The Incident | Book 1 | They Called It The Incident

by Johnson, J. M.

  Now, as they surveyed the unbroken snow around the school, they were exhausted from the strenuous exercise.

  “It doesn’t look like anyone is here,” Stan spoke first. “When were you here?”

  “Christmas,” Monica spoke softly.

  “Let’s go in.” George clambered out of the back of the truck and began to make his way towards the glassed front doors.

  The others followed in his wake.

  They cleared the steps and pulled on the door, which opened easily.

  “Not locked?” All four of them looked around uneasily. “They should be locked.”

  “The kids were hanging around here for months,” Monica said. “They probably wouldn’t worry about locking doors.”

  “Well, I hope someone is still hanging around,” Stan growled. “I want to ask them some questions.”

  “They were in the gym.”

  Cautiously they made their way through the dark hallways. It was colder in here than outside. Classroom doors stood open allowing light to stream in and giving the floor a striped appearance. They glanced into each empty room as they passed.

  “It’s awfully quiet.” Jason stopped short, causing a small collision. “I don’t think anyone’s here.”

  “Maybe they all went back to their homes after their ringleader was gone,” Monica answered.

  “Why are you whispering?” George whispered.

  “I don’t know. We don’t want to scare anybody away?”

  “There’s nobody here.” Stan’s voice echoed through the empty halls. “Let’s finish checking all the rooms and get out of here.”

  “Open all the doors.” Jason tried the door to what looked like a storage closet. “We need to find out if Tara was here.”

  Methodically they began to open doors, glancing into storage areas, closets and bathrooms. William’s body was where they had left it.

  They gave him a cursory glance then moved on to the gym. There was a circle in the middle of the floor where Monica and Jason had seen the fire.

  “They’re lucky they didn’t burn the whole building down around them.” George walked towards the makeshift fire pit. “That explains why there are no desks in the classrooms. They burned them all.”

  He circled the area and kicked absently at a pile of what looked like old curtains. Then he leaned closer.

  “Whoa!” he drew back. “I think I found one of the boys.”

  He lifted a corner of the curtain, exposing the face of a child. He grimaced and looked more closely around the large room.

  “What is it?” Monica approached him but stopped when he held up his hand.

  “Don’t look.” He told her. “This kid can’t be more than thirteen. And look.” He waved his arm, indicating eight more bundles on the floor. “It looks like they all just laid down as close to the fire as they could get and died.”

  Monica’s eyes filled. “We should have helped them.” She ran across the floor and flung open the outer doors. Light streamed in. “We could have helped them!” she screamed. “They are just babies and we walked away and left them.”

  She sank to the floor, sobbing uncontrollably.

  Jason sat beside her and reached to grab her hand. She pulled it away and glared at him through her streaming eyes. “You said to leave them.” She accused. “You said we couldn’t help, but they’re just kids. We shouldn’t have left them.”

  “Think, Monica.” He wiped his own tears away. “They ran away from us. They had stolen our food. When we were here they still had some of it. What could we have done? If we took them home with us we might all be dead too. We’re barely hanging on as it is. Would you take food from Jack or Ty, to feed them?”

  “I don’t know.” She was calming down and let him put his arm around her. “It’s just wrong to leave children.”

  “I know, I know. It’s awful, but really, I can’t see how we could have done anything else.”

  They both looked up as Stan stood over them, blocking the light from the open doors. “No Tara.” He ran a hand down his face. “I looked, they’re all boys.”

  “I don’t know if I should be happy or sad about that.” He continued. “She doesn’t appear to have been here, but then, where is she?”

  George was still standing by the first body he had found. “What should we do with them?” he asked. “It doesn’t seem right to just leave them here.”

  “As long as it’s cold,” Jason stood up, “They’ll be okay here. But we’ll have to come back and bury them before it gets much warmer.”

  “We should bring in Snake too.” Monica got to her feet, still crying, but softly now. “We don’t know who they are and maybe someone will come looking just like Stan did.”

  “I know him,” Stan said thoughtfully as they carried the body in. “I think he used to live down the street from us.”

  “His name was William Thompson,” Monica said as they lowered him to the floor.

  As he leaned over, the blanket that had been wrapped around William came loose and his upper body was exposed.

  Stan reached over and grabbed the white blouse that had been used to staunch the blood. “What’s this?” He held it up to the light.

  “It was all we could find at the time.” Monica stepped forward and tried to take it from his hand. “It was laying on the floor so I grabbed it.”

  Stan’s face had gone a ghastly shade of green. “It’s Tara’s.” he croaked. “It was her favourite shirt. She was here.”

  He looked around wildly, ignoring the body that lay at his feet. “She’s here. We have to find her.”

  Monica touched his arm but he didn’t feel it through his thick coat. “If she was here,’ she said gently, “It’s too late. All the boys are gone.”

  Suddenly he began to kick the body of William Thompson. “I knew it! This guy lived down the street. He was always causing trouble with his fancy car and his rowdy friends. Where is my daughter?” He reached down and began to shake the body. “Where is she, you son of a bitch?”

  “Stan. Stan.” The two men each took one of his arms and tried to restrain him. “It’s too late. He can’t tell you.”

  Finally, he let the body fall with a crash. Monica quickly replaced the blanket.

  “Let’s get out of here.” George and Jason led the other man towards the exit sign. “We’ll come back in a couple of days and look more closely. And we’ll bury these poor boys.”

  “Poor boys!” Stan spat. “They killed my girl. They deserve whatever hell they are in now.” His shoulders began to shake and he clung to the blood-stained shirt. “How am I going to tell my wife?”

  They left him sobbing on the cement steps and quickly moved all the bodies into one corner of the gym.

  When they were done, they closed the doors and made their way back to the truck. There, George took the keys and they slowly made their way homeward.

  “Should we stop at the Dennis’s?” Monica whispered to her husband.

  He shook his head.

  “I don’t think Stan is up to meeting anyone else right now.” He replied softly. “We can come over tomorrow in Dad’s truck. It’ll be easier now that we cleared the road.”

  They were riding in the cargo bay, leaving the passenger seat for Stan. Now, they huddled together, trying to forget the gruesome sight left behind in the school gym. Monica sobbed and Jason held her tenderly.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

  “Did you find her?” Tony looked inquiringly at his son.

  The answer came in the slumped posture and glum expressions on their faces.

  “Oh.” Tony closed the door as the group stepped off the porch into the house. “I’m sorry, Stan.” He patted the man’s shoulder awkwardly.

  Only Stella with her knitting and the baby were in the living room. Monica scooped him up and he laughed delightedly. “Where is everybody?” Monica asked.

  “They are all laying down.” Stella set aside her needles and wool. “Nobody has any strength, and it’s getting colder
again, so sleeping seemed a good option.” She smiled at the mother and baby. “I volunteered to watch Jack. He’s the only one who didn’t like the idea of a nap.”

  The men stamped into the living room, holding their cold hands out to the heater. “It is getting colder again.” George agreed. “Spring in the north, I guess.”

  “Is there anything to eat?” Jason looked into the pot that always sat on top of the heater. “Did the guys at the farm have anything?”

  “Yep, we brought back some more meat, and Adnan managed to bag a couple of grouse. They’re hanging in the shed right now. We’ll cook them tomorrow.” Tony set some bowls on the table.

  Stan was still standing in the doorway. Now he reached for his coat. “I think I’ll go.” He said. “I have to get home and tell my wife that I didn’t find Tara.”

  “Don’t go yet.” Tony stepped between him and the door. “Have something to eat. It’s getting dark too. Wait until morning and we’ll pack up some meat for you to take home with you.”

  “No, no. I can’t take any more of your supplies.” He looked around the room, crowded with the long table, heater, rolled-up mattresses and the old couch. “You have enough people to feed.”

  “At least eat first.” Jason pushed a steaming bowl into his hand. “You won’t be any help to your wife if you’re passing out with hunger. And Dad’s right. Wait until morning. What if something happens on the road? How much gas do you have?”

  Stan held up his hands helplessly and tried to smile. “Okay, okay. Point taken. I’ll wait until morning. But I can’t take any of your food.”

  “Pish posh,” Stella came and took hold of his hand. “I don’t know what you found over there, but you look terrible. At least here you’ll be warm and you can tell us what’s been happening in town all winter.”

  The six of them were sitting around the table, and listening to Stan tell them of the shortages in town, and the desertion of the RCMP when Irma crept down the stairs and joined them. Seeing her come into the room, Monica was shocked at how small and frail she looked. After a day away, her deterioration was obvious to the younger woman.

  “What’s the matter, hon?” Jason asked, seeing her eyes suddenly fill.

  “Nothing.” She wiped them away. “It’s just been a stressful day. Here you take Jack, and put him to bed later, will you.” She stood up. “I’m going to bed too. Goodnight all.” She bent and kissed her mother-in-law on the top of her gray head. “G’night, Mom.”

  Irma watched her disappear up the stairs then gave Jason a questioning look. “What’s that about?” she asked. He shrugged in answer, and she joined them at the table.

  “Soup?” Tony asked as he made a move to stand and get it for her.

  “No, I’m sick of the taste of it.”

  “You have to eat.”

  “I will. Just not right now. Sit down, Dear. I didn’t mean to interrupt Stan.” She turned towards their guest. “Did I hear you say that the RCMP deserted the town? Just like that?”

  “Not just like that.” He temporized. “They were all there until about October. Then it started to get cold and I guess they were worried about their own families, so they started drifting away. The chief stayed, but he was so overwhelmed, he ended up committing suicide.”

  “How awful!” Irma covered her mouth with her hand.

  “When was that young cop here, Mother?” asked Tony. “The guy on a horse.”

  She wrinkled her forehead in concentration. “I think it was about September. Remember, we were in the garden getting the rest of the potatoes out.”

  For a moment, she stopped, remembering the taste of those potatoes. Then she sighed heavily and continued. “He was a nice young guy, but you could see he was just overwhelmed. And he didn’t have any information.”

  “Yeah. They borrowed a couple of horses and tried to contact people around the countryside. But they didn’t bring the horses back. Just decided to keep going, I guess. Figured they’d be able to cope better somewhere else.” George said.

  He took a deep breath. “By Christmas the police station was empty. I know there are at least four cops still in town, but they’re just as hard up as the rest of us. Not really much crime after the initial emptying of the stores and a few houses broken into.”

  Jason’s voice was grim. “Yeah, well we know there was some crime. Those boys at the school were busy stealing every bit of food they could find. I have a feeling we’ll find all sorts of other stuff at the school too.”

  “I’ll come back in a couple of weeks when the snow is gone.” Stan stood up. “But now, I need to get a good night’s sleep so I can get an early start.”

  He bent over Irma and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek, then did the same to Stella. “Thanks, ladies. I appreciate the bed and food. If I don’t see you in the morning, I’ll be back in a few weeks.”

  When they heard his heavy footsteps climbing the stairs, Irma turned to Tony and said, “Pack up that beef you brought back and put it in his truck right now. I don’t want him leaving without it. We can eat the grouse tomorrow and the boys can get us some wild game in the next few days.”

  “I think we should go to town too.” Tony left to do his wife’s bidding. Jason continued. “I want to go to some of the stores and see if there are any seed packets around. When people were looking for food, they may have left the seeds. Without them, we won’t have anything to plant and I have a feeling we’re on our own for a while yet.”

  The others nodded. In their remote corner of the world they were going to be the last to hear of any improvement in the country’s situation.

  “I feel like it's 1850 again.” Stella stood up and stretched. “Back to the dark ages.”

  By seven in the evening, the household was asleep. Nobody heard the coyotes howling or saw the snow coating the ground again.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

  “Look what I found.” Monica came into the kitchen and handed Irma a battered book. She glanced over without interest and continued washing a cup under the running water.

  “Another book? I thought you had read every book in the house three times by now.”

  “Yes, I thought so too. But I was digging in the attic and found this one. Look at the title.”

  “Edible Plants in the North”. Irma read. “Published in 1929. Wow!” She dried her hands on the tattered dishtowel that hung on the useless oven and reached for the book. “Let’s see that.”

  She opened the front cover and saw the faded name written in an old fashioned script. “This belonged to Dad’s grandmother.” She looked up at her tall daughter-in-law. “Now this is a useful find.”

  Monica laughed. It had been three weeks since Stan had visited them in his old truck. The forest and fields were greening around them. “Now we’ll know what plants to look for. Isn’t it great?”

  Irma sat down. Since the weather had warmed up, they had moved the table back into the kitchen. The old heater which had served them so well was still kept burning, but that was for cooking, not heat. While nights were cool, the days were lengthening and warming. Birds tweeted and trilled in the woods. Sam and Stella were talking about moving back to the farm.

  Monica took the book back and leafed through it. “I’m going to make a list and then put on my boots and go hunting. I’ll take Jack for a walk too.”

  Irma looked over her shoulder and pointed to one of the pictures. “Look, we can eat thistles. Who knew? And dandelions. We have lots of them. What else?”

  The back door opened and Melanie came in with Ty trailing behind her.

  “The men are back.” She told them.

  “Oh good. I hope they found some seeds in town.” Irma stood up with difficulty. The winter had been hard on her old bones. The two younger women looked at her with concern.

  She waved them away when they pressed her to stay in the kitchen. “No, no, I’m excited to hear the news. Let’s go outside.”

  On the porch, Jason met her and handed her a bundle of seed packe
ts. “When you’re ready.” He grinned.

  “Not when I’m ready,” she replied tartly. “When the ground is ready. And that won’t be for almost another month. Did you find anything else?”

  Tony’s face was grim. “We found lots of trouble,” he said. “Let’s sit out here and we’ll fill you in.” They all took seats on the porch. Tom and Adnan came from the direction of the barn and joined them, perching on the steps.

  “How did the truck run?” Monica asked.

  “Good. We stopped at the farm and got some gas out of the tractor. It was kind of a bouncy ride, and we thought poor George was going to bounce right out of the box, but he managed to hang on.”

  They all laughed and George made a show of rubbing his skinny backside.

  “There were cars all over the road.” Jason sobered. “When everything stopped so suddenly, lots of people just crashed into each other.” He glanced at Ty who was quietly rolling his matchbox cars back and forth on the step. “I asked Stan how he managed to get through and he said he just went around as much as possible.”

  “Lots of people didn’t make it out.” He lowered his voice. “Some had crawled onto the road, and the animals had got to them.”

  “But most of the cars were empty,” George added hastily. “So those people obviously got out and went somewhere on foot.”

  Jason nodded. “I’m glad we all decided to go. We had to push our way through in a few places.”

  “Quite an adventure.” Tony nodded solemnly.

  “Did you see Stan?” Irma asked.

  “Yep, we dropped in on him and his wife.” Jason paused. “She’s a nice lady, but in complete despair about their daughter. Apparently, Tara had quite a crush on this Snake guy, so she thinks it wouldn’t have been hard for him to convince her to go with him.”

  “Poor woman.” Irma sighed. “But I’m glad Stan made it home okay through the snowstorm.”

  “I guess he had quite a trip.” Jason said. “After he left here it turned into a full blown blizzard. If he hadn’t had his own tracks to follow back, he might still be sitting in a snowbank somewhere.”