Chapter 5 Thunder Over Blackthorn
Trapped by the Storm
The weather changed shortly after lunch.
At first, nobody seemed concerned.
Summer storms were common in Blackthorn. Workers continued moving around the yard, forklifts carried pallets across the property, and machinery roared as usual.
Only the sky hinted that something was different.
Dark clouds gathered slowly along the western horizon.
Heavy.
Dense.
The kind that swallowed sunlight little by little until the entire world seemed darker.
Eli noticed them while interviewing one of the senior kiln operators.
The older man glanced toward the sky and frowned.
"Looks like we're getting a good one."
Eli followed his gaze.
The clouds stretched across half the horizon.
"They get bad around here?"
The man laughed.
"Depends how much you like lightning."
That wasn't particularly reassuring.
Still, Eli returned to his notes.
Over the past week, he had grown increasingly comfortable at Blackthorn Brickworks. The workers remained cautious around him, but some had started opening up during interviews.
Not all of them.
But enough.
Progress.
His notebook was filling quickly with stories.
Family histories.
Workplace traditions.
Memories that stretched back generations.
Exactly the kind of material he hoped to find.
The afternoon passed steadily.
By four o'clock, however, the weather had become impossible to ignore.
The wind arrived first.
Strong gusts swept through the yard, sending loose dust swirling through the air.
Workers began securing equipment.
Several supervisors shouted instructions across the property.
Forklifts moved faster.
Vehicles were relocated.
The atmosphere shifted from routine to preparation.
Storm preparation.
Eli stood near the drying sheds watching clouds roll overhead.
The sky had turned almost black.
Thunder rumbled somewhere in the distance.
The sound seemed to vibrate through the ground itself.
A strange excitement stirred inside him.
The scene was incredible.
The enormous kilns looked even more dramatic beneath the approaching storm.
Dark clouds towered above the smokestacks.
The red clay glowed beneath the fading sunlight.
It felt cinematic.
Like something from a movie.
Naturally, Eli reached for his camera.
He spent the next thirty minutes taking photographs.
The changing light created extraordinary images.
Every few minutes the sky looked different.
More threatening.
More beautiful.
The writer inside him loved it.
The sensible part of his brain should have been leaving.
Unfortunately, the writer won.
Again.
Most workers had already started heading toward indoor areas.
Several trucks exited the property.
The yard gradually emptied.
Eli barely noticed.
His attention remained fixed on the storm.
The first drops of rain arrived suddenly.
Large.
Heavy.
Cold.
Within seconds they splattered against the dusty ground.
The smell of wet earth filled the air.
Eli smiled.
Then the rain intensified.
A few scattered drops became a steady shower.
The steady shower became a downpour.
The transformation happened astonishingly fast.
One moment he was adjusting camera settings.
The next he was running.
Rain hammered the yard.
Wind whipped across the property.
Thunder cracked overhead.
A flash of lightning illuminated the entire brickworks.
Eli jumped.
"Okay."
He looked around.
The situation had changed dramatically.
Visibility dropped.
The nearest administration building was farther away than he'd realized.
Sheets of rain blurred everything.
The brickworks suddenly felt enormous.
And very empty.
Eli hurried toward what he believed was the quickest route back.
Unfortunately, the storm had other ideas.
A powerful gust slammed into him.
His notebook nearly flew from his hands.
Mud splashed across his jeans.
Water soaked through his shirt within seconds.
Another flash of lightning split the sky.
Closer this time.
Far closer.
His pulse quickened.
The excitement he'd felt earlier vanished quickly.
Being caught in a thunderstorm sounded much more enjoyable in theory.
Reality was considerably less pleasant.
The rain continued intensifying.
Thunder echoed across the yard.
Somewhere nearby, metal clanged violently as wind rattled equipment.
Eli squinted through the storm.
The administration building remained frustratingly distant.
The nearest shelter appeared to be one of the storage structures near the kiln yard.
He started moving toward it.
The ground had become slippery.
Several times his boots nearly lost traction in the growing mud.
Rain streamed down his face.
His curls stuck to his forehead.
Water dripped from his sleeves.
By the time he reached the edge of the storage area, he was completely soaked.
The problem was that he wasn't entirely sure where he was.
Everything looked different through the rain.
The familiar pathways had disappeared beneath mud and water.
The storm distorted distances.
Buildings became vague shapes.
The brickworks no longer felt familiar.
It felt enormous.
And for the first time since arriving in Blackthorn, Eli realized he might actually be lost.
A particularly violent crack of thunder exploded overhead.
Instinctively, he ducked.
His heart hammered inside his chest.
This was officially no longer fun.
He searched for shelter.
Any shelter.
Most nearby structures appeared locked.
Others were too far away.
The storm continued raging around him.
Wind.
Rain.
Thunder.
Lightning.
The entire world seemed determined to remind him how small he was.
"Eli!"
The voice barely carried above the storm.
He turned.
A familiar figure emerged through the rain.
Tall.
Broad shouldered.
Moving with purpose.
Relief hit him immediately.
Mason.
The older man approached quickly, his work jacket pulled over his head against the rain.
The expression on his face suggested he was not happy.
Not even slightly.
"What are you doing out here?"
Eli opened his mouth.
Then closed it again.
Several possible answers came to mind.
None sounded intelligent.
"I was taking pictures."
Mason stared at him.
Rainwater streamed from both of them.
Thunder rolled overhead.
The silence somehow felt judgmental.
"Of course you were."
Eli winced.
"In my defense, it wasn't raining when I started."
Another flash of lightning illuminated the yard.
Mason looked skyward.
Then directly at him.
"You're soaked."
"So are you."
"Because I came looking for you."
The statement landed unexpectedly hard.
Before Eli could respond, another gust of wind tore through the yard.
Mason immediately pointed toward a nearby structure.
"Come on."
"What is it?"
"Storage shed."
The answer came quickly.
"Move."
Eli didn't argue.
For once.
Together they hurried across the muddy ground toward a large clay storage building near the edge of the kiln complex.
The rain continued hammering down around them.
Thunder shook the sky.
Lightning flashed again.
Closer than before.
Neither slowed.
Within moments they reached the building.
Mason pulled open the heavy metal door.
Cool darkness greeted them.
The sound of rain echoed against the roof.
The scent of clay filled the air.
For the first time in nearly twenty minutes, Eli found himself sheltered from the storm.
Mason followed him inside and shut the door behind them.
Outside, thunder continued rolling across Blackthorn.
Inside, they were alone.
Trapped together in the growing storm.
First Temptation
The storm showed no signs of ending.
Rain hammered relentlessly against the metal roof of the storage shed. Every few minutes thunder rolled across the sky, rattling the walls and reminding them that leaving anytime soon wasn't an option.
Mason stood near the doorway, arms crossed over his chest.
Eli sat on an overturned crate several feet away.
For the first ten minutes, neither spoke much.
Mason wasn't particularly bothered by silence.
Most people were.
He wasn't.
Years of working long shifts had taught him that silence could be comfortable.
Peaceful, even.
Unfortunately, being trapped alone with Eli Bennett made everything feel different.
The younger man sat with his camera bag resting beside him. Rainwater still dampened his dark curls. His shirt clung slightly to his frame from the downpour outside.
Mason deliberately looked elsewhere.
The storm had already made this situation complicated enough.
"You came looking for me."
Eli's voice broke the silence.
Mason glanced over.
"What?"
"You said you came looking for me."
The younger man offered a small smile.
"You could've just assumed I'd figure it out."
Mason snorted.
"Based on your track record?"
Eli laughed.
The sound bounced softly around the empty shed.
"What does that mean?"
"It means you've nearly passed out once, broken equipment once, gotten lost during a storm, and almost walked into restricted areas twice."
"Twice?"
"Twice."
Eli groaned.
"That's embarrassing."
"A little."
The younger man shook his head.
"You really keep track of all my mistakes."
"I keep track of everybody's mistakes."
"That doesn't make it better."
Despite himself, Mason felt amusement tugging at the corner of his mouth.
Conversations with Eli always seemed easier than they should.
Natural.
Comfortable.
That alone should have worried him.
Outside, lightning flashed.
The brief glow illuminated the interior of the shed before fading again.
Rain continued falling in sheets.
Eli looked toward the sound.
"I've never seen a storm like this."
"Welcome to Blackthorn."
"It's always this dramatic?"
"Not always."
Mason leaned against a nearby support beam.
"But nobody forgets the bad ones."
The younger man nodded thoughtfully.
Everything about him seemed thoughtful.
He never rushed conversations.
Never interrupted.
Never pretended to know more than he did.
The trait had become increasingly difficult to ignore.
"So how long have you lived here?" Eli asked.
Mason considered the question.
"A while."
Eli immediately raised an eyebrow.