“Sure.” He vanished at a quick trot around the side of the building.
Ryan continued. “All the rest of us can move inside and get some lamps lit and take us a room-by-room look around. Doc, you and”
“Sukie.” Both her fists were clenched tight in the pockets of her divided skirt.
He nodded. “Right. You two best go and wait in your room, Doc. Rest of us can search carefully.”
“I would prefer it if you ceased treating us like a pair of country clodhoppers. We can search for clues as well, Ryan. We are not totally stupid, you know.”
“All right. Time’s passing and the darkness is coming down on top of us.”
The house loomed over them like a gaunt, ghostly sepulcher, the windows shadowed, blank eyes staring down at the small group.
He turned for a moment back to the stranger among them. “Sure about there not being any sort of message for us?”
“I said so.”
“It is more than a remote possibility that Krysty or one of the others could have placed a letter for us, explaining precisely where they are, within the house, Ryan my old friend.” Doc moved a pace to stand next to the woman and placed a protective arm around her shoulders.
“Sure. Sorry, Doc. Sorry, Sukie.”
“We will go into my room and keep out of your way, Ryan,” Doc said.
“Fine.” He watched them vanish into the kitchen.
J.B. was about to lead the way inside the house when he stopped, his eyes caught by something. He peered down at the lapel of his own jacket. “Dark night!”
“How’s that?” Ryan said.
“Rad counters,” the Armorer replied. “Just look at your rad counter.”
Ryan did so, angling it to catch the last fading rays of the setting sun. For a moment the rich crimson light confused him and he moved the little counter again, tilting it to make sure what he was seeing.
“It’s right around into the red. That means we’re all standing in one of the biggest radiation hot spots that I ever saw.”
“Mine shows the same,” Trader said. “Can’t all’ve malfunctioned at the same time. Not even shading in the orange. It’s way off the top of the danger scale.”
For a few moments the three friends stood still, looking at one another, each trying to work out what freakish combination of circumstances could have brought what was known as the silent death to this secure, isolated place.
“Doesn’t make sense.” J.B. wiped a finger over the counter and shook it, checking it again. “Same.”
Ryan looked around. “Fireblast! It’s getting real dark.”
At that moment they all heard the sound of a woman, from inside the building, screaming in blind terror.