THE CHASE
Copyright (c) Rick Yost

He knew his prey had escaped, so he could relax a bit.
Relax and lay there bleeding to death. Robert Imperial, had just learned something about the bounty hunting business. Sometimes, the element of surprise, means nothing.
He had come to the address given to him by the young man named Jodi, he'd met in the nightclub where Robert played music..
The monster, Jodi had received the address from, judging by the torturous description the boy gave, must have been the 'Still Master', Grith.
"Grith!" he thought to himself, there was another piece of this bizarre puzzle he would have to deal with at a later date. That is, if he could survive, this, botched first attempt at apprehending his bounty. His bounty; an evil and dangerous murderer, was fleeing from justice, due him, back in his and Robert's, home world, or home dimension.
The address was of an ordinary looking rent house on an ordinary street in East Dallas.
Robert, being a very straightforward person, decided the straightforward approach the best and just walked up and knocked on the door.
The door opened and the man he had been searching for, for so long, stood before him.
Robert barely had time to open his mouth to speak before he was grabbed by his arm, pulled into the house and thrown to the floor.
Robert was well accustomed to physical violence and was knowledgeable in hand-to-hand situations, but the raw strength of his opponent took him off guard.
The man's name was Splecht. He was not quite as tall as Robert, but was a mass of muscle and was very fast with his feet. His adversary was a bald, clean-shaven, pro wrestler type, with Germanic or Nordic facial features.
Although Robert was surprised by his attacker, he hadn't come to the door unprepared; he had a lead weighted club in one hand and a razor sharp, hunter's gutting knife in the other.
The scuffle lasted all of one minute. Although both dealt many blows and wounds were inflicted on both adversaries, Robert obviously lost, miserably.
And now, after patiently waiting and watching and searching for his prey for the better part of a year, his elusive bounty was again on the move and now he knew Robert was after him. Or he might have figured Robert to die from the knife wounds to his stomach and shoulder. If he didn't get medical attention quickly, this could be true.
To add insult to injury, the wounds were from Roberts own knife.
This had not been a good day for Robert.
He was getting very weak, very fast.
As he lay face down on the dirty hardwood floor of the house, feeling life, leak from his body, moving at all, was extremely painful. Along with the gaping knife wounds, he felt a few cracked or broken ribs and a dislocated knee.
He was able to reach into his back pocket for his cell phone and dial 911, just before he passed out.
During the 4 days, he laid in intensive care, unconscious most of the time, an anger built up within him that he'd not felt before. He was angry with himself for the way he had handled his first and maybe only encounter with the man he had to either capture or kill, if he ever wanted to go back home.
The wounds to his body were not irreparable and there was no organ damage beneath his stomach wound. The surgeons at the hospital were able to sew him up, set his fractures and sent him on his way in a matter of only 10 days.
The dissolving stitches in his abdomen and shoulder would disappear in a few weeks, and he needed to keep an eye on the wounds and keep the dressings clean for at least 6 weeks. He was sore all over, but the most painful and lingering ailment he had, was his right knee, which was dislocated during the fight.
For a while, he would hobble around with a cane.
The next 4 months passed very slowly for him, as while his wounds healed, he spent as much time as he could stand, working out at his local gym.
He was determined to get in sufficient shape physically, for his next meeting with his Nemesis.
A side note to his stay in the hospital; was trying to identify the woman that came and visited him while he was still in intensive care. The nurse said this mystery woman said she was his sister, stepped in for just a moment while he was unconscious, with the nurse in the room, asked if he would recover and then left.
If this woman was in cahoots with Splecht, than he knew now for sure, Robert survived the ordeal.
'The nurse must've misunderstood the woman's name.' Robert thought to himself.
It must have been Veronica or Verna; he couldn't believe a person would really call herself 'Verba'.

The trail of his bounty, now at least 4 months cold, he would have to resort to contacting his home dimension once more and pay a good amount of precious credits to tap into the global sensors to get a proximity fix on him again. It took 2 days to get an answer back. The message read;
Human subject: Laars Bjorn Splecht
Location: Brussels, Belgium
He knew Splecht would be waiting for him this time. He would expect Robert to follow him to Belgium. Splecht might buy some help at airports to watch for Robert as he entered the country. Or Splecht might just pay some slime-balls to do the job for him.
Obviously, the element of surprise would not work any better this time than it did the first, so he would try something different.
Splecht and whatever cohorts he might enlist would be looking for an American traveling alone. So Robert thought he might bring along some 'family', as a traveling disguise.
Her name was Stacy, but her friends called her 'Spanky'. Even she couldn't say exactly why. "Just a nickname that stuck when I was a kid!" She'd say and she didn't give that much explanation very often. She was a smart, street-wise, beautiful ex-cop, who was a force to be reckoned with. She could be a very valuable ally, when dealing with bad guys.
She and Robert had been in a romantic relationship for almost a year, while Robert laid in wait for Splecht to show himself.
Spanky was only aware of the relevant facts; that Robert was a bounty hunter looking for a very bad man. She was anxious to help. Although, in their short time together, they had fallen deeply in love, Robert had not told her of where he came from and all the unfathomable inter-dimensional traveling details. He needed her help, but the less she knew, the less she would have to try to explain if things went awry.
He wasn't expecting her to do anymore than just travel with him, not help him do his job.
Once they were in the country, her job was done.
So she talked him into letting her bring along her 14 yr old son. It was the perfect disguise, a ready-made family.
Their plan was to travel together as husband, wife and child to Belgium, where he would set them up in an apartment. She and her boy would have an opportunity to see Europe and he would go on about his business of finding Splecht.
What could possibly go wrong?

**************************
She was casually dressed in jeans, boots, a snug fitting designer tee shirt and dark sunglasses. As she walked along the Chausses d'Ixelles, lined with stores and shops, eyeing all the windows dressed in their fall and winter fashions, the cool Belgium breeze blew back her long golden hair off her face. She was young and beautiful and felt very good on this bright, sunshiny day in Brussels.
It was midday and the midday rush of foot traffic filled the sidewalks all up and down the street. All nationalities are seen on the streets of Brussels. Spanky stopped at a clothing store window, to admire a smart looking winter coat. She told herself it was just what she would need for the cooler weather to come in the weeks ahead. As she stood there, she smiled, noticing all the different languages being spoken by the lunchtime travelers, passing by her.
She started to people watch, as she loved to do. There were local Belgians, walking alongside the French, Germans, English, Americans, East Indians, with the occasional Rastafarian and even a Scotsman in a kilt. An elaborate and interesting mix of cultures.
This was all new to her and she was enjoying the fresh stimulation to her, she felt, too long stagnant imagination. The exotic sights and sounds and tastes of this foreign land were only an appetizer for her hunger to see it all.
This will be a good experience for her son too, she thought to herself.
Although Zach, her 14yr old, was still too enthralled with his mainstream, fast paced,
American upbringing; with interactive video games and skateboarding, to appreciate the history and architecture of this, centuries old city, she knew the exposure to all these other cultures would one day prove invaluable.
For now, he was safe and content and busying himself with one of his computer games, back at their apartment.
Robert, her friend and lover had left yesterday morning in search of his bounty. She secretly hoped that one day soon, Robert would ask her to marry him. Robert was a good man, something she felt her and her boy deserved and could both enjoy for a change.
He'd told her nothing of the man he was chasing. She worried for his safety, but knew him to be a sensible man and had to trust that he would come back to her and Zach, safe and sound.
But for all practical purposes, for now, she hadn't a care in the world.
She had retired from a sergeant's position at a police department in a small town in Texas, 2 years ago with a modest pension. A pension, that along with a tidy bit of savings, she had inflated quite nicely into a good sized nest egg, through the stock market. She had nowhere in particular she had to be and her own money in the bank and she was out doing what she loved to do, shopping.
She spied a street-side café up the block, which looked inviting. She could use a respite from her trek. She imagined, putting her bags down and putting her feet up while enjoying a nice glass of wine.
There were a half dozen small wrought iron tables with umbrellas and chairs on the sidewalk outside the tiny café. There were two tables available, she chose one and made herself comfortable.
She spoke very little French, but was able to make her request understood, by the waiter.
It had been 20 minutes since she had sat down and she was halfway through her second glass of red wine, enjoying the afternoon.
Spending her time between sips, watching the stream of pedestrians as they walked between the café tables on their journeys.
Customers at the other tables around her had come and gone, with her taking little notice of them. However, there was this one distinguished gentleman at the table across from her she had noticed. There was nothing about him that was really attracting her attention, except, that he seemed to be watching her.
Spanky was a very attractive and confident young woman and it was not uncommon for men to notice and speak to her in a flattering way. Yes, she was very much in love with Robert and was not at all interested in any other romantic involvement, but she did enjoy a friendly flirtation, as long as it remained, just friendly. It made her feel pretty.
Then, their timing was perfect. At the same moment she chose to once again, glance his way, he turned to look directly at her. Their eyes locked for an awkward time, then he spoke, breaking the tension.
'Bonjour mademoiselle. Parle-vous angles?' He said with a light, raised eyebrow, questioning look on his rugged face.
She spoke enough French, to recognize the question, she replied; 'Yes, I speak English.'
He flashed a slight expression of astonishment, 'Oh, you are American?' he finished his query with a boyish grin.
I guess I can't disguise my Texas accent, she thought to herself.
'Yes, I am American.' She replied with a friendly, polite smile that seemed to question back at him.
He smiled broadly and stood up and grabbed his coffee. He motioned, holding his cup and saucer with both hands, 'Would you care if I join you for a moment?'
He was almost to her table before he finished his question.
She was not at all annoyed or put off by his assumptive move. She had noticed the same behavior from several people she'd met there. She figured it was just their way.
Although there was a third chair beside her, he chose the chair opposite from her, as though he were trying to soften his forwardness a bit.
He spoke very good English, but she could tell he was maybe German or Norwegian.
He was handsome, well built, well groomed and very well dressed in an expensive looking dark gray suit. He seemed to be well educated and spoke with a self-confidence that was quite attractive.
He introduced himself to her as Hans. He spoke and carried himself in a very smooth and polished demeanor, which seemed to put her at ease about meeting this stranger.
She was after all, a former police officer, so being aware of the possible dangerous or threatening situation was second nature to her. She felt she could relax, this guy might have been attracted to her, but mostly, he just seemed to be a bit lonely and enjoying speaking to someone in English for a bit. He told her he was in Brussels for the first time and would only be there for a few days. They spent several minutes talking of things strangers talk of such as; the weather, the traffic, the people and the like.
She caught herself, enjoying the sparkle in his eyes and it made her feel uncomfortable.
They quickly seemed to run out of casual topics for conversation.
When she graciously refused his request for her phone number, he politely excused himself from her table, gathered his coat and briefcase and made his way on down the street. 'Goodbye!' He said with a slight wave and a polite smile.
As she watched him walk away, he blended in with the rest of the foot traffic down the avenue and soon, she could see him no more.
'Seemed to be a nice guy.' She thought to herself, though she'd never cared for bald men.
A few minutes later, as she stood up to walk back to the apartment, she thought it strange that she couldn't find her copy of the charge slip from paying for her wine. She knew it had been lying right there on her table a few minutes ago. 'It must've been blown away by the wind.' She said to herself. She didn't give it another thought.
**********************
With her credit card information, from the stolen receipt, Splecht was able to ascertain their address. He waited for a time when they were there and he was sure, Robert was not..
It was 8 in the evening. Zach was at the dining room table, at the laptop, in the middle of a computer game. He sat, facing away from the front door and with headphones on, listening to his 'Heavy Metal' music so he never heard the door lock being forced.
Spanky was upstairs in the bathroom, just finishing her shower. Splecht's timing was perfect
She was completely unaware of the intruder in the apartment. She went about getting ready for their plans to go out for dinner. She was done with her bath and decided to step downstairs to the kitchen for a cup of coffee before she dried her hair.
By the time she came down, Splecht had Zach sitting beside him on the over-stuffed sofa which faced the staircase, a knife to the boy's throat. Halfway down the stairs, she froze, terrified at the sight before her. Not a word was said by anyone for a moment. She stared at her baby's face, tears welling up in his eyes, with Splecht's left arm around the Zach's shoulders and the knife held tight to boy's neck with his right hand. Splecht just sat there, with a look of satisfaction on his face, complete with that same boyish grin and sparkle in his eyes.
The part of her that was the law officer, was thinking as fast as possible. The part of her that was the Mom, was sick at her stomach with fear for her child's life.
She'd never felt more vulnerable or helpless in her life.
She stood on the carpeted steps, which lead to the upstairs bedroom and bath, her hair still dripping wet from her shower. She had come down wearing nothing but her panties under a large white tee shirt that came down to her knees. Out of the warmth of the steaming bathroom, she shivered from the cool breeze blowing in through the open windows downstairs.
She tried desperately to, without averting her gaze from Splecht's eyes, mentally search the room for something she might use as a weapon if the opportunity presented itself.
'What is it you want?' She asked, calmly, but with a slight tremble to her voice.
Ignoring her question, never blinking his eyes, his boyish grin turned into a bright white, tooth filled smile. 'So we meet again, my beautiful American friend.'
The boy was perfectly still, frozen with fear and the muscular arm around him.
'What do you want?' She asked again more insistently, as she felt a powerful anger building within her. She stood straight, hands in tight fist at her sides, thinking to herself that she would surely kill this person if any harm would come to her baby. She thought of her pistol, which she kept upstairs under the bed, but it was of no use to her now. She had to remain calm and think.
'What I want, my lovely, wet American…' He paused a moment to look up and down her half naked body and raised one eyebrow, as if another thought had come to his mind.
Then he re-focused his thoughts and continued. '…is your friend Imperial and you're going to bring him to me.' He stated this casually as if ordering a fine wine. The smile vanished from his face and a very matter of fact expression replaced it.
It was then she realized, who she was dealing with. This was the murderer Robert had been hunting. She remembered the damage this man had done to Robert's body and knew, it would be even less likely, she would be able to survive a physical confrontation with him.
He continued, 'This will be much easier than you might think and I will hurt neither of you if you'll just do as I ask. But make no mistake, I don't have to have your cooperation for my plan to be successful.' His brow dropped to cast an evil shadow across his cold eyes. 'I would just rather not have to deal with blood stains on my clothes!' His face settled to a relaxed indifference.
All during their conversation, he held the knife to the boy's neck, who by now could not keep from crying anymore. Tears streamed down Zach's cheeks, though he remained still and quiet.
She took a silent, deep breath and stiffened her chin forward as if steadying herself.
Then she asked, 'Alright, you have complete control here and I obviously don't want the boy hurt, what do you want me to do, and once I do it, will you let him go?' None of the three had moved a muscle since the conversation started. As she finished her question, she remembered the large, heavy, glass ashtray on the table, just a few steps from the bottom of the stairs. She planned, at the right time, to slowly make her way to the bottom of the stairs. She felt the need to get closer to Zach, to give as much support to her frightened child as possible, and from this distance, there would be no chance for her to attempt a rescue effort, if she felt one was feasible.
In the next few minutes, he did make clear to them both, what he wanted them to do.
It was very simple. They were to stand in the middle of the room, arms around each other and be very still. As they stood there, arms rapped around each other, he took the point of the knife he held and lightly dragged it along her shoulder, around the back of the boy's neck and again around her back in a kind of sick tease. He casually played this game for a moment as he slowly walked around them in a circle. As he came around behind her for what seemed to be the last circle, he took his free hand and laid his palm on her butt and very slowly caressed her as he said; 'Don't worry my pretty American friend, this will be easier than you might think!' He then leaned in closer to her, with his lips very close to her left ear and whispered, 'But one day when I have more time.' He said in a sexy yet demonic tone, as the caress turned to him squeezing her right butt cheek, painfully hard. She winced slightly, but would never give him the satisfaction of showing he was hurting her.
He then pulled a jump control from his back pocket and punched a button and said; 'Now don't either of you move.' within a second or two, both she and her boy disappeared from the room.
They were suddenly bathed in the bright, sky blue light. The light startled them both. With wide-eyed fear on their faces, they looked above and all around them, trying to identify the source of the light. It was a warm light and the warmth was comforting to her. A pleasant change from the chill she felt standing there in the apartment. She had no idea where they were or what the light was or exactly what they were experiencing, but she was grateful to be alone with her boy and away from that man.
She just sighed deeply and hugged her baby as tight as she could, hoping to calm him..
She could still feel Splecht's hand on her butt and she felt ill.
As suddenly as the light engulfed them, it went away. They stood motionless with their arms around each other, no longer in the apartment. They had opened their eyes to find themselves somewhere, out of doors and in the dark. They both felt very afraid and confused. Neither had experienced anything in their lives that would have given the perspective they needed to comprehend how they had just traveled to wherever they were. 'This is not possible.' She thought to herself.
She brushed back the hair from the boys face as he clung to her. She tried to speak in her best, comforting voice, 'It's okay now baby, he's gone, okay? We're fine now, don't be afraid.' She wished she could believe her own words.
The boy let loose his grip around her and slowly scanned his surroundings. He said in a whisper, 'Momma, where are we, what is this place?'
She strained to make her eyes, hurry and adjust to the darkness, so she could understand what had happened to them. She tried her best to not sound fearful, 'I'm not sure where we are sweetheart. You will have to help your Momma figure this out, okay?'
She and the boy were both barefoot and they soon began to walk in one direction and then another. Trying to find something, anything.
After about 20 minutes of nervous exploring, she came to realize that wherever they had been sent to, by whatever means they had traveled, there was just nothing there. No rocks on the ground, no clouds or birds in the air, nothing. Just the cold ground they walked on and the gray-black sky over their heads. There was nothing else. This was it. Just darkness.
And there was cold. The boy felt the cold first and started to shiver.
She put her arms around him once more and tried her best to be strong for him.
This, she found was extremely difficult, not knowing herself, where they were and what would happen to them next. Although they both wore short-sleeved tee shirts, at least the boy had on jeans. She too had started to feel the cold on her bare legs and feet.
They both stood there in the near absolute darkness, holding each other and shivering.
She wished that Robert were there.

**************************
It was morning. Robert found a parking space to squeeze the compact rental car into, entered the building and made his way up the stairs to their third floor apartment. As he directed his key towards the front door lock, he noticed the damage Splecht had done.
He instantly felt nauseas and a chill ran through him, then an angry fear.
He shoved the door open. It swung freely and slammed against the wall. He charged into the room and called out for Spanky, with no answer. He bolted up the stairs, where Spanky had stood the night before. He ran to the bedroom, calling for her and Zach. Finding no trace of them, he came back downstairs and scanned the living room for any note or message Spanky might have left him. He tried his best to deny to himself, that the condition of the front door, meant there had been foul play. But it wasn't working. He was starting to panic. His mind was racing.
'What could have happened, where could they be?' He asked himself, as he leaned back against the living room wall to steady himself and with both hands to his head, ran his fingers through his hair. His hands came to a rest, fingers folded together on the back of his neck. There he stood, hands behind his head, eyes clamped shut, intensely trying to think of what he should do. There could have been a burglar, who'd broken in while they were out. This comforting thought lasted only a moment. The only thought that made any sense to him, was now he realized why his search for Splecht, over the last 2 days had turned into a wild goose chase. Suddenly, the phone rang. 'Spank', He said to himself, as he crossed the small living room with one leap and grabbed the receiver. 'Hello.' He said with an urgent tone. He heard nothing for a few frantic seconds and then a voice spoke.
'Imperial.' The man's voice was cheerful, as if speaking to an old friend. 'I thought you'd never show.' He continued as an audible smile came to his voice. 'How's the knee, buddy, still using the cane?'
The hair stood up on the back of Robert's neck. He felt a rage starting to take over his body. Which told him, he should regain his composure and try to keep a cool head, now more than ever. If Splecht knew to find him here, the damaged door and Spanky and the boy missing were obviously this madman's doing. He chose his words well and spoke in a calm, matter of fact tone, 'Splecht, tell me where we can meet, so I can kill you'
'Ah, very original Robert,' Splecht replied. 'I expected the usual, "Where's the girl?" As in all of your American movies.'
There was no reply from Robert. He would not feed Splecht's sick humor. He simply said, 'Where are you?'
Before Robert could finish his question, he heard the sound of a 'jump' ending. It was Splecht materializing directly behind him.. Before Robert could turn around, he felt a heavy kick to his side that hit with such a force, it sent him flying over the couch onto the floor. The pain was intense for only a moment and then his adrenalin took over and he said to himself, 'Oh no, not this time you son of a bitch!' And as he climbed to his feet, he quickly pulled the revolver from it's holster on his belt behind his back and took dead aim at Splecht's bald head with both hands. Splecht, froze still, the other side of the couch and smiled. Robert pulled back the hammer and the cylinder turned to a bullet ready chamber.
Splecht said with a quiet assured voice, 'You'll never find them, if you kill me Imperial.'
Robert suddenly found himself in a quandary. He was standing opposite the man he'd been chasing for so long. The murderer he'd been sent here to find, then capture or kill was standing only six feet from him and he had his gun pointed right between his eyes.
Just pulling the trigger, would end it all, right here, right now. He could go back to his own dimension, collect his bounty and live the rest of his life in the grand style of a billionaire. It would be so easy. But Robert had a slight problem. Spanky and Zach, were stashed away somewhere, in who knows what condition or circumstance and they were no doubt counting on Robert to save them.
Not a word was spoken between the two for several moments, then Robert broke the silence, 'You know, I'm sure you're right. I'll never find them if I kill you!' and with that, Robert dropped the aim of his pistol and shot Splecht in his left thigh. The shot was deafening. The blood splattered the wall behind the man and as he fell back, hitting the floor, he grabbed his leg. He yelled out in pain. A confused and angered look of disbelief
spread across his flushed face. Before he could say a word, Robert took aim at the man's right shoulder and pulled the trigger again. After the echoing ring of the shot had ceased,
Splecht, with his face extremely distorted in intense pain, tried to pull his bleeding shoulder back together and towards his body. As the man moved, Robert heard the crunch of shattered bone from the wound. 'That's gotta hurt!' Robert said, with a sarcastic tone and a smile on his face. 'But to answer your earlier question, my knee does still hurt a bit, buddy!'
He crouched in front of the wounded man and with one hand held the barrel of his gun to Splecht's groin and with his other hand, playfully patted to top of his bald head.
'I won't kill you, buddy.' When Robert called him buddy, it was with a playful dark tone to his voice. ' But I do try to learn from my mistakes and I won't try you in a fight again.'
Splecht just sat on the floor with his back against the blood-splattered wall. The arm of his wounded shoulder, lay limp on the floor beside him, his other hand covering the hole in his leg.
Robert, feeling his anger under control, was feeling a bit better about his situation. He still worried about Spanky and Zach, but he hoped he could obtain their whereabouts from his trapped and injured foe.
'I tell you what Splecht, I have a car right downstairs and the emergency room's just a mile away from here. You tell me where I can find the woman and the boy and I won't let you lay here and bleed to death, like you thought you'd done to me.' His voice was forceful and determined. As he spoke, he cocked his pistol once again. It was still aimed directly down at Splecht's crotch. 'But if you decide to be stubborn, I'll hurry things along for you, if you know what I mean.' Robert finished his offer with a raised, questioning eyebrow and a sinister smile. 'What's it going to be, buddy? He added.
Splecht was completely still, eyes closed. For too long, Robert thought. He leaned closer to the man to make sure he was still breathing. Suddenly, with Splecht's, still good arm, he slid his hand under the wrist of the hand Robert held his gun with and with one lightning fast move, threw Robert's arm up into the air and grabbed Robert around his throat with a powerful, vise grip. The gun went off, the bullet hitting the ceiling. Robert, taken off guard and gasping for air, he fell from his squatted position onto his back on the floor beside Splecht. Robert's face was turning blue as Splecht concentrated all the energy and strength he had left in his wounded body to his deadly choke hold.
Robert tried his very best to free himself from Splecht's grip, but was astonished at the strength of the man's hand and forearm. He had to do something fast or he would soon pass out. He started to beat Splecht in the head, the neck, anything he could reach to try to loosen the grip. He even hit Splecht's wounded shoulder several times. It made the man scream out in pain but not lessen his fierce squeeze. Robert felt himself becoming light-headed. His survival instinct took charge and he raised the pistol to Splecht's chest and pulled the trigger. Splecht's body went limp, the choke hold was stopped and Robert rolled on the floor for a few moments just trying to breathe again.
Regaining his composure, Robert dragged his weary self to sit with his back against the wall right next to Splecht, who now, sat against the wall, very dead.
Still rubbing his sore neck, he turned to look at the lifeless face next to him.
All of a sudden, his anger was back. 'You stupid son of a bitch!' He yelled at Splecht's face, with no response. Robert's rage, at this twist to his situation, shown in the swelling veins in his neck. He climbed to his knees and with both fists, began to beat the corpse
on it's blood covered chest, while yelling at the top of his lungs with every blow, 'SHIT! Shit! Shit! This lasted for only a moment and then he collapsed and fell on his back on the floor. He laid there, trying to think of what to do next. He realized full well what had just happened. His only chance of ever finding Spanky, the woman he loved, and the boy
was gone. It was at that moment he also realized, that Splecht and his bounty and his dream of returning home, meant very little to him. He knew then, how much he had fallen in love with Spanky and Zach and his new life in this new dimension.