Sheep's Clothing by Gary Lewis (dark books to read TXT) 📗

a day. Had no idea it was time to build an ark and head for safety," Terry said with a laugh. Tony's eyes wandered to the chaos, still blowing a horizontal gray mist across the glass doors and windows while Terry continued. "I just thank God that we got here just when we did."

"Search party?" Tony asked. The realization that he completely missed something big going on in town was becoming a familiar feeling to him now.

"Well, yeah," Terry said. He set the now wet rag on the table and picked up his glasses before sliding them onto his chubby, pale face. “You know my dad is pastor up at Willow Baptist and we organized most of it after the way the police are handling things." Terry paused as he looked back at the shuttering double-doors before turning his head back to Tony and speaking quietly. "Or should I say aren't handling them." Streams of water still trickled from his hair and dripped onto the stone tile floor.

"Hold up." Tony spread his hands to his sides. "Search party for what?"

"You haven't heard yet?"

"Is it bad?" Tony asked, afraid that he probably shouldn't. "Is it David? Is he alright?" Tony tried to push the impending suspense into his large belly, but he wasn't able to tank it as usual.

"Your step-brother?" Terry asked. "I'm not sure." His heavy concern opened wide in his large, round eyes.

"Last time I saw him was up there." Tony turned to nod toward the mass of dark storm clouds that engulfed Bluff Mountain. "I haven't heard from him since."

"I see," Terry said. "No, Randy Williams' mom reported him missing this morning. There's been an alert about it, but the police are being real hush about everything, just like the lumber yard."

"Randy, from track?" Tony asked.

"That's him. Went jogging through the middle of town this morning. No sign of him since."

"What's going on at the lumber yard?" Tony asked.

"All we know for sure is that the place was covered with cops, paramedics and firemen last night, but none of them are saying a word."

As Tony opened his mouth to ask more, Terry interrupted him. "Don't Tell anyone I told you, but you know old man Jerry that does security rounds up there?"

"Not really,” Tony said. “I think he comes in sometimes, but he never really says much."

"You didn't hear it from me," Terry said. "But word is he had a lot to say about last night." Terry rose his hands into scary, descriptive shapes. "A monster, gruesome deaths, mutilated bodies." Terry leaned in to whisper as his eyes darted around the room. "I'm telling you; I think the devil came to Pine Bluff."

"You know something?" Tony said. "I think you might be right." He strolled across the lobby to the maintenance closet to grab the store's tattered, yellow rain jacket. "Hey, Sam. I gotta go. Family emergency."

"Alright…" Sam paused for a moment. "You're not going out there are ya, son?" The old man’s weathered hand raised toward the dark plume that surrounded Bluff Mountain.

"Gotta do what I gotta do," Tony said.

"Well, if you're headed where I think, you better take this," Sam said, dangling his keys in the air before tossing them to Tony.

"I'll take real good care of her,” he said, attempting to quell any worries that Sam might have. “Promise."

"Nonsense, boy. You run that thing the way it's meant to be and do what you got to do." Sam looked across the lobby before turning back to face Tony. "Any damage can be worked off."

"Thanks. You're the best," Tony said as he turned toward Terry. "Come on. Let's go." Terry waved over his little brother Blane. The three of them paused at the door, staring into the onslaught of rain that crashed against the lobby windows. "Let's do this," Tony shouted. They dashed beyond the double-doors through the waterfall that gushed from the edge of the roof.

By the time they climbed into Sam's shiny, black, four-wheel drive pickup, the wind, thunder and lightning had mostly subsided. But the rain still pummeled the windshield as a constant bucket pouring from the sky.

"Where we heading?" Blane asked his older brother, Terry.

"The cliffs," Tony said to which they stared in disbelief.

"You're not serious, are you?" Blane asked. "Terry, tell me he's joking."

"Look, y'all,” Tony said. “There's just something I gotta check for myself. I'm sorry I can't say more right now."

"No need to explain,” Terry said. “I’m here to help."

Blane let out a reluctant sigh. “Count me in too, I guess.”

"Thanks, guys. I mean it," Tony said, giving the heavy diesel engine a turn with a rumble that rivaled the thunder which had recently shook the town.

#Janice#

Outside Janice's bedroom window, bands of rain swept across the pond on the other side of the road. It brushed across the surface with the same force as the winds of change that had broken through her once stable soul. A small, crinkled, cut out newspaper clipping flipped between her cold fingers. "Pine Bluff Man Killed in Boat Accident," the headline read above a black and white photo of her dad. As she listened to the trickling sound running down her window, Janice pressed her watery eyes closed and tightly squeezed the paper in her hand.

Janice flipped the light switch in vain as she stared at her phone. "Still no service," she said, tossing it onto the bed. It was already beginning to get dark and she wondered who that darkness might claim this time.

As painful thoughts continued bombarding her mind, headlights flew up the road and quickly pulled into her driveway. The form of a large pickup truck became visible and she ran over to the stairs, tumbling her feet all the way down to the door. The sound of a heavy metal door slammed from outside as she opened the door to see Vance approaching the steps.

"What do you want, Vance?" Half a dozen versions of his apology played through her thoughts.

"Have you heard anything from Tony, David or..." Vance opened out his hands. "Hell, anybody?"

"What kind of trouble