was sure that he had been one of the kids she had visited years ago and had planted the evil seeds of despair and hatred.
'Next week. The movers come on Monday. I've made plane reservations for you to fly out in the afternoon.'
'Will you be traveling with me?' Madeline asked with a slightly flirtatious tone, yet still with an air of quiet demure.
'I didn't know I could still work for you,' William said nervously.
'Yes, you can, but not as an intern. How would you like to be my executive assistant?'
For a moment, Madeline thought William was going to wet his pants. He practically jumped up and down with excitement.
'I'll take your body's shaking as a yes,' she quipped with a laugh.
'Absolutely, Miss Madeline. Thank you so much. I will be the best executive assistant you've ever had,' William said, taking Madeline's hand and shaking it to the point that she felt it might be yanked out of its socket.
'Just be certain of that or…' Before Madeline could finish her statement an elderly gentleman stood at the office doorway. He had a black raincoat draped over his arm and held a cane with his left hand.
'Excuse me, is this the office of the future Director of Homeland Security?' he asked with a very slow southern drawl.
William spun around with an eagerness to initiate his new position as executive assistant. 'Yes, it is. May I ask your name?'
With a condescending smile, the enigmatic, self-assured man replied, 'Harold Barker.'
As William was about to inquire further, Madeline stopped him and asked him to finish the travel arrangements to Washington. He nearly tripped over a chair in his eagerness to return to work.
'There's an admirable, hardworking young man. That's a rare thing these days,' Harold said softly as he sat in one of the overstuffed chairs facing the desk. He set his raincoat on another chair next to him.
'Please, call me Harold.'
She nodded her head slowly and said, 'Okay, Harold. How can I help you?'
Harold got up from the chair and walked around the office, looking at the pictures covering the wall, many of them showing Madeline posing with important political figures as well as a few famous entertainers. He stopped in front of a photo of Madeline with her arm around Michael Jackson's waist.
'It is time,' he whispered. The tone of those three words may have been spoken softly, but in Madeline's head she heard them as if he had said them with a bullhorn. Her insides twisted with a delight that she hadn't felt in a long time. She could feel a power inside brewing as though it were an indomitable tempest or fierce tornado ready to devastate.
'From this point on, evil will spread across the world and devour it,' Harold said, picking up a prized sculpture. 'And you will orchestrate its progress. The years of laying the foundation have come to the point where we are ready. The pendulum has begun to swing in our favor.'
Madeline remained silent with a slight grin on her face. She didn't want to be too proud in her achievements so far; however, inside she was ready to flip the switch to unleash anarchy and destruction. It was part of her DNA.
'I have just the event to kick things off…the Super Bowl,' she said, laughing at the intended and clever pun.
Harold didn't laugh.
She went on to explain the details of how the Super Bowl would be the first in many events that would lead to the destruction of mankind. She touted the plan as the ultimate push to set a catastrophic domino effect.
When she was done, Harold had returned to his chair, crossed his legs and said, 'Splendid. I knew years ago that I made the right decision in picking you. The last time I saw you, you were a charming, beautiful little girl with ringlets of jet-black hair. You've grown to be such a commanding and alluring young woman. I look forward to seeing your considerable talents put to use. Your leadership will be well rewarded.'
Harold stood up, put his raincoat on and said goodbye. Madeline watched him as he walked toward the door and slowly vanished in a swirl of smoke.
Seconds later, there was a soft knock at the door. 'Come in,' she said sternly.
William poked his head in, looked around the room and asked, 'Where is Mr. Barker?'
'Come in, William, and close the door,' Madeline said with a sinister undertone.
That was the last of the charming young intern. William became something…new.
Chapter 4
Having a large cat walk on you and knead its claws into your chest is definitely one way to get you to wake up.
'Good morning to you too, Jerky. Maybe the next time a simple lick on the nose would be better. Guess it's time to get up,' I whispered looking over to see that Leonard had already gotten up.
'Good morning, Heckel. Did you sleep well?' Leonard asked as he came in from the back room. He held up two newly discovered cans and had a triumphant look on his face. How amazing that a simple can of tamales could bring such joy.
'Look what I found! We have breakfast! Hope you like tamales. Too bad we don't have any fresh eggs. I'm going to make a small fire and heat these babies up. I found a couple of old pans we can use. There's a large one that I can build a fire in.'
'Is it smart to build a fire? You never know who's out there,' I cautioned as I stood up.
'It's a chance I'm willing to take. I haven't had any hot food in months. Maybe you could stand guard and keep an eye out while I cook. I'll keep the fire small, just enough to get the food hot.'
Leonard quickly gathered some cardboard, paper and broken boards. As I walked to the front door, I noticed that he had stacked all the wanna-be fire materials in an old baking pan. He stacked the firewood in the shape of a little teepee. It wasn't long before he had the boards burning and the beginnings of coals. He opened his pack and brought out a well-used Swiss army knife. It looked similar to mine. These days, it was the number one survival tool.
As soon as I stepped outside, I inhaled. There's nothing like the fresh air after a night's rain. However, this time something didn't smell right. Mixed with that rain there was the smell of death. From the corner of my eye, I saw something move. I quickly spun my head around and caught a quick glimpse of a young girl.
'Wait. Don't go!' I yelled. I started to run after her when Leonard grabbed my arm.
'Stop,' he said. There was something in his voice that demanded my attention.
'Why?'
'That little girl is not some innocent child lost in the city,' Leonard said. He wouldn't let go of my arm. His grasp tightened.
'What do you mean?'
As Leonard slowly released his grip, he whispered one word. 'Madeline.' His eyes darted from one end of the street to the next.
I looked at him incredulously. 'What the hell are you talking about? That's not Madeline. It's some little girl.'
'It's a little girl all right. It's what Madeline looked like when she was six years old. Somehow this manifestation or avatar of her is tracking me, which means we have to get out of here immediately.'
'I don't understand.'
'Look Heckel, all I know is that when this…this…little girl shows up, the real bitch isn't too far behind and she
