NOTE: I had to post it. I couldn't not post it after I promised I would. So before I flew out of the house I posted this. I hope you like it. Part 3 of chapter one on Friday okay. And I'll update everyone on my grandmother's emergency tomorrow

The lights temporarily blinded Katie. She could only barely make out the person who was attacking her best friend. But she knew what to do anyway. Instinctivly she ran toward the figure and power kicked it square between the legs. The resulting moan told her the aim was dead on.
"Thanks Katie." Jessica rubbed her arms in comfort and felt rage begin to churn inside.
Laying on the floor holding himself was Joe Shultz. Stock boy and ex-boyfriend. He was over six feet tall, wiry, with short dark brown hair and sharp blue eyes. He had a devlish sense of humor and was known for his evil steak. Much like herself, that's why he had appealed to her back when she was sixteen in highschool. She had been wary when they started working together but they were working out their issues. Remembering why they were friends in the first place. They'd once broken up because his mother hadn't approved of freaks like her influencing her son. Ha, who was the real freak here?
"What the hell were you thinking?" Katie could see just fine now, as she shook her head to clear the rest of the haze from her vision. She hadn't ever liked Joe, he'd always been far to high and mighty for her liking. She'd never agreed with Jessica trying to stick it out with someone who let his mother control his life. He'd messed up her and Jessica's friendship for awhile. That had made him below contempt. But it had been years. They worked together just fine now. They'd been getting along well. On the road to making friends between the three of them. This didn't make any sense.
With anger written on his features, Joe rose gingerly back to his feet."Why would you just kick someone in the crotch?"
"You bastard." Jessica shoved him back two steps. His anger brought out her own. "You just tried to kill me."
"What are you talking about?" Joe snarled. "I just worked my way up here in the dark to see if you were okay. I admit, I might have been trying to scare you by turning up in front of you like that."
"And then power bombed me into the office wall." Jessica cried out. Wincing slightly. Remembering it had hurt.
Joe shook his head jerkily. "I don't know what you're talking about. I just came down aisle ten and got as close to you as possible. I was going to say something but the lights came on. I expected to scare you, not get blasted in the balls."
"You've got to be kidding me." Katie raised a hand to her forehead. "Look around Joe, you're the only other person up here."
"And take a look at my arms. Finger marks." Jessica waved her right hand over her left arm. Deep red welts stood out starkly against the paleness of her skin. "You're caught. Admit it."
"I'm not admitting to something I didn't do." Joe stated. Backing up to lean on the metal shelving of the aisle he had walked out of.
"Well then, who did it?" Jessica asked. A chill once again curling up her spine. "Who could it have possibly been?"
"It could have been me." A husky voice came from the next aisle over. Devon Hurly stalked around the corner. Almost as tall as Joe with short curly white blonde hair and lighter blue eyes Devon practically sang the image of down home country boy. And he liked it that way. He had a tendency to be an asshole and it didn't bother him at all. Katie liked him. She couldn't even really explain why. "Whatever it was."
"Sure Devon." Katie sneered. "You couldn't have picked Jessica up if you'd wanted to."
"I could have picked her up." Devon replied. "I'm more muscle than your basic guy."
"And twice as retarded." Jessica quiped. "Besides, whether you picked me up or no. You would have had to have the momentum to toss me fifteen feet."
"What?" Devon looked over to Joe in awe. "I didn't realize you were packing that much strength in you."
"I didn't do it." Joe sighed. "But I could surprise you."
The lights flickered around them. Pulsing for a few seconds before returning to full brightness.
"What's with the electric?" Katie asked.
"No one's sure actually." Devon anwered. "They're all in the back standing around listening to Ross the Boss figure it out."
"What's it matter?" Katie said. She didn't usually talk to much. But Jessica was just glaring at Joe who was glowering at her in return. "Shouldn't we all be leaving. We've only got like an hour or so before lockdown."
"Yes, we should be leaving. So I can go far away from this idiot before I slaughter him." Jessica tossed her hair back. Joe held up his hands in a defensive gesture.
"Yeah, anyway." Devon said. "I'd hate to stuck her overnight. Something like a nightmare of mine actually."
As if on cue the lights once again flickered but this time didn't steady. Plunged back into darkness once again. They all laughed a little and abruptly fell silent. It would have been funny. It should have been.
But then, the obcenely loud call of the town sirens echoed around them. Three long horn bursts, meant to signal the lock down. A full sixty minutes early. The four of them turned to stare out of the three huge picture windows. The twilight sky of the town became cloudy. Thick purple smoke spiraled down from above. Turning everything in it's wake colors of violet and fushia. Making it hard to see past the beginning of the twentyfour car parking lot.
"Ummm." Katie began.
"This can't possibly be happening." Jessica just shook her head once. "And it can't be good."