The Quell

by E S Richards

  “Are you sure, Maggie?” Amy asked her friend in a quiet voice, though the man in uniform had clearly already overheard their conversation. “Are you sure you’ll be all right on your own?”

  “I’ve been on my own for a while now.” Maggie’s mouth stretched out into a sad smile, her mind taking her back to a time before the solar crash, a distant memory of safety that felt so surreal now. “You don’t need to worry about me.”

  Locking eyes with Maggie, Harrison didn’t know what to say to her. He felt an overwhelming desire to protect the woman and bring her with them to Toronto, but he knew he couldn’t force her. Maggie was entitled to make her own decision and while Harrison would’ve enjoyed her company, he knew he had to respect her wishes. And deep down, Harrison knew she would likely be safe in Camp Flint. for all his internal derogation of the place, it didn’t seem quite so bad after all.

  When Captain Watt reappeared—to everyone’s surprise, wheeling out one of the motorcycles with Len’s bow and arrows slung over her shoulder—the mood outside wasn’t what was expected.

  “Looks like we’ll only be needing two of the bikes,” Harrison spoke after a short silence. “Maggie has decided to stay behind.”

  “Oh.” Captain Watt sounded pleasantly surprised. “Just you, Maggie?”

  “Yes,” Maggie nodded, looking at the captain rather than anyone else. “Just me.”

  “Well, we’ll be happy to have you. We can get you set up tomorrow as a permanent member of Camp Flint, and all the official duties can wait until the morning.”

  ***

  Pushing his motorcycle toward the camp entrance, Harrison struggled to fight the urge to look back over his shoulder. He hated leaving Maggie. It felt more difficult than he had thought it would—he’d barely known the woman for more than a few days and yet, in some sense, he felt like he was abandoning her. It was a feeling that brought up so many memories for him, most of all about his daughter. He had abandoned her once before and now seeing Maggie stay behind, they all came flooding back.

  It made some difference to him that Captain Watt had returned their things; the fact that they had been taken in the first place and led on a wild goose chase around the camp to get them back lay like less of a warning sign across his mind now. She had been doing her duty to the camp; eventually Harrison had come to understand that, even if he still thought she could’ve gone about it in a slightly better way.

  He just prayed that leaving Maggie wouldn’t become one of those things he would grow to regret. But Nina was so close now. He couldn’t waste any more time away from her; years of his life had already passed like that. Finally, he was going to be a proper father, and that had to be his priority.

  “Do you want James to ride with me again?”

  Upon hearing the question, Len glanced awkwardly at Amy. He remembered how much he had desperately wanted to ride away from the first camp with her, to feel her arms wrapped around his body. That feeling was still there now, but something was different. His feelings for Amy changed more frequently than he ate now, and it was them rather than food that left his stomach in knots.

  “Yes, please,” Amy answered for Len, “if that’s all right?”

  “Of course,” Harrison smiled. “I’ll be happy to take the little guy for a spin. Hop on, James.”

  Without waiting for any further instruction, James climbed up onto Harrison’s motorcycle and regained his natural position. That left Len and Amy standing on either side of the bike that Len pushed, no option but to travel the next part of their journey together. Len wasn’t certain how long it would last—darkness was quickly falling around them and it would be too risky to ride in the dark. The option of headlights would give their position away too easily as well. Even though people were in short supply, they didn’t want to make themselves any more of a target than they already would be.

  “You can drive,” Amy said bashfully, gesturing to Len to straddle the bike first. “I don’t really feel up to it right now.”

  “Okay,” Len smiled in response, swinging one leg over the bike and taking his seat. It was more awkward with two people on the vehicle; Amy had to carry much more on her back, making the weight seem slightly uneven. She had managed it with Maggie before though; Len was sure once they got going things would be fine.

  “Are you ready?” Len asked just loud enough over the roar of both his engine and Harrison’s, the prepper putting his bike into gear and getting ready to drive away. Due to the noise, it was impossible to hear Amy’s response, but Len felt her arms tighten around his waist and the faint motion of her head nodding against his back. It sent a shiver down his spine to have her so close to him, but he knew it wasn’t the time for those sorts of thoughts.

  Flicking back the kickstand with his foot and squeezing the throttle, Len let the engine build up strength beneath him before he finally released the brake and rushed forward. Amy’s grip tightened even further around him immediately and he relished the feeling, pushing the bike harder as they sped away from Camp Flint and finally in the direction of Toronto.

  Chapter 13

  “Are we stopping here for the night?”

  Taking another swig from his canteen, Harrison mused over Amy’s question. James was asleep in front of him on the bike, though how the young boy had managed to fall asleep was a mystery to all three adults. It was almost pitch-black outside now, but Harrison was fairly insistent on going for a little longer. Their journey in daylight would be much more dangerous as they drew closer to Detroit, and Harrison wanted to do as much of the journey as possible in secret.

  “Maybe ride for another hour, if that’s okay with both of you? I want to get as close to Detroit as we can before we have to stop.”

  “Won’t it be more dangerous when it’s dark?”

  “I don’t think so,” Harrison shook his head at Amy’s question. “At least I hope not. I’m thinking we might be able to avoid detection better this way.”

  “Makes sense to me,” Len replied with a nod. “I’m up for it if you are, Amy.”

  “All right,” Amy eventually succumbed. “Let’s get going, then. No point discussing it any longer.”

  Climbing back onto his motorcycle, Len waited for Amy to get comfortable behind him before he switched the engine back on. He flinched slightly at the noise, looking over at his sleeping son and letting out a sigh of relief when James didn’t wake up. The young boy needed rest and Len wanted to give as much of it as possible to him.

  Rolling forward, the pair of bikes picked up speed much slower than usual. The road was only illuminated by the moon, all of them thankful for the minimal cloud coverage in the sky. Despite it being dark, it was still as hot as ever. One key benefit of the motorcycles—aside from their increased traveling speed—was the pleasant breeze they created. Wind rushed past Len’s body as he rode, keeping him from overheating in the almost-tropical climate.

  He could only guess at what the time was, but Len figured it had to be almost the early hours of the morning. Since the solar crash, his body had quickly adapted to functioning on little sustenance. Food was much scarcer and the meals much less filling, and combined with a few snatched hours of sleep every night, his body was running on a very different energy than before. His lifestyle of countless coffees, takeaway street food, and greasy fry-ups was long in the past; Len could barely even remember the taste of a cooked breakfast, let alone one accompanied by a freshly brewed mug of coffee. Those were little luxuries he’d taken for granted so easily before everything happened, but now, he was surprised how little he missed them.

  Len had very quickly come to learn what was truly important to him. It wasn’t a full stomach, fresh bedding, or a traffic-free intersection. Whether his favorite television show had been cancelled or not didn’t bother him, and the irritation of waiting in line for something couldn’t be further from his mind. What mattered was the safety of his family. His loved ones. Amy. James. And even, to some extent, Harrison.

  It didn’t take
much longer riding for Len to start to realize what Harrison had been referring to. Burnt-out shells of cars started to line the roads, just recognizable in the dim lighting. What was most harrowing about them was that they looked somewhat different from wrecks they had seen in the past. It was almost like they had been destroyed on purpose, as a result of human vandalism rather than natural causes. The closer they got to the outskirts of Detroit, the more obvious this destruction became and the less comfortable Len felt. Every building they passed had been broken into and, in some cases, half-burnt to the ground. Roughly forty-five minutes later when Harrison pulled over, Len was eager to get off the road and into somewhere hidden for the night.

  “This is crazy,” Amy whispered as she dismounted the bike she and Len shared, walking toward Harrison so she could ease James off of his bike. “Where are we going to stay?”

  “Set up our tents in that tree line over there,” Harrison pointed, stretching and cracking his back once James was out of the way. “Let’s wheel the bikes toward it; I don’t want to damage them on the uneven ground.”

  Nodding, Len followed Harrison’s instructions as usual and started pushing his motorcycle toward the trees. The ground was littered with not only broken branches and uneven holes, but scraps of metal as well. It was a strange combination of the natural and unnatural, a sure sign of human interference everywhere they went. This area was much worse than many others they had traveled through, though—the closer they moved to Detroit, the more nervous each of them became.

  Thankfully, it didn’t take long for them to get the tents set up. Despite how tired everyone was, there was a haste to get to sleep so they could evacuate the area as soon as possible that lent their actions speed. Once the tents were erected, Len and Harrison pushed the bikes farther away, hiding them slightly under some broken branches and leaves. They were by no means invisible, but it made them both feel better nonetheless.

  By the time they returned, Amy and James were tucked up beside one another in one of the tents, leaving the other for Len and Harrison. Too tired to even question it, both men struggled out of their boots and climbed into their sleeping bags, asleep almost before they hit the ground.

  ***

  Waking to the sound of Len and Harrison leaving their tent beside her, Amy allowed a few more peaceful moments to herself before she peeled her eyes open and looked around the tent where she’d slept. James was still snoring beside her, his angelic little face so innocent and peaceful. She imagined that if someone were to capture the image of the two of them lying beside each other, it could easily be passed off as a camping trip. It was never an idea that she had been fond of, but as it graced her mind now, it forced a smile across her face. If James was happy, then so was she. The moment was only tarnished by the knowledge that neither of them was truly safe and they would have to leave the comfort of the tent and continue their journey toward Canada in a matter of moments.

  During their journey so far, Amy had changed her mind a couple of hundred times about what to do and never once come to a complete decision. She needed to keep James safe, that was her one and only goal, but how to do so remained a mystery to her. Deep down, she knew that going to Toronto was extremely dangerous. She had no idea what the city would be like, their assumptions formulated from the rumors they’d heard in Camp Flint. Plus the fact that they had to travel around Detroit made the journey even worse. If she had any other choice, she was certain she would not be doing it.

  But that was the problem. No matter how many places they passed through that Amy believed might be safe, they still hadn’t found anywhere. The country club, the cabin in the woods, the lake house. Each had seemed like a sanctuary at one time and a nightmare the next. As much as she hated to admit it, the only semblance of safety that their group had came through the support and guidance of Harrison.

  It was Harrison who had kept Len safe as they exited Chicago. It was he who had navigated him along the path to South Haven, and then again to the lake house. From the stories Len had told her, he would likely be dead several times over if it wasn’t for the direction of Harrison. The prepper had taught him how to fend for himself and how to protect those around him as well. The change was obvious. The businessman that Amy had divorced wasn’t anywhere to be seen anymore, and she quite liked the new man in front of her.

  However she might feel, though, Amy also knew that now wasn’t the time to act on her feelings. It would be selfish and potentially dangerous to try and start something up with Len again. not only could it give James false hope, but it might also damage their group dynamic. One day when all of the chaos was over and they had a real place to call home again, then maybe she would broach the topic, but until then Amy was willing to keep her feelings bottled up inside.

  “Morning!”

  Amy let out a stifled gasp in response as the very man she had just been fantasizing about pulled open the tent doorway and stuck his head inside. Len hovered there in front of her, the greeting hanging in the air as Amy instinctively pulled up her sleeping bag to cover more of her body.

  “Oh, sorry,” Len continued, “I didn’t wake you, did I? We’re just boiling some water for coffee, and I wondered if you wanted some?”

  “No, no,” Amy quickly replied, “I was already up, don’t worry. Coffee would be lovely though, thank you.”

  Len smiled in response and nodded his head slightly, edging out of the tent and out of sight. Taking a deep breath, Amy rolled her eyes at herself and set about wriggling out of her sleeping bag. She didn’t need to take any specific actions to wake James; her movement and the conversation had done that for her. As the blurry-eyed little boy looked up at her and smiled, Amy vowed to carry a positive outlook on the day, no matter what happened. She had her family with her and she knew that was a whole lot more than most other people could say.

  “Here you go.” Len handed Amy a cup of coffee with a smile once she was out of her tent and on her feet, James visible behind her, just pulling on his boots.

  “Thanks,” Amy smiled at Len, locking eyes with him for a second before she forced herself to look away. “We’re heading out soon then, by the looks of things?”

  “Yeah,” Len half-laughed. The tent where he and Harrison had slept the night before was already dismantled and packed away, Harrison wanting to get on the road as soon as possible. At that moment the prepper himself appeared, pushing one of the motorcycles back towards the group, the vehicle untouched in its hiding place overnight.

  “Morning,” Amy addressed Harrison as he came into hearing distance. “We’ll get our tent down in a second so we can head off.”

  Harrison didn’t say anything in response, just nodded his head and then turned to collect the other bike. He was clearly ready to leave already, and Amy didn’t want to slow him down any more than she already had. She was well aware that if she hadn’t needed rescuing from the first camp then Harrison would likely already be in Toronto. Not that the situation had really been her fault, but it was just another example of how their journey wouldn’t have been the same were it not for Harrison. She needed him and she didn’t want to tarnish that relationship in any way.

  “I’ll get your tent down,” Len offered as Amy started to move toward it. “You drink your coffee. There are a few breakfast bars on the ground there as well. Help yourself.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Yeah, don’t worry about it,” Len smiled. “It’s about time I made myself useful.”

  Amy opened her mouth to argue with Len, tell him that she already believed he was useful and she was sure Harrison did too. But she didn’t get the chance as her former husband brushed past her, making his way around the back of Amy’s tent to start unfastening the pegs from the ground. Shaking her head slightly, Amy tried not to read into his actions too deeply. Len likely just wanted to get on the move again like Harrison; the two men were becoming more alike each day.

  With little else to do, Amy grabbed herself some food and made sure that James was ea
ting too. It wasn’t much, but they didn’t have the time to stop and cook. Following that, she packed up their meager belongings and started loading them into one of the bikes, while Harrison sorted out his own. No more than thirty minutes had passed since she first woke up and the group was ready to get back on the road again, all evidence of where they had stayed for the night hidden or destroyed.

  “Follow my lead,” Harrison said sternly to Len as everyone started climbing onto the bikes. “Things could get a bit dicey as we move around Detroit, but I’m going to try my best to take a road that avoids where I think the worst of it will be. Just keep your eyes open in case anything happens.”

  “Anything like what?” Amy questioned, leaning out slightly from behind Len’s body to address the prepper with her question.

  “Anything like anything,” Harrison shrugged. “I can’t predict what will happen next.”