The Time Travelers' Club -- Chapter 93: Getting Away

Dr. Herkeimer dreamt.  He had fallen asleep in his high-back chair.  He moved uncontrollably.  First, his head would jerk to the right then left.  He gritted his teeth.  His hands were white knuckled from grasping on the chair’s arms.  He mumbled.

“I’m going to get you…”

His eyes closed tightly.  “I will find you…”

“You cannot hide…” He was angry.

“You will die when I get you…”

Fulop Farkas had crept into the room, watching and listening. He didn’t like what he saw or heard.  Dr. Herkeimer displayed anger even in his sleep. Fulop began to fear that helping the Doctor and his obsessive pursuit of the book was a bad idea.  As he had done in the past, his allegiance began to sway in another direction.  Now he started to think the Time Travelers were the ones to go to.

Slowly leaving the sleeping Doctor, Fulop had to make a decision that could mean his death.   He stood for a few moments contemplating his options.

I could go to the Club.  Even better the old lady… What’s her name?  Fulop fidgeted, rubbing his fingers against his temples.

Her name is…  Come on… You’ve heard it…  Steed.  No.  Stein.  No.   Steers.  That’s it.  Steers in Connecticut...  I must get to her.  She’ll be able to protect me.

Fulop heard the Doctor scream out.  “You will pay!”

With that, Fulop headed back to the basement where had been working night and day trying to create potions from the book.  He would have to move fast.  In the lab, he gathered up his notes about the incantations that he had been working on.  Shoving them in a knapsack, Fulop had one more thought.

“The book.  I should take the book.  I knew they will want it.”

Fulop knew where it was stashed in the Doctor’s bedroom upstairs.  He had learned its location by accident, spotting Dr. Herkeimer putting it in its no-longer-hidden location.

“It will be a terrible gamble.”  Fulop rubbed his temples again.   Determination set in.  He grabbed the knapsack and scurried quietly back up to the main hall.

Creeping over to the doors to the library, he listened for the Doctor.  He could hear him in there, still talking in his sleep.  This would be his chance.  Fulop headed up the stairs into the Doctor’s bedroom.  Flipping on the light switch, he glanced around the immaculately clean and tidy bedroom.  Once inside, he went right to the bookshelves.

“The top row, the last book on the left… Here it is.  The Time Machine.”  Fulop pulled the book off the shelf and opened the cover.  It was a hollow.  A fake book serving as a shell for hiding treasure.  Inside was Dr. Herkeimer’s raggedy copy of Namvelt’s book.  The back cover was missing.  The leather cover was almost gone.  Fulop could tell pages were missing.  He put the fake book back on the shelf and tucked the worn book into his knapsack.

Fulop turned off the lights and cracked the door open.  He looked out in the hallway. Pulling the door closed as quietly as he could, he walked to the top of the stairs.  Bruno was coming up.  Thinking quickly, he stepped across to the opposite door and pretended that he was coming out of the room.

Bruno spotted him.  “What are you doing?”

Fulop realized that it was a bathroom.  “And what do you think?” Fulop nodded towards the bathroom.

“Sorry,” nodded Bruno and walked on down the hallway.   Fulop watched Bruno enter his room at the far end of the hall.

Running as fast and quietly as possible down the stairs, Fulop slipped out the front door and ran across the driveway.  “I have to get to Connecticut.  Wherever that is,” he muttered

Outside, the sun had set beyond the trees.  Twilight had arrived in the clear sky.  Soon, it would be dark.  Fulop headed into the woods to get as far from the house as possible.  Struggling through the underbrush, Fulop kept looking back to see if anyone had seen him leave.  Fulop tried not to think about it and just kept working his way through the woods.  As he came into a small clearing, he stopped to catch his breath and orient himself before he got too far.

Huffing and puffing, wishing he were in better shape, Fulop panted.  "Good so far.  Connecticut... Connecticut... Which way is Connecticut..."  He began to doubt his plan would work.  It wasn't going to be easy.

From behind him, he heard a rustling. Someone stepped out from behind a tree.

“Oh, what are you doing here?” said Fulop, surprised.  He soon realized he was in trouble with no one to help him.  With no chance of escaping, he found himself being gagged and tied up.

The last thing he remembered was a dark shadow saying "And where are you off to in such a hurry?"  He blacked out being hit over the head.