Landing Zone by Erin Dutton

Author:Erin Dutton [Dutton, Erin]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781635552003
Publisher: Bold Strokes Books
Published: 2018-06-24T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twelve

The door to the spray room flung open. A cluster of recruits pushed through and spread out like the cloud of spray that accompanied them. While the chemical dissipated immediately, the affected bodies didn’t recover so quickly. Some knelt, and some just bent at the waist. Most were coughing, and a couple vomited.

Kim had called it the spray room, but it was really little more than a shed constructed of concrete blocks, which Kim explained had been a pump house decades ago. The standalone structure allowed the occupants immediate access to fresh air as they exited. And, Kim had pointed out with a bit too much glee in her expression, the inside of the building could be cleaned with a solvent spray and a hose at the end of each session.

Andre called for the next group to enter the room, and they edged forward, eyeing the ones who came out apprehensively.

Lauren stood next to Kim, far enough from the door so she wouldn’t catch any of the mist from the doorway. Just before two, she’d grabbed a radio on her way out the door and told Brian to let her know if they received a call. She’d invited the guys to join her, but they all said they’d seen it before.

“Don’t rub it.” Kim chastised them. “You’ll just make it worse. Get in line to wash up.”

They’d set up a washing station. The soap would help remove the oil from their skin, but the sting in their eyes and throats would linger for a while still. After they’d cleaned up, they gathered in the shade under a nearby tree—some sitting and some lying in the grass—to commiserate about their pain. They had some EMT trainees from the fire academy standing by in case anyone had a particularly adverse reaction.

“Are they using baby shampoo?” Lauren asked as one of the recruits filled his hand with liquid from a recognizable yellow bottle.

“It works as well as anything else out there and doesn’t irritate the eyes.”

“At this point, how would they know if it did? Don’t they pretty much want to dig their own eyes out already?”

“I suppose so.”

The door opened, and another swarm of people spilled out. Lauren recognized Kendra Sharp and the two other men who had been in the rain with her. All three were red-faced and doubled over with wracking coughs.

She bumped her shoulder against Kim’s and leaned close enough so only she could hear. “Best first date ever.”

Kim laughed, a full, rich sound that earned her a dirty look from the recruits under the tree. “Now you’re getting me in trouble,” Kim whispered.

“Oh, please. They’ve all seen me on my knees throwing up in the grass. I’m just returning the favor.”

“That’s true.”

“Though I don’t know how you’re going to top this for our second date. When do they get tazed?”

“Who said anything about a second date?”

“You will. And I’ll be patient until then.” Lauren wasn’t sure what made her so brazen. Maybe she had a contact high from the adrenaline coming off the recruits.

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