The Quell

by E S Richards

  Walking through the camp back toward the tent where Amy, Maggie, and James were waiting, Len shook his head silently to himself. His belief that they could’ve made it to Toronto themselves wasn’t the only reason he felt uncomfortable in the camp; the safety of his family weighed heavily on his shoulders as well.

  Looking around, Len tried to push the feelings of animosity he had toward the camp to the back of his head and gather a more level-minded view of the place. There were several families dotted around, and none of them looked like they were in danger or being held against their will. Children were playing and laughing with each other or with their parents, and the individuals who watched did so with smiles on their faces, not looks of discontent or hostility. Perhaps they were just being cautious with their group because they were newcomers; it made sense when Len thought about it. He’d be more surprised if the people who lived there didn’t feel protective over what they had made their home.

  He understood, therefore, that it was natural for Amy to feel safe at Camp Flint. It resembled how life had been before the solar crash, with order, a regime and people in charge. But after everything they had been through, Len knew the world wouldn’t return to that structure for many months, perhaps even years. He had accepted it and he had to make Amy see it, too. Their family was the most important thing and it was the only thing they could truly rely on.

  Pushing open the tent entrance after Harrison, Len vowed to have that very conversation with his ex-wife sooner rather than later. They needed to be a united front and even more than that, they needed to be able to trust one another. It was yet another confusing roadblock in Len’s journey to figuring out his feelings for Amy. Every day they seemed to change, the logic and morals he used to be able to depend upon just another thing that had changed with the sun.

  “What the…?”

  Harrison’s voice came from beside Len; the old prepper had stopped just a few feet inside the tent, staring at the rest of their party. Len looked up at them, his eyes previously focused on the ground as he walked and thought about his future. Taking in the sight of his family and Maggie, Len let out a small gasp. Their possessions had been returned—the rucksacks, at least—Amy and Maggie were unpacking items and arranging them around their new beds.

  “Where did this come from?” Harrison asked as he walked toward the group, his raised voice attracting the attention of a few other people.

  “Doug brought it,” Amy replied in a quieter voice, waiting until both Harrison and Len were close enough so she didn’t need to draw any further attention to their group. “He came by about ten minutes after you left.”

  “What about the rest of it?” Harrison immediately replied, the lack of his Remington A3, his Glock pistol, Len’s bow, and the various other weapons they had carried not escaping his attention.

  “This was all he brought,” Amy answered after a second, looking slightly puzzled by Harrison’s question. Clearly the lack of weapons hadn’t registered with her.

  “All of our weapons,” Len spoke up in a concerned voice. “Do you think they’re trying to keep them?”

  “They must be,” Harrison confirmed, picking up his rucksack and swiftly patting it down. “I think they’ve been through our bags as well. This definitely doesn’t feel as full as it used to.”

  “They might have just taken out the food and water?” Maggie offered, sensing a slightly uncomfortable atmosphere arising amongst the group. “If we’re staying here, those sorts of supplies should be shared out with everybody, I guess?”

  “We’re not staying here,” Harrison immediately snapped back, causing Maggie to shrink down slightly, startled by the venom in Harrison’s tone.

  “Sorry,” she replied quietly, “it was just a thought.”

  Harrison sighed deeply and ran a hand through his hair. He needed a minute to think. He hadn’t meant to lash out at Maggie like that, but stress of their situation was getting to him. He didn’t like the way things were going in Camp Flint at all, and each new discovery only made him feel more and more out of control. It was a feeling that Harrison had resented from a young age, one he would never choose to experience.

  “It’s all right, Maggie,” Len spoke in response to the woman, offering Harrison a look that only the two of them would understand. They were on the same page, but Harrison had to resort to Len here—the former businessman was the one who had the people skills to convince the women they were in danger. Harrison was all action and no words. Even after what he had learned from Len, he was still the man who had lived underground in solitude for a large number of years.

  “Harrison didn’t mean it like that,” Len continued. “But I do agree with him, I’m not sure whether we should stay here.” Pausing for a moment, Len gathered their group closer around him, lowering his voice even further to be sure that no one else could hear what he was about to say.

  “I don’t want to say that this place doesn’t feel right, but Harrison and I just went and asked for our stuff and they refused to give it to us. They wouldn’t even take us seriously. Now they’ve given back our bags but not our weapons? That’s just strange, especially without an explanation.”

  “It sort of makes sense though,” Amy argued back. “They can’t just let people walk around with weapons, not when there are so many people here. There are children around too, remember. It just wouldn’t be safe.”

  “I understand that,” Len nodded to Amy, “but don’t you think more of it seems a little strange? This place might be a good stop if we didn’t have anywhere else in mind, but after thinking about it, I think it makes sense to keep going. We’re not really going to gain anything from staying the night here.”

  “Have you actually asked to leave?” Maggie questioned, her voice small and her eyes fixated on Len’s chest, nervous to look him or anyone else in the eye in case she was shouted at again.

  “Well, no,” Len shook his head, “but I think we should.”

  “I agree,” Harrison offered, his voice much calmer than before as he still felt bad about the way he had spoken to Maggie. “In fact, I think I’ll go and do that right now.”

  Striding away from the group without waiting for a response, Harrison exited the tent and walked straight toward Captain Watt. It was a piece of good luck that he spotted her immediately, talking to a couple of men in civilian clothing, though Harrison couldn’t be sure if their clothes necessarily detailed their position. The captain noticed him walking toward her with purpose, dismissing the two men before Harrison arrived and standing with her hands on her hips, waiting for him to speak.

  “Thank you for your hospitality here, Captain Watt,” Harrison started, reminding himself to keep his cool and not offend the captain in any way. If they could simply leave as innocently as they arrived, that was the best way to evade Camp Flint. “But after talking with the rest of my group, we’ve decided we want to leave right away. The journey to Toronto shouldn’t be delayed any longer.”

  “Really?” Captain Watt raised her eyebrows, looking Harrison up and down slightly as he stood in front of her. “That’s not the impression I got earlier today. You’ve all decided you want to leave, have you?”

  “Yes,” Harrison replied firmly, not liking what the captain was insinuating, even if it might technically be accurate. “And we’d like our things back. All of them. The weapons and the motorcycles will be necessary for us to complete the trip to Canada.”

  “I’ve been informed your possessions have been returned to you.”

  “Just our bags,” Harrison huffed, “and even then, I think some items have been taken from them. We’d like everything back please, and then we’ll get out of your hair. I’m sure you have enough going on here to deal with without five more people to worry about.”

  “Hmm,” Captain Watt clicked her tongue a couple of times, thinking over what Harrison had just told her. The old prepper found it difficult to read the woman, something he didn’t like. He couldn’t tell whether she had prior knowledge of
what he’d just shared with her or not; as the leader of Camp Flint he had to assume she did, but her expression had seemed genuinely surprised by Harrison’s revelation of missing things.

  “We spoke to a couple of your men earlier,” Harrison continued, trying to further reason with the woman and get to the bottom of what was happening. “They refused to disclose any information regarding the whereabouts of our possessions and acted in a very immature manner about the whole situation.”

  “Well, I am sorry about that,” Captain Watt shook her head. “These men have been cooped up in here for a while now. Sometimes they don’t react in the best way to newcomers.”

  Harrison nodded in response, still trying to figure out which angle the captain was playing. Was she genuine, or just an incredibly good actor? It irritated Harrison that he couldn’t figure it out and felt reluctant to share any more information with her until he could.

  “I’ll look into where the rest of your things are,” Captain Watt offered politely. “And if you want to leave the camp, you have every right to. We won’t try and keep you here, though I do have to encourage you again to rest up at least for the night. I’m sure you know just as well as I do how dangerous the world can now be if you’re caught off guard.”

  “I do,” Harrison nodded, “but that won’t be necessary. If you could just locate our things, we’ll get on our way. Thank you.”

  Keeping his eyes on the woman, Harrison judged her reaction to his statement, still searching for a crack in her character. Captain Watt gave away nothing though, merely flashing Harrison a smile and walking away, leaving him forced to trust that she would follow through on her promise about their possessions. Harrison didn’t know how to act. He didn’t feel like he’d been successful in what he’d set out to do, but he didn’t feel like he’d failed either. Keeping one eye on the captain, he resigned to just wait and see what happened. Either she would stay true to her words, or Harrison would be forced to take matters into his own hands.

  Chapter 12

  Two hours later, Harrison was starting to get increasingly agitated by the situation. The five of them had sat in their bunks ever since he spoke to Captain Watt, waiting for a sign of what was going to happen. He and Len had exchanged a few brief words about the camp following that, and Len had helped Harrison calm down slightly in regards to his assumptions about the place, but he still didn’t feel completely comfortable. Even if—as Len suggested—there wasn’t anything untoward going on at the camp—which as Harrison mulled it over in his head, he slowly started to agree with—he still wanted to get going. Despite everything Camp Flint might have going for it, it still lacked the one thing he truly wanted: his daughter.

  “I think people are going out for food,” Amy spoke up quietly, commenting on what they were all witnessing as more and more people left the tent they were in. Each was heading outside carrying a bowl or plate of some description. “Do you think we should join them?”

  “Maybe,” Len replied after a long pause, no one sure how to answer Amy’s question. They were all thinking the same thing, though the atmosphere within the group wasn’t the same as it had been. “Suppose we might be able to get some answers?”

  “All right,” Harrison nodded, pushing himself up from the bed where he sat. “Let’s go and see what’s going on.”

  With Harrison’s approval, everyone steadily rose to their feet and starting rummaging around in bags for something to eat from. Going through his own, Harrison was unsurprised to discover certain things had been taken. Not only food and water like they had suspected earlier, but two of his knives and some spare ammo was also missing. Curling his lip in anger, Harrison did his best to stay quiet about it. He wanted to believe Len about Camp Flint only taking precautions, and to do so he knew he had to keep his feelings to himself. They would just be a couple more items to add to the long list of possessions he was expecting back from the captain, provided she followed through on her word.

  “What food is there going to be?” James asked as they filed out of the tent, following the stream of people in one specific direction. A large pot was cooking over an open fire, a man and woman standing beside it scooping out ladles of dinner onto people’s plates.

  “I don’t know,” Amy replied, “but we’re about to find out. Are you hungry?”

  James nodded enthusiastically, and while the rest of the group couldn’t display as much eagerness, none could deny the hunger inside them. They hadn’t had a proper meal all day and despite not really doing much traveling, their bodies were still weak from everything they had been through.

  Joining the back of the line of people waiting to be served, Harrison positioned himself at the back of their group and started scanning the crowds. He spotted the two men in uniform whom he and Len had spoken to earlier immediately. They were laughing around and making jokes with several others like them, none of them bothered by trying to maintain order or keeping an eye on the camp. Not that there was anything that needed upholding; everyone who waited for food did so in an orderly manner. There was no pushing or shoving, no one complaining that they hadn’t gotten their fair share. Harrison was still unsure exactly what Camp Flint was, but he couldn’t deny it was being kept in very good order.

  “Bowl, please.”

  Before he realized it, Harrison was at the front of the queue, handing over his bowl to a young woman who generously dropped in a spoonful of food. Harrison smiled in response and turned away, following Len and the others over to a quiet corner of the camp. Looking down in his bowl, he wasn’t certain what he had been presented with. There was some sort of meat and potatoes, accompanied by a few vegetables that would struggle to call themselves green anymore. It didn’t look half bad though, and with his first mouthful, Harrison was glad they had ventured out to eat.

  “Now what?” Len questioned between mouthfuls, aware Harrison was surely still scoping out the camp and trying to decide their next move. “Do you see Captain Watt?”

  “Present and accounted for.”

  Harrison nearly dropped his bowl when the woman’s voice rang out in his ear, turning to find the captain standing behind him, two men in uniform flanking her on either side. A satisfied smile was etched across her face, her eyebrows raised slightly as she enjoyed the startled reaction she had caused.

  “Apologies if I scared you, gentlemen,” she teased lightly. “I believe you were looking for me?”

  “Captain,” Harrison nodded in greeting. “Yes, I was wondering if you had any update on our conversation from earlier. Have you been able to locate our things?”

  “I have,” Captain Watt confirmed, giving away no emotion or feeling with her expression. “Would you still like to leave?”

  “Yes,” Harrison nodded again. “We would.”

  “Even at this hour?” The captain cast her gaze over to Amy and Maggie, the women standing on either side of James. Len was on Harrison’s side, but it was clear the women of their group had reservations about leaving Camp Flint, especially now that it was getting dark.

  “Yes,” Amy spoke up, “even at this hour.”

  Harrison was shocked to hear the response from Amy, aware she had been the greatest advocate for staying in the camp. Perhaps Len had persuaded her somehow, sharing his insight with her just like he had with Harrison. Whatever it was that had changed her mind, Harrison was pleased. He offered Amy a slight smile, silently thanking her for not fighting him on things any longer.

  “Very well,” Captain Watt replied, though Harrison thought he noted a hint of disappointment in her voice. “I said I wouldn’t keep you here, and if you really want to leave, I won’t stand in your way. If you want to follow me, I’ll take you to your things.”

  Solemnly and silently, all five of them filed in behind Captain Watt and the two men and allowed them to lead them toward one of the tents. Harrison and Len both recognized it immediately as the one that had been guarded earlier that day; the one they hadn’t been allowed access to.

  “If y
ou could just wait here,” the captain spoke as they reached the entrance, “we’ll bring out your things.”

  Disappearing inside with one of the other men, there was nothing for anyone else to do but wait. Harrison couldn’t shake the feeling they were walking into some kind of trap. Everything seemed too easy but also immensely difficult at the same time. It didn’t really make sense what was happening in the camp and neither did the people within it. Captain Watt was impossible to read, her actions and words both equally confusing.

  “Um, guys,” Maggie’s voice broke the silence in the group as they waited for the captain to reappear, turning everyone’s heads in her direction. “I don’t think I want to leave the camp.”

  “Maggie,” Len was the first to respond, stepping forward and placing a hand on the woman’s right shoulder. “We talked about this, remember?” Len started trying to reason with her, lowering his voice so the remaining man outside couldn’t hear him as well. “I think you’ll be safer if you come with us.”

  “I know, I’m sorry Len,” Maggie shook her head, taking a slight step backwards so his hand fell from her shoulder. “But I don’t mind it here, and there’s nothing for me in Canada. I hope you guys find what you’re looking for, I really do. But I don’t think I’ll be there to find it with you.”