TOMB HUNTER

The Adventures of Larra Court

Episode 6

Larra’s Arctic Adventure

Chapter 9 Escape

Melissa was more frightened than she had ever been in her life. She had thought she was afraid when the strange Englishman had pointed his gun at her and ordered her onto the airplane, but once on board, her fear turned to sheer terror.

She had been forced into the back seat of the aircraft. There were two men already there. The sight of them almost made her sick with dread.

“Well, looky here. If it ain’t the little bitch with the fire extinguisher.” It was Stoddard and the man Larra had referred to as “Mustache.”

Melissa realized that she was in terrible danger. The looks that the two men gave her were filled with a combination of malice and rapaciousness.

“She’s just as pretty as her boss,” said Stoddard. “I wonder what those nice big tits look like.”

Clean-shaven began to pulled Melissa’s coat open. “Let’s have a look,” he said.

“Not right now gentlemen,” came the Englishman’s voice from the front of the plane. “You might get a look at her “tits” as you call them later on, but right now I want her left alone.”

“Oh come on Mr. Featherstone,” said Clean-shaven. “Just a little peek.”

The Englishman turned around, glaring into the back seat, his gray eyes like ice. “You bloody fool, Engles. You called me by my name. I’ve got a mind to toss you out of the plane as soon as we’re airborne.”

Engles went pale. He jerked his hands away from Melissa as if she had suddenly burst into flame. “I… I’m sorry Mr… I mean boss I…”

“You realize that now we can’t let her go. Your stupidity is beyond forgiveness.” Featherstone’s voice was frighteningly flat and cold.

Melissa’s heart hammered in her chest. She was in deadly danger, but there was no chance of escape. Already the airplane was speeding across the frozen lake.

“Calm,” she told herself. “I’ve got to keep calm. It’s the only chance I have of escaping.” Willing herself to sit quietly, she feigned absolute terror. She didn’t have to pretend very hard. Trembling in fear, she thought that she might faint.

“What would Larra do?” she wondered. She had certainly read enough of the daring archeologist’s exploits to know that no situation was entirely hopeless, no matter how desperate things seemed.

There was no chance of getting off the plane while it was in the air. But once it landed, her captors might make a mistake. Might relax their guard. She took a deep breath. She would wait and see what opportunity fate provided.

Two hours later the plane taxied across the windswept airstrip at Yellowknife. During the flight Featherstone had questioned Melissa about Larra’s whereabouts. Melissa kept up her pretence of terrified cooperation. The truth was, that what she knew about Larra was not detailed enough to help anyone find her easily, unless Melissa told them exactly where to look. And she did not do that. Thus it was that all her captors learned was that Larra was someplace between the site of the plane crash and Yellowknife. Not much help in a wilderness that stretched for hundreds of miles. She did not tell them that Larra and Lemaire had placed markers along their route that would make them easy to follow if a searcher knew what to look for.

Frustrated, but seemingly satisfied that Melissa was telling the truth, Featherstone sat in silence for the rest of the flight. As the plane rolled toward the drab buildings that served as a terminal in the northern outpost, he turned to his henchmen. “You idiots stay in the plane and make sure the girl doesn’t go anywhere. I’m going in for a few minutes while the plane is refueled.”

“But boss…” started Stoddard. The look he got from Featherstone stopped his objections. He sat back in his seat as the Englishman got out of the plane.

“God damn it,” swore Stoddard as Featherstone and the pilot disappeared into the terminal. “I’ve got to piss. I’m not staying here.”

Clambering out of the back seat, he dropped to the ground. “Watch her,” he said pointing to Melissa. “I’ll be back in a minute.”

Stoddard disappeared around the back of the plane. Melissa tensed. This might be her chance. But her heart sank, as Engles placed his hand on her arm. Larra had shown her a few self-defence techniques, but she lacked the confidence to try and take on a man the size of Engles at close quarters.

Outside the aircraft, she spotted a man moving toward the aircraft wheeling a handcart that carried a 45-gallon drum. He was obviously what passed for a ground crew in this remote part of the world. But even as Melissa pondered the possibilities of calling out to him, Engles nudged her viciously with his elbow. “Any noise, chicky, and I’ll wring your neck.” Pretending compliance, Melissa sank back into her seat.

A few seconds later, Stoddard climbed back into the plane. “Ahh,” he said, with exaggerated satisfaction. “That felt good. Thought I was going to burst.”

Melissa’s hopes died. Once again she was sandwiched between the two large men. What slight chance there might have been was gone.

Stoddard took out a cigarette. Featherstone hated tobacco and had not allowed either of the two men to smoke while the plane was in the air. Striking a match he lit up and took a drag, giving a loud sigh of satisfaction. Engles fumbled for his own smokes.

“Hey! What the hell are you dumb bastards up to?” The shout came from the man refueling the plane. He was working a hand pump attached to the fuel drum. “You wanna die? This is aviation fuel. Put out that smoke before you blow us all to hell.”

“Shit,” Stoddard cursed. He took the cigarette from his mouth and prepared to butt it in the ashtray.

Melissa’s hand snaked out. “What the…” said Stoddard in stupefied amazement. “Jesus Christ!” Melissa had tossed the smoldering cigarette toward the top of the open fuel drum.

“You silly bit…” began Stoddard.

“Keeerist!” screamed the man working the pump. Without waiting to see what was going to happen he took to his heels.

WHOOMP! The fuel ignited in a fireball, the blast rocking the plane and spreading fuel over the wings and fuselage. Immediately the treated fabric covering the wings ignited. Stoddard and Engles scrambled for their lives, as did Melissa. In their frantic attempts to get clear of the inferno, however, neither man bothered to watch Melissa, who simply kept on going as she cleared the plane.

She did not head for the terminal. That was where Featherstone and the pilot had gone. Instead she headed across the runway and dashed between two outbuildings. Within seconds she had disappeared from view. Stoddard and Engles were so intent on saving themselves, that they did not even realize that she had escaped until Featherstone dashed from the terminal.

Had it not been for the crowd that followed him onto the runway, Featherstone could quite cheerfully have shot his two henchmen. Seething with rage, but maintaining his usual icy self-control, he ordered the two cringing thugs to follow him. He would have to move fast. If he did not, the RCMP would soon be after him. Avoiding the crowd of gawking citizenry he re-entered the terminal. A few minutes later he was out of the building and heading for the edge of town. He had no doubt that the girl would be able to find her mistress. If he could not go to Larra Court, then he would have to let her come to him.

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