As the Light Dies (32 page)

One of them started laughing, it was a woman.

“
Oh I ca
n’
t believe we just did that, ha ha. God I got scared then I seriously thought we were gonna have to go back home after all that
.
”

“You and me both.”
said the other one, a man. Then they began to shake down and take off their headgear. Dean did
n’
t need to see their faces to know who they were; their voices were as recognisable to him as his own parents were. He opened his mouth to call out, but stopped himself, he had an idea. He and Sam started back down the ramp towards them staying low, they had
n’
t been seen yet.

“
God i
t’
s good to get that off
,”
said Ann Jerrard as she pulled off her assortment of scarves and hats and dust masks. Keith Potter mumbled something inaudible as he did the same getting his scarves in a tangle over his face. Piles of dirty ashy snow fell from them as they worked.

As Dean watched from the shadows he thought they looked more like brother and sister than they ever had, something the
y’
d both become used to being teased about with their matching long curly brown hair, angular jaw bones and brown eyes. They both stood by the doors going about their business totally oblivious of Dean and Sam just feet away.

“
Wonder wh
o’
s in
?”
said Ann.

“
Soon see
,”
said Keith
.“
And
I’
ve gotta be honest, I really thought the place woulda been turned in to a rescue centre by now, and that it would be overflowing with people
.
”

Dean nudged Sam with his knee and looked down at the dog with a look that Sam knew all too well.

Ann and Keith went quiet for a moment, both concentrating on themselves as they brushed off when Sam pounced out of the shadows barking loudly.

Ann spun round in terror and jumped back with both arms up in defence yelling out
,
“SHIT!”

Keith dropped the gear he had in his hands and attempted to jump in the same direction as Ann without even looking back. He heard the dog and saw the direction Ann jumped and that was all he needed to know. As he jumped he slipped on the dirty puddle of melting snow on the tile floor and landed hard, face down on his stomach
.
“Oomph,”
he said as the wind rushed from his lungs on impact. Panicking he kicked with both legs and pulled with both arms scrambling across the ash covered floor tangling himself up in his own scarves.

“
SHIT! WHOA, FUCKING SHIT! WHOA SHIT FUCK!”
he yelped certain someone had a hold of him.

Ann backed up against the wall trapping herself, she was struck with terror as she looked back at the big dog. It growled and barked, spitting saliva as it did moving ever so slightly closer. Ann let out a whimper. Then she heard laughing!

Her mind went numb, she could
n’
t understand why or who or what, and then she saw Dean having to hold on to the banister as he doubled over laughing, he was hysterical.

The realisation hit her and Sam trotted over to the terrorised woman wagging his tail and nudged her thigh with his snout searching for a pat on the head. Ann lowered her arms and took a deep breath
.“
You prick
,”
she said.

Dean howled even harder with laughter.

“Oh, oh. You’re SO going to pay for that
.
I so ca
n’
t believe you just did that to us. Yo
u’
re mean, yo
u’
re really mean
,”
she said and patted Sam.

Keith was confused, he dared to look back while still trying to make his escape.

Keit
h’
s whimpers and desperate attempt to escape his own scarf just added to Dea
n’
s fun, Dean was out of breath with laughing so hard. Keith stopped making all the noises that he did
n’
t even realise he was making and shot a glance over to Ann and saw her patting the previously wild attack dog.

He could
n’
t understand it
.
“Huh!”
he said looking at Ann, and then he looked for the source of the laughter and saw Dean in hysterics. He propped himself up on his elbows.

“
Oh yea
.
NICE
!
Really funny Dean. We traipse all the way in here for your benefit, and you treat us like this
!
”

Sam trotted over to Keith as he lay there semi traumatised and sat beside him and liked the side of his face and let out a playful moan.

“
Yea, hi Sam, your maste
r’
s a bad influence on you
,”
said Keith getting up.

“
Glad you both made it in
,”
said Dean getting his breath back
.“
That was priceless
.
”

Ann and Keith mumbled their distaste as he checked his watch, it was just after eight.

“
Yo
u’
re both late. I think
I’
ll have to dock your wages
.
”

“
Oh so funny, so, so funny
,”
said Ann as she picked her gear back up and laid it on top of the long curved reception desk.

“
You get funnier by the second
,”
she said and then asked him
,“
You been here long
?
”

“
Ten minutes maybe, if that
.
”

“
Who else is in? The place looks dead
.”
said Ann glancing around.

Dean shook his head and said
,“I’
ve got no idea. I was just heading up to check the clocking-in station when you two clowns arrived
.
”

“
Hey, less of the clowns
,”
said Ann smiling.

“Yea
.
I second that
,”
called Keith as he tripped over his own rucksack and only just caught his balance. Dean and Ann looked over at Keith grinning as he steadied himself, he saw them looking
.“
What you two looking at
?
”
he said trying not to grin.

“
Oh boy
,”
said Dean
,“
you shoulda seen your faces
.”
He chuckled and Sam woofed excitedly
.“C’
mon
,”
he said looking at Keith
.“
You can play on the floor later if you really must after we find out wha
t’
s going on here.
I’
ve already shouted down to the pool side and over to the dry side but I got no response. Obviously did
n’
t hear me, so God knows where they are. The door you guys came in through was actually ajar when I got here so whoeve
r’
s here ca
n’
t be far
.
”

Ann was frowning as she listened.

“
I handed over to Brian this morning...
.
”

“
Trust Brian to make it in
,”
said Ann
,“
h
e’
s as bad as you are
.
”

Dean smirked.

“
Did you have to wait long
?”
she asked.

“
Nah. He turned up at twenty past six,
I’
ve waited longer. Anyway what happened to you guys then? Did you both meet up on the way in or what
?
”

Ann started telling Dean their story as Keith finally sorted himself out and wandered over.

“
I left the house at about half six and went round via Keit
h’
s to see if he was gonna come in, and when I got there he was just coming out of his front door to come over to mine to see if I was coming in. Tha
t’
s how we joined up and we walked in together, and
I’
m telling ya it was pretty hard going at times. Tim really did
n’
t want me to come in you know, he wanted me to stay home with him and the kids but I said that if Keith was
n’
t coming in I would just go back home you know. Our part of town up at Raigmore Estate has been totally dead for hours. Even brand new batteries straight out of the pack would
n’
t work for long, so you can kinda see where he was coming from
.
”

“
Yea
,”
said Dean nodding
,“
maybe you shoulda stayed home. No-one would ever have said anything, and you know I would
n’
t have, especially with the little ones at home. Right now it does
n’
t look like many others made it in today any way. Place looks just how it did this morning...
.
”

“
Did
n’
t make it i
n
o
r
did
n’
t bother
.”
added Ann.

Dean shrugged his shoulders, not everyone had the same work ethic.

Ann said
,“
I thought that this place migh
t’
ve been made in to a rescue centre or something you know, so did Keith seeing how big it is and that
.
”

“
So did I
,”
said Dean
,“
but it does
n’
t look like it huh
.
”

“
Nope
,”
said Keith joining them.

“
Tha
t’
s the main reason I told Tim and the kids that I had to at least try and make it in
,”
said Ann
.“
Just in case there were people here that needed help you know
.
”

They all nodded.

“
Right then
,”
said Dean
,“
le
t’
s go and find out wh
o’
s clocked in and then go and find them
.
”

Dean called Sam and they all started up the ramp towards the offices and the clocking in station. Halfway up the ramp Ann noticed the reflection in the pools like Dean had.

“
Wow
!”
she said
,“
Look at the pools. They look like they are full of oil
.
”

”
Yea. Living oil
,”
said Keith.

“
Looks eerie does
n’
t it
.”
said Dean as thunder clapped and rumbled breaking the monotony of the shrieking wind, then lightning raced across the bleak sky fully visible through the giant wall of windows. The three of them watched for a minute captivated as they watched the multiple strands of pure electric race through the air as it chased the ground.

“
I
t’
s weird eh! All this ash and shit
!”
said Dean
,“
I do
n’
t think anyone really knows wha
t’
s going on
.”
Ann and Keith mumbled their agreement and looked at him with a look of worry and fear on their faces. They carried on to the top of the ramp.

The entrance for the offices and staff area was just at the top of the ramp, beyond that the floor opened up to form the Relaxation Suite that overlooked the leisure pools with its sauna, steam room, sun beds and jacuzzi and a modest chill out area with beach loungers. It was still and quiet, the magazines lay spread across the tables, fanned out just how Ann arranged them a night ago. Seeing them like this, knowing they had
n’
t been touched, knowing no-one had been here in nearly twenty four hours left Ann feeling a strange sense of unease. The place was so quiet, too quiet!