Letters from Josh
(A weekly update from Josh Urban’s adventures on the farm and in the city. #112)
Howdy, folks! You may recall from last week: Jimmy and his truck offer transport, and a warehouse to rest in. The danger grows, but the boys move out. Nearby, an unseen bad guy lurks in a dark room before dawn. A henchman’s footfalls are heard. Dawn begins to break.
The Return of Dr. Electro - #9: Hiding From The Sun
Whir! Rattle! Clang! Jimmy pulled the door down. Darkness was absolute, but it felt safe. Electro remembered hiding from childhood monsters by huddling under blankets. They can’t see you there. Now he was in the back of a truck with a bunch of hobos. Somewhere, out in the pre-dawn chill, the monsters were bigger.
“They probably wear fedoras” muttered a voice by his elbow.
“Huh?” Electro jolted out of a doze. It sounded like Junior. What, did the hobo sidekick have ESP? Oh - the danger was on everyone’s mind.
“The guys we’re trying to duck. Betcha they have fedoras. All the sharks do. But Jimmy’ll see us through.” Junior’s tone was too even, as if he was giving himself a pep talk. “Why, once he helped Preacher nab a whole shipment of chickens. The gangsters didn’t even realize it. These guys, though...” He trailed off. The rumble of the wheels spoke of the open road.
Traffic begin to sing a morning song. The truck turned away from the bustle. Voices outside. “Wait here” - a hushed instruction. Bang! Creak! Rattle! Early sunlight flooded the truck, feeling like prying eyes. An ancient warehouse loomed like a mountain lair. Jimmy hustled the grimy crew through a side door. “Shhh!” echoed down their line. With only an occasional squeak of a floorboard, they snaked through a towering maze of crates and hulking equipment to a cavernous room. Green walls rose to a dizzying height, and the searching day streamed in through murky windows near the ceiling. Then Jimmy was gone. Someone said he’d be back at dusk. Electro curled against a spool of wire. He was dimly aware of Rutherford talking trains and stratagems. Dusty planks became welcome friends. He sank into sleep.
* * *
Across town, the feet stopped outside the door. The tracks were quiet below. The secret knock - three, two, one. A man slunk in, fedora in hand. “Boss...Boss?” Ink would have envied the blackness of the room. A single question growled from an unseen corner. “Well?”
“They’ve given me the slip - but they can’t be far! I saw Walter with them, and they jumped off here, but that’s it.” A board creaked. The watcher’s eyes gleamed out of the shadows.
“Find them.”
...To be continued. Dr. Electro will return the first week of January.