CHAPTER EIGHTY-EIGHT
(part five)

Friday evening — 6:15 P.M.

“I haven’t done it since…” Jill started.

“You have to try,” Mike said. “Valerie won’t make it to the hospital. The babies won’t make it. Please. Try.”

Jill felt motion next to her.

“You can do it, Mommy.” Katy’s words resonated inside her.

Jill dropped to her knees. Envisioning the most beautiful thing she’d ever seen, sunlight through of the archangel Raphael stained glass window, Jill let the light fill her. She rubbed her hands together.

“I…”

“Please try,” Mike begged.

Closing her eyes, Jill placed her hands on Valerie’s belly. Her mind flooded with images. She saw that one child was already dead. The other was alive and hanging on through the contractions. Jill used her breath to blow her healing light into Valerie’s womb. The contractions slowed. Jill directed the healing light to the dead baby but no spark of life was left to receive it.

Another Marlowe male had been killed by Johansen.

When the contractions and bleeding stopped, Jill let go. Looking up, she was surprised to see everyone standing around her. Little Paddie put his arm over her shoulder. Katy kissed her cheek.

“I’m sorry, Mike. You’ve lost a baby,” Jill said. “I couldn’t revive him.”

Valerie woke with a gasp. Clutching to Mike, she began to sob.

“She should be all right now,” Jill said. “I think I need to go.”

“Go Jill. I’ll stay with the kids,” Sandy said. “You can do this.”

Jill turned to run out the door.

“Mommy?”

Katy ran into her mother’s arms. For just a moment, all movement in their world slowed to a stop. The mother and child held each other tight.  Feeling pressure to leave, Jill let go. She set Katy down.

“Love you, Katy-baby,” Jill said at the same moment Katy said, “Love you, Mommy.”

Jill touched Katy’s hair one last time then ran out of the room. Jill ran down the stairs and into the tunnel. She made a sharp turn and jogged up the stairs to the kitchen door. She unlocked the security for the door. Running into the kitchen, she saw that Mike had blocked the doors to the living room.

Just then there was a crash in the living room. Something bounced off the kitchen door. Jill tried to move the table. She pulled and pushed but the table was too heavy for her. There was no way she was going through either of those doors.

She couldn’t get to the stairwell to go through her loft apartment. She couldn’t gain access from the second floor. She spun in place. She’d just have to go around. She pulled a key from a hook and unlocked the back door. She ran across the deck and around the house.

~~~~~~~~

Friday evening — 6:25 P.M.

After looking around the Chapel, Sandy shook her head.

“We’re not safe here,” Sandy said.

“What do you mean? No one knows we’re here,” Mike said.

“There’s only one entrance that we can’t really lock. We can’t close off the window and if we did, there are other windows. No, we’re not safe here,” Sandy said. “I can feel it in my bones. Trust me. I’m no psychic. I’ve just been in this type of situation. A lot. Can you carry Val?”

Mike nodded.

“Anyone know of a better hiding place?” Sandy asked.

“There’s a wine cellar,” Nash said. He blushed deep red. “I’m not supposed to know anything about it.”

“I don’t know anything about it,” Mike said.

“Delphie wanted to get something from the tunnels. I told her I would get it but she said no. She was so weird that I… watched on the security tapes,” Nash said. “We were making dinner together a few months ago.”

“Have you been there?” Sandy asked.

Ashamed, Nash hung his head and nodded.

“Why don’t I know about it?” Mike asked.

“Do you ever cook?” Sandy asked.

“Never,” Mike said.

Sandy dug around in her purse and gave Mike some pills.

“Tylenol,” Sandy said. “Do we have water?”

“In the wine cellar,” Nash said. “Delphie keeps everything there. Cheese. Wine. Chocolates. Champagne and fancy water.”

“Let’s go,” Sandy said. “Nash, help Paddie. Noelle, help Katy. We have to move…”

The children ran from the Chapel.

“Fast.”

Mike lifted Valerie and carried her out the door. Feeling a little sheepish, Sandy closed the chapel door and followed the children into the tunnels.

Denver Cereal continues tomorrow…