Surviving the EMP (Book 5): Powerless Winter

by Casey, Ryan

  This dog had dragged him out of the depths of despair.

  So dragging him out of the depths of some freezing water was the least he could do in return.

  He stopped by the edge of the ice. Looked up at Martin. Saw him smiling, waiting for events to fold once more.

  Then Jack held his breath, and he threw himself into the water.

  The cold stung his body in an instant. All of his muscles cramped and froze. He was disoriented. He could barely hold his breath. Instinctively, he swam upwards, tried to get out of it.

  Then he gritted his teeth and remembered why he was here, and who he was here for.

  He opened his eyes. Looked around the murky water.

  But he couldn’t see Villain anywhere.

  He heard something, then. Bullets. Bullets hitting the ice. Martin. He was having fun here. He was trying to finish him off in the most dramatic way possible.

  Jack couldn’t let that happen.

  He couldn’t lose Villain.

  He spun around, desperate to find him, when he saw something.

  Villain.

  Eyes open.

  Paddling through the water towards him, but drifting away.

  Jack’s stomach tightened. He lunged for Villain, went to grab a paw.

  But Villain’s paw slipped just out of reach.

  He swam further towards him then, further away from the surface than was comfortable. His eyes filled with colours. His ears rang. He felt dizzy. He knew he didn’t have many more moments of consciousness left. He was going to drift away unless he got out of this water. Fast.

  He swam towards Villain. Reached out for his paws, once more. If he could just get hold of him. If he could just…

  Villain reached out a shaking paw.

  Jack grabbed it.

  He looked into Villain’s eyes. Moved close to him. Rubbed the fur on his head.

  It’s okay, lad. I’ve got you. We’re getting out of this. I promise.

  He turned around again and made for the surface. But the opening wasn’t easy to find. Not now he was down here, not now his head was spinning so much, not now he was so dizzy.

  He clambered his way back up, wading through the water. Climbing as far as he could.

  Come on, Villain. It’s okay. Just hold on a little longer.

  He reached the surface of the water, and he braced himself for a bullet to hit.

  But it didn’t.

  He didn’t even look, though. His only focus was Villain.

  He dragged his shaking body out of the water. Listened to him yelping, whining. Held him in his arms.

  And then he looked up as he stood there holding him.

  Martin and his people still stood by the side of the water.

  They weren’t firing at him anymore.

  They were just watching.

  And then Martin did something.

  He started clapping.

  “Good God,” he said. “Well, if that isn’t the most heroic damned thing I’ve ever seen. You know what? It was so damned heroic that I’ll give you a chance. A chance to get across the ice. A chance to get back to your people. But even if you do… we’re coming for you. We’re right behind you. And we’ve got some friends with us now, too.”

  Jack didn’t know what Martin was on about. Not at first.

  Not until a few of his people dragged three people from nowhere.

  Yanked the sacks off the top of their heads.

  Jack’s stomach turned to stone.

  Iain. He was badly beaten and bruised. Looked him he’d been crying.

  And Harry and Lara were here, too. They looked just as shocked. Just as upset.

  The lack of Shania worried Jack deeply.

  Martin stood there with these people beside him, and he nodded. “So go on, Jack. Make your break for it. As for the rest of your people… we’ll see you in Barrow.”

  Barrow. Shit. He knew. He frigging knew.

  He looked up at Martin.

  Then back towards his people, who were still shouting for him, still calling him to hurry.

  “You can run as much as you like,” Martin said. “But we’ll catch up with you eventually.”

  Jack turned around. Looked at him. He still didn’t feel so great himself. He was running on pure adrenaline, but he felt like he could pass out at any moment.

  But he stood his ground.

  And in a moment of defiance, as his dog shook in his arms, he smiled. “I hope you do. Because I’m looking forward to breaking your neck with my bare hands.”

  A momentary flicker in Martin’s eyes.

  Then, a smile.

  “That’s the spirit.”

  And then he lifted his rifle and fired.

  Jack ran as quickly as he could, Villain in his arms.

  He tried to lunge for his dropped rifle as he ran past it, but the bullets pierced the ice around it, sent it submerging below.

  He heard the bullets right behind him. Felt them slamming against the ice. Felt himself getting closer to falling below the depths, once again.

  But he kept on running.

  He kept on going.

  His family getting closer.

  Holding on to Villain at all times.

  “It’s okay,” he muttered to Villain, and to himself. “We’re going to make it. It’s—it’s okay.”

  He heard another few bullets hit the ice.

  And then they stopped.

  And at that moment, he made his final push.

  Just a few more steps.

  Just a few more…

  He slipped.

  Hit the ice.

  Heard it crack underneath him.

  He held his breath and prepared for the cold depths of the water to drag him under once more.

  Then he felt hands grabbing him, dragging him and Villain off it.

  He lay there by the side of the water and looked out at the broken ice, at the frozen remains, at how close they’d all got to falling.

  Hazel held on to Jack, and she cried.

  “It’s okay,” he said. “I’m here. I made it. I—I’m here.”

  But he could still hear Martin’s group, just around the corner.

  And he could still hear the words Martin said, resonating inside.

  We’ll see you in Barrow.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Jack walked along the tree-lined road and tried to remember what it was like to be even slightly warm.

  Evening was approaching. The sky was turning dark. Snow clung to every tree, and bright white ice covered the roads. To some people’s eyes, it might look like a nice sight. But to his, it was hellish. A reminder of how deep into winter they were. Of how cold it was. Of how there was no warming up, as long as it was like this.

  He carried Villain in his arms. Villain might be heavy, but Jack didn’t want to force him to walk. Not while he was freezing cold like this. Not while he was still shaking.

  Villain had been through a trauma. There was no guarantee hypothermia wasn’t going to take over him completely.

  But Jack was going to do whatever he could for him to make sure that didn’t happen.

  “If you want to take a break, you should.”

  Jack looked around. Saw Hazel approaching.

  He sighed. Looked back at the rest of his people, all of them following. And then he looked at the road behind him. Off into the distance, where Martin and his people had to be somewhere. He thought about them finding a way to wade across the icy water. Or finding a way to climb that tower of snow and ice blocking the bridge.

  They could be right behind. They could be close.

  It was only a matter of time.

  “We can’t wait around. We’ve got to keep moving.”

  Hazel grabbed Jack’s arm. He winced. It was still tender after being submerged in the icy water, a moment that still shocked him. He still couldn’t believe he’d gone diving in there.

  But Villain was here.

  He was alive.

  So no matter how it might’
ve felt, it was worth it.

  “I’m sorry,” Hazel said. “I… I know you don’t want to stop. And I understand why. But you put your life on the line back there. And you’re not out of the danger zone.”

  “And I’d do it again,” Jack said. “For any of you.”

  Hazel sighed. “That's what worries me. Just how far you’ll go.”

  She looked at Villain, then. “How’s he doing?”

  Jack looked down at him as he rested in his arms. His eyes were closed. He was sleeping it off, trying his best to get his energy back. “Not out of the danger zone either. But he has a chance. So it was worth it.”

  “And what about Martin and his people?” Hazel asked.

  Jack stopped. A bitter taste filled his mouth as Martin’s face came to mind. “What about him?”

  “You said it yourself,” Hazel said. “He knows about Barrow. He knows where the helicopters were heading. And he knows where we are heading. And he has Iain and the kids.”

  The hairs on Jack’s arms stood on end. The thought of Iain and the kids crouching there, bloodied and bruised. And the lack of Shania in sight. That worried him.

  “There’s nothing we can do about them now,” Jack said. “As hard as it is to accept… we can only keep on going. And we can only keep on hoping we make it to Barrow before they do. And the best chance of doing that is if we keep walking.”

  Hazel opened her mouth. Went to say something.

  Then she closed it. Shook her head. “How the hell did we get to this point, hmm?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Well, think about it. Half a year ago, we were living very different lives. You had your life, and I had mine. And that’s just how it was. That was the way it was gonna go—forever, too. There was no way our paths were going to cross again. And we were… well. We were content about that. Right?”

  Jack nodded but broke eye contact with Hazel. “I guess you’re right.”

  “And as much as I’d do anything to go back to life as it used to be—as much as I’d give anything for Wayne and Pete and the life I had… I don’t know. It feels like being here with you … this is how it was always supposed to be. Like I can’t even imagine things any other way. If that makes sense.”

  Jack looked into Hazel’s eyes, and he felt his heart swell. He felt that tingling warmth in his stomach, butterflies fluttering around like he was a teenager again.

  He felt his love for Hazel, and he wanted to tell her that much.

  But in the end, he just smiled at her. “We’d all do whatever we could to turn back time. I guess the question is… how far back would you go?”

  A glimmer of confusion in Hazel’s eyes.

  Then, that widening. That look. A look that reflected his.

  She smiled back at him. Sighed.

  And then Jack felt movement in his arms.

  He looked down.

  Villain stared up at him. Licking his lips, trying to shift onto his back. Not shivering. Not whimpering. It was like he was just… relaxing.

  “Hello, boy,” Jack said, smile stretching across his face. Tears welled up in his eyes. A lump swelled in his throat. “It’s good to see you. It’s—it’s really good to see you.”

  He hugged Villain. Felt his warmth.

  And then he lowered him down to the road, just to see how he got on.

  Villain got to his feet right away.

  And then he turned around and ran towards Emma, jumping up at her, playful, like he’d not seen her in years.

  He looked at his people smiling and laughing, and for the first time in a long time, he felt the joy.

  He looked at Hazel smiling back at him, and he felt that love.

  “Come on,” he said, holding out a hand. “Let’s keep moving.”

  She looked at his hand.

  Then she looked back into his eyes.

  “Okay,” she said, smiling. “But if you think I’m holding that ice block of a hand, you’ve got another thing coming.”

  The man watched the group approaching from afar.

  He held the trigger and prepared to fire.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  When darkness fell, Jack couldn’t shake the feeling he was being watched.

  He knew he was probably just being paranoid. Snow trickled down again, catching his eye. A breeze picked up, brushing against the trees, making it look like something was moving in the woods surrounding them.

  But again. He had to keep on convincing himself there was nothing out there. It was all in his mind.

  But the thought of Martin’s group looming on the horizon kept on coming back.

  They were still on the road they’d been walking down earlier. A long country road, right through the hills. They’d just reached a quarry area. A large grey wall of rock, snow all around it.

  Jack swore he saw things over there, too. Movement. Lights.

  But he knew he had to keep on going. He couldn’t let himself get bogged down in his thoughts and fears. Not now.

  Emma walked by his side. She hadn’t said a lot. Didn’t speak much at all these days. She seemed to like Villain, though. Seemed happy he was still okay.

  Jack looked at her and caught her glancing at him.

  “You okay?” he asked.

  Emma nodded, looked away.

  She’d been this way ever since she’d lost her hand. Quiet. She’d grown up a lot, in a sense. Her innocence had been robbed from her. She seemed determined to prove herself; to prove her worth. But that battle was with herself, and it was one that would be nigh on impossible to win. Jack knew all too well. He’d fought battles with himself far too many times.

  “You know,” Jack said, as he kept on walking. “If you want to get anything off your chest, you can.”

  She looked at him again. For a moment, she looked like she might speak.

  And then she turned away again. Kept on walking. Kept her one good hand on Villain.

  Jack thought about letting it go. He thought about just keeping walking, not intervening. Emma had made her point in silence. He had to respect that.

  But something made him stop.

  “Emma?” Jack said.

  She looked up at him again. Cheeks flushed. Eyes darting, exploring his face.

  And then he took a deep breath. “I want you to know I’m sorry. For holding you back. I realise how that must make you feel. Especially after what happened to you. It must’ve made you feel pretty inadequate. But you’re not. You’re really not. You’re the most amazing young woman I’ve ever had the pleasure of knowing. And you’re going to keep on being strong in this world. For all our people.”

  Her eyes widened, just a moment. Her jaw hung there like she didn’t know what to say, but this time for a different reason.

  And then she did something Jack wasn’t expecting.

  “Thank you,” she said. “Thank… thank you. So much.”

  He nodded back at her. And as uncomfortable as it made him feel accepting he’d been overprotective of his people, he knew it was the right thing to do.

  Emma deserved to live. Everyone was right.

  And she was strong. They were right about that too.

  “Anyway,” Jack said. “I’ll need someone to look after Villain if I freeze my balls off right now.”

  She sniggered a little. And Jack laughed too.

  And as he walked with Emma, laughing, he started to feel something.

  Something he thought had been lost completely.

  Hope.

  He turned around when he saw someone standing there, right before him.

  He froze.

  This man. He was wearing a thick white coat. His eyes were covered with goggles. His face was protected, too.

  He stood there holding a rifle at Jack.

  Jack lifted his hands. “Wait,” he said. “Don’t.”

  But that man just stayed there.

  He just kept that rifle pointed.

  “Please,” Jack said. It was all he could say. He’d thrown
him, after all. Appeared out of nowhere in the darkness.

  And he was dressed so differently to most people.

  He was dressed so… appropriately.

  The rest of Jack’s people stopped by his side. Raised their hands. Stood there, totally still, as snow fell heavier again.

  And as this man held his rifle, Jack thought it was so typical. He’d just started to feel hope. He’d just started to sense optimism. And it was all going to be stolen from them, all over again.

  Then the man lowered his rifle and said something Jack wasn’t expecting.

  Something that shook him to the core.

  “Hazel?” the man said.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  “Hazel?”

  Jack heard the man holding the rifle speak, and for a moment he thought he was imagining things. There was no way a guy out here in the middle of nowhere could know who Hazel was. Not when they were so far from home.

  But he swore he recognised that voice, too.

  And that worried him.

  Darkness had well and truly settled in. A light breeze brushed along the road. There were no sounds but the frozen leaves rustling against one another in the wind. Nothing but the sounds of his group’s breathing. Nothing but the sound of Jack’s heart racing, pulsing in his head.

  Hazel narrowed her eyes. Everyone looked at her like they were all just as surprised to hear what they’d heard. And that’s what made Jack realise he hadn’t been hearing things. This man really had said Hazel’s name.

  So who was he?

  And why did Jack recognise his voice?

  The man dropped his gun. He stumbled through the snow towards Hazel. And the way he moved, it didn’t look threatening. It didn’t look like he wanted to harm her.

  But there was something uncomfortable about all this.

  “Hazel? Is that you? Is—is that really you?”

  Hazel stood there. Eyes wide. Shaking her head. Like she didn’t understand, either.

  Jack wanted to go over there. To step between them. This could be a trap. It could be someone that’d been spying on them.

  It didn’t feel right.

  But then the man stopped.

  He fumbled around his face.

  Reached for his woolly hat.