“WHERE THE HELL HAVE YOU’VE BEEN SADIE, DO YOU KNOW HOW WORRIED WE’VE BEEN ABOUT YOU? WHAT HAPPENED HERE I THOUGHT YOU’D BEEN TAKEN OR SOMETHING, WHY IS THE KITCHEN ALL SMASHED UP?
WHERE IS ….”
Sol didn’t get a chance to say anything else because Bert was there in an instant, he had placed himself right in the middle of us and looked like he was about to tear Sol’s head off his shoulders. His growling had become so loud I was surprised he was holding backing from biting, bloody thankful but surprised. “
Hey boy shhh calm down shhh it's ok boy, this is just Uncle Sol Ah, you known him, come on boy calm down Uncle Sol's no threat you know that." As if he could understand me he stopped growling as quickly as he started but stayed rooted to the spot.
Will moaned from his spot on the sofa drawing both mine, Sol and Bert’s attention his way. I noticed that Sol had blood on his arm and realised it must be from Will and told him I’d get something to help.
Leaving Sol to check on Will I went to fetch a cloth from the bathroom to stop any bleeding plus, I wanted to calm Bert down.
When I returned a few moments later Will looked to have woken up and him and Sol were deep in whispers. Will saw me coming through the door and nudge Sol to stop taking. With everything that had happened catching up with me and then Sol shouting at me, I found myself snapping
“Hey don’t stop on my account”
Sol jumped up looking very guilty and changed the subject.
“So, what happened to you then sis? You look like you’ve been dragged through a hedge backwards.”
I gave a short laugh as he had pretty much nailed exactly what I had been doing but before I could answer he carried on.
“Sorry for shouting at you sis, we’ve been looking for you. When we got here and I saw bits of yours and Thomas’s stuff lying about I knew you’d been here then, I saw the kitchen and feared the worse sorry. How come the kitchen is all smashed up though? And where’s my handsome nephew, I thought he’d be with you, how’s he holding up?”
I could feel the blood drain from my face and my head starting to spin, making me feel like I was going to throw up or pass out. My bottom lip started trembling and it was if someone had sucked all the oxygen out of the room and I couldn’t breathe. The words wouldn’t form properly in my mouth, I knew Thomas was no longer with me but I hadn’t spoken the words aloud, didn’t want to. It might sound stupid but it was as if saying the words actually out loud was me finally admitting he was no longer here and I would never have him back.
All I was left with was a gaping hole left in my heart never to be filled, a pain seared so deep into my soul that it would never leave me. The pain must have been written all over my face because the colour drained from his and tears filled his eyes. He crossed the room and pulled me into him.
Only two words trembled out his mouth as he engulphed me in his arms.
“When? How?”
I couldn’t speak as the mountain of pain unleashed from inside me, he didn’t press for answers and just held me like a big brother would. Will excused himself now fully awake and left us in the front room to talk.
“My baby caught a virus and died in my arms.” I managed to say through sobs
"Oh my god Sadie I can't believe it, oh I'm so sorry I wasn't here." He sat down next to me and broke down himself. For a while, we didn't say anything and just sat in the comfort of each other. When Sol asked where Thomas was now, I told him all about the glade I had found a few years ago, how beautiful it was and that was where I had laid my baby to rest. That if he wanted, I would take him there tomorrow. Of course, he had said he wanted to go, wanted to say goodbye to his nephew. The pain in his eyes was raw and I knew, as it had with me, a piece of my brother had died with losing his nephew. I know how much my brother loved my boy, I don’t think he could have loved a son of his own anymore.
Trying to distracted Sol and myself from the bone-crushing pain we were both feeling I asked him about his journey here.
He surprised the hell out of me when he said that part of Yellowstone’s Volcano had erupted a week to the day after the earthquake in Japan and then three days later a volcano in Iceland erupted. He told me how an ash cloud was starting to block out parts of the sun on the east coast of America and was making its way slowly across the country, sinkholes were opening up all over and the power was out in many places.
Most of the USA was in a state of confusion, petrified and panicked that the world was ending. The Army had moved in and martial law was now in force. The only hope he had was Will would help and soon. He had gotten the message from me that Ryan had died and knew he had to reach me, he said he had been trying to call me for days to let me know he was still coming but it kept going to voicemail then, the phone lines went down and he couldn’t even get my voicemail. Because of the volcano erupting in Iceland a second ash cloud would be making its way across the North Atlantic Ocean and soon he wouldn’t be able to get home to England. He explained that the FAA had started to shut down all commercial flights in and out of America and he had no idea how else he would get to me unless it was by sea but that would’ve taken forever. Thankfully Will was ready and more than willing,
Sol hadn’t said why Will was so ready to help but I was just glad he had. He’d said Will had a private plane and had flown them out of there just before the airports closed down altogether. Sol told me in great detail about the traumatic landing they had just outside of Surry 4 days ago and had been looking for me ever since, but things were just as bad here and so it had been slow progress.
They had finally gotten to my house in Applewood only to see it had been taken over by some biker, then when they arrived here and I was nowhere to be seen they feared the worse.
I hadn’t told Sol half of what had really gone on over the last two weeks, how I thought someone was after me or anything about the strange men I’d killed, the incident with Barry, my goal to find an old lady named Alice.
It’s not like I wasn’t going to tell him I just didn’t want to do it tonight. Once I’d taken Sol to Thomas’s resting place, I would sit down with him and tell him everything. If I could trust anyone to help me figure all this out it would be Sol. Tonight just wasn’t the night. Telling Sol that I had lost Thomas was hard enough. I’m not sure how he would handle the fact his little sister was a murder and was being hunted. So, I just sat there and listened to his stories instead tonight.
I was suddenly tired and even though I wanted to stay up and talk know every little detail of how Sol had made it all this way, how he knew so much of what was happening and what exactly he had seen at my house. My body wouldn’t co-operate and my eyes were so heavy, the next thing I knew Sol was coving me up with a blanket and I was drifting off to sleep.
I woke in the morning in bed, bursting to go to the toilet, jumping up and running to loo I sat down, my hazy morning head started to clear and I remembered the events that occurred yesterday ending with “SHIT SOL’S HERE HE’S BACK”
I quickly splashed my face with water while marvelling at the fact it was still working, I put some clean jeans on and rushed downstairs. Bert came bounding up to greet me as soon as I reached the last step so I bent down to give him a stroke and looked at his leg, it seemed to be healing up nicely, thank god, I gave him an extra scratch behind the ears, a hug and went off to find my big brother.
I found him in the living room adding wood to the little fire he had just built, he had found the teapot I'd been using to heat stuff up and had filled it with water which was placed over the fire. There were 2 mugs and a plastic beaker with coffee granules inside, placed on the floor next to the fire.
“Morning Sad how you feeling?”
“Better now you’re here.”
Sol poured the water into the mugs and beaker and handed me a cup.
"Thanks," I said slipping the sweet thick black liquid.
Just then Will strolled into the room, Sol gave him the other mug of coffee and kept the beaker for hims
elf.
I gave Sol a look and then looked at the beaker wondering why he was using that instead of another cup, he must have read my mind because his next words were;
“You made a good job of trashing the kitchen and its contents sis there were only two cups left unbroken hence the beaker. Me and Will have started to clean it up but it will probably take most of the day. Will said he will finish doing it while we go out if that’s ok.”
It was going to be my first time back at Thomas grave, I had wanted to go these past few days by couldn’t bring myself to actually go.
The hot thick black coffee I had been slipping and thoroughly enjoying now tasted bitter so I placed the mug on the table.
Changing the subject as I couldn’t keep my emotions in check if I thought about Thomas and Ryan. I turned to properly greet Will. Sol supposedly boss.
“Hi Will, I’m Sadie nice to meet you, sorry about yesterday you scared the hell out of me and I just reacted on instinct I hope your head is ok?”
Will gave Sol a pointed look which I didn’t fail to notice and said, “Nice to meet you too Sadie, Sol has told me so much about you, and don’t worry about yesterday you can’t be too careful these days”.
Will looked so much older than I first thought. It was his eyes; they were the purest, most piercing blue I had ever seen, no other colour was infused, they were the colour of the sky on the brightest of days when there isn't a cloud in sight and all you can see above you is nothing but sky. They were not like any eyes I'd seen before, they had an ancient quality to them and looked like they had seen thousands of places and things. I got a weird feeling like his eyes and body didn't belong together, I couldn't stop myself from starring. The words were out my mouth before I had even finished thinking the thought.
“Do you have contacts in or are those your real eyes.” I tried to counter what I’d said to make it sound less cold, less rude. “Sorry Will I just meant they are so blue I don’t think I’ve ever seen somebody with bluer eyes than you”.
Will chuckled and told me that they were indeed all his, he didn’t have contacts in and changed the subject. “I’m ever so sorry for your loss Sadie, Sol told me last night about the passing of your husband and son, I can’t imagine how hard things have been for you over the last few weeks but I’m afraid things are not going to get much easier over the next few months…”
Sol was by my side in seconds giving Will the most obvious stink eye I’d ever seen. Will opened his mouth to carry on but before he could say anything else Sol started talking.
"Yes, Will we are well aware of how difficult the next few months are going to be with no power, sinkholes all over the place and an ash cloud looming but we can discuss all that later. Sol gave Will a look that said the matter was final. He tried for me not to see but I'd seen that face too many times on Ryan's when telling Thomas, no was no and there was no more to be said on the matter. I had pulled that face myself a fair few times so I knew when somebody was notifying you that the matter was closed. Part of me wondered what else Will was going to say but I let the matter drop in favour of asking Will a few questions that had been bothering me since last night I had asked Sol about Will and what his story was but he had said Will business was Will’s to tell. Sol had always been like that, even as a kid. We were very similar in that matter people’s business was theirs to discuss if they wanted the world to know that was what social media was for.
“I wanted to thank you, without your help Sol would have never made it back.”
“Your quite welcome Sadie.”
“So, your Sol’s boss. He has spoken of you a few times I imagined you to be a lot older.” Will gave another chuckle and replied he was older than he looked. I was dying to ask how old but I was already being pretty direct I didn’t want to be full out rude. After all this man had left his own family to help Sol get here to me, I owed him a great deal.
"Will you able to get back home? I mean is it even possible Sol told me that part of Yellowstone Park had erupted and an ash cloud is slowly making its way across the ocean."
“Unfortunately, over the next few weeks’ air travel will become near impossible. I will not be able to return home for some time. However, I have properties located all over so not being able to return to New York shall not be a problem.”
“But what about your family?”
"My family has passed on and I am the last."
“Oh, Will I’m sorry”
“Don’t be sorry Sadie it was not your fault and it has been some time now and the pain has lessened, So I know yours will too, in time. It never truly leaves you Sadie but becomes bearable.”
It was hard to distinguish what accent Will had. It sounded more European to me than American but I thought that strange considering he lived and worked in New York.
Will's words, however, resonated with wisdom and truth, but right now, the pain I was in felt like what he'd said couldn't be farther from the truth if he'd tried. I didn't know what to say and for a few moments, we all stood there in an uncomfortable silence. I broke it by telling the boys I needed to get dressed. There was nearly a full pot of hot water left so I asked if they didn't mind if I had it to wash up. I then pick up my now lukewarm coffee and drained the contents in one, knowing I would need the caffeine boost and left.
Bert followed me up the stairs and sat outside the bathroom door I knew he would wait there while I got washed and changed.
The bowl of warm water I had in the sink was not the shower I so desperately craved but was better than nothing. Once I was washed and dressed I hung about upstairs for a while brushing my hair and giving Bert a bit of attention. I could hear all sorts of crashing and banging from downstairs. I was assuming it was the big clean up job Sol had said they were going to start and felt a bit guilty leaving them to it considering I had made the mess, so I made my way down to see if there was anything I could do.
Chapter 13:
Walking into the kitchen it looked like a bomb had gone off. I knew I had done some damage but hadn’t realised it was this bad. “hey guys so what can I do?” I offered.
Sol Jumped down from the counter with a metal pot and handed it to Will.
“I think that’s the last of em Will, should do us until we find the well. Hey sis” Sol said turning his attention to me. I gave him a look as to say what’s with the pot.
"Oh, we think that the water will be shut off any moment now I'm surprised its lasted this long to be honest, with the power out it would have been some kind of emergency generators keeping it going I would imagine. It could hold out no more than a few days and last night you told me it's been a week without power."
Scanning the room, I noticed a stockpile of buckets, pans, and bottles all filled up with water. Will was at the sink filling the metal pot Sol had just handed him when the water went from steadily flowing to only drips and nothing more came out.
"Are you fucking kidding me the waters stopped" shouted Will from across the kitchen. "I swear Sol you're a jinx."
Sol sighed, disappointment written all over his face. He quickly tried to hide it and smile. I knew what he was thinking though, with no running water to add to no electricity things were going to get a lot harder as if they weren't hard enough already. Still, Sol wasn't one to dwell he looked at Will slipped him the middle finger and told him that as there was no more water to fill he was going out for a walk with me and we probably wouldn't be back till later. He then grabbed a bag off the kitchen counter next to him and left with a smirk on his face clearly showing he was more than happy to leave Will to do the tidying up.
Taking this as my cue to grab my shoes and my own bag I followed him out the bifold doors and into the garden with Bert walking between us. Susanne's garden was beautiful. She had a lovely patio with big grey slate tiles, a stunning dark wood rattan garden furniture set that would easily fit 12. The grass needs cutting but apart from that, it looked untouched. Deep red and bright pink Rose's had bloomed all around, hues of purples and pink p
oppy-like flowers with long stems sat among the fountain of yellow that burst through everything, the pergola that separated patio from lawn was covered with my favourite little white flowers giving an almost intoxicating scent to the garden, I loved jasmine. Bees floated above the flowers pollinating them, the sun was shining with not a cloud in site it could almost be mistaken for a normal summers day.
I left Bert in the garden to run around while Sol and I made our way through the gate and into the fields beyond, his leg was still healing and Sol said he would be fine with Will.
After we had been walking in silence for a while I asked Sol what was wrong? Even though he was trying to hide it I could see something was bothering him, the fact he wasn’t talking spoke volumes.
“Is everything ok Sol?”
“Oh, it’s nothing and everything sis, and shouldn’t I be asking you that question?
"Don't nothing me, talk to me, Sol."
“It’s just all this, the last few weeks have been tough, I can’t imagine how hard it’s been for you. I wish I’d been here for you. I don’t know how we are going to make it over the next few months but I’m glad we’re together.”
I stopped and gave him a hug, we sat down at the edge of the forest. Sol gave me a bottle of water and told me to take it easy as we would have to start rationing how much water we used until he found the well.
“What well?” I asked
“Oh, Eric told me about it, we got onto the subject about survivalists one day, I think it might even have been that night we had dinner here and we were outside having a cigar I dunno, I may be wrong, I just remember him saying something about having a well on the property somewhere. I’m hoping that he was right because we will need it or a clean water supply if we’re gonna survive.”
The Fifth Page 19
