I had been about to tilt my head and deepen the kiss when she broke away. I reluctantly opened my eyes to the noticeable absence of her mouth. I had been so lost in her sweet, soft touch, her charming eagerness, that I still wasn’t caught up on what happened. I wasn’t sure what drove me to kiss her, except that it was a new year, and our discussion about plans had inspired me to take action. Or at least that was what I told myself.
Probably, more simply, I wanted to kiss her. I liked her, and it felt like the right move at the moment. So much for not mixing business with pleasure. But this night was so weird; this woman was such a pleasant surprise.
“What?” I asked, confused with my limited mental faculties. I couldn’t see her. It was pitch-black. Bee was still close enough that I could feel her quick pants against my cheek but couldn’t make out the shape of her.
“Nothing,” she said quickly. “What happened? Why are the lights off? Are they motion-activated?” I felt the air shift as she rocked back and forth, likely flailing her arms.
My suspicions were confirmed a second later when one of her flails caught the side of my head.
“Ow.” I reached for her in the darkness and stilled her.
“Sorry.”
“Not motion-activated,” I said, worry growing.
That was when I noticed the loud rattling of the ancient heater had stopped too. The track and running lights were totally out. In the pitch-blackness and without the white noise of the heater, the roaring storm was thunderous and impossible to ignore.
“Owen?” she asked, a tremble in her voice.
Fear lodged itself into my chest. It was like the universe hit me upside the head with a giant bat to remind me to stay focused on the task.
It wasn’t ideal to spend the night in this tram, but it was protection from the storm. It was heat and safety. If the power was well and truly out, then the warmth would escape through the cracks. And quickly. There was almost no insulation in The Can. How long until the windows and door iced over? Fear prickled the back of my neck.
I shouldn’t have kissed her. I taunted myself by hoping this year might go any differently. Of course, this was a big ole screw you from the karma gods or whoever decided these things. I’d been starting to feel hopeful and excited about the future for once. When she asked me what I wanted and how I might change, I began to hope for the first time in a long time that change was possible.
“It’s okay,” I said, but I didn’t feel that way at all. “Let me just check some stuff. You stay here.”
She was silent.
“Okay, Bee?”
“Sorry, yeah. I nodded. Wow, it’s so dark. Likedarkdark. Can’t say I love this. Didn’t think I was afraid of the dark, butit amplifies every other sense. This tram sure is jerky. Also, it smells like old pennies. I didn’t notice that before. Oh God, I hope the spider doesn’t come back?—”
“It’s okay, Bee.”
I squeezed her shoulder before I stood, equilibrium shaky. I dug out the radio.
“Hey, Azi?” After a few shaky seconds, the radio crackled with static. I let out a sigh of relief.
“Hey, man. Happy New Year. How’re you two holding up?” A slur to his words made my anger rise to the surface. Had he partaken in celebrations even as two people were stuck up in this decrepit tram? What about Bee? What about her safety? My desire to give this job the middle finger and quit was never stronger, but I couldn’t risk being totally forgotten about.
“Happy New Year,” I said flatly. I had my back to Bee, but there was no privacy, especially now where the silence rang almost as loud as the storm. “The power went out. Is there any way to reboot it or a switch to reset it? Anything on your end?”
“Ah, shit. I was afraid of that,” he said. A round of expletives followed. Bee mumbled her displeasure from behind me. “There’s nothing to be done until some of the ice melts.” I closed my eyes, not that there was much difference, but I needed to center myself before I lost my temper.
I needed to take care of Bee. That was all I could focus on.
“When is help coming?” I asked. My brain raced through the options.
“Nothing’s changed. I’m sorry, Soupy.”
I slammed the button to shut off the radio.
“Owen? Are you okay?” Bee asked in a small voice behind me.
It would be one thing if I was stuck up here alone, but I had an innocent person to take care of. She didn’t even have proper shoes on. I had no idea how long until help would come. Benny Jr. and Azi should have been frantic to get help up here. Theyshould be on the phone with the nearest search and rescue. But I knew the realities—a holiday, this weather, this tiny town. Even if we got outside help, we would be low on the priority list.
We had no source of heat. This was no longer a shitty situation, it was a dangerous predicament, and I had no idea what to do.
