Light At The End | Book 1 | Surviving The Apocalypse

by Benson, Tom

  Bill worked hard not to laugh.

  The soldier turned to his companion. “Watch her, Flint.”

  Craig didn’t have the confidence of his companions, but he wanted to help. “What have you done with our friend, Cherry, yeah?”

  “Who?”

  “The young woman who opened the door, yeah?”

  The two soldiers exchanged a glance before the NCO spoke again. “You’re bluffing.”

  “Well, we just got here, so we didn’t open the bloody door. At least now we know she’s inside and you haven’t arrested her yet, yeah?”

  Cpl Beech didn’t turn, but said, “Flint, go and check inside for the missing fucking bitch.”

  Private Stone didn’t hesitate and set off inside.

  Bill said, “Corporal Beech, I know you’re highly-trained, so you’ll have no issues about shooting somebody who’s endangering your defensive position. We’re not your enemy, mate.”

  “Get on your knees—now, all of you or I will shoot.” It was his most logical method of dealing with three suspicious people while single-handed.

  All three got down on their knees.

  Bill continued, “You and your colleague are separated from your team, aren’t you?”

  “You shut up, you’ve got too much to say for yourself.”

  “Bill, we’ ve—” Harry and Victoria walked out of the greenery and immediately raised their hands. “Whoa, what’s going on?”

  “Jesus Christ,” Cpl Beech said. “How many of you people are there?”

  “There are twenty-three of us,” Victoria said as she got down on her knees beside Harry. “Apart from Harry, we were all on the same coach.”

  “Who the hell is Harry?”

  “That’s me, young man … I was living in the tunnel alone, and after the nuclear strikes, I was joined by these guys. They were all on a coach tour.”

  “Jeezuss, this gets worse.” The NCO looked along the line of prisoners.

  “Cpl Beech,” Bill said. “I can appreciate you’re under pressure, but as you can see, none of us is armed, we’re all bloody tired and hungry, and we’re not a threat to the installation.”

  Private Stone returned at a run, and was compelled to catch his breath before making his report. “Sandy, … I’ve gone … about halfway … along the tunnel road … and there’s no sign … of anybody.” The lenses of the soldier’s respirator steamed up as he stood catching his breath.

  “Stay here, Flint,” Cpl Beech said, “and if any of these people try to get up, bloody shoot them.”

  “Where are you going?”

  “I’m going to find out where they’re all coming from.”

  “Thank fuck for that,” Steph said, which got a wide-eyed look from Victoria and a smile from Harry, Bill and Craig.

  The NCO made his way through the dense foliage.

  For five minutes, the other soldier stood turning to look from one person to the next, his weapon moving where his gaze travelled. As he breathed the small canister on his respirator created a hissing sound but at least the lenses were clearing again.

  Bill said, “You can take your respirator off, mate. If there were any radiation in here, we’d all be dead.”

  Private Stone stared at Bill for a moment, but otherwise, nothing changed.

  The ex-soldier tried again. “If only two of you have responded to a door alarm, that tells me something’s wrong. You must be separated from the rest of your team. I can’t imagine you being sent out here as a pair, without a radio and no way to get back-up.”

  “Shut up.” The lone soldier was on edge, but armed.

  “Was there … an accident or something?” Bill pushed on. “I’d have expected a team of at least ten or twelve of you.”

  Victoria was aware that the soldier was paying more attention to her than the others. She half-turned. “Bill, leave the guy alone, he’s only doing what he’s been told to do.” Victoria gazed at the large lenses in the black respirator the soldier was wearing. “Flint … you could take that mask thing off, you’re really in no danger.”

  Private Stone looked from one person to the other again, and while aiming his laser rifle forward with one arm, he reached up, undid the cord on his hood and pulled it back. He reached up again and peeled off his respirator, revealing the face of a handsome man in his early twenties at most. He breathed a few times heavily and then turned to Victoria.

  “How did you get here?” Flint looked ill at ease breathing without the protection of his respirator.

  Victoria said, “We were all on a coach in the Highlands, and then the whole world went berserk. Our driver raced us to the other end of this tunnel behind us here and drove the coach inside.”

  “He drove the coach inside a bloody railway tunnel?”

  “We’d just reached it when the entrance all caved in because of an earth tremor.” Victoria’s soft voice was steady, and she had lived through so much recently, she felt no fear. “We’ve been inside that tunnel for three days, and we dug our way out today to try and reach the hydro facility.”

  “How have you survived for three days?”

  “This man on my left is Harry, and he was living in there in an old train, but he shared his food with us.”

  Private Stone looked along the line of captives shaking his head. “I don’t know—”

  “Stand down, Flint.” Cpl Beech reappeared through the mini-jungle of the glass corridor. His respirator was packed away in the case on his belt. “Okay, you guys, I’m sorry … you can get up. I’ve just met the rest of your people, and it sounds unbelievable, but a lot of shit has happened recently.” He used the sling to hang his laser rifle over his shoulder and then removed his protective gloves.

  Bill stood and helped Steph to her feet before turning to the NCO. “Bill.” He held out his right hand, which was gripped by the soldier.

  “Corporal Sandy Beech—Fifteenth Airborne.” He next turned to shake the hand of the woman nearest Bill.

  “Steph.”

  “You’re a gutsy lady, Steph, for a forty-something who’s tired, hungry and smells like shit.”

  Nervous laughter erupted from the small group.

  The NCO shook the hands of the others and then, Flint, having removed his gloves, followed his boss’s lead.

  “Is it safe for me to come out now?” Cherry strode out from inside the doorway.

  “Jeez—” Sandy stared at the tall, attractive, black woman. “Who the hell are you?”

  She took his hand and held it for a moment. “I’m Cherry, or as you described me to your young colleague, the missing fu—”

  “It’s okay,” Sandy broke in. “I remember what I said. Where did you hide?”

  “In that old railway engine near the doorway. Whoever refurbished it put a layer of coal on the big square bit behind the train driver’s platform but the coal is resting on a board. The section for the coal is actually empty.”

  Sandy turned to Bill. “Are you the leader of the group?”

  “Not so much the leader but a spokesperson.”

  “He’s the leader,” Steph said and laughed having slipped in her nickname for Bill.

  Sandy turned to Bill. “What was your plan?”

  Bill said, “I was hoping to gain entry with just myself and my advance party of three others just to see if staying here was feasible.”

  “Okay, how about you and your advance party come with Flint and me, and we’ll give you an introduction to what we have in here. Harry and somebody else … is it Victoria?” He gazed at the slim blonde.

  “Yes,” Victoria said.

  Sandy said, “You can let the rest of your people know there will be room enough for everybody, but to wait until we send for you, and it won’t take long, maybe an hour.”

  “Thanks, Sandy.” Victoria turned. “Come on, Harry.”

  As the advance party of the survivors entered the Auchcarn tunnel with the two soldiers, they saw to their front a small section of preserved shining railway track. The rails wer
e just long enough to hold the gleaming century-old railway engine. The machine had only ever travelled back and forward from the west coast of Scotland to where it now stood. After the decommissioning of the railway and the long tunnel, the steam engine had been refurbished as a historical museum piece which told part of the story of Auchcarn, the Hollow Mountain.

  Beyond the symbol of a bygone time there was a tarmac road running from left to right across their path. Lights were mounted at five-metre intervals against the shiny black rock surface throughout the length of the main tunnel, giving an immediate appreciation of its scale.

  Sandy said, “If you look left, you’ll see that the road goes on for about three hundred metres to what is the main exit and entrance. The doors there are extremely thick and made of steel. It’s all secured, and nothing will be coming in that way. We go right from here and follow the road for about seven hundred metres to the main hydro-electric facility which is in the centre of the mountain.”

  “Right.” Bill had a vague memory of the layout from his one trip here as a tourist. “Is the visitors’ centre still intact?”

  “Yes, the new one. The old one was situated on the outside of the mountain many years ago. Old pictures are hanging up in the new place which show the cafeteria and the views out across one of the lochs.” Sandy glanced over one shoulder and then the other. “The cafeteria in the newer visitors’ centre may not have the big windows and romantic views seen from the base of the mountain, but it’s operational so we can have a brew.”

  The small group of people walked along the middle of the tarmac road deeper into the mountain. Sandy said there were no other soldiers inside the facility, but there were three staff.

  Bill didn’t ask why there was such a small detachment of soldiers but he would find out in due course. To him, at least, there was something peculiar about two men being detailed to secure and defend such a massive installation.

  The party arrived at a brighter lit area which had a cathedral size chamber off to the left and a narrower, well-lit passage to the right. At the entrance into the massive space to the left, a sign stated ‘Auchcarn Machine Hall’ and within stood the line of four gigantic hydro-electric reversible pump turbines. Each turbine stood the height of a seven-storey building.

  “We’ll arrange a guided tour later,” Sandy said. “For now, I’m sure you guys would prefer to go this way.” He nodded to a multi-coloured sign which listed ‘Visitors’ Centre, Admin Offices, Maintenance Wing, and Staff Areas’.

  The narrow tunnel had other passages leading away from it, and the NCO led the way to the Visitors’ Centre. The small group followed Sandy through the doors into a brightly-lit, oblong, modern cafeteria with thirty tables. At one end was a gleaming stainless steel and glass counter area which fronted the kitchen.

  “Oh my god,” Cherry said as she paused at the entrance to the cafeteria. “This is like dying and going to heaven.”

  “I’ll organise some hot brews,” Flint said and went behind the counter.

  Sandy pointed to an area towards the back of the room. “The group of tables pulled together is our briefing area. Please sit.” The NCO unbuckled his mesh webbing and hung it on the back of his chair.

  The advance party and the soldier sat around the group of four tables. They’d hardly settled when a handsome forty-something woman appeared, following Flint from the kitchen area. The woman was wearing chef’s whites. Both people were carrying trays with teapots, cups, and a handful of snack bars.

  “We thought you guys might like something to go with your tea.” The young soldier immediately dished out the crockery and poured for everybody.

  Sandy addressed the group. “This lady is Ramona, the resident chef. Ramona, these people are part of a small group of survivors.”

  “Oh my god,” Ramona said. “I’m so pleased for you … and to see you all.”

  The NCO said, “From left to right we have, Craig, Cherry, Steph and Bill.”

  Ramona shook hands with each newcomer and then sat to listen, keen to hear how these people had arrived in this strange underground world.

  “Bill,” Sandy said, “I reckon you and I can have a chat separately later, but for now, could you give us a brief rundown to bring us up to date.”

  “I’d prefer if Steph did it because she’s been at the thick of it since events unfolded and frankly, I’ve been giving briefings since the start.”

  Steph enjoyed another luxurious slurp of proper traditional tea and placed her cup on the table. “We’re part of a coach load of twenty-odd tourists who were enjoying a series of three-day excursions …” The author reduced the story to the basics and thankfully wasn’t interrupted right up until she said the words, “… when Bill got back and told us that Cherry had gained access, we were overjoyed.”

  Sandy said, “I’m really sorry about—” Bill’s reassuring smile and a hand on his shoulder ended the apology.

  Bill said, “Back in my days in uniform, I’d have done the same, mate. You kept your cool under duress.”

  Ramona, Steph and Cherry fell into a hushed but excitable conversation.

  Sandy stood and peeled off his biological warfare protection overalls, uncovering the camouflage combat suit he wore underneath. “There are only three members of Auchcarn staff here because it’s all the place needed for maintenance. Would you like me to come back to fetch the rest of your guys with you, Bill?”

  “Yeah, that would be good.” He finished his tea. “I would suggest that you leave young Flint to guard the food before we bring the rest of them this far.”

  “Don’t worry about them, lads,” Cherry said. “They’re all too weak to put up a fight for food.”

  “We won’t be long,” Sandy said and lifted his webbing onto his shoulders.

  Bill squeezed Steph’s shoulder. “See you shortly … have some more tea.” A hand covered his briefly.

  Sandy and Bill strolled along the main road through the mountain and for a few minutes, the only sounds were their breathing and footsteps.

  “How long did you serve, Bill?”

  “Twenty years, but I’d have continued if they didn’t have a policy of stopping us at that point.”

  “What was your primary role?”

  It was a question that Bill had expected, and would typically offer a low-key response like, ‘Medical Corps, Engineers, Artillery, Communications or any other regiment. In the circumstances and knowing he needed to gain trust rapidly, he was honest.

  “I spent the first five years in Communications and transferred to the SAS. I stayed with them until my time finished.”

  “Respect, man,” Sandy said and half-turned. “That abbreviation carries a fearsome reputation. Jeez, I remember not long back finding a complete history of the Special Air Service, and strangely it’s one of the only regiments which has never amalgamated.”

  “As one of my teammates used to say, Sandy, ‘you can’t dilute excellence’.”

  Sandy laughed briefly. “Your mate had a point. You guys were the first ones to be issued laser-guided personal weapons and a load of other hi-tech shit.”

  “Yeah, I suppose living on the edge every day had its upside.”

  “What you said earlier, Bill, you know, about how many guys I have … we had a major incident which reduced our numbers.”

  “How bad were your losses?”

  “While all the nut-job leaders were arguing, our politicians wanted to hold us back. The top brass, of course, were trying to get us out to primary locations early. As fucking usual, those in suits who’ve never been at the sharp end were the people to have the last word. I was in charge of one of three teams of eight. We left Aberdeen in three solar-powered heli-pods. Due to the decision-makers, we were in the air when everything went to rat-shit all over the world.”

  Bill was already imagining what had happened, but listened patiently, knowing that the man in uniform needed to get it off his chest.

  “We were close to this place and nearing Loch Awe when
we were blinded by the nearest explosion, which was fucking hundreds of miles away. I screamed out for the guys to unfasten belts and jump.”

  “At approach speed, you must have been over the loch by that point?”

  “Yeah, by then we’d passed between the mountains, and we could see where we should be landing, but the heli-pod went into a spin. I had my laser-rifle in one hand, so I grabbed hold of my nearest guy with the other hand before I leapt out of the spinning aircraft.”

  “What altitude were you at?”

  “We’d been tree-hopping before we reached the loch, so it wasn’t high … maybe fifty metres. As I fell, I had no time to look around, but in my peripheral vision, I was aware of two big explosions, and as I surfaced in the loch, there was another. All three heli-pods were gone.”

  “Nobody survived from the first two?”

  “No, they were in front of ours, and the electromagnetic pulse hit them marginally before us. When my head popped above the surface in the loch, I looked around frantically with my blurred vision, and all I could see was one other head. It had been Flint’s combat jacket I’d grabbed, and he survived my version of an emergency exit.”

  “I’m sorry for your loss, Sandy.”

  “Thanks, mate.” Sandy nodded slowly. “I’d been through some rough times with those guys.”

  Bill placed a hand on the younger man’s shoulder. “A few seconds of blindness and panic is better than losing a limb and waiting in agony to die.” He paused. “If you or Flint ever need to talk, I’ll be there for you.”

  “I appreciate it, Bill. To be honest, I don’t know if the reality of our situation has sunk in with Flint yet. He’s been reticent since we climbed out of the loch.”

  “Service personnel are always the first ones to hide how much they’re hurting, and that’s a situation that goes back a long time.” He half-turned to his companion. “It goes with the territory.”