THE ROAD NOT TAKEN

CHAPTER 6

by PearlAnn SnowStar

Vincent and Devin were awakened by a loud BOOM! They both looked at each other before running out of the chamber.

Mouse collided into them.

“Vincent! Devin! Guest Chamber! Exploded!” Mouse was shaking.

 Vincent and Devin looked at each other, then at Mouse.

Vincent took a breath before speaking. “Anyone hurt?” 

Mouse started to cry; that was not good. “Jamie…” 

Vincent ran toward the guest chamber, with Devin close behind. As he got nearer to the chamber, he felt the heat immediately. 

Somebody grabbed his arm. It was Father.

“Vincent, no, Cullen and Kellen don’t want anyone to come close to that area. I…”

Father paused, then continued, “I had Jamie on sentry duty and the post…”

“NO!” Mouse cried out behind them. 

Geoffrey came from behind them. “Father, Mary said all the children are accounted for and are gathered in the Library.” 

Cullen and Kellen appeared.

“Pascal didn’t want to use the pipes. He said some in his pipe chamber were steaming around the seams. But he is passing the word around…to see where the adults are.” Cullen looked very worried. “We can’t find Jamie or Joey.” 

Mouse started to moan. “NO, NO!”

“Mouse, please calm down.” Father tried to reassure him.

Vincent went over to Mouse and hugged him. Mouse grabbed him and didn’t let go.  

Vincent noticed a shocked look on Devin’s face. “Devin?” He spoke as calmly as he could. 

“Vincent…I…I could have been…” Devin looked around. “We know the children are safe. What about…” 

“Everybody!” Father called out. “Make your way to the Library.”

 Kellen and Cullen saw the look on Father’s face. Kellen spoke up. “Cullen and I set up barriers as best we could. But we need to go Above and check the tunnels from there. Unfortunately, we can’t get into that area Above.” 

Father calmly spoke. “We must decide what to do. We have to find that shut-off valve, as well as try to find Jamie and Joey.” 

* * *

Catherine woke up with a start. She felt overwhelmed by feelings of fear, despair, and sadness. 

“Vincent!” 

She quickly placed a phone call to the office advising them she wasn’t coming in today. She went to the washroom, then quickly dressed in a sweater, jeans, and sneakers.

Something inside told her to turn on the TV to check the news. Her heart froze as she heard that there had been an explosion that destroyed a street and damaged some buildings. It was the street in front of Smythe’s. The bookstore had windows blown out, but the building was still standing.  

“No, no!

Grabbing a shoulder purse, she ran out, locked her apartment door, and placed the keys into her purse. She made her way to the basement.

As if Vincent knew she was coming, he was there waiting. She didn’t like the look on his face. “What happened?”

He just took her into his arms. “I nearly lost my brother last night.”

She looked up at him. “What did he do now?” 

He shook his head. “Kristopher bothered him last night, so he came to me. We searched for a cot in the storage area and placed it in my chamber. He was restless but finally got some sleep. We woke to a loud sound. The pipes in the guest chamber burst. But the worst thing is that we can’t get into the passageways around that area. Joey and Jamie were on sentry duty. Jamie’s post was close to the guest chamber.” 

They tightly hugged each other. 

“If she…” He couldn’t say the words. “If he…” 

“No, don’t do this.” She moved a bit away to hold his hands. “Did you find…their…”

“We can’t get into the area to search, and they are missing.” 

“Is there anything I can do? I could look for them in the nearby hospitals. Maybe they got out somehow?” 

“If you can, but I can’t see how they could have. We started gathering in the Library for a meeting. I felt your feelings through the bond. I knew you would come here, so I left the meeting. Besides looking for Jamie and Joey, we must find a shut-off valve to the steam. It could help until we repair the pipes, but supplies are needed!” 

She sighed. “I’m wondering if I can get someone to help us in some way.” She looked at him. “I’ll start with a hospital close by that area. Can we still use the pipes to communicate?”

He shook his head. “Pascal said the pipe chamber wasn’t safe.” 

She smiled and gently touched his cheek. “Then we use our bond.” 

He nodded.  

* * *

Catherine walked into City MD Manhattan in the West Village. It was very busy.

 “Cathy!”

She turned and saw Elliot with a woman dressed in construction worker clothing standing next to him.

“Elliot?” She walked over to him.

“Hi! Oh, this is Kelly, she works in the Con Ed office as a lead planner for projects. She used to work as one of the administrative assistants in my office.”

Kelly was taller than Catherine, but she could have passed as her sister. “I wanted to consult with Elliot. Even though he builds buildings, he may have a few insights into the situation we have here.”

“I told Kelly that we have to overhaul the whole West Side’s pipes. Plus, we need to find the shut-off valve to the water system, which is way below. If that is turned off, we can then proceed to put in new pipes.” 

Kelly smiled. “And Elliot has decided to do a fundraiser so the city won’t have to raise taxes, as the cost to do this project will be enormous. With the explosion this morning that damaged a few buildings, we must act quickly. This really should have been started a long time ago.”

Elliot grinned. “I get to rebuild the whole pipe system below! We’ll be in meetings today. I talked with some of the crew who went underground. They mentioned it’s like a maze down there, and whatever maps they have don’t give the full picture.”

Catherine had to control herself. She took a breath and was about to ask a question when Elliot raised his hand. 

“I know about the homeless. So, if we see any, we’ll direct them to shelters for now. I also know they probably will return when done.” 

Catherine nodded her head. “Yes, some of them really have nowhere else to go, no one to turn to.” She quickly changed the subject. “I must check with someone official. I’m looking for two friends.” 

Kelly looked at her. “We’ve had a few people with some injuries. Nothing major. Just from the shrapnel. Thank God no one died or was seriously injured. Were your friends around that area?” 

Catherine nodded. “Yes, but hopefully, they are either here or with others.” 

“Need my help?” Elliot inquired. 

“No. I’m fine. I’m going to check with the admissions desk. Thank you.” 

“Come on, Elliot, the meeting won’t wait.” Kelly grabbed his arm. With his free hand, he waved bye to Catherine. 

Catherine watched as they left the hospital, then turned and headed for the admissions desk.