The Killers Amongst Us: Chimera Dawn Chronicles by Declan Conner Page B

ducked through
the opening.
    “I didn’t see or hear anything. Are you sure it wasn’t a
nightmare?” said Louise. “None of the others had seen anything either.”
    Ted joined them. Amy narrowed her eyes.
    “Where have you hidden the mask? It was you, wasn’t it,
weirdo?”
    “Why blame me? What’s happened? I was in my SUV when I heard
a dog barking and a scream.”
    Oliver explained to Ted, both casting doubtful looks in
Amy’s direction. Ted walked behind the Tilley lamp and knelt down. He hooked
his thumbs together and wiggled his fingers in front of the lamp. The shadow
cast by his hands, covered the entire side of Amy’s tent, and appeared like an
eagle in flight.
    “It was probably a small raccoon and not some scary creature
that you think chased you in the woods this morning,” Ted said, and then
scoffed.
    Amy could feel heat rising in her cheeks, when Louise
stepped into the circle.
    “Where’s Johno? He went for a leak before all the fuss, and
I fell asleep again. Oh, God, no. He’s gone missing.”

Chapter 10
     
    FRANK sat up in his pickup, and flicked the handle to
raise his seat from recline. He turned the ignition key to illuminate the dash.
The neon clock, hazy at first, displayed 5:30 a.m. as his vision focused.
Another fifteen minutes and it would be daybreak, and Jim would relieve him
from his watch. He opened the door, then climbed out onto the road in front of
the vets. He’d lost thirty minutes, but he thought it was well-earned,
considering he’d worked a double shift. Frank lazily raised his arms and
yawned, taking in a lungful of air. He expected nature’s finest to bring back
some alertness. Instead, he coughed and spluttered. The smell and taste of toxic
fumes hit his senses, carried by a slight northwesterly breeze. It was early
for someone to be incinerating oily rags, but it had that kind of smell.
    With a cursory glance, everything looked normal at the vet’s
property. He turned to climb back into his vehicle for him to escape the smell.
An explosion battered his eardrums, and had him diving to the asphalt. Shards
of wooden roof tiles peppered him and his pickup. He scrambled to his feet and
dove in to his vehicle. Frank rolled over to see flames roar from the garage
roof section, together with a cloud of swirling black smoke blotting out the
stars. Firing up the engine, he located too low a gear, and his pickup
shuddered away from the property.
    Coordination lost, he came to a halt, stuck in a ditch, with
the engine stalled. He clambered out of the driver’s seat, searching his
pockets for his cell phone. Finally, he located his phone in his shirt pocket,
and fumbled to locate his contact list. He scrolled down to Ed Grimes number
and pressed the call switch. Four times, it rang, each time picking up voicemail.
The fifth time, it rang, and Ed answered.
    “Yes,” he said, in a tone that didn’t sound best pleased.
    “We’ve had an explosion, and the vet’s property is on fire.
We need the crew out now.”
    “Calm down, Frank. How bad is it?”
    At the sound of breaking glass, and a whooshing sound, Frank
ducked and looked over at the property.
    “Oh, it’s bad, and spreading.”
    “Okay, no heroics, keep back, I’ll contact the crew and get
there ASAP.”
    Frank didn’t need telling, he’d seen the weird ways of fires
spreading during wildfires. He knew first-hand how quickly fires could devour a
home from a single spark. All the same, his curiosity overcame his fear. He
walked in a semicircle to view the scene, albeit at a safe distance. The small
window to the garage was open, but he couldn’t be sure if it had blown out in
the explosion. Frank saw a trickle of flames running uphill to one side of the
property and toward Maria’s oil heating tank. Frank turned, then ran with all
the speed he could muster, diving behind a tree for cover. At the sound of an
almighty explosion, his surroundings temporarily turned to daylight. He heard
something thud into the