Chapter 24—Runaway Home

    “So,” Pongo asked the group, complete with the five runaway puppies. “Are we all ready to leave?”
    “I hope Cruella is still going to be distracted,” Perdita stated.
    “Still though, I think she’d notice if we just left through the front door,” Scamp added.
    “You’re right,” Tramp told him. “Come on… let’s try this.”
    Tramp jumped onto the front desk and pressed at the window, which was replaced with a new one. The window was surprisingly fragile, and shards of glass toppled down the roof, leaving a great, big open hole.
    “Tramp,” Lady cooed. “That was wonderful.”
    “Thank you pigeon,” Tramp happily stated. “Now…”
    “What was that!” screamed a voice from downstairs.
    “Oh no, Cruella’s back!” Perdita gasped.
    “Jasper! Horace! Come out at once!” Cruella screamed.
    “Psst…,” Penny whispered from on top of the desk standing by the window. “They’re outside.”
    Angel, Peg, and Patch came up to join her, and noticed Cruella was pointing at Horace and Jasper in the front yard. “I don’t know who did it… but somebody…”
    “Ma’am, we were watching television,” stated Horace.
    “Well, there is a problem with this!” Cruella shrieked.
    “Hey,” Angel commented. “They left the house… want to risk sneaking out?”
    “But… it could be dangerous,” Penny stated worriedly.
    “Everything we can do now is dangerous,” Angel replied.
    Peg nodded. “I think my little Angel’s right…come on, let’s get goin’.”
    Slowly, peering down the way, Tramp and Pongo led the cavalcade down the stairs. Tramp peered to the left, Pongo to the right, and saw no one was there. They nodded to their wives, and Lady and Perdita followed them, looking back to make sure that Peg and the puppies were following.
    “I’ll take a look outside,” Lady whispered. “I’m smaller than you, I’ll be more hidden…”
    Tramp and Pongo nodded, and Lady rushed in front to peer through the corner. Luckily, Cruella was still frustrated.
    “And when will that silly delivery truck give me my weapon! If you can’t even kill them…”
    “Aw Ma’am, give us time,” Jasper protested. “We haven’t gotten much time at all here…”
    “It doesn’t matter now though,” Cruella stated. “That truck will come and then I’ll have my weapon at the ready.”
    “I…think it’s safe,” Lady stated nervously.
    Peg nodded. “Perhaps it’s best if Dearie and I walk with the puppies, as we’re the little ones,” she stated. “Ready, Dearie?”
    “Yes, Peg,” Lady told her.
    Peg walked up to Angel, Lady walked up to Scamp, and they noticed.
    “I can’t see them!” Scamp stated. “They must be still busy.”
“Yes,” Lady commented. “Now you two stay here… Peg, you keep an eye on them.”
    “Okay then,” Peg stated, looking thoroughly delighted to be reunited with her daughter. Lady meanwhile re-entered the house, where Tramp and the Dalmatians were waiting.
    “We’ve come up with a plan,” Tramp stated simply.
    “Yes,” Pongo stated. “Perdy and I will escort the Dalmatians, while Tramp distracts Cruella.”
    “Okay,” Lady whispered. “What should I do?”
    “Come with me,” Tramp stated.
    The Dalmatians quickly hid behind the front steps, while Lady and Tramp circled to meet Cruella and Horace and Jasper, who were just beginning to re-enter the house.
    “Oy!” Jasper stated. “We never saw these ones before!”
    “Jasper… Jasper… do you think they’re disguised?” Horace asked.
    “Nah…” Jasper stated dismissively. “They’d have to pull off a big one to look like this,” he stated simply.
    Lady loudly barked at Jasper and Horace, while Tramp growled at them.
    “Jasper… Jasper… I think they want something!” Horace stated.
    “Well, ya can’t have our puppies,” Jasper stated. “You have to ask madame.”
    Tramp peered behind him. The Dalmatians were carefully making their way out, but unfortunately, Cruella screamed, “Jasper! Horace!”
    “Aw, what is it ma’am?” Jasper asked.
    “They’re leaving! Look!” Cruella screamed.
    “Blimey!” Jasper stated. “You’re right!”
    “Run, Pidge!” Tramp gasped, and he and Lady ran breathlessly through. By the time they reached the gate…
“Aha!” Cruella gasped in delight. She put a crate over Lady and Tramp before they could leave. “Now you two will be my hostages!”
Jasper and Horace followed, quickly placing Lady and Tramp into another cage.
“Come on,” Scamp told Angel. “We have to stop her.”
“Right,” Angel stated.
“Take care,” Peg gasped nervously.
“Scamp and Angel hurried over to Cruella and growled at her.
“Get back! Get back!” Cruella screamed as she held the cage, swinging it. Scamp grabbed at Cruella’s shoes and she tripped.
“You… you little beast!” Cruella shrieked. However, Angel picked the lock of the crate, freeing Lady and Tramp.
“Thank you so much,” Lady gasped as she and Tramp escaped, and they, Scamp, and Angel, jumped through the gate.     
Cruella screamed, “You haven’t seen the end of me yet!”
    “Thank goodness, you’re safe,” Perdita sighed as Lady, Tramp, Scamp, and Angel ran through the gate. “I was worried.”
    “We’re not safe for long though,” Pongo stated. “Look!”
    Cruella just was entering her car.
    “Watch out,” Pongo informed the others. “She can drive fast.”
    “Yeah, we know,” Patch told him. “We rode in her car ourselves.”
    Hurriedly, the whole group went across the street into the wooded area, and each dog found a bush to hide behind as Cruella drove out.
    “You won’t be able to get away as sure as I’m Cruella De Vil!” she screamed devilishly as she looked nearby… but then…
    “Aha!” Cruella screamed. She parked her car with a large halt, and got out of it quickly.
    “There you are!” she stated to the postman. “What kept you?”
    “Ma’am, I have a lot of orders,” he stated, but Cruella looked delighted.
    “There you are!!! My bullets!!! And my jar of powder… Now I can kill all of those puppies!” she stated delightedly.
    “But Ma’am,” the postman wheedled. “You told us that those bullets were not real… and that jar was of cookies,” he began, but Cruella kissed the package and got the gun out of her car.
    “Now it’s time to load it up and shoot!” Cruella stated devilishly, and she re-entered the car and looked.
    “Run!” Tramp stated, as they ran down the hill.
    “Oh, I wish Jim Dear and Darling were here!” Lady wailed. “They can help us out… there must be some sort of ride.”
    Cruella meanwhile, though yards away, honked her horn loudly as she turned another corner on her street. Through the trees, Lady saw Cruella’s car crash a few times into the rocks on the side of the road, and looked at it in fear. She honked her horn, and the group met together in the woods to consider what option to pursue next.