“They’re at home. I won’t take them away when they’re happy where they are.”
“But there will be a lasting darkness, sir. The power won’t come back on for quite some time.”
Captain Burgess just stared in the distance.
Laurie couldn’t believe a man could be so cold and callous with the facts. This was no regular power cut. It was an EMP event that would set them back decades, maybe more. Laurie had his girlfriend taken to the LRRF camp he’d help setup. She was a lot safer there than anywhere else she could go. He wished he was with her now.
“These terrorist cells formed very quickly,” Burgess said. “It wouldn’t surprise me to learn they were the ones who initiated the power cut in the first place. I suspect they underestimated the effect it would have on society and were forced to break into the facilities.”
If you believe that, you’re a fool. None of the evidence suggested these people were responsible for the EMP. It looked to be a catastrophic global event.
“If they were so well-prepared for the power outage and the attacks on our facilities, why are they so badly organised now?” Laurie said.
Burgess wore a superior smile on his face. “Because of our effective attack. They had no idea we would be onto them so fast and it’s knocked their plans off-kilter. We’re drawing in. We’ll soon have them surrounded.”
His saddle groaned as he turned back to face the hill in the distance.
“Sir, where is your family based?” Laurie said.
He pointed with a leather gloved hand at a hill, less than a mile or two distant. “Just over that rise.”
His family was beyond it and he hadn’t even considered checking in on them to make sure they were okay. The world was not a safe place any longer. Burgess should have known that and taken precautions with his own family and those he loved.
Laurie, speechless, watched as Burgess turned away.
31
They exited the forests two hours ago and now emerged into wide open fields and land populated with farm livestock. Farms were few and far between but they were getting closer to civilisation.
“Break,” Bill said, removing his backpack and leaning it against the fence.
Katie ducked under a farmer’s fence, causing a herd of sheep to bleat and take off at a run. A figure pulled up alongside her.
“The world is never going back to the way it once was, you know,” Aaron said.
“Well, aren’t you Mr Sunshine today.”
“Just being honest.”
“Sometimes it’s best to keep your honesty to yourself.”
“You think?”
Katie rolled her eyes. “Was there something you wanted? Other than to rain on my parade.”
“I actually come with a message of hope.”
“Oh?”
“That’s why your grandfather wants you guys, the younger generation, to take over one day. After the worst of this dies down, we’ll need people who can rebuild and switch everything back on, to teach others how to use everything again. There might be a whole generation that needs to learn this stuff for the first time.”
Katie snorted. “Grandfather doesn’t think like that. He never has.”
“I wouldn’t be so sure of that if I were you. Your grandfather lost his only son. You’re all that’s left of him.”
The words knocked Katie for six and made her feel sick. Her face screwed up and she turned away from him. She didn’t want him to see the tears forming in her eyes.
“He cared about your father more than you know. Relationships can be… difficult for military people like us.”
He looked at Katie through his long eyelashes. They might have looked effeminate on another man’s face but his square jaw more than offset anything feminine about him. His scraggly beard was just beginning to come in now and gave him a dangerous air.
She caught him looking at her now and then. He must look at her more often than she realised because she wasn’t constantly checking him out. He always tore his eyes from her and whatever thoughts he was harbouring.
Standing across the way watching them both was her grandfather. He had a look in his eye too, and not the kind Katie appreciated. The overbearing pose of an overprotective father. And as her father was already gone, someone had to step in and fulfil the pain-in-the-arse role he left behind.
Bill’s eyes turned and focused on something beyond them.
Ronnie came running up to him. It was surprising to Katie to see such girth and weight move so quickly. He was surprisingly nimble on his feet. Aaron saw something on his face that Katie didn’t, and took off to join them. They discussed something under their breath.
Bill turned to them all. “We’ve got men approaching from the south.”
Murmurs of concern from the others.
Tanya’s expression turned serious. “How many?”
“A dozen.” Ronnie panted. “Maybe more.”
Bill and Aaron shared a look. Their expressions were studied masks of emptiness but Katie had spent countless hours analysing the subtle inflexions on her father’s face and knew they were concerned.
“How far?” Aaron said.
Ronnie spoke between gasps. “Half a mile. They’re travelling in vehicles.”
That gave Bill and Aaron pause for thought. “Vehicles?” Bill said. “What kind of vehicles?”
“Cars? Bikes?” Aaron said.
“No. Something with tracks instead of wheels. They don’t look advanced. Some of my neighbours at a nearby farm used to have one for crossing muddy ground. Two men can barely fit in the front. Six could stand on the back at a push, holding onto a metal frame.”
Aaron turned to Bill. “Off-road?”
“No doubt.”
They picked up their rifles and made to leave the camp. Katie stepped in front of them. “Woah, woah, woah. Where are you going? You’re leaving us?”
“Somebody has to watch our rear.” Bill took off at a jog. If Katie had been hoping for a fond farewell, she’d best forget it.
Aaron gave her a cheeky wink. “Judging by the way you’ve been ogling me the past few days, maybe you would be best for the job.”
All Katie’s concerns went out the window with that comment. “Ogling your rear? You’re the pervert who can’t keep his eyes off me.” Katie’s heart fell to her feet. “You’re really leaving?”
“I’m afraid so.”
“Can’t we all move together? I’m sure we’ll be better as one unit. What if the soldiers get ahead of us and attack from the north?”
“The twins will protect you.”
“Why can’t they watch our rear?”
“Because we’re the best trackers. We’ll cover ours as best we can and plant fake ones leading away.”
“Then why can’t–”
Aaron took a step forward and Katie got the feeling he would have put a hand to her cheek if so many eyes weren’t watching.
Quick as a flash, he produced something from his inside pocket. He put it in Katie’s hand. It was a necklace, silver, with a green jewel at its centre.
“It belonged to my mother. I don’t want to lose it in case I don’t come back. Will you keep it safe for me?”
Katie’s lips lost all feeling. “Aaron, I can’t keep this.”
“Who said anything about keeping it? I want you to keep hold of it for me until I get back.”
It was a cheap trick, but one that worked a charm. Katie nodded and shut her hand around the delicate metal, afraid it would break if she squeezed too hard.
“We’re doing it this way,” Aaron said. “It’s the best way.”
It’s not the best way if it’s putting you in danger.
“Keep Grandfather safe.”
“I will. Truth be told, in all likelihood, it’ll be him keeping me safe.”
“You know what I mean.” Please keep yourself safe.
Aaron nodded. “I do.”
Katie wanted nothing more than to hug him, to show she cared for him, and t
o tell him to come back to her. But she couldn’t bring herself to do it. All she could manage was a weak: “Good luck.”
“Thanks,” Aaron said. “We’ll need it.”
Without another word or a look, Aaron turned and jogged toward Bill, waiting for him on the edge of the clearing. Katie didn’t take another step until they disappeared around an old sagging hedge with large white flowers.
“Bye,” she said aloud.
32
The rest of the group packed up their things. Darryl hissed through his teeth as Tanya turned the stewing pot over, spilling it over the dirt.
“I was looking forward to seconds!” Darryl said.
“No time,” Tanya said. “We’re going to have to rely on our protein bars to keep us going from here-on out.”
Darryl curled his lip like it was far beyond the pale.
We’re lucky to be eating anything, Katie thought.
“It’s a long way to the lodge,” Katie said. “We should turn back and help the others.”
Tanya altered the straps of her giant backpack. “Your grandfather and Aaron can take care of themselves. We came up with a contingency plan in case something like this happened.”
Katie’s nostrils flared. A contingency plan and they didn’t tell them? “What contingency plan?”
“We’re to head north to Leighton Buzzard. There, we’ll meet a friend of your grandfather’s. He’ll keep us safe until your grandfather and Aaron catch up.”
The plan was fine, but Katie was still pissed. “Why weren’t we told about this? We should have talked about it.” She hated more than anything to be treated like a child.
“You’ll have to ask your grandfather about that when you next see him. For now, we’ve got to move.”
Katie didn’t need the conversation with her grandfather. She already knew the reason. Because he still sees us as children Ella’s age. Incapable of protecting themselves and needing protection at all times. She peered past the red mist of anger and focused on the task in hand.
“Give your friends a hand,” Tanya said. “The sooner we can leave this place, the better.”
Katie helped Darryl pack his things. He always tried to carry too much and wasn’t good at packing. She yanked out the top half of his possessions, rolled them up, and jammed them back in his backpack.
“It doesn’t seem to matter how I store everything,” he said. “They never seem to fit.”
“It will fit if you put it in properly.” Then Katie found something hard in the bottom of his bag. She pulled it out. There was more than one. They looked like stones. She held them up with a questioning look. “What are these?”
“Souvenirs. Of the places we’ve been during our journey.”
Katie’s expression turned flat and she tipped his bag upside down.
“Hey!”
“The rocks are useless. Worse than useless. They’re heavy and slow you down. And if you slow down, you slow us all down.” She tucked the rest of his rolled-up clothes inside. They fit, and with room to spare. She helped him put the backpack on.
“Would’ve been nice to keep the rocks though,” Darryl grumbled.
Gunfire.
In the distance. The booms echoed through the valley and off the sheer rock walls.
Katie stared at the foliage, the gunshots loud and voluminous.
And close.
She felt like she could reach out and touch them.
“Where do you think they are?” she said aloud, not really expecting anyone to respond.
“Just beyond that rise,” Tanya said. “With any luck, a long way beyond that rise.”
“We should turn back and help them,” Katie said. “Our dad taught us to shoot. If you give us some weapons, we can help cover their retreat.”
“Our job is to get you to the house,” Ronnie said. “There’s no turning back.”
A rat gnawed at Katie’s stomach and her heart raced. She had a bad feeling about those gunshots. She preferred for the shots to be aimed at her. At least then they could fight together.
“Your friends don’t know how to shoot,” Tanya said. “It’s better for them if we keep moving.”
They hit the road. Katie couldn’t help checking over her shoulder every few yards and sent a prayer into the foliage. Come back to me.
33
The twins stopped at every crossing they came to. The roads grew larger, and so did the number of abandoned vehicles. On one side sat empty fields due to be farmed but she doubted there would be much grown on them besides weeds for quite some time. They made for easier trekking but would leave them exposed.
They made good time, not that it was easy with Camden and Hannah struggling with the stretcher between them. Every time the twins offered to take their place, they politely refused. They couldn’t keep up the punishing speed forever and would have to hand over the reins sooner or later.
Katie held Ella’s hand as they marched alongside a winding fence that never seemed to end. Every few hundred yards was a twisted set of wooden steps ramblers often used to cross over. But they wouldn’t do that.
Not until it was necessary.
Ella struggled to keep up. Where they walked fast, the little girl had to jog. Katie was proud of her for not uttering a single word of complaint.
Darryl marched on her other side and didn’t complain either, though he was puffing and panting loud enough to hear over thundering howitzers.
Katie’s thoughts drifted backwards in space and time, to her grandfather and Aaron, watching their rear, and the gunshots that fired just over an hour ago.
Were they hurt? Did they manage to take out some of the soldiers on their heels? Were they caught already?
Katie was so deep in her head that she walked into a figure that stood frozen before her.
“Sorry–” she said.
“Sh,” Ronnie said.
His eyes weren’t focused on her or anything else. He was looking everywhere and nowhere at the same time. She saw the same look on her father’s face whenever they went hunting. On the lookout, turning his head side to side to peer deeper at his surroundings, to see and hear things he’d normally miss. Katie performed the same action but she wasn’t entirely sure what she was meant to be looking for–
Ahead, an engine grumbled.
The twins dropped and lay perfectly still. They daren’t issue an order for the others to do the same for fear the soldiers would hear them. Katie took the hint and dropped down alongside them. She pulled Ella down with her. Scallywag ambled over and licked at Ella’s face, now within easy attacking distance.
Katie put a finger to her lips and then nodded at Scallywag. Ella nodded and tapped the space under her. Scallywag wagged his tail as he lay underneath her. He poked at her with his damp nose and licked her chin. Ella gently put her hand over the dog’s muzzle to ensure he didn’t bark or yelp. The dog’s head jerked side to side, his ears sticking up but he didn’t make another sound. With the attention he was getting, he probably thought they were playing a game.
Stupid dog’s going to get us killed.
A large searchlight drifted over them and cast long shadowy fingers across the neighbouring field. Katie had no idea if Darryl or the others behind her managed to get down in time or not. They might be frozen stiff with fear and standing there like ninnies. She guessed not, as the spotlight passed over them and the truck continued in its relentless forward motion, the searchlight returning to the other side of the road.
Katie wouldn’t move a muscle until the twins deemed it safe to emerge from their hiding spots.
The truck’s engine rumbled, drifting slowly down the road.
Ronnie got up first, then Tanya. The others followed soon after.
“That was close,” Katie said.
Tanya wiped the sweat off her brow. “Too close. We can’t continue along the road like this. We have to go off-road.”
Into the empty fields.
“That’ll leave us exposed,” Katie said.
&nbs
p; “Harder to spot us if we’re far enough away,” Tanya said.
They approached the next ramblers’ crossing point. The twins hopped over like spritely gazelles. Katie went over next. Ella followed Scallywag’s lead and crawled under the first fence crossbeam. This put her within easy reach and Scallywag was quick to capitalise on it, smothering her with doggy kisses.
“Scallywag!” Ella said. “Let me up!”
Camden and Hannah faced a different challenge. They would lift both ends of Jodie’s stretcher at the same time and balance one end on the top fence crossbeam. One would climb over, and then they’d slide the stretcher along the fence to allow the other carrier to cross over and resume carrying it as normal.
It was a good plan. Shame they were both too exhausted to lift it to its required shoulder height.
“I’ll lift it for you,” Ronnie said.
“No, it’s okay,” Camden said, straining. “I can do it.”
But he couldn’t do it.
It was hard enough when you were at full strength, never mind exhausted after carrying the stretcher all day.
“You’re not going to lift it high enough,” Ronnie said. “And we need to get moving. Now.”
“I can do it.” Camden strained every muscle he possessed. Anything was better than looking like a weakling in front of the woman of his affection.
“I… I can walk,” Jodie said.
“No, you can’t,” Hannah said. “You need to rest.”
“I’ve rested enough. I won’t let anyone die for me.” She put a hand to Hannah’s face. “You’ve already done so much for me. I can’t ask more from you.”
“Stay where you are,” Camden said. “We’ll manage.”
“Put the stretcher down or I’m going to fall.”
Jodie sat up and swung her legs over the side. She wasn’t about to stop and wait for them to finish lifting the stretcher, so they hastily lowered it down for her, just in time for her to place her feet on the ground.
Jodie was still very weak. Her legs shook with each step she took.
Hannah helped her climb the wooden steps. The twins helped her on the other side. She wasn’t even carrying a backpack and she struggled to walk.
Cut Off (Book 2): Cut Throat Page 11
