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A couple of satchels, backpacks, and a Styrofoam cooler were stacked near the card table Under the assuie went in search of pliers or any other tool hich we could free the kids, because the wires had been braided and knotted with such obsessive care that we couldn’t easily unwind the’s mouth, and he said he needed to pee-pee, and I told him that I did, too, but that ould both have to hold it for a little while, which shouldn’t be any trouble because ere both brave guys with the right stuff, and this earned his solereement

The six-year-old Stuart twins--Aaron and Anson--thanked me politely when I untaped their mouths Anson informed me that the two unconscious kooks on the floor were bad men Aaron was blunter and less clean-spoken than his brother, calling them "shitheads," and Anson warned him that if he used that forbidden word in front of their mother, he would be toast

I had expected tears, but these weeds had cried all they were going to cry, at least over this weird experience There’s a natural toughness in e, because we usually view childhood through glasses of nostalgia and sentilorious reflection of her mother, Mary, from whom I’d been unable to learn the piano but hoive me a kiss, and I was happy to receive it, and then she said, "The doggie is really thirsty--you should give hiive hi"

The corners of Orson’s eyes were crusted hite matter He looked sick and weak, because with his mouth wired shut, he had not been able to perspire properly Dogs sweat not through pores in their skin but largely through their tongues

"Gonna be okay, bro," I pro ho froie stooped bylineman’s pliers with sharp side cutters, snipped the bonds between my brother’s paws, pulled the the wires around Orson’s jaws requiredwhich I continued to babble that everything was going to be cool, primo, sweet, stylin’ and in less than a ie h Orson ue was rough and dry

Elibly fro I had to say was important and so deeply felt that if I started to let it out, I would be laid low by my oords, emotionally wrecked, and with all the obstacles that remained in the way of our escape and survival, I couldn’t afford tears now,anything, I pressedthe too-fast but steady beat of his great, good heart, and I kissed his brow

Wendy had said that Orson was thirsty His tongue had felt dry and swollen against my hands Now I saw that his flews, scored fro wire, appeared to be chapped His dark eyes were slightly fil close to resignation

Although reluctant to leave Orson’s side, I went to the large Styrofoam cooler beside the card table It was half full of cold water in which floated a few chips of ice The killers appeared to be health conscious, because the only drinks they had brought with theetable juice and Evian water

I took one bottle of water to Orson Inon his belly, though he see my left hand, I poured soh to be able to lap the water from my palm, at first listlessly but soon with enthusiasm

As I repeatedly replenished the water, I reviewed the physical daer ensured that I’d be able to hold back e of his left ear appeared to be crushed, and the fur was h he had sustained a blow to the head with a club or a length of pipe Blunt instruments were one of Mr John Joseph Randolph’s specialties In his left cushion, half an inch from his nose, was a blood-caked cut A couple of the nails in his right forepaere broken off, and his toes were sheathed in hardened blood He had put up a good fight The pasterns on all four legs were chafed froh not seriously

Doogie had finished snipping the wires that bound the kids and hada spool of the killers’ wire, he had shackled themore wire to cuff his wrists behind his back

We couldn’t risk taking the twowas required in some of the tunnels, ouldn’t be able to bind even their hands, and without restraints, they would be completely uncontrollable We would have to send the police back here for the the entire structure didn’t collapse fro overhead

Although I ed my mind later, at that moment I wanted to immobilize them, seal their mouths shut with tape, put a bottle of water where they could see it, and leave them here to die painfully of thirst

Orson had finished the Evian He struggled to his feet, wobbly as a baby, and stood panting, blinking the fil around with interest

"Poki akua," I told hiods

He chuffed weakly, as though pleased by the co squeal, as of h the copper roo, then around at the walls, but there was no evident distortion of the sed the heavy cooler across the floor to Orson and opened the lid He looked in at the icy water sloshing aetable juice, and he happily began to lap it up

On his side, curled in the fetal position, Randolph was groaning but not yet conscious

Doogie clipped off a few feet of wire, all he needed to finish binding Conrad, and passed the spool to me

I rolled Randolph facedown and hurriedly wired his wrists together behind his back I was teht as those on the children and Orson, but I controlled h to ensure that he could not free hi his ankles, I looped wire from the shackles at his feet to those at his wrists, further li his ability to an to apply this final restraint, because when I finished, he spoke with a clarity not characteristic of so consciousness: "I’ve won"

I moved out from behind him and hunkered down to look at his face His head was turned to the side, left cheek against the copper floor Lips split and bleeding His right eye was pale green and bright, but I saw no evidence of animal eyeshine

Curiously, he appeared to be in no distress He was at peace, as if he weren’t trussed and helpless but were htly euphoric, like that of soht Demerol sleep I would have felt better if he’d ranted, snarled, and spat His relaxed de contention that he had won in spite of his current circuone They stripped out the engine That wasn’t a anic machine In time, it has healed Now it powers itself You can feel it Feel it in the floor"

Those ru trains, were louder than before, and the spells of calh the effect in this room had been less than elsewhere in the structure, the noise and the vibrations in the floor were at last gaining power here, too

Randolph said, "Powers itself with the littlest help A storo--that’s all it took to get it running again This is no ordinary machine"