(no subject)
The rain from the day before had dissipated by evening and now, a day later, it was like it'd never even happened at all. The sun was high and harsh and Chris adjusted the cap on his head, lifted and wiped his arm along his forehead before tugging it back on again. His back ached, the muscles tight as he rested a foot on the head of his shovel, leaned on the handle.
"Gonna need a break here soon," he said to Lennox, quirking a smile that was somewhere between apologetic and sheepish as he pulled the t-shirt away from his chest and then took a deep breath.
They'd been out for most of the morning, digging support holes and lining up posts, nothing they hadn't done a million times before. They'd gotten more done than he'd anticipated and only had a few more to go before Chris figured they could stop for the day. But the past hour had dragged, every push of his shovel into the dirt feeling like he was trying to bore through cement. Clearly, he was getting too old for this and wasn't that a depressing thought?
"Why?" Lennox asked through a grimace that was almost a grin. "Getting too old for this, baby?" Twisting his own shovel in the dirt, he continued to work, not because he wanted to, but because he just liked screwing with Chris whenever he was given the opportunity. In fact, if Chris pressed it a little bit, he'd be more than happy to give up for the day, happy to go lie on the beach and chill out, maybe smoke a joint and take some time off before they were back at it again the next day.
"My back sure as hell thinks so," Chris replied, his hand wrapping around the handle of his shovel before he speared it into the ground again. With a grunt, he pushed it in deeper, bent to use his weight to pull out a chunk of dirt, dump into the pile he'd started above ground. The sweat dripped down the side of his face and he thrust his shovel into the ground again, brow furrowing when it caught on something.
He pulled back a little, giving the shovel a tug, the metal catching on what looked like a black cord.
"Hey, Jim," he murmured, dropping the shovel and crouching down. He reached into the hole, hooked a finger around the black band and tugged gently. It didn't give any and Chris ran his finger along it as he looked back over his shoulder. "Come here. Check this out."
"What? You find buried treasure?" Lennox asked, trying not to sound too hopeful. Buried treasure would be a hell of a lot of stuff Chris might have actually found. Like bones or... something else creepy and disgusting.
Setting his shovel down carefully, he wiped the sweat out of his eyes and then headed over to where Chris was crouched in the dirt, then dropped down beside him. Resting his arms across his knees, Lennox frowned down into the hole, his forehead creased in confusion. "That's not buried treasure."
"No," Chris agreed, frowning in thought as he gave the cord another tug, followed it deeper into the dirt with his fingers. There was still no give on it, just kept going in either direction. "It's like a line of cable or something," he said, half to himself and half to Lennox. "Some kind of power line." Which really didn't make a whole lot of sense, but Chris really had no idea what else it could be.
"What?" Lennox asked again, his own frown deepening as he peered closer into the hole, finding the cord Chris was tugging on. "Lemme see," he murmured quietly, then tugged on it himself when Chris pulled back. It seemed to go on endlessly in either direction and it sure as hell wasn't something he'd just be able to pull out of the ground. "That's so weird, man. Since when do we have power lines? Hey, this is dangerous. We could've electrocuted ourselves or something."
Chris nodded in agreement, pulling back, though still crouched as he brushed the heel of his hand against his brow. The building crew had dug countless holes in the ground all over the Island and they'd never come across anything like this, but he couldn't deny what he was seeing and, until they had a better idea of what it actually was, he figured it was better if they played it safe and took a rest for the time being.
"Should probably get some other people to check this out," he decided, pushing himself up to his feet again, one hand resting on his side.
"Yeah," Lennox agreed, giving the cord one more tug before he got to his feet as well and nodded. "Last thing we want to do is electrocute ourselves."
"If that's even what it is," Chris replied because he still wasn't sure he was convinced. Still, if nothing else, it was a good excuse to stop for the day and he took a deep breath and tugged on the rim of his cap. "C'mon," he said, motioning back the way they'd come hours before. "See if we can find Duck or someone to take a look at it."
"Gonna need a break here soon," he said to Lennox, quirking a smile that was somewhere between apologetic and sheepish as he pulled the t-shirt away from his chest and then took a deep breath.
They'd been out for most of the morning, digging support holes and lining up posts, nothing they hadn't done a million times before. They'd gotten more done than he'd anticipated and only had a few more to go before Chris figured they could stop for the day. But the past hour had dragged, every push of his shovel into the dirt feeling like he was trying to bore through cement. Clearly, he was getting too old for this and wasn't that a depressing thought?
"Why?" Lennox asked through a grimace that was almost a grin. "Getting too old for this, baby?" Twisting his own shovel in the dirt, he continued to work, not because he wanted to, but because he just liked screwing with Chris whenever he was given the opportunity. In fact, if Chris pressed it a little bit, he'd be more than happy to give up for the day, happy to go lie on the beach and chill out, maybe smoke a joint and take some time off before they were back at it again the next day.
"My back sure as hell thinks so," Chris replied, his hand wrapping around the handle of his shovel before he speared it into the ground again. With a grunt, he pushed it in deeper, bent to use his weight to pull out a chunk of dirt, dump into the pile he'd started above ground. The sweat dripped down the side of his face and he thrust his shovel into the ground again, brow furrowing when it caught on something.
He pulled back a little, giving the shovel a tug, the metal catching on what looked like a black cord.
"Hey, Jim," he murmured, dropping the shovel and crouching down. He reached into the hole, hooked a finger around the black band and tugged gently. It didn't give any and Chris ran his finger along it as he looked back over his shoulder. "Come here. Check this out."
"What? You find buried treasure?" Lennox asked, trying not to sound too hopeful. Buried treasure would be a hell of a lot of stuff Chris might have actually found. Like bones or... something else creepy and disgusting.
Setting his shovel down carefully, he wiped the sweat out of his eyes and then headed over to where Chris was crouched in the dirt, then dropped down beside him. Resting his arms across his knees, Lennox frowned down into the hole, his forehead creased in confusion. "That's not buried treasure."
"No," Chris agreed, frowning in thought as he gave the cord another tug, followed it deeper into the dirt with his fingers. There was still no give on it, just kept going in either direction. "It's like a line of cable or something," he said, half to himself and half to Lennox. "Some kind of power line." Which really didn't make a whole lot of sense, but Chris really had no idea what else it could be.
"What?" Lennox asked again, his own frown deepening as he peered closer into the hole, finding the cord Chris was tugging on. "Lemme see," he murmured quietly, then tugged on it himself when Chris pulled back. It seemed to go on endlessly in either direction and it sure as hell wasn't something he'd just be able to pull out of the ground. "That's so weird, man. Since when do we have power lines? Hey, this is dangerous. We could've electrocuted ourselves or something."
Chris nodded in agreement, pulling back, though still crouched as he brushed the heel of his hand against his brow. The building crew had dug countless holes in the ground all over the Island and they'd never come across anything like this, but he couldn't deny what he was seeing and, until they had a better idea of what it actually was, he figured it was better if they played it safe and took a rest for the time being.
"Should probably get some other people to check this out," he decided, pushing himself up to his feet again, one hand resting on his side.
"Yeah," Lennox agreed, giving the cord one more tug before he got to his feet as well and nodded. "Last thing we want to do is electrocute ourselves."
"If that's even what it is," Chris replied because he still wasn't sure he was convinced. Still, if nothing else, it was a good excuse to stop for the day and he took a deep breath and tugged on the rim of his cap. "C'mon," he said, motioning back the way they'd come hours before. "See if we can find Duck or someone to take a look at it."