As the Light Dies (19 page)

Collin told them what had happened as quickly as he could literally running out of breath as he did. When he finished Andy looked at Thom and asked him to run and get the spare jackets and gloves from the management store and meet him and Collin at the front doors in five. Thom nodded and took off.

Andy said to Maggie
,“
W
e’
ll go over and check it out and see wha
t’
s happening. W
e’
ll take our radios to keep in touch but I do
n’
t know how long the
y’
ll work once were out there, i
t’
s almost like everything that comes in to contact with the ash just gives up
.
Go
d
knows how long the emergency generator will hold out. I
t’
s shutting everything down, damn stuff gets everywhere
.
”

Maggie nodded
,“
Ok
,”
she said, and Andy nodded towards the wounded driver
,“
Wha
t’
s happening with this guy
?
”

Maggie told him the story how he badly cut his hand and that sh
e’
d called the hospital and the
y’
d said they were swamped with calls and that the ambulance was going to take anything from two hours or more. Probably more!

Andy thought for a moment
.“
O
k”
, he said
,“
well whatever you do one of you two
,”
he nodded at Leann
,“
need to get to a till and start cranking through the customers
.
”

“I’
m quite capable of arranging this situation Andy
,”
Maggie quipped.

”
Yea yea. Sure.
I’
m just saying. Keep an ear out for your radio ok but remember they might stop working
.”
He turned to Collin but then looked back and asked Maggie
,“
Wh
o’
s on shift over there
?”
Maggie frowned for a second thinking then shook her head
.“I’
m not sure, there was a shift change and I do
n’
t know who went over
!
”

Andy nodded and turned to Collin
,“
Ok Collin, le
t’
s go
.
”

Collin followed And
y’
s quick trot along the corridor and out on to the shop floor. It was
n’
t as packed out as it was earlier but it was still busy, and just as loud as people complained about how long they were having to wait, and Collin was sure he could feel a bad atmosphere in the air.

He had
n’
t noticed it earlier. Sure people had been worried earlier, but this was different, they were on edge, angry even! People stared at them as they passed approaching the main doors and Thom came running up behind them with two spare freezer jackets and a bundle of dust masks. He threw a jacket to Andy who pulled it on quickly and then the gloves still walking. As they started pulling on their dust masks Thom asked Andy
,“
What exactly are we doing going out there Andy
?
”

“
W
e’
re going to check on the petrol station after what Collin heard, and w
e’
ll take it from there
.
”
“
Ca
n’
t we just call over on the phone
?
”

“
If they worked I would
!
”

“
Oh
,”
said Thom
,“
I forgot
.
”

As they reached the busy main doors Andy looked at Collin
,“
Ready
?
”

“
Yea
.
”

Then he looked at Thom and Thom nodded.

“
Ok then le
t’
s go. Stay close at all times guys, I do
n’
t think w
e’
ll be able to see very far out there and I do
n’
t want us getting separated ok
.
”

Thom and Collin both nodded.

Jimmy was standing guard. Andy asked as they passed by if h
e’
d had much trouble.

“
Oh aye. Plenty
,
”
he said
,“
and I can see me needing help before too long, so make your picnic a quick one
.
”

“
We will
,”
said Andy
,“
yo
u’
ll have an extra pair of hands as soon as were back ok
.
”

“Aye, aye o
k
,”
said Jimmy with a nod, and they left.

The front doors had stopped working with the power playing up so Jimmy had jammed them open just wide enough for one person to get through at a time with their shopping.

Good idea
,
thought Andy knowing that it would slow down any opportunists
.
At least until they break the glass that is
,
he thought.

Andy went out first followed by Thom and then Collin. Andy had
n’
t been wrong about the weather. Down in the loading bay Collin had been enclosed and semi protected but now he was out in the open and the wind buffeted him with all its force, and it was strong. He felt like he was being shot- blasted by ashy snow as he followed the other two through the car park weaving between the cars, with their heads buried deep in to their collars as the elements battered them, and for once Collin felt like the lucky one wearing the fluorescent waterproof trousers as well as the jacket. Even though they did
n’
t fit by a mile, they were slightly better at deflecting the wind than the fabric jackets from the freezer that Andy and Thom had, plus they were waterproof.

As they weaved through the parked cars people weaved around them seeming to come out of nowhere making their way to or from the supermarket. Collin kept butting shoulders with people, he tried to look up, trying to see the people to avoid them but the weather soon forced his head back down again. He said sorry as he butted more shoulders but doubted anyone heard him, he could
n’
t hear them. They trudged on weaving through the busy car park stepping over abandoned shopping baskets dumped in the snow and bumped in to the odd shopping trolley.

Collin hoped that everything was going to be ok when they got there, he almost felt responsible, he wondered why he had
n’
t he gone over to see if he could help like Mad Maggie said.

I’m useless
,
he thought. Suddenly an engine revved and a pair of headlights blinked on and rushed towards from the right them blinding them with the glare.

“WATCH OUT!”
yelled Andy. The others realised what was happening and scattered, jumping in all directions as a jacked up 4x4 sped towards them.

The driver slammed on the brakes and skidded to a stop narrowly missing Andy and the 4x4 stalled. The driver sounded his horn, holding it down for far too long as Thom slid off the bonnet of the car he landed on and stood in front of the jeep shaking. If Andy had
n’
t shouted h
e’
d have been flattened. They all woul
d’
ve been!

Collin was helped up by a woman on the passenger side of the 4x4 who was packing one of the cars he landed between jarring his elbow!

Andy stood up on the drive
r’
s side of the 4x4 rubbing his hip. H
e’
d crash landed on a stray shopping trolley. He looked down at his feet; they were just inches from the chunky tyres!

“
Wo
o
,
fucking hell man!”
said Andy a little shaken
.“
You nearly ran us over. Slow down a bit buddy
.”
The driver lowered his window and looked at Andy. He was a big guy. He was practically overflowing from the confines of his driving seat. He had a full facial beard, it was grey and thick and frizzy. He leaned towards Andy out of his window and stared at him with beady little eyes.

“
You need to look where yo
u’
r
e
fuckin
g
walking. You aint my buddy and you wanna watch your mouth you little prick or being run over will be the least of your worries you mouthy little...
.
”

“
Yea, yea whatever
,”
said Andy cutting him off. He could see Collin and Thom coming round to join him both still in one piece. Seeing they were ok he was
n’
t about to waste any more time with this guy, he was
n’
t worth getting worked up over
.“
You both ok
?”
he asked. They both said they were.

“
Ok,
c’
mon guys
,”
he said
,“
le
t’
s go
.”
He turned on his heels and led on, ignoring the driver as he bellowed after them hollering abuse at them.

“
Tha
t’
s right. Walk away you prick.
I’
ll put you all in the fucking ground if tha
t’
s what you want! All three of you, you...
.
”

They kept on walking not looking back infuriating the guy further. He leaned back in to his seat and thumped the top of the dashboard still cursing, while the guys ignored him and disappeared through the ash.

They heard him trying to start his jeep behind them, he was
n’
t having any luck, it would
n’
t start.

He tried again, and again with no luck. He slammed his steering wheel and yelled
,“C’
mon you piece of shit
!’
and then he launched in to a tirade of abuse at his 4x4, it still did
n’
t start.

“
Not so fast now is he
,”
said Andy as they kept on walking.

Eventually they came to a knee high fence. It was a short fence enclosing the car park meaning they were about to cross the entry and exit to the supermarket, they all knew the petrol station was somewhere opposite them literally feet away but none of them could see a single trace of it.

“
Be careful crossing guys
,”
said Andy
,“
we do
n’
t want a repeat of back there
.
”

Then almost as if on cue a slow moving car simply appeared through the dirty snow right in front of them and passed by them heading in to the car park. It did
n’
t sound healthy. It coughed and stuttered and backfired as it passed them.

“
More happy customers
,”
said Andy and he led on.

The car disappeared out of sight, backfired and stalled.

“
The ash is starting to kill the cars
,”
said Andy
,“
just like in Norway. The supermarket genie is
n’
t gonna last much longer, and tha
t’
s if i
t’
s even still running
.
”

They took half a dozen paces and Andy stopped and said
,“
Ok, here we are
.
”

“
Eh!”
said Thom looking around not seeing anything.

A moment later after a few more steps they found themselves standing beside an abandoned car with the fuel hose still hooked in the filler cap.

A shiver ran down Colli
n’
s spine it was a spooky sight, especially remembering what h
e’
d heard earlier. They moved along to the next car, this one was still hooked up to the pumps as well.