Firebomb (The Jewel Project #2)

04|| Magnet Town

Sam's stomach clenched with fear and he darted towards Tom. If he ran fast enough, he could get to his twin, save him. Heavy rain fell from the sky and seemed to smash at his feet. When the lightning struck again, Tom was on his knees and Snitch Gravel was forcing him to look up as though trying to drown him in the rain.

The fear inside Sam burst into full grown panic and he pushed himself even more, running faster than he'd ever run. He could feel the electric sizzle in the air. Just as he reached Tom and Snitch Gravel, the lightning bolt struck. Snitch Gravel morphed into Kyle and then back in a blink of an eye.

Sam bolted up, screaming.

"Sam, calm down, it was just a dream."

Sam turned to Jerry, panting. He and Kyle both leaned over him, worried frowns on their faces. Seeing Kyle made Sam's head pound. What had happened? He tried to grasp his dream, but everything rushed away from him until the only thing he could remember was the fear.

"Are you all right?" Jerry asked putting his hand on Sam's forehead. "You're pale."

"Yeah. You were right, it was just a nightmare." Sam laid back in his seat, taking deep breaths.

"What kind of nightmare?" Kyle asked.

Sam frowned and looked at Kyle thoughtfully. "One I've had before. But I can't remember the details. Only the fear... and the cold."

Kyle seemed worried, but said nothing else.

"We're about to land," Jerry said after a few moments of silence.

"Perfect, I need to stretch my legs a bit," Sam answered shifting in his seat.

Jerry and Kyle looked tired, too. They probably were. Sam only hoped the journey to a place they could sleep wouldn't take much longer. But, of course, he wasn't that lucky. It turned out that, to get near the small town they were supposed to reach, they had to take a private plane.

They met their pilot, a skinny bow-legged old man with a tuft of grey beard like a goat's and an impressive bold spat, at the airport. He took them to a small rickety plane, and they were back up in the air. Sam's eyes burned, but he didn't want to sleep. He was afraid he'd have that darn nightmare again.

He wouldn't have gotten to sleep. Before they could make themselves comfortable, the plane landed on a dusty runway in the middle of nowhere. The pilot climbed down and pointed to a SUV that looked more like a tractor.

"Magnet Town is that way." He pointed to his right at a narrow dirt road that slithered on the edge of a cliff and chuckled like an old prospector. "Good luck, lads." He climbed back in his rickety plane and took off.

"Where the hell does Herrison keep finding these guys?" Kyle asked, shaking his head.

Jerry and Sam didn't bother answering and loaded the luggage in the trunk. Kyle got behind the wheel and they were off. Only that he was so tired, Sam was afraid he might end up driving them into a tree or off the cliff.

"Kyle, maybe you should let me drive," Sam said cautiously as he had to pull the steering wheel a little to the right to avoid a huge boulder that was conveniently placed in the middle of the road.

"Yeah, maybe I should let you drive," Kyle said, pulling over to Sam and Jerry's surprise. "I'm okay, I'm just very tired," he said, seeing their worried faces.

Sam and Kyle exchanged place while Jerry stayed in the backseat.

"You should be careful," Jerry said once Sam started the car and drove off.

"What, you think I'll drive us off the cliff? I'm not that bad," Sam answered, avoiding what looked like a rabbit-hole and getting back on the road. It was harder than it looked. The headlights barely shed any light at all.