Mishaps and Wolves (OLD VERSION)

Chapter 16 - Burnt Kitchens Make Great History Lessons

Chapter 16 - Burnt Kitchens Make Great History Lessons

"Right there," she told them, pointing to the burnt socket. They'd all followed her quickly and carefully back down the stairs after her declaration and she'd taken them into the kitchen where she's noticed something that spurred a memory.

Roman walked into the kitchen, stepping over the debris and burnt kitchen table and chairs, and looked around what she was pointing at. "I don't see anything Marissa," he sighed.

"And here I thought men actually knew this stuff." She moved around him and came right up to the socket by the far wall. It was now hanging off the wall and there were wires poking out of it. A black hideous smell came wafting from it, which had given her an even worse fright.

"Look here and tell me you don't see it," she told them.

Another man came right up beside her and looked at the socket, "It's hanging out. What's the big deal?"

She rolled her eyes, "What a universal lie the world has us all believing. I thought you guys knew about electrical stuff!"

"Well, it's a universal truth in everything except this at the moment so please, enlighten us," Roman told her sarcastically.

She rolled her eyes at his sarcasm but made sure to carefully  pull back the socket to show them the shredded wires behind that were doused in some kind of accelerant. "Can't you smell that?" she asked them.

Roman shook his head, "We've been in a place that has no air running through properly and it still smells like smoke."

"I'll get some windows open," the other man said, backing away from the socket and moving to the windows.

Roman came forward, tossing his laptop onto the other counter and moved the socket back to inspect it himself. "These wires look like they've been cut," he whispered, fearing what that meant.

"That should be enough clean - damn what the hell is that?" The other man came forward, sniffed then moved back as fast as he could.

Roman moved back into the path of the window for a few moments before moving back towards the open socket. He didn't get two steps before even he recoiled backwards, "Damn, what is that It smells sweet and..."

"Greasy. It smells like a mix of all the foods that can be cooked in cooking oil because that is what it is. Corn oil," Marissa sighed closing the open socket. "Someone must have poured a whole bottle of the crap into the wall then cut a few wires and rewired them. Generally you get about 10 seconds before a fire starts up and if the oil gets hot enough..." she let her words drift off because there was no need for an explanation. They were already standing in it.

"Shit!" Roman snapped as he punched a hole through one of the cupboard doors. He ran his hands through his hair.

"Oh, man," the other man said as he shut his eyes and hung his head.

She looked to Roman, seeing the pure anger and grief fill him and all she wanted to do was make it go away; she hated seeing people hurt, "I'm so sorry."

"How do you know?" she barely heard him.

"What?"

"How do you know that it wasn't just an accident?" Roman said louder.

She sighed , feeling the despair she was causing in him, "Randy. He thought my socket was broken when his stupid appliance wouldn't work so he tried to rewire it and burnt his eyebrows of. Never letting him near electricity is a lesson I will never forget - that and the whole no-electricity-for-two-days thing really make an impression."