2pm On A Black Summer’s Day
By IP Spall
()
About this ebook
It all started with an ancient wooden box...
Little did Chris know that in years to come, despite being unknown to the world, his actions would have such an impact.
His idea for a bit of alternative fun one night went terribly wrong, leaving his best mate’s house in ruins and a few of his closest friends dead and missing.
No one could foretell the devastation that would occur or the destructive forces that would be released that night, as a series of events ended in total disaster, leaving the city with a multi-million-dollar clean-up bill and the death of thousands.
The fight soon build's to an immense and climactic battle, with their only hope being an alliance between age-old opposing enemies that had been fighting each other for thousands of years...
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2pm On A Black Summer’s Day - IP Spall
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CHAPTER ONE
If it’s meant to be found
Oakland Ridge High School stood quiet and still under the hot midsummer sun until the lunchtime bell rang out; the front entrance doors burst open, and a flood of students spilled out onto the front lawn. Mr Wainwright, the Biology tutor, had been in the process of dissecting a flower in his laboratory when the school bell tore through the corridors, breaking the concentration of his students, who had, as always, grabbed their bags and left the room without waiting for their tutor’s permission. After a few seconds of pushing and shoving through the small classroom doorway the room was empty and silent again.
Chris and Jess held hands and subtly flirted as they walked towards the front doors to have their lunch. Should we go and sit on the lawn again? I quite enjoyed it yesterday,
Jess asked, showing Chris her big cow eyes as they jostled through the masses trying to escape. The sun hit them head on as they passed through the entrance, both of them feeling the warmth upon their skin.
Fancy going over by the tree again?
Chris asked as they descended the steps.
Yeah, cool,
Jess replied. They walked in an almost straight line across the school’s front lawn to the only tree on the vast expanse of grass ahead of them. As they arrived at their chosen spot, Chris chucked his bag ahead of him and flopped down onto the grass. Jess followed suite, and making a specific point of sitting as close to him as possible.
She leant over and gave him a kiss, then used that as an excuse to snuggle up even closer. They sat in silence for a while, their eyes closed as they enjoyed the heat of the sunshine. Conversation seemed to appear naturally after a while, and they discussed their recent lessons and the homework that they’d just be given, but it was too hot in the baking sun to talk about anything much.
Hey, Chris
They turned to see Chris’s dad Samuel walking towards them. Chris sighed; he didn’t appreciate being disturbed, especially not by his dad. Samuel walked around to stand in front of them, and kneeled down on one leg to talk, smiling at both of them.
Don’t forget your mum’s gone to Peak Valley this afternoon and she probably won’t be home until much later on tonight
he said, directing the conversation mainly towards Chris. Oh, and I’m also going to be a few hours late as well, as I have a ton of marking to do. So you can have a lift home if you want, but you’re going to have to hang around for quite a while,
he explained, still smiling. Or alternatively, I’ll just see you at home later, it’s up to you?
No, that’s cool, dad,
Chris replied. I’m gonna walk Jess home first, before heading home after that. I’ll catch up with you later. Did you want me to start dinner?
That’d be great if you can, I should be back around 7.30-8’ish,
Samuel replied.
Ok, I’ll go for 8, so text me if you think you’re going to be later than that, will you?
Ok, thanks Chris, I’ll see you later then,
Samuel said, standing up to leave. Nice to see you, Jess.
Bye Mr. Campbell,
said Jess as Samuel walked back towards the school entrance.
I like your dad, he’s kind of cool in his own weird way
Jess said, turning back to Chris.
Yeah, guess so,
Chris agreed, pulling a face before chuckling to himself.
Jess shuffled around to reposition herself, and rested her head on Chris’ stomach, closing her eyes and bathing in the sunlight. Chris leaned back on his elbows in silence, and gradually he too closed his eyes. Their half-sleep lasted a lot longer than it had the previous day, and fifteen minutes passed before Jess sat up.
Have you got your dad for any classes this year?
she asked.
Nah, I got that idiot Mr. Whittaker.
Oh no, how did that happen?
Jess enquired, looking at Chris, who clearly wasn’t happy about it.
I don’t know really, just bad luck I guess. I don’t like him at all; the guy is a right idiot, I don’t like him one bit.
Jess reached for his hand and smiled at him reassuringly.
Funny, I did manage to get your dad for history this term.
That’s cool, he will certainly make your lesson interesting, or as much as he can anyway – he likes doing things in a more unconventional way, which makes it a lot easier to learn stuff.
Chris paused. My dad’s pretty good as his job, so you should get pretty good grades this year
he added, smiling back at her.
Yeah I’ve heard that he’s a pretty good teacher, I’m kind of looking forward to it really, as it’ll definitely be better than my last one, surely?
Chris looked at her with the sun on her face, and was suddenly reminded of what a seriously hot girl she was, and what a lucky guy he was to have her. After a moment, he closed his eyes again, but this time with a subtle smile upon his face. He thought to himself that they were really overdue to get it on together again soon, and then quietly slipped into a pleasurable daydream. They were surprised when the school bell rang out again; signalling that it was time to go back to class; they both sat up half asleep wondering where the last hour had gone.
Here we go again,
Chris said in a low moan, rubbing his eyes. They both slowly got up and shuffled their way back across the grass, towards the entrance.
Do you want to come back to mine later, after school?
Chris asked as they walked.
Sorry, I can’t do tonight as my mum’s going out, if anything, I kind of need to get back early for her.
This was not the answer Chris had hoped for.
Okay, we need to arrange something soon then, how about tomorrow?
he asked enthusiastically.
Yeah defo, it’s Friday tomorrow, isn’t it? We could go to the cinema?
Chris’s face lit up.
Cool, is there anything on? Anything worth seeing, I mean?
he asked.
Dunno really, but it doesn’t matter anyway, as we can always grab something to eat if there isn’t,
Jess replied, smiling at him. Before they went into the building, Jess turned to Chris and rested both hands on his chest.
Sounds good, see you about 7.30 then?
she said seductively, leaning up against him.
Mmm, I’ll look forward to it
Chris replied, trying to hold back his excitement. She stood on her tiptoes to give him a nice long kiss, before giving him a cheeky look, heading off to a different class.
When Chris got home, he went straight up to his bedroom and, knowing the house was empty, took all of his clothes off and walked to the shower. When done, he sat naked on the edge of his bed and looked out of the window. He couldn’t stop thinking about seeing Jess tomorrow; although they had been together for a while, he still felt excited at the prospect of seeing her. Eventually he got up, got himself dressed and headed downstairs, where the first port of call was a nice cold beer.
Ѳ
It was early Saturday morning and Samuel was up to his neck in boxes, gradually working his way through all the junk that he’d collected over the years, which was now stored out in the garage. He had so much stuff that he didn’t know where to start, so he pulled everything out, intending to go through it all in one day. Once it was all laid out on the garage floor, the driveway and halfway across his lawn, however, he saw the full extent of the task ahead and regretted starting at all. Bob, who lived opposite, spied Samuel working in front of his house and walked over to ask him if he needed some help, as Sam had helped him move some furniture a week previously.
Hey buddy, how’s it going?
said Bob, walking up the driveway towards the mess. Samuel had had his head in a box, but he quickly stood up when he heard the footprints.
Well if it isn’t my friendly nosy neighbour? How the hell are you doing today?
said Sam. Bob laughed.
Yeah, all good thanks. Are you having a clear out then?
Yeah, a very long overdue clear out, I need to get rid of all this crap, it’s driving me nuts. I need to make some space and reclaim my garage. I can’t even get the car in there now,
he explained to Bob, purveying the landscape of filled boxes ahead of him. So Bob, if you see anything you want, you can have it.
Bob’s face lit up, and he quickly began to look around the piles of nearby boxes.
Nice, I might just take you up on that,
he said, rummaging. Only a few moments passed before Bob found something.
Hey Sam,
Bob shouted across the yard. Can I have that baseball bat over there?
Yes mate, consider it yours.
Argh, great, thanks mate, it’ll be a special treat for anyone who decides to visit unannounced,
said Bob. Samuel chuckled, before turning to look at the mess again.
I really need to get this sorted today. I can’t keep storing all this crap, its doing my head in,
Sam said to no one in particular, stroking his chin.
Well, you know where you should take anything you don’t want,
said Bob.
Where?
asked Samuel, intrigued.
Down to that massive outdoor market on Greenway Street, over in the valley; they run a market once a month, and it’s pretty damn massive, I’m sure you’ll easily get rid of most of your stuff, if you wanted to.
Sam stood and thought for a minute.
I think the next market day is either today or tomorrow coincidently, let me call Barbara, she’ll know,
said Bob, before pulling out his phone to make the call and walking aimlessly towards the road as he spoke. He returned a few minutes later.
Sam, apparently the market’s on today, it’s actually already started, so if you wanna go, I’ll give you a hand if you’re up for it?
Bob suggested. Sam thought for a moment before making up his mind.
Yeah, sounds like good idea, let’s do it.
Both Sam and Bob sweated profusely as they loaded up the truck up with what felt like a million boxes ready for the market.
I actually forgot to mention it to you anyway, but the last time I went down there was some guy selling a bunch of really old books and stuff, which I think would’ve been right up your street,
said Bob. You never know what you might find.
Hey, sounds good, I think I’ll check him out later then, if he’s still there,
Sam replied. Do you have anything on today, or do you fancy a road trip to help me with this lot?
Yeah I’d love to, mate,
said Bob. Although I only have until about 4pm, as Barbara’s out and I’ll need to go and pick her up later
.
Let’s finish loading up and go then, there’s no point in hanging around, is there?
They packed the van with the last few boxes, along with two trellis tables. Sam made a quick phone call to his wife, Lucy, before they set off.
Sam wiped his brow as they drove to market .
Blimey, it’s a hot one today, isn’t it?
Yeah, too bloody hot!
Neither man relished the thought of standing out in the sun all day, especially for hours on end, but they knew it had to be done. As they arrived, Sam leaned out of the window to pay the parking attendant, and was directed towards a good spot near the entrance to the market.
They noticed as they entered that the place was already heaving, and soon realised that they should probably have arrived much earlier.
You wait here, whilst I’ll go and book the pitch,
Sam said, as he strolled off to a Portakabin in the corner of the parking lot. Once the paperwork was sorted, they drove to their pitch in a semi-frantic rush to get as much stuff out on the tables as quickly as they could. The place was so busy that people eagerly stood over them waiting for boxes to be unpacked. Everything was flying off the tables quicker than either of them anticipated, and everything continued to sell as the day progressed. As the hours passed, Sam thought about what Bob had mentioned earlier.
Where did you say that guy was, the one that you thought I might be interested in?
he asked.
Well last time I was here, he was over in that far corner,
said Bob, pointing towards the North East corner of the market. You go; I’ll keep an eye on everything here.
Are you sure? Okay, thanks, I’ll see you in a bit then,
Sam replied. Call me if you need to.
Yeah, no problem, see you later,
Bob said, as Sam walked away. Being a history teacher, Sam simply couldn’t resist the idea of looking through loads of old books. As he walked through the crowd, Sam spotted what appeared to be a pile of old manuscripts, browned and tattered like treasure maps from pirate films. Samuel quite liked the idea of finding something special and unique; he grinned a little to himself, as he approached, excited at what he might find.
‘Blimey, how can anyone sell anything in such a state," he muttered to himself as he reached the table. The stall was a mess; one half of it was a huge pile of loose paperwork in boxes and maps of all shapes and sizes, as well as a whole load of old manuscripts and scrolls. The other half of the stall was made up of plastic bread trays, predominantly containing paperback books, most of which looked in quite poor condition. Most of them were very old, but there was some other stuff mixed in, including a load of non-fiction and some modern hard-backed books around the other side of the walkway. These coffee-table books did not interest Sam, and he instead headed straight for the intriguing pile of paper scrolls. As he made his way round the piles of boxes and trays, he was approached by the seller,
Are you looking for something specific sir?
Mmm, I’m not sure yet,
Sam replied. I’ve only just arrived, so I’m not sure what you have here, really.
That’s fine sir, probably best if I leave you to have a rummage then. Just let me know if you need any help,
the stallholder said, before drifting away.
Thanks and will do,
Samuel replied. Although the scrolls initially seemed to Sam like fake pirate maps or abandoned film props, on closer inspection they looked and felt really quite authentic, with many containing oily circular stains suggesting that they had originally been sealed using wax stamps. He continued to study the detail, and decided that the pile of scrolls must have originated from an old shipping company somewhere; there were charts, maps and stories of encounters at sea, some of which were really quite fascinating, and some dated back to the early nineteenth century, or even earlier. Sam looked around to see the stallholder quite close by, so he approached him again to ask a few questions.
Excuse me, where did you get all of these maps and scrolls from?
Oh, hello again sir, everything you see came from my uncle’s cottage. He unfortunately died recently and I was left his property in his will, even though I never really knew him. I’m not a rich man, sir, so I need to sell the house on and everything in it, as I have a few debts to pay off,
he explained. So regardless of what it is, it all needs to be sold and gone.
But some of these items date back as far as the 1800’s, and some are also early 1900’s, surely you should be taking them to the local museum, not a place like this?
said Sam.
"Ideally, yes, but I need