Brady and Ross put their weapons aside and partially undressed to allow for the warmth in the cellar. After Sue had distributed chicken flavoured Cup-a-Soups to all, Brady suggested that he bring everyone up to date with events on the outside. He described his escape to Denmark and then Holland, leading to his mission to rescue Chloe for the Ambassador. He also brought them all up to speed with the general situation, and left them in no doubt that the snow had caused long term worldwide havoc. He answered many questions, confirming that Bracken the spaniel could also be saved, but through it all Chloe remained petulantly silent.
When Brady had finished his report, she made her first demand.
‘What about us, Mr Brady? I don’t understand. Why did my mother lie to me for all these years? I know she is a difficult woman, but I can't believe she would have kept this from me!’
Brady sighed and tried to resolve his daughters concerns. He told her about the reunion in Holland with her mother, and that he was just as surprised by the revelations as she was.
‘No doubt, she had her reasons for keeping this secret, but I don’t see the point in recriminations at this point. The world has changed significantly out there, and for my part I’d like to get on with life and try and make up for the lost years. I consider it extremely fortunate that we have been given this second chance. Let's take full advantage of it.’
A tearful Chloe paused and then replied.
‘I don’t know. It's a lot to take in. I need to think. I'm going upstairs for a while.’
She stood up, put on warm clothing and walked out of the bunker and climbed up to the ground floor.
‘Shall I come with you?’ asked Chris.
‘No, just give me some time to think this thing through. I won't be long.’
Brady glanced at Ross and nodded imperceptibly. Ross got up and followed Chloe at a discreet distance.
‘Security,’ said Brady.
Chloe spent nearly half an hour on her own, trying to absorb these life changing disclosures, whilst Ross also realised that he needed to speak to Brady about the turn of events and formally confirm that Chloe was the target - and not Townsend. It was a matter of loose ends and allocating clear priorities.
Eventually, Chloe returned downstairs and slowly approached a pensive and quite understandably nervous Brady, who stood up. With the entire Townsend family on the metaphorical edges of their seats, she hesitated briefly but then embraced him warmly, and held him tight for several moments:
‘Hello dad, we’ve got a lot of lost time to make up for.’
There wasn’t a dry eye in the house.
Day 27
Friday 10th January
Blackpool Tower – Lancashire
On Monday the fifteenth of December, sprightly pensioners Georgina and Karl Brackenburg had been on a day-trip to Blackpool Tower, primarily to visit the great ballroom. Georgina loved ‘Strictly Come Dancing’, so Karl had treated his wife to an early Christmas present – a tour of the Blackpool Tower Ballroom and complex.
Karl had arranged early afternoon tea at an especially reserved table, which included the opportunity to take a turn around the sprung dance floor to tunes from the antique Wurlitzer jukebox. It was a special day and the couple thoroughly enjoyed the experience. They followed this with a visit to the Blackpool Tower Eye – including a 4D cinematic experience before ascending in the lift to the viewing area, which they enjoyed immensely, but were slightly disconcerted by the inclement weather far below. Then it was a visit to the Christmas Pantomime at 4pm, and after the curtain fell it was time to eat again, so they made their way to the Tower Burger Restaurant and partook of the gourmet burgers on offer.
It was now nearly 7pm and time to take an evening look at the view over Blackpool and the Lancashire countryside.
They were in for a shock.
A blizzard of biblical proportions was raging outside. Visibility was about five metres and the couple could not even see the ground, let alone the famous Blackpool Christmas Illuminations. They looked at each other with foreboding. They were staying at a hotel in the town and Karl was seriously concerned about their ability to reach it again:
‘It's looking pretty bad out there, Georgina. Perhaps we should go down to the foyer and make a start for the hotel.’
At that moment, the public address system burst into life:
‘Ladies and gentlemen, this is the General Manager of the Blackpool Tower, and I need to speak to all members of the general public and Tower employees regarding the prevailing weather conditions.’
Karl and Georgina grimaced and took a seat to better listen to the upcoming announcement. The manager continued grimly:
‘The Blackpool Tower complex is now closing. The weather outside is becoming so poor that I have released my staff, so that they may have a reasonable chance of reaching their homes. All visitors are now requested to vacate the building with immediate effect. The Blackpool Tower sincerely regrets any inconvenience caused and will entertain any applications for refunds in due course. Thank you for visiting the Tower and we wish you a safe journey home. Goodnight and good luck.’
Karl and Georgina immediately made their way towards the front entrance, pulled up the collars on their overcoats and joined the queue to exit the building. There was a kerfuffle in progress at the exit point and it appeared that no-one was actually leaving. A couple of young women, covered in snow and shivering badly, walked past Karl whilst dusting off their clothing.
‘How bad is it?’ he asked.
‘It's awful!’ they replied in unison. ‘Couldn’t get more than ten feet from the exit – it's blowing a real gale out there. We’re going to wait until it calms down a bit. We might have to stay here the night and see if it settles down by morning,’ - at which they moved away towards the café and a hot drink.
Georgina was growing more and more concerned.
‘What shall we do, Karl? Is it worth giving it a go?’
Karl seemed perplexed.
‘Well, the tannoy message said leave, yet people are coming back in. I don’t really know what to do. I’ll tell you what. You go and sit over there and wait a few minutes while I go and see if it's as bad as those girls say.’
‘Okay, Karl,’ replied Georgina, ‘but please be careful.’
‘I will,’ Karl promised, and started to make his way towards the door. There was a crowd of about fifty people milling about, chuntering and discussing their options. Karl worked his way through to the exit.
‘Excuse me. Excuse me. Coming through!’
‘You're not going out there, are you?’ called one middle-aged man covered in snow. ‘It's bloody awful – I couldn’t get ten yards, lad!’
‘I'm going to have a quick look,’ said Karl, ‘and just check for myself.’
‘It's your funeral, lad,’ said the man with no malice.
Nonetheless, Karl edged his way to the exit, opened the door and staggered back at the force of the wind-blast surging into the foyer. Nevertheless, he got his head down and stepped outside as someone inside quickly slammed the door shut behind him.
The weather was indeed atrocious. The snow was horizontal and the windstorm almost blew him off his feet. He steadied himself and tried to assess the situation in the street below. He could barely see the road and so walked the five or so metres out onto the pavement.
Karl didn’t see the single step down which was also covered in snow, missed his footing, and went tumbling to the ground, rolling to a stop by a half buried car. Karl was sixty eight years old, weighed sixteen stone and suffered with arthritis, so even in normal conditions getting up off the floor was a tricky business. Today, he found it impossible. He just couldn’t stand up! Every time he tried to put weight onto his legs he would slip and fall down again. After four or five attempts he was exhausted, and started to look round for help.
There was none! He could barely see the door from which he exited the Tower and there were no other people in sight to assist him to his feet. He was now get
ting very cold. He had no hat or gloves and the wind was biting into his face.
There was nothing more Karl could do, but sit back against the side of the parked car and wait. Surely someone would pass by soon and help him to his feet. Surely.
No-one ever did.
Inside, the Tower foyer, Georgina waited for thirty minutes and then made her way to the exit, which was now clear except for a Tower security guard. She spoke to him in somewhat of a panic:
‘Did an elderly man just go out, I mean about half an hour ago? Has he come back in? Have you seen him?’
The security guard was not unsympathetic but was unable to help.
‘I'm sorry, luv, but no-one has been out for about twenty minutes now. I did see a couple of old boys go out a while ago, but they didn’t come back in. You should go and sit down. The cafeteria is dishing out free hot drinks.’
Georgina was not mollified.
‘He’s not in here, so he must be outside. I’ve got to go and look for him – he might be hurt!’
The guard could see her distress and wanted to help – but the weather was ferocious. He called out to a colleague.
‘Bernie, can you come and man the door for two minutes whilst I have a quick look outside for this lady’s husband? I’ll only be a minute.’
Bernie walked over and held the door open just enough for the guard to slip through and then closed it again. Thirty seconds later there was a muffled knock and the guard re-entered, smothered in snow.
‘Can't see anything or anyone out there, Mrs, it's a nightmare! Sorry!’ he gasped.
Georgina was mortified and started weeping as her fears for Karl grew. Bernie took her arm and led her away from the door.
‘Look Mrs, let's get you a nice cup of tea. I'm sure he’ll be back soon – you’ll see. Now just sit down and I’ll fetch you one over.’
Georgina went with the man in a daze and sipped her free tea, frantic with worry.
She had a right to be scared.
*******
On the tenth of January, two skiers from a rescue team landed by helicopter near to the Tower approached the entrance to the complex. The lower thirty feet or so was covered in snow, so they searched for a way in. They were briefed to ascend the Tower and survey the area – it was a prime vantage point.
They found a small window at the base of the Tower structure itself, and broke in. What they discovered was not at all pleasant, but would become the norm over the coming weeks. They progressed through to the ballroom and it presented a pitiful sight.
They found Georgina Brackenburg and counted ninety six other bodies frozen to death where they sat.
Day 24
Tuesday 7th January
Tamworth – West Midlands
Jeff and Lyndsey Hyne spent a very cold night in the Norman church which lay less than a mile – as the crow flies – from their own village. Despite Lyndsey’s repeated pleas for them to continue the search for their house that evening, Jeff would not give in.
We’ll wait until the morning, love, get some hot food into us and set off first thing. I’ve got to do some map study anyway and it's bloody dark! We must go in the right direction, so we need to talk about the route.’
Lyndsey eventually conceded defeat and after breaking through a window in the tower and finding an office to lie up for the night, they ate a meal of soup and pasta cooked on the Camper Gaz. The church was deserted and after a brief search, they found a single bed which the vicar must have used in emergencies. They put it to good use and snuggled up together – fully clothed – for a fitful nights’ sleep.
At first light, they woke and prepared breakfast – yet more hot cup-a-soup and then re-studied the landscape, attempting to work out exactly where their house was. They talked it through, imagining and trying to recall the road leading from the church they currently occupied. It led past a row of bungalows, a small shop, round a corner and out of this village towards their own. It was then a straight-ish road heading to their house, which was the third building on the right before the village centre. Pylons were of no use – even if they had been still standing, as they were too distant and trees were unreliable as most were buried.
So, basically, it was a guesstimate! They re-dressed, Jeff re-secured the snowshoes with tape and cord and they restarted their quest with increased optimism. Jeff paced out the distances and they made regular compass checks, whilst discussing where they thought they were. After about an hour Jeff stopped and pointed out three distinct mounds ahead.
‘I reckon that we’ve found it. Do you see the chimney sticking out of the second mound? That must be Doreen and Phil’s place – which makes that mound there ours. Let's go,’ said a relieved Jeff, pointing ahead.
Jeff couldn’t help thinking whether Phil and Doreen were still at home, frozen in front of their fireplace, but he tried to put it out of his mind. So they walked the final hundred metres until they stood on what Jeff believed to be their own house. Jeff walked round to the far side and called out to Lyndsey, who was beaming with excitement and gloating not a little bit!
‘Oh dear! It looks like the roof has caved in. Come and see for yourself. Be careful though, the snow might give way because of the opening.’
Lyndsey marched round to where Jeff was standing and looked down into the hole and through into the exposed loft. Snow had poured in and almost obscured the opening. There was a sort of slope down to the roof and Jeff suggested he tried to find a way in. So he took off his back pack, handed it to Lyndsey and cautiously slid down the slope towards the entrance. The snow was quite firm – due to overnight frost – and he made it safely as far as the attic. He poked around a bit with a ski pole and then, reassuring himself that it was pretty solid, moved further into the house. He was almost into the attic, when the snow started to avalanche; Jeff lost his balance and toppled over into the white powder, which carried him down through the loft space and into the spare bedroom below. He landed on a large pile of snow and yet more cascaded on top of him.
In twenty seconds it was all over. Jeff lay in a mild daze on the floor of the bedroom, with heaps of snow scattered around – but he wasn’t buried or injured – and with a bit of effort stood up.
Lyndsey cried out in alarm:
‘Jeff, Jeff. Are you okay? What's happening down there? Can you hear me?’
At which point she took two ill-advised steps forward, and started to slip down the slope towards the roof opening, and promptly followed the same route as Jeff. She plonked down in the exact spot with a look of bewilderment on her face.
Jeff leant down and helped her up.
‘That's the way to do it! Are you all right?’
Lyndsey shook herself off and looked up at Jeff.
‘There, I told you we'd find it!’ she said in triumph.
Jeff said nothing and turned towards the bedroom door. He tramped over the snow and warily opened it. Peeking outside, he sighed with relief. The landing was fundamentally dry and secure, except for a trickle of dirty slush running across the hallway.
‘Come on love; let's check out the house, it looks not too bad.’
The both took off their snowshoes, and Lyndsey dispensed with her pack before commencing their exploration. The upstairs was dry, but the carpet was wet, as was the stair carpet. They trudged downstairs which is where they discovered the real damage. Snowmelt had been spilling into their sitting room and the entire downstairs had around three inches of water covering the floors. They splashed around for a few minutes, checking out the entire level and realised that it was uninhabitable.
Lyndsey was not a happy girl and said so.
‘Oh, Jeff! I can't believe it. The house is ruined. What will we do?’
Jeff put his arm around her shoulders and tried to console his wife.
‘I'm sorry, love, but it's no worse than I expected. There is no electricity or gas, and the water level down here is going to rise as the thaw sets in. We can't stay here on a permanent basis. Other parts of the roof mi
ght cave in at any moment and the ceilings will definitely eventually collapse under the weight of snow and water. We've only got one option.’
Lyndsey had tears in her eyes, more through frustration and disappointment than anything else.
‘I suppose you’re right, but can we stay just one night before we go back to the factory – just for old times’ sake. I love this house and would really like to say goodbye properly before we leave it forever.’
Jeff nodded his agreement. It would give them a chance to rescue important documents such as passports, and moreover Lyndsey could gather all of her valuables from the safe. There was about ten thousand pounds in cash in there as well, and it could all be very useful in days to come.
‘Okay, love. Let's go back upstairs and set up in our bedroom for the day. There's plenty we can be getting on with and you can prepare a slap-up feed with some decent food from our freezer – if it hasn’t gone off by now!’
They were lucky and items deep in the freezer were still solid and edible. Lyndsey found a couple of nice sirloin steaks, which they defrosted in the sunshine upstairs, and fried up with eggs she found in the kitchen. Jeff found the passports, driving licences and various other paperwork which he thought might be useful in the future. Lyndsey selected her most valuable and sentimental jewellery from the safe, whilst Jeff secured the cash in a strong plastic waterproof pouch. The rest of the day was spent mooching around the house picking up bits and pieces they considered might be handy to have back at the factory.
Late in the afternoon, Jeff had a brainwave. Why didn’t they rig up some kind of sled and move a load of stuff back to base. Books, games, puzzles, tinned food etc. They might be there for a while and any distraction was going to help pass the hours.
Jeff went down to the integral garage, which had survived intact thanks to a modern steep alpine-type roof, and looked for a solution to his sled idea. He found it in the form of a rectangular plastic garden table. He extracted the removable legs, turned it upside down, bored two holes in the inverted lip and threaded some parachute cord through to form a tow rope.
Snow! The Series [Books 1-4] Page 64
