Harvest Moon (The Stargazers Trilogy Book 2) Page 4

  Only Ingram, Solomon, Sanderson, and the new security guard knew about the plan to potentially trap the intruder.

  Ingram wanted to leave a few lights on. One of them would be Solomon’s office. Ingram sat in his newest employee’s office and would walk around every once in a while, to give anyone outside the impression that Solomon was in his office. It would take him a few minutes to get to the ground floor if anything happened. At least that’s the impression they wanted to give.

  Solomon left his office earlier in the day and was waiting outside in a nearby van with several of the project’s security force, watching on hidden cameras. Solomon couldn’t believe how surreal his first two days of employment were. He then realized that he turned his phone off. When he checked it, there were several missed calls from his mother.

  He knew he couldn’t call her yet, but he was going to be in trouble when he finally could.

  As the sun started to set, Solomon waited impatiently. He was curious as to whether the second Harvest Moon in as many days would make itself known that night. He had a feeling that if it did, it was going to be a night he would never forget.

  ***

  The three security people in the van focused their attention on the many video monitors while Solomon glared outside of the van’s windshield at the night sky. His heart raced as he saw the red glow coming off of the Earth’s satellite. Shaking his head in disbelief, he looked down at one of the monitors and saw nothing out of the ordinary.

  He glanced over all of the monitors and then over to the guards who were showing signs of boredom.

  “This is ridiculous!” exclaimed one of the guards in frustration. “Nothing’s going to happen tonight! I’m going for snacks and coffee. Anybody want anything?”

  The guards then showed signs of life, as they swarmed the idea man with food and drink orders.

  Solomon wanted to exit the van and stretch his legs, but he was told not to reveal himself.

  After the guard took the orders, he looked at Solomon. “Do you want something?” All Solomon could do was shake his head. With the tightness in his stomach that something big was going to happen, Solomon wasn’t hungry or thirsty.

  The guard just smiled and opened the sliding side door to exit the van. Right after he got out and closed the door, the van was knocked forward. It had been hit by something fast and heavy. Solomon jerked to attention.

  There was an eruption of a large smashing sound. This was followed by the van rolling several times after what felt like was a direct impact. Bodies rolled as well. The van became a death trap, since no one had seatbelts on. Electronic equipment shorted out and exploded, as metal pieces flew in all directions.

  With glass and metal making the roll even more dangerous, Solomon just closed his eyes and held out his hands over his head to protect it. He also said a silent prayer, but too much was happening too fast to save anyone else.

  The van eventually came to a stop and Solomon flopped down. He was just thankful to be alive. He heard a few groans. When he managed to open his eyes, he realized that the van was on its side. There was debris everywhere. The inside light on the top of the cargo area was blinking in erratic increments.

  It seemed as if every muscle in his body ached and he felt a strong pain in his elbow and his right leg. He blinked to get a clearer picture of what had happened. Solomon realized that he had an excruciating headache. He ran a finger along his forehead and looked at his hand. There was blood on his finger.

  As he tried to move, he noticed that the other two guards were slowly coming around. There was no movement coming from the driver’s seat. “Is… everyone okay?” he asked, with his voice raised so that everyone could hear him.

  “So far, so good,” and “yeah,” were the responses.

  “Jamie’s alive,” the female guard added, referring to the driver. “I don’t know for how long, though.”

  Solomon could hear the sound of a large vehicle working its way to the project building. “We need to protect ourselves.”

  “Please call de authorities,” Solomon said, as he worked his way free from the debris and pulled himself to the new hole in the side of the van where contact was made. Most of the metal was bent inward, so he had to be careful of the jagged edges.

  Chapter Six

  It was the moon.

  He felt it in his heart. A Harvest Moon had a strange effect on people. He looked up. The moon was full and visible. He realized that whenever the moon was full, it always was near the horizon, like it had just risen. Solomon knew that the location of the moon in the sky was significant. When the moon was near the horizon, the Harvest Moon looked bigger. People were possibly scared for nothing.

  He silently thanked God for sparing his life and the lives of everyone in the van, while adding prayers for the man somewhere outside.

  Now he had to get out of the van. After navigating around the bent metal, he pulled himself up and out of the window opening. He sniffed the air and could smell gasoline. Poking his head back inside the van, he said, “You guys have got te get outta here! I smell gas and dat can’t mean anyting good.”

  They showed fear. “How?”

  “Climb out a window. Can you guys get out on your own power?”

  “Yeah,” the male guard replied. “We should be able to get Jaime out too. You go get the bad guy!”

  Solomon agreed and was careful when jumping down from the van. He put all of his weight on his left leg when he landed, which helped, but not that much. He rolled and then stood, slowly facing the building.

  The glass door that had been destroyed and replaced in less than 24 hours, was once again shattered. He looked back to see the guards lifting Jaime out of the van, carefully through the hole. The female looked at Solomon and asked, “Do you want a weapon?”

  Solomon started toward the building, shaking his head. “No, tank you. If I ever get into a situation that only a weapon can get me out of, then I don’t tink much of my chances to begin with.”

  He limped forward, without any regard to using stealth or being quiet. He figured that he was in no shape to be tangling with anyone in his condition, anyway. If they confronted him, he would try to use something they might not be prepared for. Reason.

  Solomon looked up with a weak smile, as if to tell God he was alright.

  When he got to the front door, he could hear the crunching of broken glass under his feet. All he could do was grimace. He surprisingly felt no fear. He attributed that to having the power of God within him. No matter what happened, God would guide him.

  He walked into the building and looked around. As he approached the guard’s desk, he saw that the guard had been beaten unconscious and was tied securely to his chair. “Anyone dat can take dis big guy out so easily is definitely not someone I want to be messing wit,” he said out loud. It was more of a statement to let the intruder know that he didn’t want to fight, than anything else.

  “Hello?” he bellowed through the empty ground floor. “I have no weapons!” He held his hands up as if to surrender. “I just want to talk!”

  He stopped and listened to see if he could hear anything, including a response to his plea. He heard nothing, so he moved forward toward the elevator.

  The lights flickered in the hallway near the elevators and the stairs. Solomon tensed, but didn’t want to spook anyone. He heard the familiar ding of the elevator arriving at the ground floor and prepared to move fast.

  As soon as he stepped on and pressed the button for the top floor, he realized just how vulnerable he really was. He assumed that the intruder would be on the top floor, since that was the only floor with the light on. He started to worry for Ingram’s safety. He tried not to think that the saboteur would even consider murder, but he didn’t know who he was dealing with.

  The elevator stopped and he noticed the top floor button was lit up. He stood as close to the middle of the door as he could. He held his hands out to his sides and lowered his head to avoid eye contact. If he humbled hims
elf in front of his opponent, then he thought he might have a chance of surviving the experience.

  It appeared as if the elevator door opened in slow motion, as Solomon tensed in preparation for whatever would meet him on the other side of the door.

  The door opened completely and Solomon had no choice but to close his eyes. He was waiting for something. Anything.

  When nothing happened and he could hear no movement or anyone giving him orders, he opened one eye and slowly looked around. Nothing. No one. It was too quiet. Maybe the intruder was on another floor. He didn’t believe that he could have evacuated so quickly. He then wondered if maybe he spent longer than he thought in the van.

  Tracey’s seat was empty. That was good. She would be safe.

  He heard something like a thud coming from his office. Solomon shook his head, as he wondered why everything had to happen in his office.

  He sighed, breathed deeply and slowly walked toward the only sound coming from the floor. His eyes darted quickly back and forth, watching for someone to jump out at him from behind a desk.

  There was nothing but a scuffling sound coming from his office. It was also the only office with the lights on.

  He hurried his pace, even though the pain in his leg was severe. He boldly grabbed the doorknob with determination. Opening the door, he limped into his office but immediately froze.

  He saw Ingram’s still body on the floor. He didn’t know if he was unconscious or something much worse.

  Solomon crouched beside him carefully. Not only because of the pain in his leg, but also because he didn’t know if whoever caused it was still nearby.

  Checking to see if Ingram had a pulse, Solomon let out a small groan of concern. When he did, he saw the curtain by the window move slightly.

  He wasn’t much of a fighter, but it was apparent that he had enough of the craziness that happened over the last couple of days. He gritted his teeth and looked around for some kind of weapon. He saw nothing, so he picked up one of the smaller chairs he had in front of his desk and walked slowly toward the window.

  He stopped when he saw the curtain move again. That time, he was sure the window wasn’t open just like he assumed earlier. Something was making the drape move.

  He let out a primal yell, as he propelled the chair toward the window with all of his might. He almost fell forward but managed to catch himself on the corner of his desk, as he watched the chair sail toward the window.

  When the chair burst through the window, a figure darted out from behind the curtain. As the chair crashed through the window, it got entangled in the curtain and dragged it down to the parking lot below.

  The figure rolled on the floor and practically bounced back up to his feet. He had on a long, black trench coat and wore a ski mask covering everything on his face except for his eyes. He narrowed his eyes at Solomon.

  Then, in total surprise to Solomon, the man’s eyes widened, as he started to back up against the wall. He quickly eyed the door to the office and rushed to it. Solomon wasn’t about to let the intruder get away again. He was prepared to make sure that he was put behind bars.

  He dove for him with incredibly quick movements before he could make it out the door. He stretched out his left hand and grabbed the cuff of the intruder’s jeans. He held on for dear life.

  “Not dis time, you don’t!” Solomon exclaimed as the man kicked at the new project employee with his free leg.

  One of the wild kicks managed to connect with Solomon’s forehead, which caused him to let go of the pant cuff. The man then sprang to his feet and ran clumsily out of the office and toward the elevator.

  “No!” Solomon shouted, as he too rose quicker than usual and angrily ran after the man. The pain in his elbow and leg only fueled his anger and made him run faster and harder.

  The intruder looked back several times with fear in his eyes, which slowed him down considerably. It inspired Solomon to run even harder.

  The man pushed the elevator buttons continuously as if that was going to make the elevator magically appear and save him. It was obvious that he wasn’t going to make it.

  The man braced himself as the doors to the elevator finally opened. Just as he tried to duck inside, Solomon slammed into him and knocked him backward, falling on top of him. The door closed and Solomon put all of his body weight on top of the man to pin him, but he was wiggling around so much that Solomon slid off him. As he did, he banged his head against one of the hand rails. While Solomon rubbed his head, the man climbed onto the rail and pushed the trap door overhead. Solomon regained his senses and grabbed the man’s leg, holding on tight, grunting various verbal sounds.

  The man struggled to get free, but Solomon’s grip was like a vice. The frustration was obviously building for the intruder, as he was frantic to escape, but couldn’t. Then something unexpected happened.

  “Let me go, Solomon!” spurted out of the intruder.

  Shocked, Solomon let go. Not because he was told to, but because the intruder knew his name. Furthermore, he recognized the voice.

  The intruder stopped struggling, as Solomon narrowed his eyes on him. He jumped down to the floor of the elevator and pressed the red button, which stopped mid-floor.

  Solomon stepped closer, making sure to be careful in case there were any more sudden movements. There weren’t. All fight had left the man who had been evading capture for quite some time. He looked tired and was even breathing heavily under the mask.

  “Do I know you?” Solomon asked, hesitantly. He knew he recognized the voice. He just couldn’t place it. “You might as well speak te me now, because it will be too late later.”

  The man shrugged and paced in the small area he had. “Alright. I had no idea that you were going to be here. Actually, I did have an idea, but now I think it was just a plot to lure me in. Not the idea, but you being here. I really believe that you were hired to trap me. I think that idiot in the other room knew more than he let on. I don’t understand how he could have known and not come after me, but I guess that’s how this cookie was crumbling. Crumble it did, Solomon. Crumble it did. It crumbled just like a… well, a cookie, Solomon. A big, crusty, half-eaten cookie. Just like the one I had for lunch. It’s nice to see you again, by the way. I feel really stupid, but I couldn’t have just looked you up after all this time. Is a year really that long? I guess in dog years, it might be, but who knows? I don’t know because I’ve never been a dog. Ha ha! Who would know that? God would! That’s who! He knows everything at every time and all that other stuff! Ha ha! Boy, you sure are a good listener.”

  Solomon could do nothing but stand in pure shock as the man rambled on and on, at an incredibly fast rate of speed. He liked it better when he had remained silent. All through the ramble, Solomon tried to pinpoint where he knew the man from. When he said something about not seeing him for a year, that gave Solomon a sick feeling in his stomach.

  “It can’t be,” Solomon said, in a quiet voice. “You’re… dead.”

  The man laughed. “Ha ha! Dead is a state of the mind and a state of being. I am, therefore, I’m not dead. Right? Of course that is true. I am alive. You should agree with that.”

  Solomon had enough. This was too much. He was patient throughout the rambling but now was different. He quickly reached over and grabbed the ski mask off the intruder. Solomon fell to his knees with his mouth open in disbelief. “What the heck!”

  He was a little thinner and hadn’t brushed his hair in a while, but the intruder was definitely Eric Tania.

  “Nice to see you, Solomon. Did I say that already? Naw. Couldn’t have. By the way, the world that we helped to save a year ago will end very soon. The Project Interstellar is responsible. The guy who hired you will be responsible.”

  Chapter Seven

  Solomon needed time to think. He crouched down for several minutes with one hand on the rail and the other on the floor of the elevator, to prevent himself from falling over. He still couldn’t process everything he had experienced over t
he past hour.

  Eric Tania, who supposedly sacrificed himself along with Isabella to prevent the end of the world, apparently didn’t sacrifice himself at all. He didn’t think he was going to get the entire story from Eric in the condition he was presently in, but he also knew that he had to try.

  Solomon was also confused by the fast talking and apparent mental trauma that his friend was going through. He knew that there was no way that Eric could have remained hidden by himself. He also believed that Eric’s accomplice might have been the one driving whatever vehicle that overturned the van.

  He needed answers, but he also knew that the inside of the stopped elevator was not the place he would have the time to get them.

  “Eric,” he said quietly. “We need te go somewhere so dat we can have a nice, quiet place te talk. We really need te talk about te last year.”

  “Yeah, yeah, yeah!” Eric responded with renewed excitement. “I have a place. A couple of places, actually. I have to check with my buddy first. Oh, man! I probably wasn’t supposed to say anything about my buddy! Wow! I said it again! You didn’t hear that. Did you?”

  Solomon forced a smile. “I’m your buddy too, Eric. Aren’t we buddies?”

  Eric thought about it, then smiled. “Hey, yeah! We are buds! Cool! I can take you to my Bat Cave then! Boy, are you gonna love it there!”

  Solomon could hear the sound of several people entering the building and not being very quiet about it. He knew it was the authorities. He couldn’t let them catch Eric just yet. He had to find out all he could. Especially the part about Ingram somehow being involved in a plan to destroy the world. He knew that if he helped his friend, Solomon would then be wanted by the law as well. Unless he could find a way to make sure that no one knew he was helping.

  Then Solomon had a scary realization. “Oh, no. Dere’s video of everting dat has gone on here. I am so out of a job. I might as well give myself up now because dey have me dead to rights.”

  Eric laughed loudly, as he pointed at Solomon. He then stopped and started again, as if he had a secret. “Ha ha! You’re so silly, Solomon! Do you think that my other buddy wouldn’t have thought of that? Hah! You would be seriously wrong if you thought that! Seriously! Nope. All taken care of! Ha ha!”