‘You nearly didn’t’ I said, still a bit shaken up with what had just happened.
‘I bet’ he replied. ‘You’re rocking that new haircut Emma, are you taking good care of your dad?’ She was so grateful to see a face she recognised, she ran up the stairs to meet him, he picked her up and threw her into the air. ‘Yes uncle Bernard,’ she said. ‘I’m looking after him really well.’ He put her down to give me a hug, and we walked through the shop and up another set of stairs to his flat. His front room suffers from the lack of a females touch, just like mine. I don’t think its been decorated since Maureen died, its dark and old fashioned, just how single men like to live. Made up of just two rooms, there’s an open plan living area with a kitchen, and a bedroom, with a toilet and sink in the corner. The house was always warm, probably due to being surrounded on all sides by buildings. Emma took herself off to the toilet as Bernard and I sat on the sofa to fill each other in. ‘Are Clifford and Patricia okay Nathan?’
‘I don’t think they made it.’
‘I’m sorry to hear that, they were good people, a lot of good people have died. Do you know for sure they are dead?’
‘Not really, but I believe they are, they knew the plan to stay in the bomb shelter, but they never got there, and they wouldn’t leave Emma on her own like that.’
‘No they wouldn’t. How is Emma doing?’
‘I don’t know, I’m always worried about her. She has already seen things I wish she hadn’t.’
When Emma arrived back, she climbed onto Bernard’s knee and told him about the journey. ‘Your dad tells me you’ve been very brave.’
‘Yes I am brave, if anyone had tried to get me I would have smacked them in the face.’
‘I bet you would, you’ve always liked a skirmish.’
‘Do you know what the worst thing was Uncle Bernard?’
‘No what?’
‘We had to walk everywhere, for ages.’
‘Are you tired?’
‘No not now, I’m completely awake. But I was tired, I was really tired, but dad made me carry on walking. I nearly lost my temperature with him.’
‘Temperature?’ Bernard laughed.
‘Yeah my temperature.’
‘You mean temper.’
‘That’s what I said, temper.’
It was such a weight off my mind, to be in the company of someone I completely trusted, and who Emma was comfortable with. I’ve not felt this safe since I came to the surface. I picked up a tired looking daughter and carried her into Bernard’s bedroom, he would always take the sofa when we stayed, no matter how many times I told him he should be on the bed at his age. I stripped Emma’s clothes off her and tucked her up in bed, just leaving enough room for myself. I went back into the living area, and spoke to Bernard about his experiences since the attack. He gave me a glass of whisky and explained how he watched the day unfold on TV, until all communication went down. ‘When the power went’ he said, taking a sip of his drink. ‘I went outside to see what was going on, I was probably out there for an hour, as the magnitude of what had happened started to slowly ripple over the community. We all felt the bombs explode, I had to steady myself against the lamppost, the ground shook, a few windows cracked and fell out, smashing on the floor. The street started to fill up with neighbours, and general shoppers. The black ash clouds arrived within an hour, it was this that really caused the panic, the streets were soon deserted as people ran to find cover. I stayed outside until the rain came.’ We had talked for years about the possibility of a third world war, it was probably Bernard that convinced me it was going to happen. So he was as prepared as me, with a large supply of food, water and weapons, he even had his cellar and garage at the back of his property lined with lead. He only ventured from his house on a few occasions, so knew less about the creatures than I did, but he knew what they were doing to the females. When I told him what I knew, he asked me how much of it I had explained to Emma, I told him I had skirted around most of it, she simply wouldn’t understand. Bernard had some interesting views on how the war might have started, ideas I had never considered. ‘Do you know who detonated the first bomb?’ He asked intriguingly. ‘Who started this whole thing.’
‘North Korea attacked Japan’ I replied.
‘Was that confirmed? Did they take responsibility?’
‘I’m not sure, I think so.’
‘I’ll help you out, I listened to the whole episode unfold, they admitted nothing, the national community blamed them. But they made no statement, before they were obliterated.’
‘Who nuked them?’
‘You tell me?’
‘America, didn’t they have to protect Japan?’
‘On paper maybe, they disarmed Japan’s military after the second world war and claimed they would protect them should they be put under threat, but do you honestly think they would honour that, a hundred years later?’
‘I don’t know.’
‘The decision was out of their hands, someone acted before them.’
‘Who?’
‘The creatures, I believe they started the war.’
‘How?’
‘They nuked Japan, think about it, as soon as the first bomb was detonated, fifteen nuclear states launched all their nuclear weapons at any country they believe a threat to them. It probably all happened within a thirty minute window. In two thousand and fourteen it was reported there was close to seventeen thousand nuclear warheads, but by two thousand and twenty we knew that figure was widely inaccurate. With many countries, mainly middle eastern, hiding their nuclear programmes, the exact figure was closer to fifty thousand. Just imagine all those weapons being fired within minutes of each other, every country in the world would be devastated.’
‘So you think the creatures nuked Japan?’
‘Imagine the worlds nuclear programme was like a row of Domino’s, they are all standing there primed and ready to go. They only stay standing because everyone knows if one goes off, they all go off. The first domino is Japan, the creature’s knock it over and sit back to watch as it causes the demise of all the others. When the Domino’s had finished falling, if any were left standing, they could just knock them over at will.’
‘It’s an interesting theory.’
‘It’s not just a theory, I’ve read reports throughout military history, stretching back as far as the cold war, where respected military personnel claim to have witnessed things in the sky that weren’t human. The reports were by both American and Soviet personnel who claimed their nuclear warheads had been tampered with, I’ve seen the minutes taken from conferences by ex-air force officers who were called to sit in front of a panel of congress. Over a five day conference, more than forty high ranking officers testified they had witnessed strange aircraft in the sky above their nuclear weapons, these aircraft had fired beams of light at the warheads, turning some off and starting the launch sequence on others, which required emergency action to stop.’
‘When did these meetings take place?’
‘I cannot remember exactly, but I think they were over fifty years after the events.’
With that I finished the last dregs of my whisky, said my good nights and headed into the bedroom. I covered Emma back up with the blankets and sat down on the bed to write up the days diary, it’s going to take a while, it’s been a long and eventful day.
Chapter NINE
22/11/2027 - Time 19:15
Bernard was up early this morning, I heard him rattling around the kitchen, but I couldn’t bring myself to get up, the warmth emanating from Emma’s body was in stark contrast to the biting cold outside the covers. For the first time in ages, I woke up without that constant nagging worry that had been hanging over my every moment. Emma was still face down in the pillow, asleep, so I made myself get up and join Bernard in the liv
ing area. He was warming some sausages and spaghetti in a frying pan on the hob. There was a large blue gas canister under the work top, where he had fashioned a connection to the gas supply for the hob. We sat down with a plate of hot food, a cup of tea, as he told me about the weeks and months proceeding the attack. ‘At first, everyone stayed inside their houses’ he said. ‘Which was okay with me, I have a garage stocked full of food and water. I don’t think I saw or heard anyone for the first month, I spent my days looking out of my living room window, watching the ash falling, then the rain and the snow. People started to surface around a month later, as the desperation for food became too much for the vast majority of people who simply hadn’t prepared for this eventuality. ‘It wasn’t much later the creatures appeared, it was just a rumour at first, a bit of a joke. But more and more people reported seeing things, unexplainable things, then the stories started to get disturbing. Strange things happening to people, male and female. We would find men and women walking around like zombies, they couldn’t remember their name or what had happened to them. When the true extent of what was going on was revealed, the streets became deserted again.’
‘Why did Torriero get involved?’
‘For all their superior weaponry, I don’t think the creatures knew how to carry out their plan. They were having problems with their vehicles and equipment, the conditions on earth were worse than they had envisaged. I’m only guessing, but maybe Torriero saw an opportunity, they needed someone on the ground, and he could deliver the man power.’
‘What happened when Torriero’s men turned up?’
‘Most people thought they were here to help, they had gathered in the town square, sat in their vehicles handing food out, getting to know the town’s folk. You have to understand, by that point desperation had set in for most people, they couldn’t feed their families and would do anything for food. There were eight men altogether, they spent a few days helping out, gaining trust. When they came back a few days later, they knew exactly what they were looking for. They went from house to house, gathering all the females. The first time this happened saw the most casualties, families trying to resist, but anyone who did was killed in front of the rest of the town.’
‘I don’t understand why anyone would side with the creatures in this situation, basically condemning humanity.’
‘He’s a powerful man, but maybe not powerful enough to stop the creatures, so he did the next best thing.’
‘Just before we got here, I watched Torriero’s men doing house to house searches along Edinburgh Road, they seemed to going through every building they could get in.’
‘Sounds like they are mopping up anything left behind during the initial wave of searches, they are well organised, I’ll give them that.’
‘How safe do you think this place is? It was only a hundred yards away.’
‘There’s no easy way into the flat, it had to meet certain security requirements to be an armoury, the weakest point is probably the garage door, and that’s built with a fifty centimetre, double skinned metal frame. They would have to bring a bloody tank if they want to get into here.’
‘I’m just worried, you know? I think we’ve been pushing our luck, and someday soon it’s going to run out.’
‘I understand your concerns Nathan, but they have no reason to want to get into this flat, if they even knew it was here. They’re not interested in people like me, I have nothing to offer them, nothing they want.’
‘Have you had any dealings with any of them?’
‘Only a little, I have spoken to a few of them at the church, but I’ve mainly kept myself to myself.’
‘Why would you go to the church? Isn’t it something to do with Torriero?’
‘This was before he turned up, Torriero only sent his men in after he heard about the church, and what it was being used for. A month or so after the attack, our local vicar, Father Wilson, put a note through my door, in fact he walked the streets of Dumfries putting notes through everyone’s letter box.’ Bernard stood up and walked over to the dining table, he rummaged through some papers until he settled on one. ‘This is the note’ he said, handing it to me. I unfolded the piece of paper and read the message. ‘If you need help, do not be ashamed, the Lord’s door is always open. As a community, we must remain resolute, check on your neighbours, particularly if they are elderly. If you have more than you need, share with the church, and help us reach the most in need.’ I asked if this note was delivered before the creatures were discovered? ‘Maybe,’ he replied. ‘I’m not sure. For the first few weeks it ran beautifully, mainly helping people who had been injured by the radiation, or struggling for food.’
‘What happened when the creatures arrived?’
‘The church continued to serve the public, but while distributing food and water, it also provided a shelter for families trying to hide their females.’
‘How did he manage that?’
‘He would protect them in the church until he could find suitable accommodation for them, at a great deal of risk to himself, if he was caught doing anything like that they would have made an example of him.’
‘So should I take Emma to the church?’
‘Not without checking first, the place was compromised, when Mr. Torriero found out he was helping the towns people, he would only allow the church to continue if some of his men were present.’
‘Did he discover he was helping females?’
‘Well he might have suspected that was happening, but he never caught them doing it. He didn’t like the fact Father Wilson was feeding and clothing people, undoing his hard work, he was trying to build a culture of fear and was been undermined.’
‘So it’s no longer safe?’
‘Well you could go and speak to Father Wilson on your own, he still helps people whenever he can, just be careful, Torriero has men everywhere.’
At that point Emma came bounding out of the bedroom and, ignoring her dad, jumped onto Bernard and started whispering in his ear. They both looked over at me with grins on their faces, and then Emma started laughing as she climbed off him and walked over to me. ‘Your dad is going to go for a walk after dinner’ said Bernard, ‘You could do it then.’
‘What you up to?’ I asked Emma, as she climbed onto my knee, still smiling.
‘Nothing.’
‘It doesn’t look like nothing, what are you both planning?’
‘I’m not telling you’ she said, shifting her weight so she could give me a cuddle. Bernard stood up, and walked into the kitchenette to make some dinner. ‘I’m going to go out for a few hours, is that okay?’ I asked.
‘Yeah’ she replied. ‘So you’re not bothered I’m going out?’
‘No, uncle Bernard will look after me.’
All the stress and fear had disappeared from her, she was no longer scared. I wished I could keep her here, exactly as she is now, but it isn’t safe enough. Bernard brought over some warm food and we all ate, before I wrapped up to go out. He took me downstairs to his shop to find some bullets for my Welrod, the shop was a dark room with no windows. The lights would hum when we turned them on, but now we had to search by torchlight, through the gun cases and ammo boxes. Bernard warned me that if I took the gun into the church, it will be confiscated by Torriero’s men. He filled my magazine clip and handed it back to me, putting his hand on my shoulder he said, ‘You be careful Nathan, these guys are on the lookout for anything suspicious, and a unfamiliar face will set their alarm bells ringing.’ I went back upstairs to say goodbye to Emma, I had wanted a hug, but she wouldn’t even let me in the room, ‘I thought you’d gone’ she shouted, pushing me out of the door. I climbed down the stairs, through the shop and down the second stairwell to the front door. As soon as my feet hit the ground at the bottom, I could feel the difference in temperature as the cold air leaked through under the door. I open
ed it and unlocked the metal shutters, rolled them high enough to duck under and then let them drop back down to the floor. I locked them again, putting the key in my pocket, I checked my gun was easily accessible and walked up the cobbled side street to the main road. The wind was tearing down the high street, I turned left and followed Edinburgh Road with it pushing me all the way. I could sense rain in the air, although it hadn’t shown itself yet, the grass was still wet and muddy, so I kept to the road. After a few minutes walking, I took the first left onto Lover’s Lane. A row of recently built three storey town houses stretched into the distance on the left, opposite fields and waste land. Protected from the winds by the houses to my left, I pushed on towards the church, as the dark black trees of a forest loomed into view on my right. The figure of a man appeared ahead, running towards me on the opposite side of the road. He was wearing a large raincoat with a matching down under style hat, all as black as the sky. He didn’t slow down, continuing in my direction, then crossed onto my side of the road. I put my hand in my pocket, feeling around for my Welrod, I took the safety off and clasped it in my hand. I never took my eyes off him as he approached, pulling out my Welrod, and keeping it hidden behind my back. I held my breath as he drew closer, wondering if I was going to have to kill again. ‘Good afternoon’ he muttered as he ran past, I turned around and watched him continue along the path until he was out of sight. The row of houses to my left was coming to an end, so I placed my Welrod behind the bin at the last one and crossed the road to where Rae Street meets Lovers Lane. When the trees to my right disappeared, the church came into view. It was set back from the road, with a car park surrounding it and a separate church hall to its right. I could see a few men milling around outside, but I couldn’t tell what they were doing from that distance. I walked through the dark stone entrance into the car park, and then on towards the two buildings. The walkway had been cleaned of ash and sludge, piles of it lay by the side creating a path, I could now see the men on the other side of the car park with snow spades. The entrance to the church was up some stone steps with a large wooden door guarded by two men. I walked past them, avoiding eye contact, and headed alongside the hall to its entrance, which appeared to be unguarded. But as I walked around the corner and through the front doors, I was confronted by two men at the internal doors. I paused for a second but then continued towards them, trying not to raise their suspicions. I attempted to walk between them and into the hall, but the man to my left put his hand up against my chest to stop me. ‘What’s your business’ he said.
Aftermath: The complete collection Page 19
