good idea,” Gabe said. “Let’s try that. Keys in it?”
Jerry opened the cab door and climbed up. The keys were hanging in the ignition. “Yep, the keys are here.”
“Okay, I’ll bring this thing over,” Gabe said. He got back behind the wheel as Terry pulled the jumper cables off and shut the hood. He drove over to the rig, nose to nose, and shut off the engine. Terry came over, pulled the hood open, and put the jumper cables on. Jerry pulled the hood release in the diesel rig, and Terry opened that. He found the battery, and put the jumper cables on it.
“Okay,” Terry said. “This thing got fuel in it?”
“Can’t tell,” Jerry said. “Hope so. Go ahead and start the SUV.”
Gabe fired up his engine, and revved it up. Jerry turned the starter on the diesel rig, and the starter motor spun. He cranked it for almost a minute. Nothing. Gabe let his engine idle.
“Let it sit for a minute, and try it again,” Charlie said. “You probably don’t have enough pressure behind the injectors yet. It might take a few tries.”
They waited, and then Jerry gave Gabe the thumbs up. He revved the engine, and Jerry hit the starter. It cranked for about twenty seconds, and then the engine started, spewing black smoke out of the exhaust pipes.
“Phew,” Terry said, laughing.
“Should have left that trap door open,” Jerry shouted over the noise, grinning.
“Hey, this thing has a jumper socket on the front bumper…look,” Gabe said as he got out of his SUV. “Look in the back of that rig…there’s probably a big jumper cable in there.”
Terry set Gabe’s jumper cables on the hood of the SUV and went back there. He found the large cable in a box along the passenger side of the truck bed.
“Here it is,” Terry said, smiling.
“Excellent,” Gabe said. He tossed his jumper cables in the back of his SUV, and backed it away from the diesel.
“Hope the tires on this diesel hold on the way over there,” Jerry said, out the window to Frank.
“It’ll probably be okay,” Frank said. “It’s been sitting here in the dark the whole time. They’re a little low on air, but I see a compressor over in the workshop area.”
Jerry put the truck into gear and drove it over by the generators. Then Terry brought up the jumper cable and plugged it into the receptacle on the bumper. Gabe picked up the other end of the cables and put them on the generator battery. Charlie pushed the generator button. The starting motor ran full speed this time. The generator started after about 20 seconds of grinding.
“Yahoooo! Gabe shouted. He unhooked the cables from the generator battery and then pulled it out of the bumper socket. “Hey Jerry, why don’t you move that truck outside and let it idle for a while. Maybe the battery is still good enough to charge up.”
“Yeah, sounds good. He slowly backed up, and then drove out of the barn and down the road about fifteen yards.
“Let’s see if the lights work,” Frank said. He walked over to the switch by the door and hit it. Several rows of fluorescent lights turned on.
“What about the other generator?” Jerry asked as he walked back in.
“The fuel system needs to be gone through on that one. There’s gel. I suspect that was the backup generator, and it didn’t get run very often. Might have been sitting there for years before the park closed.”
“Hey, guys!” Jeb shouted. He was standing where the tow truck was, looking down at the floor. “Take a look at this.”
The men ran over and looked. There was a large trap door in the floor, with a flush handle.
“Should I?” Jeb asked, squatting down.
“What do you mean ‘should I’? Pull that sucker open,” Gabe said, laughing.
Jeb pulled on the handle and the door opened up. He laid it all the way back. There was a light switch on the side of the door frame. He turned it on, and a glow came out the opening.
“Holy shit,” Gabe said. The others just stood there looking in.
Chapter 5 – The
Jerry opened the cab door and climbed up. The keys were hanging in the ignition. “Yep, the keys are here.”
“Okay, I’ll bring this thing over,” Gabe said. He got back behind the wheel as Terry pulled the jumper cables off and shut the hood. He drove over to the rig, nose to nose, and shut off the engine. Terry came over, pulled the hood open, and put the jumper cables on. Jerry pulled the hood release in the diesel rig, and Terry opened that. He found the battery, and put the jumper cables on it.
“Okay,” Terry said. “This thing got fuel in it?”
“Can’t tell,” Jerry said. “Hope so. Go ahead and start the SUV.”
Gabe fired up his engine, and revved it up. Jerry turned the starter on the diesel rig, and the starter motor spun. He cranked it for almost a minute. Nothing. Gabe let his engine idle.
“Let it sit for a minute, and try it again,” Charlie said. “You probably don’t have enough pressure behind the injectors yet. It might take a few tries.”
They waited, and then Jerry gave Gabe the thumbs up. He revved the engine, and Jerry hit the starter. It cranked for about twenty seconds, and then the engine started, spewing black smoke out of the exhaust pipes.
“Phew,” Terry said, laughing.
“Should have left that trap door open,” Jerry shouted over the noise, grinning.
“Hey, this thing has a jumper socket on the front bumper…look,” Gabe said as he got out of his SUV. “Look in the back of that rig…there’s probably a big jumper cable in there.”
Terry set Gabe’s jumper cables on the hood of the SUV and went back there. He found the large cable in a box along the passenger side of the truck bed.
“Here it is,” Terry said, smiling.
“Excellent,” Gabe said. He tossed his jumper cables in the back of his SUV, and backed it away from the diesel.
“Hope the tires on this diesel hold on the way over there,” Jerry said, out the window to Frank.
“It’ll probably be okay,” Frank said. “It’s been sitting here in the dark the whole time. They’re a little low on air, but I see a compressor over in the workshop area.”
Jerry put the truck into gear and drove it over by the generators. Then Terry brought up the jumper cable and plugged it into the receptacle on the bumper. Gabe picked up the other end of the cables and put them on the generator battery. Charlie pushed the generator button. The starting motor ran full speed this time. The generator started after about 20 seconds of grinding.
“Yahoooo! Gabe shouted. He unhooked the cables from the generator battery and then pulled it out of the bumper socket. “Hey Jerry, why don’t you move that truck outside and let it idle for a while. Maybe the battery is still good enough to charge up.”
“Yeah, sounds good. He slowly backed up, and then drove out of the barn and down the road about fifteen yards.
“Let’s see if the lights work,” Frank said. He walked over to the switch by the door and hit it. Several rows of fluorescent lights turned on.
“What about the other generator?” Jerry asked as he walked back in.
“The fuel system needs to be gone through on that one. There’s gel. I suspect that was the backup generator, and it didn’t get run very often. Might have been sitting there for years before the park closed.”
“Hey, guys!” Jeb shouted. He was standing where the tow truck was, looking down at the floor. “Take a look at this.”
The men ran over and looked. There was a large trap door in the floor, with a flush handle.
“Should I?” Jeb asked, squatting down.
“What do you mean ‘should I’? Pull that sucker open,” Gabe said, laughing.
Jeb pulled on the handle and the door opened up. He laid it all the way back. There was a light switch on the side of the door frame. He turned it on, and a glow came out the opening.
“Holy shit,” Gabe said. The others just stood there looking in.
Chapter 5 – The
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