Carrie Chapter Sixteen

Some of the common fig treehts whiff out. There was a dazzling flash somewhere as a live power electric cord hit a puddle of water. There were change thumps in her mind as circuit breaker went into hopeless operation. The boy who had been h obso permiteing the mike understructure fell over on ace of his amps and in that location was an outburst of purple sparks and because the crepe hit that faced the stage was burning. just now below the thr hotshots, a live 220-volt electricity cable was crackling on the floor and beside it Rhonda Simard was doing a crazed puppet trip the light fantastic toe in her green tulle formal. Its full skirt wholly told of a sudden blazed into flame and she fell forward, still jerking.It might confirm been at that moment that Carrie went over the edge. She leaned against the doors, her face pumping wildly, yet her body as cold as scratch cubes. Her face was livid, hardly dull red pyrexia spots stood on each cheek. Her head throbbed thick ly, and sure fancy was lost.She reeled away from the doors, still holding them shut, doing it without thought or plan. Inside the lift was brightening and she realized p eachidly that the mural must have caught on combustion.She collapsed on the top step and put her head gloomy on her knees, trying to slow her breathing. They were trying to win out the doors again, only when she held them shut easilythat al bingle was no strain. Some obscure sense told her that a a couple of(prenominal) were consumeting out the blaze doors, but permit them. She would get them later. She would get all of them. Every inhabit one.She went down the stairs slowly and out the seem doors, still holding the gymnasium doors closed. It was easy. All you had to do was see them in your mind.The town whistle went eat up suddenly, making her scream and put her hands in front of her face(the whistle its just the dissolve whistle)for a moment. Her minds eye lost sight of the gymnasium doors and so me of them almost got out. No, no. Naughty. She slammed them shut again, sensing somebodys fingers-it felt desire Dale Norbert in the jamb and severing one of them.She began to reel crossways the lawn again, a s political machineecrow fig= with bulging eyes, toward Main Street. On her right was dowtown the plane office monetary fund, the Kelly Fruit, the beauty parlour and barbershop, gas stations, guard station, fire station(theyll put out my fire)But they wouldnt. She began to titter and it was an insane sound triumphant, lost, victorious, terrified. She came to the number 1 hydrant and act to twist the huge painted lug fruitcake on the side.(ohuh)It was heavy. It was very heavy. Metal twisted skin to balk here. Didnt matter.She twisted harder and felt it give. Then the opposite side. Then the top. Then she twisted all lead at once, standing back, and they unscrewed in a flash. piss set off outward and upwards, one of the lug nuts flying five feet in front of he r at suicidal speed, It hit the street, caromed graduate(prenominal) into the air, and was gone. Water gushed with sporty pressure in a cruciform pattern.Smiling, staggering, her heart beating at over two one hundred per minute, she began to to walk down toward great deal Plaza. She was unaware that she was scour her line of businessied hands against her dress like Lady Macbeth, or that she was weeping even as she laughed, or that one hidden part of her mind was keening over her final and utter ruin.Bemuse she was going to take them with her, and in that respect was going to be a great burning, until the pull down was full of its stink.She opened the hydrant at Grass Plaza, and then(prenominal) began to walk down to Teddys Amoco. It happened to be the first gas station she came to, but it was not the finaleFrom the sworn testimony of Sheriff Otis Doyle, taken beforehand The State Investigatory Board of Maine (from The White military commission Report), pp. 29-31Q. Sheri ff, where were you on the night of May twentyseventh?A. I was on Route 179, have intercoursen as Old Bentown Road, examine an automobile misadventure. This was genuinely over the Chamberlain town landmark and into Durham, but I was assisting Mel Crager, who is the Durham constable.Q. When were you first aware that trouble had broken out at Ewen lavishly School?A. I received a radio receiver transmission from officeholder Jacob Plessy at 1021.Q. What was the record of the radio call?A. Officer Plessy verbalize at that place was trouble at the school, but he didnt know if it was serious or not. There was a component part of shouting going on, he said, and someone had pulled a couple of fire alarms. he said He was going over to try and determine the genius of the trouble.Q. Did he prescribe the school was on fire?A. No, sir.Q. Did you ask him to report back to you?A. I did.Q. Did Officer Plessy report back?A. No. He was killed in the subsequent explosion of Teddys Amoco g as station on the corner of Main and Summer.Q. When did you next have a radio communication concerning Chamberlain?A. At 1042. I was at that time returning to Chamberlain with a rummy in the back of my car a inebriated driver. As I have said, the case was actually in Mel Cragers town, but Durham has no jail. When I got him to Chamberlain, we didnt have much of one, either.Q. What communication did you receive at 10.42?A. I got a call from the State police that had been relayed from the Motton Fire Department The State Police newbie said there was a fire and an seeming(a) riot at Ewen High School, and a presumptive explosion. No one was sure of whatsoeverthing at that time. Remember, it all happened in a space of forty minutes.Q. We fancy that Sheriff. What happened then?A. I drove back to Chamberlain with enchantress and flasher. I was trying to raise Jake Plessy and not having both luck. Thats when Tom Quillan came on and started to babble about the unanimous town going u p in flames and no water.Q. Do you know what time that was?A. Yes, sir. I was holding a record by then. It was 10.58.Q. Quillan, claims the Amoco station explode at 1100.A. Id take the average, sir. Call it 1059.Q. At what time did you arrive in Chamberlain?A. At 11 10 P.M.Q. What was your immediate impression upon arriving, Sheriff Doyle?A. I was stunned. I couldnt see what I was visual perception.Q. What exactly were you seeing?A. The entire upper half of the towns business section was burning. The Amoco station was gone. Woolworths was nothing but a blatant frame. The fire had spread to three woodwind instrumenten store fronts next to that Duffys Bar and Grille, The Kelly Fruit Company, and the billiard parlour. The lovingness was ferocious. Sparks were flying on to the roofs of The Maitland Real Estate fashion and Doug Branns Western Auto Store. Fire trucks were coming in, but they could do very little. Every fire hydrant on that side of the street was stripped. The only t racks doing any business at all were two old volunteer fire department pumpers from Westover. and about all they could do was wet the roofs of the surrounding buildings. And of course the high school. It was just gone. Of course its fairly isolated-nothing close copious to it to burn but my God, all those kids inside all those kids Q. Did you meet Susan Snell upon entering town?A. Yes, sir. She flagged me down.Q. What time was this?A. Just as I entered 1112, no later.Q. What did she say?A. She was distraught. Shed been in a minor car accident skidding and she was barely making sense. She asked me if Tommy was dead. I asked her who Tommy was, but she didnt answer. She asked me if we had caught Carrie yet.Q. The perpetration is extremely interested in this part of your testimony, Sheriff Doyle.A. Yes, sir, I know that.Q. How did you respool to her question?A. Well, theres only one Carrie in town as far as I know, and thats Margaret Whites daughter. I asked her if Carrie had so mething to do with the fires. Miss Snell told me Carrie had make it. Those were her words. Carrie did it. Carrie did it. She said it twice.Q. Did she say anything else?A. Yes, sir. She said Theyve hurt Carrie for the final stage time.Q. Sheriff, are you sure she didnt say Weve hurt Carrie for the locomote time?A. I am quite sure.Q. ar you positive? oneness hundred per cent?A. Sir, the town was burning around our heads. IQ. Had she been drinking?A. I beg pardon?Q. Had she been drinking? You said she had been winding in a car smash.A. I believe I said a minor skidding accident.Q. And you cant be sure she didnt say we instead Of they?A. I deduct she might have, butQ. What did Miss Snell do then?A. She burst into tears. I slapped her.Q. Why did you do that?A. She seemed hysterical.Q. Did she fluent eventually?A. Yes, sir. She quieted down and got control of herself pretty well, in light of the fact that her boy friend was belike dead.Q. Did you interrogate her?A. Well, not the way youd interrogate a criminal, if thats what you mean. I asked her if she knew anything about what had happened. She repeated what she had already said, but in a calmer way. I asked her where she had been when the trouble began, and she told me that she had been at home.Q. Did you interrogate her further?A. No, sir.Q. Did she say anything else to you?A. Yes, sir. She asked me begged me to find Carrie White.Q. What was your reception to that?A. I told her to go home.Q. Thank you, Sheriff Doyle.Vic Mooney lurched out of the shadows well-nigh the Bankers Trust drive-in office with a grinning on his face. It was a huge and awful grin, a Cheshire cat grin, floating dreamily in the fireshot apparition like a trace memory of lunacy. His hair, carefully slicked down for this emcee duties, was now sticky up in a crows nest. Tiny drops of blood were branded across his forehead from some unremembered illume in his mad flight from the Spring Ball. One eye was swelled purple and screw ed shut. He walked into Sheriff Doyles team car, bounced back like a pool ball, and grinned in at the drunk driver dozing in the back, then he turned to Doyle, who had just finished with challenge Snell. The fire cast wavering shadows of light across everything, turning the world into the maroon tones of dried blood.As Doyle turned, Vic Mooney loted him. He clutched Doyle as an amorous swam might clutch his lady in a hug dance. He clutched Doyle with both arms and squeezed him, all the while goggling upward into Doyles face with his great crazed grin.Vic- Doyle began.She pulled all the plugs, Vic said lightly,Pulled all the plugs and turned on the water and buzz, buzz, buzz.Vic-We cant let em. Oh no. NoNoNo. We cant. Carrie pulled all the plugs. Rhonda Simard burnt up. Oh Jeeeeeeeeeesuuuuuuuuusss-Doyle slapped him twice, calloused treat cracking flatly on the boys face. The scream died with solemn suddenness, but the grin remained, like an echo of evil. It was gratis(p) and ter rible.What happened? Doyle said roughly. What happened at the school?Carrie, Vic Muttered. Carrie happened at the school. She. . .He trailed of and grinned at the ground.Doyle gave him three brisk shakes. Vics teeth clicked together like castanets.What about Carrie?Queen of the Prom, Vic muttered. They dumped blood on her and Tommy.What-It was 11 15. Tonys Citgo on Summer Street suddenly exploded with a great, coughing roar. The street went daylight that make them both stagger back against the police car and shield their eyes. A huge, oily cloud of fire climbed over the elms in Courthouse Park, lighting the duck pond and the Little League diamond in scarlet. Amid the athirst(p) crackling roar that followed Doyle could hear glass and wood and hunks of gas-station cinderblock rattling back to earth. A secondary explosion followed, making them wince again. He still couldnt get it straight(my town this is happening in my town)