Part 6 - Surprise Attack

Rita Logan and the Dark Tower

PART 6 - Surprise Attack

"What are you doing?" Matt pulled Noah aside. "Dad is
going to totally freak out. He doesn't like when we
get civilians involved in police business."

Noah used hushed tones but Matt could tell how serious
he was. "We need her, Matt. What if our paren't were
the ones missing. Wouldn't you want someone to believe
you? Help you find them?

"Of course, but..." Matt wasn't sure about this.

"But nothing. She needs our help and we're going to
give it to her."

"Where do we start?" Matt asked. He gave in easily
already knowing Noah would win any argument where
Rita's safety was concerned.

"I think I have something," Rita said..

She pulled out an old photo of her parents when they
were teenagers. "Look at this. Look in the background.
Isn't that the dark tower?"

"Yeah, it could be. This must have been taken back in
the day when the tower wasn't so spooky," Matt said.
"It looks pratically brand new."

Noah examined the photo more intently.

"Matt, doesn't that look like Micah's girlfriend?"

"It couldn't be," Rita said. "This photo must be over
twenty years old."

"That must be her mother," Matt said.

"We need to show this to Dad. It may be a big clue if
more people in the photo are among the missing."

"Can we borrow this?" Matt asked.

"Why don't you just scan it and email it to your
father?"

Rita led them into her bedroom and plugged in a
portable scanner to her laptop. The boys were focused
on sending the email when they heard a loud click from
across the room.

"What was that?" Noah asked.

Matt turned toward the door. "She's locked us in!"

"Sorry, boys. If my parents are in danger, I have to
go after them. I had to make sure you wouldn't stop
me."

They could hear the front door slam and her
convertible speed off.

"I can't believe we fell for that," Noah said. "The
ole come-up-to-my-bedroom-and-scan-the-picture-ploy."

"Well, while we're here, we might as well send this
photo to Dad. This could be a super clue." Matt
scanned in the image and sent the email.

Meanwhile, Noah worked on the archaic lock and managed
to slide a nail file between the door latch and the
wall. It didn't take him long to jimmy the lock and
free them from the bedroom. But Rita did have a pretty
big head start on them.

"Exactly how much trouble do you think we're in?" Matt
asked.

"Cosmo has probably already told Dad about the cell
phone triangulation and Rita's missing parents," Noah
said. "If I miss my guess, he probably beat Rita
there. And our brother, Micah, couldn't be far
behind."

"But do you think we're in trouble?"

"Probably. Keeping things from Dad always gets us in
trouble," Noah said.

***

"What do you mean?" Steven Strong asked his buddy and
fellow detective, Cosmo.

"Matt and Noah went and talked to Rita Logan," Cosmo
said. "But don't get mad. They found something. Check
our your email. They sent you something. I think it's
a clue."

Steven wasn't used to his sons sneaking into an
investigation, although, he shouldn't be surprised by
their actions. His sons had solved more cases in
Gateway City than most of the detectives on his squad.
Steven knew his face was blood red. It had to be. His
blood pressure was pounding in his ears.

As he entered his password into his personal email
program, he willed himself to calm down. His sons
seemed to be two of the few people who could make him
lose his cool. And that meddlesome Rita Logan wasn't
far behind.

He scanned the photo and the quick note left by Matt.
He sighed in frustration. He should have known he
couldn't hide something like this from his sons. He
grabbed the phone on his desk and called Micah's
private cell.

"Rita Logan and your brothers are closing in on
solving the case," Steven told his oldest son.

"I told you that you should have confided in them.
They're curious guys. You should know. You raised
them," Micah said. "And Rita Logan being involved will
only make Noah want to help more. You know he has a
crush on the girl."

"I know. You were right. I think we should bring them
all in on this case before the whole thing blows up in
our face." Steven wasn't happy about having to involve
his youngest sons i the case. This was a pretty
dangerous one, one that would, in the end, get someone
killed.

Micah was so silent on the other end of the line,
Steven feared his untrustworthy cell phone had dropped
the call. It wasn't until he heard his son's sharp
intake of breath that he knew that wasn't the case.

"We've got a problem, Dad. The Logan girl is back and
alone. I don't think a bunch of holograms are going to
scare her off as easily this time."

Like a spector, Detective Micah Strong moved with the
shadows, stealthy and secretive. He was an expert
tracker. Gateway City criminals didn't have a chance
of resisting his hometown all-star allure.

Steven was afraid of that. He wasn't a fan of getting
civillians involved in an investigation but he feared
if he didn't, those missing college girls would be
lost to him forever.

"Bring her back to the compound. I think we need to
have a chat with Ms. Logan and the boys."

"Your sons are on their way back," Cosmo said as he
monitored the surveillance cameras they'd set up all
around the dark tower. "Rita locked them into her
room," he said with a snicker.

"Good. Thanks." Steven took a deep breath. He didn't
want to think about what they were doing in Rita
Logan's bedroom.

***

Rita Logan had a feeling about that strange
holographic set up in the living area of the tower.
She had a feeling it was just a red herring to either
scare her off or throw her off. Either way, it had
done its job on her first visit. The tactic wouldn't
be so successful a second time.

Before she got within fifteen feet of the front door
of the tower a gloved hand grabbed her mouth and
shoved her forcefully toward the woods behind Mrs.
Cresswell's cabin. Rita struggled but something was
wrong. With each step she felt weaker and weaker. The
woods ahead began to blur in her vision and before she
could see where the kidnapper was taking her, she
passed out.

Chapter 5 - Watchers

Rita Logan and the Dark Tower
Part 5

When Rita Logan arrived home after dropping off Kyle and Jordan, she found the house strangely quiet. The only noise ws the ticking of a battery-powered clock in the living room.

"Mom? Dad? You home?" Rita called out to her parents but got no response. As she made her way into the kitchen and dropped her books on the table, she found a note taped to the refrigerator. The note said: "Gone to Park Ridge Mall to shop. Be back home late."

Rita glanced at the time. Nine o'clock. It was already late. They could have stopped in town to see a couple of their friends. Then something on the stove caught her eye. One of the burners on the stove was still on. She quickly turned off the gas and let out a sigh of relief. If the burner had been on any longer, all the potatoes boiling in the pot of water would have burned.. Her mother never left the stove unattended. What was going on here?

A knock at the front door broke her concentration. Rita nearly jumped a mile. Who would be visiting her at such a late hour? A glance through the peep hole gave her the answer.

Matt and Noah Strong.

***

Steven Strong and Cosmo reviewed the surveilence footage of Rita Logan and her friends.

"I don't think she knows anything, boss. Did you see how that Cresswell woman gave her the brush off? That woman is as cold as ice. Freaky col, if you ask me."

"What we have here are a string of random disappearances. What is someone doing with all these people?" Steven Strong asked.

"But, what about Cresswell? Have you checked her out?"

"I've known Lady Bird Cresswell for years. If she knew anything she'd come to me about it."

While Mr. Strong stared at the wall of evidence photos pinned to a large corkboard, Cosmo pulled out his cell phone. If Mr. Strong wouldn't check out Mrs. Crewell, he knew someone who would.

***

Rita opened the door just as Matt's cell phon rang. He waved at her and took the call which left Noah and Rita staring awkwardly at one another.

"Can we come in," Noah said after a beat. "It's important."

"Actually, I'm glad you're both here. I think I have a real mystery on my hands."

Noah followed Rita into the living room. It was one of those fancy sitting rooms where people didn't actually sit, they just looked. Matt waved again and smiled at Rita all the while still talking on his phone,. He stayed near the window while he spoke in hushed tones.

"What's up?" Noah asked eagerly. He was always ready to jump head first into a mystery.

"When I got home tonight, I found this note." Rita handed it to Noah who held it by its edge. He didn't want to mess up any possible fingerprints. "A short time later I noticed one of the burners in the kitchen was still on. The water was nearly gone in this pot. I think my mother would never do something so irresponsible. I think something happened to my parents."

"Whoa," Noah said. "That's quite a leap in logic."

"It makes sense if you add in the fact of how jumpy they've both been this past week. Something's going on, Noah. Something they wouldn't tell me about."

"You don't think it has anything to do with your investigation of the Dark Tower, do you?"

"How'd you know about that?"

"We saw you from our house. It's not far from the dark tower," Matt answered joining the two. "Hi, Rita," he said with a smile and turned to Noah. "That was Cosmo on the phone. Apparently, we weren't the only people watching Rita enter the tower. Dad's on the case with Cosmo. Cosmo wants us to question Mrs. Cresswell. He thinks there might be a lead there."

"You all have been watching me? That's a little creepy. Kyle did say that he thought Noah was the one who helped us escape."

Noah held up his hands. "Hey, it wasn't me."

"It was probably Micah. He gets mistaken for Noah all the time. Micah has been taking a short hiatus from college to help Dad with an investigation. Actually, that's kind of why we're here. Micah's girlfriend was one of the first to vanish."

"Vanish?" Rita said, immediately thinking of her parents. And there may be more that we don't know about," Noah said handing Rita a list of the missing.

"I know all these people," Rita said. "They're friends of my parents."

"Have you tried calling your parents?" Noah asked, hoping to impart a bit of common sense into the mix.

"No, not yet," she said, calming down a bit. "That lit burner thing really threw me for a loop."

"Why don't you try calling them now," Noah suggested.

Rita nodded and punched the numbers into her cell phone. She waited a beat and then heard the phone connect.

"Someone's picked up," she whispered. "Hello? Mom?"

"It's only muted noise and shuffling," she said. "Maybe I got the wrong number."

"Don't hang up!" Noah shouted. He placed a quick call to Cosmo. "I'm going to have mother's cell phone. With the technologically available now, location."

Noah paused, listening to Cosmo. "You're sure?" he said. "Thanks Cosmo."

"What did he say," Matt and Rita said in unison.

"The signal was coming from inside the dark tower."

Part 4-Investigating, Strong-Style

Rita Logan and the Dark Tower
Featuring Micah, Matt and Noah Strong
By Toni Walker

Part 4: Investigating, Strong-Style

“It’s not as if she knows what she’s getting herself into,” Noah Strong said. It was useless to defend Rita’s actions to Matt. He was still torked that she wouldn’t go out with him last semester.

“Let me guess. You want to dash in and be the hero. Show her the error of her ways?” Matt asked his brother.

Matt stood off to the side and watched through binoculars as Rita Logan and Kyle Filmore raced from the Dark Tower toward the dimly lit parking area near the fence.

“You do have to admit, we have a leg up on the investigation,” Noah said.

Noah was the eldest more stable brother. Not that Matt was unstable, but Noah was the responsible one. He was the first to consider all his options before taking one step. It was a trait that sometimes annoyed his younger brother, Matt, who was the spontaneous one. Matt wasn’t used to his brother acting so much like him.

“We have to help her, Matt,” Noah pleaded.

“Hey, isn’t that my line?” Matt said. “I thought I was the only brother who rushed in where the sensible feared to tread.”

“She and Kyle were nearly captured just now,” Noah stressed. “I don’t think there is anything impulsive about wanting to help them.”

Matt gave his brother the eye. “So what are you saying here? You want to compare notes with Rita?”

“We have to know why she’s investigating the ruins of the Dark Tower before something grave happens to her. I don’t want anyone else disappearing,” Noah said.

“I thought dad said they were keeping a lid on the string of missing college girls.”

“They are. Nothing was ever reported in the newspaper about it. She must be there for a different reason,” Noah said.

Noah had a sudden sinking feeling as he stared intently at his brother.

“What was that look for,” Matt said.

“What if someone was luring Rita to the tower but they didn’t anticipate her bringing her friends along?” Noah hypothized while grabbing his coat and walking toward the door. “She could be in more danger than we realized.”

“Where are you going?” Matt asked, following his brother to the door.

“We’re going to find Rita before the mad man in the dark tower find her first.”

“Great. Just great,” Matt said slowly. “I guess my quiet evening at home just went out the window.”

“Are you coming?” Noah shouted from outside.

“Yeah, yeah.” Matt sighed and followed. He didn’t like this role reversal at all. Noah was not supposed to be the impulsive one. That was his job. “I’m coming.”

Matt grabbed his coat and locked the door behind him. One couldn’t be too careful these days.

***

“You have to give me another chance,” Rita begged. “I know I can find something.”

Mrs. Cresswell‘s aged face was painted with a frown.

“I‘ve changed my mind,” she said. “Stay away from the Dark Tower. And stay away from me.”

She shooed the duo out the door and then proceeded to slam it in their faces.

To say Rita was shocked was an understatement.

"I told you that you were out of your mind," Kyle said. "We should not have gone in there!"

Mrs. Cresswell’s house was on the same lot as the Dark Tower so the walk to their friend Jordan’s car was a short one.

"What did you find?" asked Jordan blowing bubbles and chewing gum.

"Things. Strange and scary things that should not be found in a bell tower," Kyle said darkly.

"What Kyle means is that we had to stop investigating before we got very far into our search," Rita explained. "I found it a bit odd at Mrs. Cresswell's sudden dismissal of our investigation."

"If it hadn't been for Noah Strong, I doubt we would have ever found our way out," Kyle said.

"You don't know it was him," Rita said. Jordan smiled at Rita with a knowing smirk. She knew that Rita had a crush on Noah Strong. "He just got a glimpse of someone around a dark corner. It wasn't Noah."

"Yeah, keep telling yourself that," Kyle said. "I know what I saw."

"Five minutes before that you thought it was a ghost."

"Hey," Kyle said. "I didn't imagine the door unlocking itself and letting us out, did I? It was Noah. I know it was."

Rita nodded and sighed. It was better to let Kyle believe what he wanted to believe instead of fighting with him all night. He was famous for babbling on and on about absolutely nothing.

The trio turned and left the parking lot of the dark tower and headed for home. Neither, Rita, Jordan nor Kyle noticed the man standing not an arms length from them. He had the ability to disappear into the shadows. His breathing was controlled and hardly audible even to himself. His mission at this point was an unknown variable. He was awaiting instruction on how to deal with the teenagers.

Kyle seemed to be a bit more focused on the danger which was odd since Kyle didn't have anything in common with focusing.

Steven Strong and his computer expert, Cosmo, were back at the Strong Compound watching Rita’s movements though security monitors that they had set up throughout the facility.

"Cosmo, get information on these kids for me. I want to know what they're doing here," The Mr. Strong was standing next to Cosmo. He also watched his son's movements through the security feed he had set up in their bedrooms and the main living quarters.

"Roger that," said Cosmo through the mini microphone cupped around Micah's ear.

"Micah, if they dare to return, you have to stop them anyway you can. You know that, right? Our objective is to protect the package at all costs," Micah's father, Steven Strong said.

Micah eyed Rita as she smiled at her friends and sped away in her convertible. He knew she did her best work alone. He'd learned all about her antics from his brothers, Matt and Noah.

"I understand, dad. You can count on me." Micah verbally agreed with his father, but he knew that if it came down to harming Rita and her friends, he just might not be able to do it.

Episode 3: The Disappearing Couch Mystery

Episode 3: The Disappering Couch Mystery

"Did you hear that?" Kyle Fillmore whispered. "It sounds like someone is following us."

"Don't be ridiculous. Who else but us would be here tonight? This place is abandoned," Rita said

"I don't know," Kyle said. "Maybe it's the same person who is haunting the tower!"

"I don't believe in ghosts," Rita said seriously.

"No, you wouldn't. Even if it came up and said 'Boo!' in your face."

"I believe there is an explaination for everything - a logical explaination not a woo-hoo explaination."

"You're seriously close to hurting my feelings," Kyle said, somewhat seriously. He did believe in ghosts even if she didn't. He also belived in gut instincts and vibes. And those instincts have saved him more than once in his young life.

Rita ignored his comment. She knew he'd get over it. He always did.

"What do you think is really going on in this house, Rita," Kyle asked. "I have a hard time believing you're buying into this whole 'ghost' theory."

Rita smirked, but Kyle couldn't see her amusement since he was walking behind her into the entrance of the dark tower.

"What makes you say that?"

"Oh, because you're you. And I don't think there are enough tests to prove the existance of a ghost to you.

Rita directed her flashlight around the first corner. The darkness seemed to envelop the length like a long black hole.

Kyle tapped Rita on the shoulder. "How long will it be until you solve this mystery? Because my parents are expecting me home for dinner."

As they inched down the hallway it quickly opened up into a large area that probably looked more like a living room than it realistically should.

"This is very odd," Rita whispered. "Mrs. Cresswell told me that nearly every piece of furniture had been scavanged over the years." She tapped a single finger to her lips. "If that was ture, why is this room still intact?"

Kyle snickered. "Maybe your ghost is really into interior design. Or maybe the ghost is luring you into its trap by inticing you with suede furniture and awesome light fixtures... Or maybe this place isn't as abandoned as the old lady thinks."

"Kyle!"

"What? Technically she is old and she is a lady."

Rita shook her head. "Although, you may be right about this place not being abandoned. She's shown me photos of the inside of the tower and it looked nothing like this."

Kyle began to sit on the appealing-looking couch and instead of reveling in its plush goodness, he ended up sprawled on the floor. The couch looked like it was there but really it was an illusion. He jumped up and stood away from the couch.

"It's not there," he yelled backing away. "The dang thing is not really there at all."

Rita, who hadn't seen Kyle's tumble, gave him a strange look. "What are you talking about?"

"The couch is not really there. See for yourself."

Rita leaned down to touch the arm of the elegant suede couch but when her hand failed to touch anything she lost her balance and stumbled forward until she found herself standing in the middle of a couch that was only being projected into the room.

"Whoa! Whoever's haunting this place is not quite as dead as Mrs. Cresswell expects," Rita said.

Suddenly, without warning, all the beautiful furnishings in the room disappeared. What was left behind was an empty room filled with grafetti on the walls and a grungy, delapated look to the space. Even the dank musty smell of the room began to fill their nostrils.

"We need to get out of here," Rita said. "I think someone's watching us."

"Finally, you're speaking my language."

Rita and Kyle ran back to the front door. They tried the handle but just like Kyle had discovered - there wasn't one.

"Oh, no! I forgot about that. We're trapped!"


****

Let me know what you think of this episode by posting here or emailing me at toniwalker@hotmail.com

Chapter 2 - Just Inside the Door

Private Blog Entry: Rita Logan Teen Detective

Most people in the Gateway City already know my reputation as a teenage crimesolver. Maybe that’s why Mrs. Alberta Cresswell, the owner of the haunted bell tower, asked me to take a look into some suspicious activity surrounding one of Gateway City’s most notorious landmarks. Of course, I didn’t tell Jordan and Kyle about Mrs. Cresswell’s request. That would take all the fun out of it. I don’t believe in ghosts but for some reason Kyle and Jordan bought my explaination about why I wanted to investigate. I thought they knew me better than that, but maybe I play things a little too close to the vest. At least, that’s what my parents say.

Chapter 2 - Just Inside the Door

Kyle Fillmore stumbled inside the large oak doorway of the Dark Tower and the consuming darkness triggered a fear that nearly took his breath away.

“I must be crazy following you in here,” he muttered, gazing intently at the even darker shadows at the corners of the room. He was immediately unsure of which direction to take and quickly looked to Rita for guidance.

“My form of craziness just seems to rub off on everyone, doesn’t it?” Rita whispered. “Kyle, you didn’t have to follow me in here. You could have stayed outside with Jordan.”

“You know what? I didn’t know I had an option. I’ll let you do your snoop thing. Then when you’re done, we can get the heck out of Dodge. I think a tall malt will settle my nerves... and your nerves too.” Kyle turned on his heels and headed for the door.

Rita rolled her eyes and whispered “my hero”.

“Hey, I heard that, ya know,” Kyle shouted from the other side of the room. To his surprise, he found this side of the door had no knob. He let out a little shreak of shock. “There’s no knob. How are you supposed to get out a door with no knob? Oh, no! We’re trapped.”

Kyle proceded to pound intently on the door screaming for Jordan who was somewhere outside talking to her boyfriend on her cell phone.

“We’re going to die in here,” he theorized. “Ten years from now they’ll find out bleached bones and wonder what happened to us.”

“We’re not going to die, Kyle.” Rita didn’t know what she was going to do with the ‘frady-cat. During his ranting, she had done a bit of exploring of her own.

“Did you find a way out?” he asked with a glimmer of hope in his voice.

Rita shook her head, then looked at him with that Logan glimmer in her eyes. “Nope. I found a way in.”

The wind whistled through broken windows like a mysterious omen.

“Cue the spooky music,” Kyle whispered. “We can’t get out so we might as well go further down the rabbit hole? Is that your theory?”

“Exactly.” Rita shined her flashlight through the interior door leading them farther inside the tower.

“That’s crazy talk.”

“That’s investigation.” Rita said as she walked forward.

“Why did I ever think sleuthing was cool?” Kyle mumbled.

***

As the two of them ventured through the door a mysterious figure appeared from the shadows wearing all black. He held a hand to his ear as he watched Rita and Kyle. His fingers pressed a nearly invisible com-link.

“Tell Grandmother that we have a problem. A couple of kids have come home to play.”

“Roger,” A faint voice replied.

The man quietly approached and followed Rita and Kyle through the now open door.

Rita Logan and the Dark Tower

Chapter 1

The bell tower was not exactly the best place for kids. It should have been locked up tight considering the sinister history of the place, but it seemed the City Council was more interested in catching offenders burning leaves within the city limits than protecting the public from a possible death trap.

Rita Logan and her posse of friends weren’t afraid of unusually creepy town history and threats of grounding. They wanted to solve a mystery, any mystery. And tonight the mystery that drew them was that of the haunted bell tower. Well, at least, it drew Rita, the rest of the gang merely followed her lead.

Rita, the leader of the group, examined the front entrance. She was welcomed by spider webs, and a gust of mildew. The atmosphere fit the history of the Dark Bell Tower. Its past was dark, mysterious and filled with horrors. At least, that was the story handed down from generation to generation. Whether it was true, well that was another story.

“This is such a bad idea,” Kyle Fillmore said, inching up behind Rita and staring up at the castle moldings. Moonlight glinted off something high above his head, and Kyle jumped as if the ancient gargoyle would swoop and eat him at any moment.

“Settle down,” Rita said placing a supportive hand on Kyle’s shoulder. “We all said we wanted to do this. Think of it as a public service. We’ll be able to rid the community of a ghost.”

“We?” Kyle questioned. “We did nothing of the sort. It’s you. You’re the one who drags us into these things -- talks us into these things.” He jumped back as a cat darted out of the darkened doorway and skittered across his feet.

Their other friend, Jordan Langford, was watching the two of them with growing amusement on her face. “Did you happen to notice the plethora of ‘no trespassing’ signs plastered on that chain length fence we passed five minutes ago?” She snapped her gum loudly as she chewed then blew a big pink bubble. The pink almost matched the highlights in her hair.

“Only Rita Logan, would take a warning like that as a welcome,” Kyle said as he looked back at Jordan. Her hair was a little on the scary side. It fit perfectly in with the mood. She had done some sort of spiky thing with her pixie haircut. This was not one of her better looks. Tonight it was sort of Goth-like. He was thankful she didn’t have accessories like a snake tattoo, nose ring and tongue piercing. The dark, blood red lipstick and talon fingernails were enough. She and Rita were as different as night and day. Why they were friends was anyone’s guess.

"Do you really think we're going to get in this way?" Kyle asked skeptically.

"Why not," Rita said. "Have you ever known me not to do something when I set my mind to it?

"Well, there was that one time..." Kyle started.

"Please, don't remind me." Rita said.

"...And the time before that." Kyle continued.

Rita rolled her eyes, but Jordan was the one to speak. "I think she gets the hint, slick."

A cell phone rang startling the youth. Jordan scrambled for her phone inside the mini purse she kept fashioned onto her wrist. It matched her black and pink outfit to a tee. She quickly turned off the ringer that was singing one of the Black Eyed Peas latest hits. The sound seemed to echo throughout the eerie woods where the dark tower was located. The breath of the three doubled as their heartbeats rattled inside their chests from the sudden shock.

“I thought you turned that thing off,” Kyle said in an accusatory voice. “Do you want to get our butts thrown into jail or what?”

“Sorry. I’m expecting a call from George.” She turned away from them both as she placed the pink phone to her ear. “I’ve gotta take this,” she said as she began walking away.

“Ten to one she doesn’t come back at all.” Kyle looked longingly toward Jordan. “And she’s my ride home.”

“I’ll take you home, loverboy.” Rita said as she successfully jimmied the lock. “Wa-la.”

Kyle’s eyes grew round. “Wa-la? No, there’s no wa-la. Wa-la means we have to go inside and I really, really don’t want to go inside.”

“You are such a ‘fraidy cat,” Rita shrugged her shoulders. “Suit yourself. Stay out here if you want to, but I’m going inside to take a peek around for our ghost.”

Rita slipped inside and the door gave a spooky squeak. The sound startled Kyle. He looked around in nervous apprehension, as if suddenly realizing he was outside all alone.

“Wait a minute!” he said with a shout. “I’m not staying out here alone!”

The door had nearly closed when he grabbed the handle and swung it open again.

“I have a feeling I’m going to regret this for the rest of my life.”

Rita sighed and pulled Kyle all the way into the Dark Tower. He let out a slight yelp as the door smartly smacked locked again with he and Rita trapped inside.