Trouble Maker

#9

[PART NINE]

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After Scott and Jane had finally sorted themselves out, it made me cringe that I wasn’t like that with anyone, we headed over to the warehouse.

A big, heavy red padlock sat on a fat chain locking the roller door to the ground. Finn picked it up in his hand and tugged at it, but it was bolted shut. There was no way that it was going to open without the key.

“I’m gonna try around the back guys, there might be an open window or something,” Jane decided, “give me a shout if you find a way in.” Jane jogged around the corner, her hazelnut brown ponytail bobbing.

“I’m gonna go have a look around the other side then,” Scott declared, tightening his bandana around his dreads.

“Alright, I’ll stay here with Tay,” Finn didn’t look up as Scott sprinted off. He sat down and pulled a lighter out of his pocket.

“Shouldn’t you have thought this out a bit better?” I asked meekly, sitting down beside Finn. He pulled out a packet of cigarettes and lit one, breathing in deeply.

“It wasn’t locked the other night, hopefully no one has touched our junk inside,” he exhaled and blew smoke over me. I coughed and stood up and brushed dirt off the borrowed shorts.

I looked around, shining the torchlight from my phone at the warehouse walls. “Smoking is a disgusting habit, you know?” I commented.

“It keeps me alive, don’t wreck my fun.” Finn deadpanned. I rolled my eyes and crossed over to a large panel which was nailed down to the wall of the warehouse. Some of the nails were rusty and breaking away.

Taking a step backwards I gave it a doubtful thump with my fist, making some of the dark red paint chip off. It was weak, if I gave it a good kick or a pull it would break.

I tucked my mobile into the borrowed short’s back pocket and tugged my fingers underneath the loose panel. Probably breaking the bloody red nails Paige had done for me earlier.

The board, which was thin and flimsy,  broke away after I had given it several good tugs, leaving a door that looked like something that somewhat resembled a cellar entrance.

I ripped the board away the best I could before Finn realised what I was doing. He jumped up and came up behind me.

“Need a hand, Hunter?” he asked with the most genuine looking smile he had given me in ages. His dark hair which was mainly covered by a blue knit beanie poked out around his ears making him look younger and more boyish.

I nodded, returning the smile and turned back to the door. It had a thin silver handle which looked new and modern compared to the rest of the warehouse. I tried the handle and it opened effortlessly, swinging wide open on its hinges. I shared a grin with Finn before sprinting away.

“TAYLORRRRRRRRRRRRRR” I heard Finn’s cry, but I ignored him, I wasn’t running towards him and the door, but away and towards Jane who was standing on top of an old oil drum half way through a thin window.

“Jane!” Jane turned and saw me, a puzzled look flashed across her freckled face. Her dark eyebrows knotted together which resembled something of a caterpillar. She relaxed her face and called out.

“You found a way in?” she asked, brushing a stray hair away from her sweaty cheek. I nodded.

“A door.”

Jane slowly reversed the best she could of her upper half out of the window, swung one leg out and jumped as nimbly as a cat to the floor. A small cloud of dust emerged from where her feet hit the ground.

“Let’s go,” she raced past me, grabbed my hand so she was tugging me along after her. Her small strides were easy to match and I soon was the one dragging her along.

We reached Finn and Scott as they were just entering through the door. Finn stood near the entrance, while Scott had disappeared through the hatch.

“It’s safe, good job Tay,” Finn patted my shoulder in friendly way as I past him through the door. When I straightened up inside I realised the warehouse was flooded with lights.

“The generator still works!” Scott chortled, holding a switch connected to a long red plastic covered wire above his head. Jane stood about five metres away from him with her hands on her hips as she surveyed the warehouse.

It must have been used for producing food at some point as three large metal vats sat abandoned underneath an iron ledge which had a ladder leading around the loft half of the warehouse.

Several paces from where Scott was standing was a large wooden crate which Finn was trying to open.

“They delivered, I hope they got everything,” he said, pulling a set of keys from his pocket. The cigarette that he had been smoking was still lit and dangling inhumanly from his lips. With the keys he jammied open the crate and the sides fell to the cemented ground with a loud clatter.

Inside the crate was nothing that I was expecting. A smaller crate full of full egg cartons and a massive tower of toilet rolls. Three fish, a box of plastic bin bags and a fire extinguisher.

“Scott, what the hell is this?” Jane asked with a crease in her forehead, turning into a frown, which seems to be her favourite facial expression.

“It’s pay back, the rest of the supplies are already in the car, but these were too suspicious to buy in person.”

“Load ‘em up, we’ve got four hours until sunrise.”

Shit, curfew.