dane
The thunder came every few seconds now. Last night there was only lightening, but now the storm was here. A few drops splashed onto my face as I looked up at the sky from the end of my mom’s driveway. Ashton’s red truck pulled into the street and slowed to pick me up. I put the jerry can full of gas into the tray of the pickup truck and jumped into the passenger seat just as the raindrops got heavier.
“Geez. This is not the best night to go traipsing around a mostly abandoned power station,” stated Ashton.
“You got that right. Do you have wet weather gear?” I asked, looking around the cab.
“Yeah. In the back. Stace didn’t want me to go. The kids are frightened of the storm.”
I gave my best friend a sympathetic smile and nodded as he pulled out of the street.
“We’ll try and be as quick as we can. We just have to deliver the gas to the police station, then head up to the power station. No sweat.”
“No sweat.” He repeated my words with a hint of apprehension in his voice. My stomach whirled with a sense of unease as well. The sooner we did this, the better. And with a killer on the loose in the middle of a blackout and a storm brewing, this was the right time to wander into a disused power station, right?
I let out a shaky breath and wiped my already sweaty palms on my jeans.
This was cool. We could do this.
When we pulled up outside of the police station, Bobby met us outside. He wore his police-issued weather jacket and took shelter under the eaves. The rain was coming down in sheets now, and visibility was already low, making our journey to the power station a little more complicated. I took off my seatbelt, prepared to get out of the safety and dryness of the truck’s cab, but Ashton was already climbing over the front seats and grabbing his coat. He threw it on, pulled the hood over his head and jumped out. I watched as Bobby met him halfway and took the can of gasoline from Ashton. Ashton was talking animatedly with his hands, as he did when angry or frustrated. I couldn’t hear what they were saying due to the loud pelting of rain against the windshield. I was debating whether to get out when Sheriff Richards joined the boys near the front of the station. His head was low; somehow, I knew what he told the boys wasn’t good news. I leapt out of the car and joined them.
“Hello, Dane,” said the sheriff.
“Sheriff,” I nodded in acknowledgment.
“Dad said there’s been another murder,” yelled Bobby, his voice struggling over the roar of the thunder and heavy rain. The car engine was also running, and now that I was out, I could hear the roar of a generator running.
My eyes widened in shock. “Who? Where?”
“At the Sea and Sand Inn. The manager just called it in,” replied the sheriff. “Come on, Bob. We’ve gotta go investigate.”
“Coming. Good luck, guys. I wish I could go with you, but murders keep happening,” he sighed, waving his hand around flippantly. He gave us a sad smile and followed his father to his truck.
But before the sheriff opened the driver’s side door, he stopped and turned back toward us.
“Oh, boys, there’s been reports of break-ins at the power station of late. I’m sure it’s just some kids…” he trailed off and smirked. “Damn, I can’t believe I used to say that about you two,” he chuckled. “How times have changed.”
Then he held out two items. In the near dark, I couldn’t tell what they were at first. But Ashton walked over to him and took them. When he walked back to me, I could see in his hands a two-way radio and a gun. I looked up at the sheriff with concern, raising an eyebrow.
“Sir? Are you sure?” I asked. Did he really just give us a gun?
“I’m sure. With the rise in murders and the increase in calls for assistance in this storm and blackout, my officers are busy and needed elsewhere. We’ve investigated the break-ins, but nothing much has come from it. You know how to find the main switches for the town’s power, right?”
“My dad said they would be in a staff-only area. I briefly remember the layout from several school excursions there, so I have a rough idea…” said Ashton.
“Yes. Here. I almost forgot to give you this,” said the sheriff, handing me what looked to be a binder full of paper in plastic sleeves. “These are the blueprints for the power station. There’s a map in there. The main power switches should be in the centre of the station. You will find the key in the office. Good luck. Call me on the two-way if you require assistance or if something happens.”
“Thanks, Sir,” I said.
“Cheers, Sheriff,” replied Ashton. After we waved goodbye to Bobby and his dad, we returned to Ashton’s truck. Once we were inside, I opened the binder and found a folded map of the power station. It was a few feet long, so I folded it on my lap as Ashton drove.
“Let’s do this,” he said, turning the radio to some indie rock station.