Page 35 of The Smart Killer (High Peaks Murder, Mystery and Crime Thrillers #4)
The night air was tense as Ray, clad in the SWAT team gear of the High Peaks Police Department, joined the seasoned officers in front of Big G’s bowling alley. He could feel the collective adrenaline pulsating through the team, their eyes focused and their movements deliberate.
Ray stole a glance at his comrades in the back of the truck, faces obscured by tactical masks and helmets, their silhouettes defined by the dim glow of streetlights shining into the truck.
The SWAT vehicle rolled to a stop, its engine grumbling into silence. As the team disembarked, a disconcerting quiet enveloped the area. The usual bustling energy of the bowling alley’s parking lot was replaced by an eerie silence, broken only by the distant hum of the city.
The neon lights that usually adorned the facade of Big G’s were absent, casting the building into darkness. There were no raucous teens milling about, no sounds of laughter echoing through the night. The only signs of life were the dim lights flickering from within.
Ray’s senses heightened as they approached the entrance.
Two vehicles sat solitary in the vacant lot, their emptiness echoing the void in Ray’s gut.
The team advanced cautiously, M4s raised and ready.
The air thickened with anticipation; the only sounds were the distant whispers of the wind and rustling of leaves.
The battering ram crashed into the doors with a swift, calculated motion. The metallic boom reverberated through the quiet night as the SWAT team surged into the building, a symphony of footsteps and clinking gear. The neon-lit interior revealed itself as the team fanned out, weapons poised.
“Clear!” echoed through the cavernous space, room after room, a chorus of confirmation in the face of uncertainty.
Ray followed the team, his breath syncopated with the rhythm of their movements. A hushed voice cut through the air as he approached the back office. “Ray, over here.”
His heart pounded as he jogged toward the beckoning voice, lifting the tactical goggles from his eyes.
In the dim glow, he discovered Gavin slumped lifelessly in an office chair, a single, haunting entry wound on his forehead.
Nearby, Zeke lay on the floor, a mirror image of death etched on his face.
Reality hit Ray like a punch in the gut. Someone had betrayed them, extinguishing the lives of those they could have flipped to go higher up the chain. The room seemed to close in on him as he processed the grim scene, the weight of the situation settling heavy.
The crackle of his radio cut through the air, a distorted lifeline from Team B; his expression was tense as he pressed the button on his headset, responding, “Go ahead.”
“It’s up in smoke,” the voice on the other end relayed, urgency tinging every syllable.
Ray cocked his head, the weight of what he was hearing sinking in. “Repeat that,” he said, his voice steady despite the turmoil brewing in his gut and the noise of SWAT around him.
“The house. It’s on fire,” came the ominous reply.
As Ray stepped out of the back office, a surreal scene unfolded.
The once-controlled chaos of the SWAT operation now spiraled into uncertainty.
Across the bowling lanes, a voice cut through the disarray.
“Call for the bomb squad!” The words hung in the air, a stark realization that the situation had escalated beyond their expectations.
Before Ray could issue further instructions, the building shuddered with a deafening explosion, followed closely by another. The shock waves rippled through the structure, causing dust to dance in the air.
“Get out!” Ray’s command pierced the comms unit, a desperate plea for his team’s safety. The SWAT members approached the main doors one by one, navigating the disorienting haze of smoke and debris.
Ray, undeterred by the chaos, ran across the room.
Amid the echoing explosions and falling chunks of the ceiling, he reached a SWAT officer who had been blown back by the force of the first blast. With a surge of adrenaline, Ray grabbed the unconscious officer by the collar, his movements urgent.
The ceiling rained down on them as he struggled to drag his fallen comrade to safety.
As the pressure intensified, another officer appeared at Ray’s side, silently acknowledging the unspoken bond between them in the face of danger.
Together, they pulled the injured officer through the tumult, escaping the maw of the building as the air quivered with the force of yet another explosion.
Ray coughed hard, backing away, looking on as Big G’s crumbled.
Once filled with anticipation and promise, the night now crackled with the acrid scent of destruction.