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

by Ryan Mark

  William couldn’t believe his ears. ‘A cup of tea? You have tea?’ he said. ‘Isn’t that, like, gone?’

  ‘Well, in some places maybe, but not here, lad.’ Branimir patted William’s back. He bounded over to the fireplace and picked out a boiling kettle, which he took to a nearby table. When he returned he had a steaming cup of tea in his hand. ‘It’s warm and strong, with milk and two sugars. You’ll enjoy that little bugger, can’t beat a sugary tea!’

  ‘You’re doing a great job here. You’ve definitely given me hope.’ William took hold of the cup, careful not to burn his fingers.

  Branimir thanked him. ‘Have you seen my wind turbines in the basin, by any chance? They’re only giving a small amount of electricity, but it’s enough for now. I’m also working on an old hydroelectric plant further up in the mountains. Progress is slow, but I’m positive.’

  ‘This place is unbelievable, you must be proud.’

  ‘Prouder when we’ve dealt with Terrafall,’ Branimir said, as he started to rifle through the pile of papers.

  William looked over his shoulder. ‘Some of these are about the war,’ he said, frowning.

  ‘Oh, they shouldn’t be mixed with the Terrafall documents. Someone made a mistake.’ Branimir moved the documents to one side.

  ‘Can I just have a quick read of these?’ He took a quick sip of his tea, the hot liquid deliciously satisfying.

  ‘Of course, go for it,’ said Branimir, pulling a plate of biscuits towards him and devouring one in a single mouthful, crumbs flaking into his beard.

  The first was hard to read. It looked as if it had been written in a hurry and the writing was smudged in places.

  ‘Wow, the war really didn’t last long, it says it was the shortest world war in history. According to this it only lasted a year and eight months.’ William pushed the paper away. ‘Time didn’t make sense to me when we were in those bunkers during the war, but when I think about it now, the two and a half years we spent down there felt like they lasted for ages.’ He shrugged.

  ‘It was very brief, although some of us had to fight for a year and a half after it officially ended. I was responsible for defending the southern coast from bomb drops, although I would’ve much preferred to defend the lands up here. It was horrible what happened to the city of Carlith.’ Branimir’s expression was dark. ‘I remember the first two months being slow, and then it exploded, and before you knew it, it was over, every single government on this planet wiped out in a matter of months.’

  William pulled up the second account and read it out. ‘It was the bombs, the terrible weapons they used. Once the first bomb went off, they didn’t stop, the explosions never stopped. The city burns around us, and the screams, oh goodness, the screams. It’ll all be over soon. We can’t last for much longer,’ read William, taking a deep breath and turning over the piece of paper. ‘I think that’s enough.’

  ‘I think I agree,’ replied Branimir, closing his eyes. ‘I remember the last communication from the government, telling us that over four billion people had been wiped out, and then, it all went silent. That’s when we decided to give up our positions and come home.’

  William pushed the pages away and slid one of the maps to him. ‘This is the one with all the projects, right?’

  Branimir nodded.

  ‘Cool,’ he whispered, running his hand over the surface of the paper. He placed his finger on the power plant near Kentvale, a recent addition to the map in red ink, and then moved to another plant in the south of the country. ‘Is this plant still in use?’

  ‘I believe it was abandoned a couple of months ago when the towns it was supplying collapsed. They fought each other for resources and ended up destroying everything they had, so Terrafall left and focused its attention on its northern holds. We all think that was Terrafall’s plan in the first place – to let those towns destroy themselves.’

  ‘Ah, OK,’ said William, tapping his bottom lip. ‘Where’s their headquarters now? It was in London but that’s been scribbled out.’

  ‘We’re not completely sure. It moves between sites, makes protecting its bigwigs more secure,’ said Branimir. ‘I think Kentvale was their last chosen area.’

  William looked at the map again. There were two other sites in the north of the country, one close to Haven’s Hollow and one in the northernmost highlands. He tapped the table. If Erisia was in the Highlands, they’d have a long way to go. He pulled the map closer and looked for anything else that might help.

  ‘TP, do you know what that means?’ he asked, pointing to the closest site to the Hollow, again, marked in newer ink.

  ‘I have no idea,’ said Branimir, considering the spot.

  TP, what could it stand for? William began to think, massaging his forehead. T could be for Tremor, but what about P…

  He gasped. Project.

  Tremor Project.

  ‘The Overseer at the power plant said Erisia’s Tremor Project would be our salvation,’ said William. ‘That’s what TP stands for. Tremor Project. It’s taking people to…’ he looked at the map again and frowned, ‘…the Graven Monastery. Pretty good place to base a grim project like this.’

  Branimir paused for a moment. ‘The Graven Monastery you say? Victims of the war were buried in its grounds. It’s a mass grave, known as the Graven Burials now. In the past I suspected Terrafall was just harvesting coal from that area, because there’s an old mining town close to it,’ he said. ‘It could be where it takes its victims.’

  ‘It’s a good place to do it. Who the hell would want to visit a place like that?’ said William, grimacing.

  ‘Precisely,’ said Branimir. ‘Terrafall is very cunning.’

  William rolled the map and tucked it into his pocket. ‘I’m going to go and find Ichabod and the rest of them. They need to know about this.’

  ‘And when you’ve found them, bring them back here and I’ll rally the other members of the HD so we can discuss how to deal with Terrafall,’ Branimir replied.

  William ran out of the room, along the carpeted hall, through the entrance and onto the drawbridge. Now he had what he needed he wanted to act on it straight away. They had to set off immediately; there was no question about it.

  He looked around, examining the white cottages with their black doors and neat little gardens. Ichabod stood, statue-like, in a small cemetery just to the left of the main road, tall silhouette standing out against the pale limestone walls of the church that overlooked the plot. His black coat made him look like the Grim Reaper.

  ‘Why are they doing this…?’ she whispers. Her voice is crackly and her throat dry; she’s screamed herself hoarse.

  She looks around but sees nothing in the darkness. They must’ve stopped, as the box hasn’t moved in hours.

  ‘What’s happened?’ whispers a faint voice. The boy. He’s alive.

  ‘I think we’ve stopped,’ she replies. She moves back to his side of the box, cold metal brushing her bruised skin.

  ‘We’re going to die,’ says the boy, the accompanying whimpers shattering her heart.

  She can’t answer him. They’ve been given water and a bucket, but no food and no blankets for warmth.

  ‘I’ll stay with you,’ she says. She wouldn’t let them take her by surprise again. She’d fight this time.

  ‘Will you?’ he says, voice sounding louder. He must be right on the other side of the metal.

  ‘Yes,’ she replies, placing her hand where she thinks his cheek might be.

  She hears the creak of hinges. She hears the boy scream, ‘No, please, leave me alone. Please.’

  She screams out to him, but her words are useless. The sound of bones on metal rattles her tiny prison. They are dragging him out. She closes her eyes and clenches a fist. She would not go without a fight. And she would never let go of her promise to the boy.

  A set of keys jingles outside her box. She gets her legs ready. The front of the box drops open, but she can’t react, the light is too blinding. She trie
s to shield her vision. She’s too late. She’s yanked from the box. She screams, but no one comes to save her.

  Chapter 11

  Bodies and Burials

  William pushed through the brightly painted green gate. The journey to the Graven Burials wasn’t going to happen as quickly as he would have liked. He stepped forward slowly, taking in the cemetery as he walked. A choppy sea of lichen-covered graves filled the small plot of grass. Some were crumbling and lost to weathering, but there were also many new, carefully carved pieces of granite and sandstone.

  He breathed in and smelled flowers. He hadn’t smelt them in such a long time.

  ‘I guess Branimir had the information we were seeking?’ said Ichabod, staring down at two graves.

  ‘Sort of.’ He looked at the small stone that marked the graves. ‘Noah and Serah Everward.’

  ‘My children,’ whispered Ichabod breathlessly.

  ‘How?’ asked William, kneeling down and rubbing some grime off the top of one of the graves. ‘I’m sorry if it’s too painful to answer…’

  Ichabod looked to the sky. ‘Like I said earlier, it was after the war, around the time when people were leaving the bunkers. But the full story is they got caught up in a food raid and were trampled to death by Peace Enforcers. And shortly after Terrafall forced my wife into working for them. Didn’t even let her grieve. I didn’t find out until I returned from defending the southern coast. I just wish I’d brought my children to the Hollow before I left to fight, but I thought they’d be safer in the bunkers outside Kentvale, close to the village where we’d lived. How wrong I was.’

  William covered his face with his hands, trying to absorb Ichabod’s words. He slowly rose and opened his mouth to voice his disgust, but he couldn’t find the right things to say.

  ‘I used to have so much faith in the church when I was a vicar, but as soon as my children were taken in that way, I lost it. Even through the horrors of the war I held my faith, but the death of my children obliterated it.’ Ichabod wiped tears from his eyes.

  William looked down again. ‘We’ll stop Terrafall. It won’t get away with what it’s done. I think we’ve got a lead on where your wife and my mum might be by the way. Branimir sent me to get you.’

  Ichabod turned towards the town and castle. ‘Time to look to the future now, William. We can’t go back, can we?’

  The future was a tantalising concept. They could all try to make a home here, couldn’t they? William, Althea, Ori and… his mother.

  ‘No, only forward,’ he muttered, following Ichabod out of the cemetery.

  ‘Get your fresh fruit here, freshly grown in the valley,’ called a voice from a colourful stall in the road. Fresh fruit, was this real? William pinched himself. ‘Not dreaming then.’ He was so used to the old, stale rations that the coloured fruits were almost taunting him as he walked by. Yeah, he might’ve got the chance to have the odd carrot or blackberry, but this was more than that. This was proper living, like it had been before the war.

  The fruits were tantalising, but his attention soon fell on the large white-brick clock tower. It matched the castle in its height and the strength it exuded, reminding him of a strong guardian, protecting the smaller buildings that surrounded its base.

  Ichabod walked back to the castle, but William was briefly distracted by the cool trickle of the fountain. He sidled up to it and cupped his hands to take a long sip. ‘Oh my God, it’s so good.’

  ‘It is, isn’t it?’ said Althea.

  William stumbled back. ‘God you scared me,’ he said, water dripping down his chin. ‘Where’s Ori, did you talk to him?’ He wiped his face with the sleeve of his jacket.

  ‘I did,’ said Althea, running her hand through the water.

  ‘And…’

  ‘He won’t talk.’

  ‘Do you want me to try?’

  ‘You can, but I don’t think he’ll talk. I’ve tried, but he just won’t listen.’

  ‘You shouldn’t give up. He’s bound to listen at some point.’ He wiped his chin again and sat next to her. ‘You’ve just got to have patience, Althea. That’s never been your strong point.’

  ‘I know, I’m a bad, bad sister,’ she said.

  ‘You’re not; you’ve just gone through so much. I’ll go and talk to him. Mum used to say it’s sometimes easier to talk to someone who’s not so involved.’

  Althea nodded, knees pulled up to her chest. ‘OK.’

  William stood up. ‘Where is he then?’

  ‘He’s by the river, close to the castle’s moat.’

  ‘I’ll try and sort it, don’t worry. You need to get back to the castle and hear what Branimir’s got planned. We don’t have much time.’

  ‘Thanks,’ Althea said. ‘Will do.’

  William ran towards the river, and for the first time in ages his lungs felt light. A cow leant over a stone wall next to the road, its pink tongue reaching for the long grass that grew on the other side.

  William stopped, hands on his hips. ‘You’ve got all that grass in your paddock and you want this bit.’ He let his hand rest on the creature’s nose for a moment and looked into its dark eyes. ‘I’m glad I met you. I’ve not been this close to a cow since I lived in the…’ He stopped himself before the memories could fill him with sadness.

  The cow snorted, which he took as a sign of approval.

  Ori was sitting on a tree stump, bent over and skimming stones into the trundling current. William approached slowly. Ori didn’t acknowledge his presence.

  ‘Beautiful, isn’t it?’ William said.

  ‘I suppose,’ said Ori, throwing a stone, harder.

  ‘I got to feed and pet a cow just now, how cool is that?’

  Ori shrugged.

  ‘Want to talk?’

  Ori shrugged again.

  ‘We’re mates, we can talk,’ said William.

  ‘Why didn’t you tell me about my mum and dad then?’

  ‘I wanted to protect you.’

  ‘I can look after myself. I’ve been doing it for ages anyway.’

  ‘Althea looks after you.’

  Ori didn’t answer.

  ‘Come on Ori.’

  ‘Were you ever going to tell me?’

  William didn’t answer. He would have left that with Althea to decide.

  ‘See, you weren’t even going to tell me.’ He threw another stone.

  ‘I’m sure Althea would’ve told you when this was all over. She wanted to protect you. She knew if she told you you’d run off. And what would’ve happened if you’d done this when we were in Kentvale, or worse, the Bad Lands?’

  Ori looked at William. ‘I just miss them so much Will. I miss them so…’ He started to shudder, tears dribbling down his small face. William pulled him off the stump and held him tightly.

  ‘I know mate, I miss my parents too. Look, come and help us stop Terrafall. We won’t let it do this to any more people,’ said William, stroking Ori’s blond head.

  ‘I wish I was dead.’

  ‘Don’t say that. You should never say that.’ William knelt down and looked into Ori’s tear-stained face. ‘That’s a really scary word.’ He sniffed.

  ‘OK, but you and Althea can’t ever lie to me again.’

  ‘Deal, I promise,’ said William, holding out his hand. ‘Should we go back and work out how to kick Terrafall’s bum?’

  Ori grinned at that, took William’s hand and they headed back to the castle, where Althea was waiting for them. The siblings made peace through a silent embrace, after which they all set off back across the drawbridge.

  The library was packed with people, the men bearded and Viking-like, all seated around the circular table. William felt as if they’d disturbed some sort of secret meeting of spies.

  ‘Welcome back,’ said Branimir, dominating the table, long grey beard blending in with the fur of his coat. ‘I introduce you to the people who’ve helped us unearth Terrafall’s secrets.’

  A cheer erupted as William, Althea and Ori
took a seat at the table. William sat next to a tall woman whose copper hair hung loosely over her shoulder, blending seamlessly into the fur shawl she wore over a flowing grey dress. She smiled, revealing perfect white teeth.

  ‘So, what’s our plan? Storm the monastery and risk giving them an excuse to destroy our valley?’ asked a crooked, middle-aged man who sat across from Branimir. His black hair was slicked tightly across his head and his nose was beak-like, making him resemble a mangy raven.

  ‘We’ll take a small contingent of men to begin with, but yes Merle, we will storm the place if we have to. If we don’t do it now Terrafall will invade this valley eventually anyway. You’ve heard the rumours. It’s becoming desperate. By the beard, it’s turning to human sacrifice for God’s sake.’ Branimir’s voice was rising with each word he spoke.

  Ichabod stood. ‘I can confirm what he says is the truth. Terrafall has printed several news bulletins stating that it plans to secure the Hollow because it is a Scavenger hideaway.’

  ‘Branimir is right. We are a threat. It’s only a matter of time before it comes here,’ said the woman next to William.

  William stood up. ‘And we’ve also got to think about the hostages Terrafall has, who’ll be sacrificed if we don’t do something.’

  The woman cut in, ‘Exactly, we are the Development, the future. We have a duty to save them.’

  ‘Agreed. We must help those people!’ said another man, the only man, apart from Ichabod, who didn’t look like a bearded barbarian. He had short hair, slight stubble on his chin and sky blue eyes. ‘Terrafall had no right to take over after the war. The constant draining of our resources caused that war, and yet it has chosen to continue to drain them.’

  ‘Hear, hear Blake, I echo your words,’ said Ichabod, bowing his head.

  ‘So we risk the lives of our own people? We’ve fought so hard to keep this valley secret, to keep it safe, we should stay here and only fight if Terrafall comes and invades us!’ said Merle, standing up. ‘At least then we’d have a goddamned chance!’

  ‘There’s no question,’ said Branimir, ‘If the majority are for this notion, then I’m sorry, Merle, your objections are refuted.’