Jill’s trip along Main Street wasn’t a very long one. The houses she passed, both left and right, all looked to be in different stages of disrepair. And as she neared the town hall itself, its dark, foreboding shape, became clearer through the thinning mist of rain. At two hundred yards distance, she saw people standing at the windows, dozens of them, staring out, just like Gregg said they would be.
The van slowed to an eventual stop just fifty yards short of Culver drive, unnerved by the view she had, Jill gripped tight on to the steering wheel, her knuckles white with tension. She tried to swallow, but her dry throat had already absorbed what little saliva she had. As the wiper-blades arched across the windshield, squeaking out their very own rhythmic beat, the engine gave out a soft, well-timed rumble.
Taking a deep breath, and regripping the stearing wheel with her willowy-like fingers, she set off once more. When she eventually reached the end of Main Street, she stopped the van directly facing the front doors of the town hall, which were elevated by four-feet of stone steps. To the right of those steps were five large windows crowded with faces, to the left, the scene was very much the same.
Turning the van right onto Culver drive, she came to a stop under the second window right of the steps, where her peripheral vision afforded her the unfortunate luxury of seeing the third window along, without having to look at it. She made out the people standing there, the outline of their gaunt, pale faces, but not their features. Since Jill first climbed in the van, her heart rate had doubled, she needed to compose herself, take some more deep breaths, she had to get those nerves under control somehow.
After four or five, or maybe even six or seven breaths, she felt no better, and because of the way she breathed, her throat dried even more. She knew all she had to do was look at them, if she could do that, the worst would be over. Before turning to face them she closed her eyes, and after a count of three, she promised herself she would open them again, and when she reached seven, that’s just what she did.
The faces looking back at her were grey-white, their eyes large and deep red, and their focal point, her. She was sure of it. She half expected them to start pointing and banging on the glass.
Having the feeling of someone watching you, absolutely underestimated the tension she felt right now.
She turned off the engine stopping the wipers in mid-sweep. The sudden serenity now surrounding her was marred only by the pitter-patter of light rain striking the empty shell of the van, giving off tiny metallic dings. She reached for the door handle, and, still trying to swallow but failing miserably, she opened her door.
Sliding sideways from the seat, she let her feet find purchase on the ground before looking at the faces one more time. It seemed Gregg was right about them after all. From her position now at ground level, she could see the blank stares were actually looking beyond her. She felt more at ease about her task now, but only a little.
Standing at the back of the van, she pulled open the rear doors in order to retrieve the container of oil. That’s when the air of serenity was shattered, the high-pitched creak of the damaged doors disturbed some nearby birds, sending them flocking and yakking in a huge circle overhead. The pale faces must have heard that, they’d be banging on the windows for sure now.
Jill looked again in the hope she hadn’t disturbed them. She saw movement, an arm twitched, a head flicked slightly towards the noise it heard, but they all looked beyond her still. Staring at them, she likened the scene to a crowd of shabbily dressed mannequins in a store’s front window.
Returning to the task at hand, Jill dragged out the container. But she wasn’t expecting the sudden surprise gravity had in store for her, and only just managed its weight as it shot downward. She gripped the steel handle with both hands and shuffled herself backwards, dragging the heavy container to the side of the steps. Once there, she rested to the left of the first window, tucking herself deep into the corner to stay out of their view.
The wall of the building she leant against was wooden, in fact, and apart from the first six inches, which were concrete; the whole building was constructed of wood. She moved directly underneath the first window unscrewing the lid of the container. All she could do was tilt it to allow the oil to glugg out. When the patch was a little bigger than dinner-plate size, she tilted it back and moved on to the next window.
After the first five deposits had been poured, Jill turned the corner to see three more windows along the side wall, and by the time she’d dropped the oil almost everywhere she needed to, the weight of the container lessened considerably. So much so, she was able to pick it up to pour the oil for the last couple of deposits.
She looked at the wood of the building, then, with a nonchalant shrug, she commenced splashing it with oil, making sure her first deposits and the splashes connected. Then, with the last few remaining dregs, she coated the bottom of the front doors.
Jill dropped the empty container on the grass verge and went back to the van for the roll of “Rapid-lite” fuse. Following Nick’s instructions, she tied the point where the two fuses met to the rail which followed the steps up to the town hall entrance. She looped a loop at every deposit she’d made, and dropped the remaining fifty or so metres on the doorstep in order to ignite the doors. She then stretched out the twenty-feet of slow burning fuse in a straight line from the steps.
Pleased with what she’d accomplished so far, Jill patted her own back, and then stopped dead in her tracks, her elation lasting no more than a heartbeat. A stark realisation just hit her smack in the face like a prize-fighters knock-out punch. She couldn’t believe she’d been so stupid, how could she forget the one thing she’d need to finish the small task she’d been given? The one small job she’d actually volunteered for?
With the entire goings on, no one had thought about probably the most crucial part of what she was there to do. How the hell was she supposed to light the fuse without a source of ignition? She blew out a stream of frustrated air, angry with herself for forgetting such a simple thing.
She looked up at the mannequins and walked over to the first window. ‘Hey, Dick-head,’ she called out. ‘Ya got a light? No? I didn’t think so.’
Sighing and brushing wet hair from her eyes she stamped her feet indignantly. She thought about going back to the garage to see if either Gregg or Nick had a lighter or something else she could use. But she knew that was out of the question, by the time she got back, the rain may have stopped altogether.
Perhaps there were matches in the van? She looked in the glove-box, under the seats, even under the floor-mats for a possible loose match, but there was nothing. Jill sat in the driver’s seat feeling thoroughly dejected when she saw something that brought the smile back to her face. It was a small black knob in the centre of the dash, embossed on its outer face was the outline of a cigarette.
She turned the key in the ignition and pushed in the round knob. Twenty seconds later, and with a satisfying click, it popped out. She grabbed at it and ran for the fuse lying on the wet ground. Kneeling in a puddle, she pushed the end of the fuse onto the glowing element, only to hear a faint hiss. It was no good; the distance between the fuse and the van was too great. She climbed back in and turned the van around in the street, then she reversed up to the end of the fuse and again pushed in the cigarette lighter.
This time, Jill climbed from the van taking hold of the fuse, and once more she looked at the many gaunt faces staring from the windows. She shouted to them, a little louder than before, ‘S’okay Mac, I got a light, now!’
When the black knob popped out this time, she grabbed at it and immediately touched the two together. With a large puff of blue smoke, the fuse ignited, starting its three-minute journey towards the town hall. Jill jumped in the van and drove off at full pelt down Main Street. She was so pleased with herself; she punched the air and gave out a loud ‘Yesssss!’
Further down the street she saw the two trucks already outside, along with the red 4X4.
