Return to The Quarry

Chapter Twenty-four

 Grace and Anton stood by the doors that were cleared and unbolted. Grace shrank into the shadows that still remained in the corners, and the sole of Anton's hiking shoe never left the brass bolt that would lock it to the floor, just in case. They knew the general direction from which Max, Abi, and Nick would be coming, but who could say where the Man in the Hood was lurking?

"What is running the dishwasher supposed to do?" asked Anton.

"Overload the substation that feeds power into the traps."

"Okay. But how will we know if-"

The entire Lodge went dark and the hum of fans went still. A split second later, a thunderous pop came from somewhere off in the woods, one so loud it shook the ground. In the darkness, the others reappeared from other rooms and from the levels above. Dylan came from the kitchen, the double doors swinging behind him. He shook water from the cuffs of his shirt. Emma emerged from Chris Hackett's old office, Ryan close on her heels.

"Okay," Ryan began, "The traps are down now, at least between here and the others."

Laura heaved a sigh of relief. "Thank God," she said.

"But by now, that dude knows that something happened," said Emma. "He most likely knows the traps have been taken out."

Anton frowned. "He wouldn't be able to figure out that we did it, right? Like, that we are holed up here at the Lodge?"

Ryan shook his head. "I don't think so. I don't know if there's any way to know what overloaded the substation."

Kaitlyn, whose face was pressed against the gap in the door, whirled about to face everyone. "They're coming!"

Slowly, they opened the doors, the air from the outside cool and damp, smelling of the forest earth and the pine trees. In the dappled moonlight, three figures emerged on the road. Seeing the Lodge, they picked up their pace, sprinting over the blacktop to the welcoming wooden steps to the porch. They slowed as they approached, looking wildly about for any hint that there might be a trap.

"You're clear!" Kaitlyn whispered, "Come on!"

Never was a sound more welcome than the sound of their feet on the planks of the deck. Inside the confines of the Lodge, the doors were closed and bolted again, the hefty furniture moved back to its place against the frame.

Emma threw her arms around Abi and nearly broke out in tears. The two girls clung to each other.

"You're safe!" was all Emma could manage.

Max and Nick stood panting in the shadows.

"Laura?" asked Max, looking up from his hunched over position.

Laura dove into his arms. So far, the Man in the Hood had not succeeded in his apparent mission. They were all unharmed and together, if not somewhat shaken. Once again, Hackett's Quarry was testing their mettle on a moonlit summer night. This time, however, they were together. Undivided. And ready.

"What happened?" Abi asked. "All the lights on the road went out and there was this explosion."

Ryan explained what they did. "Unfortunately, the outage took out the cameras and monitors." He then went on to describe the way in which the road had been blocked.

"So we just wait here?" asked Max. "What if he comes?"

Nick held out the telephone.

"Oh my God!" cried Kaitlyn. "Does it work?"