Friday, June 18, 2004

   Cream Filling & Nougat: Third Helping (Chapter XVIII)
[Oh man . . . . . I was about one or two paragraphs away from finishing this when I accidentally closed the window . . . . . I feel like I've just been kicked in the nuts . . . . . well, at least I kinda know where this is going now. Hopefully I can write this up fast now - maybe I can trim some of the fat as well, ya know? So yeah, here's chapter 18 on the 18th . . . . . gah! I can't believe I did that!]


Nougat was amazed at the clarity in which he heard the roaring car engine on the other side of the connection, as if blazing on their emotion rather than fuel.
"Yeah, this guy's flyin'," Cream said through his engine, "we both just turned onto Boundary and are haulin' all sorts of ass down the street! I'm just glad the traffic's not so bad tonight!" Nougat pictured the roads in his mind, trying to get his bearings, saying,
"Late night chase on a busy street . . . seems like as good a way to end this day as any, huh?"
"Why not, huh?" Cream answered before cutting himself off. "Whoa! He just clipped someone with the back of his car!" Nougat began tapping his foot, though he didn't notice.
"Hey man, I know I'm not hearing a siren right now, so you obviously didn't put up your light. Don't do anything stupid, alright?" Cream did what sounded like a laugh.
"Relax, ma . . . I'm the fleet-footed one, remember?"

Another screech of tires snapped Nougat back to the matter at hand while he switched the receiver to his other ear.
"What just happened?" he asked.
"He's pulling onto the 99," Cream said back. "I think this chase just got a little faster . . ." Nougat finally couldn't stand it any longer and got up to start pacing back and forth in the office. He knew very well that he was doing everything he could in his position, but the feeling remained. He felt completely useless, unable to help in this extremely dangerous situation. All he could do was listen and hope.
"So," Cream started, sounding oddly out of context, "I've told you before how I hate people that don't signal when they change lanes, right?"
"Yeah, a few times," Nougat replied, ignoring his partner's attempt to lighten the moment. "Traffic still light?"
"Yeah," Cream anwered, "still very happy about that one . . ."

Some minutes passed, while Cream continued to give updates to his partner back at the department. Mostly it was reports of reckless driving maneuvers or others at risk, though at times it involved other cars being forced to the shoulders of the freeway, causing a great deal of anxiety on the road.
"Alright, news update," Cream reported. "He's turning off onto the Hastings exit . . . still not signalling, the stupid ass-munch . . ." Nougat rethought his bearings and said,
"Hastings . . . that means you two are . . . . ."
"Near Playland?" Cream suggested.
"Yeah," Nougat replied. "You still behind them?"
"Well . . . yes and no," the younger detective said. "I'm behind the car, but they've all run into the park . . ."

Nougat heard Cream kill his engine and unclip his cellular phone from its dashboard holster. Shortly thereafter, he heard heavy, rythmic footsteps echoing off the pavement.
"I guess they'll go to the airport later," Cream said, "meantimes, I guess they just really had an urge to go to Playland?" Nougat started thinking more.
"It's summer, I guess," he said, heavily sarcasitc in his jest, "but why wouldn't they just drive around to a vehicle entrance to get in?" Cream was beginning to sound winded.
"Interesting point . . . why didn't I think of . . . ack!" Nougat jumped.
"Whip'?! What the suck just happened?!"
". . . . . I almost dropped my phone."
". . . . . you moron!"

As the words left Nougat's lips, he heard two pops echoing in the background.
"Were those what I thought they were?!" he asked while pacing around his desk.
"Yeah, they were!" Cream replied frantically. "Um, okay, I'm gonna put you into my pocket for a second . . . . ." Before Nougat could respond, he could hear everything happening in the large amusement park muffle. Two quick gunshots then reverberated through the phone, forcing Nougat to pull his head away from the receiver for a short while. He returned the phone back to his head, though a little farther away from his ear as he heard the gunfight continue to heat up. The noises suddenly became more clear.
"Hey uh, Noug'?" Cream said, a great sense of worry in his voice, "um . . . there are a lot more guys here than there were in the car . . . . ." Hearing those words, Nougat felt like he had just been punched in the stomach.
"It was a trap . . ." he said gravely.

"Whip'!" Nougat shouted, standing straight up again, "just hang on, I'll get some guys to ya!"
"That'd be great, old man!" Cream replied as gunfire continued to riccochet around him. "'Cause as far as I know, the Tilt-a-Whirl isn't exactly bullet-proof!"
"Hole up somewhere better, man!"
"I know! They're gettin' a little close, and . . ." The phone suddenly cut off with a clack, and the lump in Nougat's throat grew.

"Whip'?! Whip?!"


[Phew . . . . . that did go by pretty fast. I'm very happy about that . . . especially after the previous incident. And for the record, no, I will NEVER pre-write these chapters in Word or Notepad and then paste them into the browser window. That would be cheating. Heh . . . maybe I'll say more later. 'Til then, rest easy, and worry hard . . . 'cause Whip's in a bit of a fix . . .]
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