Close Call by Mike Clayton

Author:Mike Clayton [Clayton, Mike]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Easfold Vala Publishing
Published: 2019-12-24T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 4

By the time he’d circled around in search of a pizza place and returned to the same spot, the streets were completely dark. Only one street lamp worked, and it was at the far end of the street.

Several lit windows and hip-hop music coming from one house nearby were the only signs he wasn’t in some post-apocalyptic movie. The abandoned factory had a creepy feeling to it, as if zombies could swarm out at any moment.

In fact, the only place with any normal signs of life, besides the house thumping with music, was the bakery, still lit up, even though it was closed. A light breeze brought him the scents of freshly baked bread, yeast, and cinnamon.

His rusty, gray Toyota Corolla wasn’t standing out, so he drove past the bakery twice, investigating all the small alleys around, and checking for good hiding spots and retreat paths. If he walked around, checking the perimeter, someone would surely remember him.

Not much to see. Three back alleys ended in piles of garbage. Only two connected to other streets.

The bakery had a small backyard and driveway for delivery vehicles. He parked in the alley, making sure he was well-hidden, and placed a motion sensor on the back door of the bakery, then placed two cameras, one capturing the backyard, and one covering the driveway.

Thankfully, Creepy was right about the “plug and play.” His phone flickered to life when two images from each of the cameras lit up. A small working light bulb above the back door of the bakery was enough to make out shapes in the backyard. Details weren’t needed.

He returned to his car to get a flashlight and a jacket, but that would be his last trip to the car for tonight. It would be too suspicious if someone saw him returning over and over, and unwanted attention was the last thing he needed right now.

The only place good for observing and hiding was the factory looming over the entire block. Surrounded by wire fencing and signs warning people to stay away, the building, crumbled and half collapsed, might prove to be too dangerous. Yet he had to try.

The locks on the fence gates looked solid. The wire, on the other hand, didn’t.

He circled around until he found a weak section. Rusty nails attaching the wire to the wooden post gave way after only one strong tug. He slid through the opening, then checked his phone.

Keeping one eye on the images, he slowly trudged through construction garbage, careful of his steps. Loose bricks covered the entire exterior area.

His phone and the moon gave him enough light to navigate through the open yard, but when he reached the part of the building leaning onto the bakery, he had to turn the flashlight on. Getting buried under a ton of bricks wasn’t his idea of a good night out. To be honest, this entire thing wasn’t his best idea, but he had brought it upon himself. No use in whining now.

The ground floor looked solid enough, but he couldn’t access it.

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