New Dawn

Chapter 23 | Cole's Peak

Owen left the office as he had found it. He locked the door and put the key back under the right corner of the mat before he proceeded his hunt for petrol. The front of the garage appeared to be empty apart from Bill's motorcycle, a few tools and piles of dust. So instead, he decided to try his luck with the back door, but it was locked. Perhaps there was another way in from the other side.

He ventured back into the cold and followed the left side of the building to where the old road led to the back of the garage. Fresh footprints in the snow told him that someone else had walked here recently. He turned off his flashlight, the glistening white the only thing left to guide him.

The heavy garage doors were closed and sealed. A vague light was cast upon the ground in a sharp square from one of the windows further ahead.

Strange, he thought.

He crouched against the wall, the snow crunching beneath his weight as he moved closer to the window. Just as he was about to catch a glimpse of whatever was inside, a sharp voice startled him enough to make him fall over. The strong beam of a flashlight blinded him as he caught himself with the help of his elbows. One hand shielded his eyes, merely revealing a slim figure holding the light.

"Owen?"

He recognised the surprised voice as Dr. Brown's, and couldn't help but to wonder what she was doing out here. She lowered the flashlight to his boots and walked over to offer him a hand. Reluctantly he accepted her help, gripping the surface of her leather glove. Her strong grip pulled him to his feet.

"What are you doing back here? Bill's been looking for you", she said, her pale face framed by a whirl of dark hair.

He brushed the snow off his clothes and ignored her question with one of his own. "What's in the garage?"

Dr. Brown threw a short glance towards the window and lowered her shoulders. "Storage", she uttered and took a step back, twisting to the side as if to invite for a walk in the opposite direction.

Something in her body language told him that she wasn't telling the truth.

"Come on, Bill's waiting", she said and began to walk back the way that they had came.

With one last glance on the white light seeping out through the window he followed her. With a strange feeling brewing in his gut he couldn't help but to wonder what she was so keen on hiding.

He didn't however intend to stick around long enough to find out. It might be for the best. Whatever it was, something felt wrong. It was as if all the light had been drawn out from the city, a palpable darkness lurking around every corner. All the death and misery of those lost had left a dark mark on this place. That darkness was no less subsided here. He knew better than to stay close to people.

Back by the campsite she led him to a rusty, old trailer. A squeaking oil lantern welcomed them as they walked inside. The air felt stuffy, and the confined space was taken up by unfinished projects made from scrap. A camping lantern spread a vague light throughout the room, glowing upon a desk smothered with drawings and innovative constructions.

Bill leaned back in his chair when they walked inside. He offered a brief smile as he turned a small, gleaming object in his hand.

"I thought you might have bailed on me."

Dr. Brown opened her mouth as if she was about to say something, but closed it when she met Owen's foreboding glance.