“You’re getting to be a real pain, you know that?”
We got home about ten minutes later. Dad was waiting as we rounded the corner and he opened the door and quickly ushered us inside. Mum was sitting on the couch and watching the news on the telly.
Amy took off her jacket and hung it on the coat rack by the door. “Why did you want us back so early? It’s still light out.”
Dad just shook his head. He was still wearing his suit from the office. “Something’s happening and I need us all here. I was calling you both on your mobiles for over an hour!”
That was when I noticed that our driveway was empty. “Dad, where’s your car?”
Dad looked down. “I had to leave it on the motorway. The traffic has been jammed up for miles in every direction. I had to walk back home and it took me over an hour.”
Amy looked confused. “What is it, what’s going on?”
Mum said nothing; instead she just pointed to what was on the telly. The screen showed lines of abandoned cars in almost every avenue in the city and news footage was being shown live from Amesbury, less than a hundred miles away. There were droves of people wearing white sheets and they seemed to be in some sort of trance as they slowly walked along the jam-packed motorways, heading for Stonehenge, the Neolithic ring of standing stones that served as a tourist attraction and an archaeological site. It looked like the Metropolitan Police had their hands full.
Dad sat on the armchair while Amy and I joined Mum on the couch. The newscasters were trying their best to explain the situation but they were just as confused as we were as to what was truly going on. One of the pundits who was doing the live commentary said it was apparently some sort of mass hysteria while the news anchor in the studio wondered if it had anything to do with the situation in Ireland. Just yesterday a massive cloud of fog had moved over the entire island and all communications with both Ireland and Northern Ireland were all of a sudden cut off. British authorities had stopped all air and sea traffic to the emerald isle for the time being as they tried to assess the situation. A Royal Navy task force had been dispatched to find out what was going on but they too had disappeared.
As the four of us just sat there trying to take it all in a strange thought occurred to me as I remembered the website that Ray had told me about. It seemed that the so-called old wizard had been right after all. I quickly got up and headed towards the stairs leading up to my room.
Dad turned and looked up at me. “Steve, where are you going?”
“To my room, Dad,” I said as I ran up the stairs. “There’s something on the Internet I want to look at.”
“Just don’t leave the house, please,” Mum said absentmindedly as she kept her eyes glued to the telly.
As soon as I got to my room I sat down beside my desk and turned on my laptop. Within a few minutes I was searching for that old man’s website but for some strange reason my Internet speed had slowed down to a crawl. It took several minutes of waiting before I finally got the address for his website using the search engine and then a few more minutes as I waited for his home page to load up. But the moment I finally got to see his website all I saw was a big black background; three words were all that was left on it: I WARNED YOU.
Right at that moment my laptop crashed. I let out a short curse as I rebooted the computer but after a few minutes I could no longer get any bandwidth on the Internet even though it still stated that my connection was valid and working. It seemed that the entire Internet was dead.
I took my mobile phone out of my pocket and started to call Ray’s number.
“Hello,” he answered from his mobile.
“Ray, I tried to get onto that old wizard’s webpage but all I got was three words on a blank screen. Then my Internet went out.”
“Same thing happened to me, mate. I couldn’t log onto any online game servers and now even my web browsing is shot. I called up Neil from school and he couldn’t get online either.”
“My parents are downstairs watching the news on the telly. Something’s going on in Stonehenge. Lots of people in a trance and there seems to be rioting too,” I said.
“I told you that this might happen just an hour ago and you didn’t believe me, you git.”
“Okay, I believe you now, you knob. The question is, what do we do about it?”
“I think if we get the chance we ought to go to that old wizard’s house. He predicted this would happen and would probably know what to do.”
“That’s a stupid idea, he will probably just tell us off or something.”
“You got a better idea then?”
“No,” I said. “Okay, let’s assume that yours is a good plan—how do we know where he lives when I can’t even look at his site anymore?”
“Hold on,” Ray said. “I think I can retrieve the original page in my temporary browsing folder. Give me a few minutes.”
“Just text me his house address, alright?”
“Right.”
“Talk to you later then, bye.”
“Bye.”
I put my mobile phone on my desk and shook my head. This whole situation was bloody mental. But then a part of me thought that maybe this would all be back to normal by tomorrow so I decided to play a game on my laptop that didn’t require an Internet connection.
For the next few hours I created whole armies of tanks and sent them out against the computer-controlled opponent as I started racking up my high score. Every time I started playing these games I would lose track of the time and that suited me just fine. There would be quite a few more years before I turned into an adult so I was determined to make the most of whatever time I had left as a kid by just mucking about and having some fun.
While playing my fourth game I hardly noticed that the sun had gone down and night had finally descended. Just as I was about to muster a new army on my laptop I heard both my parents cry out. Startled, I jumped and the mouse flew from my hand and landed on the floor. After pausing the game I quickly ran down the stairs to see what was going on.
The living room was empty and the telly was showing nothing but static snow. As I looked around I saw that the front door was open so I ran outside. There were people from all over the neighborhood just standing on the street while looking and pointing up at the sky. My parents and Amy were standing just outside of the house.
I walked over to them, crossing my arms. “What was all that shouting about?”
Dad said nothing but just pointed up at the sky. As I looked up I saw massive beams of scintillating light that seemed to flow upwards into the dark sky like gigantic shooting stars. It was coming from the west.
It was then that I started to get concerned. “What happened?”
“Stonehenge,” Dad said as he kept looking upwards. “There was a commotion in Stonehenge and then the telly went blank. Then we heard shouts from outside of the house and now those streams of energy are coming from over there.”
Amy was trying to keep herself from crying. “But what does it all mean?”
“The end of the world,” Mum said softly.
Chapter 3
The next day I woke up to find my dad just sitting on the side of my bed. The lights that were coming from Stonehenge had continued all of last night but I was getting tired so I decided to just stop staring at the sky and go to bed. But now, seeing Dad just sitting here this morning, I was starting to get worried again because this was the first time he had ever done this.
I sat up and rubbed my eyes. “Dad, is everything alright?”
“The government has declared a state of emergency,” Dad said softly. “They told us to prepare for a possible evacuation.”
I scratched the top of my head. “Evacuate? Where are we supposed to go?”
He put his hands over his face and rubbed it. “I don’t know. But you need to pack your kit. Use the rucksack we bought for camping and just fit in the essentials, please.”
“Did you get your car back?”
“No, it’s still s
tuck on the motorway; they told everyone to stay in their homes for the time being and wait for the evacuation convoys.”
I reached over to the table beside my bed. “I’m going to call Ray and ask him what’s up.”
Dad stood up and walked towards the door. “I’ve tried calling the office and there’s no phone service for landlines and mobile phones are spotty- sometimes they work and sometimes they don’t. Internet and the telly are down too. All we’re getting now is a repeating message on the radio from the government.”
“Bloody mental,” I said as I finally got out of bed.
After a quick shower and a change of clothes I walked down the stairs and saw Mum preparing some food. She had a worried look on her face. Dad was standing outside in the street with his hands on his hips, talking with one of our neighbors.
“I’ve made some butties, they’re on the table,” Mum said softly. “If you need to eat something just help yourself. There’s a tin of biscuits in the cupboard as well.”
I grabbed one of the sandwiches off of the plate and smiled as it had bacon in it. “Mum, are you alright?”
She just shook her head. “I wanted to go to the supermarket but now they’re telling everybody to stay put. We don’t have much food left right now.”
I took a bite of the bacon butty and sat down as she poured me some tea. “Don’t worry, Mum, we’ve got the best army in the world and we’ve never lost a war; this will all be over quickly.”
As I finished half of the sandwich I turned and saw Amy coming down the stairs. She was fully dressed up in jeans and a jacket along with her red plimsolls. “Mum, I’m going out,” she said as she started for the door.
“You can’t go, Amy,” Mum called out after her. “There’s a state of emergency that’s been declared.”
Amy stopped in front of the door and turned around. She had an incredulous look on her face. “What? But I’m just going out to see my friends!”
Dad walked in through the slightly open front door as he heard the conversation. “Your mother’s right, Amy. We’ve all been told to stay put. I can’t even go to the office.”
My sister threw her arms up. “But this is ridiculous! My friends are less than a mile away! I’m still going to be close by. It’s not like I’m going very far. Come on, Dad.”
My dad bit his lip. “Amy…”
Amy’s face was now contorted in a mixture of anger and frustration. “I can’t stay here all day! There’s nothing on the telly and the phones don’t work! Please, just for a few hours. I’ll do anything you want me to!”
“We need some supplies, such as more food,” I said while stuffing the last of the sandwich into my mouth.
My mum looked at my dad. “I guess we could send them out for just an hour to get some shopping,” she said.
My dad shook his head. “The supermarket is at least a couple of miles away. That’s too far. If there’s trouble then they need to get back here in a hurry.”
“The corner shop is just down at the end of the street,” I said. “We could pick up some stuff from there.”
Dad frowned but I knew he would listen to reason. After a few seconds he sighed and pulled out his wallet. “Alright, Amy, take your brother and get some supplies for us at the corner shop. You can go see your friends but only the ones close by. And you both have to be back within an hour. Your mum and I will start packing and I’m also waiting for a call from the office so I can’t go with you.”
Amy and I looked at each other and grinned as we ran over to dad and took his money.
“We need bread,” Mum said, “at least two loaves and a pint of milk plus some tinned beans, please.”
“Don’t worry, Mum,” I said. “I will make sure to buy every single can of beans, beans, beans, beans, beeans, beautiful beans, smashing beans!”
“Now remember,” Dad said as we started for the door. “Keep close to each other and at the first sign of trouble you both come right back.”
Amy waved goodbye to them as I was first out of the door. “We will, Dad, thanks!” she said.
As we started walking down the pavement Amy handed me most of the money that she had taken from Dad.
I took it and put it in my trouser pocket along with the rest of the cash. “What’s all this?”
“I need you to cover for me,” Amy said. “I’m going to see Mark so you can just go ahead and buy what Mum needs at the corner shop, and we’ll meet back here in a few hours.”
“Oh, so you want me to do all the work now, do you?”
She sighed. “I’ve given you more than twenty quid there so you ought to be happy about it. Now you can buy whatever it is that you want.”
I took out the wad of cash from my pockets and started counting it as we kept walking. “Dad gave us a total of about twenty-five pounds so if I take the twenty there’s hardly enough money left for Mum’s shopping.”
“You’re starting to get annoying again, Steve.”
“Annoying is my middle name, you know.”
“Well, do you really need the full twenty quid right this minute?”
I grinned at her. “Not really, no.”
Amy’s cheeks went beet red. “I’m gonna slap you, Steve!”
By the time she was ready to hit me we were able to get to the front of the corner shop. Although the nearby supermarket had taken most of its business away, this was still the place to get some quick sodas, crisps and candy if you needed them at the last minute. There was a large group of people milling about and a long queue had formed since it seemed that everybody was stocking up on food and all.
I looked at the long line of people with my mouth open. “Bloody hell, we’re going to be here all day!”
“Right then,” Amy said as she pointed to the end of the line. “You need to queue up now. Mark’s place is just on the other side of the street so I’ll see you later.”
Now it was my turn to get angry. “Noo! I don’t want to stand in line for hours like this!”
“Well somebody’s got to do it and since you’ve got the money it’s your duty.”
I walked over to the end of the queue but I grabbed her arm to make sure she was with me. “If I’m standing in line then you’re standing here with me!”
She twisted her arm away from my grasp. “Steve, can’t you just stay here for a bit? Mark’s house is so close now.”
I frowned. “But standing here is just so pathetic! If you’re going to your boyfriend’s place then I’m heading over to Ray’s.”
“But if we both go then there might not be any stuff left to buy later.”
I drew in a deep breath. “I can do without beans. Let’s just tell Mum and Dad that the place was ransacked and there was nothing left.”
Amy rolled her eyes. “And what if Dad asks the other neighbors who are here right now? And what if we run out of food before the evacuation order?”
I was trying to figure out a good answer for her when I saw Mark Loman on the other side of the street.
He waved his arms and called out to her. “Amy!”
Amy smiled and waved back at him before turning to look at me. “Mark’s here, just stay in the queue for a bit while I think of something. Be right back,” she said to me before running over to where Mark was standing.
I bit my lip. Now I was stuck in this long line of shoppers while my older sister was going to have fun with her new boyfriend. As I sighed over my obvious predicament, an old woman who was standing in line in front of me suddenly turned around and stared into my eyes. I was startled and immediately took a step back and nearly collided with a woman and her baby who were standing behind me.
“Hello, Steve,” the old woman said softly while she grinned. Her stained yellow dentures and purplish gums were in slight contrast to her pale, wrinkled cheeks and the shock of silvery hair on her head.
It took me a little while to get over the sudden fright but I quickly recognized her. “Oh hello, Ms. Faulkner. How are you today?”
Ms. Faulkner w
as an old spinster who lived nearby along with her sister. My mum would sometimes invite them over for tea and they would talk endlessly about just how much things had changed and all that. I didn’t really know them that well but we always greeted each other politely when walking by.
She pointed a crooked finger at me and cackled. “You will journey to the land of the dead quite soon, lad. The Fomorians will not be too happy with you.”
What? I just stood there with my eyes wide open like saucers. “W-what d-do you m-mean, Ms. F-Faulkner?”
Her withered old hands grabbed me by the collar of my shirt as she leered at me, her face inches from mine. Her breath smelled of preserved fruit and ash. “Beware of the exiled one!” she hissed.
I cried out and nearly fell backwards before some helping hands in the queue held me up and supported me. Ms. Faulkner’s sister, Sylvia, took her by the arms and moved her away from me.
“Margaret, what is wrong with you?” Sylvia said to her before turning to look at me with obvious concern. “I’m so sorry about this, Steve. She has been hysterical for the last two days. I took my eye off of her for just a few seconds and now this has happened. Please forgive me.”
I forced myself to smile as I nodded in thanks to the other people in the line who had helped me. “It’s okay, ma’am. She just startled me is all, no harm done.”
“Oh dear, I’m so sorry,” Sylvia said as she took her babbling sister by the arms and led her out of the queue. “I need to bring her back into the house now. She needs some rest.”
Several other people asked if they could do anything for her but Sylvia politely declined as the two old women walked off and disappeared behind the small crowd. The woman standing beside me asked again if I was okay and I answered in the affirmative and thanked her. At that moment I saw Amy running up alongside me accompanied by Mark.
My sister placed a hand on my shoulder. “Steve, what happened? I saw a commotion just as we were about to leave and I thought you got into some sort of trouble.”
“No, it was nothing,” I said. “Ms. Faulkner just got hysterical for a bit but her sister took her away. It’s over now.”
Pagan Apocalypse Page 3
