RESCUE
ME!
by
CQB
Chapter 9
The Chapters
“How long have we got?” Joe Hardy asked his brother as he struggled against his bonds in the darkness.
“It’s a big room, Joe. We’ll be okay for a while,” Frank answered. “Plenty of time to figure out how to get out of this mess.”
“Yeah,” Joe commented, “about that. Any ideas?”
“Well,” Frank responded, “we’re bound with rope and tape. We can cut through both.”
“Sorry,” Joe quipped, “I left my Boy Scout pen knife at home. So, what are we going to cut these with, genius.”
“I don’t know…yet.”
* * *
Amy Gantz and Cyrus Landles made their way back along the path toward the house. As they immerged from the woods, they noticed a car stopping in the driveway. Two young women immerged; one in a gingham dress and pig-tails, the other in a sleek lion costume.
“Want to bet they belong to the boys we just hid away?” Cyrus said with a frown.
Amy swore and once again pulled out her weapon, but kept it hidden in her jacket pocket. “Another problem to deal with!”
* * *
“Oh no,” Sam Radley whispered as he peered out the front window, “Its Callie and Vanessa!”
“What in the world are they doing here?” Fenton hissed.
“We’d better get them in here,” Sam suggested. “If Gantz and Landles are still around…”
“I know, the girls are in danger.”
The two men silently slipped out the front door onto the porch. They were about to call out to the girls, when Callie waved to someone beyond the house.
Fenton waited, hoping if it was the boys, they’d call out to the girls. Silence. He moved flat against the house, staying in the shadows, while Sam followed his lead. He moved to the edge of the porch and peered cautiously around the corner.
He made out two figures walking across the yard and they definitely were not Frank and Joe. One was an older man with gray hair, the other was a woman about 30 years old with shoulder-length brown hair.
Fenton quickly whispered a plan to Sam. The younger man nodded, pulled out his gun and ran across the porch.
* * *
“All right. We’re surrounded by computers,” Frank mumbled to himself. “Computers and components, some of which are made of metal. Sharp metal cuts.”
While Frank tried to analyze the situation, Joe got busy. Frank was right about one thing, computers contained metal pieces and metal, when sharp enough, could cut. Joe used his body mass to shuffle his chair closer to where he thought the nearest table was located.
“Joe, how am I supposed to come up with a way out of here if you keep making all that noise?”
Joe ignored his brother. With his hands behind him, he groped blindly on a table. His fingers touched a computer cabinet, which he promptly tipped over. It crashed on its side.
“Joe!”
“Frank!”
“What are you doing?” Frank asked, exasperated.
“Finding your piece of metal while you think about it!” Joe called back.
Frank sighed. They were both on edge. Was the room feeling stuffy already? ‘No. Just my imagination,’ Frank thought.
“Sorry,” Frank said softly. “What are you doing over there?”
“Sorry, too,” Joe replied. “I got a computer on its side. If I can pry the side open, the edge might be sharp enough to cut the rope holding me to this chair. It’s just so awkward trying to use my hands tied like this!”
“Let me get over there,” Frank said. “Maybe if we work together, it’ll be easier.” Joe heard Frank’s chair shuffling against the carpet as he made his way toward Joe.
“Ow!” Joe cried.
“What?”
“That’s my knee you just crashed into!”
“Sorry, Joe, but it’s totally dark in here,” Frank said. “I had to guess how close I was.”
“S’okay. No real damage,” Joe replied. “Can you feel the computer?”
“No, but I think I’ve got something to help you out, little brother.”
“What?”
“A screwdriver!”
“Alright! Let me get it from you.” Joe turned slightly until his fingers were touching Frank’s chair. “Got it!”
Rather than using the screwdriver conventionally, Joe used the flat end to pry up the metal edge of the computer’s cabinet. With limited mobility and very little leverage, it took Joe nearly fifteen minutes to work the cover loose.
By the time he’d managed, Joe was gasping for breath. ‘The air is already getting stale,’ he realized.
“Let me in closer, Joe,” Frank urged. “You need to rest a minute, or you could pass out.” Joe didn’t argue. Instead, he scooted aside so Frank could work.
“This is good,” Frank commented. “The lip on the inside is pretty sharp, but I can’t get it close enough to the ropes. I’m going to try and cut the tape off my wrists first.”
Neither Hardy boy spoke as Frank worked to free himself. Both knew that time was against them. Despite the size of the room, the oxygen level was dropping fast. They had to find a way out before they ran out of air altogether.
Joe listened as Frank worked his taped wrists against the side of the computer cabinet edge. He tried to stay focused on the sound; on his brother’s efforts, but his eye lids were heavy and his head was pounding.
‘Need air…need to breathe…’
“Joe…I’ve… got…it…There! My hands are free. I think I can wiggle out of the rope,” Frank paused. He glanced to where he thought Joe was sitting.
“Joe? Did you hear me?” Still no response from his brother, Frank began to panic.
“Joe? Wake up! JOE!!”
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Disclaimer
The Hardy Boys belong to Simon and Schuster and the Stratemeyer Foundation. The authors have just borrowed them for an adventure or two. The authors promise to put the boys back when they are done with them. The authors do claim copyright to the original characters in this story. Please do not borrow original characters without express permission of the authors.