Centum Malediction

Chapter 2-8

Tuesday, September 21st. 2010

The sun had already set by the time Michael and Lom made it back to the encampment. It was a much different camp than the one they had left. While most of the firemen were continuing about their duties, as oblivious to the rest of the world as before, some were being interviewed by policemen. A couple of police cars were parked where the fire truck had been, right next to Lom's pickup. One of the police cars was still running, its' lights flashing quietly. It was a dark night, made darker by the smoke covering the stars.

"We need to get back into camp, and then pretend like we've been there all along," Michael said to Lom. They had been talking about ways to get out without being caught, and decided this was the best option. Michael's first suggestion about starting a fire with his new power as a distraction just felt wrong. Lom did mention it would be a way to see how efficient a group of trained firemen were at stopping a fire, but as the fire chief's son he couldn't allow it.

"Getting back into the camp will be the hard part," Lom said. "I didn't know the cops would be here."

"I guess it's to be expected." Michael shrugged. They had the cover of night on their side, and the fact that no one was really looking for them specifically. Still, they had to be careful. "I have an idea that will let us slip into the crowd."

"What is it? You're not back on the fire idea, are you?" Lom asked worriedly.

"No. Something better," Michael and Lom moved closer to the camp, until they were just at the light's edge. If someone were to look directly at them they would be seen despite the shadows covering them and it would be very suspicious.

"Visceria," Michael whispered. It was a stretch, but he was able to reach for the energy of the still running police car. The engine was already running, so it was only a matter of adjusting the energy slightly.

The police siren began wailing loudly, and the lights shone more intently. Almost everyone in the encampment, including Michael and Lom, jumped at the sudden noise. The policemen that were interviewing the firefighters rushed to investigate the noise.

"Good idea," Lom said. Most of the firefighters resumed their normal routine, not having the time to focus on anything else. Some began to gather in a crowd to investigate with the police officers. "There's our opening."

Michael and Lom quickly ran through the camp, blending in with the crowd the best they could. It took only a couple of minutes for the police to quiet the siren and return the encampment to an eerie silence. Once the crowd began to disperse Michael and Lom were quickly singled out by the police. Without the firefighter uniforms they stuck out.

"What are you kids doing here?" The policeman asked as he approached. Lom froze in worry, Michael quickly leapt in to answer.

"We've been here for a while. Lom here is the son of the fire chief. I mentioned I wanted to be a fireman and he offered to show me around," Michael said as confidently as possible.

"Why haven't we seen you sooner then?" The policeman inquired. It made sense for him to be suspicious, it was his job after all.

"Honestly," Michael began. "We were afraid. We saw two firefighters drive off in a truck, and judging by the reactions of the others that wasn't supposed to happen. We assumed it was just an error in communication until you guys showed up. Then we were afraid that you would assume we did it."

"Well, considering the fire truck is still out there, and you're clearly here, it's unlikely you did it. Just tell me, why have you hung around for so long? Surely you kids have to get home."