The Fallout

by Knox, J. C.

  ‘Just until the sun goes down.’

  ‘Okay, bring your truck in, we don’t want to draw the attention of any militants.’

  George doesn’t know whether to mention the gang they had encountered earlier, but decides not to, in case it jeopardises their chances of getting rest. ‘Okay thank you.’

  He relays the conversation to the group as he drives in through the gate following the man to a shady spot near a pile of rubbish, but he doesn’t care. Sarah and Seamus make everyone a ration pack meal and George makes up a large container of orange squash, sharing it out between the children playing. After eating and getting some rest, Connor joins the children playing in the water while the adults take turns sleeping, until early evening when they pack everything up ready to set off again as soon as the sun sets.

  Chapter 29.

  Dakar.

  It’s taken four days for the group to arrive in Dakar. The camp was the last place they were able to rest together, for the rest of the journey, they risked being attacked by the gangs, and someone always had to be on guard. Three nights after they left the camp, it was pitch black, and they were taken unaware when shots were fired at the truck, Seamus was driving, his quick response kept the group safe and they managed to escape unharmed. They were ambushed several more times, but after the first time; they were better prepared and able to defend themselves and their gear. Travelling at night has worked in their favour not just because the heat is less intense but also because that is when the gangs are most active, being on the move meant they weren’t sitting targets. Everyone they have spoken too on their journey has been concerned about the increasing violence and the children that are being taken by the gangs.

  Last night they crossed the border into Senegal. Rather than resting during the daylight hours as they have the previously, for the last part of their African journey, the group are travelling during the day, to assess their chances of leaving. Sweat runs down Georges back as he steers the truck into the city of Dakar, his senses are overwhelmed when he enters the main part of the city. The colour, the smells and noise it’s a complete surprise to see crowds of people. There are market stalls, food being cooked on open stoves and music played on every street. Glancing around, everyone looks happy and relaxed. A smile spreads across George’s face, at the joy on his companion’s faces.

  ‘Wow, what a change,’ Sarah said, as they pass through the crowds towards the docks.

  ‘Some difference,’ Seamus agrees.

  ‘Yeah, hopefully it’s a sign that some sort of normality is beginning to return,’ George said, indicating a group of teenagers dancing next to a radio. ‘It’s good to see kids being kids and not wielding machine guns.’

  ‘The food smells lovely, can we stop and get some?’ Connor asks.

  ‘I reckon, we should stop, maybe spend a couple of hours here, grab a beer, look, no one seems worried about gangs or radiation,’ Sarah said.

  ‘It would be good to relax for a bit,’ Seamus agrees, looking at George.

  ‘Okay, we’ll park up and get a bite to eat and a beer if you want,’ George said, unable to stop the grin spreading across his face.

  The atmosphere in Dakar is hectic but relaxed and vibrant, George realises that they must look an odd bunch as they walk down the street, three adults with completely bald heads, but no one bats an eyelid. There’s a part of George that wants to stay for a while, to experience this eclectic place, that doesn’t feel threatened by bald strangers. The restaurant they choose is little more than street food with a few tables, but the music is pumping, and the food smells delicious as they watch the chef grill large skewers filled with fish on a large open stove. The breeze coming from the docks, cools the intense sun and make it comfortable to sit outside. George has chosen skewered shrimp with rice, his mouth waters when it’s placed in front of him, he wants to dive straight in, but waits until everyone has their food. He’s not disappointed, the shrimp are pink, firm and tasty, the salad crisp and fresh and the rice full of flavour from the vegetables, it’s the best food he’s tasted in a long time, the food along with the beer are making this the most pleasurable of afternoons.

  ‘I think I could stay here forever,’ Seamus said, lifting his beer to raise a toast.

  ‘Here’s to better times.’

  ‘To better times,’ George and Sarah agree clinking their brown stumpy beer bottles off his.

  ‘I like it here, can we stay?’ Connor asks, his eyes wide with wonder at the food on the plates in front of them.

  ‘Sorry little man, we can only stay for a while, but if things are still bad on Blackcliff Island maybe we could come back here and make a life,’ George said.

  ‘I don’t think it will stay like this for much longer, the gangs haven’t reached here yet, but they will, they are attacking anywhere that has anything,’ Sarah Said. ‘For our own safety, we should try Blackcliff Island first, we can return, if we need to, but we’ll be armed and ready to fight.

  ‘Honestly, I am sick of fighting. I just want a normal life again,’ Seamus said, his brow furrowed.

  ‘Don’t we all?’ George agrees.

  The adults enjoy another beer as Conner greedily slurps on an apple juice; they’ve all eaten as if it will be their last meal. George leans back in his seat, scanning the docks in front of him, his eyes stop on a large ship, there’s a large red and white ship that looks like the Icebreaker.

  ‘Seamus, Sarah, it may be the beer going to my head, but could that be the icebreaker,’ he said, pointing with his bottle.

  ‘It certainly looks like it,’ Seamus said, grinning.

  ‘We’ll finish these and head down there, but it looks like it to me,’ Sarah agrees, smiling.

  Walking down to the docks, George is certain that the huge ship in front of them is the Icebreaker, and scans the docks for someone to ask, but can’t see anyone.

  ‘Sarah you stay here with Connor, me and George are going to climb aboard, if anyone comes explain what we’re doing, okay?’

  ‘Okay, be careful, it’s steep.’

  George and Seamus make their way up the ladder and onto the deck. Scanning the area George is certain it’s the same ship they came on, he recognises the extra barrel of fuel he’d tied to the side.

  ‘It has to be ours, look,’ he said, pointing to the barrel.

  ‘George and his famous fuel barrels. I can’t believe it’s here; did we leave the keys behind?’

  ‘Yep, in the ignition,’ George said, striding towards the cabin. He’s surprised when he opens the door and finds the keys where they were left, everything looks as it did when they left.

  ‘I can’t believe it!’ he said, glancing at Seamus grinning from ear to ear.

  ‘Me neither mate, it’s got to be a sign hasn’t it?’

  ‘Come on, let’s get Sarah and Connor, grab our gear and get out of here,’ George said, suddenly filled with an urgency to get away before someone stopped them.

  The two men make their way back on to the land. ‘It’s the icebreaker,’ George blurts out before he’s even had a chance to turn around. Landing on the dock he spots Connor talking to a policeman.

  ‘I knew it couldn’t be this easy,’ George said, striding to Connor.

  ‘Officer, how can I help?’

  ‘Is this your ship?’

  ‘Yes, it’s been here for a long time, but we’re back now and need it to go home.’

  ‘Where are you going, you know most of the world is gone after the explosions, this used to be a busy port but not anymore?’

  ‘We’re heading home to Blackcliff Island, it’s a long way away, just off the West Coast of Ireland.’

  ‘I don’t know what things are like in Ireland, but you could stay here; Senegal people are friendly and there’s no radiation problem or the criminal gangs that are terrorising most African countries nowadays.’

  ‘You forgot the food is great,’ George said, smiling. ‘Honestly, we are considering returning if things are still bad back home, but
I have to go and see. It’s my home and I miss it.’

  ‘Okay, well I wish you well on your journey, goodbye and stay safe, if you need anything just call up to the station before you leave.’

  ‘Thanks, but the Senegal people should be warned to arm themselves, the gangs are likely to attack at some point, we’ve experienced their rampage and they are ruthless.’

  ‘I don’t want to frighten people; my men are patrolling our borders day and night.’

  ‘And yet, we passed over the border without being stopped or even seeing an official, I’m just saying to be cautious these gangs are ruthless, and you have it good here.’

  George returns to Sarah, Seamus and Connor, they watch the officer walk towards the crowd of people singing and dancing.

  ‘I didn’t know what to expect, but he was friendly, said we could return if things don’t work out back home.’

  ‘Come on, lets finish loading before something does go wrong,’ Sarah said, marching back to the truck.

  It doesn’t take long before everything is loaded onto the ship, Seamus joins them on the dock,

  ‘Are we going shopping before we get going?’ he asks.

  ‘Yeah, I want to get some fish, we can freeze it onboard, I’m sure we’ll be grateful for some fresh food after a while,’ George said.

  ‘Is there a Geiger-meter still on the ship?’ Sarah asks.

  ‘Yeah, why?’

  ‘It’s just, I was thinking about fishing, if the fish are okay here, we might be able to fish and test what we catch.’

  An hour later, laden with fruit, vegetables and fresh meat, the group head back to the ship. Enjoying their last meal in Dakar before they leave, the sun begins to lower in the sky, it will be another couple of hours before it sets completely. Seagulls have surrounded them squawking for food. George always disliked seagulls, but here on the deck of the ship, they remind him of home before the blast.

  ‘I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I don’t think I can eat another bite,’ Seamus said, licking sticky sauce of his fingers.

  ‘I know, we had a large dinner and another large meal just a couple of hours later, we’re not used to eating as much, but it will do us good for the journey,’ Sarah said.

  Chapter 30.

  Home.

  It’s been three weeks since they set off from Dakar, and not for the first time George is wishing they’d stayed behind. The journey has been horrific, Sarah and Connor have suffered with sea sickness almost the whole journey. The storms have been severe; it was bad going but then they had no other option, this time it was self-inflicted, they didn’t need to do this. He can tell that another storm is brewing, they’ve had a few days of calm waters, but the skies are darkening, and, in a few hours, the ship will be tossed and turned as if they’re nothing more than a twig.

  ‘I’ve prepped the sick room, and everything is secured,’ Sarah said, joining him on the deck, her face is sunken and her eyes bulging out from the dark circles surrounding them.

  ‘It’s gonna be another bad one. I’m sorry for putting you all through this,’ George said, indicating the skies, lowering his eyes.

  ‘This is not your fault George; We made the decision as a team; you can’t control the seas. What are we now, three weeks in? it shouldn’t be much longer as long as we don’t get blown too far off course with this storm.’

  ‘The gyro compass shows that we are still headed north, and the radar suggests we are passing the south of Ireland, if you want, we could try to go inland, make a stop and rest for a few days.’

  ‘No George, this is hell but resting will only make it worse, Connor won’t want to get back on, if we stop.’

  ‘How is he?’

  ‘Seamus is with him, the poor wee mite is suffering, he’s got my sea legs, unfortunately. I’m stocking up on our reserves of rehydration and anti-sickness tablets, but none of it seems to do much.’

  ‘I was surprised to see you up here, have you managed to get something to eat?’

  ‘I got some glucose tabs, they’ve given me some strength, they’re good and unlikely to come back up again, Connors had some as well, they’ve allowed him to sleep. I’m not looking forward to this, it’s bad enough dealing with myself but watching Connor suffer…’

  ‘I hope to god that Blackcliff Island is liveable,’ George said, guilt tearing him apart.

  ‘Me too, but we’ll deal with whatever we have too. Come on help me carry more supplies downstairs.’

  The smell of vomit hits George as soon as the door is opened, he tries to stop himself from gagging but can’t.

  ‘I’m sorry. I tried to clean up,’ Sarah said. ‘But it’s a never-ending battle.’

  Seamus is cleaning vomit off the floor when they enter the living quarters.

  ‘We need to keep him on his side, he’s vomiting in his sleep,’ Seamus said, indicating a sleeping Connor.

  ‘I wonder if he should come out on deck for a while, it’s rockier down here and the stale air can’t be doing him any good, it would give us a chance to clean up before the storm hits later,’ George said, stroking Connors damp hair.

  ‘Yeah, I’ll take him upstairs for a bit. I’ll carry him, George can you bring a blanket?’ Seamus said, lifting Connor, placing him effortlessly onto his shoulder.

  George and Seamus sit with Connor watching his chest rise and fall rapidly,

  ‘He’s dehydrated! We must get some rehydration tabs into him,’ George said.

  ‘He just vomits them up.’

  ‘It doesn’t matter, we have to get them into him; otherwise we’re going to lose him. Lift him into a sitting position.’

  Making up the rehydration solution, George wonders how long Connor has been like this,

  ‘Wake him, I don’t want him to choke.’

  ‘Connor, Connor, come on open your eyes,’ Seamus said, gently shaking the boy.

  ‘That’s a good boy, open up,’ George said, when Connors eyes blink open.

  ‘Drink this, I know you don’t want too, but you will die if you don’t.’

  Connors head rolls backwards, Seamus does his best to hold it steady. ‘Come on son, drink.’

  Connor takes a small sip of the solution,

  ‘Keep drinking,’ George said, pushing the straw back into his mouth, a gust of wind taking his voice away.

  ‘Winds picking up,’ Seamus said.

  ‘We need to stay out here a bit longer, I want Connor to finish this drink, before we go back downstairs, the fresh air will do him good along with the fluids, now drink up Connor the rain is going to start soon, and we don’t want to get soaked.’

  Half an hour passes before Connor finishes the drink, as soon as he’s finished George makes up another,

  ‘Drink,’ he said, pushing the new straw into Connor’s mouth.

  Connor groans, his head falling forward onto his skinny chest,

  ‘I can’t Uncle George, I’m gonna be sick,’ he said, leaning forward his stomach retching, George is thankful when nothing comes out.

  ‘Okay, we’ll give you a minute or two, but you need more fluids before this storm starts again, it will be worse when we go back downstairs, lie down flat it will help steady the rocking motion.’

  George feels helpless watching the young lad lying on the deck, but he’s glad to see his breathing has regulated somewhat, it’s still too fast but better than before. Large raindrops begin dropping all around, Seamus lifts Connor onto his shoulder, carrying him downstairs while George gathers the rehydration tabs and blanket following Seamus down the stairs. It smells of disinfectant rather than vomit as they enter the living quarters.

  ‘It’s starting to rain, the storm’s not far away,’ Seamus said, placing Connor into the bunk.

  Sarah takes the solution from George, sitting on the floor next to Connor.

  ‘Come on son, take a sip,’ she said, stroking his hair.

  ‘Mum, I love you, but I’m going to die.’

  ‘Don’t say that, I felt the same a long ti
me ago when I was dehydrated, but George saved me with these drinks, so you must keep drinking even if you’re sick.’

  ‘I love you all, but we’re going to die, in this storm, I’ve seen it, don’t worry it will only hurt for a short while then we will be at peace.’

  ‘Connor, don’t talk, just drink,’ Sarah said.

  George monitors the radar and realises that they are closer to home than he thought,

  ‘Another day and we should reach Blackcliff Island’ he said, turning to look at the group.

  ‘Really? I thought we were further south,’ Seamus said.

  ‘Me too, but come and have a look, you should double check, but I think we’re closer than we thought.’

  Seamus reads the radar.

  ‘He’s right, we are, how did we miss this?’

  ‘Who cares, we’re closer than we thought,’ George said, grinning.

  ‘Connor keep drinking we’re nearly home.’

  ‘Hopefully the storm doesn’t push us too far off course,’ Sarah said.

  ‘We’ll need to be careful, it’s very rocky due north, look Seamus, those rocks do you think we can avoid them with this weather, we need to turn west against the wind,’ George said, pointing at the radar.

  ‘You’re right, if we stay as we are, we’ll hit the rocks, we need to turn NOW! Sarah keep him drinking.’

  George and Seamus run upstairs into the control room, where the radar is flashing a warning about the rocks. ‘Why the fuck doesn’t the radar downstairs give an alarm?’ Seamus said.

  ‘Fuck knows! But help me we need to go full throttle, west, before the storm hits or we will hit something.’

  ‘How many lifeboats are there?’

  ‘Four, and they hold eight people each, we won’t need them, if we can steer the ship away from the rocks.’

  George and Seamus work flat out for an hour pushing the ship against the worsening wind until they are moving west. As the wind picks up, it pushes the ship back in the direction they’ve come. The waves are getting bigger as they move into the storm, and the ship is pushed sideways, crashing heavily into rocks.