#551
Mark went to the house, he needed coffee. No he didn't either, he didn't know what he wanted. That situation made him more upset. He ALWAYS knew what he wanted and he always had a plan. Now it was jumbled, it put him in a temper. Nothing was going right, and suddenly Gary wanted a silencer. Mark couldn't remember if he had another silencer or not. THAT made him mad all over again.
Nothing was going right, Mark was fighting internally for control, and it just wasn't coming together like it should.
Clora looked up when Mark came in, and she could feel the desperation and his wrestle for control was failing. Mark almost stumbled as he turned to go down the hall, so unlike his normal self awareness.
Getting up to trail after him, Clora was struck by two terrible thoughts. First, Mark was acting like he had when he had been poisoned in the cave. Second, there was an attack on Mark from some agency, destined to remove him as a redundant spy.
"Vinegar, I need a gallon of vinegar," Clora yelled out. "Tilly, get Big, I need his help." The triplets came running in the kitchen and went speeding after Clora.
"NO !" she yelled fiercely, scaring the young boys, causing them to start crying. Tess came hurrying in, wondering what was happening, just in time to hear her mother scream at her boys. Tess opened her mouth to ask what was going on, and Clora yelled at her to wake up Donny, she needed immediate help.
Clora went running to Mark's study, in time to see him collapse to the floor. Turning him over, she held her apron tight against his nose to stop the bleeding.
Tilly came running in with a gallon of vinegar. "I need rags and a bowl," Clora hollered, "now!" when it looked like Tilly was going to ask what was the matter.
"Get more vinegar," and Clora started splashing the brown liquid all over Mark. Tilly was nodding as she backed out of the room, bumping into Donny who was zipping up his pants and struggling to get a shirt on.
"Get your knife," Clora commanded, "we need to cut his shirt off. where is Big, we need his help." Donny shook his head sharply, he had come up out of a sound sleep and felt befuddled for several seconds. Then he went into action when Clora slapped his leg with considerable force. "Do as I say," she grated harshly, "I'm not gonna let him die because your standing around like an idiot."
That put Donny into motion. Deft cuts with the sharp folder exposed Mark's chest and Clora poured on the vinegar and rubbed it harshly. "Cut the arms open," she demanded, and Donny complied.
"Help me turn him over, cut his shirt up the back." Clora was pouring on the vinegar Donny felt faint when he got the material split and saw the network of scars on Mark's back. He made an involuntary noise and caused Clora to snap at him.
"No time for that now, get to rubbing the vinegar into his skin. Tilly, where are you, we need more vinegar."
Off in the distance, Donny could hear the alarm bell by the back door ringing, Tilly was summoning Big. Clora hollered for vinegar once again and then went to the room door and screamed at Tess to get more vinegar, a bowl and rags.
Tess had her hands full with three upset boys that clung to her. Clora was using the last of the vinegar to wet Mark's hair and rub the acetic acid into his scalp.
"Go get more vinegar, and so help me, don't you take very long," Clora ordered Donny and he flew out of the room, to get it done.
Donny had to slap Tilly's hand to make her stop ringing the bell. "Where is the vinegar?" he yelled, spinning the plump cook around and shoving her back into the kitchen. "Get it now."
"Send those babies to their room," he ordered Tess, causing her to snap her head up almost in protest. "Don't be useless in a crisis, this won't be the only one in your life."Donny snapped at Tess, grabbed the two gallons of vinegar that Tilly offered and ran down the hall.
Clora had Donny's knife and was cutting Mark's pants up the back. Spreading the material away from his skin, the pungent fumes of the homemade poison assaulted their senses.
"Good God, what is that smell?" Donny choked and gagged.
"Poison," Clora mumbled. "He was poisoned with it once before and is very sensitive to it's effects. Get his boots off, they must be the source. Cut his socks off."
Clora was splashing vinegar like rain water, especially on Mark's feet. They were covered with red blisters and the vinegar and poison was overpowering.
Big finally showed up. "Open the windows," Clora was giving orders, "we don't want to get sick."
The one window wanted to stick, and it opened widely when Big got done with it.
Tilly burst into the room with another gallon of white vinegar, bowl and cloth.
"Wipe his face, especially the ears and behind them, down into the soft skin under." Clora told Tilly. " Big, help me rub the blisters open on his feet. As long as we have vinegar on our hands, it won't bother us.."
Soon, Mark's feet were a bloody, vinegar smelling mess. "We need to turn him over, get his belt undone,, get his pants off." The three of them worked feverishly to soak Mark in the acid liquid. Eventually, his breathing smoothed out and Clora sat back, leaning up against the corner of the desk for support.
"Oh my." she breathed out slowly. "Thank you everyone for helping. Now we need to get him in the shower and scrub the tainted vinegar off him. How much vinegar do we have left?"
"No more, that is all of it," Tilly reported. "Donny, he can go for more. Big will stay here to help move Mister Mark. What is this poison and where did it come from?" she asked fearfully, looking at Big in her fright. "You come, I will wash off your hands, you also Donny, and then you Miss Clora. We can't get you ill from this stuff."
"It's a plant based alkaline poison, sort of a homemade type of stuff. It had to come from his socks, based on the shape his feet were in. Donny, will you take the van and go get more vinegar, we may need to do this several more times." Clora struggled to her feet and opened Mark's top desk drawer. He always kept a hundred dollars or so in there and Clora grabbed it all.
"A dozen gallons of vinegar. You'll probably have to go to more than one store. Take Tess and the boys with you; that way they won't see us move Mark down to our room."
Donny nodded and looked at himself. "I've got to get fry pants on, besides I smell."
"Move it," Clora ordered with a smile, "I believe the danger is over for a few minutes."
Gary conferred with Ham about the windows upstairs, and had to promise overtime for the first crew that was finished with the doors. In Breezy's bedroom, they framed in and created a solid wall where the French doors had been. The office door was solid, but still needed finishing work.
The electrical team had the cameras installed, covering every door and window on the ground floor. Every thing was cool until Gary went to show them where he wanted the camera in the basement.
The window that looked used, was unlatched and open. Ernie was starting a campaign of terror.