Aaron grinned. “That would spoil the fun.”
Bill was growing more and more agitated. “I don’t remember the bloody password! How many visitors do you get anyway? If it sounds like me, and it looks like me, don’t you think there’s a good chance it actually is me?”
The hedge shook.
“I might be under duress?” The vein on Bill’s forehead pulsed. “What are you talking about? I’m not under duress. If I was, I wouldn’t have bothered to bring them here. I would have taken them to the back entrance and let them get filled with holes.”
If Bill wasn’t careful, he was going to have a heart attack.
“If you don’t open up in five seconds, I’m going home to get my chainsaw and I’ll cut this bloody hedge down,” Bill said. “How do you like them apples?”
Five seconds later, the hedge hadn’t moved.
“That’s it!” Bill turned on his heel and marched away.
“Bill, wait!” Aaron said.
The hedge shook and tiny needles rained on them from its lofty branches. It swayed hard against an invisible wind. Katie couldn’t believe her eyes as a doorway opened from within the hedge itself.
Bill marched through the gap, his shoulders square and ready for a beatdown. “So, you finally came to your senses?”
“I’ll come to my senses the moment you remember our password,” a new voice said.
Katie held Ella’s hand as they stepped through the hedge-door. Ella touched it as they passed through. She bumped into Katie’s leg and arched her neck to peer up at the house at the centre of a small plot of land, hidden on all sides by four hedge walls.
Bill shook hands with a man with kind eyes. He approached Katie and bowed with a flutter of his hands. “And who might you be, young lass?”
The hedge shuddered and snapped shut behind them.
“Katie. Bill’s granddaughter.”
“I’m Jethro, your humble servant. I see your beauty came from the other side of the family. Maybe even the other side of someone else’s family.” He spoke behind his hand. “To counteract the severity of your grandfather’s hideous affliction.”
“I heard that,” Bill said.
“You were supposed to.”
Jethro bent down and peered closely at Ella. “Hello there, little one. And who might you be? Surely not another one of Bill’s grandkids?”
Ella hid behind Katie’s leg. “This is Ella. She’s a little shy.”
“Shy, ay? I bet I know something that will cure you of your shyness.”
He leaned back, put his fingers in his mouth and blew hard.
They heard the dogs bark before they came tearing around the house. They were big Dobermans, half a dozen of them, all with long slobbering tongues and meaty bodies. They leapt at Jethro, who tucked his hands in his pockets. “All right, boys! Down!”
The dogs were much bigger than Scallywag. Katie didn’t understand how this was meant to put Ella at ease. The dogs quietened down and obeyed their master. Ella stepped out from behind Katie’s leg.
“Step forward a little, Ella,” Jethro said. “And hold out your hand.”
Ella did as he asked, and the dogs watched, enrapt, as Jethro handed her a dog biscuit in the shape of a bone.
The dogs whined and licked their lips.
“Stay where you are!” Jethro said to the dogs. “I’m looking at you, Scamp!”
The dog on the end shuffled forward on his long legs. He laid his head down on his front paws and looked pitifully up at Jethro who’d caught him in the act of cheating.
“On the count of three, boys,” Jethro said. “One… Two… Three!”
The dogs leapt forward.
Ella screamed as they knocked her over. They nudged at her and gently licked at her hand – clamped around their treat – and they sniffed and snorted as she rolled into a ball to protect herself. Then Ella slowly unwound herself and screamed with delight.
The dogs scamped back, scared by the sudden noise, before returning to claim their prize.
Ella snapped the biscuit into six pieces and handed a segment to each pooch. She scratched them behind the ears.
Katie grinned and expected to see Ella beam with happiness but that was far from the emotion she saw on her face.
“What’s wrong, baby?”
Most of Ella’s words were lost as she pressed her face into the folds of Katie’s top. She made out one word and it turned out to be all she needed to understand Ella’s reaction. “Scallywag.”
Katie clutched Ella close and kissed her on the top of her head. They lost Scallywag when they were attacked by the brothers who ran the slave labour farm. They hadn’t seen him since and Katie doubted they would see him again.
“I’m sure Scallywag’s all right,” Katie said. “He’s out there somewhere, happy, running through the big open fields and chasing squirrels.”
Ella sniffed and gripped Katie tighter with her tiny hands. She wasn’t only upset about Scallywag, although that was undoubtedly a big shock for her. It was the loss of her loving parents on the day of the EMP. They hadn’t had enough time for her to properly grieve for them, to process the difficult and complex emotions that came with losing someone so close, so important to you. And to lose both parents on the same day… It was hard for an adult to cope with, never mind a small child.
“Look at me, Ella.”
The little girl wouldn’t look up, so Katie lifted her chin with her finger.
“I will never leave you. Never in a million years.”
Ella nodded her head and a fresh tear rolled down her cheek.
“I’ll always be here for you, Ella. I promise.”
The little girl wiped her eyes dry with her sleeve and wrapped her arms around Katie’s neck, holding her tight.
“I’m sorry if they upset her,” Jethro said, genuinely concerned. “Away with you! Yah!”
The dogs took off, not afraid in the slightest, but well-trained.
“It’s not the dogs,” Katie said. “It’s been a tough few days for her, that’s all.”
“It’s been a tough few days for all of us.” Jethro extended a hand to help them to their feet.
A gang of men stepped from the house’s crumbling facade. They were tall and strong and carried rifles over their shoulders like Rambo with his bow.
Jethro turned to Bill. “It’s only been a couple of days since you last dropped by. Am I going to have to get used to these visits? I’ve never known you to be so social.”
“It’s not out of choice, I can assure you,” Bill grumbled.
The man boomed with laughter. “That much I can guess. I suppose you’ll be wanting to see him?”
“Has he heard anything?”
“I don’t think so but you know what he’s like. Come. Follow me. I’ll take you to Owain.”
8
Katie hadn’t seen so many people in one place since the slave labour farm. Evil men with evil intentions. But this place was different.
Rough men in ragged clothes prepped weapons and automatically stubbed out cigarettes when they saw little Ella approach. They filled every room, carrying out a multitude of tasks. A couple peered at a map on a large table, pointing at locations and disagreeing about what they saw.
Out a window, she spotted a large shed with muddy tracks outside. A pair of armed men watched on as a train of people carried food and water into the kitchen. Other workers weighed both the food and the water, before handing them to a mother and daughter. Nearby men offered to carry the items for them but they refused.
Busy and hectic, there was a completely different aura here to the farm she’d been imprisoned at.
Katie sidled up to her grandfather. “Do you know these people well?”
“As well as it’s possible to know anyone without lifting their shirt,” he said, before remembering who he was talking to. “Why?”
Katie tried to put her instinct into words. It wasn’t easy. “They seem… well organised.”
“Since when
is that a bad thing? Don’t worry. These people are nothing like the ones you were unfortunate enough to run into the other day. These are good people. We’re lucky to know them.”
Katie let out a sigh of relief and was surprised she believed the words coming out of her grandfather’s mouth.
They headed up the stairs and turned another corner. A trio of corridors stretched much further than she anticipated. It was only then she realised just how big this house was. At least twice the size of grandfather’s farmhouse, and that was hardly small.
A high-pitched whistling sound screeched from behind one of the bedroom doors.
Ella’s hand gripped Katie’s hand tighter.
It would have been a scary noise if you didn’t know what it came from, but Katie recognised it immediately. “It’s okay, Ella. It’s only the radio.”
“My radio never sounded like that. It always plays music.”
Katie chuckled. “That’s because this is a special radio. It’s not used for music. It’s for communication with people all over the country.”
All over the world, her father’s voice informed her all those years ago. When the transmitters go down and others resort to messengers and carrier pigeons, those who are prepared will have access to the ham radio.
Right now, the ham radio might very well be the most advanced piece of tech in the whole country.
“Owain’s gathering more information at the moment,” Jethro said. “Take a seat. He’ll only be a minute. Are you sure you don’t want something to eat? Something to drink?”
“Some water, if you have some,” Bill said.
Jethro nodded and headed down the steps.
Bill picked up a nearby magazine and used it to waft some air at himself. “Those were some mighty long staircases, huh?”
Not really. But Bill was an old man. He couldn’t keep up the way he used to.
One of the young women from the kitchen carried a tray of water. She watched it carefully, focusing on not spilling a drop. No older than Camden, she wasn’t pretty and had a kind, open face with dobs of flour on her cheeks. Katie didn’t point them out. She didn’t want to embarrass the poor girl.
Aaron took the heavy tray from the girl. “Let me help you with that.”
She smiled when she caught a glance of his handsome face. She blushed and hid her blossoming cheeks behind petite hands.
For some reason, Katie felt sick to her stomach and suddenly didn’t want to drink any of the sparkling water.
“Take a glass,” Aaron commanded.
“I’m not thirsty.” Secretly she was parched, but she wasn’t about to admit that.
Aaron’s eyes sparkled dangerously. “Take it.”
“I said–”
Bill took two glasses off the tray. He swallowed one whole and held the other in his free hand. “Better?”
Katie ground her teeth and folded her arms.
Aaron took the final glass and handed it back to the girl. “Thank you.”
The flour girl nodded shyly, turned, and skipped down the stairs.
Aaron raised his glass of ice-cold water. “Cheers.” He made a big show of downing it in one and never took his eyes from Katie. “Ah! That has to be some of the best water I’ve had in a long time.”
Ella swung her legs back and forth perched on her chair. She appeared to be enjoying it too.
And now here Katie sat, tired and thirsty as hell. All because she felt, what, jealous of a girl who smiled at Aaron?
Control yourself, girl!
The whistling in the next room stopped. A few soft thuds and light footsteps later, the door opened.
Katie had to shift her eyes down.
So did Ella.
The man had to stretch to reach the doorknob. Hopping off her seat, Ella was almost eye-to-eye with the little man. He wore a long beard and a sharp suit.
“Bill!”
Her grandfather was up on his feet in an instant. The two men shook hands.
“So good to see you again!” Owain said. “Twice in one week? That has to be a personal record for you.”
Bill spread his hands. “What can I say? I missed you.”
“Ha. You want something. That’s why you’re here. That’s why you’re always here.” He nodded at Aaron and shook his hand too. Then he came to Katie and Ella. “Hello. I don’t think I’ve met you two before. Pleasure to make your acquaintance.”
He shook Katie’s hand and nodded politely at Ella, who gawped at him the way some kids stare at pigeons.
“I assume you’re here to talk about passing along a message? How about we step into my office and discuss it in further detail?”
He led the way inside the room. Katie hung back, scooped up Bill’s untouched second glass of water and chugged on it. It was cold and hurt her throat when she swallowed. She wiped her mouth dry, raised her chin, and stepped into the room.
One-nil, Katie.
The room was crammed with everybody inside. The people only took up a fraction of the space. The majority was taken up with more dials and switches than an aeroplane cockpit.
Owain climbed up a set of steps and took his seat at the desk. He turned around in his luxury swivel chair to face the row of simple chairs lined up against the wall.
“A couple of days ago you asked me about your daughter-in-law and your kids,” Owain said. “I assume you came for an update?”
Katie blinked at that. He asked about them already? For what purpose?
The reason was obvious but she couldn’t bring herself to believe it. He actually worried about them? Glancing at him out the corner of her eye, Bill gave no suggestion he cared a single iota for anyone but himself.
“My granddaughter is sitting before you now, so I know she’s okay,” Bill said.
Owain looked Katie and Ella over and settled on Katie. “Good. And your grandson?”
“Back at the house.”
Owain clapped his hands in giddy excitement. “Wonderful! Almost the entire family has come together. As for your daughter-in-law, Nancy, I’ve picked up some signals that suggest she’s high up in the mountains at a community. She came in a car and wasn’t alone.”
Katie’s breath caught in her throat. “Who was she with?”
“A man called Steve? Do you know him?”
“Yes, vaguely. He used to come over sometimes when we went to see my grandparents. He’s a policeman.”
“That’s excellent news,” Owain said with a beaming grin. “There are few people who know communities better than police officers.”
“How did she end up in the mountains?”
“I have no idea. It doesn’t look like she was heading this way when she got forestalled. My guess is she was heading north. She’s alive and well and uninjured.”
Wait… Something about the situation didn’t make any sense. Her eyes widened when she put her finger on it.
“What about Granny? She was sick and there’s no way Mum would leave her like that.”
Owain turned on his swivel chair and rifled through some papers. “Let me see here. I did make some notes somewhere… Ah. Here they are. It appears…”
He drifted off, glanced at Katie and reread his notes as if that would somehow change what he read. “They’re, uh… How do I put this?”
He didn’t need to. Katie could tell by his expression that the news was bad. How it happened was irrelevant at this point. But there was one thing she didn’t know…
“Both of them?”
“Both grandparents? Yes, I’m afraid so.”
Katie wrapped a hand over her mouth and her eyes shimmered with tears. It was the shock more than anything. It wasn’t like she saw them often. Now, she would never see them again, would never hear the funny – to her – stories of the nightmares her granny used to have. She’d been sick for a long time so it shouldn’t have been a huge shock. But it was.
Owain reached over and retrieved a box of tissues. Katie took one and wiped the tears from her eyes. They hadn’t fallen. She bre
athed in through her snotty nose and let out a calming breath. She nodded and was fine. The emotions were still raw and she could feel them prodding at her from behind an invisible wall she hastily erected.
Ella squeezed her hand and gave her a small smile of support. Katie felt stronger already.
“How about the rest of the nation?” Bill said.
Owain glanced at Katie and Ella. “I think we should discuss that in private.”
“This is their world now. They’re the ones who’re going to have to live with the way things are. It’s only right they know the truth.”
Owain shifted in his seat. He didn’t look particularly comfortable but conceded it wasn’t his decision to make. He wiped his sweaty palms on his thighs. “Very well. Where should I begin? I’ve gotten in contact with most of my former contacts. Some have gone dark already, which is more than a little worrying considering how often they were always on the line before. The fact they’re dark tells me things must be even worse in certain parts of the country than they are here.”
He licked his lips.
“You see, when the EMP struck–” He looked at the others. “I assume you all know what an EMP is?” They nodded. “Good. That saves some time. After it struck, we suffered a blackout unlike anything we’ve ever seen before. It’s only now we’re beginning to realise the full extent of that damage. So far as I can tell, it affected every corner of our nation. And even beyond it. This didn’t only affect us. Whatever happened here has, as far as we can tell, hit the entire world. That means the most likely cause of this EMP was a powerful solar event. A solar flare would rip through our technology like a hot knife through butter. It’s going to be a hell of a job to get our electronics working again.”
Aaron leaned forward. “You’re saying the electronics can come back on?”
Owain waved his hand at his radio setup. “This is proof of that. After the EMP hit, all radios were knocked out everywhere. I refused to replace the broken parts with new ones at first in case it happened again. Then I really would be screwed. But there’s no reason newly-made electronics can’t work. Everything we’ve made up to this point has been rendered useless. Those who prepared themselves will still have electronics that work. They needed to store them in strong metal containers or even a thin sheet of foil might have done the trick. But most didn’t. Neither did any government across the globe. So even if someone did have the foresight to protect their equipment, there would still be nothing to connect up to.
Cut Off (Book 2): Cut Throat Page 4