Home Alone Page 3

  "Eleven kids including me," Heather replied. "Six girls, five boys, four parents, two drivers and a partridge in a pear tree."

  "Great!" said Kate. She was just about to climb into the airport van when the man from Commonwealth Power and Light came by. He was wearing a blue hard hat.

  "Excuse me, ma'am," he said.

  "I'm sorry," Kate said quickly as she got into the van. "But I'm really in a rush. I have a plane to catch."

  "I just wanted to say that the power's fixed," the man said. "But the phone lines were torn up real bad. It'll probably take the phone company a couple of days to fix your phones. . . ."

  But the airport van was already rolling down the driveway.

  Across the street in the OHKAY Heating and Plumbing van, Marv and Harry watched the two airport vans speed away. Harry grinned and his gold tooth glinted.

  "Four down, one family to go," he said. "As soon as the Murphys leave for Florida, the block is ours. I keep thinking about all that money, all those greenbacks."

  "Yeah," grinned Marv. Then he started to sing, "I'm dreaming of a green Christmas!"

  Someone else was dreaming, too. In the McCallisters' attic, Kevin jerked and groaned as he dreamed of all the body parts in old man Marley's basement. Arms and legs and heads laying around with bugs and rats crawling in and out of them. . . .

  Kevin lurched out of his sleep, He rubbed his eyes and looked around. For once he was glad to be in the attic. Anything was better than old man Marley's basement. Kevin got up. He'd gone to bed the previous night without dinner and he was hungry.

  He let himself out of the attic and used the bathroom, then went down to the kitchen. No one was there yet so he turned on the counter TV and watched Road Runner cartoons. As soon as his mom came down he was going to ask her for bacon and eggs and toast. Kevin scratched his ear and yawned. Where was she anyway? It sure seemed quiet in the house this morning.

  December 22

  O'Hare Airport

  Chicago 10 A.M.

  Miraculously, the McCallisters made it to the airport just in time to board the 747 bound for Paris. The four adults sat in the first-class section. The kids sat in coach. Peter and Kate were still trying to catch their breaths as the jet took off with a roar and nosed its way up into the sky.

  "I can't believe we made it," Kate sighed happily.

  "Hey, it's Christmas," Peter whispered, squeezing her hand. "The time for miracles."

  "It'll be a miracle if we make it all the way to France without being bothered by those kids," muttered Frank. He and Leslie were sitting across the aisle.

  "Did the kids get settled okay?" Kate asked.

  "They only had single seats left in coach," Peter said. "They're okay, just spread out."

  "Do you think it's right to sit in first class while the kids fly coach?" Aunt Leslie asked.

  "When I was a kid we didn't even fly coach," Frank grumbled. "We flew station wagon. And it wasn't to France either. Those kids'Il be fine. Don't worry."

  Kate tried to relax, but something was nagging at her. Peter noticed that she was fidgeting.

  "Hey, what is it?" he asked.

  "I don't know." Kate tried to shrug it off.

  "Come on, be happy," Peter said. "Not only did we make the flight, but we're headed for Paris."

  "I know." Kate smiled weakly. "There's just something bothering me. I can't put my finger on it. It's probably something silly like rushing out and leaving the beds unmade."

  December 22

  Oak Park

  10:15 A.M.

  Kevin could've watched the Road Runner bash Wile E. Coyote all day, but his stomach was starting to growl. Everyone must've stayed up real late last night because there wasn't a sound in the house. Kevin frowned. That was so typical. They all stayed up and had a good time while he had to go to bed.

  He decided to go upstairs and wake his parents. If they wouldn't let him stay up late at night, there was no way he'd let them sleep late in the morning.

  A moment later Kevin stepped into his parents' bedroom. The bed was empty and unmade. "Mom? Dad?" he called. No one answered.

  He looked in the bathroom and back out in the hall.

  "Hey, where are you guys?" Again, no one answered.

  Kevin decided to ask Buzz. He'd know where their parents were. But Buzz's bedroom was empty. So was Megan's and his own. Soon Kevin had worked his way through the whole house. Every room was empty.

  "I know! They're in the basement, playing a trick on me."

  Kevin ran downstairs and burst through the basement door. It was dark and shadowy.

  "Dad? Mom? Megan? Buzz? Aunt Leslie? Uncle Frank?" Kevin called out all their names, but no one answered. Where were those dumb people?

  Then Kevin remembered . . . France! They were all supposed to go to France today! A terrible thought struck him. Could they have gone without him?

  Kevin raced to the garage and looked inside. Relief! His parents' cars were there. And Uncle Frank's car was still parked in the driveway. So they couldn't have gone to the airport.

  But if they weren't gone and they weren't here, where were they? Kevin went back into the kitchen. The red light on the coffeemaker was glowing. His mother always made sure it was off before she went out. She always made the beds, too. Kevin's eye drifted to the pile of empty pizza boxes, And his mom always, always, made sure the garbage was thrown—

  Kevin gasped, remembering the fight over the pizza the night before. He'd wished his family would disappear! Could it be? Was it possible?

  "I made my family disappear," Kevin whispered. But as he thought of his family, he remembered that Megan had called him an idiot, Linnie said he was les incompetent, Tracy said he was a disease, Uncle Frank called him a jerk and had pulled down his pants. And now he was supposed to feel bad for those dorks? No way. A small smile appeared on his face. This could be great!

  In the OHKAY Plumbing and Heating van, Harry and Marv watched the Murphys pack up their station wagon and drive away. Harry leaned back in his seat.

  "Okay," he said with a satisfied grin. "They're all gone and none of 'em will be back until after Christmas. And the great part is they told me from their own mouths."

  "It's almost too easy," Marv said.

  "Remember the old days?" Harry asked, lighting the butt of a half-smoked cigar. "Everybody stayed home for the holidays."

  "Now it's off to Hawaii, Aspen, Paris," Marv said. "Whatever happened to sittin' around the fireplace with your family, roastin' chestnuts and singin' Christmas carols?"

  "People have become cynical," Harry said, shaking his head. "Everyone's too jaded. It's just another sign of the moral decay of contemporary society."

  "Yeah," Marv nodded. "So Which house you wanna rob first?"

  December 22

  Somewhere Over The

  Atlantic

  11 A.M.

  Kate still couldn't shake the feeling that something wasn't right. Here I am, sitting in first class, she thought. Going on a wonderful family vacation. Why should I feel like this?

  "What is it, honey?" Peter asked.

  "I don't know," Kate said. "I have this terribly anxious feeling."

  "About what?" Peter asked.

  "That we didn't do something," Kate said. "It's just that we left in a hurry." Peter slid his arm around her shoulders and tried to reassure her. "I'm sure we took care of everything."

  "Did I turn off the coffee machine?" Kate asked.

  "I'm almost certain I did," said Peter.

  "And we locked the house?" Kate said.

  "Absolutely."

  "You put the timers on the lights?" Kate asked.

  "Check," said Peter with a smile. "And I closed the garage door."

  "Did we put the answering machine on?" Kate asked.

  "That's it!" Peter said. "Honey, I forgot. But look at it this way. We won't have to listen to all those dumb messages when we get home. And anyone with something important will call again."

  Kate nodded.

  "Do you feel better?" Peter asked. "Now that we know What it is?"

  But Kate shook her head. "That wasn't it."

  "I don't get it," said Peter. "what else could it be?"

  December 22

  Oak Park

  11:30 A.M.

  Munching on a bag of popcorn he'd just nuked in the microwave, Kevin stepped back into Buzz's room. This was great, just great! He could get his revenge on everyone. He could do whatever he pleased.

  "Hey, Buzz," he shouted gleefully. "I'm in your room and I:m gonna go through all your private stuff! You better come out and pound me! Nah nah!"

  He knew that Buzz kept a secret suitcase under his bed with all kinds of cool stuff in it. Kevin crawled under and pulled the suitcase out.

  "Oh, cool!" he whispered as he opened it and found a whole mat of firecrackers and a box of BBs. Whoa! Kevin thought. What does Buzz need these for . . . unless he has a BB gun!

  Kevin jumped up and looked around. Their parents didn't allow them to play with guns, but Buzz must've snuck one in. Good old Buzz. Kevin looked up at the bookcases on the wall. A little piece of brown plastic was visible on the highest shelf. Kevin climbed up on his brother's desk to get a better look. There it was! The BB gun and a tin baseball-card box.

  Kevin opened the box. Inside were some $10 and $20 bills.

  "Forget the money," Kevin whispered, closing the box and grabbing the gun. "It's time for target practice!"

  Out in the hall Kevin lined up all of Buzz's sports figurines on the edge of the laundry chute. Then he walked to the opposite wall and picked up the BB gun.

  "For the crime of belonging to my rashy brother and allowing yourself to be displayed in the pigsty he calls his room," Kevin announced. "I sentence you to death by BB wounds and falling all the way down the laundry chute to the creepy basement, where you'll die of massive head injuries."

  Kevin aimed the BB gun at Don Mattingly. POW! Don Mattingly's head flew off and his body fell into the chute. POW! POW! He got Magic Johnson in the knee and shoulder. POW! Joe Montana sustained a severe stomach wound.

  "This is the life," Kevin said with a smile.

  * * *

  Two houses away Harry and Marv carried armloads of stolen goods to their van.

  "It was nice of these People to give their Christmas gifts before they went away," Marv said as he carried a brand-new Sony Trinitron TV set.

  "Yeah," said Harry, who was carrying a Panasonic laser disc player. "Real considerate."

  "So you want to get the house next door?" Marv asked.

  "Naw," said Harry. "All this work makes me hungry. Let's break for lunch and hit it this afternoon."

  December 22

  Somewhere Over The

  Atlantic

  3 P.M.

  "Honey, you have to calm down," Peter said softly. "You're driving yourself crazy with worry over nothing."

  "It's killing me, Peter." Kate was wracked with anxiety. She'd never felt this way before. All around her seat were little pieces of napkin she'd nervously torn up.

  "But we've been over and over it," Peter said. "Everything's fine. We're here. The kids are here—"

  Kate's eyes went wide. She jumped up and dashed through the curtain into the coach section.

  "Kate, wait!" Peter followed her. "What's wrong?" Kate stared at the rows of passengers. The plane was full and most of them were reading or sleeping, but a few stared back at her. Kate searched for a familiar face and saw Megan.

  "Megan, where's Kevin?"

  "Uh, I think he's sitting over there," said Megan. "No, maybe he's behind me."

  Kate moved down the aisle, staring at the faces, Fuller, Sondra, Jeff . . . but no Kevin.

  "Heather!"

  Startled, Heather looked up from a magazine. "Yes?"

  "Where's Kevin?" Kate gasped.

  "Uh, uh," Heather looked around. "I don't know."

  In no time Kate had worked her way to the smoking section. Kevin wouldn't be back here, would he? She didn't see him anywhere.

  Kate reached the back of the plane. All the bathrooms said "Unoccupied," but she checked them anyway. They were empty.

  "Oh, no!" she gasped. "Oh, no!"

  A stewardess in the rear galley scowled at her. "Can I help you?" she asked.

  Suddenly the words burst out of Kate's mouth. "STOP THE PLANE!"

  December 22

  Oak Park

  4:30 P.M.

  Twelve dead sports figurines lay in a laundry basket in the basement. Kevin was in the family room watching the tape Uncle Frank wouldn't let him watch last night. A half-gallon container of chocolate fudge swirl was sitting on the coffee table, the ice cream inside slowly melting. Kevin dipped his spoon into it. He liked his ice cream soft.

  On the TV a big gangster with scars on his face was standing in an apartment, talking through a door.

  "Who is it?" the gangster asked.

  "It's me, Snakes," someone answered. "I got the stuff."

  "Leave it on the doorstep and get outa here," the gangster snapped.

  "All right Johnny. But what about my money?" the guy on the other side of the door asked.

  "What money?" the gangster snarled.

  "Acey said you'd have some dough for me."

  "Is that a fact?" asked the gangster, picking up a machine gun. "How much do I owe you?"

  Kevin hit the "hold" button on the remote and had another spoonful of ice Cream. This movie wasn't so scary. Uncle Frank was just dumb.

  "Hey, Uncle Frank!" Kevin shouted happily. "Hey, the rest of you guys! I'm watching rubbish and eating junk! You better stop me! Nah, nah!"

  Kevin hit the "play" button. The gangster opened the door and a thin baby-faced guy stepped nervously into the apartment. The gangster leaned close to the thin guy. "I'll tell you what I'm gonna give you, Snakes," the gangster sneered. "I'm gonna give you to the count of ten to get your ugly, yellow, no-good face off my property before I pump you fulla lead."

  "Awright, Johnny. I'm sorry. I'm goin'," the thin guy gasped, backing away.

  "One, two . . . ten!" the gangster snarled.

  The next thing Kevin knew, the gangster started firing. Kevin's jaw dropped.

  "That's not fair!" Kevin shouted at the TV. "He didn't count right!"

  On the TV the gangster stopped shooting.

  "Keep the change, you filthy animal," he muttered.

  Kevin grabbed the remote. He'd seen enough movies to know what was going to happen next. They were going to show the thin guy's bullet riddled body. He hit the "stop" button just in time, then stood in the middle of the family room, trembling. He looked out the window. It had been gray outside all day, but now it was starting to get dark. All of a sudden he felt very scared and very alone.

  Harry and Marv had just finished looting the house next to the McCallisters'. Now they sat in their van, surveying the street. Harry glanced at his wristwatch.

  "Check this out," he said. "All these houses have automatic timers to turn on the lights at night even if no one's home. It's time for the Murphys' house to light up."

  Across the street the lights in the Murphys' house went on.

  "Now doesn't that make you think the Murphys are home?" Marv laughed.

  "Here come the McCallisters'," Harry said.

  Across the street a few lights went on in Kevin's house.

  "Looks like Mr. MeCallister's trying to save on his electric bill," Marv said.

  "Don't kid yourself," Harry said. "That's the one, Marv. That's the silver tuna,"

  "Oh, yeah?"

  "It's loaded," Harry said. "Top-flight goods. Antiques, collectables, objects d'art, VCRs, stereos, TVs. I say we're looking at jewelry, a nice stash of cash, maybe a couple of marketable securities. It's a gem, Marv."

  "Then let's rob it," Marv said eagerly.

  "Naw, we gotta unload all the stuff we took from the other houses first," said Harry. "We'll come back and hit it later."

  December 22

  Somewhere Over The

  Atlantic

  5:30 P.M.

  Kate was trying to breathe Steadily and not go completely berserk. The copilot of the plane, a young man who looked barely old enough to shave, was talking to her.

  "I'm sorry, Mrs. McCallister," he said. "But we never turn a plane around. Not even for first-class passengers. Besides, we're closer to Paris now than Chicago."

  "But my helpless seven-year-old baby isn't in Paris," Kate snapped angrily. "He's all by himself back in Chicago!"

  The copilot said he was sorry again and returned to the cockpit. Kate slumped back in her seat and pressed her fingers over her eyes.

  "I don't understand it," said Heather. She and Buzz had come up from the coach seats to find out what was going on. "I know I counted eleven kids."

  "Listen, everyone," Peter said soothingly. "Kevin's an intelligent boy. He won't do anything stupid."

  "He can't even make a sandwich!" Kate cried.

  "I read that people can live on water for weeks," said Buzz, trying to be helpful.

  "Go away!" Kate screamed at him. The other first-class passengers stared at her, but Kate didn't care. Aunt Leslie put her hand on Kate's shoulder.

  "We'll call as soon as we land," she squeaked. "I'm sure everything's okay."

  Meanwhile, Uncle Frank took Peter aside.

  "Listen," Frank said. "If it'll make you feel any better, I forgot my reading glasses."

  Peter stared back at Frank. I can't believe this idiot is my brother, he thought.

  December 22

  Oak Park

  6 P.M.

  Harry parked the van in the McCallisters' driveway. Marv reached behind the seat for the crowbar.

  "Man, I can taste it," Harry said as he got out. "I'm telling you, Marv, this is the score that's gonna set us up for life."