cage, she opened the glass tank containing her pet snake, which she scooped up and put in the box, shutting the door quickly. It wasn't an ideal way to carry her pet, but it would do until she let it loose, inside the forcefield. Then she'd see some fun and games with those interfering Little People.

Smiling smugly to herself, Lizzie trotted down the path, taking a short cut to the town to avoid meeting her Grandfather, just in case.

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Steve surveyed the faces around the table. Valerie looked as through she hadn't slept at all, dark circles shadowing her swollen eyes. Dan looked stunned, despite having heard about what had happened from Betty the previous night, after Steve had gone to bed. Fitzhugh was appropriately sombre, his lugubrious expression a reflection of how Steve felt. Barry was sitting with his knees drawn up, his face blank, while one hand reached down and ruffled the ears of the patient dog sitting by his chair. The small amount of stew left over from the previous night had been shared among them all, but Chipper had ended up eating most of it as no-one had much of an appetite that morning.

" I know that nobody feels like doing much this morning, but we still need to find a way of escaping this fake town." Steve let his eyes rest on each of the people around the table, " I think we need to approach the Giants to try and find out exactly what they have planned for us,"

" Do we tell them what happened to Mark ?" asked Dan.

" I think we should, they might be able to find his body, or maybe shut off the forcefield so we can recover him," Steve could see that his words were affecting everyone, but he had deliberately been brutal to snap them out of their lethargy and start thinking about their own survival. Fitzhugh looked mildly shocked, his eyebrows climbing his forehead, but he kept his opinion of Steve's lack of tact to himself. Valerie just folded her arms on the table and lay her head on her arms, her hair falling down to cover her face. Betty, sitting next to the distraught woman, patted a sympathetic hand on Valerie's shoulder while still keeping her attention fixed on Steve.

" What do you want us to do Steve ?" she asked, her voice quiet, but firm.

Steve smiled inwardly. Betty could always be relied upon to support her Captain, no matter how dire their situation. It was a rock he found himself leaning on more every day. Snapping himself out of his reverie, he once more started thinking of a way our of their current predicament.

" You and Valerie, with Barry will keep searching the buildings for anything we can use," he instructed, getting a nod from Betty and a smaller, jerky nod from Barry. " Dan, Fitzhugh and I will approach Ackman and see what we can find out. We still need to get close to his control centre and see if there's anything we can sabotage, maybe even get a hold of that remote forcefield control box,"

" What about breakfast, or lunch for that matter, we'll starve if we don't find something to eat in this godforsaken ghost town," said Fitzhugh, his plate of stew being the only one not fed to Chipper.

" How can you think of food," Valerie exclaimed, her flushed face and glittering eyes enough to make even Fitzhugh close his mouth on the reply he'd had poised to fling at the girl. " We can't escape this horrid town, we're just pets for that ghastly girl to torment." Pushing back her chair, Valerie stood up, " the only way we'll ever get out of here is if we're...we're...dead...like..like......Mark !"

With her outburst over, Valerie whirled and ran out of the kitchen, banging the back door shut behind her.

" Betty, you'd better see if she's okay. Barry..you and Chipper follow too, make sure you keep an eye out for that giant girl. We'll catch up with you when we've seen Ackman,"

" Okay Steve...be careful with Ackman, he may not be the sweet old man he appears to be," Betty admonished, gathering Barry up to leave through the back door as well.

" So Skipper, do you want me to keep watch while you make contact with Ackman ?" asked Dan after Betty and the boy had gone. Fitzhugh gave Dan a quizzical look.

" You might get a better view of the control room from the roof of the building I sheltered in last night. It appeared to be the highest point in the town, so you'd have a clearer view than on the ground. I just wish we had the binoculars with us, they would make this all so much easier," said Steve, finally sitting at the table now there was only Dan and Fitzhugh left.

As Steve made to speak again, they heard the sound of the pick-up trucks' horn getting closer. The three men quickly jumped up and ran down the hallway to the front door, flinging it open just at the truck arrived, its horn still blasting the morning air. Dan climbed on the back and pulled the battery connection off making the horn shut off in mid blast.

" Hey Steve, there's a note here," he said, pulling out the rolled piece of paper and handing it to Steve. Kneeling down, Steve spread the paper out on the roadway, getting Fitzhugh to stand on one end to stop it rolling up again.

" It seems our host want to see us," Steve explained, " he says to use the truck to meet him at the railway line,"

" Nothing like having an invitation," said Dan, dryly.

" At least we won't have to walk," retorted Fitzhugh, rubbing his hands together and reaching to open the passenger door of the cab.

" Okay, we'll play his game, for now. Dan, you stay in the back and connect the battery terminal," Steve rounded the front of the truck and opened the driver's door, finding the controls to be similar to an ordinary truck. " Hey, this thing has brakes and a steering wheel, that's more than my truck had back home," he joked weakly, giving Fitzhugh a wide grin.

Dan waited until Steve gave him the signal then he connected the terminal and the truck started forward with a jerk. Steve tested the brakes and found that they actually worked so the trip to see Ackman didn't have to be at full speed, which made Dan's ride alot smoother in the back. Steve stopped the truck before the last corner, dropping off Dan who quickly entered the colonnaded building that Steve had sheltered in, climbing the three floors to the roof and finding a spot to watch the meeting between Steve and Ackman. He could see the blue truck come to a halt not far from the railway tracks, Fitzhugh climbing out to disconnect the battery, while the Giant, Ackman, already there, knelt down to bring him closer to the Little People.

" Well good morning, Mr. Steve, I hope you slept well last night, despite the rain and weather ?" Ackman asked politely.

" The guest house was fine, but we lost one of our group last night in the flood,"

" Oh dear, oh dear are you sure, where did this happen ?" asked Ackman, his manner agitated.

" He was carried down the Main street, through the forcefield and over the cliff, we were hoping you'd let us look for him," said Steve. Ackman appeared to consider Steve's request.

" I'm very sorry to hear this, it's most unfortunate. Of course, I will go and check for your missing friend. Over the cliff at the end, you say, oh tut tut....flooding has always been such a problem," muttered Ackman, getting to his feet as if forgetting everything else. " I suggest you use the truck and travel to the spot where you saw him last. I'll meet your there shortly, I need to get something," he told them, turning away and bustling over to his control panels.

Steve pulled Fitzhugh around and hurried him back to the truck, nearly pushing him into the passenger seat. Looking up at the building opposite, Steve signalled to Dan to meet him at the corner then got back into the truck after connecting the terminal once more. Fitzhugh had kept his foot on the brake until Steve climbed back in then they did a u-turn and shot off back down the Main Street, picking up Dan on the way. Behind them Ackman followed the same route that Lizzie had used the previous night, reaching the end of the town just as Steve arrived in the truck on the other side of the forcefield.

Lizzie had seen her Grandfather hurry past, so intent upon his own mission that he overlooked the girl crouching in the bush beside the path. She still clutched the box cage containing the snake, intending to release the serpent once her Grandfather left the Little People alone. The snake was singular unimpressed with his change of accommodation, his restless rustling's a constant reminder to Lizzie of his presence. He wasn't hungry, having been fed only a day or so previously, but Lizzie knew he disliked the box cage with its scratchy straw and tiny space.

" Don't worry, my pet, you'll be free to slither around quite soon enough, be patient, I can't let Grandfather catch you too soon, that would spoil all my fun," she cooed at the reptile, receiving a flicker of the snakes tongue in reply. Looking around the shrub, she watched as her Grandfather approached the small cliff where she'd caught the tiny man. She saw him look all around the area where the water had drained away, leaving a boggy patch behind.

Steve, Dan and Fizhugh stood inside the line showing the forcefield, watching as Ackman searched the area of the cliff that Steve had pointed out. The Giant had refused to switch off the forcefield, saying that it was for their safety, but in reality not wanting to give the Little People a chance to escape his life's work.

" I'm sorry Captain Steve, but I can't see any evidence of your friend here," Ackman told them, his expression apologetic.

" Let us look for him, he could be buried under the debris," Steve pleaded."

" I've looked everywhere, there's nothing here, I'm sorry. I have to leave you now and go to arrange a meal for you, did you like the stew I made yesterday ?"

" It was fine," said Steve curtly, his frustration evident.

" Then I'll get some more for you," said Ackman, turning to go.

" We don't want your stew, we don't want to be here, we want to go!" Dan exploded, his anger at their helplessness boiling over.

" Oh you can't leave, I have such plans for you all. You can't possibly want to be hunted for the rest of your lives," he waved a hand expansively," here you'll be safe and cared for, have everything you could want,"

" We just want our freedom," stated Fitzhugh angrily, Dan's emotional outburst proving infectious.

" I'm sorry you don't like my town, but no matter, you will stay here. Now I must go, I'll see you all later," and Ackman was gone, taking the remote control with him. Steve kicked at a rock, his hands on his hips.

" That could have gone better, sorry Steve," said Dan. Steve looked up and smiled ruefully at his co-pilot and friend.

" You only said what we were all thinking Dan," he said, patting Dan's arm. Taking a deep breath and giving the trees beyond their prison a longing look, Steve turned to go back to the blue pick-up.

" Let's go see how the girls are doing, they may have found something useful," he suggested, galvanising Fitzhugh to beat Dan to the passenger side of the ute. Dan gave him a sour look before climbing into the back of the pick-up.

" I guess that means I ride in back, Mr. Fitzhugh," he said loudly, before connecting the battery terminal and making himself comfortable on the hard floor. The pick-up roared into life, the horn still blaring, bumping away over the rough ground back into town.

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Lizzie crept out of her hiding place after her Grandfather had passed. She heard the toy car start up and take off in the direction of the Main Street, leaving her alone to put her plan of mischief into action.

" Now lets find your back door," she whispered to the snake, getting down on her hands and knees and pulling back some low growth to uncover a drainage pipe. Pulling out the grate that sealed the pipe, Lizzie positioned the box-cage next to the hole.

" Out you come, my pet, time to have some fun," she said encouragingly. The snake, seeing the wide, dark opening, uncoiled itself and started to slither out of the box into the pipe. Lizzie waited until only the tip of its tail was left, then moved the box cage away. When the snake was fully in the pipe she replaced the grill firmly and shuffled back, still on her knees, to peer into the narrow opening. She could see the snake starting to crawl along the pipe towards the circle of light at the other end.

" Thaaaaaaats right, you just keep on going, there's lots of nice places for you to hide in, and some interesting little creatures to tempt your appetite,"

Standing up, Lizzie moved around the small hillock and watched as the snake came out the end of the tunnel, its tongue flicking back and forth as it scented the air. After a brief pause, as if sensing it was now free, the snake started to wind its way across the open ground towards the first row of houses on the outskirts of her Grandfathers town.

" Let's see how you like my pet, Little People. I wonder how many of you will be left by the end of the day."

With a last look at the fast disappearing snake, Lizzie skipped away, swinging the now empty box high in the air.

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