The Incident | Book 1 | They Called It The Incident

by Johnson, J. M.

  Tony slammed his hand on the table. The bowls and spoons jumped and they all looked at him in astonishment.

  “We aren’t dead yet.” He meant to shout, but it came out in a whisper. “As long as we’re standing, we’ll keep trying. And..” he glared at his son. “We’ll help our neighbours as much as we can. If all we can give them is a smile, that’s what we’ll do.”

  Stella found her courage and spoke. “It’ll be spring soon and we’ll be able to find plants to eat. And maybe by the time we plant a garden, this nightmare will be over.” She hung her head as Sam gave her a sharp look.

  “Don’t look at me like that, Sam.” She raised her eyes to his. “We’ve lost everything. The cows are dead, the house is probably destroyed by the motorcycle gang. And we’ll probably starve to death like Jason says.”

  Jason looked alarmed. “I didn’t mean it, Stella. I was just feeling a bit down for a minute.” He held up his baby son. “Do you think I’ll sit around and wait for this guy to fade away like the Dennis baby did?”

  “And besides,” he leaned forward earnestly. “The motorcycle gang is a bunch of really nice guys and when I saw the house it was as neat as a pin.”

  “And they’ve looked after the horses,” George added. “I don’t know how they kept them alive, but they did.”

  “Speaking of horses,” Sam looked around the table, deliberately avoiding his wife’s glare. “Maybe this is a good time to go for a ride. Some news might have filtered into town by now.”

  “We’ll go!” Adnan spoke eagerly. “Me and Tom can ride fast.”

  Sam laughed. “Have you ever been on a horse?” He smiled at the crestfallen expression on the boy’s face. “I thought not. It’s harder than it looks, and you have to know the horses. No, I’ll go and I think Tony should come with me. We’re the oldest and can’t really manage the wood carrying anymore. We’re the ones who do the least here now.”

  “Don’t say that.” Jason and Monica spoke as one. Jason continued. “You two contribute the most with your knowledge of the land and survival. We’d probably have laid down and given up in November if it wasn’t for your spirit. And your cows,” He added. They all laughed.

  “And your mom’s garden.” Added Tony.

  “Which we will see again pretty soon. If we can find some seeds.” Irma spoke softly. “But gardens take time, and until then we will have to struggle through. Come on.” She stood up. “Let’s do something today besides sleep. There’s been too much of that lately. And look…” she pointed to the window. “The sun is shining and the snow is melting.”

  “Can I go outside?” Ty looked up at his mother’s worried face. She started to shake her head but was interrupted by Adnan.

  “Let him come with us.” He ruffled the smaller boy’s shaggy hair. “We’ll watch him, won’t we Tom? And he can carry wood on his sleigh.”

  “Okay,” Melanie didn’t have the strength or the will to refuse. “You can go, but dress warm and if you get tired tell Tom and Adnan and they’ll bring you in.”

  “Okay, Mommy.” He jumped down; his aching legs forgotten for the moment.

  In a few minutes, the boys were on their way to the woods. Ty followed the older boys, pulling his sleigh through the melting snow. George and Jason soon followed, setting out to the Dennis home. Sam and Tony began a game of cards, having decided to wait until the following day for their adventure.

  “I’m going back to bed,” Irma told them, and everybody looked at her with worried expressions. “Oh, don’t worry.” She waved her hand at them. “I know I was the one who said we sleep too much, but it got the young ones out, didn’t it?”

  The other women agreed and soon followed her up the stairs to their own beds. Melanie laid on the couch and waited for Ty to come back. She was pretty sure he wouldn’t last long outside.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

  Irma sat up on her bed, awakened by an unfamiliar sound. It sounded like a motor, but they hadn’t heard a motor for months. Not since the catastrophe...whatever that was.

  Slowly, she pulled her frail body out of bed and towards the window. Outside it had once again begun to snow. The light was fading so it must be late afternoon. The boys should have returned by now, she thought.

  Then she heard someone pounding up the stairs. “Mother, Mother, come quick.” It was Tony.

  She pulled the door open, intending to chide him for running. He was too old for that kind of nonsense. But the look on his face stopped her. His eyes were shining and a smile split his flushed face. He grabbed her hands.

  “There’s a truck!” he almost shouted at her.

  “A truck?” for a moment she was bewildered, then his excitement spilled over onto her. “A truck!” She shook her hands free and ran to the window.

  And squealed with delight.

  They had never run down the stairs so fast in their lives. Hunger and aches were forgotten as they rushed outside to where the rest of the household stood around an old panel truck. The driver, a man of about fifty dressed for the winter weather in coveralls and a parka was shaking hands all around.

  Tony and Irma pushed themselves to the front of the line. They each grasped one of the man’s work-worn hands and shook them enthusiastically.

  “Where did you come from?”

  “Is the power on?”

  “Do you have food?”

  The questions flew fast and furious until the man stood back and held up his hands, laughing.

  “Wait, wait!” He waited until the din subsided. “I don’t have food, I’m sorry.” Melanie glanced down at Ty despairingly.

  “Let’s go in,” Irma took the man’s arm. “come in where it’s warm and tell us what’s happening. How come you are driving when no vehicles have started for months?”

  Everybody trooped up the front stairs, grinning and chattering excitedly. When they were all inside and seated around the heater, the man began.

  “I’m Stan,” he began. “I live in More’s Lake. As you know it’s been a brutal winter and last fall my little girl disappeared.” Monica and Jason glanced at each other.

  “So, I went looking for her, but it’s been so cold and I had no food, so I couldn’t go far on foot. Eventually, I had to go home and tell my wife I couldn’t find her.” He shook his head sorrowfully. “We don’t know what happened, of course, any more than anyone else. But we survived, I don’t really know how, and every once in a while, I would go out to the old truck and try to start it. I figured if something magnetic was stopping the electricity the first thing that would start working was an old motor with no computer stuff on it.”

  “And sure enough, the old 1985 Ford fired up. We tried the house lights and they still aren’t working, but it looks like at least the older cars will run.”

  Jason stood up and left the room, “I’m going to look for the keys for your truck, Dad.”

  Irma reached for the phone which had been sitting uselessly on the old fashioned table all winter. “There’s a dial tone.” She announced excitedly.

  The others crowded around, each wanting a turn to listen to what had once been a commonplace sound.

  “What about cell phones?” Monica ran upstairs to look for hers.

  Melanie began to click the light switch. Nothing happened. “No lights yet.” She announced unnecessarily.

  “Are you hungry?” Stella looked at Stan with concern. Once he had taken off his outer clothing, they could all see how gaunt he was. “We have beef soup.”

  His eyes lit up. “You have beef?”

  “Yes, but nothing else, I’m afraid,” Sam answered while his wife went to get a bowl from the kitchen. “Our cattle have kept us fed all winter, but I think they are all dead now.” He shook his head. “It was so cold.”

  “So, where were you going?” Irma put down the phone.

  “I’m still looking for my little girl.” Stan began shovelling soup into his mouth, then, looking slightly ashamed, put his spoon down. “Sorry, I forgot my manners. It’s been
a couple of days since I ate.”

  “You go ahead and eat.” Irma patted his arm. He picked up the spoon again.

  As he ate, he studied the room and the people in it. “You have quite a group here.” He said.

  “Yep.” Tony indicated the teenagers who were excitedly whispering in the corner. “Those boys came to us when their families in Prince George couldn’t feed them anymore. And George and Melanie found us just before Christmas. That’s their little boy. We’re all a little skinny, but Sam and Stella kept us and six others alive with their cattle.”

  Jason came in, stamping the snow from his boots. “I found the keys, Dad. But the battery is frozen. We’ll bring it in for a couple of hours, then I think the old truck might start.”

  “Did you try Mom’s car?”

  “Yep, but it’s new so all those electrical and computer systems still don’t work.”

  Monica had returned, carrying her cell phone. “No luck here, either.” She announced.

  “Makes sense.” George nodded. “Landlines are just what they say…landlines. They work on wires. Cell phones, computers, they all depend on satellites. So maybe whatever knocked everything out affected the satellites. And remember,” he held up one finger. “Even if systems work, they need maintenance and people. I imagine that will take a long time to start up.”

  “Do you think the government and the military will still be workable?” Stan asked.

  “Who knows. With no transportation, lots of people would have been stuck wherever they landed. All we can hope is that someone somewhere is trying to fix things.”

  Stan had finished his soup and now reached for his coat. “Well,” he said. “I’m grateful for the food. But I still have to find my daughter.”

  “Wait.” Jason stopped him. “I think we might know what happened to her. Maybe you should sit down.”

  He looked at Melanie. “If you don’t want Ty to hear this, you might want to take him upstairs, Mel.”

  She nodded and taking Ty by the hand led him into the kitchen. “Come on, buddy. We’ll go and clean up the dishes.”

  “What dishes?” he complained. “We haven’t eaten yet.”

  “Well then, we’ll have some soup.” She tugged his hand and he reluctantly followed her out of the room, looking longingly back.

  “What is it?” Stan had sat back down. “Do you know where she is?”

  “Maybe,” and Jason told him of the boys at the school and Snake’s boast about stealing girls.

  Monica reached over and grasped Stan’s hand. “We don’t know if what they were saying was true,” she said softly. “but we did find a girl’s blouse on the floor.”

  Stan’s face was white. “Where is this school?” he asked through gritted teeth. “I’ll kill them if they hurt my daughter.”

  “I’m afraid you’re too late for that,” Jason told him the rest of the story, about their rescue by Ervin and the tragic consequence.

  Stan’s shoulders slumped.

  Then he straightened up. “But you don’t know if it was Tara, do you?” he asked.

  “No, we don’t.” Monica again reached for the clenched fist between them. “Why don’t you stay here tonight? The road is still covered with snow. Tomorrow morning, Jason and George will go with you.”

  Jason nodded. “That’s a good idea. We’ll get a good night’s sleep and start out fresh. You can’t get very far tonight.”

  “I made it this far,” Stan answered. But then he acceded. “I’ll appreciate the help.”

  Darkness now enveloped the house. After a small bowl of soup each, Stan told them of his trip from More’s Lake. He had stopped at every house he saw, sometimes having to walk in through deep snow. In one house he had found three bodies, a woman and two small children, lying together in a bed.

  Two of the houses had been empty. He assumed everybody had been away from home when the power quit.

  In three houses, he had found people alive but defensive. One man had threatened him with a gun.

  “I didn’t see your farm.” He answered Sam when asked. “It must be off the main road.”

  “Yeah, it is.” Sam nodded. “That’s why we could keep our animals as long as we did.”

  “Ten miles in three days.” Jason shook his head. “Would have been faster to walk.”

  “Probably.” Stan agreed. “But that old truck kept me warm and it proved that things are going to get better. And besides,” he added. “I made a lot of side trips checking houses.”

  “That’s true!” Irma and Tony stood up. “Tomorrow is the start of getting back to normal. You’ll find Tara, drive over to the farm and start spreading the word.”

  “But now…bed. Stan, you can bunk in the attic with the boys. They sleep right up by the chimney so that’s the warmest place in the house. We’ll spread some blankets on the floor for a bed.” Irma pointed at Adnan. “C’mon boys. Big day tomorrow. Show Stan where you sleep.”

  Obediently they all headed off to bed, even though sleep would be elusive.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

  Dawn was breaking when the family once again met in the living room. George, yawning widely, filled the old heater with logs, making the room almost too hot.

  A low murmur of excitement ran through the gathering.

  It was coming to an end. More than the watery sun, hope shone on the horizon.

  Jason carried the battery out to where the old truck was parked. “I hope this works,” he muttered to Stan.

  “Don’t you have jumper cables?”

  “Somewhere. Dad has everything around here somewhere. They weren’t really a priority up until now.”

  They finished hooking up the battery cables and Jason turned the key. The motor turned over once, then died.

  “Try it again.” Stan fumbled under the hood.

  The key turned smoothly, the motor rumbled, hesitated, then roared to life.

  “That old truck never let me down.” Tony walked towards them and they all grinned. Jason jumped out of the driver’s seat.

  “How much gas do you think there is?”

  “I dunno.” Tony looked around the yard. “We can always siphon from the car. And if there’s enough to get to the farm, there will be gas in the tractor.”

  Everybody was outside now, coats unbuttoned and boots slipped carelessly on. It was definitely getting warmer. Monica carried the baby who blinked in the sunlight.

  Stan shook hands with the men and hugged the women. He tousled Ty’s hair. “Thanks for everything.” He said. “The food and the information.”

  “I’m coming with you.” Monica handed Jack to his grandmother. “If you find Tara, you might need a woman along.”

  “Good point.” Jason gave her a one armed hug. “Are you dressed warm enough?”

  “Are you going to stop at the Dennis’s?” Irma asked anxiously.

  “We’ll go to the school first and see how things are there.” Jason and Monica climbed into the van’s front seat. Stan had it running and was ready to get going. At the last minute, George jumped into the cargo area. He was carrying the twenty-two and a shovel.

  “Just in case,” he smiled. “You never know when we need to clear a road.”

  As they drove away, Tony looked at his friend, Sam. “Let’s go, Sam. I think I can still remember how to drive this thing.”

  “Should we come?” Tom asked. “You might need help shovelling too.”

  “Sure, why not? Run and get those two snow shovels on the porch, and make sure you have gloves.” He winked at Sam. “Might as well let the young guys do the hard stuff.”

  “Can I come?” Ty pulled on his sleeve. “I can shovel too.”

  Tony gave him a kind glance then bent down to be at eye level. “There isn’t room in the truck for you, little man. And someone has to be here to be the man of the house.” Melanie snorted. “You stay here and keep watch, okay.”

  Ty nodded solemnly. “Okay, Grampa. I’ll be the man.”

  “Good,” Tony stood up a
nd patted his head. He climbed into the driver’s seat, Sam beside him. The two teenagers climbed into the box. They pulled their parkas up around their ears and wrapped their mittened hands around their guns.

  After waving them away, the women returned to the warmth of the house. Somehow, even though there was still no food, lights or propane, everything looked brighter.

  “You know what?” Irma asked. “I can phone Flora Dennis.”

  “Should you?” Stella smiled. “You might give them all heart attacks.”

  “Let’s try. If we have a dial tone, they should too.” Quickly Irma punched in the familiar number. She could hear it ringing, one. Two…five times. Then a tentative voice at the other end.

  “He..e..lo.”

  “Flora. This is Irma.” There was a loud clunk as the receiver fell. Then she could hear crying. “The phone works. Ervin, the phone works! Quick, try the light switch.”

  Irma waited patiently until the voice returned. “Irma, is it really you? Is the power on over there?”

  “It’s me, Flora. The landlines work and the older vehicles, the ones without computers, will start. But still no lights.”

  The voice changed to Ervin’s. “The car started? Is this nightmare ending?”

  “I don’t know,” Irma admitted. “But you should see Jason and Monica sometime today. They’ll tell you the whole story. I just couldn’t wait.”

  “Okay, kids, settle down.” He was talking to his family now. “Thanks so much, Irma. Poor Flora is overwhelmed, she’s sitting here crying. I’m going out to see if my car will start.” He hung up abruptly and Irma slowly replaced the receiver.

  “Well?” Stella and Melanie were watching her.

  She smiled happily. “They thanked me for calling and Ervin is going out to see if his car will start.” She shook her head. “Isn’t that just like a man? The first thing is to get those wheels turning.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

  It was noon before the school came in sight. They had all spent their fair share of time jumping in and out of the truck and shovelling. In the warmer weather, the snow had melted in some areas, but drifts had built up as much as four feet in the shaded places.