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seat pocket of her cords. 'You keep those,' she said. 'Take some matches, too, just in case we get separated.' She removed a couple of matchbooks from her shirt, and gave them to the girl. 'Do you want to keep the flashlight, too?' |
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'OK, turn it on and come with me.' Denise stepped past the stove. She opened the door and entered a small room. It contained a water heater, a mop, a couple of brooms, a dust pan, a yard stick, a rag bag and a collection of neatly folded grocery sacks. On the far side was a door. She pointed at it. 'What's through there?' |
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'Not a porch or anything?' she asked. |
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'No. That stuff'd get us all wet if we went out.' |
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'Guess we don't want to do that, huh?' |
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'I don't think so.' Kara pointed the flashlight beam at a gray metal panel on the wall. 'There's the fuse box,' she whispered. |
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Denise stepped up to it. She clamped the knife between her knees so she could use both hands, slipped her fingertips under the edge of the thin overlapping door, and tugged. The door popped open with a squawk. She yanked the other open. Within the panel were two main switches and rows of clear glass circuit breakers. 'Ready?' she asked. |
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She flicked both switches down. The light from the kitchen vanished. The refrigerator ceased its quiet hum. 'Turn off the flashlight,' she whispered. |
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