The explosion had ripped the two-story structure in half. The north side still stood and seemed untouched, but the south side had crumbled. Smoke and ash hung in the air around the wreckage.
“What side of the school did your uncle work in?” Jackie whispered.
Sarah shook her head. “I don’t know. The real question is where was the faculty meeting this morning?”
She stared at the north side of the institution. Even though that side of the building was erect, it had been weakened by the blast. Mesmerized by the gaping hole where the blast had done the most damage, she wanted to scream but didn’t dare. A shudder ran through her body as she took in the steel girders sticking out of the broken concrete. They looked like deformed fingers reaching for the sky. How could anyone survive this?
Trembling, Sarah looked past the people, and searched the rubble for a sign of her uncle. The irrational hope that he would magically appear and they could all go home filled her heart. The blaring horns of the fire trucks made her jump and drew her attention to the debris where the fire raged.
The fire trucks pulled up to the wreckage and joined a group of firefighters that were already there, fending off the blaze. The second wave of firemen scrambled from their trucks, connecting hoses to fire hydrants, while others got the truck ladders into position. Within minutes, water burst from the hoses onto the blazing ruins.
Policemen ran and shouted commands. To Sarah, it seemed like they were attempting to control the mass confusion. People stumbled from the rubble, some of them injured and bleeding, wearing the blank expressions of survivors surprised they were still alive.
Across the street, a makeshift hospital had been assembled. Emergency personnel placed cots underneath the tent for the injured. Next to the tent sat three ambulances. When Sarah spied them, a tremor ran through her body. Fear squeezed her heart and she took several deep breaths to ease the pressure. As they moved through the crowd, Sarah scanned the faces of students and faculty trickling from the school. Shouts and hysterical cries filled the air.
“I don’t see him,” she said, her voice choked with emotion.
“I don’t either.” Lacey gulped.
The girls came to an abrupt halt. A construction sawhorse blocked the road. Police officers stood in front of it and kept people from passing.
“Looks like this is as far as we go.” Sarah grimaced.
“Yep.” Jackie nodded as she looked around her.
Sarah continued to scan the crowd for her uncle.
“Hey,” someone shouted from behind.
Turning, Sarah’s spirits soared. Uncle Walt! She found Scott, standing behind her and her hope smashed to the ground. A sob escaped her lips and she turned away, determined to control her emotions.
“Hey,” Lacey said.
“I figured you guys would be down here.”
Sarah faced Scott and nodded. “Yeah, we’re worried about my uncle.”
“Yeah.” The fourth Super Spy scuffed his shoe on the tarmac. “The police are trying to get everyone out of the building right now. They brought in the Staties—”
Scott’s statement was lost when another explosion ripped through the air. The blast pushed the teens back, as clouds of black smoke billowed toward the sky. Sarah’s world tilted as she fell to the ground. Landing with a thud, she turned her head looking for her companions. Sprawled next to her were Lacey and Jackie. Ash and debris descended on them, covering them like powder.
Sarah’s throat constricted. Coughing, she tried to ease the tightness. “I don’t believe it.” She pulled her mask off her face and wiped her eyes. They were stinging from the polluted air.
Looking over at Lacey, Sarah cringed as her sister coughed spastically into her mask. Tears ran down Lacey’s cheeks and her long blonde hair had turned white from the ash. Her little sister looked like she’d aged thirty years.
“Everyone, back!” a police officer screamed through a megaphone.
The Super Spies helped each other up before stumbling away from the barricade. Sarah barely heard the officer—her ears were ringing from the blast. She checked them for blood. When she didn’t find any, a wave of relief flooded her body.
“Holy crap!” She shook her head.
“What are we going to do?” Lacey spat out, in between coughing fits.
“Hey, you guys, follow me,” Scott sputtered as he gestured with his hand.
Lacey and Jackie threw their makeshift masks on the ground, useless against the thick black smoke.
“Where are we going?” Sarah asked.
“I know a back way to the school.”
“I’m scared,” Lacey whined.
“Trust me.” Scott put his arm around her and gave her a quick squeeze.
He motioned again for the girls to follow him. They took off down the road that led away from the school.
“Where are you going?” Sarah grumbled as she fought to keep her irritation from showing.
“Just follow me, you’ll see.”
They jogged away from the scene and then turned the corner and proceeded up a huge hill.
The hill turned out to be Broadway Street and it led them out of the small town of Harrisburg and into the country. It wasn’t long before they encountered rolling hills of long grass and wild wheat.
After a half-mile they stopped where Broadway intersected a dirt road. Scott rounded the corner and proceeded down the road. His hair was damp from the jog, and his face streaked where sweat had run through the filth. The Super Spies looked like they had painted their faces for some strange tribal dance from the mixture of moisture, dirt, and ash.
Trees grew along the edge of the road, providing shade from the blazing sun. Scott stopped, breathing hard, and peered into the woods.
“What are you looking for?” Sarah gasped.
“There used to be a path around here, somewhere.” Scott walked into the woods for a short distance.
“Do you see it?” Sarah asked.
“Nope, we’ll have to make our own.” He picked up a small branch, the size of a walking stick and forged his way deeper into the forest.
The girls followed him. Sarah was grateful for the shade—it was a nice reprieve from the hot sun. After traipsing for several minutes, they came upon a field. Scott pointed to the smoke in the distance.
“Let’s hurry,” Sarah urged.
Scott picked up the pace and led them through a field of dry grass and wheat. The sun had leached all of the color from the meadow long ago, and the grass had faded to a lifeless beige. This patch grew at the top of a hill behind the school. When they reached the crest, the teenagers stopped and stared down at the debris that had once been the high school.
“Look at that,” Sarah muttered
“I can’t believe it,” Jackie said.
“The only thing that could cause this much damage is a bomb,” Scott said.
Lacey whimpered and twisted the hem of her shirt in her fingers. “Where is Uncle Walt?”
Sarah stared at the ruins and shuddered. The damage to the school was worse from this angle. Smoke trailed from the blackened hole where the first floor had been. Parts of the second floor lay crumbled inside it. As if the school were merely a toy model that had been destroyed by an angry preschooler.
Tears sprang to Sarah’s eyes. Her hands trembled and she gnawed on her gritty thumbnail until it bled.
“We can go down and look,” Scott said in a hesitant voice, as if he were afraid to make the suggestion.
“Yeah, there’s no one back here to stop us.” Sarah wiped her eyes with the back of her hand, smearing some of the dust and streaking her face even more. She took a few steps forward.
“Sarah,” Lacey blubbered.
“Lacey, we have to look.”
“What are we going to do if we find him?”
“We’ll get him to a doctor.”
“What if he’s already dead?” Lacey asked and sobbed even harder.
Sarah glared at her. “He’s not dead! Don�
�t be stupid! He’s not!”
“Sarah…” Jackie reached for her.
“Just shut up! He’s not dead, do you hear me!” Sarah sucked in some air through clenched teeth and then blew it out. She stomped her foot. “Lacey, you quit bawling right now! If you don’t stop crying you’ll have to stay here.”
“I don’t want to stay here.” Lacey snuffled, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand.
“Then knock it off.” Sarah glared at her. Without another word, she turned on her heel and walked down the hill.
“What if there’s another explosion?” Scott called out.
“I’m taking that chance.” Sarah called over her shoulder. “If you don’t want to, stay there.”
She continued her trek, keeping to the path, her stride long and purposeful. After a few seconds of indecision, the rest of the Super Spies trailed behind her. Tension filled the air along with the ash and smoke.
As she trudged down the hill, Sarah noticed an eerie silence. She watched ash fall from the sky. It reminded her of walking in the woods when it was snowing—there was movement but no sound.
The rest of the group caught up with her, and they walked closer to the rubble, searching for any signs of life. Sarah’s heart hammered her chest. She was sure it would burst through any minute.
“This is horrible,” Jackie choked.
Sarah grimaced. “You got that right.”
They fanned out, surveying the catastrophe.
Lacey flailed her arms. “Oh, no! Oh, no!”
Sarah pivoted toward her, annoyed. “What now?”
“It’s a body!”
“Where?” Sarah ran toward her.
Jackie and Scott traveled behind her.
“Over there,” Lacey pointed. She whirled away unable to look any longer.
Sarah peered in the direction where Lacey pointed and gasped. A pair of legs protruded from the debris. Large pieces of rubble squashed the upper body. She couldn’t see a head or any of the torso, only the legs and feet. Choking back a sob, Sarah stumbled toward the body. Her stomach twisted into a hard knot.
“Sarah, what are you doing?” Jackie asked.
“I’m going to see if I can help him.”
Jackie grabbed her arm and held her still. “Sarah…he’s dead. There’s no way you can help him.”
“You don’t know that,” Sarah argued. She tried to shake her arm free from Jackie's grasp.
“Sarah—”
“Would you let go?” Sarah spat the words at her, full of fury. She managed to shake her arm free and jogged toward the body. The rest of the Super Spies followed close behind.
When they got closer, Sarah realized the person had on khakis and running shoes. His belt was made of leather and the tail of a light blue oxford had come untucked from the pants.
A sob caught in her throat. The rumpled shirt reminded her of her uncle. It was the first thing he did when he walked in the door, untuck his shirt. After that, he’d loosen his belt, and then he’d open the refrigerator door and grab a soda. He’d suck it down in seconds, then go and change his clothes. Tears welled in her eyes and she forced herself back to the present. Sarah glanced down and cringed—a dark stain leaked from the body and spread across the tarmac.
“Blood!” Lacey shrieked.
Sarah grabbed her and pulled her away, but Lacey struggled against her and broke free.
“He’s wearing running shoes! It’s Uncle Walt! It’s Uncle Walt!” Tears ran down Lacey’s face mixing with the dust and ash. She had finally lost it.
Sarah came from behind and grabbed Lacey. She whirled her around and clutched her arms in a firm grip. Shaking her hard, Sarah said, “Uncle Walt’s running shoes are silver, these are red. Besides, he never wears his running shoes to work. It isn’t Uncle Walt.”
Lacey pulled out of Sarah’s angry clutches and rubbed her arms. She stopped screaming, but watched Sarah warily for another angry outburst.
“If it isn’t Uncle Walt, where is he?” Lacey wailed. Not waiting for an answer, she pivoted and started sobbing again. She paced until Scott walked beside her, and whispered.
Sighing, Sarah was glad Scott had taken over where Lacey was concerned. She knew she couldn’t handle her sister right now. Anger kept her from going over the edge. The hysteria train was just around the corner, and she knew it wouldn’t take her long to hop on and go for a ride.
“Hey! Get away from there!” shouted a firefighter as he came around a large pile of debris thirty feet away.
“We found a body!” Sarah cried.
“I said get away from there!” the fireman yelled again and picked up his pace.
Sarah’s stomach twisted into a painful knot as alarm bells rang in her head.
“Let’s book!” Scott yelled. He grabbed Lacey’s hand and pulled her along.
“I’m with you!” Sarah grabbed Lacey’s other hand and took the lead.
Running back toward the hill, Sarah glanced over her shoulder and caught a glimpse of the man chasing them. His fire-retardant coat seemed to hinder him and his hat was too big. It kept falling over his face and he struggled to keep it on his head.
Sarah dropped Lacey’s hand and increased her speed, widening the gap. After she made it up the hill, she glanced back. The firefighter had given up and stood below, watching them. She stopped running and stared back at the man. Squinting, Sarah noticed the sun reflecting off of his shoes. Shoes, why is he wearing shoes and not boots?
The rest of the Super Spies collided with her and they all struggled to stay upright. Everyone managed to stay standing except Lacey. She stumbled and fell into the dry, prickly grass.
“Why’d you stop running?” Scott gasped.
Sarah didn’t answer but pointed down at the fireman.
“What?” Jackie turned and squinted down the hill.
“How come that firefighter isn’t wearing those special boots?” Sarah frowned.
Lacey glared at her. “Who cares?” She rubbed her legs where the dry grass had scratched them.
“They look like running shoes, a lot like Uncle Walt’s.” Sarah continued her scrutiny.
“Well, we know Uncle Walt doesn’t work for the fire department.”
Ignoring Lacey’s sarcasm, Sarah said, “And why isn’t he with any of the other firefighters?”
Scott frowned. “I don’t know. It’s weird.”
They watched as the firefighter turned away and pulled something from his pocket. It looked like a phone. He pushed buttons, shook it a few times, and then pushed buttons again. The firefighter seemed frustrated as he put the phone back in his pocket. Sarah stared dumbfounded as he took off toward the baseball field.
“What in the world is he doing?” Sarah asked.
“You got me.” Jackie frowned.
“Let’s follow him.”
“What if there’s a bomb at the baseball field?” Lacey asked.
“I don’t think so.” Sarah shook her head as she watched the man run. “He wouldn’t be running toward the field if he thought there was a bomb there.”
“He might be trying to rescue someone,” Jackie said.
Sarah shook her head again. “No, the bomb went off in the school. No one uses the baseball field in the morning. There’s something off about this guy.”
Before anyone could stop her, Sarah was off and running, chasing the lone fireman. The only thing the others could do was follow her.
Sarah ran full tilt hoping to catch him. The man rounded the corner and disappeared from sight. Perspiration rolled down her back as she picked up her pace. Licking her lips, she tasted the salty residue from her sweat. As she turned the corner, she realized the man was gone.
The only evidence that he had actually been there was the fireman’s coat and hat lying on the ground at the edge of the field.
Astraea Press
Pure. Fiction.
www.astraeapress.com
the Tree
The Grotto Under the Tree Page 12