“We owe you big time,” Carl said to Dave. “I don’t know what I would have done if you hadn’t picked me up.”
Dave puffed up his chest proudly. “Don’t mention it.”
“Do you think the power is still on?” Cassie asked.
Nick shrugged his shoulders. “No reason it shouldn’t be.” He headed over to the wall and followed it along until he reached a door reading: STAFF ONLY. Beside it was a little incision in the wall. He sighed. “The lights are operated by one of those little fish key thingies.”
“Anybody got a hair clip?” Jan asked.
Pauline pulled one from her hair and handed it over. Jan took it to where Nick was standing and jammed it into the small hole. He fiddled the piece of plastic-coated steel for a few seconds and then…
An audible click!
The lights came on and everybody cheered.
“Excellent,” said Dave. “Now, let’s hunt down a phone.”
“There’s one through that door,” said Dash. “It leads to an office and a staffroom. I saw it when I broke in.”
“Excellent,” Dave said again. “I’ll go see if I can reach somebody.”
Nick plonked himself down at one of the small restaurant tables and slouched forward on his elbows. His left arm cried out in pain from his wounds, but it still felt good to be sitting indoors again. He had been beginning to feel like a nomad, trekking through the woods without direction. It was good to finally stop for a while and take stock of things.
Pauline took a seat next to him. “Hope that alarm didn’t bring any attention to us. I don’t think I can face being attacked again.”
Nick looked out across the empty car park. “It doesn’t seem to have brought anything. We should be okay. We might even be able to stay here until the authorities get a handle of things.”
“You think they will?”
Nick wanted to be optimistic, but couldn’t find the energy to kid himself. “I don’t know,” he admitted. “I don’t know what there is for them to get a handle on. If those sick people can’t be helped…well, let’s just say that would be a lot of funerals to arrange. I have some of my own to attend to as soon as this is over.”
Pauline had an expression that suggested she was trying to hold back tears. “How could something like this happen, Nick?”
“Aliens,” said Carl from nearby.
Nick frowned. “Huh?”
“Maybe it was aliens,” Carl repeated. “As good a theory as any. I read once on the Internet that they have this big hole in the desert in America that’s filled with all sorts of things we don’t know about. I bet it was aliens.”
Nick raised an eyebrow. “Think I’d prefer to hear something else as a reason.”
Carl shrugged. “Terrorists, laboratory accident, evil corporations, Mother Nature fighting back. Meteor. God punishing us.”
“Are those all film plots or something?” asked Pauline.
“Maybe,” said Carl. “My point is that something this big doesn’t just happen. It’s an insane scenario, which means it make senses that there’s an insane cause for it all.”
“I guess you’re right,” said Nick. “But I’d rather keep my feet on the ground and my mind focused for now.”
“I know what you mean,” Carl nodded sagely. Then he looked at Pauline. “You fancy helping me get the grills on, darlin’? I think everyone could do with some grub. The power’s on so there should be no reason we can’t get some chow on the go.”
Pauline shot up from her seat. “Sounds good to me. I’m bleedin’ starving.”
Nick laughed and watched them wander off to the kitchens. Then his smile faded as he remembered all of the reasons not to be happy.
How can I even manage to smile with what’s happened? I should be ashamed of myself. My son died only hours ago.
The staff door flew open with what sounded like a kick and Dave re-entered the restaurant. He was shaking his head and seemed pretty pissed off.
“What is it?” Nick asked him.
“The phones are completely dead. There’s not even a dial tone.”