CHAPTER XX
TIMMY?
Nickie jumped up and held the lantern high over their heads. Theylooked down into the clearing but for a long time the black night andthe screaming wind and rain obscured their vision. Skippy thought hesaw something moving but he wasn't sure.
Again a thin, piteous scream pierced the storm. _Nickie--Kid?_ Can'tyou guys hear me? It's _me_--_Timmy_!"
"_Timmy!_" Skippy shouted. "What...."
"Listen," came the cry, "I wanta tell you guys ... that's why I comeback ... I'm hurt--I don't know how I found this place, honest!Somethin' made my feet run this way so's I could tell you ... he's gotno heart ... he's...."
"We'll come down, Timmy--in front!" Skippy shouted. "Downstairs!"
"It won't do no good!" came the answer. "You can't get out unless heleaves you--then beat it for your life!" There was a pause, then:"Frost ... where's he?"
"He ain't here, Timmy!" Nickie cried, finding his voice. He swung thelantern higher and then, for the first time, they could see the slightform swaying down by the evergreen tree.
"I just come back to tell you." Timmy's voice was a heart-rending sob."He's what I told you ... it's a trick! He makes out somethin's wrongwith the car an' he makes me get behind the wheel n' tells me to stepon the gas an' come toward him. It's dark an' I see him standing thereup the road.... I don't know ... when I get most to him he jumps an'it's a bridge.... I go right over in the car!" He groaned audibly.
"We gotta get out an' help you, Timmy!" Skippy cried.
"I'm goin' right away--you can't get out, you know you can't!" After apause, he cried: "Listen, it wasn't no accident--I hit my head on theway down an' in the water when I come up I yelled an' I knew he wasstandin' up on the bridge ... he wouldn't help me ... he just stoodwaitin' for me to drown I But I didn't ... I grabbed a log an' pushedmyself up an' he didn't see me climb up...."
"Where's _he_?" Nickie called nervously.
"He was up there--on the bridge--when I sneaked away through the trees... he acted like he was waitin' for a car to come along. I didn't meetany ... anyhow, all I could think of was to come here an' tip youoff.... I was sick.... I slep' in the woods all day and ... I knew hewouldn' be here--I knew he'd be lookin' in the lake for me...._Listen!_"
The lantern swayed in Nickie's trembling hand. The light flickered andsputtered with each fresh onslaught of the wind. Skippy held the topbar and pressed his face into the opening, his heart beating like atriphammer. There was a sound in the distance and the fear of what itmight be caused him to gulp with dismay.
"_It's a car!_" Timmy screamed. "A car!"
"What'd you come for, Timmy?" Nickie shouted frantically.
"_Run! Hide!_" Skippy was crying.
Timmy's slim form seemed to be swaying uncertainly. He took a few stepsnearer the great tree, acting as if he were bewildered.
Skippy no longer heard the sound and said so. Nickie agreed with him.They cried down to Timmy to hurry--to run, but the boy looked up atthem vaguely and shrugged his shoulders mechanically.
"He's too sick--too hurt!" Skippy cried, pulling at Nickie's sleeve."He don't seem to move, he can't!"
The lantern seemed to be making a desperate effort to light up thescene. Its rays struggled high over Nickie's head and shone down almostbrightly for a precious moment, down upon Timmy's upturned face.
He was smiling ... or did they imagine it? His regular features slowlyfroze--froze into a horrified expression ... or were they imaginingthat too? And that arm that stole out from behind the greatevergreen.... Suddenly, there was a muffled scream, a voice thatsounded like Timmy's.
Then the lantern light went out, leaving them in darkness.