Early Warning (Book 1): Martial Law

by McLean, Angus

  Screams and cries were echoing around the atrium and Gemma raised her head. She could feel the prickle of broken glass everywhere she made contact with the floor, and she quickly scrambled to her feet. Alex and Teri were picking themselves up as well, shaking glass from their clothes and hair. Both of them had eyes like saucers.

  The injured man against the wall opposite her was no longer moving, his hands lying slack at his side. He was lolling like a drunk but he was clearly way past that.

  Gemma averted her eyes, knowing he was dead and not wanting to see it. The huddle of people by the front doors were still there, but the screaming woman was crouching now, whimpering like a child.

  The man who had been yelling at her to shut up had forgotten all about her and the woman with the bleeding face. Instead, he was trying to staunch the flow of blood from a large gash to his thigh. As Gemma stared, she could see blood squirting from between his fingers every time he moved. Not just squirting, but actually jetting out like a hose released under pressure.

  She knew that wasn’t good. The guy shifted his hand slightly and a jet of red burst forth, arcing a good few metres across the floor. Gemma started to move towards him to help, but froze when she heard a distinct creaking sound from above.

  She didn’t wait around to look. ‘Run!’

  She sprinted for the exit, her feet sliding on the broken glass as she tried to get traction. People were moving, panicking, crashing into each other without care. Someone went down and got trampled underfoot. Gemma could sense runners all around her but ignored them, focussing instead on keeping one foot in front of the other and getting the hell out of there.

  She crossed the threshold and was almost to the front steps when there was a thunderous crash behind her in the atrium as the roof came down completely. Someone collided with her from behind and she felt herself thrown forward, smacking into someone else and going down in a tangle of bodies. She landed on top of someone, hearing grunts and shouts all around her, rolling and tumbling until she hit the concrete at the base of the steps and came to a stop beside the footpath.

  The air was filled with dust and smoke and the stench of gas and burning cars was strong.

  Gemma lay still for a few moments, gathering herself before gingerly getting to her feet. She was sore and shaken but couldn’t detect any injuries. Others were rising around her, some looking confused, some looking distressed. Everyone was dusty and dishevelled.

  Some were bloodied and she saw one guy cradling a dislocated shoulder and moaning.

  She spotted Alex nearby and joined him, waiting while he dusted himself off.

  ‘You okay?’ she asked.

  He nodded and rubbed a hand over his face. It was grimy and pale. ‘I think so.’

  Gemma cocked her head to the side. ‘I can hear sirens.’

  ‘I don’t see any cops or fire engines,’ he said, scanning around them. ‘Has someone called an ambulance?’

  Gemma didn’t answer, looking instead for Teri. She saw her further down the footpath, huddled together with Melinda, the older lady she worked with at Reception. Melinda was in tears and it looked like Teri was trying to console her. There were other huddles forming, as if they were all standing around for a fire drill, waiting for the all-clear from the people in yellow hi-viz vests.

  Teri spotted Gemma and Alex and brought Melinda over to them. Gemma patted Melinda’s back sympathetically.

  ‘It’s awful,’ the older woman said, wiping at her eyes, ‘just awful.’

  ‘Did you see that guy?’ Teri asked in hushed tones. ‘Inside?’

  The mention of it set Melinda off again and Alex put an arm around her shoulders. ‘I don’t think anyone could have helped him,’ he said awkwardly, obviously unsure how to deal with her. He looked to Gemma, silently pleading for help.

  Gemma gave him an apologetic shrug and got her cell phone out, hoping for a signal. No service. She put it away again and turned to Teri.

  ‘What’re your plans, Teri?’ she asked. ‘Are you going home?’

  Her friend looked confused. ‘Yeah, I guess so. I mean, we’re allowed to, right?’

  Gemma looked around them. Huddles of people, everyone in shock, a few trying to get through or over the piled debris in the smashed entrance to the building. A guy she didn’t recognise was climbing over the rubble, looking over his shoulder and shouting to those near him, trying to rally some assistance.

  It was Gemma’s natural instinct to help, but two things were holding her back: the fear that the building would collapse even further, and the tug inside to get home. Looking up at the office building, she could see serious cracks in the facing. Windows on higher levels were cracked as well and she knew it wouldn’t take long before they started to come down. She stepped back involuntarily.

  ‘I think we need to move,’ she said, glancing over to Alex and Teri. ‘Where’s your car, Teri? Can you give us a lift, at least part of the way?’

  Teri pointed down the road towards the residential area where she always parked. It was very limited parking there but she always seemed to get a spot.

  ‘Right,’ Gemma said, injecting some strength into her voice. It was not time to dilly-dally about now. ‘Melinda, what’re you going to do?’

  Melinda had gathered herself together to some degree, or had at least stopped crying. ‘I think I’ll go home. I’ve got to find Lisa though, she drove today.’

  Gemma knew the older woman always carpooled with a colleague who lived in her suburb. She spotted Lisa in another group of people further down the footpath, and pointed her out.

  ‘There she is,’ she said, ‘away you go. Good luck.’

  She shooed Melinda away and turned to her two colleagues. ‘Right,’ she said, ‘let’s go.’

  They dutifully fell in behind her as she hurried off down the footpath, ignoring everyone else around them. There were more office buildings in that part of the street and they skirted round the occupants who had emerged, heading for Teri’s blue Suzuki hatchback. The manhole covers had stopped exploding but the fires still burned.

  Gemma noticed smoke coming from a residential property further along and presumed it had been hit by the gas fires. What were the chances that the gas lines would explode? She didn’t know. If they blew, would they wipe out the block? Again, she didn’t know. One thing she did know was that she didn’t feel safe where they were.

  Teri bleeped the locks and Gemma took the passenger seat. She knew that Teri lived near Cornwall Park, so getting a ride that far would save a big walk. With any luck they may be able to organise another ride or borrow a car to take them the rest of the way. She could drop Alex off on the way past Manukau and carry on home.

  She buckled up as Teri started the car. Alex was settling himself in the backseat. Smoke was drifting across the street and she could see a few other cars starting to move off as well. She turned and looked at Teri. They both took a breath.

  ‘Let’s go,’ Gemma said.

  Fifteen

  We normally had the radio going and the house was quiet without it, the sort of quiet you could never get in the city. Birds chirped outside, the grass rustled in the wind and a cow mooed somewhere in a neighbouring paddock.

  Archie was playing outside with Jethro and my mother was in the spare room that she was using, probably trying to get hold of my brother.

  I set about getting food organised for dinner in the first instance, chopping vegetables and slicing the blade steak from the freezer. We were supposed to be having a beef casserole in the crockpot, but the day we were having was far from the day we had planned. A stir-fry on the barbeque was the new plan. As long as it had noodles, Archie would eat it.

  I wondered how long our power would last. The solar panels on the roof were linked up to the grid but we didn’t have our own batteries for storage, so I wasn’t holding my breath.

  I watched from the kitchen window as Archie threw a ball on the front lawn for Jethro. He didn’t like getting dog slobber on his hands so aft
er a few throws he changed to a stick. Jethro didn’t care; he’d play fetch all day long with his buddy.

  I scraped the meat off the plastic chopping board into a bowl and washed the board. I made up a simple sauce with soy and honey and crushed two cloves of garlic into it. I was nearly finished when I heard my mother behind me.

  ‘How’re you doing, sunshine?’ she said. She came and leaned against the bench beside me.

  I put the garlic crusher in the sink and wiped my hands. ‘Fine. Worried about Gemma, worried about what’s going to happen.’ I shrugged. ‘I dunno, it’s all a waiting game isn’t it?’

  She nodded. ‘Sure is, kiddo.’

  Archie laughed as Jethro overshot the stick and tumbled as he tried to grab it. His laughter always brought a smile to my face, even today.

  ‘Whatever happens,’ I said, ‘and however long this situation lasts,’ I jerked a thumb in his direction, ‘that needs to never be lost.’

  She nodded again, her eyes on me. ‘That’s right.’

  ‘And we as a family,’ I continued, ‘need to remain safe.’ I held her gaze for a moment. ‘And tight.’

  She gave me that look she’d always given me when she was getting defensive; chin up, a challenging look in her eye.

  ‘Oh yes,’ she said, ‘you don’t need to tell me that, kiddo.’

  Again with the kiddo. Letting me know who was boss. I took a short breath.

  ‘I know that Gemma and her parents aren’t high on your Christmas card list, Mum,’ I said. ‘So I do think that needs to be said. We’re gunna have enough on our plate without battling each other.’

  ‘What d’you mean, battling each other?’ She was well on the defensive now. ‘I’ve never had a problem with any of them. We get on fine. Why, have they said something?’

  ‘Nobody’s said anything, Mum, and don’t make this into a big deal. But we’re all going to be here together for who knows how long, so we need to get along. There’s no room for little digs or one-upmanship, is there?’

  Her jaw was set and her eyes were hot. ‘And I take it everyone’s going to be getting this little speech, are they Mark? Or is it just me being singled out?’

  I took another breath. This was never going to be an easy conversation, but I was wishing I could rewind two minutes. Or maybe twenty years.

  ‘Anyone that needs it, will get the same message,’ I said evenly. ‘So please just take it in the spirit that I’m giving it.’

  ‘Well I don’t appreciate being spoken to like that,’ she snapped back, ‘and I certainly don’t appreciate being singled out as if I’m the one with a problem.’

  I’d had enough and that little switch, the safety catch inside my brain that kept me in check, clicked off.

  ‘Look,’ I said, ‘I’ve got more things to worry about right now than your ego. I’m asking you to keep your tongue in check and pitch in. This is not going to be easy for any of us, and I don’t need you stirring up shit with the other people in my family. If you can’t do that then we’ve got a big problem, Mum. And I can do without another big problem.’

  I could feel my heart pounding hard against my ribs.

  ‘My job is to protect my family, and that’s what I’ll do. But I don’t need knives in my back while I’m doing it.’

  We glared at each other for an eternity, before she turned abruptly and walked off. I heard the bedroom door bang shut. I put my hands on my hips and sucked down air, trying to get myself back under control. No such conversation had ever gone well with my mother.

  I heard a shuffle behind me and turned to see Archie watching me from the doorway. He had a stick in his hand and his face was a picture of sadness.

  ‘That wasn’t very nice, Dad,’ he said. ‘You shouldn’t talk to Grandma like that.’

  I rubbed a hand over my face. My hand smelled of garlic.

  ‘Sorry you heard that, buddy. That wasn’t a very nice conversation.’

  I held out my hands and he came for a cuddle. I lifted him up and held him.

  ‘Sometimes grown-ups don’t agree with each other, and we get a bit angry. Just like you do with your buddies at school, eh?’

  He nodded into my shoulder and hugged his arms around my neck a bit tighter. I squeezed his little body against me and held him until he pulled away and looked at me.

  ‘Dad? Is Mum coming home soon?’

  I gave total confidence my best shot.

  ‘Of course little man, she’s on the way home. She might take a while to get here though, so we have to be patient, okay?’

  He nodded. ‘I miss her. I wish she was here.’ The sadness in his eyes punched me straight in the heart. ‘I’m worried about her.’

  I felt myself welling up at the pure innocence and goodness that only a child can show.

  ‘Don’t cry, Dad.’

  He wiped my eyes with his little hands just as I did to him when he was upset and I laughed and hugged him tight again.

  ‘I love you, wee man.’

  ‘Love you too, Dad. And you, Grandma.’

  I turned and found my mother watching from the doorway. Something had changed in her demeanour, perhaps the slightest of softening, not that she would ever admit it. She gave Archie a twinkly smile.

  ‘I love you too, little man.’

  She kissed his cheek over my shoulder and he reached out for her. I let him go, pleased despite everything that he wanted to go to her. She cuddled him and looked at me. I gave a short nod, but I could tell from the determination of her gaze, the hardness lurking back there, that the dust had not settled.

  I sighed inwardly. Fuck it, there was only so much I could do.

  Sixteen

  State Highway 2 was a long asphalt ribbon that ran all the way from the Bay of Plenty to the Bombay hills at the Auckland-Waikato border.

  It was a high crash area and on Sunday evenings and long weekends it became a parking lot of frustrated holidaymakers. Fortunately traffic seemed normal so far, and Rob felt his tension easing back a notch as they cruised along. The drama at the Paeroa gas station had sent his blood pressure soaring, and he knew that Sandy was feeling it too. He gave her a glance.

  ‘Alright there, my girl?’

  She nodded and smiled weakly, not wanting to look him in the eye lest he see her tears.

  ‘We’ll be there soon enough,’ he assured her. ‘Little Archie will probably be home; he’ll be glad to see us.’

  ‘I suppose she’ll still be there, too,’ Sandy said with more than a hint of distaste.

  ‘I guess so.’

  ‘How long’s it been?’

  Rob chuckled. ‘Too long, according to Gem. A week, I think. Her kitchen should be done any day now.’

  ‘She should’ve gone and stayed with her other son while she got her renovations done,’ Sandy said. ‘He’s her favourite, anyway.’

  ‘True, but Mark’s closer,’ Rob said.

  She pursed her lips and frowned, but said nothing. Rob was well aware of his wife’s feelings about Jenny.

  ‘Just smile and do what you do,’ he said.

  ‘Of course I will,’ she frowned. ‘I won’t make it hard.’

  He nodded to himself, keeping an eye on the traffic around them. They’d already had one idiot blast past them at a rate of knots, and he had no desire to crash before they even got to Gemma and Mark’s.

  After a few minutes, Sandy asked, ‘How long d’you think we’ll need to be there?’

  Rob shrugged. ‘Don’t know. Depends how long this emergency lasts, I guess. Could be a few days. Could be a few weeks.’

  Sandy frowned again. ‘A few weeks, you reckon? We’ll be able to go back home though, won’t we?’

  Rob sucked his teeth. ‘I don’t know about that. You saw those clowns back at the gas station. What if that became the norm?’

  She looked at him doubtfully and he shrugged again.

  ‘Remember the earthquakes in Christchurch? They had looting going on down there, God knows what else. Hurricane Katrina in the State
s? Apparently that was like a damn war zone.’

  ‘Yeah, but we’re not the States.’

  ‘No we’re not,’ he agreed. ‘We don’t have their gun crime and all the crap that goes with that, but we also don’t have a massive resource of law enforcement and military like they do.’ He jerked a thumb back over his shoulder. ‘What we saw back there could just be the start of it.’

  ‘Stop,’ Sandy said, ‘that’s horrible.’

  Rob glanced at her again. ‘I know it’s crappy, my girl, but we need to be prepared for it. This could be a long haul.’

  Sandy dug out her phone. ‘I’ll try them again.’

  The tyres hummed on the asphalt as they headed towards the unknown.

  Seventeen

  The roads were already busier than normal and Gemma guessed a lot of others were doing exactly what she, Alex and Teri were – getting the hell out of town.

  The traffic was moving, at least so far. She wondered what it would be like in another hour or two, or even another ten minutes. She wondered what was happening back at work and about the people who had been injured and killed. About their families; families that would never get their loved ones home today. Maybe ever. Who knew how long a state of emergency would last?

  She wondered what Mark was doing, how Archie was reacting to the situation (probably fine), how Mark’s mother Jenny was handling it (probably not fine). She wondered how long it would take her to get home today.

  She heard talking and snapped back into the present, realising Teri was speaking to her.

  ‘Sorry,’ she said. ‘What was that?’

  ‘I was saying I don’t know how far we’ll be able to go,’ Teri said. ‘The radio news is just saying that the motorway’s jammed already and they’re asking people to stay off the roads if they can avoid it.’

  ‘Well we can’t avoid it,’ Gemma said, feeling her tension ratchet up a good notch. ‘We need to get home. One Tree Hill’s not far, anyway.’ She glanced at her friend. ‘We should be alright to get to your place, eh?’