Tremor: If your world was falling apart, how far would you go to save it? (The Tremor Cycle) (8 page)

They couldn’t let Jim’s death put a halt to their mission. They couldn’t give in. Althea’s grandfather had never given in, even when he’d lost his daughter; he’d carried on for Althea and Ori. William would help Althea take care of Ori, and he would carry on with the mission, because maybe his mother still had a chance at life.

And so, with this in mind, he decided to break the silence. ‘What do we do now? Curfew’s going to hit soon.’ He gently pulled a blanket over Jim.

‘Burn it down,’ Althea muttered.

William frowned. Did he hear her right? ‘What, I don’t get you?’

‘Burn the house to the ground. No one lives on either side and it’ll draw in the Peace Enforcers so there’ll be less chance of us bumping into one on the streets,’ replied Althea. ‘We aren’t going to come back here. Once we’ve found your mum, we’ll go to the coast. Dad said it was a much better place. He went there to find plants months ago, just before, well, you know, and when he got back he told us it was as green as before the war. Kentvale’s done for, and I think Terrafall knows it. The food isn’t going to last much longer.’

‘B–but…’

Althea’s inner strength had returned. ‘No buts, we have to do this. Ori, pack a bag, fill it with stuff you’d take if we were going on a camping trip. Food, bandages, medicine, clothes, you get the idea,’ said Althea, standing up and straightening her grey cardigan. ‘I’ll get my plated gloves and dad’s crossbow.’

‘Weapons, what the hell?’ said William, grabbing Althea’s arm. ‘I know your grandad’s just passed, but seriously Alfie, we need to do this carefully. We can’t draw attention to ourselves.’

‘We will be careful, but if anyone spots us I want to make sure they don’t call for help. And I want to be armed when we meet this Ichabod again, because I still don’t trust him, Will.’ Althea walked out of the room, calling behind her, ‘We’ll set off for the Lame Mare in ten minutes.’

‘There’s no point in arguing Will,’ said Ori, kissing his grandfather through the sheet. ‘Bye Grandad, keep gardening up there.’ He wiped his tears away and followed Althea out of the room.

William stood with his mouth half open. He knew he couldn’t change her mind once she’d decided on something, but using weapons and starting fires could lead to someone getting seriously hurt. However, he had to remember that this was Althea, and her way of dealing with trauma usually involved an angry outburst and violence. And to be honest, she was right – Kentvale was beyond help.

He quickly grabbed a trowel from a collection of tools that sat on the mantelpiece, lifted up the sheet and placed it in Jim’s hands, carefully covering him back over. He really had gone to a better place. Any place was probably better than Earth right now. He left the room, wiping a tear away.

‘Are we ready then?’ asked Althea, pulling on her gloves, the metal plates covering her knuckles rusted and lethal-looking. She swung her crossbow over her shoulder and attached a quiver of arrows to her belt. ‘Got everything? Shoes, coats, bags?’

William nodded.

‘Good. Let’s go.’ She piled up some papers and wood, lit a match, and balanced it above on the edge of the stove, which she turned on to let what little gas remained escape.

‘Goodbye,’ Ori whispered, slamming the door behind them, causing the match to fall into the papers.

They ran through the streets, not looking back. William knew it wouldn’t be long before the whole neighbourhood was filled with Peace Enforcers – the fire and smoke would see to that. The sooner they got across the river Kent, the better. They’d still be at risk on the other side, but the Peace Enforcers rarely ventured there. It was where all the criminals hid, and where people turned into drunken babbling crackpots.

When they reached the bridge, William dared to take a glimpse over his shoulder. A fireball exploded into the air, illuminating the dark corners of the town. ‘I guess that’s it.’ He sucked in a quick gulp of air. ‘We’re really leaving,’ he said, looking up at the smoke curling into the sky before carrying on over the unstable bridge.

A scrawny, blotchy-faced teenager blocked their path halfway across, his muck-ridden cape giving him the appearance of a bat. ‘What have we here then, something for me to play with?’ he said, snickering, teeth protruding from his mouth.

‘It’s not curfew, we have a right to be out,’ said Althea, eyes narrowing. ‘I don’t have time for this, and I’m really not in the mood.’

‘He’s going to get it, she’s upset,’ whispered Ori, poking William in the ribs and grabbing his hand nervously.

‘Well, this is my bridge, I’m not a Peace Enforcer and really don’t care much about the laws. All I want is some fun,’ he spat, pulling out a frighteningly large club. ‘The girl’s pretty…’

Althea clenched her fists, the rusty plates of her gloves creaking. ‘You asked for this,’ she said, shaking her head. ‘Dirt bag.’ She punched him square in the face, knocking him into the soupy water below.

William raised his eyebrows.

‘Totally shouldn’t have said that to her,’ Ori remarked, moving forward once more.

Althea didn’t take anybody’s abuse when she was angry, and given that she’d just lost her grandfather, and found out her parents had been abducted before they’d been murdered, it was probably fair play.

He glimpsed over the side of the bridge. The teenager clung to a broken pier, looking completely dazed and confused. He shouted, but no help came, and it probably wouldn’t… only the very desperate would cross the bridge so close to curfew. William looked away.

‘Let’s keep moving,’ said Althea, voice remaining in a low tone. ‘We don’t have time for him.’

The Lame Mare was close to the bridge, clinging to the muddy riverbank, as if wallowing in the polluted waters like a lazy hippo. Its sign had fallen down the post, barely hanging on and almost touching the surface of the brown stew that curled beneath it. The other buildings surrounding it were all but shells. Ragged groups of people huddled amongst the remains, surrounding barrels of burning rubbish to keep warm, waiting for the end of the world.

William took a step towards the boozer, pausing when raucous laughter gushed into the damp street. Great, the place was full. They had to do this though; there was no turning back now. He sighed and pushed open the door.

‘Um, here we go, I guess,’ he said, taking a long breath.

She looks around. The steel box is dark, but a small fraction of light penetrates through a crack. She clambers towards it, presses her lips against the cold metal and gasps for air. The deep cut on her arm stings, but it doesn’t bleed through the coarse bandages.

She knows she’s moving forward. The road’s bumpy. They definitely aren’t in town though, because everything’s so quiet.

Her captors talk on the outside, but she can’t make out their words. The box trundles on and she crashes back down. Her head smashes against the side and pain cloaks her eyes.

Where are they taking her? Who are they? She can’t remember much. She’d come home after work and that was it… how had she not seen anyone lurking in the dark? The questions come but fade away as her vision drifts into the black. It’d happened suddenly, and it’s all a blur now, nothing’s clear.

I have family. My son, or my husband, or my father? Her mind cannot fully focus. Her head aches with confusion, but she knows she can’t leave him alone in this cruel, unforgiving world.

The smells of burnt life and ashen clouds wrap themselves around her. The thought of oblivion is her only comforter, when this painful existence disappears into the dark that surrounds it.

But if she could see him one more time, see his blue eyes, it would make this easier. She thinks about ending her life before they can and is filled with ice.

Her hope used to be high, but now it melts with the land, crumbling down into the greyness of the water. And yet she knows that soon that will steam into the sky too. There’s nothing left, not anymore.

Chapter 7

All Powered Up

Silence. Everyone in the tavern turned and faced them as they walked up to the bar. William felt his stomach lurch; this was so awkward. ‘Where is he?’ he asked through tight lips, eyes skittering over every greasy head.

Two skin-headed brutes at the bar suddenly started to laugh, slapping their knees, and commotion filled the air again. William sighed. Phew, they really didn’t need a scene to break out, not right now.

Feeling calmer, he took in the clammy room. The air – no, not just the air, everything – reeked of staleness, years of it collected in one tightly packed space. The dishevelled, dark wooden furniture cluttered the shabby, floral carpets and the walls were filled with a timeline of mismatched collectables. He didn’t want to touch anything.

‘Who’re you meeting here?’ asked Ori, who had climbed onto one of the stools and was leaning on the bar.

‘Don’t get too comfy,’ said Althea. ‘We’re meeting someone who’s going to help us find William’s mum.’

Ori clicked his fingers. ‘Three lemonades please,’ he said, reaching into his small knapsack and placing two carrots on the bar top. ‘It was Grandad’s favourite drink. We should toast him.’

‘Lemonade, are you kidding? There’s none of that anymore,’ said the barman, handing over three glasses of rank-looking liquid and snatching up the carrots.

Ori’s face fell to the bar-top, his big eyes staring into the grim substance. ‘I miss Grandad,’ he whispered, dipping his finger into the glass.

William bit his bottom lip. What the hell could he say to make him feel better? Nothing, because he felt the same, and there were no words that could help either of them. He gazed around the room.

‘There he is,’ he said, pointing to a dark booth in the corner. He was glad of the distraction.

‘How can you tell?’ asked Althea, squinting.

‘The white in his fringe, yeah, I can just about make it out,’ he replied, helping Ori off the stool.

‘Hey, we still need to toast. It’s what you do isn’t it? We didn’t give him a proper funeral; we should do something. We have to do something,’ said Ori, pulling away from William’s grip.

‘We can do it later, alright mate?’ William replied, rubbing Ori’s head and squeezing his shoulder. ‘We just have to get this sorted first.’

They approached slowly, only sitting when Ichabod gestured with his hand to the seats opposite. ‘You came, I knew you would,’ he said, smiling, ice blue eyes just visible in the dim light. ‘I see you bring one more with you?’

‘He’s Ori, my brother and there’s no one else left to look after him. You don’t need to worry, he’s my concern not yours,’ said Althea brusquely. Althea still didn’t trust the man, but William decided this wasn’t entirely without merit.

‘Their grandfather just died,’ William added, and Ichabod indicated he understood.

‘Nice to meet you sir,’ said Ori.

‘It’s nice to meet you too, Ori. I’m Ichabod.’ He turned back to Althea with an expression of confusion. William guessed he was trying to figure out the right thing to say to the kid. ‘I’m so very sorry to hear about your grandfather. Was he ill?’

‘He started going downhill when my mum…’ Althea paused for a moment. ‘Well, anyway, thanks,’ she said, rubbing the tops of her shoulders.

Ori leant forward and grabbed the white streak. ‘I like this,’ he said, his head tilting from side to side. ‘I’ll call you Bod. It’s good to give friends nicknames isn’t it? Grandad always gave people nicknames.’

Ichabod pulled his hair back. Althea chuckled, clearly impressed with the way Ori had taken the man off guard, but William shook his head, feeling red leak into his cheeks.

‘Sorry about that, he’s a little upset with what happened. I suppose death affects us in different ways.’

‘I suppose it does…’ said Ichabod gently. ‘Should we move on to the other matter now? Like I said, time is imperative.’

‘Yes, let’s get on with it,’ William replied, ruffling Ori’s hair to show he wasn’t suddenly forgotten. Ori huddled in close.

Ichabod pulled a small rectangular piece of card from his pocket. ‘This will get you in William. It’s the worker’s pass, which will get you past the Peace Enforcers.’ Next, he pulled out another, much larger piece of paper. ‘This is a map of the plant. I’ve circled and marked with arrows the area you need to get to. It’s by an emergency exit, minimum security, and where we’ll be waiting. You’ll let us in through this door and we’ll go to the office of the power plant’s Overseer from there.’

‘I’m guessing this is the easy part,’ said William, showing white teeth.

‘Yes it is, but getting to the Overseer’s office will be like walking through a minefield. We’ll need to be very careful, so I’ve brought a Taser. I managed to procure it a couple of days ago, and let’s just say it wasn’t easy. If we come into contact with any Enforcers we can use it to silence them. It’ll cause minimal noise.’

‘So no crossbow or plated gloves?’ said Althea, mouth curving down.

‘Only if we’re found and the alarm is raised,’ replied Ichabod. ‘Follow this plan and we should get into that office with ease.’

Ori grabbed Ichabod’s drink, took a sip and spat it back out. ‘Yuck, that was rank!’

‘It’s whisky, my little friend. I’d leave it be if I were you.’

Grinning at Ori, William asked, ‘And what if what we want isn’t in that office?’

‘If the plan fails, we abort and regroup,’ replied Ichabod, taking back his glass. ‘We will think about that when it comes, well, if it comes. I’m ninety-nine per cent sure the Overseer will have something to tell us, especially when I’m finished with him. He’s been involved in cataloguing the abductions, so he must know something.’ He clicked his knuckles and pulled out his cane. ‘Now, it’s time to go.’

‘That’s a good plan, Bod! We’ll get Will’s mum back for sure,’ Ori said, reaching for the whisky again. ‘Can I have some more? It might be nasty, but it’s made me feel all warm.’

Ichabod shook his head and downed the remaining drops.

‘And when we find out who did it, we’ll get revenge for our parents too,’ Althea said, quietly enough so that only William heard.

He knew Ori was too young to be exposed to the truth about what’d happened to his mother and father; it’d probably tear him apart. Crap, William was probably too young as well, but he’d had to grow up quickly. Their horrible new world had forced him to. Being oblivious was probably the best thing for Ori at the moment; it’d keep him safe.

‘Ready?’ asked Ichabod.

They nodded in unison. William felt excited, if you could call the sickly sensation he could feel in his stomach excitement.

‘Follow me.’

Once outside the pub, they slipped through some long-abandoned industrial buildings, most of which were bare frames, their contents looted in the distant past. This part of Kentvale really was on the edge of extinction. A few more tremors and William knew it would be gone.

Moments later they found themselves in another claustrophobic alley, its brick walls covered in cracks and grime. Ichabod stepped towards a massive object blocking the end of the space and pulled off the worn sheet that covered it.

‘I give you our mode of transport,’ he said, climbing into the driver’s seat.

‘A bus, that’s so awesome!’ Ori exclaimed.

‘I can’t believe you have one,’ said William, running his hand over the heavily armoured bonnet. The vehicle was battered and bruised, its blue paintwork rusted and flaky, but it still looked as if it could drive a couple of miles without breaking down.

They climbed in and stood by Ichabod as he secured himself behind the wheel.

Althea was dubious. ‘We’re going to have trouble getting this out of town. The Enforcers confiscate all vehicles. How’ve you kept it hidden, anyway?’

‘An ally of mine helped bring it in piece by piece, mainly through the sewers. And I managed to fill it with fuel, syphoned from an abandoned petrol tanker I found hidden in the wastes,’ replied Ichabod, turning the key. ‘And the Peace Enforcers who guard the town only have batons at their immediate disposal. I’d like to see them try and stop us with those. They’d have to muster their trucks, and we’ll be long gone by then.’

A blast of smoke exploded out of the exhaust and a black haze filled the alley. The children quickly sat down as the engine lurched into action, throwing the bus forward. William managed to stay in his seat, hands gripping the one in front, its bristly fabric tickling his palms.

He hadn’t been in a vehicle for ages and felt the memories racing back. He remembered his grandmother buying him his first bus ticket so they could go and feed the ducks by the river in town. The memory was a happy one, but he forced it away. It seemed so long ago now, and he didn’t want to feel those feelings, not when his mother was somewhere beyond his reach, maybe struggling to survive.

Despite Ichabod’s positivity, William knew getting to the power plant through the five miles of hazardous terrain that separated it from Kentvale would be hard going. Maybe if he pretended he was meant to be there, pretended that he still lived in the cottage, it’d make him feel a bit better? No, pretending was pointless, and wouldn’t stop a tremor from killing him. All he could do now was swallow his fears, for his sake and everyone else’s.

The bus sped through the streets, smashing over tumbled buildings and debris. A crowd of Enforcers began to chase, but there wasn’t enough of them to make an impact, or even stand a chance against the armoured body, which was like stone against their batons. William smiled a satisfied smile.

‘We’re going to get away!’ shouted Ori, kicking William’s seat.

‘Watch it, mate!’ said William, jokingly. He looked out of the caged window. The eastern walls of the town were coming up.

The east gate stood no chance, smashed to pieces by the armoured bumper of the bus. They were finally out of Kentvale and speeding through the countryside, which William hadn’t seen in months. Much had changed. The healthy green had faded to a dull brown, and nothing but twisted bracken remained in the murk of the landscape. If Kentvale had been bad, then this was nearing hell.

‘There’s nothing left, it really is a wasteland,’ said Althea, taking his thoughts and putting them into words. ‘It looks like the land’s been set on fire… Have tremors really done this?’

‘Tremors wouldn’t cause fires in the countryside,’ William said, shaking his head. ‘Terrafall must have burnt everything to stop the Scavengers and bandits.’

‘There are still pockets of life, don’t worry. You just have to find them. Terrafall has developed a nasty taste for burning things,’ said Ichabod, cranking the engine harder. ‘The power plant is only a few miles from here, built in the hills to the east.’

A thin layer of ash and incinerated life stretched across every vista. William wished he didn’t have to see this. There was nothing left. The broken road weaved through the loose debris, tossed up by an untameable wind. Fissures dotted the ground, and they had to swerve to avoid them, almost flipping over a couple of times.

‘Whoa, we were nearly goners then,’ said Ichabod, spinning the wheel frantically in no clear direction. ‘And look, there’s that wretched Pit!’ He pumped the accelerator manically.

William tried to avert his eyes. It wasn’t the best thing to see when he was trying to forget about the mess that surrounded them.

‘What is it?’ asked Ori, face pressed against one of the smeared windows.

‘It’s a jail, well more like a dungeon. That’s why it’s called The Pit. The bunkers everyone hid in during the war were turned into it,’ Althea said, shuddering.

‘And there’s the power plant, behind it,’ Ichabod declared, still driving like a lunatic.

William couldn’t help himself and looked up. A huge, heavily patched-up building scarred the landscape. The power plant’s rusted metal walls were built into the hillside, and its soot-stained chimneys poked out of the skewed roof, filling the air with thick, lung-scorching smoke.

The ground shook, but Ichabod managed to keep the bus on the road, pulling into a secluded rocky outcrop at the side of the power plant. The bare, harsh rocks looked perfect in their positions, at home unlike them. William knew there was no point in pretending he still lived in the cottage now. This place had changed so much. It was no longer home. They were aliens, he decided. They didn’t belong here anymore.

‘This is where you get out, William,’ said Ichabod, pulling out the map and pointing at the main gates. ‘Go there and present your pass. Remember my instructions. Follow the arrows to the circled exit.’

William nodded. ‘Got it,’ he said, taking the map from Ichabod. ‘I’ll try to be quick.’

‘Oh, and take this.’ Ichabod passed him a black jacket. ‘It’s got the Taser in it. Push its button and it’ll send out a shock. Use it if you need to, but remember, the batteries have a limited charge. They won’t last too long. Good luck.’

Althea jumped up and hugged William, squeezing him tightly. ‘Be careful. You can do this; just think of your mum.’

‘Alright, I think. Here goes…’ William stepped off the bus and made his way out from behind the sheltered rocks, running towards the huge wrought-iron doors. The mere sight of them made him quake, but the memory of his mother’s loving face suddenly hit him and he carried on, determined.