"I'll never get out of that damned lane the county refuses to pave with that kind of accumulation," Patricia pouted, her brown eyes sorrowful. "I hate being stuck."
Haley frowned. Patricia's little sedan would never handle such a heavy snowfall, nor was it equipped with the same traction sensors and tires that Haley's four-wheel-drive truck had. Living in town, Haley didn't worry as much about getting out as she did about the inconvenience of the snow itself. They hadn't had a storm like this move in for years, and the dump of fluffy white stuff almost had her rubbing her hands in glee.
But she knew Patricia, and her friend hated the snow, just as she hated the way it confined her in her little house outside of Buffalo Gap.
"Take my truck." Haley moved to the counter behind which she and Patricia worked and lifted her purse from the floor.
She pulled the car keys from the inside and tossed them to her friend.
"Are you serious?" Patricia stared back at her in surprise.
"They'll have the roads here in town clear before noon, and Sanctuary will make certain the main road is clear before then. All you'll have to worry about is getting out of that little hole you live in." She almost shuddered. Patricia lived in one of the small hollows that dotted the mountain terrain. The mile-long track between her house and the main road was rough at all times. Filled with snow, it would be impossible for Patricia to navigate in her little car.
"You'll take my car then?" Patricia worried. "I'd hate to leave it just sitting in the parking lot." She gripped Haley's keys like a lifeline.
"The car will be fine for me until they get the snow cleared to your house." Haley shrugged, then stared back at Patricia worriedly. "But please be careful. I just bought her, and she's still un-scratched." The pristine cherry red pickup had been her dream vehicle, with big tires, the standard shift—and the advanced electronics was her pride and joy.
"Don't worry, I'll take care of your baby." Patricia was almost as gleeful over driving the truck as Haley was over the coming snow.
Haley looked around the nearly deserted library. The two-story glass-and-metal building was incredibly beautiful. Donated by an effort between Sanctuary and several of its supporting companies, the building had the look and feel of beautiful wood, without the cost. Even the metal-and-steel shelves had that old-wood look, and housed the thousands of paperback and hardback books beautifully. The electronic books were housed in the main data boards and e-readers were plentiful for those who needed to check them out if they didn't have their own. But it was the paper feel of the books that Haley cherished. The history and the bridge between the past and the present that always drew her. The library was deserted this evening. The last college student had left more than an hour before, and no one else had come through the heavy glass doors.
"Why don't you go home, before the storm hits," Haley suggested. "It's only another hour before closing, and I can take care of that myself."
"Or that handsome Noble Chavin, should he arrive before closing," Patricia teased her. "When do you think he's going to get up the nerve actually to do more than follow you home every night?"
"With Noble, who knows." Haley turned away from her friend, tucked the keys to Patricia's car in her purse, and hid her expression.
Noble, unknown to the curious, wasn't courting her in any way, and she knew it. He was watching her, just as breeds from Sanctuary often watched her. Just to be on the safe side, she had been told after she had told Callan Lyons and Jonas Wyatt about the meeting that had taken place in the library room of Sanctuary the month before.
Jonas had promised her it was a precaution only, but that precaution still had the power to make her mouth dry with fear.
"I think I'll head home early then," Patricia decided, as she moved behind the counter and pulled her coat on. She flipped her shoulder-length gray-and-brown hair over the stiff black collar and stared back at Haley worriedly. "You're sure you don't mind about the truck?"
"As long as you don't scratch her," Haley reminded her, but her smile was quick. Patricia was excessively careful with everything, no matter to whom it belonged.
"Should I throw a quilt over her before I go to bed?" Patricia laughed.
"If you don't mind. And don't forget the pillows for her tires," she reminded her playfully.
Patricia rolled her eyes as she grabbed her purse and headed for the door. "I'll be sure to remember both," the assistant teased her. "Perhaps I should park her where she can watch television as well." Haley laughed. Okay, so she loved her truck. Everyone teased her about it. As Patricia left the library, Haley moved from behind the counter, picked up the remote, and flipped the news on again. There was all that fat fluffy stuff headed her way. Piles and piles of snow. A snowman in her yard, the Christmas lights around her house twinkling against it, it was going to be the best Christmas ever. A smile was curving her lips when the world exploded around her. The blast filled the air, glass shattered as a wave of heat knocked her from her feet and flung her several feet away to where the children's reading nook was sectioned off. She bounced over the low shelves, cried out in shock and pain, and crumpled on the floor as a wash of red seemed to fill the library.
Sirens were howling. Something red was flashing, flickering and the scent of burning paper filled the air. It was hell on earth.
Haley dragged herself to her knees, shaking her head as she felt the ground shake again, and another explosion rock the air.
She cried out, covering her head with her hands as more glass exploded, and the cold seemed to battle with a surge of heat.
She staggered to her feet, shock, disbelief and horror filling her as she realized the books were burning. Piles of books. Flames licked at them, consumed them. The tables, counters, and much of the interior of the library was wood or a facsimile of it, and it was all burning.
Smoke poured around her, choking her, making it nearly impossible to see as she fought to get her bearings. She stumbled through the debris-littered section, nearly falling as another, smaller explosion ripped across the earth.
What was happening? A strike? Some sort of attack? Sanctuary wasn't far from Buffalo Gap, and she knew that it was prone to attacks from several different racist societies, but no one had ever attacked Buffalo Gap. She choked and stumbled again, falling to her knees as her eyes burned, and she fought for breath. She wasn't going to get out of here. Tears filled her eyes, and fear filled her mind as she tried to crawl, fighting to figure out which way to move, which way to go.