As the Light Dies (23 page)

Andy grabbed their attention
.“
That window opens out on to the carwash ramp
,”
he said as they passed the last row of fuel pumps still hooked up to the hungry cars like mechanical umbilical cords. Collin glanced at the cars and shivered wondering what on earth had caused this, why the sudden aggression? Why the power loss? And where had everyone gone
.
Where had Lara gone?

It was all so wrong!

Cold wind rushed at them as they turned the corner of the petrol station and started following the driveway around to the rear of the building towards the car wash.

Collin tucked his chin down and held his hood tight to his face with both hands, he heard Thom say something but it was carried away with the wind. He watched Thom and Andy for a moment squinting his eyes against the wind in case something was up, but nothing seemed to be, they carried on pushing onwards against the weather.

Andy looked up at the broken window as they approached and then down at the ground directly below. The dark snow looked like i
t’
d been churned up but it was hard to tell with the new snow and ash settling all the time smoothing things over again and the bitter wind. Holding his arm out to stop the others further disturbing the snow, he moved the dirty snow with the toe of his boot turning up pieces of glass. He knelt down and brushed carefully at the snow with his hands seeking more glass. He picked out one piece as Thom muttered something from behind him about there being no footprints. Andy nodded only hearing some of what he said as he studied the piece of glass. It had blood on it! He stood up
.“
She came out of the window
,”
he said.

“
How
?”
started Thom.

Andy held out the shard of glass and said
,“
She cut herself climbing out
!”
Colli
n’
s first feelings of excitement and relief were quickly squashed. Thom took the shard and looked at it while Andy scanned the area. He walked around in a semi circle treading carefully, looking for any trace of someone leaving the scene, but he could
n’
t see anything that even remotely resembled a footprint. The wind and snow had covered any tracks that might have been there
.“C’
mon
,”
he said and carried on towards the carwash.

Collin felt sick at the thought that h
e’
d left someone out here, leaving them to push through that tiny window scared. Probably terrified, cutting themselves as they did while he went running in the opposite direction to tell someone about it, wasting time while he should have been running over here to help.

The thoughts ran around and around his head, guilt weighed down his stomach
.
I caused thi
s
, he thought.

They came to the steel roller door in to the car wash that was down for the season, it was a dead end. There was nowhere else for them or anyone else to go apart from back.

The rear of the petrol station was enclosed by the same high wall that ran along the loading bay from the back of the supermarket, it lead across the car park, around the back of the petrol station and then it ran along the length of Millburn Road protecting the railway tracks and the train station maintenance sheds beyond.

Andy looked at the others
.“I’
m certain she came out of that window guys, absolutely certain
,”
he said
.“
But God knows where she went after that. I doubt she climbed the wall over on to the railway tracks but she must have to run back to the supermarket. But then that would mean running back through the looters
.
”

He walked over to the wall and brushed his fingers over its rough surface, he tried hopping up and grabbing the top but he was a mile off. He was stumped!

An enormous lightning bolt tore through the sky and broke up in to multiple forks.

Collin thought it was impressive, h
e’
d never seen lightning look so impressive, so thick and bright with so many branches, but he could
n’
t enjoy it. Andy turned back to face the others and saw just how black they were with ash. Both men were smothered from head to toe in dark grey and black ashy snow. He could see the faintest hint of yellow around the edge of Colli
n’
s cuffs and the hems of his trousers where the
y’
d been scuffing and their dust masks were completely black, they looked fuzzy where the
y’
d been catching the dirty particles as the men breathed. Andy held out his arms and looked at them, he was the same. He brushed one arm and just seemed to smear the mixture of ash and snow instead of brush it off, he doubted that Lara had a dust mask, or insulated jacket and gloves. Andy took a deep breath filling his lungs to bursting point and he hollered as loud and hard and for as long as he could
.
“LAAAARAAAAA!”

Thom stared at Andy uneasily as another lightning bolt lit them up quickly followed by another and then thunder boomed so loud it felt like it was shaking the ground
.
“HE
Y
! I heard something
,”
said Thom
,“I’
m sure I did, listen
.
”

“
What? What did you hear
?”
said Andy rushing in closer. Collin leaned in as well as his heart jumped a beat.

“
Yea just n...
.
”

Tha
t’
s all Andy and Collin heard Thom say before thunder roared above them.

As it tailed off Andy shouted again practically screaming
,
“LAAAARAAAAA, WHERE ARE YOU?”

The three of them waited frozen to the spot listening, hoping, praying that they heard something. The steel roller door to the carwash burst in to an eruption of furious metallic bangs and rattles and shakes from the other side.

They all jumped and Thom slipped and nearly fell.

“THERE!”
said Andy rushing up against the steel door, and Just audible above the din of the shaking and banging was a voice calling out.

“I’
m here,
I’
m in here, please help me.
I’
m stuck in here.
I’
m i
n
HERE!”

Andy dropped to his knees and started scraping the dirty snow out of the way. Thom and Collin landed beside him and together they started to clear the bottom of the roller door and started trying to pull and heave at the door trying to lift it open and Andy called through to Lara.

“
Are you ok
?
”

“
I think so, couple of cuts and a bruise tha
t’
s all
.
”

“
Ok, good, w
e’
ll have you out in a minute ok, just hold tight Lara
.
”

“
Ok thank you
,”
she called back and all three of them pulled hard at the door trying to lift it.

It did
n’
t budge.

“
I
t’
s not gonna move
,”
Thom grunted.

“
Keep the pressure on
,”
said Andy and Colli
n’
s hands slipped and he fell backwards landing on his arse. He scrambled back to the door in a flash, and pulled with all his might, his hands were so cold he could
n’
t feel his fingers anymore, but that did
n’
t matter one bit right now, he was so relieved that the
y’
d found her. They just had to get her out.

After a few minutes of trying, Andy said
,“
I
t’
s no good boys. Hold on. I
t’
s frozen shut, just hang on a minute
.
”

Thom and Collin both stood up for a moment panting and breathing on to their hands trying to warm them up again
.“
Swing your arms
,”
said Andy
,“
yo
u’
ll get the circulation going and warm them up quicker
.”
They both nodded as he tapped on the roller door.

“
Hey Lara
?”
he called through.

“
Yes
!
”

“
How did you get in there
?
”

“
I came in through the roller door before the power totally died, I managed to open it far enough to roll under it before it slammed back down again
.
”

“
Ok, hang on a minute, w
e’
ll keep trying
.
”

“
Ok
.
”

Andy turned to Thom and Collin still swinging their arms, and said
,“
It could be the dead door motor keeping the door shut. Either way, if we all pull in rhythm, you know pull then ease off then pull then ease off again I think w
e’
ll stand a better chance of getting the door up far enough for Lara to roll out ok
?
”

“
Sounds like a plan
,”
said Thom and Collin nodded.

They took up their positions along the base of the door. Colli
n’
s fingertips were still numb, but he had a slightly better grip of the door this time
.“
O
k”
, said Andy
,“
when I say pull
,
pul
l
and when I say ease, ease, ok
.
”

Collin and Thom agreed. Andy called through to Lara
.“
If you can hear me well enough in there Lara then try and lift in rhythm with us when I say pull or ease ok
?
”

“
Yea, ok,
I’
ll try
,”
she called back.

Andy took hold of the door
.“
Pull
,”
he said, and they did. They gave it everything they had in rhythm with Andy as he called out
.
“
Pull,”
and the
n
“Ease,”
and the
n
“pull,”
again....

Nothing happened. They were just tiring themselves out the longer they went at it.

Andy stood up and stepped back from the door.

“
Watch out a minute
,”
he said to the other two, and then yelled through to Lara
,“
Watch out Lara. Stand back
!
”

Then with one almighty thrust he kicked the door making it rattle from top to bottom and from side to side. He kicked it again and again, hitting the base of the door as hard as he could. Thom winced at the force that Andy was hitting the door, thinking it must be really hurting his feet.

Andy worked up and down the door battering it like crazy, and then dropped down on his knees again
.“
Ok
!
Everyone back to it
,”
he yelled, and again they repeated the sequence and pulled and eased off over and over.

Thom had images in his head of them having to leave her and go back to the main store for some tools to try and prise the door open.

“
Damn thing
!”
said Andy
,“
it must be the motor. My kicks should have loosened the ice
.
”

Just as he finished speaking there was a loud snapping sound!

“Keep at it guys, keep at it, we’ve got it!”
he yelled and they pulled as hard as they could.

Thom was almost struggling breathing under the tension but he could hear the ice breaking. Or at least something was cracking.

They all felt it start to give way, and the frozen door started to move upwards one jerky rung at a time. Lara shouted through to them
,“
Tha
t’
s far enoug
h
,
I can roll under, hold it there for a second gu
y’
s
.
”