Later that day, the Mayor was in his office waiting for a news crew interview when the Sheriff called with bad news. “Hello?”
“Hello, Mayor, this is Sheriff Monroe.”
“Oh, hello, Sheriff, how are you?”
“I’m well, Mayor. Listen, I hate to disturb you but I have to tell you that I’m turning the day-to-day operations of the police department over to my deputy.”
“Oh! Why is that?”
“I guess you haven’t heard yet? When they finished the head count at the school, several students and one of the teachers were missing. My daughter was one of the missing students.”
“Oh, my lord! Shelby? I’m awfully sorry, Sheriff, I didn’t know.”
“I know, Mayor.”
“Is there anything I can do for you?”
The Sheriff sighed. “Well, the truth is, the missing will probably never be found. The experts on fires and explosions have said this is similar to what happens to people in an airplane when it explodes. If you are at the heart of the catastrophe you are... well... well you are vaporized, Mayor.”
“Oh, God! I’m so sorry.”
“I have to get out of here and clear my head. I just can’t stand to be around here any longer; this is killing me and I don’t know what to do.”
“I understand.”
“I am going away for a while and don’t know when I will be back. I also have relatives I have to tell and I would rather do it in person. So I have called to let you know that my deputy is in charge and if you don’t hear from me shortly, then promote him to Sheriff because I won’t be returning.”
“Oh, all right, Sheriff. I understand completely. I hope you can find some peace and I wish you well.”
“Goodbye, Mayor.”
“Goodbye, Sheriff.”
With great sadness, the Mayor hung up the phone. He may not have liked the Sheriff much, but he was a father himself and he felt bad for his loss.
George, Kay, and Allie were in their living room watching television. Allie clutched in her hand a tear-streaked tissue. She twisted and pulled on it absentmindedly while watching television, unaware that her parents were watching her.
“Kitten?”
Allie looked over at her mother. “Yeah?”
“I’m sorry about your school friends but I’m glad you weren’t there. I know it sounds horrible to say that, but it’s true,” Kay said.
Allie halfheartedly smiled at her mother. “I know what you mean. I am glad I wasn’t there either.” She thought of Sara and how she had saved her life. “But I hate the fact that Sara and the others were there.” Her feelings were true even though it killed her inside to keep her parents in the dark about what had really taken place.
“You were wrong to disobey and skip school, Cat,” George said with a more authoritarian tone. It killed him to scold her but he had to do his duty as a parent, even at a time like this. “I know it is rough on you and all the other kids in town, but we can’t let you get away with breaking rules whenever you like. I talked to the Mayor and school will be closed for at least two weeks while they search for a new building to house everyone. All students are required to go to counseling for the next two weeks and you will be one of the first to sign up. I know you hate talking about yourself and your problems, but you will do it and you will like it. I will delay your punishment until you finish your therapy, but make no mistake, you will be punished. Until then, the only time you leave this house is to go to therapy. Am I clear?”
Allie nodded glumly. “Yes, Daddy, you are crystal clear.”
George decided to let the remark slide and chalked it up to the day’s events. They all sat quietly and listened to the news broadcaster, who had come on television with a breaking news banner above his head.
“Good evening, everyone, I am Mark Faylock. We are going live to the home of the Mayor of Barlon, a small town that was literally rocked to its foundations earlier today. On the scene is Janis Saveenier with the startling details. Janis.”
The screen changed from the studio to the inside of the Mayor’s home, where he sat on his couch across from the reporter.
“Good evening, Mark, and good evening to all you viewers out there. I’m here at the home of Mayor Benaford of Barlon. Mayor, what happened in this small town of yours earlier today?”
Bursting with joy at being on television, the Mayor grinned. “Well, Janis, what many of you are not aware of is that our city is built on top of an old mining site and there are old gas pipelines beneath us. Many people are aware of the big pipeline on the surface that comes all the way from Alaska but few know of the underground lines. Unfortunately for us, earlier today we had a tragedy that involved just outright ignorance on the part of some of our citizens. We heard rumors of people in the woods that were killing livestock and an old tunnel was found. These men got a hold of some powerful dynamite and when they blew up the tunnel, they ignited a gas mixture in the old caves and pipelines that blew up a lot of our town.”
“Are you saying this was all the work of some of the townsfolk, Mayor?”
“Unfortunately, yes it was. We lost part of the school that was sitting on top of some of the lines and some buildings in town. Out in the forest, we have seen a collapse of the mines that have resulted in a sinkhole with devastating results to our trees.”
“But what about the wild boy that people claim to have seen and the rumors of an underground bunker with more of them?”
“Well, Janis, they are just that: rumors. The best information I have is that the boy was part of a small wild tribe of humans that have since moved on. There are always people who reject society and choose to live in the woods with no modern conveniences. At the worst, you might be able to make the argument that he and his pals were a tribe of primitives; maybe even cannibals. I would rather say there is strong evidence to suggest they were people living off the land and ate animals, and that caused the boy’s wild appearance. To put the issue to bed, we formed hunting parties and scoured the woods around the town but found no evidence of their habitation. Whoever they were, they are gone now.”
“And the status of the school and those missing, Mayor?”
“We lost some good people today, men who were underground at the time of the explosions, and some of our students at the school. We have contacted the state and we have a team of physicians and psychiatrists who will be setting up shop in town for a few weeks; they have agreed to counsel our students and their parents free of charge. They will stay for as long as they are needed.”
“And your Sheriff, I understand it has hit him really hard?”
“Our Sheriff lost his daughter in the tragedy and has informed me that he will be taking a leave of absence so he can personally contact the rest of his family. He was also a close friend of the teacher we lost and will deliver news of her death to her loved ones.”
“Well, there you have it. If this tragedy has taught us anything at all, it is the need to check where we are building our schools. Who knows how many schools are built on top of old gas pipelines or over abandoned mines. This is a nationwide wake-up call. I’m Janis Saveenier reporting from Barlon.”
The view went back to the studio and a different story. Allie was intrigued by the fabricated story; the Sheriff must have had a hand in it. She looked at her parents. To them, all was right with the world – but to her, it was a complete sham.
Allie got up, went to her room and locked her door. She went over to her window and saw the smoking woods in the back of her house. She thought of the children and her friends. They were somewhere out there, hiding from those who would seek them out and kill them. She hoped they were fine and was starting to regret her decision to stay home, but knew it was the right choice.
Looking out of her window, Allie made a solemn vow: “I will find you. I swear by God above, someday I will find you!”
The End
Cavers: A Vampire Tale Page 47
