End of Chapter Six from “The Jake Collins Band: the Fading Silence.”

An excerpt from Chapter six, by Rob Krabbe to be released summer 2012 in Hardback, Paperback and on eBook and Kindle, by NoonAtNight Publications.

. . . “You got to be crazy . . . do you know what it’s like to travel that far?  We may be going twenty, to thirty miles or we may be going hundreds of miles, or more.  I’m not stopping till I find her or die trying.”

“Chicago is a rotting corpse, we need to get out anyway.”

“There’s nothing outside of town but death, disease more death – you know that, you’ve heard the stories.  And who the hell is Bradley?”

“I have indeed heard the stories, and Bradley, he’s my son. He’s special, you’ll see, you’ll like him.  He has been here all along, watching us.  He takes care of me.”

“What do you mean special?   What are you saying?”

“He’s God’s gift to me, he’s a special boy.  Well he’s a man in age, but he’s sort of a child at heart, and a bit of a beast really.  He’ll protect us.  People used to call him horrible things like tard, stupid, or just plain murderously and psychopathically crazy, but that’s just ignorance.  Jake, listen carefully to me.  I want to tell you something important,” he leaned in towards Jake, “I know it’s over for this city.  Bradley and me, we need to be out of here too, a new start.  This is the right thing to do, and I think you could use the help, we can help each other. Bradley will come in handy too.  He can be very good in certain uh . . . circumstances.  He has some very special talents.”

“I need to move fast, I think Mara’s life depends on it.  You will only slow me down, no offense, but it’s true.  Besides, there’s something you’re not telling me.  What is it about Bradley?  And what changed, just a few days ago you told me you’d be the librarian till you died.”

“Being a librarian is a state of mind, don’t you ever forget it; Bradley, well Bradley is Bradley.  Trust me, you couldn’t possibly understand now, but having Bradley along triples your chances of not dying.  Me, I go on and on, talking too much, and Bradley, you won’t hardly know he’s with us. He has a certain economy of words and complexities; we won’t neither of us slow you down.  I am in much better shape than you think.  Besides you don’t have a choice in the matter, we have a bond you and I, a non-negotiable accord.  You owe me, and I’m collecting.”

Jake sat down on a box, and put his head in his hands and just sat for a moment trying to think.

The old man continued.

“You’ll like Bradley,” the old man added, “and, he already likes you.”

Jake sighed.  He knew when he was beat.  He had agreed, and a bond is a bond.  He owed the guy two favors.

“Well, Librarian, we need to get going and get there fast.  She is in danger, if she’s still alive.”

Peering from behind a door, hiding, watching and listening were a set of steel blue eyes just taking in the events of the day. They were trying to size up this stranger.  He knew he didn’t always understand social aspects of situations, but this was not so complicated. Someone, a young girl, was in trouble had been stolen by some bad men.  She was hurt and needed help.  That was enough, he hated when people hurt other smaller people; most everyone was smaller than Bradley. Plus his dad said they needed to help.  Bradley was already thinking of what supplies they would need, and weapons.   He looked back through the crack.  He did not know this man, this “Jake” but his dad seemed to trust him and that was enough for Bradley.  Bradley trusted his dad for the awkward social languages.  Bradley figured he wouldn’t kill Jake, but he wasn’t totally sure yet.

“This could be really fun.” Bradley said under his breath, as he silently closed the door and went about packing.  He had a very large grin on his face.  “Really, really fun.”