Part 18 (1/2)
”Beeks will want to come with us,” Needles said.
Aaron inhaled rapidly as from a knife in the gut. ”Beeks is in there?” he gasped, covering his wound with his hand.
”I think he's down in the practice range,” Needles said. ”You boys load up your bikes while I look for him. I'll just be a second.”
He rolled the door up just enough to duck under it then disappeared into the cannery.
w.i.l.l.y's face had popped a sweat. ”What should we do?” he whispered.
Aaron heard ominous groaning sounds coming from the direction of the boiler house. ”Come on,” he said, and they dropped their bikes and ran inside the warehouse after Needles.
He was lighting a lantern.
”Needles,” Aaron said, coughing hard. ”You don't understand. We gotta leave!”
”Listen,” Needles said. ”Beeks is the toughest son-of-a-b.i.t.c.h I've ever met. If there's a fight tonight, I want him there. You got that?” He checked his watch. ”Souther said 6:30 ... it's 6:15. We have time. Wait here, and don't move till I get back.”
He picked up the lantern and started toward the back of the warehouse.
Aaron coughed hard again, but this time it really hurt. ”Needles!” he cried desperately, clenching his teeth in pain. He gestured feebly in the direction of the boiler house.
”The boiler ... it's ...” He trailed off.
Needles stopped, turned and looked back, his face suddenly ashen, then said in a low, knowing voice, ”What did you do ... ?”
Aaron stood with his arms limp at his sides, the weight of tears behind his eyes. How could he possibly admit what he'd done? How could he ever own up to something like that? It was supposed to have been a harmless prank. Nothing more. Just the death of an old building that was ready to die anyway.
”I-I rigged the boiler ...” he said at last. ”It's going to explode.”
”What?” Needles gasped, jerking his head in the direction of the boiler house. ”Have you lost your mind? Can't you undo it?”
”It's too late, Needles. I can hear a”
”d.a.m.n it!” Needles said, his attention returning to Beeks. ”You two go on without me.” He set the lantern on the floor and took off running, disappearing into the darkness of the cannery.
Aaron was numb. He stared at the empty s.p.a.ce that had been Needles.
w.i.l.l.y heard the boiler. He put his hand on Aaron's shoulder. ”You know we can't go after him, Aaron ...”
”I know.”
”We gotta jet ...”
”I know.”
”Can you ride?”
Aaron just stood there staring after Needles, the light from the lantern showing on his face. His fatigue was intense. He hadn't really slept in three days ... and now this. He had nothing left. He was ready to lie down right there on the cannery floor and die.
w.i.l.l.y took him gently by the shoulders and looked him in the eye. ”Aaron, listen to me. Your mother needs us, okay? Can you ride?”
Aaron looked at him oddly for a long moment; then his eyes sharpened and he slowly gathered himself and answered the question.
”I can ride.”
Chapter 48.
High Pressure Needles arrived at the practice range out of breath. The hatch was open, and that light was s.h.i.+ning up from down below.
He called down the steps. ”Beeks!”
Beeks couldn't hear a thing under his earm.u.f.fs.
POP! POP! POP! Three rounds through the bulls-eye.
”Beeks!” Needles shouted.
No response.
”d.a.m.n it!”
He started down the ladder, then stopped short when he heard a loud metallic, groaning sound. Then a tremendous bang made him s.h.i.+ver, and he climbed quickly down the ladder.
POP! POP! Two more rounds through the bull's-eye.
Needles ran over and yanked the earm.u.f.fs off Beeks's head.
Beeks nearly shot him in the face. ”What the f.u.c.k?” he said.
”We have to get the h.e.l.l out of here, Beeks!” Needles said. ”The boiler's about to explode!”
”What?”
”Come on!”
Beeks mumbled something under his breath then dropped everything and followed Needles up the ladder. Needles climbed up out of the hatch, then turned back to a.s.sist Beeks.