Wipeout | Book 3 | Empty Vault

by Richards, E. S.

  “Martha is his wife,” Max explained to Walter. “He was trying to get to her when the roof collapsed here and trapped him.”

  “Come on then,” Walter nodded. “Doesn’t look like Damien can carry him on his own.”

  Working together once again, between them they helped Benji hobble across the wreckage to where his wife was trapped. Walter was forced to help Damien carry him in places where the ground was too uneven, navigating the debris as carefully and quickly as they could manage. Another man and woman were digging through the rocks where Martha was buried, trying to clear more of a path in order for her to get free. As Benji dropped down on the ground with a yelp, the rest of them fell silent, waiting to hear the married couple talk.

  “Martha? It’s me. Are you okay? Are you hurt?”

  Coughing echoed from underneath the rubble, signifying that someone was alive down there at least. Walter strained his ears to listen, catching the woman’s voice as she spoke.

  “Benji? Where have you been? I’m scared.”

  “I know darling,” Benji replied. “We’re going to get you out of there though, don’t worry. We’re going to find a way to get you free.”

  “What’s down there?” Walter asked to Damien in a low voice, trying not to interrupt the conversation between the two separated lovers. “How did they get trapped?”

  “It’s the laundry room,” Damien replied. “Martha and Dawn were both down there when the building fell. It all happened so quickly they couldn’t get out in time. We think part of the roof has collapsed, sounds like there’s an obstruction between them or something.”

  “Have you managed to move much already?”

  “Not really. I’m worried how much we can move without risking more of the building coming down. I think some of the floor – the ceiling to the laundry room – is still intact,” Damien explained. “If we make a mistake that could come crashing down and kill them both.”

  “That’s exactly what I was thinking,” Walter nodded. “I think we need to make one hole for whichever of them is easiest to reach, get them out and then go in to get the other.”

  “Go in? You mean, go underground?”

  “Yeah,” Walter confirmed. “It’s the safest way, the least amount of movement up above that we can manage, the less likely it is that anything more will shift and collapse.”

  “You sure about that?” Max asked skeptically, having been half listening to the conversation between the two men. “I don’t know who’s going to volunteer to climb underground.”

  “I’ll do it,” Walter replied without a second of hesitation. It was his job to do the things other people were afraid of. To serve and protect his community in any way he knew how. Two women were in danger in his neighborhood and he knew it was his responsibility to try and save them. If that meant putting his own life at risk, then that was something he was more than willing to do.

  Max and Damien looked at one another and then back to Walter, both exhaling almost simultaneously. It was obvious that neither of them had been keen on taking up the challenge, yet they were also in agreement that something had to be done. Max in particular looked slightly in awe of Walter.

  “Are you sure?”

  “Of course,” Walter replied, “it’s my job. Those women need help and I’m not leaving here until they’re both reunited with their loved ones again. Now,” he paused, turning around to see he’d gathered a small audience. “Let’s get to it.”

  Chapter 8

  Jessie sat on her kitchen floor and looked out to sea at the mysterious ship that was now anchored just off the coast of Kauai while Axel played with his dinosaurs in between her legs. When the ship had first arrived, everyone on the island had been in hysterics about it. They had celebrated as they believed someone had come to save them, bringing the supplies they desperately needed to survive. Some even thought the boat was there to take them all over to the mainland where they could start a new life and forget about everything that had happened on the island.

  That had been just over a day ago and since then, the ship hadn’t moved. Everyone still had their own opinions about why it was there. But, with no one able to make contact with the vessel, they were forced to continue on in uncertainty.

  “What are you thinking about, mom?”

  Jessie had been so wrapped up in her own thoughts, she hadn’t realized her youngest son had stopped playing with his toys and turned to face her instead. He looked up at her inquisitively, sensing that something was wrong. He was too young to understand the bigger picture, but Axel had naturally picked up on things changing. With Zayn, the collapse and everything that had happened since had made him shrink back into his shell. Axel was asking more questions and being more curious about things which wouldn’t have otherwise bothered him. It was interesting to both Jessie and her husband Art, how their children reacted to the situation. Both were scared, but they seemed to be dealing with it in very different manners.

  “Nothing really darling,” Jessie answered her son with a smile, opening her arms so he could snuggle into them. “I was just wondering if this nice weather is going to last.”

  “No, you weren’t,” Axel giggled, shaking his head from side to side.

  “Wasn’t I?”

  “You were thinking about the big boat,” Axel grinned. “What is it mom? Has it come to take us away?”

  Jessie looked at her son and smiled back, once again astounded by his perceptiveness and intelligence. She was so proud of him and everything he and his brother were growing up to be. They may be handling the collapse in different ways, but what stood out above anything was that they were handling it. Many children were acting out and struggling to come to terms with what was happening, but both Axel and Zayn were dealing with it with a demeanor well beyond their years. Jessie was in awe of her boys and felt so lucky to have been blessed with them both.

  “Now that, I really don’t know,” Jessie spoke honestly this time, realizing she owed that much to her son. “But you don’t need to be afraid of it Axel. You don’t have to go anywhere you don’t want to go.”

  “I know,” Axel nodded. “Will it be like before?”

  Jessie paused for a moment until she remembered what Axel was referring to. The day when they had tried to flee Kauai on a departing cruise liner. She recalled the mob of people rushing towards the huge ship, their belongings and more cast aside as they rushed forward. Everyone desperately tried to get off of the island before it was too late. Back then they hadn’t known the true effects of Trident’s collapse. Even now they were only guessing. But now that many more days had passed, those that remained approached the matter in a much calmer way. That day had been filled with panic and fear, two emotions Jessie never wanted her sons to ever feel again. As Axel continued to watch his mother and wait for a response, Jessie smiled and took her turn shaking her head.

  “No sweetheart,” she promised him, “it won’t be like before. We won’t have to go through that again.”

  “Good,” Axel nodded and smiled. “I like things much more now. I like our home and I like my new class as well. I think things are better this way. I don’t want anything to change again.”

  “Okay,” Jessie murmured, cradling her son in her arms and rocking him slowly from side to side. “We’ll try and keep things like this then, if that’s what you want. We don’t need to go on any ship or go anywhere else. We’ll stay right here.”

  Although the words were only coming out of her mouth in an attempt to comfort her son, she found herself wishing that they could be true. Life on Kauai was difficult now, there was no question about that. But she also felt safe there. It was her home and she trusted the people that had stayed behind – at least, almost all of them. Together they were working to make the island more self-sufficient than it had ever been. It was difficult, but she believed that once the work was done, it would benefit them all greatly. Everyone had a part to play and then, the remaining islanders could sit back and relax in their paradise. Life wa
s a beach and gradually, they would learn to embrace it once again.

  A short way away, a poster with the very slogan Life’s a beach, followed by the words Keep riding the waves, hung in Jamie’s office inside the Surf Shack. He looked up at it as he sat in his chair, trying to determine what to do. The arrival of the mysterious ship on the horizon had distracted him for a short period of time, but with nothing more to learn from it his mind had drifted back to his previous problem: his brother.

  Dennis was still determined to leave the hub of society in Kauai and travel to the northern most tip of the island to set up a new camp away from everyone else. Jamie had only spoken to Dennis very briefly since Arthur had delivered the news to him. His brother had agreed to meet him that evening to explain himself and what his plans for departure were. Jamie knew it was his only opportunity to try and change his brother’s mind, but he also knew it wasn’t going to be easy. Once Dennis had decided something was better for him, there was little hope of changing his mind.

  “Cheer up man,” Art encouraged Jamie as he returned to his office, two cans of soda in his hands. “You look like you’ve already lost the battle.”

  Jamie looked at Art and tried to wipe the desolate look from his face. Art was right, until he’d at least had the conversation with Dennis, he had to keep believing that there was a chance. He’d asked Art to stick around and be a part of the discussion as well. While the two men weren’t the closest of friends, Art had a source of information about Dennis’ departure and that could come in handy.

  One of his most trusted companions, Park, a construction worker who was also on the leadership council, would also be joining them. Jamie and Park went way back. Park had helped Jamie build the foundations of the Surf Shack many years ago. He’d helped with renovations over the years to keep it functioning as such a central hub of the island, too. Jamie felt confident with him by his side and knew that Park would have the same opinions he did. Hopefully, another familiar voice that might change his brother’s mind.

  “Sorry,” Jamie apologized to Art, taking the can of soda from him with a smile. “Just a lot to think about at the moment, you know.”

  Art let out a laugh, finding humor in the huge understatement. “Yeah, I get that. We’ve got people watching that ship every second of the day, though,” he said, aware already of what the other big thing on Jamie’s mind was. “If it moves even a fraction of an inch, we’ll know about it. But there’s no point wasting hours worrying about something we can’t control. When the time comes for it to reveal the reason it’s here, we’ll deal with it. Until then we might as well focus on what we can change and target our efforts at that.”

  “You’re right,” Jamie nodded, his attitude moving in a more positive direction as he sat up straighter in his chair and smiled at Art. “Man, why didn’t you put yourself forward for the leadership council when we did all that? We could’ve done with your level-headedness more than a few times already.”

  “Not my thing,” Art was quick to declare. “I’m more of an ‘in the background’ type of guy, not the sort of characteristic you need for a leader.”

  “I’m not so sure,” Jamie mused with a sly smile. “You seem to me like you’ve got it in you to me.”

  Laughing away the suggestion, Art took a swig from his can and moved the conversation in a different direction. He had never enjoyed taking charge or bossing people around. But, while he was spending time with Jamie, he couldn’t deny his interest in learning how other plans were going across the island. He and his family did still live there, after all, and Jessie, Zayn and Axel would always remain his top priority.

  “Maybe in another lifetime,” Art closed that chapter of their exchange. “How do you think we’ll manage if our community does get split? I know we’re really struggling with the power grid, but is everything else running as smoothly as it can? Jessie tells me there’s less resistance amongst the general public now, aside from a few select individuals which we’re obviously aware of.”

  “Yeah the power is a real bummer,” Jamie agreed. “It pains me to admit it, but that’s why we really need Dennis to stick around. He’s the best engineer we’ve got and without him, I’m not sure we’ll be able to keep everything running the way we want it.”

  Art pursed his lips and frowned. As an engineer himself – albeit one that specialized in marine systems and robotics – he was aware of the skills Dennis possessed. Dennis was an electrical engineering specialist, who was also proficient in mechanics and some architectural elements of the job. For something like a redesign of a city, or in their case, the revival of an island, he was almost the ideal package.

  “There are plenty of other skilled people though,” Art argued back. “I think the struggle is going to be keeping them all here. I worry that if Dennis is so set on leaving, all his closest allies will go with him.”

  “Me too,” Jamie agreed. “I suppose in the grand scheme of it all, he can take those who work with him and we won’t be too bad off. We’ll struggle without power, but we’ll learn to get by. People did it for thousands of years. We should be able to manage for a couple of months or however long this lasts. Where we’d really struggle is if we lost the doctors or fishermen. They’re our most valuable resources.”

  “Are we struggling there already? What’s the food supply like?”

  “It’s okay,” Jamie replied. “So long as we have the ocean, we’re never going to go hungry. But there’s so much we’re missing out on without it being flown in from the mainland. As an island, we’re not exactly rich in natural resources.”

  “We can get by on fish well enough though,” Art shrugged, thinking of the numerous research trips he’d been on out at sea and the limited rations they’d taken with them. Fish got boring after a while, but it was at least full of nutrients to keep them fit and healthy. “It’s probably the healthcare side of things where I’d be more concerned.”

  “Everything is running smoothly with Hunter and Vanessa so far,” Jamie replied. “We’re not having any major problems other than what we dealt with before. I guess the key issue there is keeping the power running. There are obviously certain elements of their job that they can’t do in the dark.”

  “True,” Art nodded, not having even considered what would happen to the one small hospital on the island if they lost all power completely. Anyone with a serious illness was often flown to Honolulu, but that was no longer an option. If something went wrong and a large number of people were hurt or injured then they could be in serious trouble. Art stroked his growing stubble and thought to himself, this one short conversation with Jamie opening his eyes to many other potential problems in their lives that he hadn’t been previously aware of.

  “Well, hopefully none of that will happen, eh?” Jamie willed as he sprung up from his seat and clapped Art on the shoulder. “Like you said, no point giving up before we’ve even gone into battle. First things first – we need to convince Dennis to stick around. Then we can worry about keeping everyone else alive long term and dealing with whatever the hell that ship wants. One thing at a time and, as always, my brother comes first. Looks like it’s almost time, come on.”

  Art braced himself and followed Jamie out to wait for their visitors. There really was no way of knowing which way the debate was going to go. Dennis was difficult to predict at the best of times and with this idea in his head he could be even more irrational than ever.

  Art faced the challenge with the safety of his loved ones at the forefront of his mind. Whether Dennis himself stuck around or not was actually of very little concern to Art. But he knew the gravity the man held over the rest of their society and how his departure could affect everything else. For the good of the group, they needed Dennis to stay with everyone else and continue to work together. Convincing him would be the difficult part, but Art agreed with Jamie in that they had to try. The world was changing for everyone, it shouldn’t be left to one man to pick and choose what he wanted to be a part of.

&nb
sp; Chapter 9

  “Oh, come on,” Jamie stood in front of his brother, raising his eyebrows in surprise. “Seriously Dennis? You won’t even shake my hand now?”

  “This meeting wasn’t set up for formalities or family reunions Jamie. Let’s just get down to it.”

  Jamie sighed and dropped his outstretched hand, trying to stop himself from already feeling defeated by his brother’s actions. Dennis had burst into the bar like a whirlwind, followed by two of his closest friends to back him up, just like Jamie was accompanied by Art and Park. The six of them stood awkwardly in the middle of the Surf Shack, the greetings cut short by Dennis’ demand to get straight down to business.

  “Alright then,” Jamie replied, walking past his brother to the table set up in one corner of the room. “Will you at least sit down?”

  “Let’s cut straight to the point, little brother,” Dennis started speaking as they all took their seats, making a point to highlight that he was three years Jamie’s senior, as if that gave him some extra level of authority. “There are a group of us that simply don’t see it as being beneficial to stick around here and work ourselves to the bone, helping other people to survive when we get very little back in return.

  “We don’t want to make a big deal out of it. We’re just going to grab our things, head up to the northern coastline and set up our own camp there. Sound good?”

  Jamie found it hard to keep the frustration and anger boiling up inside him from bubbling over. His brother had always been selfish. This conversation was going to be considerably harder than Jamie had thought in the beginning.

  “Not really, bro,” Jamie replied, sarcastically. “We’ve set up a community here. Everyone has a part to play and we need you to play yours. You can’t just pick and choose what you get to do, we’ve all got to pull together in order to get through this.”