The Fallout

by Knox, J. C.

  The two men look out of the window and watch the chaos as the town people stockpile bottled water and food. Everyone is dashing around their arms loaded with supplies.

  ‘Nothing much more we can do tonight, we’ll release the prisoners in the morning, no need to process any of them, but make sure they leave with water,’ Magnus said.

  Egill nods, switching the light off as they leave. It has clouded over as the night has progressed; small flakes are starting to fall on Magnus’s windscreen as he makes his way home. Opening the door, he turns the alarm off, Magnus doesn’t bother showering just grabs a bottle of whiskey and a glass. Guilt eats away at his soul, what has he done. Has he inflicted certain death on the whole town? Do any of them stand a chance? The snows is falling harder and faster.

  The following morning Magnus wakes early, his stomach lurches, his head pounds, sitting up he swings his legs out from under the duvet, walking to the bathroom, each step is like an axe ploughing into his skull. Magnus doesn’t normally drink and having a hangover is unusual for him. Stepping out of the bathroom, he walks down the hall into the living room, pulling the curtains open looking out the window. It’s dark out and won’t be bright for several hours, but he can see that it has been snowing heavily overnight, it’s still snowing now, and the snow is piling high outside his house. Lifting the Geiger-meter he took from the office he leans out the front door, turning it on, the clicks begin immediately, and the reading shows a medium-level radiation reading. It’s not what he was hoping for and hopes that everyone made it home last night. Closing the door, he heads to the kitchen and turns on the tap, the Geiger clicking increases rapidly the reading is dangerous. Turning the tap off, he is tempted to cut the water supply to all the houses, at least then no one can forget and accidently drink the water. Glancing at the clock on the wall, it’s only 6am, it’s too early to call Egill, he’ll wait half an hour then call and get him to cut the water supply.

  An hour later at the office, there are several people waiting for him, complaining that they have no water, bottled or otherwise. He doesn’t want to deal with them and leaves his staff to deal with the complaining people. Walking to the staff room, Magnus spots a box containing twelve large bottles of water, lifting the box he heads back to the reception, handing out the bottles, explaining that the water has been tested and it is contaminated.

  ‘How long has it been contaminated?’ a woman asks.

  ‘It was only tested this morning, unfortunately I don’t know, but if you begin feeling sick, it might be a good idea to get checked out at the hospital, we have a section set up for radiation poisoning,’ he tells her, horrified at her worried face.

  Placing the rest of the water on the doorstep with a note for people to take one it they need it. He knows that the bunker has been filled with enough water to keep all the government officials safe for a number of years. The bunker is quite homely, everyone allocated a space has been given their own room. There’s a part of him that just wants to go underground, to ensure his own safety. He was informed yesterday that other government officials had entered the bunker, and he was sent instructions on what to do when he was ready to go.

  ‘Boss, the construction workers have arrived do you have the plans?’ Egill asks making Magnus jump.

  ‘Good, yes the plans are here, I want to help, the quicker we can get this done the better, I want everyone to wear facemasks while working. Radiation is an invisible killer and if we’re going to stand any chance of survival, we need to protect ourselves.’

  ‘Boss, I can run this, you should go to the bunker, I checked the radiation earlier, the wind must be coming from the east, that along with the heavy snow fall last night we’ve had a significant increase.

  Yes, I know, I checked myself this morning! Before George left for Blackcliff Island, he wrote an instruction manual on how to stop contamination. It would seem that everything must be buried and encased in concrete, all bodies, clothing and animals must be buried, or the contamination will spread,’ Magnus said.

  The colour drains from Egill’s face,

  ‘I instructed that all the bodies were to be cremated, I didn’t realise the smoke would contaminate the air. Fuck!’

  ‘Yes, that could be why we’ve had such a significant increase recently, you must tell them to stop immediately. And Egill, thank you for your service, just in case I don’t get a chance to tell you when this is all over.’

  Egill nods before leaving the office.

  After calling the hospital, Magnus pulls on work coveralls, covering his mouth and nose with a mask. He joins the construction workers, doing whatever is asked of him, working alongside the rest of the police force bringing concrete blocks and mixing stones into the cement mixture. Magnus is impressed with how efficient his team and the town people are, but his heart is heavy, he should have warned them, people are going to die because of his actions!

  It’s December 25th, and it’s been a month, two weeks and a day since they started constructing the town fallout shelter and it’s almost finished. The air has been checked for radiation every day and it has remained steady, but the snow has continued to fall the entire time, making it difficult to stay dry. He’s fairly certain that everyone who has been working in the snow will develop some sort of cancer in the near future, that’s what George kept telling him, that the major risk with radiation exposure is cancer usually affecting the thyroid. He has sent word to the town people to gather any seeds they had stored during the summer before the fallout would have affected the land. He’s told them to prepare to evacuate their homes as soon as he gives the word. Shortly after they started building the shelter Magnus had his secretary draw up a government issued nuclear preparation leaflet that was delivered to every home in the town. The leaflet was drawn up using notes left by George before he left, informing everyone to prepare to stay in the shelter for at least three months depending on the radiation levels. The leaflet informs that the land will be unusable for thousands of years, also fish in the sea, rivers and lakes will be contaminated and should be avoided at all costs. Magnus fears for his town, fish is the main income for most and a staple in the Icelandic diet.

  It’s New Year’s Eve, Magnus is in his office wondering whether to put on some sort of countdown to mark the end of the year. His phone rings, it’s the foreman, informing him that the town shelter is ready, inviting him to come and have a look around. Even though he has been involved with virtually all the build, he is surprised when he steps into the cool outer door and takes the short walk to the inner door where he is shown the vast expansive space inside, immediately to his left is a large shower and changing area. Just off the showering area there is a medical station which has a large metal cupboard filled with medication and a section where people can be kept away from the others if they need to be kept in quarantine. Stepping out of the medical area and further into the shelter, he finds a large communal living space with a large kitchen area, and several areas with sofas, TV’s and VCRs. The foreman walks him down a level where they walk past numerous booths with beds some single and some double, before leading him to the lower floor where there is a generator and many machines to keep the bunker running smoothly. After his tour Magnus is pleased with how well the shelter has turned out.

  ‘Can I tell the people to come?’ the foreman asks.

  ‘Yes, this place is ready. Just one thing, what about law breakers, is there somewhere they can be held if need be?’ Magnus asks.

  ‘Unfortunately not, we didn’t have the time or the plans to follow for a prison, but there will need to be some kind of policing in here, perhaps some sort of register that can be used when we get out.’

  ‘Okay, I’ll sort that, and I’ll give notice that the people can come.’

  Back at his office, Magnus checks through everyone’s names that have been included to enter the shelter, his eyes scan down the list, stopping on Sarah Thompson. She has caused so much trouble for him and is almost certain to cause problems inside the shel
ter, there are names he’s scrubbed off the list because they have died or have chosen not to enter the shelter. His hand hovers over Sarah’s name before he scrubs it out, it will be better for everyone if she stays out. Lifting his phone, he calls his secretary,

  ‘Kristin, can you prepare me a speech inviting the people to enter the shelter also make sure to have the shelter rules and the, in-case-of-emergency leaflets printed to be given on entry?’

  A day later standing at his window, he’s pleased watching the queue forming at the entrance to the shelter. His team are working in an orderly and efficient manner getting the people in and settled. It has been agreed that one senior member will exit the shelter in three months to test the air and if it is clear, the people can leave and return to their homes. Everyone has been given leaflets on what to do while in the shelter and what to do when they get out. The hospital has had its windows bricked up and is as secure as it possibly can be, anyone who shows signs of radiation sickness in the shelter is to be quarantined before being removed and brought to the hospital. When he knows everyone is safely inside, he will go to the government bunker where he will stay until he is told he can leave.

  It takes a full week for the residents of Borg to enter the shelter and the doors to be locked, it feels weird being in the town but everywhere abandoned, Magnus is almost tempted to lie low in his house but doesn’t want to put himself at risk of extra exposure. The whole town has been exposed there’s no way they have avoided it, it’s been snowing relentlessly for the past month and on a daily basis the Geiger-meter has showed high levels of radiation in the snow and air.

  Gathering his belongings, Magnus heads to the government bunker; the security is tight, and he has to show his I.D to several people before he can get near the outer door. The government bunker is a lot bigger and secure than the shelter he’s just left. The outer corridor has two entrances, that he has to pass through until he reaches the cool dark inner corridor which seems to go on forever, it takes them a good ten minutes walking before they reach the inner door. The security officer unlocks and opens the door to let Magnus in, waiting until Magnus is all the way in before pulling the heavy metal door closed behind him, locking it with a heavy thud. Magnus is greeted by his secretary who he could bring with him. She tells him that he must shower before entering the main building. After showering, Kristen leads him to the living quarters, glancing around the quarters he’s been allocated, Magnus is pleasantly surprised, he has a full suite with a sofa and TV, a small kitchen, a double bed and a bathroom. Setting his small bag on the bed, he unpacks ready for his stay.

  Magnus has been living in the bunker for just over a week when he gets a call telling him that there’s a message coming through on the radio for him. He’s certain that it must be George, no one else has his contact details. His heart races as he makes his way to the communications level.

  ‘Magnus, there’s been several calls for you on the radio, I think it could be urgent,’ one of the officers tells him.

  ‘Okay, thank you, you can leave,’ Magnus tells the officer.

  ‘Go ahead. Over!’ he said, into the handset.

  ‘Magnus, it’s Seamus, we need you to send Sarah over on the icebreaker.’

  He’s glad it’s Seamus and not George, but regret fills him when he relays that Sarah has died and hears George’s wail of despair in the background.

  He doesn’t actually know that Sarah is dead, but she will be soon. The radiation will kill her, if the drink doesn’t get her first. Replacing the handset, he marches back to his room uncertain that he’s done the right thing.

  ‘She was a fucking liability! I had to think of the town! It wasn’t just me, George left her here, he knew it was a death sentence!’ he thought.

  Opening the liquor cabinet that was fully stocked for his arrival, Magnus pours himself a large glass of whiskey downing it in one before refilling.

  Magnus spent the night drowning his sorrows, in the early hours he’s determined to put right the wrong he has done. Marching to the common area he tells security that he needs to leave the bunker immediately.

  ‘There’s someone I’ve forgotten to put in the town shelter,’ he tells the security guard who is not budging and won’t let him leave.

  ‘Mr Jonsson, I’m sorry but I’ve been instructed that no one can leave without approval from prime minister Hermannsson.’

  ‘Well go get him, tell him I need out,’ Magnus yells.

  Refusing to return to his room, Magnus sits on the sofa next to the inner door waiting for Steingrimur to arrive, grateful that the prime minister like always is prompt to arrive.

  ‘Magnus, you look like shit! What have you got your knickers in a twist about?’

  ‘I’ve forgotten someone, I need to go and get her into the town shelter.’

  ‘Well that is unfortunate, but not a reason to go out there and put your own life at risk. Sorry Magnus no can do,’ Steingrimur said walking away his security following closely behind.

  Chapter 20

  Sarah.

  Opening her eyes, Sarah squints until the dimly lit room comes into focus. Her head pounds and she can taste vomit in her mouth as she lies in her bed. Becoming aware of her surroundings, something doesn’t feel right, normally she can hear the murmurings of the town, but today it’s overly quiet. Shifting her leg, several bottles clatter onto the bedroom floor. Her mouth is dry and sticky, thick with saliva. Pulling the duvet over her head, the smell of urine makes her gag, and she pulls it back down. Trying to hear anything outside, there’s nothing but silence. Sitting up, the room spins and her stomach lurches, grabbing a small bin next to the bed, her stomach heaves until hissing green bile spills into it. Reaching down, she lifts one of the bottles that fell on the floor, taking a swig. The sour taste slips into Sarah’s mouth, it helps nullify the pain that has filled her every thought since she killed their baby. Vodka worked well initially; She doesn’t know how she got through those early days, but vodka definitely helped. The only problem is that she’s needing more and more now to keep herself from feeling and sometimes the pain doesn’t go. She can’t live with the guilt of what she and George did, it’s her fault the baby was born deformed, in agonising pain, but it was Georges decision that they should get the doctor to administer medication that would end her life.

  ‘I’m so sorry Elizabeth,’ Sarah wails, gasping for a breath as tears roll unchecked down her cheeks.

  Staggering to the bathroom, she splashes water on her face. Sarah opens the medicine cupboard, lifting the potassium iodine out, washing one down with water from the handwash basin tap. Checking to see how many are left, she’s pleased to see that there’s probably a couple of years’ worth in the large tub. Even in the alcohol induced state that she has been in since Elizabeth died, she’s remembered what George told her and takes a tablet every day. There’s been talk in the town about a shelter, but Sarah hasn’t received any information and assumes there will be something nearer the time. Her stomach lurches again, but she holds it in, swallowing the bile that filled her mouth, not wanting to waste the tablet. As long as it stays in her stomach for ten minutes, it will dissolve and enter her blood stream. In the living room, Sarah switches the TV on, but there’s nothing but black and white fuzz. Sarah can’t be bothered trying to fix it, turning it off again. Lifting the kettle, she tries to fill it, but there’s no water coming out of the tap.

  ‘Weird! What the fuck is going on?’ she thought.

  Realising there is some water already in the kettle, she flips the switch for it to boil. Pulling back the curtains, glancing out the window, she watches the snow falling, realising why it feels so strange, it’s too quiet, she can’t see anyone anywhere.

  ‘What’s going on?’ she thought, taking a sip from her coffee.

  Half an hour later she still hasn’t seen anyone, not one person, just the neighbours scrawny dog running down the road. Swilling down the dregs of her coffee, she glances in the fridge, there’s only one bottle of vodka left
, she will need to go and get more. Checking the clock on the wall, it’s almost 3pm, she wonders if she can avoid the vodka until 5pm and sets herself that target, pulling a heavy coat on before stepping out the front door.

  Walking down the street, she can’t understand what is going on, the streets are deserted, normally there are kids playing in the street at this time of the day, and there should be cars in the road, but there’s nothing. She walks on until she reaches the off-licence, but it’s locked

  ‘What’s going on, why is it locked?’ she thought.

  Shaking the door and peering through the window Sarah can see that there're some cans and bottles scattered around but most of the shelves have been cleared.

  Looking back down the footpath, Sarah realises that the road is piling with snow, it’s never allowed to pile with snow, it’s always cleared before it gets a chance to pile up. There are no footprints only her own; it’s as if she’s the only person here. As the snow lands on her head, a feeling of dread fills her core.

  ‘What if the town has moved into the shelter and I’ve been forgotten?’ she thought, suddenly realising the danger she’s in.

  Remembering what George told her about fallout she pulls her hood up, spilling snow over her face. Sarah runs as fast as she can back to the house. Standing in the living room gasping for breath she can’t believe what she is thinking, surely not, the whole town can’t be in the shelter, can they? How could they have forgotten her?

  ‘Perhaps someone will realise and come back for her,’ she thought.

  Unable to comprehend that she has been left behind, first by George, and now by the town she has called home for the past two years or so. Several hours pass, Sarah watches out the window for any sign that anyone else has been left behind, but there’s no one. Realising that she must protect herself, and after several shots of vodka, Sarah pulls the ladder to the roof space down and climbs up. Switching the light on, the swirling dust that has been disturbed from the trapdoor opening makes her cough. Walking across the rafters she pulls out several suitcases, opening one. There are several hazmat suits, masks, numerous packets of seeds, a small amount of soil, and several boxes of food ration packs. Opening another case, she finds more food ration packs, more seeds, medication, and numerous sealed bottles of water. Counting the ration packs and water bottles she has enough to survive for at least two years if she only eats what is essential to stay alive. Placed along the walls there are boards, they are heavy, she can only lift one at a time. Sarah uses all her strength to lift the boards, carrying them to the entrance before pushing them through the hole, throwing them down into the hall. Struggling to get a breath in the stale air, she throws everything she has down onto the ground below her, before carefully climbing down the ladder, making sure to close it after. At the bottom of the ladder she looks at the supplies she has been storing ever since George went to prison, she never told him what she was doing, she thought if she ever needed this stuff it would be alongside George and not alone. Wading through the supplies she makes her way to the kitchen and lifts the vodka, she’s about to take a swig but stops herself placing it on the counter top. Staring at the vodka her heart feels as if it could burst through her chest, her hands are shaking, she knows taking a sip will make it stop, but today she doesn’t want to block everything out. Today she wants to survive, and if she is going to survive, she will need to have her wits about her. Placing the vodka in the fridge, she lifts her toolbox from under the sink and walks down the hall to the pile of supplies on the floor. Lifting a board, she brings it to the living room and begins nailing it across the window. She spends the next hour nailing the boards across the windows before remembering about the Geiger-meter she used when George was in prison, she kept it hidden because she didn’t want any of the town people to know that she was still checking the air, although she can’t remember the last time she’d checked the air. Pushing the kickboard away from under the kitchen cupboard, she lifts the Geiger-meter out and measures the air in the house, exhaling a breath she didn’t realise she was holding when the reading is normal. She tries to test the water, but none comes out and she realises it’s been cut off. To anyone on the outside George was the paranoid one, but after the Chernobyl explosion Sarah knew if she was going to stay alive, she had to be vigilant and monitored everything just as much, if not more than George, they were a good team and could rely on each other.