This Flight Tonight

Turning back to Julian, Josh nodded, “We need to stay low and close to the wall and we need to book it right now,” he said.

Grinning, Julian pushed passed the shorter man and started running along the baseboard vanishing into the weak shadow under the dresser next to the bookcase with Faith’s collection of stuffed animals.

Startled by the sudden flight, Josh immediately fell in behind, though had trouble matching the longer stride of the taller man.

“What now?” Julian asked, eyes darting around in the slight darkness.

Looking into the corner of the cross bracket supporting the right front leg of the dresser, “Up,” Josh replied, pointing.

“Up?” Julian asked.

“If we can get onto that bracket over the leg, we’ll at least be off the floor and we should be able to remain hidden in the corner and concealed by the slide rails if the drawer is opened,” he said, moving toward the leg, using it a screen to mask his approach.

The leg itself appeared almost ten feet tall from the perspective of the two men. Josh motioned Julian over and him to give him a boost up. Grabbing the edge of the unfinished wood, Josh pulled himself up before swiveling around and draping an arm down for Julian. Running up the leg, Julian lunged and was able to catch Josh’s hand and with his help, to get up onto the wooden support.

While it was dark, there was still enough light reflect up off the carpet to provide some illumination, enough for the two to be able to see one another.

“I don’t think we can get around these metal slides,” Julian said, looking at the rails over his head.

“Near the back of the dresser, there’s a void, but I think we should just hole up and wait,” Josh replied

“For?”

“An opportunity I guess, I don’t know, some way of getting out of the room,” Josh answered.

“So, sitting in that toilet gave me some time to think,” Julian said, sliding over against the edge and leaning back against the interior of the dresser.

“Okay?” Josh queried, facing the more slender man.

“So I think I have kind of stumbled onto a conundrum,” he started, “So let’s review, Faith shrank us down to this, I mean we can agree on that, she’s the same girl we both saw last. How she did it, we don’t know. I think the question we really need to be asking is, can it be undone?” he put out.

Frowning, Josh nodded his head, “And who can undo it? Is it just Faith, or is it Cadence, or somebody else outside this room? I mean we know there is a sister, though from the way the girls talked about her it sounds of it she is a beast unto herself. Mother maybe?”

Julian spread his hands, “Damned if you do, damned if you don’t kind of situation. After Ham, we know what will happen if we stay,” he said. “I’m back to my original plan. Get out the bedroom door.”

Josh couldn’t argue. They had been fortunate so far but luck often had a way of running out and they were due. There were pretty much no more places to hide. Getting around or under the towel in the door would be still be a problem. How long could they wait? He knew the answer. Not long. The odds were lengthening with each passing moment. They could attempt to ascend the interior of the dresser, using the metal slide to try and get into the deep bottom drawer, maybe hide in whatever it was she kept there. The span up to the second drawer from the first was too great for them to overcome to get any higher.

Julian snapped his fingers, “You still with me?” he asked, leaning forward, and waving his hand.

“Sorry,” Josh mumbled, “I was just thinking.”

“Tell me it was about getting the hell out of here and not trying to spring butterball out of the box again?” he said, tilting his head and frowning.

The girls and the box were both on the bed. As much as he wanted to try and help Carver, he came to the grim realization that under the circumstances, there was very little he could actually do. “No,” he said softly.

“Good, because I need you focusing all that fancy book learning of yours on we can get out of here,” he asserted.

“Wait for night, she’s got to sleep sometime,” Josh supplied, “I think that is our only option at the moment.”

“The towel?” Julian inquired, “How do we get around that?”

Shaking his head slightly from side to side, he had no answer. If they could get a pen or a pencil or something that might serve as a type of pry bar, maybe. There might be something like that on the desk. There was another lamp there, another cord they could use to get on top. A slow grin spread across his face.

“Ooh,” Julian said, seeing the expression and rubbing his hands together, “I am sensing an idea here,” he said, nodding and smiling,

“There may be a way,” Josh replied, absent gnawing on the nail of his left thumb.

“I like you Josh,” Julian said, doing his best Elvis impersonation, “always have, always will,” he finished, snapping his fingers and pointing at the shorter man with his index finger. “What have you got in mind?”

“Anything we do now out in the open is an invitation for capture, they’re both sitting right on the bed. No, we still need to wait. In the meantime, I think we should both try and get a little shut eye. We’re going to need it,” he advised.

“You at least going to let me in on the plan?” Julian asked.

Closing his eyes and crossing his arms over his chest, Josh shared what he had been thinking.

Julian frowned, “That’s it? Your master strategy?” he asked.

“Yep,” Josh answered chuckling.