Finding Solar Information

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

‘Yo, Mac?’ Roland called out from the abandoned workshop below me. He hadn’t seen me slip up the stairs while he was scavenging for supplies, and his torch beam anxiously slipped across the deserted building looking for signs of life – mine, or a more dangerous sort.

‘I’m here,’ I called out to him, tucking the object I’d just found into a jacket pocket and zipping it tightly. ‘Just thought I’d check out the office up here. Find anything?’

‘Nah, it’s been picked clean,’ he said, too unsurprised to be disappointed. ‘What about you?’

‘Lots of information about commercial solar systems,’ I laughed, kicking at a fat pile of documents that had fallen at my feet during the search. ‘This business must have been considering switching over to solar before…’

‘Before,’ Roland nodded. The thought didn’t need finishing. ‘Shall we head off?’

‘Sure,’ I nodded, glancing around the room just in case there was something worth uprooting – I hadn’t actually had time to scan it yet, I’d been so focused on my true prize. I briefly considered bringing a desk lamp, but decided against it. Instead I scooped up some of the documents I’d found – I hated hunting for kindling when it was my turn to man the fire.

At the very least, it might make for good bedtime reading – I’d never even heard of power purchase agreements before.

‘Coming down now,’ I called out. ‘Roland?’

He didn’t reply. My limbs went cold as I craned my neck out of the window. 

‘Roland, what are you doing?’

Still nothing. I swore under my breath and climbed back out, conscious of every small sound I was making. I glanced over the well-rusted railing at the workshop, but all I could see was Roland’s torch, gently rolling back and forth on the ground.

‘Dammit,’ I cursed, immediately ducking into a more defensible position.

A low cackling slowly echoed around the decrepit building, from somewhere I couldn’t see, and all the blood drained from my body.

They’d finally found us.