Russell’s eye shined with sadness as he thought about Tim. He took a moment to gather himself before he spoke. “I was traveling with a friend in his plane. We experienced engine trouble, among other things. We crashed out there. He didn’t make it. I barely got out before the plane slipped off the side of a cliff.”
Cathy lowered her head in solace. “I’m sorry to hear that. You’re lucky to be alive. I couldn’t imagine what that must have been like.”
Russell folded his arms across his chest. The reality of the situation set in and that old familiar itch stirred inside of him. It was a feeling he’d get when life became too much to bear, and he needed to take the edge off.
He wasn’t equipped to deal with the heaviness of his friend’s death, and what had apparently happened to the planet. A drink was what he craved, needed to weather the squall overtaking him.
“You wouldn’t happen to have anything to drink, would you?”
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
SARAH
The darkness was never ending, an infinite ether that spanned in either direction. Aside from the light of her phone, and those of the passengers aboard the subway, the tunnel remained dark.
Silence grated on Sarah’s nerves.
The unsettling feeling of being watched slithered over her body. The voices of Tom barking at her and the Creeper whispering horrible things filled her head. She knew they weren’t there, but the sensation remained.
Sarah kept the Glock tucked in her waistband with her free hand resting on the grip. The last thing she wanted was to be ambling about in the dark and come across a cop who found her wielding a gun. Best to avoid any such surprises that could result in an accidental shooting of some kind.
The other passengers’ lights from the subway had dimmed. Every step she took, it grew fainter. Sarah remembered Debbie mentioning a possible exit within the tunnel that led to a stairwell, but wasn’t sure where or how far away it could be.
Movement close by grabbed Sarah’s attention. It sounded like footsteps skulking about in the darkness, but she couldn’t be sure. She flinched, then froze. She looked about with baited breath. Her heartbeat thumped inside her head as she searched for the source of the subtle sound. It was hard to pinpoint the location within the blackness.
She spun in a circle. The flashlight from her phone washed over the tunnel walls on either side, not finding a cause for the disturbance. The Glock stayed tucked in place, for now.
“Hello?” Sarah called out. Dread tainted her voice. Her hands trembled. “Who’s there?”
She prayed a voice would answer back, then again, that thought sort of scared her since she couldn’t lay eyes on whoever was stalking her. Considering the sort of troubles she had encountered recently, she was leery that it would be anything good.
More movement drew closer without a response which caused Sarah to breathe faster. She tried to stay calm, but that was easier said than done. Over the past couple of hours, things had descended into chaos without any explanation as to why, and it didn’t look like it was going to get any better.
“Whoever is there, please respond. I am armed and will defend myself if need be,” she warned.
Something brushed against Sarah’s foot, then crawled over the top of her shoe. A yelp slipped from her lips as she jumped, then backed away. Her phone tilted to the ground and hunted for the cause of her panic.
A large rat scurried about, then stopped. It looked around for a few seconds before darting off toward the wall across from Sarah.
She grumbled under her breath. She hated rats, mice, and anything of the kind. Just thinking about the tiny rodents made her skin crawl, let alone having one make contact with her.
A shiver slid down Sarah’s body. An unkempt feeling washed over her. The fact that large rodents were close at hand made her want to get out of the tunnel that much faster.
Sarah moved down the tracks at a good clip. She made sure to be cognizant of the rails incase the power came back on. The light from her phone shifted every which way as she took deep breaths.
Up ahead, she caught a brief glimpse of a door that was set up off the ground. Above the dull, gray, metal door was an EXIT sign.
Sarah crossed over the tracks and climbed up the raised concrete walkway. She stood in front of the door and looked it over. Off to the side was a call box that showed no signs of life. No lights or indicators that it had any power.
She pressed the lone steel bar in that ran the width of the entrance. The door resisted. Sarah pushed harder until it popped free. The hinges creaked loudly as she forced it open, the sound echoing through the hollowness of the space. It must had been some time since this exit had been used last.
Sarah lifted her phone in the air and swept the interior of the stairwell. She craned her neck, and skimmed over the concrete steps that led to what she hoped was the surface.
The heat hadn’t dissipated, nor had the stagnant air within the suffocating environment.
Footfalls crunched over debris on the concrete from behind her as a low-toned voice spoke. “Did you find a way out?”
Sarah jumped, then turned around in a blink, her hand tugging on the Glock. She deflated against the jamb of the door as she caught sight of Chris. “Christ.”
He stood next to the raised walkway while glancing up at her. He held up his hands in protest and took a step back. “Whoa. Sorry. Didn’t mean to alarm you. I didn’t feel comfortable with you walking alone down here. Not after what happened back in the car. You looked pretty shook up.”
Sarah removed her hand from the grip of the Glock. A breath of tension spewed from her mouth as she nodded. “Thanks, but next time, don’t sneak up on me.”
“Duly noted,” he responded. “So, does this lead to the surface?”
Sarah held the phone back up and peered inside the stairwell. The hint of light was visible within the veil of darkness that hung in the air.
“It must go all the way up to the street. I don’t know where else it would go other than there.” She peered back to the businessman, then nodded toward the subway. “Go let the others know we found a way out. I’ll leave the door open and head up to see if I can find out what the hell has happened.”
Chris bowed his head and stepped away. He stopped in place after taking a single step, then glanced back to Sarah. “I do appreciate what you did back there with that guy and getting us out. Guess we were lucky you had that gun.”
Sarah nodded.
He made his way back to the subway where the cumulation of light had grown from the other passengers.
Lucky? That was the last thing Sarah felt. Remorse, anger, and a buttload of other words could better describe the situation back on the subway. Still, it was done, and she’d have to carry it around with her for the rest of her life.
Sarah scavenged a broken chunk of concrete from a cinderblock and wedged it between the jamb and the door. She didn’t want it to close and couldn’t wait for the other passengers. Her nerves were frazzled, and her hands wouldn’t stop shaking. No matter how hard she fought to remain positive and focus on the task at hand, trepidation found its way inside her head. She had to get out of that stifling tunnel and to the expanse of the surface to relieve the angst that wouldn’t leave her alone.
Loud thumps above echoed through the stairwell. Her gaze flitted to the darkness above, and she yelled out. “Down here.”
The footfalls continued hammering what sounded like steel. Sarah shined the light at the flights of stairs and climbed. She raced up each flight. The palm of her hand guided her onward along the railing and kept her from tipping over the edge.
She was exhausted, and the lack of air circulating weighed heavily on her momentum. Deep, hard breaths fled from her mouth as she paused.
From below, Sarah could hear the voices of the other passengers from the tunnel. The lights from their phones shone into the stairwell.
Sarah got back on the move. The small thread of light she spotted from the ground floor of the stairwell grew larger the
closer she got. She was relieved to be out of that underground prison, but also feared what she might find on the surface. Especially seeing as no help was in sight, and they hadn’t been contacted by any authorities since the power had gone out.
Noises from the surface became clearer as Sarah hit the landing just below the set of large steel doors. She cocked her head to the side, and trained an attentive ear—horns blaring, people screaming, and other loud noises she couldn’t make out. It was hard to decipher what was going on. Had the world ended while she was trapped underground?
Sarah gulped, then grabbed one of the rungs of the ladder before her. She turned the flashlight off on her phone, then secured it in the back pocket of her trousers. She adjusted her purse, that hung from her shoulder, and climbed upward.
Short work was made of the ladder as she reached the double steel doors. The voices from below clamored in excitement as they made their way up the concrete steps after her.
The palm of her hand slid over the surface of the door, searching for a handle or latch. Sarah pushed up on one side. The dense door split apart and lifted into the air. It was heavy but manageable.
Sarah continued pushing up until the door opened all the way. Sunlight beamed down into the darkness of the stairwell. Sarah diverted her gaze away from the surface, shielding her face from the blinding light. She had grown accustomed to the blackness of the tunnel and had to give her eyes a few moments to adjust.
The other portion of the steel door was tossed up and pushed to the side. It locked into place with a simple click. Sarah climbed the rest of the way out and stood on the sidewalk.
Chaos had gripped Boston. It didn’t look like the same place Sarah last saw before entering the subway station.
The streets were filled with long, snaking lines of cars that sat idle. Traffic signals were null and void of any bright lights that controlled the flow of stagnate vehicles. Horns bellowed and people yelled from what few cars had passengers within the vehicles.
Smoke tainted the air, and caused Sarah’s nose to crinkle. Explosions erupted in the distance, and she flinched. She skimmed over the buildings nearby with a lost, frantic look. Some of the structures were on fire and burned unchallenged.
The other passengers from the subway emerged from the ground to the spectacle. Chatters of disbelief and sniffles of terror fled the frightened group of survivors.
“Dear God. What has happened?” one passenger gasped.
“Have we been attacked?” another whimpered.
“It’s finally happened. Those damn North Koreans have started World War 3,” a loud, raspy voice yelled out. “The end is near.”
The trepidation that swirled about was thick and made Sarah’s stomach knot. She felt sick, lost, and alone in a world that had plummeted into madness within a blink.
A cop raced down the sidewalk toward the herd of passengers. Sarah stayed planted and waved her arms at the stone-faced man. His hand rested on the grip of the Glock 22 he had secured in its holster.
“Excuse me, officer,” Sarah called out while flagging him down. “Can you tell me-”
The cop skirted around Sarah without missing a beat. He didn’t glance her way or acknowledge her presence. She turned on her heels and watched him shove his way through the other people who traveled along the sidewalk. He vanished around the corner of the next street.
Sarah rubbed her hands up and down her face, lost in a sea of confusion and uncertainty. The world had gone to hell in a handbag, and she was now forced to sift through the aftermath.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
RUSSELL
A powerless world. What did that even mean?
Russell fought with the possible outcome Cathy had laid out before him. It didn’t seem real, or even feasible, but yet, something had happened.
Cathy washed the few dishes she had in the sink, then turned toward him. She didn’t have any alcohol in the cabin. Even if she had, it wouldn’t have helped Russell since he had various medicines swimming in his system. Drinking while on painkillers was never a good recipe, and she advised him as much.
She pointed at the stew before Russell. “You should finish that. You need to build your strength up.”
Russell couldn’t. His appetite had passed. He sat there, slouched in the chair, with his palms flat on his thighs. He dug his hand into the front pocket of his jeans and pulled out a stick of gum. He removed the wrapper and shoved the gum into his mouth.
“I appreciate the food, but I’ve lost my appetite.”
Cathy reached across the table and took the bowl. “You’re welcome. If you want more here in a bit, I can get you a bowl. I’m going to throw it out before I get on the road tomorrow morning, so I’d like to minimize the waste.”
Russell peered out of the window to the dense woods beyond the cabin. He focused on the green foliage that surrounded the trunks of the large trees. He needed to clear his head and figure out what his next move was going to be.
“I think I’m going to get some fresh air.” Russell scooted his chair back, then stood up. He grabbed his phone from the table, then turned toward the entrance to the cabin.
Max trotted over to his side. He stopped shy of the screen door and stared through the wire mesh. He fidgeted in place. Max tilted his head back and looked to Russell with a serious expression.
“What’s up with the dog?” Russell asked while pointing at the rigid stance of the large German Shepherd.
Cathy craned her neck and looked over at Max. “He probably caught wind of an animal. It happens all the time. He’s got a nose like you wouldn’t believe. Would you mind letting him out? He probably needs to use the restroom, anyway. He likes to go after eating.”
“Yeah. No problem.” Russell opened the screen door. Max bolted from the cabin and leapt from the porch. His bushy tail wagged to and fro as he sniffed the ground.
The brisk, clean air of the mountains brushed over Russell’s face as he walked outside. It didn’t smell dirty like the city, which was swollen with exhaust and other bad smells Russell had grown accustomed to. Instead, it smelt of pine and had a rich earthy scent that filled the air. It was refreshing, and something Russell soaked in.
The rickety boards of the porch squeaked under him as he crossed them to the grass in front of the log house.
Max milled about the trees, sniffing and investigating the thickets and dense brush. His ears stood on end as he searched for the perfect place to relieve himself.
Russell thumbed the power button to his phone, hoping that the device would fire up. The screen sat blank for a few seconds before the manufacture logo splashed on the screen. It was distorted and not as clear as it should be, but it was working at least.
Max barked, then emerged from the dense verdure. He darted out of the bushes and galloped across the yard as if in pursuit of something. Russell couldn’t spot what had sparked his interest, but chalked it up to a squirrel, rabbit, or some other wild animal.
The phone dinged and finished loading. The device scanned for a signal, but couldn’t locate one. Russell opened the gallery of pictures stored on the memory card of his phone.
A picture of Jess and Sarah filled the screen—the two women in his life who meant the world to him. He thumbed through the remainder of the photos, reliving the good times that were now distant memories.
Max barked again, then growled. It was faint, but loud enough for him to be close by. Something had his full attention and wasn’t letting him go.
Russell pocketed the phone and walked around the front of the cabin. A long row of chopped wood spanned the side of the house. It sat waist high and had a blue tarp that draped over the top.
A winding dirt drive climbed up the steep embankment, and vanished beyond the trees that encompassed the property. Russell looked about and didn’t spot a vehicle of any kind. On the other side of the drive was a large, barn-like structure that had ruts in the ground. They vanished under the two large wooden doors.
Max barreled around th
e building, barking and pawing at the wooden slats. He paused, low to the ground, and dug at the base with his front paws.
Russell skimmed over the dense woods. The heavy vegetation and tall weeds made it difficult to see.
Max looked toward Russell with a stern look. His ears stood erect as he lifted his front paw off the ground.
“What is it?” Russell called out as he walked across the driveway.
Max moved around to the front of the barn. He stood on his hind legs and pressed against the doors with his front paws.
Russell petted Max’s head as he lowered to the ground. He groaned and kept his focus glued to the building. Russell looked over the barn, then took a step back. He peered toward the roof as a loud clanging noise echoed from inside the structure.
He grabbed the rusted handles of the barn doors and pulled. They bulged some before snapping to. “Hello? Is someone in there?”
Russell listened for a response, but didn’t receive one. He glanced to the side and made for the corner of the wooden structure.
Is there someone else living here that Cathy failed to mention? Russell pondered.
Max turned toward the driveway, and barked at the ridge where the dirt road vanished beyond the tree line. He took off in a dead sprint, barking at whatever lurked beyond the foliage.
Russell skirted the corner of the building and peered down the side. A handful of saw horses and a wheelbarrow were overtaken by the grass that grew around them.
A path of paver stones sat in the ground at Russell’s feet. They ran the length of the building and stopped toward the rear. He followed the walkway, listening for any additional sounds.
He peered over his shoulder at the cabin, scanning for Cathy or Max. Neither were in sight. He reached the end of the barn and discovered a door.
The glass was thick with grime that had built up over the four sections of small windows. Russell leaned forward with the ridge of his hand above his brow. He squinted, trying to see inside the dark, ominous structure.
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