by Knox, J. C.
Furious, George marches away from the mayor’s office towards home. Knocking on Connors door, he tells him to come with him to Seamus’s house. In Seamus’s living room, George tells them about the meeting he’s just had.
‘Fucking piece of shit!’ Seamus yells.
‘Don’t worry we will be okay, I’ve told Magnus to have the icebreaker ready to take us back to Blackcliff Island in the morning, but you need to get ready. Make sure you bring all non-perishable food and any bottled water with you, we will have to be as thrifty as we can,’ George tells the other men.
‘I’ve been stocking up on non-perishables and bottled water since you came out of prison and told us what Magnus had reported,’ Connor said.
‘Good we’ll stockpile everything we have together, I have food, water and medicine in the bunker, we left most of it in there just in case.’
‘I knew you had more than you let on,’ Seamus said.
‘Shut up Seamus, this is not the time, we have to act fast and get away while we can,’ Conner said.
‘Get packed up, we’re leaving at daybreak in the morning. Wish me luck, I must tell Sarah what’s happening, she won’t be happy, she told me when I mentioned going back to the bunker before that she wasn’t going to go, I might need some help in the morning. If she won’t go willingly, I’ll have to force her.’
‘No bother just give me a shout if you need help with Sarah,’ Connor said.
Less than an hour after he left, George’s heart sinks when he steps through the door, glancing around, there’s an empty vodka bottle, and mud on the floor where a pot plant has been knocked over. In the kitchen, he finds Sarah slumped on a stool at the breakfast bar, she has wet herself yet again.
‘For fucks sake Sarah, I’ve only been gone an hour and look at the state of you, get down and shower NOW,’ he roars, furious that she has done this to herself.
‘Fuck off George, I don’t have to do what you say, you’re not the boss of me.’
‘Go and get showered before I lose my temper,’ he said, through gritted teeth.
Sarah slides off the stool, stumbling towards the bathroom, he waits a while but doesn’t hear the water running and goes to check on her. Opening the door, he finds her passed out on the bathroom floor.
‘For fucks sake, Sarah get up and get showered,’ he yells, lifting her off the floor as he turns the shower on.
She steps into the shower fully clothed, but George doesn’t care, he’s sick of dealing with cleaning up after her. He doesn’t know how she got so bad so quickly, it was six months after baby Elizabeth died before he was able to come home, but she must have been drinking before that to be this bad now. Part of him is glad she will be locked away in the bunker soon and won’t have any access to alcohol. There is alcohol in the bunker, but it won’t last long at the rate she is drinking. He’s planning on getting Connor and Seamus to help him get her dry. There’s a loud crashing and banging coming from the bathroom, George dashes to open the door, he can barely see with the steam, but Sarah is lying in a heap on the floor again. Wrapping her in a towel, he carries her to the bedroom, placing her on the bed, before removing the soaking wet clothing, dressing her in pyjamas and covering her with a duvet. She begins snoring loudly, he opens the drawers and packs their clothes before emptying all the cupboards in the kitchen. Placing the bags at the door ready for the morning, glad that he had the foresight to stock up on ration packs and bottled water after he was released from prison.
It’s 5am, George is up, getting ready to leave, he checked on Sarah on his way past, she was still out cold. George hasn’t slept in the same bed as his wife for over a year now, she’s always drunk, and he can’t get any sleep with her snoring. There’s a quiet knock on the door, opening it, he assumes it will be Conner or Seamus, but Oscar is standing on the doorstep.
‘What are you doing here?’ he asks, knowing the answer.
‘I want me and my family to come with you to your bunker.’
Oscar is clearly desperate; George takes a deep breath in contemplating Oscars usefulness.
‘Come in, do you have supplies?’
‘Yes, I have enough to keep me and my family for at least a year, I know it’s not enough, but we didn’t have much time.’
‘Okay, you and your family can come, go home, get your gear and meet us at the docks, the icebreaker is leaving at 6.’
George doesn’t want more people coming, he knows the more people they have, the fewer supplies they will have. But he also knows that Oscar is nuclear trained and could be a benefit to the group. It’s almost time to leave, he takes a deep breath before heading to the bedroom to wake Sarah. Watching her sleeping, he almost wants to leave her and go. She will cause a lot of bother that none of them need right now and could put them at risk if she tries to get out of the bunker without going through the proper procedure. There’s a light knocking at the door,
‘Connor, Toby, come in, have you seen Seamus?’ he asks stroking Toby’s head.
‘Not yet, but his lights are on and I could hear the girls talking as I left mine.’
‘We have another family coming with us, he’s Swedish and worked in the Forsmark nuclear plant before it exploded. He could be useful.’
‘There’s plenty of room, from what I gather from what you’ve told me,’ Connor said.
‘It’s not the space I’m worried about it’s the food and water rations. Give me a sec, I need to get Sarah, she’s still asleep.’
In the bedroom George gently shakes his wife’s shoulder, ‘Sarah, wake up,’ he calls, shaking her a little harder. ‘Sarah, come on wake up, we have to go.’
‘What? Fuck off George.’
‘Sarah, you have to get up now,’ he said, pulling her into a sitting position.
‘What time is it? Why are you here?’ she asked her voice slurring.
‘We have to go, come on get up now, or I will have to leave without you.’
Rubbing her eyes, she scans the room.
‘I’ve removed all the vodka,’ he said.
‘Fuck off! You freak,’ Sarah slurs, before falling back onto the bed.
George checks the time; he needs her to get up now or they will be late.
‘Sarah, this is your last warning, get up now or I’m going without you.’
‘Where are you going and why do I have to come?’
‘We have to go to the bunker, there’s been another explosion and we have to go.’
‘Fuck that shit, I’m not going; you go, leave me here.’
George pulls the door behind him, before walking into the living room where Connor and Toby are waiting.
‘Sarah won’t come,’ he said,
‘Do you want me to talk to her?’
‘I don’t think there’s any point, she’s lost the will to live, can you imagine us all trapped in the bunker with her? I think it’s best that we leave her.’
‘Really George, she’s your wife.’
‘She stopped being my wife a long time ago, come on, we need to get Seamus.’
The two men step outside and close the door leaving Sarah in her bed.
‘This doesn’t sit right with me. Are you sure we should leave her George? I think I should talk to her; we could carry her out together!’
‘Connor, she doesn’t want to live, and we can’t keep her supplied with alcohol in the bunker, also having to deal with the vomiting and abuse, no this is the right thing to do for everyone. Sarah is killing herself slowly, but with the fallout it will happen quicker for her.’
Seamus’s door opens, and the girls spill out, before Connor and George reach them. The three men load up the car before heading to the docks. The icebreaker is already waiting, when they arrive. George gets out of the car, and Magnus strides towards him.
‘George, just as you asked, the icebreaker will take you home, I hope you will keep in contact via the radios.’
‘Yes, of course, and thank you for all you’ve done for us.’
‘No proble
m, it’s the least I could do. I should have been honest with you and the rest of the town. Take care of yourself and hopefully I will see you on the other side.’
‘Yeah hopefully,’ George said, shaking the mayor’s hand.
Leaving the car that was gifted to them on their arrival in Iceland, George, Connor and Toby, Seamus and his two-daughters, board the icebreaker along with newcomers Oscar, his wife Lilly and their two daughters.
Chapter 16
The Bunker.
The journey from Iceland back to Blackcliff Island is relatively uneventful, there’s some travel sickness but apart from that, the journey is smooth. It takes two journeys with George’s fishing boat to get everyone onto the Island. He makes sure to take most of the ration packs from the boat to bring into the bunker. On the walk up to the house George tests the air with the Geiger-meter, he’s surprised when the clicking and readings indicate significant radiation on the island. The house looks exactly the same as it did when he and Sarah left two years ago.
‘The radiation readings are significant, guys, I don’t think we should stay out here much longer, we should go straight to the bunker,’ George said.
Glancing at the worried faces staring back at him, he feels a responsibility for each and every one of them. ‘I need you all to realise with this amount of exposure we’re all likely to develop some form of cancer in the near future. There is no medical help in the bunker. If you get cancer, you will die.’
‘George you need to stop worrying, we have a chance of survival because of you, without the bunker we will definitely die,’ Seamus said, putting an arm around each of his girls.
‘Okay, if everyone is ready, we’ll get going. Let’s do this,’ George said, lifting his bags before stepping out of the house.
Leading the group around the precarious cliff-side he can’t see the radiation, but he can feel it, he knows it’s there, he has a metallic taste in his mouth and his throat is sore. The wind gusts across from the Atlantic, he takes a minute to enjoy the blast that momentarily takes his breath away. He’s going to miss the Atlantic and the freedom to be outside, but he’s willing to do what he has too, to survive. Standing outside the heavy door to the bunker, George hands the Geiger-meter to Seamus before placing his bags on the ground. He pulls the large stiff handle until it turns with a loud screech, there’s a loud clunk as the mechanism unlocks. Using his weight George pulls the door open and the cool air from inside hits him.
‘Seamus if you step inside you will find a lantern on the shelf,’ George said, holding the door as the group enter the cool dark chamber.
Seamus lights the lantern, everyone filters into the corridor, it’s claustrophobic. Looking at everyone’s frighten faces George doesn’t want to close the door but knows that he must if they’re going to survive. He leans out and pulls the heavy door closed sealing the exit and darkness envelops them all, it’s pitch-black, bar the orange glow coming from the lantern.
‘Dad, I don’t want to stay here,’ George hears one of the children say.
He moves past the group, lighting another lantern before lifting the pot of potassium iodide tablets handing one to each person explaining that it will help block the radiation from destroying their thyroid. When everyone has taken the tablet, George guides them further down the tunnel, the group following closely until they reach the inner door. Using his body weight George pulls the handle until it turns, and the door opens, he steps aside handing his lantern to Connor who leads the group into the bunker.
‘You will notice there are several showers just through the door, I want everyone to shower before entering the bunker properly.’
The four men step in and shower, before Lilly brings the girls in. When everyone is showered and dressed in new clothes George shows them around the extensive bunker. Each family is allocated a section for themselves. The central area is kept as a communal area for everyone to share.
‘You know George we could fit more families in here,’ Connor said, after everyone has settled into their areas.
‘There’s definitely space, but what about food and water?’ George asks, looking at the shelves piled high with ration packs and non-perishable foods.
‘What about Sarah, are you really going to leave her there to die?’
‘She doesn’t want to live, I’ve tried talking to her, tried to get her help, but she doesn’t want to know. She’s abusive, and it’s difficult to keep trying to help someone when they scream abuse whenever you’re near them.
‘Yeah, I know what you mean, I did try to help her when you were in prison, but she was a nasty bitch, I gave up after she spat in my face, I deserve better than that.’
‘Yes, you do, thank you for trying though. She just can’t get over what happened with baby Elizabeth.’
‘What did happen? She never told me just said that the baby had died.’
‘Conner, it was terrible the poor wee mite, she was never going to survive, Sarah should have listened to me and aborted before it got to that stage, it would have been more humane on everyone.’
‘Mate… You can’t let her die because you’re angry with her.’
‘She doesn’t want to live; I’m not letting her die because I’m angry with her. I tried to get her to come but she wouldn’t.’
‘Okay, but it doesn’t sit well with me, I think we should call Magnus and get her put on the icebreaker, it’s not too late, he has a police force at his disposal, they could get her on the boat.’
‘Just leave it Connor.’
Chapter 17
2 Months Later.
‘You’re being unreasonable George; we’ve been talking, and we’ve made a decision to call Magnus and get Sarah put on the icebreaker,’ Seamus said, running his hands through his rapidly thinning ginger hair.
‘Yeah, I understand you’re angry, but I agree with Seamus, we can’t stay here knowing we’ve left Sarah out there to die,’ Connor said.
‘And you think I want her to die?’ She doesn’t want to live; I keep telling you both, but you’re not listening to me.’
‘Alcoholism is a sickness George, Sarah doesn’t know what she wants, we have to help her even if she doesn’t want it.’
George realises they are right, a feeling of dread running down his spine at what he has done, how could he have been so stupid?
‘Okay, we’ll contact Magnus,’ he said.
Their footsteps echo loudly as they descend the iron stairs to the lower level that holds the generator and the communications systems. Seamus pulls out the radio. Using the handheld, he sends a message to Magnus.
‘Come in Magnus, over!’ he said, into the receiver.
‘Go ahead. Over!’ the reply comes almost instantly. It’s not Magnus, but they can hear someone calling him to the radio.
‘Magnus, it’s Seamus, we want Sarah to come to Blackcliff Island on the icebreaker. Over!’
They wait but there’s no response. ‘Maybe they’re in the bunker and can’t bring her,’ Conner said, looking from George to Seamus. A crackling on the radio when ‘Come in. Over!’ is relayed.
‘Go ahead. Over!’ Seamus said.
‘Sarah deceased. Over!’
‘Nooooo,’ George yells, dropping to his knees.
‘Roger that. Over and out!’ Seamus said, before shutting the radio down.
‘Fuck, I wonder what happened to her?’ Connor said.
Seamus places his hand on Georges shoulder, the three men sit in silence, none of them knowing what to say. Fifteen minutes later George stands. ‘This is my fault. I let her down and now I have to live with what I have done.’
‘We should have a service for her,’ Seamus said.
‘Yes, she deserves a sendoff,’ Connor agrees.
The last thing George wants to do is have a sendoff for Sarah, the guilt at what he has done, weighs heavy on his shoulders. He would prefer to mourn quietly alone but goes along with the others; it seems to make them feel better having something to focus on.
�
�Okay, we’ll have a service for her later today, but I don’t want this lingering on, we have the service and move on,’ George said.
Three hours later, all the occupants of the bunker gather to remember Sarah. George, Seamus and Connor all say a few words about her, and the group raise a toast,
‘To Sarah.’
George hates public gatherings such as weddings, christenings and funerals at the best of times, but this is worse than usual, in the bunker he can’t escape. He’s to blame for his wife’s death and knows that everyone here knows it as well. But he also knows that there’s no prison in the bunker, no serving time for the unforgivable crime he’s committed, the bunker is the prison and they’re all trapped in this hell hole together. Maybe Sarah was right, dying is better than living like this, what’s the point? If Oscar is right about what happened, it’s likely that none of them will ever get out of here. Sitting alone enveloped with darkness and guilt, George realises that he needs to talk to Oscar, he needs to find out what happened the night the reactor exploded in Sweden. Slapping himself around the face several times before heading over to the area that Oscar and his family have occupied, he finds them playing chess. Watching the situation that is so normal yet so completely abnormal he can’t stop staring. It takes a minute for him to realise they are all looking at him, waiting for him to say something.
‘Sorry to interrupt, but could I have a word Oscar?’
‘Yes, of course,’ Oscar said, following George into the common area.
‘Oscar, I need to know what happened the night of the explosion, I need to know if we have any chance of getting out of here, of leading normal lives again?’ George asks, a darkness clouding his ability to think beyond the confines of the bunker.
‘Yes, of course, but you should know I was a coward, I left, I suspected something bad was going to happen, and I left in the middle of my shift, maybe if I’d stayed, I could have helped stop it from happening,’ Oscar said, watching for Georges reaction.
