Dollar Runaways Chapters 23 and 24 of 26 by Tiffany Shar Edited by Carla Ann

Megan Franchino knows her chance for escape is now or never. With school finally out for her son Antonio, and her abusive husband going out of town she just might get far enough away before he starts looking for them. If they fail to get away, Megan knows she will not live to regret trying. There is no choice though, their recent injuries prove that if they stay one or both of them will eventually die from the beatings.

There is only one place she might feel safe to go, but will she be welcome there? Can she even get there? How long can she stay? What then? And if her husband's family does catch up to them, is there any way to keep Tony safe?

The chapter describes the preparations and first steps in Drustina's campaign to recover her homeland.

Capt. Steinert and her crew continue their first mission, but what does the future hold for the crew of the Sand Dollar as they make their way home to Pearl Harbor?

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Crazy Train

by Jennifer Sue

(A dark piece from my youth, contemplated but never done.)

Four police cars, a paramedic van, an ambulance, a fire rescue truck, and two fire police vehicles filled the circle of the cul-de-sac. The multicolored flashing emergency lights atop each vehicle were flashing illuminating the night. The result was a most macabre scene befitting a horror flick as the white, orange, blue and red flashing lights disoriented the nosy neighbors trying to walk through the crowded area. The more timid neighbors peaked from their doors and windows. The braver tried to get closer but the police turned them back. People kept going in and coming out of the Murphy home. The yelling and loud music that had been coming from the Murphy home earlier had forewarned the neighborhood that another blow-up was happening. Obviously this blow-up had escalated past previous examples. Finally the ambulance crew rolled the stretcher out of the house. A paramedic walked beside the strapped down youth making sure the IV bottle plugged into an arm did not dislodge. The neighbors recognized the boy as Ashton Murphy. What was unusual was the fact he was smiling broadly, something the neighbors had not seen the lad do for years. If he was injured, as the IV indicated, why was he happy? The weirdness only increased as the ambulance crew prepared to load the stretcher with the boy into the ambulance.

Ashton suddenly began to sing at the top of his lungs. “DUM DA DUM DUUMM! DUM DA DUM DUUMM! DUM DA DUM DUUMM! DUM DA DUM DUUMM! MENTAL WOUNDS NOT HEALING. LIFE’S A BITTER SHAME. I’M GOING OFF THE RAILS ON A CRAZY TRAIN! I’M GOING OFF THE RAILS ON A CRAZY TRAIN!”

 
"Hey," I called, more softly this time, "I won't let you down, Clara, don't worry. I've done this before."

"Hey yourself," she called back, without looking up. "For today, you just need to be better than nothing.
I'm not thinking past the morning rush."

The Faithful, North African and Middle Eastern Islamic nations, are plotting to seize the oil resources of the Middle East. By controlling the earth's oil and its major trade routes, they plan to bring the world to its knees. Then, when the entire world is kneeling, the Faithful of Allah will read to them from the Koran, preaching the message of Islam, the True Faith. The Faithful will stop at nothing to achieve their goal. But how far will they go? And how many lives will it cost?