Aaron leaned on Willy as they made their way to the cannery's main-floor store room. Rain drummed the metal roof high overhead, and multiple streams of water poured through gaps in the sheeting and splashed on the floor below.
Aaron winced as a stab of pain cut through the morphine. "I'm sorry I was an asshole earlier," he said. "I don't know what happened to me."
Willy had to agree with him. "You really were being a shit, you know."
Aaron smiled and leaned on Willy a bit more.
The store room was full of loaded duffel bags. Aaron ran his hand over one of them and then sat down on it to rest.
"Check the other bags," he said. "We're looking for the one with guns in it."
"Guns?"
"We're not in Kansas anymore, Toto."
One by one, Willy opened the bags. The first contained white painter's jumpsuits, others miscellaneous gear.
He found a bag full of cash and held the lantern high above it, using his free hand to wipe his glasses on his shirt. "Check it out," he said, excited.
"Guns, Willy," Aaron said. "We're looking for guns."
Willy reluctantly closed the money bag and continued searching.
He located the armory bag, reached in, and pulled out a shiny, black assault rifle. "Bloody hell, Aaron," he said, turning the weapon over in his hands. "You'd probably blow your damn willy off with one of these."
"Yeah — or yours," Aaron said. "Here, I'll take it… the ammo should be in the same bag."
Willy handed him the gun then found a loaded magazine.
"Now, pay attention," Aaron said, and Willy watched in amazement as his friend demonstrated proper loading technique.
– "… then insert the magazine into the slot below the trigger, here," Aaron continued, "and push it up from the bottom till it clicks. Give it a good smack to make sure it stays in, then yank on it to be sure." He showed Willy how to set the safety, then like a hardened soldier preparing for battle, slung the loaded rifle over his good shoulder.
"Okay… now do yours," he said.
Willy pulled another rifle from the sack and did as he had been instructed. Aaron showed him how to hold the gun and release the safety.
"Okay, there's one more thing we need to do," Aaron said.
Willy held Aaron's arm over his shoulders, and they made their way outside to the boiler house.
– "I remember this place," Willy said, adjusting the lantern's twin mantles for maximum light. "It's creepy in here. And it smells funny."
Aaron wrinkled his nose. "You're right, it does."
"Bring the light over here," Aaron said. "I helped Tom repair one of these once."
Willy held the lantern high. "So, what are we doing?"
Aaron located the boiler's valve cluster. "We're going to blow this place to hell."
Willy thought about that for a moment and decided it made sense.
Aaron reached in and turned the pressure regulator adjustment knob all the way up. Then he disabled the pressure relief valve with a wrap of wire. The needle on the steam-pressure gauge started to rise.
"That should do it," he said. "Let's get the heck out of here."