Sheldon was sitting somewhere in the middle row of the cinema. He was supposed to be in the garage watching for trouble, and Ella insisted he stay there, but he preferred the cinema, because it was dark and cosy.
He, like his brother Mervyn, spent the whole night alone, and when he’s alone, he doesn’t like to look from windows. The watching he surrenders to unnerves him. Sheldon was seventy-three, though he looked no older than thirty-five, he had short tight curly hair, and a long thin face.
Being in the cinema, he couldn’t hear the wind and rain because the room was virtually soundproof. He’d felt the thunder though, a couple of times, vibrating through his seat, so he knew it hadn’t stopped just yet.
Sheldon had a flashlight with him but wasn’t using it, his eyes grew accustomed to the dark hours ago, and now it just sat on the seat next to him. Earlier, he’d seen Hal taking in the young girls, and carrying that investigator in just before the rain started. And what about that blonde’s sweet, tight ass, man, what he’d give to spend half an hour with that right now.
Anyway, Hal knew what he was doing, so Sheldon needn’t watch for trouble, not if it meant looking out at the rain. He was quite happy to sit there until Mervyn came for him. He knew Mervyn wouldn’t be watching either, but he’ll know when the rain stops at least, then he’ll come get him. Besides, the last time trouble strolled into town was when, yesterday? No way was it wasn’t going to happen again so soon. No way. But if it did he was well prepared. A gun in either hand, said so.
Sheldon sat trying to work out how long he’d actually been sitting there. It had to have been at least five, or maybe even six hours since the rain started, his mind began to wander. Had Mervyn forgot about him? Returned to the town hall without him? Or maybe he was playing another trick on him; just to see how long he’d stay in there. It wouldn’t be the first time he’d done that. A quick look is all it would take, if the rain hasn’t stopped, he’d return to his safe haven. If it had stopped, his brother Mervyn was gonna fucked for pissing him about yet again.
Sheldon opened the inner door to the auditorium where the light from outside, although dull, made him partially cover his eyes. Peering out between his fingers, he looked through the main entrance doors, only to see it was still raining, and raining very hard. But that wasn’t all he saw.
‘What the fuck?’
A short fat man just walked past the cinema carrying a red plastic container. He couldn’t believe his eyes. It had to be some kind of illusion. A trick of the fucking light maybe. He watched the fat guy through the tall side window as he moved to one of the fuel pumps trying to operate it. And after throwing down the nozzle he shouted something, but Sheldon couldn’t quite hear what. He saw him looking up as though someone called to him. That ain’t a good. The container was dropped and the fat guy moved closer to the garage next door.
He‘s talking to someone, for definite. ‘Fuck, now I gotta go see what the fuck’s happenin’,’ he said, to no-one.
He, was the only one who was supposed to be in the garage, although it could be any one of the Collective, and if it was Ella, he’d be in a heap of shit for not being there. He’d have to go and see for himself. He looked on as the short-fat-fucker bent over disappearing from view.
Sheldon twisted on the spot and headed back to where he’d been siiting, but when he got inside the auditorium, it looked blacker than ever. Looking at the daylight for that one minute had taken away his night-vision. He was now as blind as two blind fuckers from the planet blind, or he might as well have been for all the good his eyes were to him.
Fumbling over the seats as he went, he walked down the centre aisle, only problem was, he couldn’t remember which row he’d been sitting in. After walking along five of the rows, and checking each of the seats in turn for his flashlight, he found it. Now, with his eyes of more use to him, he ran to the bottom of the auditorium, and to the hatch lying in the centre of the floor.
When he reached the bottom of the garage steps, he heard voices, but none of them recognisable to him. He considered going for Mervyn, but the steps leading to the schoolhouse weren’t safe, he’d have to deal with this situation alone.
He stood at the bottom of the garage shaft where he heard something being dragged across the concrete floor. It sounded like scraping metal. A switch clicked and then he recognised the sound of the fan on the heater he’d stood by so many times during winter, trying to stay warm.
He put down his flashlight on one of the lower steps, and removed the second gun from his belt. Not wanting to make any noise, he crept to the edge of the hatch and waited. He now had both guns ready to shoot the first thing that moved, anything that moved in fact.
He waited at the top, listening to their conversation, and didn’t at all like what was being said.
