Fools of us All - Chapter 24

The fire stank. We had been unable to find anything to burn besides seat cushions, so one of those was flickering in the light, providing some light, a modicum of heat, and an aroma that would choke a yak. Fortunately, there was a slight breeze whistling through cracks in the walls and ceiling, sending most of the smell away from us.

Jack sat huddled between Caz and I, his arms wrapped around himself. Now that I was not chasing him or being pummelled by his overly large companion I was able to not some details about him. For one, his clothing was quite tattered and dirty, as though he had nothing else to wear and no chance to clean it. His eyes seemed sunken into a hollow face, and there were deep rings underneath them. His dark skin was marked with cuts and scars, evidence of a rough life. His shoes looked brand new, though if he had stolen them or had scraped together enough money to buy them, I was not sure.

He continued his story. “I was just trying to find something I could sell so I could buy some food, that’s all.” He looked pleadingly at me. “I didn’t want you to get hurt, but you just kept chasing me, and I thought you were going to get me arrested. I don’t want to go to the prison camps. I wouldn’t last a day! When I ran across Little Mike, I thought I could get him to scare you off. I never seen anyone handle him like you did.” A hint of respect crept into his voice.

I rubbed my arm, one of many bruised spots on my body. “Thanks,” I muttered, “but I could have done without having to handle him.”

He grinned, a flash of teeth in the dark, gone almost before it came. “You won’t turn me in, will you?”

I glanced at Caz, but she was staring at Jack, an odd expression on her face. Shrugging, I turned back to Jack. “Nah, no harm no foul I guess.”

“How did you know about here?” asked Caz suddenly, her voice slightly strained.

“It’s hard not to know about a burnt out building, lady. Especially when you are living on the street. Knowing about places to sleep with a roof over a guy’s head is always a help.” He looked slightly defensive.

“Not the building. I mean this room. This room where we were sleeping.”

“What are you talking about?” I asked Caz, not recognising at the time the look of relief that flooded Jack’s face. “The door wasn’t enough of a clue?”

“This was a secret room, a hiding room designed to be shut in an emergency, shielded so sensors could not penetrate it, reinforced so that explosions could not harm it,” she spoke to me, but her eyes never left Jack’s face, “and camouflaged so that no one could recognise it for what it was, unless they knew it was here!”

Jack visibly started at that.

I replied before he had a chance, though. “But I saw the door too. I knew it was here.”

Finally her eyes reluctantly met mine. “No, you didn’t. I opened the door and then called you over. But you told me that when you surprised him, he was looking down at first and that is why he didn’t see you.” She reached into her pocket and pulled out a small square with a few wires sticking out of one end. “But I found this on the ground.” Tossing it to me, she turned to face Jack again, her eyes narrowed, her jaw clenched.

I caught the device and looked closer. A small display was on one side. A few buttons were beneath the display and a tiny hole for a jack was on the end opposite the wires. Puzzled, I looked at Caz. “It would take me a hundred years to come up with a guess for what this is.”

Her voice was quiet, and there was an edge on it that I had never heard before. “It’s for picking locks - like that ones protecting this room.”

Jack suddenly leapt to his feet, making a break for the door. Caz was faster, though, and soon the young man was on his back with Caz’s knee on his throat. “You killed everyone I loved!” Tears flowed down her face. “I should kill you right now!”

I stared at the two of them, wondering if I should intervene.