“Look up ahead,” said Joe. His face was creased in concern as he pointed farther up the road. There were six cars blocking the way about a quarter of a mile ahead. It was clear there was no space for the scooters to get through.
“We’ll have to go around them. If we backtrack, there will be a road we can use to bypass them” She nudged Erik with her foot and the dog blinked up at her with wide eyes, before dropping one foot at a time onto the road. She reached for Tomas, lifting the little boy beside her. He looked at her sadly and curled his small hand inside her own.
“Are you okay, buddy?” she said in a low voice. He didn’t reply and stared down at the ground. “We’re going to be out of here soon. Don’t worry.”
Harper turned to the others. “How far are we from the Czech border?” From somewhere in the distance an alarm wailed and dogs howled pitifully. She glanced at Erik and fought an overwhelming desire to hug him. “Those poor animals,” she whispered.
Lukas took a long drag on his cigarette, the end burning bright in the darkness. He blew out the smoke and then dropped the cigarette on the ground, grinding it with the toe of his boot. “It is about forty-five minutes if we are traveling by scooter.”
“What time is it?” asked Sara.
Joe checked his wristwatch. “It’s coming up to eight.”
“Let me try my dad again, see if he has any updates.” Harper pulled out her phone and brought up her father’s name quickly. She held the phone to her ear and waited for the dial tone.
“What’s wrong?” asked Joe, watching Harper carefully.
“There’s no dial tone.” She could feel her heart rate start to speed up, perspiration slick on her body. She looked at the phone screen. “There’s no network connection. Check your phones.”
Joe and Sara pulled their phones out. “Same here,” said Sara.
“Me too,” added Joe.
“Why are our phones not working?” asked Harper.
Joe glanced around them. “The technicians are dead. A few cell towers go out… the city is burning behind us. There’s any number of explanations,” he replied. A red glow was coming from the center of Bratislava and a thick layer of smoke had settled over the horizon.
“I need to go to the toilet,” said Sara. “There’s a shopping complex on the other side of the road. They will have a bathroom. Let’s make a quick stop, we can look for a phone, and then we can get around those cars and make it to the quarantine-processing center.”
“We do not need a phone,” said Lukas. He had a frustrated look on his face. “We need to keep moving to the border.”
“Let’s find a phone,” said Joe. He was resolute. “We need to touch base with someone outside the country. Things could have changed.”
“You are all making a mistake,” said Lukas. His jaw had a hard set to it and his pale blue eyes flashed with anger.
“Sorry, Lukas,” said Harper, with a shrug.
They walked in a group toward the complex, Lukas lagging behind them a few steps. Joe walked next to Harper and the boy and glanced nervously toward the cars blocking the road. “What’s up?” she asked him.
“Those cars are making me feel uneasy.”
“Why? There have been lots of cars on the road.”
“I know. But none like that. Did you see the way they were parked end-to-end spanning the road? It’s as though someone put them there specifically to block the road.”
“Yes, I did see that.” Harper’s voice trailed off and she glanced back at the cars. “You do have a tendency to worry about things,” she said. “I’m sure it’s nothing.”
“Don’t give me that, Harper,” he retorted, his voice rising. “I know I’m not as wild or crazy as Wolf, but I’m not paranoid.”
At the mention of Wolf’s name, Harper felt her chest constrict tightly. She started to walk more quickly while Tomas and Erik trotted along beside her to keep up. They reached the grassy rise and climbed up and then down the other side. Through a screen of lush, green trees, a modern, aluminum-clad complex rose in front of them.
“Harper, wait,” said Joe. “I’m sorry. Shit!”
Harper heard Sara’s low murmur. “Leave her for a minute, she’ll be okay.”
“Who is Wolf?” asked Tomas. He reached for her hand and she took it gladly.
“He was a friend of mine. He died in this… thing.” Her voice trailed off. A tide of memories threatened to drown her. With the bad feelings came her usual internal dialogue.
You’re not good enough. You’re not smart enough. You deserve everything you get.
In a flash she was back in her therapist’s office. Her therapist was looking at her over her glasses, waiting quietly for Harper to say something. That wait—that long moment heavy with expectation… it always felt like it was going to crush her. But when she did start to talk, Harper couldn’t stop. Terrible things bubbled up and kept spewing forth until she could do nothing but lower her head in her lap and sob.
“Tell me more about your mother,” her therapist would say to her.
“It was my father who did this to me. Why do you want to talk about my mother?” But Harper knew, deep down, she had yet to unpack her memories. While the beatings were clear as crystal in her memory, the other things were less clear. There were criticisms, arguments, the ever-present threat that her mother would ‘tell your father about the way you’ve behaved’.
What kind of mother asks her husband to punish her child, knowing full well what that punishment consists of?
“Harper, can you hear me?” Joe’s face swam into focus. “I’ve been calling to you. Is everything okay?”
“Sorry, Joe,” she mumbled. “I was lost in thought.”
They reached the entrance to the shopping complex. The lights were on inside and a body lay on the other side of the automatic doors. “Are you sure you want to go in?” Harper asked Tomas. “I can wait here with you.”
“I will come in,” he said after a pause. He put his hand on Erik’s head and patted it softly. Harper spun around to face the others. Joe had a remorseful look on his face and Harper felt herself soften toward him.
“I shouldn’t have mentioned Wolf,” said Joe. “I’m really sorry, Harper.”
“You can mention him, it’s fine,” she replied, turning her eyes toward the ground.
“Please, don’t be mad—”
“When we get out of here, we’ll be able to talk and process and do all that stuff we’ll have to do, but now isn’t the time. We need to get to the border. Let’s use the toilet and then go. No more stops.”
Lukas watched the back and forth with a grim smile on his face. “I agree with the Australian girl. Let us get out of here, please. If I see one more dead body…”
“Harper,” said Sara, looking at Lukas.
“What?”
“Her name is Harper.”
Lukas looked at Sara coolly and ran his hand over his manicured beard. “I agree with Harper,” he said slowly. “Is that better, American?”
Sara glowered at Lukas and Joe moved closer. Harper could see Joe’s hands clenched into tight fists. She looked at the fraught expression on Tomas’ face and fought her rising panic. “Joe, calm down. We’re all stressed, let’s take a time out.”
Harper took a step forward and found Sara’s hand. “Sara, come on. Joe, you come too, please?” Joe was mad, but he shook out his hands and nodded curtly. “Thank you,” Harper mouthed to him.
The four of them, plus Erik trotting by their side, walked to the automatic doors which slid open quietly. They stepped inside the shopping complex and the doors glided closed. Harper glanced over her shoulder and saw Lukas staring at them. He held her eye contact as he pulled out another cigarette and lit it.
They walked over the glossy, tiled floor, the clean sound of their heels echoing in the space. Bodies lay on the ground, all victims of whatever terror had been unleashed in Slovakia. The air-conditioner was still running and the air was cold, the florescent lights bright.
“He’s a pain, it’s true. But I think it’s just the trauma of the situation,” replied Harper. “He’s probably lost everyone.” Harper’s eyes flicked to Tomas. The little boy looked exhausted. “Do you want me to carry you, buddy?” she asked him.
Tomas shrugged and hung his head.
“It won’t be long now. We’ll be with people who will help us soon,” Harper said.
“I know you’re tired, but we’re going to be out of here soon.”
“Where do you think my parents and brothers are?” he asked in a small voice.
“I don’t know,” replied Harper, her throat constricting. “But they’ll be somewhere with my friend Wolf, and he is a really fun guy.” She took Tomas’ hand and squeezed it.
“There’s the bathroom,” said Sara, pointing down a narrow hallway. A large shop with a neon orange sign in Slovak was opposite. Harper peered down the brightly lit aisles and saw tools and home hardware lining the walls.
A heavyset woman in a blue floral dress was lying on the floor of the hallway to the bathroom and Harper lifted one leg over her, before reaching for Tomas to help him across. Erik sniffed the woman and then tried to leap over her body, making it half way and scrabbling quickly the rest of the way.
Harper crouched in front of the boy. “Tomas, can you go with Joe? We’ll wait for you just out there.” Joe held out his hand and gave the boy a sweet, sad smile. Tomas took his hand and they entered the men’s toilet. Sara held the door open for Harper and they both entered.
The bathroom was new and white, with a row of stalls on one side and a row of basins and a wide mirror on the other. Sara looked at Harper in the mirror and turned the sides of her mouth up into a semblance of a smile, before entering one of the stalls.
Harper picked a stall a few doors down and dropped her backpack on the floor. Unbuttoning her jeans, she sat on the toilet. Her head dropped into her hands and the desperation of the situation, her loss of Wolf, washed over her. The sob that escaped her lips was loud and she covered her mouth. A toilet flushed and then Sara rapped on the door.
“Are you okay, Harper?” asked Sara. “I know you’re not okay, okay, but… just come out here.”
Harper gave herself another moment and wiped her eyes with a wad of scratchy toilet paper. When she came out of the stall, Sara wrapped her arms around her tightly.
“Hey, I have to wash my hands,” said Harper, trying to push her off before surrendering to her friend’s embrace.
“There’s a pandemic or some kind of terror attack outside, I think any germs in here are not going to be too bad, by comparison,” said Sara, crying and laughing and wiping her eyes with the back of her hand.
“I’m glad you’re here with me,” said Harper. “I can’t imagine trying to survive this place alone. You and Joe… You’re my best friends.” It was true. Harper kept most people at arm’s length. This summer break had been good for her.
Well, until the end of the world.
“You’re my best friend, too,” replied Sara. “We’ll always be friends.”
“I can’t get Wolf’s face out of my head.”
Sara paused. “I’m sorry.”
“I want to see him—the real him, the crazy, hot-headed Wolf. Not the glassy-eyed, frozen…”
“When this is all over, we’ll go to Berlin and we’ll have a drink in his honor. We’ll have our chance to grieve him. I’m sorry we don’t have the time now. It’s all about surviving.”
“Why do you think we survived?” asked Harper. She’d asked this before, but the randomness of it all was difficult to comprehend.
“Well, in my undergrad degree, we never studied pandemics. But when I start med school, I’ll be sure to conduct some thorough research into the subject.” Sara stuck her tongue out and Harper was overcome by the inappropriateness of the gesture and began to laugh hard. Soon they could barely breathe.
“We better get back to the others,” she said to Sara. The two friends picked up their bags and hugged one more. Then the lights went out.
Chapter Thirteen
Harper felt Sara startle, and she tightened her grip on her friend reflexively. She was back in the room and it was dark, so dark, and her father was storming around upstairs. She could hear the loud creak of his footsteps above her.
He’s not here. He’s not here. You’re safe.
Sara’s voice pulled her out of her memories and back to the present. “Shit. Are you okay, Harper? You’re hurting me.”
“Sorry, Sara.” She loosened her grip but kept one hand on Sara’s arm. Sara reached up and took her hand, and their fingers entwined. “The power must have gone out again.”
“Let’s go find Joe. Can you turn your phone light on?”
Harper reached into her pocket and pulled out Wolf’s phone, which was unresponsive. Her stomach lurched as she slipped it back into her pocket to find her own phone. She turned the torch on. The darkness was extinguished and she felt her heartbeat return to normal.
They walked to the bathroom door and pushed it open. Harper shone her light down the narrow hallway and saw the blue floral lump lying across the way. “Joe!” she yelled. “Tomas!”
“Where are they?” Sara’s grip tightened on Harper’s hand. They took a few steps and paused at the men’s bathroom. Harper pushed the door open a crack and called out again. There was no reply.
“What are you waiting for? Go in there,” said Sara. Harper could picture the bemused expression on her pretty face.
“It feels weird going in the men’s bathroom,” replied Harper. But she pushed the door all the way open and they walked into the dark room. Harper shone her light around, the bright beam reflecting brilliantly on the mirror and the shiny silver of the urinal.
“They aren’t here,” said Harper, worry beginning to gnaw at her.
“They’re probably waiting for us outside.”
“We were talking for a while, I guess. They must have finished before us.”
“Hold the light on the stalls, I’ll take a quick look.” Sara moved to the first stall door. She pushed each of the doors open in turn and waited as Harper shone her light inside. Every one was empty. Even though it was no surprise, Harper’s heart sunk.
“Let’s go,” Harper whispered, feeling a shiver of anxiety run down her back.
They exited the bathroom and stepped carefully over the woman in the hallway. When they reached the wide, main thoroughfare of the shopping complex, they paused and looked around.
At one end of the shopping complex they could see the automatic glass doors where they’d entered. They were open and Lukas’ silhouette was back-lit by the moon and ambient light from outside. It was clear that Joe and Tomas weren’t with him. Other than the dead bodies littering the floor, the rest of the shopping complex was deserted. “Let’s speak to Lukas,” said Harper, her voice shaking. Sara nodded, and they ran the forty feet.
“The doors are open,” said Sara as they approached, the relief in her voice evident. “I was worried we’d be locked in again.”
“This is a newer building, it probably has a battery backup for the door,” said Harper.
They reached Lukas and he stared at them. “Where is the boy and your brother?” he asked.
“We hoped they were here with you,” said Harper. “Where the hell are they? Did you see them walk out this way?”
“No,” replied Lukas. “I was smoking my cigarette, contemplating the end of the world, when all the lights went out.”
“We need to find them,” replied Sara, her face twisted with worry. “Did we need anything? Maybe Joe took Tomas and Erik to get something he thought we needed. Torches? Food?” She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and chewed on her bottom lip.
Harper reached out to touch Sara. She placed her hand on Sara’s back and focused on centering herself, hoping her calm would spread to Sara. “Lukas, stay here in case they come
back, we’ll look for them,” Harper suggested.
Lukas searched her face. He must have seen her concern. “Sure, okay. But do not be long. We need to get out of here.” He flicked his cigarette butt and the bright orange tip curved through the air before landing in the scrubby grass that grew up to the concrete slab they were standing on.
“Thank you,” said Harper. “We’ll be quick.”
The two women turned and ran through the open glass doors and back into the dark shopping complex. By unspoken agreement, they stopped outside the narrow hallway leading to the bathroom. They stood facing one another, listening intently for any sign of Joe or Tomas.
“Joe wouldn’t just disappear like this,” whispered Sara, her eyes shining in the deep shadows.
Harper nodded. “I know. He’s so careful. He wouldn’t leave with the little boy. Something’s happened.”
They paused to listen again and Harper’s eyes flicked to the front door. She could make out Lukas’ dark form. Then her eyes flicked to the hardware store behind her. “Follow me,” she whispered. Mindful of every step on the tiled floor, she made it into the store and turned her phone light on once they were deeper in the aisles.
“What are you looking for?” asked Sara.
“I think we need something to defend ourselves. Just in case.”
“But everyone is dead,” said Sara.
“Tomas wasn’t. Lukas wasn’t. We aren’t. There might be others.”
There was silence. When Sara spoke, Harper could hear the tremor in her voice. “I need to find my brother. I won’t let anything happen to him.”
“We’ll find them.” Harper said. “I won’t let anything happen to them either. We’re a team.” She spotted a metal trowel with a sharp pointed edge. “Here, take this.”
“Seriously?”
“Seriously.” Harper scanned the shelves and saw a cobra-head hoe, the curved metal hook and sharp pointed end glinting in her light. She picked up the wooden-handled tool, feeling its heaviness in her palm. It was about fifteen inches long, with a lethal point.
Death City: A Post-Apocalyptic Adventure (Dark Resistance Book 1) Page 9
