Lightning, Page 2

  ~~~

  Sanders spun back around to look at Bud and the three boys he was now herding toward the changing rooms. They were all the same age as Billy, but he wasn’t with them. He spun back around to face his daughter.

  “Daddy, I’m scared.”

  One look in her frightened eyes was all he needed to see to know that she had no idea where Billy was, nor did the equally-frightened young lifeguard.

  “Where’s Donny?” Bud shouted out when he was still a good ten feet from the changing rooms. Behind him lightning was crashing down, striking the top of the hill and also the pool now.

  “He ran up the hill when you ran to the pool,” Sanders said, a little anger in his voice. Helluva plan, he thought to himself.

  “Get these kids in that damn building there!” Bud said as he pushed the kids forward. Another bolt of lightning struck down, this one just a dozen yard from them, and where Bud had just been walking a few moments before. He stood his ground and spun around, as if his mere presence could fend the lightning off and buy the kids a few more seconds of time.

  “Shit!” Sanders shouted, and the wailing and screaming from the children increased in intensity.

  “Get inside!” Bud shouted again.

  He was just a few feet from the brick wraparound entryway that led to the changing rooms when a splash could be heard in the pool behind them. Sanders turned back from protecting Suzy and his eyes went wide.

  “Billy!” he shouted, then started running into the storm.

  14 – Lightning

  “You checked, huh?” Donny said as he again pushed the young lifeguard down the cement walkway.

  “Man, I get paid minimum wage for this shit and there ain’t nothin’ about lightning storms!”

  Donny scoffed. “Boy, you youngin’s today, in my time if I’d have said that to my–”

  BOOM!

  The fastest sprinter in the world couldn’t have reacted quickly enough to that crash of thunder and the bolt of lightning that came next. A tree on the side of the walkway was struck right at the base and it began to fall forward rapidly. Donny couldn’t even get a ‘watch out’ shouted before it was too late. He watched in horror as the heavy maple trunk came down on the young lifeguard, connecting solidly with the top of his head in a sickening crunch and then an even worse-looking crumpling of the body.

  The maple tree crashed down and there was no sign of the kid. Donny rushed up and began swatting branches and leaves away but then he saw the puddle of blood and the teen’s arm sticking out from under the trunk.

  “Fuck!” he said slowly as he backed-off. No one could have survived that.

  He was still shaking his head when a loud shout of “Billy” cut through the rain. He started running down the hill.