We shared. We normally did these days. We occasionally bumped each other in the small cubicle as we soaped ourselves.
“Did you hear them last night, Jade?” asked Wendy.
I murmured in my purple dream.
“They kept me awake half the night. They sounded close this time. Why can’t the police do anything about them?”
“They’re on strike,” I reminded her. “They haven’t been paid for six months.”
“The army?”
“They’re fully stretched. They can hardly cope with the lawlessness themselves, Wendy.”
“No.”
We both groaned when the water stopped half-way through our shower. Wendy swore. It was the last straw after a miserable night. It usually happened two or three times a day. We stepped out of the shower and rubbed down with bath towels.
I dressed in my room.
As I turned down the stairs in my casuals, the post, which was only delivered once a week now…if we were lucky, dropped through the letterbox. I hurried down the rest of the stairs. I picked it up. I was excited when I found the blue airmail letter from my American friend. It was the first since she had stopped writing to me in July 2017. But my heart sank when I noticed the postmark. It was dated August the 2nd , 2017, shortly before the first asteroid fell on Central California. I stared at the letter for a long moment. I bit my lip. Should I or shouldn’t I? This was the dilemma that I was faced with; however, I was also curious.
I sat at the bottom of the stairs reading a letter from a ghost. It was all rather sad. She was so full of hope for the future. I was suddenly annoyed with my pen friend from the States because there were tears running down my cheeks. I brushed them away angrily. I wouldn’t cry. I wouldn’t! I sighed heavily as I slipped the letter into my pocket. It would go in my drawer with the others.
When I entered the kitchen, mother was mopping up a large puddle on the floor. She looked annoyed. I could guess what had happened. The overnight power cut had defrosted the freezer again.
“The frozen stuff is all ruined, Jade,” complained mum miserably. She was almost in tears. She shook her head helplessly. “I don’t know what I’m going to make your father for tea tonight, I really don’t.”
“Wendy and I could pop into the Super Save supermarket this afternoon on our way home from college, Mum,” I suggested helpfully. Mistake.
“Jade, I’m not made of money,” said mum sternly.
“No, Mum.”
She added in a softer tone, “We’ll manage somehow, Jade. We’ve got plenty of tinned stuff in the cupboard.” She chuckled. “Your father’s taste buds died a long time ago. He’ll eat anything that’s put in front of him.”
“True,” admitted father who entered the kitchen at that moment.
I smiled. “Morning, Daddy.”
“Jade.”
He kissed my cheek and took the mop from mum. I smiled, for I saw it in their eyes. They still loved each other deeply, madly after all these years.
When I put my head around the door a little later, Wendy was sitting on the bed in her bra and knickers. She still hadn’t dressed. She’d make us late for college again. She was talking to Kevin Willis (love god of South London) on her vid phone using up all her credits. She giggled once or twice. I was surprised because I never realised that he had any kind of sense of humour at all. I tapped on her bedroom door, but she ignored me. She was startled when I snatched the vid phone from her. Kevin Willis looked startled too when I licked the screen. It went blank.
I giggled loudly as Wendy, who was threatening to boil my brains, chased me half-way down the stairs till she realised that she was still in her bra and knickers. She ran back upstairs, still threatening to boil my brains later. I laughed again.
We breakfasted. I ignored Wendy’s dark look. She still hadn’t forgiven me for earlier. She wore a wry expression on her face when I let the tip of my tongue slip between my little, white teeth. Mummy and daddy missed it. Tommy sat under the table with his bowl of cereal in his lap. I stroked his face occasionally with my barefoot. I smiled when he kissed it.
“The head rang me earlier from home,” revealed daddy. “The Roamers have firebombed the school.”
We were shocked.
Daddy remained surprisingly upbeat under the circumstances. He’d just lost his job, and he’d been a schoolteacher for over twenty years, since he left teaching college, in fact. Would he ever teach again?
He added, “It means that I’ve got some unexpected spare time on my hands. Now that the builders’ merchants have finally delivered the bricks after charging me an arm and a leg for them, blaming severe shortages for the exorbitant price, I can make a start on that wall.”
“Daddy, why do we need a high wall around our place?” I asked unnecessarily.
Wendy rolled her eyes.
“The Roamers are getting closer to this street. We need to be prepared,” answered father grimly. “They torched Roman Avenue last night.”
I was troubled. Roman Avenue was only two blocks away. It was a nice street. I hated using the past tense.
“The Martins at 22 have already got their wall up,” said daddy. “We’re a little late with ours.”
The Martins were snobs.
Daddy sighed. “I know we’re beginning to turn the house into a bit of a fortress. But what other choice do we have?”
We didn’t have an answer to daddy’s question.
“I want you girls using public transport to college this morning, no walking there,” said father sternly.
Wendy and I murmured.
I’d better explain. We’ve been walking to college or using public transport since our little accident in the electric van. Wendy had slammed it into the college gates one morning as she was sending a picture message on her vid phone to Kevin (the green-eyed monster from the Black Lagoon) Willis. The collision had damaged the transmission. We were unhurt. Father wasn’t pleased, so our beloved electric van is out of commission for the time being until we can get it repaired sometime hopefully in the near future. And daddy’s Jeep? He rarely uses it now unless he must because of petrol rationing.
“I’ve got an important announcement to make,” announced Wendy at the breakfast table.
Oh? I thought.
“Kevin Willis is going to buy me an engagement ring this Saturday,” said Wendy.
I nearly choked on my corn flakes.
Wendy revealed, “He’s saved up all his money for it.”
Mum didn’t look very pleased. She thinks our Wendy could do much better. I agree with her. I think Wendy is crazy, but she won’t listen to anyone.
When daddy turned on the breakfast news on the TV, the black and white picture on the screen was dark and watery. They were using their own emergency generators to transmit the signal. The young newscaster in a suit and tie wore a grim expression on his face, and we knew that it was all bad news. It was.
He said:
“There were violent disturbances in the major cities
throughout the country last night. The so-called
Roamers looted and burned shops and other
buildings in Liverpool, Birmingham, Glasgow and
Manchester. London did not escape the mayhem.
The army was called out yet again to restore order,
and many are feared dead in the gun battles that
ensued. The government has declared a state of
emergency, the 10th this year so far. It will not be
the last. The leader of the opposition in the Commons
blamed high unemployment for the continued unrest.
The latest official figures show that over 7 million
people are without work. Benefit funds for the
unemployed have run out at most offices,
exacerbating the problem. The government has
admitted that there is no more money in the kitty.
Overseas
news now. Sydney was hit by a massive
tidal wave yesterday evening. Many are feared
dead. The Canberra government has declared a
state of emergency in New South Wales. Fighting
has flared up again in the Southern States of Russia.
The breakaway Southern Republics have vowed never
to surrender to Moscow rule. Finally, London remains
on ‘green’ flood alert.”
I said bad news. I was wrong. It was terrible news. It could depress you if you let it. I wouldn’t. I’d other things on my mind to keep me occupied. Whatever else, life itself must go on. Father is always saying that, and he’s right.
The local bus service was erratic at the best of times. This was the worst of times. Our bus was late needless to say. Wendy and I were half-tempted to walk; nevertheless, we kept our promise to daddy. We waited patiently in the long queue. Some people still had jobs, it seemed.
When the crowded, hydrogen-electric bus did finally arrive, Wendy and I had to stand. We had an uncomfortable ride for awhile, so when a couple got off at the next stop, we grabbed the empty seats, ignoring one or two frowns from the older ones. I sat next to the window. While Wendy checked her face in her hand mirror, I watched the scenery. It wasn’t good. The Roamers had been busy during the night. We passed a row of burnt-out and looted shops on the high street. Moore’s Stores, the local supermarket, where mum had shopped for years had gone, which was sad. The picture of a young model advertising a brand perfume on the giant vid hoarding had frozen when the Roamers had set it alight melting some of the plastic. The driver pulled over to allow three army fire tenders by with their blue lights flashing and sirens wailing. I watched them vanishing through the heavy traffic. Roamers, I thought.
The bus driver was pulling over again a few moments later, though it wasn’t a stop.
“All off,” ordered the bus driver over the loudspeaker. “This is as far as we go today, folks. Sorry.”
People groaned but obeyed reluctantly. We were baffled as we got off the bus with the others in the high street till we saw the large hole that had appeared in the middle of the road just metres ahead of us where the sewer had collapsed. A small van, which had not been so lucky, had fallen down it. I hoped that the driver was okay. We couldn’t see anyone trapped inside the shattered cab. Perhaps he had jumped clear at the last moment when he saw the gaping hole opening up in front of him…maybe he hadn’t.
Wendy and I walked the rest of our journey to college. Daddy might not be pleased; we had little choice in the matter.
As I was crossing the causeway that linked the science block with the maths block in between classes alone, Phillip White, who’s in the same class as I, caught up with me.
“Jade, I liked your in-depth analysis on Einstein’s theory on relativity,” he said breathlessly.
I smiled nervously. “Thank you, Phillip.”
Phillip is a hippy type with long hair and scruffy jeans. He likes hard rock and heavy metal music. He also smokes weed. He offered to share one of his funny cigarettes with me once. I declined his offer. I’m not going to get into that kind of stuff. I like being in control of my own senses. Phillip seems out of it half the time.
“Do you think FTL spaceships will ever be a reality, Jade?” he asked.
“Pardon?”
“Faster than Light spaceships.”
I was amused. Phillip has some very weird ideas. FTL spaceships are science fiction stuff like parallel universes. Yes, I’d grown up, and I didn’t believe all that stuff now. I think smoking pot has rotted some of Phillip’s brain cells.
We stood by the drinks machine in a small queue on the landing.
“According to Einstein, travelling faster than light isn’t possible, Phillip,” I reminded him.
He chuckled. “Maybe the great man himself got it wrong, Jade.”
I shook my head amused.
Maths was cancelled, disappointing me. The tutor, Mr Smallwood, never turned up for class that day.
The afternoon bus service had been cancelled, which wasn‘t unusual, so Wendy and I took the decision to walk home. Perhaps we should have phoned daddy on our vid phones. He could have picked us up in his car. We didn’t. We would soon come to regret it. Oh, yes, we would regret it.
We walked in silence for some moments by a railway embankment where the fence was crumbling and in need of repair. The row of houses opposite was boarded-up and abandoned. There were few people about. Wendy called this way a short cut home, but I didn’t think so. It always seemed longer to me. An eerie silence filled the street. I glanced at the sickly sky, frowning.
“Jade, who was that hippy type I saw you with earlier?” quizzed Wendy curiously.
“Phillip White, who believes in FTL spaceships,” I answered.
She giggled. “Pardon?”
“Faster than light,” I illuminated. “Phillip is rather strange that way. He smokes weed too. He offered to share a joint with me once.”
Her eyes narrowed. “Did you?”
I was annoyed. “Don’t be ridiculous, Sis. I don’t want to screw up my head. I’ve got important exams coming up soon.”
“Okay, Jade, don’t bite my head off. I know you wouldn’t do anything stupid.”
“Sorry,” I apologised.
“Forgiven.”
We were friends again.
“Although FTL spaceships aren’t possible, man will one day explore the distant planets in our own solar system. He will probably stand on the surface of Mars sometime this century. It could even happen in our lifetime, Sis,” I said.
She feigned an exaggerated yawn.
“Am I boring you, Wendy?”
She giggled. “Yes, as a matter of fact, you are, Jade Robinson.”
“Well, I’m sorry if I-”
VENUS PEBBLES!!!
I was astonished when Wendy shoved me hard in the chest. I lost my balance, falling through a gap in the crumbling railway fence. The sickly sky above spun around me as I rolled down the wet, grassy embankment, landing in something soft, damp and unpleasant near the bottom. I was almost in tears. My head was still spinning, and I thought I was going to be sick. As soon as I’d got my breath back and recovered from my nasty shock, I was going to brain my sister. She had gone too far this time. Why did she do it? Was it a moment of madness on her part? Then Wendy tumbled down after me. I looked up puzzled.
“Roamers!” she hissed. “Keep your head down, Jade. I don’t think they spotted us.”
I was suddenly scared. I wasn’t going to brain my sister after all. I was going to thank her with a big, wet kiss as soon as this was all over. It wasn’t.
I caught glimpses of one or two of them through the long, wet grass where we lay near the bottom of the railway embankment as they ran by above us. The Roamers were scruffy youths in hoods to hide their identity. We stayed hidden in the long, wet grass for some minutes or so. We were too frightened to make a move till we were certain that they had gone. We heard excited cries, shouts and screams. It sounded like a young girl. Oh God, I thought, it could so easily have been us.
When it went all quiet again, we cautiously stirred from our hiding place. We were covered in the disgusting stuff. It was in our hair too, but we were the fortunate ones. The other wasn’t so lucky.
I picked up my school bag.
“We can’t go back that way, Jade,” said Wendy, looking around her anxiously.
I didn’t argue with her. She pointed past my shoulder.
“We’ll go that way round, Jade. It’ll be safer.”
We crossed the rusting, disused railway lines. The trains hadn’t run in a long while. This used to be the Victoria line into central London. The grass and weeds had grown long in that time. When we heard an excited cry behind us, we looked over our shoulders. The Roamers were running down the embankment. They had found us. OH, DROKK! ZOOTWOSOME! VENUS PEBBLES!! But Wendy kept a cool head in the s
ituation.
She spotted it first. “The old railway tunnel, Jade, it’s our only chance to lose them.”
I snapped out of my inertia, sprinting to the black tunnel with my sister by my side. A rush of adrenalin and fear carried us forward. But where did the tunnel lead? We were running into the unknown. We disappeared into the black, stony womb of the tunnel. Its darkness comforted me, yet it half-terrified me too. I suppressed those other feelings. We heard their excited cries behind us in the dark. It was the chilling echo of bloodthirsty hyenas. They weren’t giving up. They had followed us into the tunnel. I almost stumbled once or twice. I prayed that I wouldn’t fall. They’d be upon me like a pack of crazy wolves. My lungs ached. My legs were like jelly. I longed to rest awhile to catch my breath. I dared not. Fear kept me going. Wendy gripped my hand tightly. She carried me through. Then we saw a light at the end of the tunnel. It was a welcome sight; however, we weren’t out of it yet.
When Wendy and I emerged from the long, dark tunnel, we found ourselves in an old railway siding. Rusting, empty carriages and old freight wagons stood silently in the siding like ghost trains. We were too tired and exhausted to outrun the Roamers who weren’t far behind us. We had to hide somewhere and pray.
We hid in the half-gloom of an old freight wagon. We waited.
When we heard them right outside, we held our breath. Wendy gripped my hand tightly. We were extremely frightened. My heart pounded in my chest. I thought it would explode. I turned my head and peered through a gap. I saw two or three outside. Hoods covered their faces. One, who was obviously their leader, was giving orders to the others. When his hood slipped, I saw his face clearly for the first time. I recognised him instantly. I was astounded.
Wendy and I stared at the door wide-eyed when we heard someone outside trying to open it.
It sounded like a helicopter overhead. The Roamers scattered. When I looked through the gap again, I saw it. It was a big army helicopter. One of the fleeing Roamers fired at it with an automatic pistol. He had just made a fatal mistake. The helicopter responded in kind, spitting flame. I saw him twist and fall. He lay still. He didn’t get up again.
The Citadel and the Wolves Page 12
