Darkest Storm

by Logan Keys

  She didn’t ask how he hurt his head. The nurse mentioned people falling on ice and handed him over to a young intern waiting there. An elderly lady sat nearby and she kept coughing and coughing. “They should be in with your cough medicine any moment, Mrs. Haverstick,” the intern said as she cleaned Mr. Chung’s wound out, injected some numbing agents, and began to stitch.

  Mrs. Haverstick seemed to be all alone and Michelle wanted to hug her and tell her it was going to be all right. When she looked in her blue eyes she could see how lost she was.

  “Do you have any family nearby?” Michelle asked but the older woman simply sighed and couldn’t seem to answer Michelle.

  The intern said, “Mrs. Haverstick just wandered in from outside. She has a bad cough but tested negative for the flu. If she stays dry and warm, she should be fine but…”

  “But what?” Michelle asked.

  “If she chooses to wander out again, it’s not like we can stop her.”

  Michelle glanced at Bob and he sighed. When she came closer he whispered, “If we let you, you’ll take the whole hospital home with us. Carry would be thrilled at saving half the city just like you. But it’s not feasible.”

  Michelle grinned. “Exactly. I just love your wife!”

  “We can’t help all of these people, Michelle.”

  She crossed her arms. “I’m not asking to help all of them. Just this lady.”

  The power snapped off. Down the hall, people screamed and started panicking. The nurse that brought them to the room could be heard shouting, “It’s fine. We’re all right. We have backup generators.”

  The nurse shook her head as she came in. “But I’m not sure how long those will last,” she muttered. The lights switched back on and people in the hall were clapping.

  “What do you mean?” Bob asked.

  She seemed surprised that he’d overheard her. “We’re running out of power. We aren’t supposed to say anything, but the generators? Most of them blew out.”

  “Is there anything we can do? While we wait,” Bob offered.

  The nurse hesitated then said, “Yes. The third floor has no heat, so they’re moving patients down a floor to keep them from freezing up there.”

  Michelle got the directions for the stairs and she and Bob headed that way.

  They entered the stairwell and felt like they were walking into a freezer. Michelle zipped up her jacket and put her hat back on as they climbed steps for what seemed like forever. Night was coming, and the cold was beginning to eat away at her helpful resolve.

  Once on the third floor they found staff rushing around trying to get patients moved quickly. It wasn’t any warmer there than on the stairwell, and it was dark. The staff had flashlights and Michelle stopped a male nurse on his way to a room. “We were sent to help.”

  “Good,” he said. “You can move three oh six and three oh five. Neither are hooked up to anything but have to be helped down the stairs. Fragile.”

  Bob and Michelle went down the hall to the rooms he’d given. They found two small children huddled together in three oh five. Both of them had caps over their smooth heads, and they were frightened. “It’s going to be okay,” Michelle said with a smile. She held out her hand and the girl slowly rose and took it. “What’s your name?”

  “Valerie.”

  “A pretty name for a pretty girl. Valerie, I need you to help me with your friend…”

  “Eric.”

  “Eric,” Michelle repeated. “We need to take both of you down the stairs to warmer rooms with light. How does that sound?”

  Valerie nodded and went and whispered in Eric’s ear. He got up and went to Bob who gently lifted him into his arms. “You ready?” Bob asked him, and the little boy hid his head in Bob’s shoulder.

  “You two don’t have warmer clothes?” Michelle asked Valerie who shook her head.

  Michelle grabbed blankets and wrapped Eric in Bob’s arms, and then she lifted Valerie after wrapping her up as well. The girl was light as a feather. Michelle didn’t ask them where their parents were because they could be stuck or sick or worse. She didn’t want to remind them they were alone.

  “Ok, guys, it’s just down these steps.”

  Bob and Michelle were careful but they tried to keep moving because the cold was quickly seeping through the blankets. Eric and Valerie clung to them, their bodies shaking with cold and nerves.

  “This is it, guys,” Michelle said as Bob threw open the door to their new floor. The light and heat was obviously welcomed, because both children grinned. A thankful doctor showed them to their new room. It was lined with beds from one side to the other but the kids seemed to think it was fun, like a sleepover. The doctor introduced himself as Clemmons and he had the nicest gray eyes Michelle had ever seen. He took off his glasses to clean them while leaning down to tell Valerie and Eric some good news. “And you know what’s even better than a giant sleep over? No medicine today!”

  He gave them each a sucker for being brave, and their faces were glowing.

  “Thank you both so much,” Clemmons said while shaking their hands. Michelle watched him walk away and felt a frown pulling at her mouth.

  “What is it?” Bob asked and her cheeks heated.

  “Nothing,” she said but he gave her a strange look.

  But it wasn’t nothing. Michelle had thought the doctor was attractive, and in another time maybe she would have hoped he’d be single and maybe try to invite him out for drinks some night. But now…now everyone was in survival mode. And it felt like life was changing so rapidly, maybe she’d never get the chance to do things like that ever again.

  Chapter Five

  New York City, New York

  Crazy Pete’s Bowling Alley

  Cameron kicked his generator. It was done, finished. He would have to engineer something to burn wood and vent it out somehow. He started looking at the ducts and the windows. Maybe he could funnel the smoke through like an old stove pipe. That might work.

  Since he was a child, Cameron had always found himself putting things together. He wasn’t exactly an inventor, making things from scratch. No, he had to look at things, and when he did, he could see the potential in them beyond what they were created for.

  First, he had to get pipes together, so he went on a search until he had them all lined up. Only two would work, so he got his tools out and squeezed the end of one pipe into the end of the other--making them into one long pipe--before he sealed the joints with silicone and, finally, drilled holes to screw them together. After that, he fashioned a backdraft damper for one-way ventilation out of old rags and connected everything to the vent he had gone outside to open. The actual burning would be in a metal trashcan that he’d cut a square out of the front and then connected his pipes to another hole he’d cut into the top for filtering smoke outside.

  Now he could stand in front of the fire and warm himself without being smoked out.

  He finally got finished, and though he was frozen solid from going in and out to get the right pressure for his backdraft damper situation, his new stovepipe was up and running. He stood next to it with his hands out, slowly warming up, when someone started pounding on the door.

  “We’re closed,” he shouted.

  The door flew open and he cursed and marched towards it, ready to throw out the kids or whoever it was that was crazy enough to be out in this freeze.

  A man walked inside. He stood in the shadows. “You don’t look dead,” he said.

  Cameron’s dread at the familiar voice was swiftly followed by fear. He raced in the opposite direction for the back door, tripping over his tools and falling onto his knees, before getting up and running for it. He threw the door open with a crash, only to find Al outside waiting for him.

  Al pushed Cameron inside, gun drawn. He locked the door behind him. “You should really lock this.”

  Cameron had been going in and out both doors working on the vents. He’d forgotten. Seagerman came from the front and they both backed Ca
meron towards his raggedy chairs and forced him to take a seat.

  “But how did you find me?” His shoulders sagged. “Bob and that girl. Did they tell you where I was?”

  Seagerman gave him a piercing glance. “They didn’t have to. Once we knew you were alive, it wasn’t difficult, Cameron. We weren’t looking for you before was all. You bought this place under your mother’s maiden name. Let’s just say that hiding isn’t your forte.”

  “Hey, I’ve managed to keep out of Reese’s grasp this long. What do you want? Come to finish me off, eh?”

  Al chuckled. “Reese is the one who’s going to skin you alive when she finds you.”

  “I don’t want to see Reese,” Cameron said with a sigh. “Just kill me now.”

  Al scoffed. “You already tried that, remember?”

  “Yeah.” He put his hand over his heart. “Just shoot me right here. This time it will be real.” He clenched his eyes shut and waited.

  But nothing happened. When he opened his eyes again Seagerman was looking around. “Nice place you have here, Cam. Beard. Scruffy clothes. You were once one of the richest men in the world. I looked at your records; you don’t have a cent left. When you ‘died’ your will was to give it all to the company.”

  “So?”

  “That’s why I’m here. If you’re alive, that makes your will null and void. You had the most shares in the company and so now it would retroactively go back to your control.”

  Al grinned. “More than Reese even.”

  “Ah.” Cameron had to smile. “So it was a race to find me, then? Reese know you two have turned on her? Well, when she sees me she might not be so worried about the money. We were very much in love once, I think.”

  Al grunted. “We’ve been together for quite some time, Cam. She moved on about oh…five minutes after you died. Don’t give yourself so much credit.”

  “So why are you in on this?”

  “I don’t love the woman.” Al shrugged. “Not more than half of Cybercorp. Maybe she should be brought down a notch anyway.” He frowned at Cameron’s grin.

  Cameron could see it now. Once Reese found out he was alive, was Al tossed aside already and now this was the result? He’s working with Seagerman to get control of Cybercorp via Cameron’s shares, all to get back at Reese? Al couldn’t act nonchalant with Cameron. He had been in his same shoes before.

  “What do you want me to do?” Cameron asked.

  Seagerman answered, “Record your wishes and sign the papers. I’m sure it will stand in court that you’re unfit anyway after the stunt you pulled, but I need proof that you’re still alive.”

  Cameron sighed and nodded. “So basically, I get all my shares back, but you prove that since I hold the most weight in the company, I’m too crazy to run it anyway? That about it?”

  Seagerman shrugged.

  Cameron pointed out, “Reese won’t let you get control that easily. She would get my shares. How does that help you?”

  Cameron’s eyes widened. They were planning to take Reese out. “So you’ve come to get the recording and kill me after all.”

  “No.” Seagerman looked finally ready to talk straight. He leaned forward. “We’ve come to offer you a job.”

  “A job?” Cameron gaped at the man. “But you’d be in control of the company, correct? What about Reese?”

  Seagerman shrugged. “What about her?”

  Cameron sighed. “Okay. I can see I have little choice but to comply. Can I make you two some hot cocoa?” They shook their heads. “Mind if I have some?”

  They shared a look but nodded. Al checked the room out, but Cameron’s little office had no windows for him to escape, so he left Cameron alone to make his drink.

  Once Al was gone, Cameron worked quickly. He got the humidifier ready and he dumped in the chloroform. He hoped it would be enough but not too much.

  Sliding the humidifier out of his office with a foot, he stood in front of it until he got it next to the door without them noticing. Cameron motioned to the new stove he’d made. “Works pretty well, right? You guys warm enough?” They nodded. “But I have to keep it stocked.”

  Cameron used a cough to cover him clicking on the humidifier with his boot and luckily the subtle hum was quiet as it revved to life.

  With that, he walked back into his office and made a big deal of slamming the door and bolting it locked. “I’m not going to help you!” he shouted.

  The sound of feet shuffling, then running, towards the door could be heard as Cameron was busy shoving a towel in the crack. Like he figured, they didn’t even see the small machine next to them sitting innocuously about a foot high, pushing out the toxic air. Instead, Seagerman and Al were shouting and pounding on the door, demanding that he open up.

  They worked hard trying to kick it in, taking huge gulping gasps of air, no doubt, not realizing they were only helping Cameron in his plans.

  It grew quiet in less than a minute, and Cameron checked his watch to be sure he waited another minute longer. He then opened the door to find both men peacefully dreaming. With his mouth covered, he turned the humidifier off and shook his head. It would give the two men a terrible headache when they woke.

  Chapter Six

  South Ocean

  Close to New Zealand

  They’d had a small storm during the night and Luckman learned that the ice breaker Polar Star had apparently gone off course and was not responding on their radio anymore. Then a fog had rolled in and it became impossible to see anything. But, of course, they could find New Zealand easily enough, so that wasn’t the problem. The issue was that the ice was getting thicker and thicker, and their boat wasn’t made for breaking it. The Navy didn’t want to risk putting the Ocean Giant near the bigger ’bergs.

  They traveled for another day or two, creeping along in the mist, navy men standing all along the sides of the ship trying to make sure nothing was missed by the equipment. “I thought the instruments picked up the ice?” Luckman asked one of the officers.

  “The satellites are all haywire. We’re blind right now.”

  Luckman thought about the ghost ’bergs and he, too, stood in a spot with his eyes peeled.

  It went like that for days until the Ocean Giant made anchor and held fast after it became obvious there was far too many of them. Ice banked up against ice, creating a sheet of white, with little to no passage. The captain decided the ship would have to double back and take the long route headed for warmer waters altogether. He gave Luckman and the other scientist, Holtz, an ultimatum as neither wanted to do the entire ride by ship. Spending months aboard? It sounded like hell to Luckman. They would be allowed to get off at their current location onto a small inflatable boat and try to make for the harbor at Christchurch, on the South Island of New Zealand. It was only a day or so away, but they’d have to try navigating the small space where ice had narrowly freed up some space for passage.

  Luckman was afraid to take such a small vessel alone into the ice, but they assured him it would only be twenty-four hours’ tops before they’d see land. He pictured a real place with homes and people and…most importantly an airport. That forced him to agree. Also, months at sea would only keep him from getting to New York in time to do anything to try and stop things from spiraling further out of control.

  Holtz was encouraging. “I’ve sailed myself quite a bit. I have a friend—an expat—in New Zealand that will put us up, Luckman. It’s almost Thanksgiving for crying out loud. This is no more than a long channel sail, man. Where’s your courage?”

  Open ocean in a big inflatable boat…that sounded like a nightmare, but he’d done worse as of late. Luckman finally gave in and nodded. “Okay. Let’s take enough provisions so if we get caught up by the ice and have to double back, we won’t be starving or freezing.”

  “Of course,” the captain said.

  “You would leave your samples behind?” Luckman asked Holtz.

  “I would meet the samples in California no matter what. I wasn’
t planning to be on a ship more than a couple of weeks. I’m ready to be home. Aren’t you?”

  “These samples. Is there anything peculiar about them?”

  Holtz turned guarded. “I guess you could say that. I’ll know more once I’m in my lab.” And Luckman realized he’d found something tied to the killing cold. No wonder he’d been in such a good mood. Holtz was planning on revealing his big discovery like it was something good, not understanding the ramifications. He saw the weather and heard about the earthquakes, but had Holtz connected it all?

  “You ready for our trip?” Holtz asked, having gotten his pack and things together.

  Luckman shouldered his own. “Yeah.”

  Holtz just made it all sound like it was normal to jump into a motorized raft with your mate to sail away. The storm from the previous night could, by itself, put Luckman off of the idea, but he had already said yes. Getting down off the ship into the dark frigid waters made his innards curdle with regret, but Luckman made it down with Holtz and his new tiny boat that was already being tossed around in the chop.

  Holtz wasted no time motoring off into the big swells and Luckman hoped it wouldn’t keep going like it was. “I know this area well. You look petrified. Relax. It’s actually quite an adventure.”

  The man lit a cigarette while Luckman watched the Ocean Giant fade into the fog. Holtz handed Luckman a drink. “Liquid courage,” he said. “It will keep us warm. Cheers.”

  Luckman snorted thinking of German. He wondered what the big Russian was doing right now. Probably drinking, if he wasn’t frozen solid. He took the cup and downed the whisky. Feeling a bit warmer, he tried to enjoy the idea of an adventure, but it wouldn’t come. All he felt was apprehension laced with whisky in his raw stomach.

  **