The Day Will Come Read Online Free

to the side.
    “Over here!” a man yelled. He was about Lenny’s size, and between the two of us we got the chair above our heads. “We can throw it over the rest of these folks!”
    “Count of three,” I yelled back.
    He counted and we pushed, heaving the chair over the crowd. I heard the chair crash and hoped we’d cleared the people.
    The man nodded and we were swept along with the tide rushing down the stairs. I had no chance to look again for Nick, and had completely lost Lenny and Lucy in the throng.
    The lobby wasn’t as chaotic as I expected, with security staff strategically placed and shouting directions toward the outside doors. The exit signs shined brightly, and we headed toward them as a herd of cows rush toward their evening feeding.
    A final burst of panic sent my pack of concert-goers through the front doors into the night, and the cold breeze blew a surge of energy into my bones. I scrambled away, not stopping until I’d cleared the crowd, which reached out into South Street and down the sidewalk. Cop cars were parked haphazardly on the sidewalk, lights flashing on the surrounding buildings. Police officers, firefighters, and various others attempted to funnel the crowd down the street, probably toward that parking lot Fred the beer drinker had steered the Hogs toward before the concert. Anywhere to get us away from the building in case it really was going to blow.
    Some people huddled together, their fear turning toward excitement at the thrill of the threat. I wasn’t there yet.
    I scanned the crowd, trying to spot Nick or Lenny’s red hair, but between the flashing lights, milling crowd, and darkness I became disoriented.
    “Please move along, ma’am,” an officer said crisply. His uniform was pressed and clean, and he looked about the age of Zach, my fourteen-year-old farm helper.
    “I’m looking for my friends,” I said.
    “We’re sending everyone down the street to the parking lot. You can rendezvous with them there.”
    Rendezvous. Great.
    “My friend’s sick, and he’s trapped in there.”
    “We’ll find him, ma’am. We’ve got technicians and officers headed in as we speak.”
    I couldn’t claim I was either of those, and seeing how he looked ready to nudge me on down the road, I turned away.
    The wind whipped around me again, making me shiver, so I zipped up my coat and crossed my arms over my chest as I trudged down the street with the straggly group. I kept my head up and my eyes moving in case I saw Nick, but had no luck. I hated leaving him behind, but knew that sharp-eyed cop would catch me if I tried to sneak back.
    The parking lot was full of cars and displaced concert-goers, and several car alarms shrieked, most likely from being bumped by someone trying to find a place to stand. I walked as quickly as I could through the lot, hoping for a glimpse of a familiar face. I was rounding a corner when a large woman barreled into me, sending me onto the seat of a Fat Boy.
    “Whoa, watch it, sister.” A man in a leather skull cap hustled up to the bike. The same guy who’d stopped to ask Fred where to park before the concert.
    I pushed myself off the bike and rubbed my side where I’d smacked the crash bar. “Sorry. Got shoved.”
    He didn’t answer, but fussed over the bike like I’d gone after it with a mallet.
    “Look okay?” I asked.
    He started, apparently forgetting about me already. “Yeah. Yeah, everything looks fine.”
    “Good. Hey, you haven’t seen a guy, real big, lots of red hair?”
    He shook his head. “You lose your people?”
    “Got separated in the club. Can’t find them out here.”
    “Hmm.” He pursed his lips and studied me, taking in my leather jacket and motorcycle boots. I guess I passed the test, because he shouted, “Hey, Loader!”
    A man about the width of the Fat Boy waddled over to skull cap man. His expression was flat, his eyes dull.
    “This here lady lost her folks,” the guy in the skull cap said. “Give her a hand up