Outcome of Chapter 3 Plot Hinge: The issue of language was brought up during CBC’s Power and Politics on February 21st (in the context of Paul Dewar and the NDP leadership race). As a result, Tina has heard and understood Isabella’s warning and is ready to surprise attack Agent Donovan Isaiah when he opens the trunk of the car.
He heard Isaiah slide the key into the keyhole. Then the telltale click and pop of the trunk unlocking. The trunk squeaked a little on its hinges as it opened.
The next sounds were the important ones though. A dull thonk. A loud groan. The sound of something crumpling to the ground. And then, the most beautiful sound Will had ever heard: a string of curse words that would make a sailor blush.
Will opened his eyes and twisted in his seat. “Tina! Thank God you’re ok!” Tina ignored him however, marching from the back of the car to the driver side door.
Wild eyed and disheveled, Tina reached into the window, grabbed Isabella by the throat and proceeded to throttle her. “You – threw – me – in – the – trunk! You – crashed – my – car!”
Isabella’s eyes bugged, unable to do much else with her hands still tied to the steering wheel.
“Tina!” Will shouted. “Stop it!”
Tina let go of Isabella who collapsed over the steering wheel, gasping for air. “It was — the only way,” she said in between gulping breaths. “I had to get you both away from the Windigos.”
“Winnebagoes?” Will asked, still no clearer on what was happening to him. Tina just shook her head and walked back to the trunk of the car.
“No, William, not the Winnebagoes,” she said, leaning back in her seat. “You’re not being chased by a caravan of RVs.”
Tina returned with the keys to Will’s handcuffs. “Found these in his jacket,” she explained. Will turned his back to Tina, giving her access to his wrists. Before she freed him though, Tina put her hand in his and held it for a moment or two. Will was confused. He must have hit his head harder than he thought. Tina was the most unaffectionate person Will knew. His imagination had to be playing tricks on him.
“Thanks,” he said sheepishly, rubbing his newly liberated wrists.
“Come on, Will,” Tina said. “We gotta get out of here.”
“You can’t do that,” Isabella said, a tinge of desperation in her voice.
“Says the woman with her hands tied to a steering wheel,” Tina said, helping Will out of the vehicle.
“No,” Isabella continued. “I mean, you have to let me help you.”
“Yeah,” Tina said, nodding her head vigorously and slapping the roof of her demolished car. “Because you’ve doing a bang up job so far.”
“Isaiah isn’t the only one from the Windigo Group after you,” Isabella said, ignoring Tina. “Those goons of his can’t be far behind. You don’t know what kind of trouble you’re in.”
Will stood there silently.
“We have to get you to a hospital,” Tina said, putting an arm around Will’s shoulder in an attempt to steer him away. Will didn’t budge. Tina gaped at him. “You can’t seriously be considering going with her?”
He was. He still wasn’t convinced this Isabella Medora was on their side. But she did save him from the Man in Charge. More importantly though, she had answers. “OK,” Will said finally. “What’s the plan?”
Tina threw up her hands and began pacing, kicking bits of debris from her car and muttering in German. Will assumed it was more cursing.
“Step one,” Isabella said, a touch of urgency in her voice, “is to cut me loose.”
***
Forty-five minutes later Will, Tina and Isabella were miles out of town, speeding north on Highway 21. Riding in the backseat of Agent Donovan Isaiah’s black car, Will unconsciously checked his seatbelt for what had to be the twentieth time.
Tina sat next to him, her eyes boring a hole in the back of Isabella’s head. Will had begged Tina to not come. He had put her through enough as it was. She flat-out refused, mumbling something about needing to make sure he didn’t have a concussion.
Tina got to put her skills as a nurse to use as Isabella drove them north. Will’s head and wrists were now bandaged thanks to the first aid kit she had salvaged from her car. She also patched up the nasty gash on the side of Isabella’s head. Although Will suspected she had used an unnecessarily large amount of hydrogen peroxide to clean the wound. A smug smile crossed Tina’s face at the involuntary wince she got out of her.
The three of them weren’t the only ones in the car, however. Agent Isaiah, still unconscious from Tina’s blow to his head, was bound and gagged in the trunk.
“So what, is that your thing?” Tina had asked, grunting as the three of them struggled with Isaiah’s body. “Stealing cars and stuffing the owners in the trunk?”
“Trust me,” Isabella had answered. “It’s best we know where this guy is at all times.”
Will put his hand in his pocket and felt the piece of paper in it. While they were moving Agent Isaiah, something had fallen out of his jacket. Will had snatched it up and stuffed it in his pants pocket before Isabella had noticed. He was dying to find out what was on it but didn’t want Isabella to catch him reading it, still unsure how far she could be trusted.
Unfortunately Will wasn’t able to get much information from Isabella about their situation during the car ride. Highway 21 was notorious for being snow-covered and treacherous in the winter. It was living up to its reputation as Isabella drove as fast as they dared. As such, Will decided to let her concentrate on the road, keeping his questions to a bare minimum, their last crash still raw in his mind.
“Just how much further is this safe house of yours?” Will asked as they plowed through another whiteout.
“Another hundred kilometers,” Isabella replied curtly, straining to see through the storm. She suddenly jerked the car to the right to avoid an oncoming truck that materialized out of the snow. Will’s nerves were shot. He checked his seatbelt again.
“Trying to set a record for highest number of car crashes by a single person in a day?” Tina asked, white-knuckled as she grabbed the handle above the window.
Isabella ignored her.
Plot Hinge: Lion or Lamb? March 1, 2012
There’s an old saying that says that if March comes in like a lion, it will go out like a lamb (and vice versa). In other words, if it’s a stormy and snowy day at the beginning of March, it will be spring-like and pleasant when the month ends. In the spirit of this old adage, what the weather is like on March 1st will decide how the next chapter unfolds.
- If on Thursday, March 1st, it is snowing at my home near Guelph, Ontario at 7:00 am, then the snowstorm in the story will be too bad for them to continue. They will be forced to stop and find shelter at a nearby farmer’s house, exposing them to further risk. They’ll also need to bring Agent Isaiah with them so he doesn’t freeze in the trunk of the car.
- If it is not snowing at 7:00 am at my home on March 1st, then the lamb-ish weather will allow them to get to the safe house and protected from the other agents of the mysterious Windigo Group.
Chapter 5 goes live on March 1st! If you haven’t already, be sure to subscribe on the top-right of this page to receive email notifications whenever a new chapter is posted.
Poll Results: Will’s love interest
The results of the Valentine’s Day vote are in! The question was who should Will’s love interest in our story be? Here’s how you voted:
- Beth: 31%
- Tina: 50%
- Isabella: 19%
Thanks for voting! I’ll be sure to weave your choice into the story.
Bonus Content: Agent Isaiah’s Note
Find out what’s written on the piece of paper Will grabbed from Agent Isaiah. To do this you’ll need the access code for this password-protected page. The password is hidden somewhere on this site (location hint: “It’s all about me”). Passwords can also be found on flyers at participating libraries.
- Click here to access the page using a Password from a participating library.
- Click here to access the page using the Password found on this website.
Advertisement
Like this:
One blogger likes this post.
0 comments:
Post a Comment