“Break a window,” Joe said.
“You gotta be kidding?”
“I’m not.”
“You’ll be destroying property,” Hannah said. “We could be charged with a felony offense.”
“See any police around here?”
Hannah scanned the area. “No, but what about CC TV? All these places have cameras. In fact, there’s one up there in the corner.”
“Cameras need electricity to work.”
“I know. I’m not stupid. Places like these have generators.”
“I’m not going to argue with you.” Joe stepped closer to Hannah, glowering at her. “We’re in a life or death situation in case you haven’t figured it out.” Joe stepped away then came back to her. “By the way, letting the animals loose from the zoo is a form of property destruction. Ever think about that?”
“Those were different circumstances.”
“Not in the eyes of the law.”
“Point taken,” Hannah said meekly.
The group quieted during the tense exchange. Tempers were obviously short. Joe contemplated the type of tool he’d need to break a pane of the glass window. He’d need something big enough to where he could stand back, and out of the way of flying glass. The last thing he needed was a cut from a dirty window. Thankfully his tetanus shot was up to date. He discussed the issue with Ethan, going over possible avenues to break a window.
“I have an idea,” Ethan offered.
“Go for it,” Joe said.
“We can throw a parking block through the window. A loose one is over there.” Ethan pointed to a nearby piece concrete block installed at the head of a parking spot, used to prevent cars from rolling forward.
“Excellent idea. The bolt used to secure it to the pavement has been broken. Thank God for bad drivers.” Joe glanced at Hannah.
“Huh? What? I’m not a bad driver. I’ve never had an accident.”
Joe and Ethan stifled their chuckles.
“Take one end of the block, and I’ll take the other,” Ethan said.
“Can I help?” Tyler asked.
“Joe and I can handle it. You can keep an eye out for us.”
“Will do.”
Joe and Ethan hoisted the heavy parking block weighing upwards of two hundred and fifty pounds, then lugged it near the plate glass windows.
“Let’s rest a moment,” Ethan said, breathing hard, setting his end of the parking block on the ground. “Carrying a sumo wrestler would be easier.”
Once Ethan and Joe caught their breath and recovered from carrying the heavy block, Joe said, “You ready?”
“Yeah,” Ethan replied.
The men picked up the block and hobbled close to one of the plate-glass windows, stopping a safe distance away. Ethan motioned for Joe to back up a foot or two so they’d be positioned at the weakest part of the window.
“That should do it,” Ethan said. “You ready?”
“Yup.”
“I sure hope this is tempered glass, otherwise we’ll be lucky not to get cut.”
Joe nodded. “Me too.”
“On three.”
Ethan counted one, and both men slung the block towards the window then away from it. On two, they gathered increasing momentum, then on three they heaved it toward the window. Both men stepped back and shielded their eyes as the concrete block broke through the glass. It landed with a loud thud on the tile floor inside the convention center, followed by the shattering of glass shards.
Ethan and Joe used their boots to scrape away as much glass as possible then carefully navigated around the remaining glass. They stepped through the opening. Tyler and Kinsey helped their mom by looping hands under her arms, steadying her. Lexi and Hannah followed.
“It stinks in here,” Lexi said.
“I second that.” Becca put her hand to her nose, and scrunched her face.
Oscar’s nose twitched at the odors in the cavernous hallway, reeking of unflushed toilets and lingering signs of human habitation. The pungent odor confused him, and while he had smelled these odors before, the reactions of the group confused him. From their voices and posture, the place repulsed them. Oscar filed their reactions in his mind to be retrieved at a later date.
“A cesspool would smell better than this.” Hannah untied the bandana from her neck to place it over her nose. She tied it off around the back of her head.
“You look like an outlaw,” Joe teased her.
“Outlaw Hannah Hammer.” She waited for a rection to what she thought was a clever play on words.
The joke fell flat.
“Get it?” Hannah asked, annoyed that what she thought was clever humor wasn’t appreciated.
“No.”
“Outlaw Hannah Hammer.” She paused for a reaction. “Anyone?”
Joe shrugged. “Don’t believe so.”
“Ever hear of Outlaw Josey Wales?”
“You need to practice your delivery.” Under his breath, Joe muttered, “She’s no Clint Eastwood.”
“I heard that.” Hannah smirked. “Maybe I’m no comedian, but my hearing is perfect.”
“Then hear this,” Joe said. “Use your superpowers of hearing to flush out anyone hiding around here.”
“I can do that.” Hannah said confidently. She threw back her shoulders, proud she’d be of help to the group.
Joe addressed Tyler. “Time to find us some transportation.”
“This way,” Tyler said, pointing to the doors on the other side of the turnstiles. “The showroom will be just beyond the doors.”
Becca hobbled through the turnstile, thrilled she’d be able to sit in a car, albeit an antique one. The thought of being home in an hour gave her a renewed sense of purpose.
“You okay, Mom?” Kinsey asked.
“I’m fine. Really.”
Tyler waited for everyone to push through the turnstiles. Once they were together, he faced the group. “Is everyone ready?”
“Yes!” Kinsey grumbled. “Open the doors.” She huffed, shaking her head. “Brothers.”
Tyler pushed down on the lever to open the door; Joe did the same to the adjacent door and stepped into the cavernous showroom. The doors clicked shut behind them, blocking out all light. It was too dark to make sense of the room. The massive showroom covered
