Snow! The Series [Books 1-4]

by Clifford, Ryan

  The next issue was clearing a path to the barn. It was about fifteen metres from door to door. Firstly, Josh would have to clear an area around the garage door, so that it opened and closed without obstruction. Then he would prepare a slight ramp up to the main level of snowfall. This would give a pathway of about ten metres, and then another ramp down into the barn.

  The barn door was the final problem. Snow had drifted up against it, but it opened inwards. What a piece of luck! Nevertheless, he would have to prepare another ramp of sorts, to enable easy egress with the heavy loads of logs. There was some planking in the barn; with some old chipboard and plasterboard left over from a DIY project from last year. He could lay this on the surface of the snow to ease transit up the slope.

  With this plan now in place they set about the task. They dressed warmly in anoraks, boots and waterproof trousers. Hats, gloves and scarves made up the ensemble. Julie prepared an area against the house wall in the garage for stacking the logs whilst Josh picked up the bright red snow shovel. Julie opened the door and Josh ventured out. He was not really prepared for the blast of cold air and was momentarily stunned.

  However, he knew that he must get the job done. It was now dark outside, but the reflected white of the snow provided an eerie light. Huge flakes flew into the garage, but Josh set about his task with vigour. He shovelled snow from around the door left and right so that after about ten minutes of supreme effort he had cleared a ramp up to the surface of about three metres length.

  He threw down three bits of old, flattened cardboard packing boxes, which had been stored in the garage since the last house move. They would soon turn to mush, but would last long enough to do the job. He then came in and enjoyed a mug of hot chocolate, supplied from a thermos by Julie.

  However, there was no time to waste if he was to maintain his pathway. He went straight outside after quaffing the hot drink, plodded up the slope and across the courtyard. Walking in the snow was tricky. He sank about twelve or eighteen inches, and wondered if his wheelbarrow would complete the journey.

  He reached the barn door area and discovered that the drifting was not too bad, so he was able to shovel away a bit of snow and then crash through the door and into the barn. With the snow shovel, he repeated the drill from the garage, clearing a ramp up to the main surface and then laying the old plaster board on the top. This provided an excellent slope and the only issue now was the ten metres or so of main pathway.

  He removed the tarpaulin from the pile of logs and was relieved to note that the wood was bone dry. He picked up two logs and ran up the slope into the storm. The second transit was easier and as he reached the garage Julie opened the door and he threw in the logs as she slammed it shut behind him.

  ‘Phase one complete! The logs are dry and the pathway complete. Let's get the transfer done as quickly as possible.’

  Julie nodded and Josh grabbed the wheelbarrow, which Julie had pre-positioned. She opened the door and Josh pushed the barrow into the snow. He immediately slipped and fell. Julie screamed as he lay on his back, motionless.

  ‘Shit,’ he whimpered, ‘I need to go more slowly’.

  Julie breathed a sigh of relief as Josh sat up and turned onto his knees before standing erect once again. He smiled at Julie and limped off up the slope to the barn. The giant wheel worked very well. It spread the load and created a sort of pathway. Josh slid down the plasterboard into the barn.

  ‘Salt’, he thought.

  He needed something to stop him sliding. Salt or grit or sand. He had some. It was in the barn. A twenty-five kilogram bag of industrial salt stored for such occasions. He humped it to the door and ripped it open, threw half of the contents onto the plaster-board and poured the rest of it into the barrow. He then put eight logs on top and set off on the return journey. Julie was ready with the door and he tipped the contents onto the floor outside. He then spread the remainder of the salt over the sodden packing boxes. That would help a bit.

  Josh then grasped the barrow and re-entered the fray. This journey was easier – he carried no logs. He didn’t slip down the barn ramp and made it back with eleven logs. Eighteen journeys to go. Julie was stacking like a Trojan, and was always ready for her husband’s return waiting with the door open. After five trips, she made him rest and drink more hot chocolate. He was grateful and smiled his thanks.

  They continued like this for another hour after which he'd made thirteen journeys with 132 logs now stacked neatly in the garage. It was 5.30pm. Another thirty minutes and then they’d call it a day. Josh was tired and cold and his back was giving him severe grief. The fall had done some damage, but he gritted his teeth and got on with it. He wasn’t giving up now. In twelve hours the snow would be overwhelming.

  So they continued with the struggle and by 6pm Josh had made twenty two journeys and had rescued over two hundred logs. A real achievement. Five or six of these large, solid logs a day would give them about a month. Success!

  Julie slammed the garage door for the last time after Josh had made a final transit to cover the remaining logs and shut the barn door as best he could. He tied a rope through the hasp and hoped it would hold. They might need to go back for more. Julie had stacked the logs sideways-on against the wall, and Josh was well pleased with their efforts, but he was exhausted.

  ‘Brandy and coffee, I think – and something to eat. Also, my fingers are cold. Might be frostbite. You’ll need to look at them.’

  Julie led Josh into the hallway where they took off their wet outer garments. Julie put the clothing on hangars whilst Josh sat in front of the fire and added a new log in celebration. His back was now throbbing and his fingers were quite painful as they thawed out. However, there was no discolouration and he reckoned that frostbite was not evident. Julie poured him a large brandy and he gulped it down. He then finished the hot chocolate and sat back in the armchair, and closed his eyes as Julie rubbed his fingers. They were slowly coming back to life. His feet were not too bad and he was happy to have escaped so lightly. Or had he?

  His back was quite painful and Julie could see him wince.

  ‘What's the problem?’ she asked.

  ‘It's my back. When I fell. I think it might be knackered!’

  Julie frowned.

  ‘I knew it! You should have said something.’

  ‘No point. Job had to be done. If it gets worse, at least I can rest up with the knowledge that the logs are in.’

  Julie frowned again.

  ‘Lift up your shirt and turn over. Let me take a look’.

  In a previous life she'd done a bit of nursing, but that was a long time ago. Josh’s buttock and lower back were badly bruised and tender to the touch. The area around his coccyx was clear and not at all sore. At least that wasn’t damaged. She prodded around a bit and although Josh made pathetic remonstration, she was pretty certain that nothing was broken.

  ‘You're lucky,’ she said firmly. ‘Nothing broken as far as I can tell, just bad bruising. That’ll teach you to go out in the snow!’

  Julie then went to the medicine chest upstairs and retrieved a couple of 400mg Ibuprofen and made Josh gulp them down.

  ‘You can rest up now whilst I prepare dinner. You will be very sore for a day or two but the Ibuprofen should do the trick. Just stay put until tomorrow at least. Please!’

  Josh grinned and agreed to do as he was told – for tonight at least. He was extremely satisfied with their days work. He now had first-hand experience of the conditions outside and he knew for certain that the coming days and weeks would be a matter of life or death. He needed to make the right decisions. He fell asleep in front of the fire with a thousand things swirling around in his brain.

  Day 4 – 10 Downing Street – 8:00pm

  Sir Ian James was now, more or less, in charge of the small party cowering in the cellars of No 10. The Prime Minister had slowly but surely gone downhill since the loss of his family on Monday. Everyone in the shelter had probably lost somebody, but the PM was taking it hard
er than most. Perhaps the added weight of the responsibility for the nation was preying on his mind. Whatever the cause, he was worse than useless and Sir Ian, although fond of his protégé, paid him only scant deference. The PPS was coping well and trying his best to keep communications going with those remaining outposts in the country that had both a radio and the power to transmit a signal.

  Sir Ian had spoken to the Queen and reluctantly discussed the PM’s breakdown. She was her usual unflappable self and inferred that Sir Ian should control matters at No.10 until a new command structure was installed. He agreed and promised to keep her informed and wished her the best of luck.

  He also had a long conversation with the senior RPO at Sandringham and many issues were discussed, not least of all the importance of keeping the Royal Family safe and the post thaw re-establishment of government and infrastructure.

  It was clear to Sir Ian and the PM’s PPS that the UK was in dire straits. What information they had gleaned from the experts at Bracknell had revealed a weather system which was stationary over the British Isles, and that the storm it was creating was of a gargantuan and unprecedented scale. He had spoken to contacts by radio in various capitals across Europe, and they all confessed that they had never seen anything like it. Even Scandinavian weather in the middle of the hardest winters relented temporarily, so that the populace could attempt a partial recovery. Continuous snowfall and gale force winds allowed no human to venture outside for more than a few minutes. Add to this the inexperience of the average Briton and you have a nightmare scenario. All Britain could hope for was an unpredicted and sudden rapid shift in the weather system and then a slow, controlled thaw.

  Sir Ian was in no doubt that recovery from this phenomenon was going to be much, much worse than the actual storm.

  Day 4 – Grantham, Lincolnshire - Midnight

  Andrew Brady lay awake in the makeshift bed in front of the gas fire which had finally failed about forty minutes previously. It was no big deal, as all three of the group were tucked up warmly in bed and the room was nice and cosy. How long it would stay that way was another issue. The blizzard continued unabated outside and he reckoned that the outside air temperature must be at least minus fifteen degrees C. The wind chill factor would make that even lower, and he prayed for a drop in the windspeed. Fighting a howling gale would not improve their chances. A good start on this journey was essential and he needed the team to reach the first night stop with no injuries or catastrophes. It was important for morale and for increasing the chances of finding Boston.

  Brady had prepared as best he knew how. He had drawn on all of his military training to devise the best plan possible. It was simple and achievable. Chris and Jane were well capable of making the trip and he had briefed them well. All he had to do now was lead them to safety. It was an immense responsibility, but one he felt duty bound to shoulder. He knew one thing for sure – if they stayed here with no heating, they would all certainly perish in the cold.

  He had grown fond of his new ‘family’ and he now prayed for a small break in the storm, so that they could get a good start. Listening to the wind screeching outside the window he had a deep sense of foreboding.

  Day 5

  Thursday 19 December

  Selby, Yorkshire – 7:30am

  Josh had fallen asleep in an armchair by the fire and Julie had covered him with a blanket, opting not to disturb him after his efforts in the snow. Both had been exhausted by their preparations to create a secure and warm survival room in their large house. The electricity supply had now terminated, so no central heating or hot water was available. The modern condensing boiler fitted last year was useless without an electricity supply, even though the gas was still flowing. Consequently, all hot water would have to be heated over the naked flame in the giant fireplace in the room they now occupied. Water was still in good supply, so Julie topped up their reserves as they used it.

  They had plenty of food and for the duration would store consumables normally kept in the freezer in the garage, which adjoined the house. It would probably stay fresher in there than in a conventional fridge-freezer. Their main daily occupation would be that of survival. Keeping warm and rationing the food to stretch as far as possible. With no information coming from the government and their computers already sporting flat batteries, they were working in the dark – literally – especially when they eventually ran out of candles. But Julie had plenty of those, and the short-term future seemed secure enough, as long as they were careful and didn’t venture out into the weather beyond the walls of their shelter. The real problems would no doubt come with the inevitable thaw.

  Day 5 – Grantham, Lincolnshire – 7:30am

  Brady woke early - 5am. He had barely slept at all. His head had been spinning with a thousand different things. A thousand different options. A thousand different scenarios. A thousand different outcomes.

  Nevertheless, he had decided to be positive. It was vital to set an example to Jane and Chris. They would need his strength and leadership if they were to survive the coming ordeal.

  He stood at the window on the top floor of his house looking out into the falling snow. It wasn’t quite as violent as the day before, but it was falling steadily and the flakes continued to settle and build. The cars in the street parked opposite were now completely buried and the only objects protruding from the snow along the main road were the tops of trees – branches weighed down with snow – and the odd high-sided vehicle. Streetlamps were now not functioning and traffic lights and signposts had long gone under. He had changed his mind and decided that they would have to exit the house via the rear bathroom window – onto the single-storey kitchen extension and then down onto the surface of the snow. It had already buried the garden and the wall at the rear – so exiting the area should be straightforward with no impassable obstacles to cross. It would also give them a preparation area before they set off, protected from the wind by the adjoining houses.

  Brady was cold, standing alone in the bathroom looking at the snow and contemplating the next week. It would be a rough ride and in his heart of hearts, he really didn’t expect them all to survive. He imagined the millions of personal struggles against the weather going on across the country and he realised that his plan might be ambitious in the extreme, but it gave Jane and Chris the best chance of survival. Sitting on their backsides waiting to freeze to death was not an option. Brady was a pro-active individual – he sincerely believed that you made your own luck and that lack of action was not the way ahead.

  He walked briskly back to the HQ, where he found Chris and Jane lying in the impromptu bed having a cuddle. They had bonded really well and Brady was glad that he didn’t have a couple of wimps or moaning minnies on his hands.

  ‘Are you two getting up then? I think a very large hot breakfast is in order, Jane, whilst Chris and I complete the final kit checks.’

  ‘OK, boss,’ chirped Jane, sprang out of bed and made her way to the kitchen via the bathroom, after pulling on an anorak. Chris got himself up and Brady suggested he washed and then returned to help with the kit.

  Twenty minutes later they were tucking into a full ‘English’ breakfast consisting of eggs, bacon, sausages, mushrooms, beans, toast and tea.

  ‘I’ve finished off the edibles in the fridge and when you want the pre-cooked snacks brought up for packing, just let me know.’

  Jane had already cooked up a batch of sausages and chicken nuggets and they lay in the fridge wrapped in tin foil waiting to be packed into the rucksacks. She also had some chocolate in handy bite-size portions, which Brady had brought back from his escapade at ASDA.

  After breakfast Brady went through the plan for the day one more time. Start at 10am and there were three stops – in Manthorpe, Belton and Barkston – nightstopping at West Willoughby. An hour walking and an hour resting, regaining energy, was to be the format. Each leg was only about a kilometre and was well within their capabilities. If they tried to do too much, then they were doomed to
failure. Both Chris and Jane agreed and nodded to acknowledge their understanding.

  Jane gathered up the breakfast things and took them down to the kitchen, where she just dumped them into the sink. No point in washing up now! She then set about organizing the pre-prepared snacks, to be taken upstairs when required. After checking around the kitchen to ensure that she hadn’t forgotten anything, Jane went back up to the HQ. Brady and Chris were completing the final checks of the clothing and equipment. It was time to move the sledge to the bathroom. Brady had packed it with essential food items, some spare clothing and extra Gaz canisters. He hoped to be able to ‘live off the land’ so to speak, realising that many houses would be vacant, because their occupants were trapped in the snow away from home. Consequently, they would seek out these properties and use what they could without compromising their own supplies. He further realised that what he planned was strictly against the law; however, he recognised that desperate measures were required and survival was paramount. He also knew that he may encounter resistance and he had made plans for that eventuality. Brady hadn’t discussed this issue with Chris and Jane, as he didn’t see the point in alarming them unnecessarily. It might be that nothing untoward occurred. He sincerely hoped it wouldn’t, but he was fully prepared to use force – lethal if necessary - to enable his new ‘family’ to survive.