Ghoulies Abroad by Julie Steimle (bts book recommendations txt) 📖

also went semi-transparent so make himself become less visible. In the smoke, they could hardly see either of them. Chen blended in with the crowd. Tom blended in with the air.

And they waited.

Another fire truck pulled up.

More steam and smoke came from the conflagration as it smoldered.

Chen ran back in again, handing Rick and Andy two large jackets and hats. “Put ‘em on, quick!” He nodded to the others, tossing out ordinary medical face masks. “Eyes down, masks on. Go out, two by two if you have to.”

“What is Tom doing?” Rick asked as he pulled on the heavy coat. He then looked at the hat, realizing it was a fireman’s hat with a mask. Andy was getting his on, hiding his pale, freckly face rather well.

Gesturing outside, he said, “Making the smoke bigger.”

They nodded.

“Down the alley to the waiting tour bus,” Michael said in a low voice. “Follow me if you can.”

He marched out, face mask up, coughing with eyes down. With his dark hair, hardly anyone noticed him.

“Smart man,” Daniel murmured. He immediately followed suit with James on his heels, winter knit hat over his hair.

They made sure Semour had all his hair covered before he also went out with Eddie. Chen then whispered to Rick and Andy, “Stick with me. Act like you are taking me to an ambulance for smoke inhalation.”

Both of them geared up, did exactly that, stepping out into the cloud of smoke. 

The air was thick with it. They could hardly see more than a foot ahead, and they bumped into people. But Chen reminded, “Eyes down. No reaction. Go straight to the end of the road.”

And they followed it, watching police in masks coming in with batons, helmets and Kevlar. What the police expected, they were not sure. But Chen, Andy, and Rick got past them without even a blink in their direction.

The tourist van had tinted windows—a smart move on Michael’s part. Without any urging, Andy and Rick climbed on in full costume.

Tom was in the driver’s seat, grinning.

“Him?” Andy pointed at Tom.

Michael rolled his eyes and pushed the door closed.

“Like he is not going to be obvious!” Andy snapped, dropping into his seat.

“I was thinking in terms of quick get-away,” Michael explained while Tom immediately tore into the street. “Not incognito cover.”

Andy groaned. That meant someone would most definitely follow them. Their trouble was not over.

Nasty Little Details

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chapter Twenty-One

 

 

They did not go back to the hotel. At least, not all of them. Tom drove most of them to a corner near a small youth hostel that had cheap rooms for backpackers where he hastily let them off. Tom then continued on his way (with Michael in the side seat) to possibly lose anyone who might have followed them. The Seven would not have blended in so quickly with the tourist crowd there five minutes ago—though when they got their footing on the street, they hardly stood out among the foreigners there.

Michael truly had prepared. Within the van he had a change of clothes for most of them (again having not accounted for Chen or Rick but having clothes for Peter and Jessica) and a package of really handy wet-wipes and a first aid kit to clean up most of the soot and blood that they had accumulated during the battle. Apparently he had expected battle and a need for a hasty escape. Andy had given Rick his coat as Rick had no other thing to wear except for one of Peter’s striped shirts. However, they did come out looking like they had staggered from a really crazy mountain hike, as each and every one of them was bandaged in one way or another and weren’t exactly clean.

When Andy and rest (minus Michael) stumbled into the youth hostel, the receptionists stared at all their bandages, though especially at Rick who shivered under Andy’s coat. She turned her eyes to the most responsible looking one there—and that was Chen.

She inquired in Mandarin to him and Chen replied rapidly, asking if there were rooms available. They had a quick discussion over the logistics of getting a room, then Chen turned to the rest of them and asked, “Do you have your passports?”

Rick blanched, pawing his pockets trying to remember where his passport had ended up. Was it in his bags at the hotel? Or had it been with his wallet? Had those demons stolen it? His cell phone was also missing. He had been in too much of a hurry to get to his friends that he had forgotten about both items. The tech Semour had given him was also gone. Thinking on it, Rick resolved to have Tom steal all his stuff back.

The Seven pulled out their passports—though Daniel, in hesitation, closed one eye and drew out his UN identity card, presenting that.

Andy slapped his hand over Daniel’s card, shoving it back. “No! We don’t know if that will bring those demons on us!”

Daniel shook his head, holding it out again, away from Andy’s reach. “Red, if there ever was a time to use this card, it is now. We need to find out if the Chinese government is with the demons or against them.”

Andy paled. He just didn’t want trouble.

Rick cringed, still thinking about his lost ID. 

And Chen flinched, looking prepared to duck out of sight.

But as for the others, they gazed thoughtfully on Daniel. Those ID cards were flattering to own, but none of them quite trusted that the UN had not actually given them those cards for approval but rather to keep tabs on them. They were after all, not government servants but servants of a higher power. That was why they had destroyed the tracking feature in them. And if that were the case, none of them wanted to bring another battle to them, especially when they had just taken shelter.

“This will be a test,” Daniel said.

The Seven exchanged looks, thinking on that. Daniel usually saw ahead to future problems, and they could not put it off forever.

“Ok,” Andy said, lowering his hand. He then took out his ID card also. They handed theirs both to the receptionist along with their passports.

The receptionist looked confused at first, but Chen explained in Mandarin that these foreigners were special operatives for the UN with special permission from the Chinese government and they were asking for assistance.  

Her eyes went wide. She looked at the cards. She then took down the information then gave the group a room—though when they went upstairs to the room, she called the police to verify if what Chen has said was true.

The police were at the hostel in about five minutes. And so were a pair of men in black suits.

Rick was not among them when either group had come. He knew instinctively when a situation could easily go south for him. It came from being hunted monthly. And because he was missing his wallet, he knew his situation was extremely precarious. He borrowed Semour’s cell phone and called Tom from inside a nearby shop.

“Tom, I am missing my wallet, passport, and cell phone,” he said almost the second Tom picked up, watching through the shop glass the commotion on the street. “I think the demons took everything I had on me when they grabbed me, and they weren’t in the pants that demon was wearing.”

Tom replied with a dry laugh. << No kidding. Ok. I’ll get them back. Anything else you want? >>

Peering at the next car that had just pulled up, a dark van with what looked like black ops soldiers in Kevlar, he said, “Yeah. How about a distraction? It seems Daniel wanted to test a theory about whether their UN cards were legit and good with the Chinese government. I think the hostel is getting surrounded by government agents.”

<< Damn! >> Rick heard Michael curse.

<< It is getting hostile at the hostel? >> Tom laughed.

Chuckling, Rick nodded. “Yep. I need to call the others now and warn them. Hold on a second.”

He then called up Andy’s phone. “Abey, I just saw something like black ops pull up. You guys had better get out of there.”

<< Damn, >> Andy muttered. << So they were lying to us. >>

Rick nodded, though Andy could not see it. “I don’t know what they are saying to you there, but scary guys in Kevlar and black are surrounding the hostel. I just called Tom to ask for an interference. I am going to call him back now.”

<< Did he find your passport? >>

Chuckling weakly, Rick replied, “I just told him to look for it. Give him a minute.”

Rick then called Tom back. “Ok, I need you to—”

Someone pulled his phone from his fingers.

Quickly reaching for it, prepared to fight off a cop, Rick’s eyes set on a yellow monk who set a finger over his mouth.

“Shhh.”

It was Sun Wukong. And he was smiling.

“Don’t worry,” the ‘monk’ said. He then winked out at the building outside.

Rick saw what after a bit what he was pointing out. Those special ops cops were not attacking his friends, but arresting what looked like triad thugs. Somehow those thugs had figured out where Tom had dropped them off. Rick then thought about it. It was likely that Michael was probably being tracked by those first cops who had come to the hotel. They had been suspicious after all. Undoubtedly they had been working with the triad. Rick’s proof that all was good was when Daniel casually strolled out with Chen right behind him, both looking relieved.

<< Rick? Are you there? >>

Rick snatched his phone from the monk. “Sorry. Our monkey friend just showed up. It looks like things are actually fine. We might not need the interference after all.”

<< Sorry to hear it. >> Tom then changed the subject. << Your buddy Long Shanks says to be careful anyway. We ran into thugs here, and we already handled it—but he thinks that there are moles in the government and the Seven should tread lightly. By the way, I was thinking I should make myself scarce for a while. You know that those government folks hate my guts. >>

Of course they did. Tom was CIA.

“What about my passport and stuff?” Rick asked, his mind now going to that. If a shape-shifting demon had his passport, who knows what kind of trouble they could cause.

<< I’m already on top of that. I already got your phone. >>

“You lost your passport?” the monk asked, his bald brow wrinkling.

Rick sighed, nodding to him.

The monk nodded. “I’ll get it back for you.” And he strolled out of the shop. Rick tried to follow him, but Sun Wukong was gone in a monkey’s leap. No one on the street even noticed.

Despite all that good news, Rick decided not to join the Seven on the street. Though it was good for them, without his passport, he wasn’t sure if it was wise for him to be among law enforcement. Unfortunately, he still didn’t have his wallet—which included all his bank cards, ID, and money.

Semour’s cell phone rang again.

Rick pressed the button. “Hello?”

<< Howie. >> It was Andy. << It turns out they are ok, though Sir Strength Heart is still suspicious. Where are you? >>

“Nearby,” Rick murmured, trying not to be overheard. He still