Time Split - Briggs
Page 14
“Get up here!” he called breathlessly.
She started up the rungs, the urgency in his voice commanding immediate attention. “What is it?” she yelled, but the outside door went again and Jason disappeared without a response.
Several scenarios ran through Sarah’s mind and her pace faltered when she decided he may have encountered troops gathering survivors.
“Why run off,” she muttered. “Talk to me first. You don’t know this place. You stay away from everyone.” She arrived at the top of the ladder. “We’re definitely done for now.” She stepped up to the door and reluctantly pushed it open.
A waft of fresh, spring air assaulted her nostrils, a background drone she had become unaccustomed to enveloped her ears and a brightness unhindered by clouds dirtied with nuclear fallout caused her to blink rapidly as her pupils struggled to adjust. She stepped outside and saw Jason standing at the end of the pipe.
He waved a hand. “Come,” he said, beaming so widely it appeared as though his face had split in two. “Everything is all right.”
At first Sarah thought she had misheard him, not daring to believe anything could be all right ever again. “What?” She started towards him, her fatigue fading.
“I don’t know how, but everything is back to normal,” Jason screamed ecstatically.
She ran towards him, her elation increasing as more of the outside world became visible.
Grass was growing beyond the edge of the pipe, a tower block came into view and the vaporous, telltale signs of air traffic streaked the sky.
She stepped outside and looked around.
The morning rush hour was in full flow and cars shuffled bumper to bumper along the road at the bottom of the bank.
Sarah fell to her knees and began to sob with relief; it was some time before she recovered enough to compose herself.
“I’m sorry I was so arrogant as to think I could interfere in time and not pay the consequences,” Jason said. “Please forgive me.”
She looked up, her face streaked where days of grime and dirty dust had been washed away by the salty droplets, and gently nodded. “What are you going to do?”
“Before we leave I’ll dismantle the main motherboard, so no-one else can use it. I’ll have to talk to General Worthing and make him understand exactly how dangerous using this machine is. I’ll also have to tell him about Briggs, as no doubt someone’ll find his body eventually and he may well be reported missing. I’ll then have to go back to the beginning with my research into teleportation and find out where I went wrong when I introduced live matter to the system.”
“Sounds good to me.”
“What about you?”
Sarah smiled. “I’m going home to see my parents.” She sighed, her face suddenly pained. “I haven’t seen them for nearly two months and I thought I would never see them again.”
Jason helped her to stand. He looked her up and down. “What, looking like that?”
She pushed a hand against her hair, then gave up when it jumped back into exactly the same position. “I never thought...” She looked uncomfortable. “You’re right. I can’t walk through the door looking like this.”
“We’ll sort out that board, then I’ll get us a taxi and you can come to my place and get cleaned up. My wife is about your size, you can take some of her clothes.”
Chapter Thirty
Ponteland
Jason rapped the knocker. He waited a moment, then tried again when nobody answered.
Sarah began to pace. “This is definitely your house?”
“Yes.”
“By definitely, I mean... Well, you know what I mean,” she said, her voice trailing off.
He shot her a nervous look, moved to the window and was just about to look inside when the front door opened.
Jessica stared at Sarah. “Can I help you?” then, “Jason,” she said, surprised, when he returned to the path. Her brow furrowed. “What are you doing out here and where’s your key?”
“I’ll explain in a minute, we just have to get inside.”
Jessica moved back to make room for the pair. “Hello,” she said as Sarah stepped into the house.
Sarah smiled, uncomfortably aware of her dishevelled appearance. “Hello, I’m Sarah.”
“Jessica, Jason’s...”
“Wife, yes I know,” Sarah said.
Jason stopped. “And sweetheart,” he pointed outside, “can you pay the taxi?”
Jessica turned wide questioning eyes to her husband before she grabbed her purse and headed for the road.
Later over breakfast, Jason brought his wife up to date.
“I can’t even imagine what you’ve been through,” Jessica said to Sarah, “but to have survived that, is incredible.” She looked at her empty plate, mopped clean with bread. “Have you had enough to eat?”
“Yes,” Sarah said. “I can’t remember the last time I felt this full. It was always just barely enough to get by and towards the end, not even that.”
“We’ll have to get you cleaned up,” Jessica said, “so you can get back to your family.”
Sarah smiled. “That would be nice.”
“And clothes?” Jason reminded.
“You can have anything you want. I think we’re roughly the same size, although it might be a little slack because you’ve lost so much weight. I’m sure we can sort something out.” She led Sarah from the room and guided her upstairs.
Jason looked around the kitchen. The last time he was here he was fighting for his life, although the decor was slightly different at the time.
He stood, moved to the living room and scanned a bookcase to the left of the fireplace. He never thought he would be relieved to see a history book about World War Two sitting on the top shelf. He slipped it from its place and flicked through to a chapter dedicated to the activities of Hitler prior to him becoming chancellor, before the start of the war. Halfway down the second page the rally was mentioned in Havelberg and how an attempt on Hitler’s life had resulted in a non-life-threatening injury. A woman was apprehended, but managed to get away, along with her male accomplice, who was shot several times before he escaped.
Jason closed the book. The front door opened, as he returned it to the shelf.
“Hellooo!” a familiar voice called.
He turned to face the hall, just as his mother passed the lounge.
She stopped and came back when she saw him in the room. “Where’s Jessica, darling? Did she tell you we were going shopping this morning?” She continued towards the kitchen. “You’ll not want to come; I know how much you hate being dragged from store to store.”
Jason followed behind, fighting to control his emotions. He watched her for a while, as she made a cup of tea, relishing her company. “I would love to come shopping with you,” he finally choked, “it seems like for ever since we spent any time together.”
Epilogue
Sarah waved from the back of the taxi as the car pulled away. As they left the housing estate and entered the main high street running through Ponteland, she settled into the seat and revelled in its softness and comfort.
She had no idea how long it would take her body to recover and, her emotional state, she thought never would.
The closer she got to Gosforth, the more excited she became, but the greater her nerves.
She was shocked when she saw herself in the mirror after her bath and did not know how she was going to explain her appearance to her mother. Pale and gaunt, she looked almost skeletal compared to her healthy appearance.
The taxi picked up speed as they left Ponteland behind and headed towards the motorway.
The tightness in Sarah’s throat increased as the gradient climbed and by the time they stopped at the roundabout, she was feeling positively sick. She looked out the window, then turned away, focusing on the back of the driver’s seat when she remembered less than six hours ago she was running for her life on this very spot. She relaxed when the driver turned left rather than going str
aight on, which would have taken her past the bunker. She was unsure at this stage of how she would react and feared another meltdown in the back of the cab.
He picked up the pace further and before long they turned off the motorway and joined the smaller B roads which led to her street.
Sarah’s heart increased and she began to feel sick again as the taxi pulled to a stop outside of the small semi-detached house. She paid the fare, got out of the cab and walked up the path to the front door. Then suddenly she realised, like Jason, she did not have a key. She tried the handle and was relieved to find it open.
She stepped into the house and was halfway down the hall when her mother came out of the kitchen, drying her hands.
She looked at Sarah, shocked.
Sarah suppressed a panic when it crossed her mind that she might not belong here.
“What are you doing home?” her mum asked. “You only went to work a few hours ago.”
Sarah paused, her mind racing for a plausible answer. “I wasn’t feeling well,” she said, hushed.
Her mum came closer and brushed her hair away from her face. She looked alarmed. “You look terrible.” She put down the towel and crossed to the phone. “I’ll call a doctor.”
“No, I’ll be fine,” Sarah said. “I’m feeling much better now.” She moved and embraced her mother. “I just needed to be with my mum.”
The End.
About the Author
I have enjoyed writing stories all my life. I also have a fascination for astronomy and science and would lie in bed from a very young age looking at the stars.
I joined a local astronomy group when I received my first telescope at Christmas a number of years ago. Since then I’ve enjoyed many a night, freezing until I can’t stand it anymore, looking at the delights of the Universe and the magical wonders of alien worlds.
I started my career in computing, but presently work at a college helping students improve their maths and English. The rest of my time is worked around my writing.
I live in Northumberland, England, with my husband and three cats. Whenever possible, we (not the cats) like to fit in some walking and mountain biking in the magnificent Northumberland and Kielder hills.
In the last fifteen years, I have written, for publication, the novella, Time Split and the novels: Distant Suns, Distant Suns – The Journey Home, Distant Suns – The Silexous and Islands – The Epidemic.
I strive in my writing to give the reader a rollercoaster ride of emotions and excitement, mixed in with a good dash of fear – all from the safety of their armchair.
Links to Patricia’s Novels
US links:
https://www.amazon.com/Time-Split-Patricia-Smith-ebook/dp/B005EI9IN8
https://www.amazon.com/Islands-Epidemic-Patricia-Smith-ebook/dp/B00LDXEXWO
https://www.amazon.com/Distant-Suns-Patricia-Smith-ebook/dp/B006LWWLSK
https://www.amazon.com/Distant-Suns-Journey-Patricia-Smith-ebook/dp/B00EPF56RI
https://www.amazon.com/Distant-Suns-Silexous-Patricia-Smith-ebook/dp/B012BO04HQ
UK links:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Time-Split-Patricia-Smith-ebook/dp/B005EI9IN8
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Islands-Epidemic-Patricia-Smith-ebook/dp/B00LDXEXWO
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Distant-Suns-Patricia-Smith-ebook/dp/B006LWWLSK
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Distant-Suns-Journey-Patricia-Smith-ebook/dp/B00EPF56RI
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Distant-Suns-Silexous-Patricia-Smith-ebook/dp/B012BO04HQ
Return to Table of Contents