Page 55 of Every Which Way

Kenna almost smiled. The two-story brick building had rows and rows of broken windows. Huge stone stairs going up to the front door. Probably a basement level below ground. “It looks…cold.”

“That’s the scariest-looking building I’ve ever seen. It looks like the set of a horror movie I don’t want to watch.”

She was right.

Kenna pulled up in front of the steps. “Only death lives in this place.”

Maizie twisted around to look at her. “Did you have to say that?”

“Sorry. I don’t know why that came out just then. You can stay in the car.”

“There’s no way I’m staying in the car. Staying in the car is bad for me.” Maizie pushed open her door, but she definitely hesitated.

“I’m sure the guys brought all their weapons.” Kenna grabbed her gun in its holster from the duffel on the back seat. No way was she going inside this building without one. She clipped the holster on her belt and slid the gun out to check it.

Ramon pocketed his keys and drew a gun from the small of his back while the other guys climbed out of his truck. They’d parked on the gravel drive closest to the front of the building. “All the grass is dead.”

Bruce came up behind him. “The trees, too.”

“Hopefully, the building doesn’t collapse while we’re inside,” Stairns said, eyeing the building. He had a shotgun in his hands, which he handed to Maizie. “It isn’t loaded, but it looks scary to anyone who comes at you. Keep it pointed at the ground. It’s good practice.”

Maizie slid the backpack onto her shoulders and tucked the weapon against her front.

“Your finger goes nowhere near the trigger. Got it?” Stairns said.

She nodded. “Got it.”

“I don’t think there will be a computer to connect to, so you won’t need the backpack.” Kenna figured she could go with Bruce while Ramon and Stairns split off with Maizie.

“I’m not leaving it out here. It could get stolen,” Maizie said.

Ramon looked around. “Ain’t no one here but ghosts.”

Bruce grinned. “Who you gonna call?” He turned to the steps leading to the front door.

The teen said, “You guys need to teach me gun safety so I can carry one that’s loaded.”

Kenna wasn’t so sure about that, even if Maizie was about to turn eighteen. “I’ll put it on the agenda for our next family meeting.”

Stairns said, “Guess you’d better check the law, find out what you can legally do at eighteen. There could be restrictions, and the last thing you need is to get in trouble because you didn’t follow the rules about having a gun.”

Maizie let out a very teenage sigh.

Kenna stepped up beside Bruce, who had the padlock open. “That doesn’t match the age of the building.”

“No kidding.” He pulled the door open. “Someone was here recently.”

“Question is,” she said, “how recently?” She stepped into the lobby after him.

Dirt and leaves littered the floor, blown in by the breeze through shattered windows. The air was still and smelled faintly of something chemical, like disinfectant.

A wide staircase curled up to the second floor, and below it was a hall to the left. The entryway continued back under the second floor, with doors on both sides and a closed set of heavy doors that led in the direction of the back. Above their heads, a chandelier hung, the pieces of glass now dark and discolored with age.

Ramon wandered through the empty lobby. “Something was dragged across the floor. Look.” He waved at the stone floor where the dirt had been wiped away in a long line.

They cleared the ground floor but found nothing.

Kenna said, “Bruce and I will check the basement level. You guys go upstairs.”

---