Dig

by Dan Dillard

  ***

  Robyn and Kelly continued to jump and wave and scream. Their throats burned from that poison leaking up from the Gates place, from the shouting and from the crying. Suddenly, sparks flashed off of the helicopter like a fleet of fireflies in the night. There were only a few the first time. Then the spotlight stopped sweeping and fine tuned to a specific location somewhere over beyond the trees. Somewhere to the northwest beyond Price Creek. The helicopter turned and moved in the opposite direction of its search light but there were more sparks. Those fireflies were more dense the second time, more deadly the second time. Robyn and Kelly heard the rotor engine sputter and saw smoke against the black sky. Then there were even more sparks and the sound of breaking trees and destruction as the helicopter spun down. Something rumbled and a billow of flames rose into the air, lighting that direction momentarily.

  The ladies had no choice but to go back to plan A. Back to finding Rusty and hoping for the best.

  They didn’t hear Jamie Banks shriek with glee, but Jamie Banks shrieked plenty.