Ten minutes after saying goodbye to Adam and Sally, Cindy and Bum began to feel guilty about not doing more to help their friends. At least Cindy felt guilty. She didn’t know if guilt was an emotion Bum allowed himself to experience.
“Maybe we should have gone with them,” she said as they floated toward the beach. The invasion was sweeping the whole town. Cindy kept putting her hands over her ears and eyes. But she could not block out what was happening. What she wanted to do more than anything in the whole world was rescue her mother and her younger brother, Neil. But she wondered if it was a selfish thought. Bum had said it right. Their real hope lay with Adam and Sally.
“I don’t know if we could have helped them that way,” Bum said.
“But we’re not doing anybody any good up here,” Cindy protested.
Bum gestured. “Will we do any good getting changed into Cryo creatures?”
Cindy searched for the ruined lighthouse, which was not far from her home. But they were at least two miles north of her street. If they landed, and she did manage to fight through to her house and reach her mother and brother, the balloon would surely not be there when she got back.
“I wish we’d found a helicopter in the surplus store,” she said, frustrated. “Not being able to steer this thing is driving me crazy.”
Bum scratched his unshaven face. “I’ve been thinking about that very problem. There might be a solution. Coming up below us is a hardware store. You can see it there beside those trees. They carry large fans. We might be able to rig one up and use it for propulsion and steering.”
“What would we use to power it? We can’t plug it in.”
“There are portable generators in the store. They run on gasoline. We could drain some fuel out of our flamethrower. We wouldn’t need much. The largest fan would only need a small generator to power it.”
Cindy liked the idea. “Where would we head?”
Bum spoke gently. “I know you have family in town. We could try to rescue them.” He added, “If that’s what you want.”
Cindy looked down at the madness. Several fires had broken out. Homes and cars were burning. To think of her mother and brother down there was too painful for Cindy.
“Let’s get the fan and generator,” she whispered. “Then we can decide.”
Bum was becoming an expert at ballooning. He brought them down right on top of the hardware store. He anchored their flying machine by tying one of its ropes to a roof vent. He offered to let her carry the flamethrower but she declined.
“At the surplus store I found I couldn’t burn anyone,” she said.
“We were lucky Sally doesn’t have your inhibitions,” Bum said.
Cindy nodded. “She is brave, and I admire her for that.” She added, “I just never tell her that.”
They found a way into the hardware store attic. From there they had no trouble getting down to the main level. The place was deserted, and they supposed that was a good thing. But Cindy found the silent aisles spooky. She kept thinking something was going to jump out at them. Bum steered them in the direction of the fans.
“Look, they’re on sale,” Bum said as they reached the right department. “That’s a big break. I haven’t cashed my paycheck,” he teased.
“How do you survive out on the streets without money?”
“I rely on my good looks and charm.”
“No, really. I often wonder how you eat. Where you sleep.”
Bum spoke seriously. “Cindy. Mankind has existed on this planet for centuries before the invention of money. Dollar bills and credit cards do not make the world go round, as most people think. I was rich at one time and now I’m poor. But I have to say I’m a lot happier owning nothing than owning tons of stuff I hadn’t paid for. Does that make sense?”
Cindy chuckled. “It makes perfect sense.”
They studied the fans, trying to figure out which one would be best. They ended up selecting two large round ones on stands. Choosing a generator was easy. There were only two types: a big one and a small one. The big one was for powering heavy equipment. They took the small one.
They were loading the equipment up into the attic when they were attacked.
The creature came from nowhere.
He grabbed Bum from behind and lifted him off his feet.
Bum was squeezed tight.
He dropped the flamethrower. It clanged at his feet.
“Cindy!” Bum shouted. “Help!”
Cindy froze in terror when she saw what was happening. This creature did not wear a blue jump suit. This was not one of the original Cryo creature. Like Watch, this man had started out the day as a normal human being. But now he was the enemy. As Cindy stood stunned, the thing began to drag Bum away. It was strong. Bum fought and kicked but couldn’t break loose.
“The flamethrower,” Bum gasped as he was yanked around the corner. “Cindy.”
By a sheer act of will, Cindy broke her paralysis. She grabbed the flamethrower and chased after Bum and the creature. For a man who had just been changed into a monster, he sure moved fast. She only caught up to them as the creature was about to drag Bum outside. She raised the flamethrower, pulling back slightly on the trigger. The flame moved out a foot.
“Let go of him or you burn!” she shouted.
This creature wasn’t totally stupid. It understood what fire was, and it knew that it could use Bum as a shield. It moved Bum between himself and the fire.
“What should I do?” Cindy cried. “I can’t get off a clear shot.”
Bum struggled. “On the count of three I’m going to yank forward and down as hard as I can. Aim for the top of his head. The heat might startle him. He might let me go. Ready? One. Two—”
“Wait!” Cindy cried.
“What is it?” Bum asked.
“I’ve never shot anyone before!”
“It’s easy. Just pretend you’re Sally.”
“I don’t see how anyone can be Sally. How can I pretend to be her?”
Bum groaned as the creature bent back his arms. “Then just close your eyes and pull the trigger when I get to three. I don’t know how long I can hold out against this guy. Please, Cindy.”
She nodded frantically. “OK. Do it. Say it.”
“One. Two. Three!”
Bum yanked forward and ducked his head. Cindy took quick aim and fired. She didn’t shoot directly at the man’s face, but just above his head. She couldn’t bear the thought that if somehow they could reverse the damage caused by the Cold People, this man would wake up tomorrow with a burnt face.
But Cindy’s aim was not far off the creature’s face.
She singed its hair.
The creature let go of Bum and turned and fled.
He ran out the door howling.
Bum staggered to Cindy’s side.
He nodded as he took the flamethrower back.
“I’ll tell Sally you wasted the guy,” he said.
Cindy smiled. “Tell her there were ten of them.”
They loaded their equipment into the balloon.
The fans and generator worked like a charm.
“What course?” Bum asked as they left the hardware store.
Cindy turned away from the direction of the lighthouse and her house. Like it or not, she realized, all of Spooksville was her home. She had to help save it all.
“Let’s head for the hills,” she said. “Let’s help Adam and Sally.”