Fire Starters
A street lamp by the crossing buzzed, the light flickering. Kendal had been watching that same street lamp for over an hour.
She lowered her head beneath the hooded jersey, and watched as a car drove past through the traffic lights. A quick glance at her watch made her bite her lip, and for a moment she reconsidered what they had planned.
“Psst.”
Kendal spun, and spotted Derek’s head peeking from an alley behind her. “Where the hell have you been?” She ducked into the alley.
Chase was standing over four petrol containers, two filled with gasoline, and the other two with kerosene. “We got the stuff,” said Chase.
“I figured out a way in behind the shop. It’s this way.”
The boys picked up the containers and followed her through a maze of dark alleys.
“Sure you still want to do this? Just seems we’re getting in over our heads. We should quit while we’re ahead, you know.” Derek stiffened when Kendal turned to face him.
“If you don’t want to do it, then go home.” Kendal took hold of the container handles.
Derek pulled them back, “No I, just what if we get caught this time?”
Kendal rolled her eyes. “We won’t. I have it figured out. You either trust me or you don’t.”
“Let’s do it,” Derek said.
Rats scurried as they crept up to the store’s back door. Kendal pulled a pin from her hair, and jabbed at the lock. After careful manoeuvring, it unlocked and she swung the door open.
“Ladies first,” Chase said.
Kendal stepped inside and watched her footing in the darkness. They needed to be silent, as Ghosts. Living up to the nickname given to them by the cops was sometimes difficult. Chase swung one of the containers onto the checkout counter and knocked over a tin of firecrackers.
“Watch it.” Kendal picked up a container. “I’ll get the front.”
Outside the store’s glass doors, she watched a car drive through the lights. Luckily, this wasn’t a city that never sleeps, and at one in the morning mostly everyone was in bed. She unscrewed the lid and emptied the fuel along the floor against the skirting boards, and shook it over racks of magazines.
The first place they’d lit up was a bakery that Kendal used to be employed at. Her boss was a raving lunatic, fired her for no reason and claimed she’d been stealing from the register. Kendal only did it once, and it was a five, no substantial loss.
Second place was a designer clothing store Kendal went to find a dress for her older sister’s graduation. The catty sales girl made wise cracks at Kendal being unable to afford anything the store had.
This fireworks store, it was their third hit. Though the first two had been revenge jobs, this one, it was for fun.
“I’m all done, let’s go.” Derek stood by the back door.
Chase and Kendal exited and Derek threw a lit match onto the counter top. It ignited the fuel, and within seconds the counter was ablaze. They shut and jammed the door, and ran through the maze of alleys. Slipping across the street several stores down, they entered another alley, and climbed a fire escape to the top of an apartment building.
The blaze grew quickly, burning through the roof and spreading through the rest of the store. Fireworks went off, shooting into the sky and firecrackers sounded like gunshots.
“Come on, let’s go watch this from my kitchen.”
The three slipped through the roof door and crept down the stairs to Kendal’s apartment. A smile grew on her face as siren’s wailed in the distance.
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Other than that, the only other thing to comment on here are a few nitpicks.
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