The Quell

by E S Richards

  “I’d probably stay outside,” Harrison suggested to the others as he tried the second door, finding it locked as he had suspected. “There isn’t much room in here and I think I’m going to have to blow the door open.”

  “Is there not a key?”

  “Not that I can see,” Harrison shook his head to Amy’s question, not wanting to waste time searching for a key to the door when he could quite easily blow the lock off with his Glock. “This should be much quicker. Stand back.”

  Pulling his 9mm from its holster, Harrison let the weapon rest in his hand for a second. It felt natural, like it belonged there. He had known how to fire a gun for as long as he could remember and it wasn’t a feeling he ever wanted to forget. With a deep and comfortable breath, Harrison sighted his pistol at the door and squeezed the trigger, letting the shot ring out loudly in the enclosed space. He didn’t flinch though; the years of training had taught him that a shooter was most vulnerable just after he fired his weapon and Harrison hated that feeling of vulnerability. He refused to let it slow him down for even a second, stepping forward and kicking the door hard with his foot immediately after he’d fired, certain that his bullet found its mark.

  Harrison wasn’t wrong. The door swung open into Canada, revealing the second country to the group on the other side. Turning back, he quickly beckoned everyone else through, taking one last look at the devastation within the States before setting his mind to Canada and the new battle that lay within it.

  Chapter 17

  Unfortunately, at first glance Canada appeared no different from how America had been. They found cars lining the road outside in a similar fashion to what had taken place on the other side. Clearly everyone in Canada had carried the same idea, that perhaps things were safer on the other side of the wall. Alas, that wasn’t the case, and once again the cars were filled with dead bodies, the people lined the streets in silence, and the birds of prey circled overhead, flying down to pick the bodies clean at their leisure.

  “Right,” Harrison remarked once everyone was through and the door to the patrol hut had been pushed closed behind them. “Let’s get to the end of this traffic and see if we can find a working vehicle. If not, we’ll stop for food anyway, it’s been a while since we ate.”

  Nodding in silence, the group began to trudge through the familiar scene that welcomed them into Canada. Though Harrison didn’t want to look at the bodies any longer, he knew now it was more important than ever. Nina could be just around the corner, and he wasn’t going to miss seeing her, no matter how he found his daughter. For Len, Amy, and James though, they all concentrated on just getting out of the mess of vehicles and away from the thousands of bodies that accompanied them.

  Len helped Amy direct James through the throng, picking him up and carrying him at points where cars had drawn too close together. There were several crashes on this side of the border, something they hadn’t witnessed in the US, but it made little difference. Whether the cars had been brought together by force or simply come to a halt naturally, the result for those within remained the same. No one had survived the border crossing; it was a graveyard that likely stretched out for miles across the countries—miles that would remain untouched until power returned to them both.

  “How will we know if any of them will start up again?” Len asked Harrison as their group finally moved closer to the end of the traffic jam, the cars thinning out and becoming less grouped together.

  “Look for the older models,” Harrison replied, “the ones that don’t need electronics to run. They’re more likely to be able to jump start.”

  “Gotcha,” Len nodded and peeled away from the group as Harrison had, both of them moving to either side of the road to check the vehicles. Amy and James remained in the middle, though Amy was more focused on James’s safety than anything else. A car would be nice, but she didn’t particularly want to take her son up to any of them, not when the vast majority contained a dead body.

  That was something Len wasn’t in favor of either. The Dodge pickup that he and Harrison had managed to commandeer had sort of been gifted to them in a way, the former owner abandoning it on the side of the road after having engine problems. Len could still remember how much that moment had changed his outlook on things. Beforehand, he had been certain the world had been plummeted back into the Dark Ages forever, with no power ever to return. After seeing the pickup trundling along the road, however, his hope had been bolstered and he found his enthusiasm increased for everything else on their journey as well. He knew it would be several months—or more probably years, as Harrison constantly reminded him—before things were back to how they had been, but seeing the Dodge had re-instilled Len’s faith that they would reach that point eventually. It had been a much-needed oasis in the barren desert that they walked through.

  With that memory pushing a smile onto his face, Len focused on the feeling of hope as he surveyed the surrounding cars. He was looking for something similar to the old pickup, a battered and almost broken vehicle that would otherwise be overlooked. They were, however, much more difficult to come by. New designs of modern cars filled the road instead, the price of the vehicles coming down so much in recent years that almost everyone could afford a decent ride.

  The oldest vehicle Len managed to find quite obviously still contained an electrical control system. The door held fast as he attempted to tug it open, the failsafe locks functioning even without power. It was something Len didn’t try too hard to overcome though, the sight of a young family trapped inside dissuading him from trying to take over the car.

  On the other side of the road, it didn’t look like Harrison was having much luck either. He hoisted the hood of several cars and tinkered around with his tools at the engine on a few occasions, but was never met with the sound he wanted. The roar of an engine was a distant memory, left behind with their motorcycles on an empty street outside a fallen city. It was only after about two more miles of walking that Harrison finally threw his bag to the ground in frustration, the fantasy of driving into Toronto quickly fading away.

  “Let’s eat, shall we?” He called out to the others as his bag hit the ground, causing a faint cloud of dust to rise into the air and swirl around his body in a theatrical manner. “Does anyone want to get a fire going?”

  “Sure,” Len nodded as he crossed the road, falling into step beside Amy and James as they too walked toward Harrison. “I can do that. What do we want to eat?”

  “I’ll eat anything,” Amy sighed as she shrugged her bag off and almost collapsed on top of it, the day of walking taking its toll on her legs. “Are we stopping here for the night?”

  Harrison paused for a moment, considering the question. He remembered what had happened outside Detroit and how he had got the timing wrong with when they had slept the night before, so perhaps it made sense to rest earlier this time and then they could continue their journey as soon as the sun was up the next morning.

  “Yeah, okay,” he eventually agreed. “I think that makes sense. We can get an early start tomorrow morning then, hopefully cover all the ground to Toronto in one day.”

  “That works for me,” Amy nodded, thankful to know they were finally finished for the day. She felt both physically and mentally exhausted, the sights they had witnessed at the border crossing stuck fast in her mind—it made her truly realize that what had happened during the solar crash had affected everyone, no matter where they lived. It made her think of her parents, of her brother and her friends in other cities. It was very likely none of them had survived and she would never see a familiar face outside of her current group again.

  “All right then,” Len joined in from his seat on the ground, his small spade removed from the side of his rucksack so he could start digging a hole for the fire. “James, why don’t you find us something to eat from my bag over here? Harrison, could you search for some kindling?”

  “Of course,” Harrison smiled, remembering how Len had been when they first left Chicago and enjoyi
ng the change in his friend. The former businessman looked almost natural preparing the fire pit and handing out orders. Harrison believed he was much more suited to this role than the one he had previously occupied.

  “Steak pie?” James suggested as he rifled through the bag in front of him, pulling out vacuum-packed meals that Harrison had replaced many of the canned items with. Len wasn’t sure where he had found them, but was glad the prepper had changed up the contents; their bags were certainly easier to carry without the weight of dozens of cans pulling them down.

  “Hmm, anything else?” Len asked, one quick glance at the translucent steak pie packaging confirming his suspicions that he didn’t want to eat it.

  “Cottage pie?” James continued to read out labels as he laid the items out on the ground. “Vegetable rice? Chicken curry?”

  “The curry looks all right, I guess,” Len mused as he started working on the tunnel between the two fire pits he had dug, always favoring the Dakota method so the smoke was kept to a minimum. “How about we have that with the vegetable rice? We’ll make a bit of a feast for the evening.”

  “Okay,” James nodded and smiled, shoving the unfavored food items back into his father’s rucksack and carrying the chosen ones over toward him. “Need anything else?”

  “We’ll need the big pot to cook everything in,” Len replied, proud of his son for taking the initiative to be helpful, especially after the day they’d all had. “And some bowls to eat out of. I think that’s all in your mom’s bag.”

  “Okay,” James repeated, moving over to where Amy was sitting on top of her bag. “Mom, can I get in your bag please?”

  Len couldn’t help but notice how tired Amy looked as she slid off her rucksack onto the dusty ground to allow James to dig out the pot and bowls they needed. He wanted to go over to her and offer her his hand, to wrap his arms around her and reassure her that everything was going to be okay. Len understood how easy it was for just one day to change your outlook on things; it was a feeling he’d had several times before finally reuniting with his family. Just the faintest of changes in your mood could ruin your day when the environment was like this. A positive morale was extremely important—almost necessary for continued survival.

  “Here, Dad,” James dropped the bowls and large cooking pan down on the ground with a clang, startling Len slightly and forcing him to look away from his ex-wife.

  “Thank you, James,” Len smiled, noticing Harrison also approaching in the distance, his arms filled with small twigs for the fire. “The only other thing we need now is water. Oh, and the tents need to be set up. What do you prefer doing?”

  “Can I set the tents?”

  “Sure thing,” Len nodded. “Do you know how?”

  “I can show him,” Harrison cut in as he arrived, placing the kindling for the fire down beside Len so he could arrange it properly. “We can get them both set up before dinner, can’t we, James?”

  James nodded, so eager to help that Len found himself grinning almost manically at his son. He was so proud of the young boy, so impressed by the man he was quickly growing into—even if he still deserved to be a child.

  “You all right with the fire and the food?” Harrison asked before he left to help James put the tents together, watching the boy out of the corner of his eye already tugging components out of the rucksacks.

  “Yeah, yeah,” Len smiled. “We’re having curry and rice. Should be pretty easy once I’ve got some water boiling.”

  “Great,” Harrison smiled back. “Let me know if you need anything.”

  Len nodded and watched his friend walk over to where James was now playing with tent poles, the prepper quickly taking over and getting down on one knee to explain things to James. It made Len feel increasingly grateful to Harrison, especially after everything the older man had already done for him and his family. He was glad Harrison seemed to be feeling more positive about the future, the blip he’d gone through outside of Detroit a forgotten moment in the past. Amy, on the other hand, seemed to be going through a similar blip now. Working as quickly as he could to get the kindling in place and the fire started, Len waited until there was a definite flame before pushing himself to his feet and walking over toward her.

  “Hey,” he said softly, keeping his voice low so Harrison and James didn’t notice him. “Are you okay?”

  “Yeah,” Amy replied after a moment’s pause. “Just thinking about everything. About everything we’ve lost.”

  “Oh, Amy.” Like Harrison had with James, Len knelt down on one knee in front of his ex-wife. The movement sent a wave of emotions rushing through his body, but he pushed them to one side, focusing on seeing Amy smile and making her happy again. “I know it’s difficult, but we can’t think like that. Think about everything we still have instead. Think about James and look at what an incredible boy he’s turning out to be.”

  Amy nodded at Len’s words, turning her head slightly to look at where James and Harrison were assembling the tents. “I know I should, Len. It’s just hard.”

  “I know,” Len echoed, “it’s going to be hard for a long time now, I think. But we’ve got each other, and you know I’ll help you through every single second of it.”

  “Thank you,” Amy finally looked up at Len and smiled after another brief pause, letting the two of them lock eyes for a moment and share a sudden feeling of safety.

  There were so many things that Len wanted to say to Amy in that moment, so many feelings he felt bubbling up inside of him and ready to explode. Biting the inside of his bottom lip slightly, Len forced himself to keep them hidden, to sit on his feelings until he knew the moment was right. It would be cruel to bring them to Amy’s attention now; she needed to focus on herself, on James, and on the future. Len’s troubles could wait for another day.

  “It’s nothing,” Len replied with a smile as he rose to his feet. “Now, do you want to help me get some water boiling? We’ve a relative feast in the cards for tonight.”

  Chapter 18

  Waking the next morning, Len was ready to get the group back on the road and cut down the distance between themselves and Toronto. After the conversation he’d shared with Amy the night before, he understood that the main thing that was upsetting her at the moment was the constant traveling and short-lived euphoria that turned to disappointment every time they found somewhere they thought they could maybe call home.

  He understood how demoralizing it was and how much more tired it made everyone, being constantly brought up and back down over the chance of a new home. South Haven and the lake house had both seemed like they would be steadfast and final destinations on the journey, but neither had turned out to be what Len had hoped.

  Now, as he pulled back the flaps of the tent he had once again shared with Harrison—the prepper just stirring beside him—Len was determined to find a safe place for Amy and James later that same day. He offered Harrison a nod in greeting, allowing his friend time to properly wake up as Len tugged on his boots and made his way steadily outside. There was no movement yet from the second tent where his ex-wife and son slept, so Len busied himself searching for coffee in his rucksack, which he could wake Amy with.

  “Have we got enough water for that?” Harrison asked as he stepped outside and saw Len holding the container of coffee, his friend’s intentions very clear.

  “Uh, good question,” Len mumbled, spinning around slightly where he stood to try and locate all their various water canteens. “We’ve not filled up in a while, have we?”

  “No,” Harrison shook his head, “I think it might be a breakfast on-the-go kind of morning until we can find a fresh supply of water, I’m afraid.”

  “No worries,” Len shrugged, understanding Harrison’s reasoning and agreeing with his friend. Fresh water in itself was much more important than a cup of coffee in the morning. He was happy to sacrifice it in order to keep the group pushing forward. “Do you want to head out soon, then?”

  “Yeah,” Harrison nodded, before turning
his head in the direction of the second tent. “Can you wake them up?”

  Len answered with his body language, moving toward Amy and James’s tent as Harrison walked back to their own, ready to dissemble it and get them back on the path for the day. As unobtrusively as he could manage, Len peeled open the tent doors and woke Amy and James, informing them that they were hoping to get on the road in a matter of minutes as soon as they were both up. Thankfully, neither reacted negatively, and in a remarkably fast turnaround all four were packed up and ready to continue their journey before the sun had completely broken the horizon.

  They were just outside the city of London in Ontario, roughly about a day’s walk from the outskirts of Toronto by Harrison’s calculations. They’d actually covered more ground yesterday than he’d originally thought, crossing the border at the most eastern point and then making good progress while they checked the cars that lined the highway. This practice was maintained as they pushed forward, all four of them checking the more remote cars that decorated the side of the road.