Kingdom Keepers V(27)

Why hadn’t Wayne warned him about them? He held his breath and allowed them to pass. A stupid mistake. It put the rescue dummies between him and the Boatworks. After a moment he slipped back out onto the pathway behind the wave-generating wall. He hurried ahead, spotted the dummies from the back, and climbed through the landscaping and over some rocks and lowered himself to a stairway. It took him a moment to recognize it as the entrance to Humunga. He started down, not far now from the Boatworks shop. He turned a corner and was face to no face with one of the teenage rescue dummies. The mutant slapped the side of its upper leg. It was as loud as a drum, and the rhythm was organized. A code! The dummies couldn’t talk, but they could drum signals. By the sound of clomping plastic moving toward Finn, he realized this one had called the others.

Finn turned and ran up the stairs as fast as his legs would carry him. From what he’d seen, there was no way the zombies could match his pace. He climbed higher, glancing back and seeing no one. But the sounds were unmistakable: he was being followed.

He reached the top—practically at Miss Tilly, the wrecked boat at the very top of everything—and faced the dark, open mouths of three tubes. Water gushed into each. No problem, Finn told himself, as he launched himself feet-first down the middle tube. He had to shut his mouth to keep from screaming. Although inside a tube—a tube carrying water—the initial drop was more like falling out a window. Straight down, as fast as gravity could pull him. Finally his seat found the water and he slid, insanely fast, down the remainder of the ride and was braked by the water in a level stretch of open tube. He opened his eyes.

Rescue dummies. Two adults on the other side of the tube to his right. He cursed his luck that he’d been stalked by dummies with brains. Why couldn’t he have gotten the real dummies? The ones with stuffing for brains? These two had stayed behind to cut off his escape from the slides.

Finn pulled himself out of the slide, hurrying away. Behind him, the dummies that had been chasing him arrived at the bottom of the slides and proceeded to knock down the two adult dummies.

Not wanting to lead them to the Boatworks and his rendezvous, Finn scrambled over a wall and headed for the body slides. He made a point of leaving wet footprints heading up the steps, but then jumped the wall and ducked behind some bushes. A moment later, four of the rescue dummies hurried past and up the steps. Again, this left two unaccounted for—no doubt they were waiting below. Finn crawled over the rocks and stayed away from the small pool where the body slides terminated. He flattened himself to the ground as he spotted the two adult dummies. Checked how far it was to the Boatworks. Too far, with too much open space. He’d be seen. No matter what, he couldn’t compromise the meeting Wayne had planned for him.

The head on one of the dummies pivoted around like an owl’s. Finn ducked, but just a bit too late. He heard the clomping of plastic on concrete and knew he was toast.

He tried to collect himself, to settle down, but he brushed his hand against a cactus and it stuck him with a couple dozen fiery needles.

The two dummies drummed on their thighs and chests in a primitive dance that terrified Finn. Maybe they were talking to each other, or maybe they were just excited; whatever it was, they were freaks. Arm burning, Finn carefully snapped off a paddle of cactus and pushed through the planting toward the two rescue dummies, determined to make his confrontation before others arrived. He had no idea if they felt anything; no idea if his weapon would make any difference. He jumped off the wall, and the two stepped back, wary of him. That was encouraging.

He wondered at their role. Were they after him? Were they just Overtaker sentries who roamed the park at night? Who had charmed them to life, and why?

They tapped out code to each other and widened the distance between them, doing a more effective job of boxing Finn in. One of the teenage dummies arrived via a slide into the landing pool, stealing the attention of one of the adults just for an instant. Finn lunged forward and raked the cactus paddle down the fabric section of the dummy’s arm.

No reaction. No nerves, Finn thought.

The dummy looked back at Finn, annoyed, but not harmed or in any kind of pain.

When the other dummy raised its plastic fists, Finn knew he had serious problems. No way to hurt them, nothing for them to fear.

The smaller dummy climbed out of the pool, making it three to one.

Then Finn saw a flash of color on his right.

Stitch.

Finn was well familiar with Stitch. It wasn’t a costume. This was the real Stitch. The character’s mouth and eyes moved. His facial skin looked oily in the dim light. He was not happy. Not at all. He was angry and troubled, and all of that anger was aimed at the dummies. He stuck out his jaw, revealing rows of sharp teeth. Finn felt a chill. The creature growled and took a step toward the dummies; all three took a step back. There was clearly a history between them, and Finn had little doubt who had the upper hand. Stitch stepped between Finn and the dummies. Now three others arrived into the landing pool. They saw Stitch and took off in the other direction.