Chris waved at him, and he gave her a friendly nod.
Anna stopped to catch her breath, her limbs tingling with adrenaline. “Are you all right?”
Chris nodded, rubbing her throat. “You?”
“I think so.” Anna focused on her breathing, waiting for her heartbeat to slow and for the blood to stop pounding in her ears. She felt dizzy and swayed, but Chris extended both her arms and held Anna steady. Just like her mum used to after one of her father’s outbursts. Somehow, Chris knew not to hug her, not to step into her personal space and to offer her hands instead.
“Are you sure you’re okay?” the small woman asked.
Anna smiled. “I’m sure.”
Tesco was empty now—all the other customers seemed to have been ushered outside. The security guard stood with his back to them, staring into the darkness outside. Clearly, he was not expecting trouble from within the shop.
Anna wondered if he’d try to stop them once he realised what they were doing. Of course, he would. That’s his job. “Shouldn’t you let security know about that guy trying to strangle you?”
Chris coughed, taking deep breaths. “The last thing we want is attention, right?” She ran her fingers along her throat as if checking her windpipe for damage. “Let someone else find him. Unless you’re prepared to answer dozens of questions while my manager calls the police and insists we wait for them to arrive.”
“But he can’t call them.”
“Exactly my point but believe me, he will try, and he will insist we wait.”
Anna shrugged. “If you say so. I’m Anna by the way.” She retrieved a piece of paper from her jeans pocket. “I’ve brought a list of things I need.” Zipping open her suitcase, she pulled out two more IKEA bags. “You can use these. Do you happen to know if this Tesco sells small radios?”
Chris nodded. “I’ll go get two.”
“Thank you. Grab a couple of torches as well. The one I had at home is fried.” She didn’t know what it meant that most electronic devices seemed to have stopped working, yet both Chris and the security guard carried functioning torches. Perhaps the shape of the Tesco, or the material of the building had shielded them.
Anna wished she’d paid more attention during physics classes at school.
Chris gave her a thumbs-up and grabbed the two bags. “Anything else?”
“Whatever you can think of to stay alive.”
The two women hurried in opposite directions, and Anna worked her way from one end of the supermarket to the other, dashing through the aisles as quickly as possible. She threw supplies into her suitcase with one hand and struck the items off her list with the other, using her mouth to hold her small pencil. The wood had splintered at the end where she’d chewed on it and it tasted of graphite.
The encounter with the drunk man had left a bitter taste in her mouth, but the tension was easing, and the fear had died down to a small fluttering in her belly. Just like every time she thought of him, small waves of nausea washed over her.
“What do you think you’re doing?” a stern voice asked from behind her.
Anna flinched, dropping the handle of her suitcase. She turned to find a scrawny man with a round, bloated face standing at the end of the aisle. She spotted a nametag on his jacket but couldn’t read it from a distance.
“Shopping?” she said innocently. She flashed him her most charming smile, despite knowing that she probably wouldn’t get away with her answer. It was worth a try, though.
It was always worth a try with men.
“The tills are closed. You need to leave this shop.”
Anna opened her mouth, then hesitated. How many weeks’ worth of food did she have if she grabbed her suitcase and ran? Would it be enough?
In that moment, Chris came around the corner holding several multipacks of baked beans. “Have you seen—” Spotting the man, she came to an abrupt halt.
He narrowed his eyes. “Christine?”
“Mike.”
This had to be the manager Chris had mentioned. The expression on his face shifted. With his torch directly aimed at her face, Anna couldn’t make out whether his features were relaxed or angry, but she assumed it was the latter by the way he puffed out his chest.
With his slick hair and neat uniform, he looked like the kind of man who did his job according to the rules in his workers’ manual every day, but especially on a day like this. Loyal to his employer, he knew no flexibility, no mercy.
Desperate to please. And even more desperate to feel important.
“Security,” he yelled, and Anna would have bet money on him not knowing the security guard’s name. “Please detain these two women. They were trying to rob us. Her suitcase is full of stolen food.”
“We’re not trying to rob you,” Anna protested. “Ring it up and I’ll pay for it.” She pulled out her wallet even though she knew she’d brought no cash with her. Only her credit card.
“I know your type.” He sneered. “You’re trying to take advantage of the situation. You’re not dumb. You know that our tills aren’t working during a power cut.” He jabbed his finger in the direction of the security guard. “Why aren’t you calling the police?”
“I can’t call the police. Not without a working phone.” The security guard was a tall man with broad shoulders and sharp eyes. “The shop is empty. Let’s just lock up early and let them go. I’m sure you have Christine’s details. Deal with it tomorrow.”
Anna was about to protest when Mike turned to Chris, bristling. “You are fired.” Anger had coloured his cheeks a bright red.
“Fine. If that’s how you want to handle things.” Chris scowled, tilting her head and exposing the marks on her neck. “A drunkard threatened me tonight. When I called my manager, he failed to show up, and when I finally found him and told him, he sent me back to the till with nothing but a torch during a power cut. And a few minutes later that same drunkard tried to strangle me.” She spoke slowly, enunciating every word. “You’ll be hearing from my solicitor, Mike.”
Anna glanced at the security guard who stood between them and the exit like an immovable boulder. Adrenaline pooled in her stomach. Leaning closer to Chris she whispered, “I need the food. Please.” If she didn’t bring home enough supplies to last a few months, it would have all been for nothing. She’d have to venture out again. This time likely into a mass of panicked people fighting over scraps.
Anna scowled as Mike took a step in their direction. She feared men like him. They were unpredictable when upset. She’d spoken to the likes of him thousands of times at work. The type who was always right and always knew everything better. The type who refused to read the instruction manual, then called customer support because they’d broken their new bathroom cabinet while assembling it. The type who was entitled to compensation, of course, because they were just that important.
He wouldn’t listen to her, and he definitely wouldn’t listen to Chris. Tomorrow, he’d probably tell his mother that he’d known from the start that something was wrong and how he’d single-handedly saved Tesco during a late-night robbery. And if his mother asked why he’d failed to bring home supplies, he’d tell her that he had a plan.
His type always had a plan.
The security guard, on the other hand, appeared to be a sensible man.
So, Anna turned to him. “Is your walkie-talkie still working?”
He shook his head.
“And you said your phone isn’t working either?”
“It’s dead. Must have forgotten to charge it before work.”
“It’s not just your phone.” Anna pulled out her own mobile and pressed the power button for a few seconds, the screen angled towards the guard. “Something fried our electronics. This isn’t just a power cut. A power cut doesn’t affect walkie-talkies and it doesn’t affect phones.” She gestured towards the exit, pointing in the direction of the road. “The cars stopped working, too. All of them. At once. They’re dead in the road. Like bricks.” She waited for the
security guard to meet her eyes. “If I were you, I’d leave now and take home enough food to keep your family safe. Don’t forget vitamins, matches, candles and bottled water.”
He narrowed his eyes, turning his phone around in his large hands. He pressed a few buttons and scowled.
“What’s the worst that could happen if you listened to us and let us go?” Chris asked, her voice soft.
The guard rubbed his neck. “I don’t know.” His eyes flicked from Chris to Anna and back to Chris. He moved his jaw as though chewing on her words.
“Tomorrow, you’ll come back, and you’ll pay for what you’ve taken. They won’t fire you. Not if I tell them that you were the only person to help me when I was attacked.” Chris grinned, her white teeth shining in the light of the torch. “And you’ll have a funny story to tell your wife.”
Of course they’d fire him, Anna thought, but if she was right, nobody was going to come back the next day anyway and it wouldn’t matter.
A smile tugged at the corners of his mouth while Chris spoke. “And what about you?” he asked.
Chris shrugged. “They have my details. It’s not like I can disappear and not pay. I work for them.”
“They might be right, Mike,” the guard said. “You should do the same. Stock up on supplies. Go home. Just in case.”
Mike’s face was the colour of a ripe tomato. “I told you to detain these two women until the police pick them up.”
“I don’t think the police are coming, Mike.” The guard shoved his phone back into the pocket of his trousers. “You can le—”
“No.” Mike spat. “Detain them or I will.”
When the guard didn’t move, Mike pulled a taser from his jacket. Anna blinked as he took a step towards Chris.
Aren’t tasers illegal? Just as that thought flashed through her mind, Anna realised the world had already changed.
And would possibly never be the same again.
She watched, dumbfounded, as fury contorted Mike’s face. His eyes darkened, and he reached for Chris as though possessed by rage.
Just like that. The transformation was complete. From a perfectly well-behaved member of society to a man tasering a woman. Convinced that he was well within his rights to do so.
Anna’s stomach dropped. Do something, she told herself.
Chris’ eyes widened. The security guard moved swiftly, stepping between Mike and Chris, his back to the small woman, and grabbed Mike’s wrist.
“Let go,” the guard grunted, his grip tightening, but Mike held on and pushed against the guard’s stomach.
A flurry of movement. A sharp intake of breath followed by a punch. The guard’s fist connected with Mike’s face. A sickening crunch. Blood spurted from Mike’s nose and he staggered. Both hands flew to his face, and the taser clattered to the floor.
“You’re not going to get away with this,” Mike screeched. Thick blood ran through his fingers.
“Get whatever else you need and leave,” the security guard said to Chris and Anna. “I’ll deal with him.”
Anna didn’t move. Couldn’t move. She blinked, stared. Chris pulled on her elbow. “Come on!”
The coppery smell of blood brought bile to her mouth.
“Anna?”
Dazed, she shook her head and finally realised she had to move. She grabbed her bags and suitcase and followed Chris.
Ten minutes later, they stepped out into the night at the back of the Tesco, and Anna swallowed a sob. Her entire body was trembling.
Beside her, Chris’ nostrils flared. The acrid smell of smoke hung in the air.
“Something is burning,” Anna said.
“Yes,” Chris replied softly. “If you’re right, a whole lot of things will be burning very soon.”
“You don’t happen to own one of those old cars, do you? Something from the 70s?”
Chris shook her head.
“Where do you live?”
“Churchgate Street.”
“That’s a half-hour walk.”
“I know. These bags are too heavy. If I help you home, would you consider giving me your suitcase so I can wheel my bags back?”
“Sure. But I live on Fifth, past Sainsbury’s. That’s a thirty-minute walk in the other direction.”
Chris nodded. “I have rope in my car. We can tie the bags to the suitcase, and I’ll help you wheel it home.”
“And then? What happens once we get home?” Anna asked. The adrenaline had left a bitter taste in her mouth. They stood a few feet apart, but Anna knew Chris could hear the fear in her voice.
“I don’t know,” Chris said.
“If the worst has happened, planes will have come down…” She trailed off as she looked up at the sky. “Some people will already know that the world has changed. They might trust that the government will help, but not all will be happy to stay at home and wait it out. We need to hurry.”
Together they wheeled the suitcase to Chris’ car and retrieved the rope. Anna watched as the smaller woman set to work and tied the bags to the suitcase.
“Pull,” Chris instructed. “Hopefully, this will hold.”
Anna pulled and the suitcase toppled over. She groaned, her lower back twinging, but she squared her jaw and pulled again.
Chris pushed, staggering as she tried to both stabilise and guide the suitcase. Leading them along the back roads she said, “If it was an…EMP? I don’t think the government can fix a thing like that, can they?”
Anna wished she’d put on her running shoes. The effort of lugging a heavy suitcase around sent jolts of pain through her knee with every step. Sweat ran down her back, her shirt sticking uncomfortably to her skin. “I don’t know. They must have the means to communicate. At least some of them. But even if they manage to restore pockets of power…if we can’t produce food and we can’t store anything perishable…” Her voice trailed off as she stopped to take a breath. “There’s no water without power…how long can we last? As a functioning society?”
Behind her, Chris trailed along silently as Anna painted a potential future. “There will be looting, rioting and what have you. We could flee, but where would we go? Do you own a remote cabin somewhere? Because I reckon most of us don’t.” She paused, giving Chris time to answer, but the woman remained silent. “No. I think staying put is the better plan. Can you defend your home? Do you have a dog?”
“We own a house with a small garden. No dog.”
“That’ll be hard to defend. They can come in from all sides. Through every window. You’ll have to barricade yourselves in.”
“They?”
“The looters.” Anna stopped to wipe her face with her shirt. “Does your husband own a gun?”
Chris snorted. “No.”
Anna stopped, turned to Chris and scowled. “I’m not joking. People can survive exactly three weeks without food. With the supply chain gone, we’re going to run out faster than you can imagine. There will be gangs. Mad Max-style. We don’t have time to sit around and think. Don’t ever hesitate, Chris. Act. You’ll see. Tomorrow, life will be completely different.” She resumed pulling the suitcase along and listened to the wheels wobbling along the tarmac.
After a long silence, Chris’ voice almost made her jump. “I really hope you’re wrong.”
“Me too,” Anna said, but in that moment, she would have bet a small fortune that she was right.
Unfortunately, being right meant there wouldn’t be any more betting shops.
4
Chris didn’t know what time it was when she made it back home. The walk to Anna’s flat had been long and difficult with several large bags tied to the suitcase. Chris had waited while Anna had taken her own supplies inside. Chris’ back had nearly buckled at the thought of having to carry everything up to the fourth floor. Thankfully, all of Chris’ things had fit inside the suitcase, which had made the walk back a lot easier.
Chris barely recognised her street in the dark and almost missed her turning. Struggling to see without the aid o
f streetlights, she shuffled along the pavement to avoid the potholes. Her palms had blistered and sweat stung her hands where the skin had ripped.
Lester sat on the steps outside the front door, his face buried in his hands. With his elbows resting on his knees, he looked like he was asleep. Behind him, the door stood wide open, and Chris could see he’d lit some candles in the hallway.
She took a deep breath, her pulse pounding in her throat. “Lester?”
He jerked his head up, revealing tear-streaked cheeks. “Chris?” He reached for her with a trembling hand.
“What’s happened?”
Before she could set the suitcase down, Lester grabbed her shoulders. “He’s gone, Chris. Tom is gone.”
Her heart leapt into her throat, and she pushed past her husband and bolted up the stairs. She heard him shouting but didn’t stop to listen. She rushed into Tom’s bedroom. The bed was made and had not been touched since that morning.
Her son wasn’t there.
“He left to find you. I couldn’t stop him.”
With a painful lump in her throat and her thoughts racing she turned. “When did he leave?”
“About half an hour after the power went out. He insisted that it wasn’t just a power cut. Said something was wrong, and that he had to find you and protect you.”
Lester’s silhouette looked pathetic the way he stood in the doorway, his shoulders slumped, his face wet and pale. Her anger spiked at the sight. “Why would he say that?”
“Something about his computers not working.”
Chris’ stomach flipped. So, Anna had been right. Whatever had happened had destroyed their electronics. “He’s thirteen, Lester. You’re his father. If you tell him not to go out in the middle of the night, he’s supposed to listen.”
Lester’s mouth twisted into a stubborn grimace. “That’s unfair, Christine.” He only called her Christine when he wanted to make sure she was listening. It was his way of telling her to calm and focus, but it only made her angrier. “Should I have physically restrained him? Punched him if he didn’t listen? What do you think I should have done? I told him to wait. I told him you had security at the shop. He didn’t listen.”
Darkness Ahead of Us | Book 1 | Darkness Within Page 3