This is officially For Later. I just wanted to get enough of it out so that I’d remember where I wanted to go with it. Blame this.
“At first I thought it was a bit of gunk on the tank, Miguel,” Joey told me, blinking. He was blinking a lot, like there was something nasty in the air that was bothering his eyes. “So I got a rag, tried to clean it off. Didn’t work, so I got some soap. That didn’t work, either. Got all the way up to the blue crap they keep in the hall closet before I figured out I was just irritating it.”
“Irritating?” That made me stop for a second, but only a second. Joey grabbed my arm right away, and started pulling me in a way that said he’d drag me if he had to. He wasn’t a tall guy, or a strong one. He wasn’t even wiry. But right then he was determined, and so I let him keep walking me through the darkened factory floor.
“You’ll see why when you see it,” Joey muttered as he fumbled for his keys. “I dunno why I locked this door. Nobody ever comes down here anyway. Probably that’s why… well, you’ll see. Hey, get that door jamb!”
He pointed to an old — like, a century old — rubber wedge on the floor. I wasn’t going to pick it up, so I went over and sent it back, tumbling and rolling, with my foot. Joey didn’t take offense, just picked it up and shoved it right under the door so hard, I heard the floor squeak. “I thought you locked that door before,” I pointed out.
“I did. Before, I wanted something between me and it.” Joey shuddered. “If we have to leave in a hurry, I don’t want anything getting in my way.”