She led them down through double doors into a lobby area. Another soldier walked by and Callaghan asked him, “Private, did we resolve the heater situation yet?”
“No, Ma’am, but we’re working on it.”
“Well, get to it Private. I will not have all these people freezing to death under my command.”
“Yes, Ma’am.” He hurried away.
A few men and women were sitting around, but the lobby was mostly quiet. “To your right is the nurse’s station, which is manned 24/7. If you have any type of medical issue, that is where you go. To your left is administration, which is where I sit. If you need any other supplies or information, you can make your requests there. Showers are in the next building.”
They walked through a set of doors and then onto the iceless skating rink. The rink had been converted into a small city, resembling a methodically arranged tree. The trunk was a walkway that ran along the middle of the rink. Smaller pathways branched off to the right and left. These gave access to rooms of various sizes neatly separated with dividers.
“Reminds me of my last place,” said Joe.
Men, women, boys, girls and babies all walked, talked and played. At the base of the tree was the cafeteria. “Meals are at 7:00, 12:00 and 17:00,” Callaghan continued.
“Okay, hold on,” said Kevin, “We don’t even need to stay here. All we need is to send a message to my wife back home.”
“That won’t be possible,” she said curtly.
Kevin put his hand on her arm, “Why not? She’s alone with our baby and…”
“Please remove your hand, sir.”
“Oh, sorry…Ma’am. It’s just that we were told that you had an emergency network system thing that we could send a message to another C3.”
“I’m sorry, but that’s for official use only.”
“But this is really important,” he pleaded.
“It’s not to be used for personal use, sir. Those are my orders.”
“Can’t you make an exception?”
She continued staring forward and ignored the question. “Please find an empty room and make yourself comfortable. If you have any other questions, feel free to let me know. I’ll be in the administration office.”
She turned abruptly and marched away. Joe watched her leave.
Tank leaned over to him. “She’s pretty, isn’t she, Joe?”
He caught himself staring and immediately looked away. “What…no…I mean yes…I mean I didn’t notice.”
Camille was smiling. “Oh, I think you noticed. You may also have noticed that she seems colder than the snow we drove through to get here.”
Joe was saved by an older man with wild grey hair that hung past his shoulders and a scruffy white beard. “Hello, there fellow travelers.” He had a wide grin and bright blue eyes and walked over to them with a slight limp. “The name’s Earl.”
Kevin, Joe, and Tank introduced themselves and shook his hand.
“I see you met Cool Callaghan.”
Camille looked over at Joe. “I told you.”
“Yeah, she’s not exactly the friendliest person here,” Earl continued, “but she does get the job done. Speaking of cool, is it just me or is it getting colder in here?” He rubbed his arms, trying to warm them up.
“Do you think that someone else might let us send a message?” asked Kevin.
“Maybe. Walk with me and I’ll see if I find you guys a decent room.” They walked to the far end. “These cell walls aren’t soundproof, but this room may give you a bit of privacy.”
The room had five cots, a small table, and some empty boxes that Joe assumed were for storage. There was a privacy curtain boxing in one of the corners that had a small bench. In the centre was a dining table with six chairs. On one side were three comfortable chairs, a side table and some books.
“Wow, we’re supposed to live here?” asked Camille.
“I know,” said Earl, “you’d be better off finding an empty house. This place is more for those who can’t take care of themselves.”
Joe set his backpack down and sat on one of the chairs. “So why are you here?”
Earl stood in the doorway. “I hurt my ankle. It seemed like a better place than the hospital, and I prefer the cuisine. My ankle is much better now, so I will be hitting the proverbial road soon to find a more hospitable establishment.” He said the last two words with a mock English accent. “Anyway, too-da-loo, boys and girls, good luck sleeping.” He laughed again and left.
Kevin sat on the chair opposite Joe, while Camille and Tank sat on both ends of the couch.
“This place sucks,” said Camille.
“I know,” said Joe, “We’ll be leaving tomorrow.”
“After we send a message to Monique,” added Kevin.
“Is it 17:00 yet?” asked Camille, cause I’m hungry.
“Where’s your watch?” asked Tank.
“I left it behind in the last millennium, old man. There’s a little thing called a cell phone. It tells the time, and it lets you communicate with the world.”
“And where’s yours?”
“It’s dead along with all the cell networks.”
“Bet you wish you had a watch now.”
“Oh yeah, and where’s yours, Captain America?”
“It interferes with my grapple.”
Kevin broke up the exchange. “It’s 16:50.”
“That’s ten to five,” Tank said to Camille.
“I knew that,” she retorted.
“Close enough, for me,” said Joe. “Let’s go find some food.”
Earl was right, the food was good. They enjoyed roast chicken with potatoes and green beans. Earl joined them at the table in the noisy cafeteria.
“How are the lights and heat still on?” Kevin asked Earl. “I thought the power was out.”
“They have generators for electricity, and they use propane for cooking. Their boiler system is supposed to be keeping us warm, but I heard it’s not working right.” Earl blew into his fist. “That’s why it’s getting colder in here.”
That night, Joe fell in and out of sleep. He blamed his uneasy sleep on the noises and voices of the other refugees that echoed through the building.
Early the next morning, he woke up cold. The blanket that he had been given, wasn’t enough to keep him warm. The temperature in the building had dropped significantly. He pulled off his covers, sat up and grabbed his coat. Kevin was tossing in his sleep while Tank snored. Camille was half asleep, shivering under her blankets. Joe took his blanket and put it over her before leaving. He walked out of the rink and into the lobby. He found Callaghan in the administration room sitting at her desk, bright-eyed and alert.
She looked up from the desk. “You look like you didn’t sleep much.”
He tried to rub some of the sleep out of his eyes. “I take it you haven’t had much luck fixing the boiler.”
“That’s not your concern. It’s being handled.”
“I may be able to help.”
She looked at him and paused for a moment. He used the moment to admire her facial features. Her skin was smooth and flawless, her piercing brown eyes…
She interrupted his thoughts. “What kind of qualifications do you have? Are you an engineer?”
“No, not exactly. I’ve done maintenance on three buildings for the last ten years.”
“So, you’re a maintenance man?”
“Two of the buildings I work in have a boiler heating system. One of them is about 100 years old, and I fix it all the time.”
“So, you can’t be very good if you have to keep fixing it.”
“Look, do you want my help or not?”
“I guess it wouldn’t hurt for you to take a look.”
The two of them walked out of the lobby, through a doorway in the far end and down a dimly lit hallway.
Joe attempted small talk. “My name’s Joe.”
“Callaghan,” she replied.
“So, do you have a family?”
<
br /> “No, not anymore.”
“How long have you been stationed here?”
“Two weeks.”
They walked through a narrow doorway and into the boiler room. She pressed a button on a temporary LED light stand. It lit up the room and the boiler.
“Here it is,” she said. “It’s working, but it’s not putting out much heat. I’m not an engineer, so that’s all I know. Tools are over there, and there’s a shelf with spare parts in the back. Don’t break anything. Let me know if you need anything else. I’ll be in my office.” She turned and left.
The boiler was not the same model he was used to working on, but it had a similar design. He soon discovered the problem. The boiler had dirty burners and a faulty ignition switch. He was able to clean the burners, but was unable to find a replacement for the ignition switch on the shelves of spare parts. He went back to Callaghan to inform her.
From outside the administration office, he could hear Kevin talking with Callaghan.
“Can you please send a little message?” Kevin asked.
“I’m sorry, but it’s against official policy,” she answered.
“Aren’t you in charge here? Can’t you change the policy?
“I don’t think so.” She looked over at Joe as he walked into the room. “Joe, did you fix it?”
“Not yet, but I know what’s wrong with it.”
“What?”
“I’ll make you a deal. I will fix it if you let my friend Kevin send a message to his wife.”
“Are you blackmailing me?”
“No, I’m just making you an offer. I will fix your boiler, so all these people don’t freeze to death, and you will help a new father who risked his life to save me, talk to his wife.”
She looked at them with no expression for several moments.
“Fine. Just so you know, the emergency network is not very reliable, and it is by no means a phone system where you just have a conversation. We can send a message, but there is no guarantee that she will get it.”
“That’s fine,” said Kevin, “Thank you, thank you very much, I appreciate it. Now how do I do this?”
“Hold on there, Mr. Hasty. First things, first. I need Joe to fix the boiler.”
“I will need a new ignition switch.”
“Okay, let me know what one looks like and where to get it. I’ll send my men to retrieve one.”
“I don’t know the model number, but I suppose I could remove the broken one, and they could see if they can find a similar one.”
“My men are good at what they do, but mechanical engineering is not what they do. You need to go with them.”
“Wait. What?”
“Private Monty, get in here!” she yelled, and a well-built dark-haired soldier stepped into the room.
“Ma’am.” He stood at attention.
“You will take Lewis, Paquette, and Wortley and escort Joe here to the nearest mechanical supply store. He will assist you in locating an ignition switch, which you will bring back here as quick as is humanly possible.”
“Yes, Ma’am!”
“Whoa, hold on a second here,” Joe protested. “What about Kevin’s message?”
“Please,” Kevin pleaded. “I really would like to talk to her as soon as possible, so she knows I’m alright”.
“Fine,” she acquiesced. “You need to go now with my men, and I will see about this message.” She motioned for Kevin to sit down.
“You’re not coming then?” Joe asked.
“No,” she said, “I will not. Now get out of here before I change my mind, and Monty, get him a vest.”
Chapter 28
Neither Monique, Zach or Ayesha had a working watch, but since the sun appeared to be at its highest point, Monique assumed it was near noon. Zach and Ayesha were hungry and they were all tired. They had been walking with the llamas from the farmhouse, for a couple of hours.
Monique looked at the boarded-up gas station they were passing and announced, “Let’s stop here for some lunch and a break.”
Roxie’s ears perked up, and she let out a single bark, her nose pointing down the road. “Get off the road, now!” yelled Monique.
As they shuffled into the gas station parking lot, they heard the sound of diesel engines. As they watched, jeeps, armoured personnel carriers and military trucks with canvas-covered backs rumbled by. Five minutes later, the procession ended.
“Are we at war now?” asked Zach.
“I hope not,” said Monique. “You two need to find the bag with the hay and feed the llamas.”
“Dora and Boots,” Ayesha corrected her.
“I’m going to see if there is any food in the store,” said Monique.
She managed to bend back one of the plywood boards using the squeegee from the gas pumps and smash the window. After climbing into the store, she stood in complete darkness. She turned on her flashlight and her mouth dropped and then closed into a wide smile. She went to the back of the store and unlocked the door.
“Did you tie the llamas up?” she asked when she reached the front of the station.
“Yes, they’re all fed and secure,” said Zach. “Did you find anything in the store?”
Monique picked up Olivia from the sled. “Oh yeah, I sure did.” She started walking around to the back of the station. “Come with me.”
They all followed her, including Roxie, who ran ahead sniffing.
When they reached the back door, Monique said, “After you.” She opened the door for them.
Ayesha and Zach walked tentatively through the back door and turned on their flashlights.
“Whoa!” they both said at the same time. The store shelves were full. There were chips, candy, chocolate bars, pop, gum, pepperettes, beef jerky and a wide assortment of other junk food.
They attacked the store with wild abandon.
“Don’t open the freezers, and don’t eat anything that could go bad,” Monique called after them. She grabbed a three musketeers bar, and a bottle of vanilla coke and sat behind the counter. She breast-fed Olivia while satisfying her sugar cravings.
The kids were ecstatic. The store was dark, and they used their flashlights to illuminate the sweet, sour and salty wonders. Monique watched with satisfaction as their beams of light bounced around the store. The sound of their young voices sharing in each other’s discoveries. The crinkle of wrappers was punctuated with exclamations of delight as they uncovered new delicious treasures. Roxie got in on the excitement when Ayesha found some dog treats.
They had had a long eventful night when they left the mansion, had a short sleep at the farmhouse and then a long morning trek through the snow. They were all exhausted and were now well-fed.
The afternoon sun had warmed the air, and they all fell asleep. Monique napped slouched against the counter with Olivia resting peacefully on her chest. Monique snuggled on the bottom shelf with the toilet paper, while Zach used a jumbo-sized bag of Lay’s ketchup chips as a pillow.
They slept for a long time till Roxie barked and woke Monique.
“Roxie, quiet,” she yelled. Muffled voices could be heard outside.
“Get up, guys,” Monique whispered. “There someone outside.”
Zach and Ayesha got up quickly. They all walked quietly out the back door. Monique tried to shake the sleepy haze from her head.
“Stay here,” she said before they rounded the corner to the front of the station.
There were four snowmobiles parked in front of the pumps, and four men stood outside the store. One of them was pulling at the plywood that Monique had partially pried off. Two others were going through their bags on the sled and the packs on the back of the Llama. The fourth man stood back watching. They all carried guns.
Roxie was baring her teeth and growling.
“Easy,” said Monique then yelled out, “Hey, what do you think you’re doing?”
They all immediately stopped and looked at her. The man standing watch pointed his shotgun in her direction.
The man pointing the gun noticed the baby and lowered his gun slightly. “Are you armed?”
“No. I’m not. Please, don’t shoot, I have a baby.”
“Fine, but you need to stay where you are. If that dog attacks, I will shoot it. Stay where you are while we unburden you of your llamas.”
“No!” said Ayesha as she walked into view, “Dora and Boots are ours.” She crossed her little arms in defiance.
“Well, well, well,” said the man, “What do we have here. I take it by the colour of this little one’s skin that she is not yours. I suspect that this gas station isn’t yours, and neither are these llamas. My friends and I are having a real craving for fresh meat. I’m sure that we could get a few decent steaks out of these two.” He pointed at Dora and Boots with his gun.
“Shoot the llamas,” he ordered his men.
Just as one of them raised his rifle at Dora’s head, he was interrupted by the sound of a vehicle driving towards them.
A military vehicle pulled into the gas station.
Three heavily armed soldiers climbed out of the vehicle, pointing their rifles at the four men in front of Monique. A fourth soldier, who looked like he was the guy in charge, climbed out of the passenger seat and stepped forward.
“What’s going on here Ma’am?” he asked, his hands on his hips.
“Nothing to worry about,” said the man as he lowered his shotgun and held his hand up.
“I was talking to the lady,” the soldier said.
“These men were trying to rob us,” said Monique putting on her most vulnerable face.
The soldier looked at the man with the shotgun. “Are those your snowmobiles?”
“Yes, they are, but we were just…”
“I suggest you get on them and leave,” his voice was authoritative and calm. “There is currently a state of emergency, which means I am within my rights to order my men to open fire.”
The three soldiers pointing their guns all took a step forward. The shotgun man paused for a moment then boarded his snowmobile. The others followed his lead, and they sped off down the road.
Black Flag | Book 1 | Surviving The Scourge Page 18
