The Fallout

by Knox, J. C.

  ‘FUCK! WE’VE BEEN HIT!’ Seamus yells.

  ‘Hopefully we’re not taking water on. I’ll go and check on Sarah and Connor.’

  George makes his way down the stairs, horrified when he’s met with water; it’s already halfway up the stairs. Stepping into the water he tries to push the door open, but it won’t move, falling forward with the sway of the ship he loses his footing and stumbles. Swimming up the stairs to get a breath he takes a deep breath before swimming back down, but the door won’t budge. The ship is being thrown in all directions. He swims back up the stairs, a gust of wind knocks him sideways, almost over the side into the deep dark water below. Grabbing the rope on the side he pulls himself toward the control room.

  ‘SEAMUS, I CAN’T OPEN THE DOOR, IT’S FILLED WITH WATER’ he yells.

  ‘WHAT?’

  ‘THE CABIN, IT’S FILLED WITH WATER AND I CAN’T GET IT OPEN YOU HAVE TO HELP ME.’

  Turning to follow George, Seamus lets go of the wheel, but it doesn’t lock, and spins uncontrollably, upending the ship onto its side, he tries to grab and steady the wheel again, but the water crashes into him, knocking him into the side, he loses consciousness. George can’t get his footing as he tries to grab Seamus floating face down in the water, swimming forward he grabs Seamus by the foot, pulling him until his face is out of the water. Clinging onto the side, George pulls Seamus until he’s lying on the deck, pulling himself to look over the side, George spots a lifeboat directly below and uses all his strength to heave Seamus over the side onto the lifeboat below. But the boat is thrown, and Seamus misses the lifeboat, smacking his head off the side, falling into the choppy water below, it’s the last thing George sees before a massive wave crashes down onto the ship breaking it in half and he’s knocked unconscious.

  Chapter 31.

  Blackcliff Island.

  The weather has calmed this morning, but last night was the worst storm Danny had experienced since he and his family moved to the island three years ago. They’d been living here for about a year when he discovered the Island is called Blackcliff Island and was instrumental in the war effort. Lifting the binoculars Danny spots large pieces of driftwood floating towards the beach, but there’s something else.

  ‘What is that?’ he thought, making his way towards the shore, the sea is calm this morning after the crazy that was yesterday and throughout the night.

  Blackcliff Island was a refuge for he and his family, they’d been travelling from place to place trying to escape the radiation, but they’d been unable to settle anywhere until they landed almost accidently here. He doesn’t know what happened to the people that lived here, but they had everything he and his family needed to keep safe. Danny wades out into the water grabbing the bundle, pulling it ashore, he realises it’s a body, a pale bald-headed man. Lifting the binoculars, he scans the water again spotting more pieces of debris, dread fills his core, but he knows he must check to see if there are more bodies. Danny fires up his boat, steering it toward the nearest piece floating, immediately he can see it’s a bald woman and close by there’s a fair-haired child, using all his strength he pulls their bloated bodies onto the boat. He scans the area again, spotting more debris, turning towards it, it’s another bald-headed man lying face down over a large piece of a ship, he grabs the side of the ship and hooks it onto the side of his boat before scanning the area again. There are many bits of ship but no more bodies that he can see, he turns towards the island, but as he’s guiding the boat in, he hears a knocking.

  ‘Ah, no, don’t you let me down girl, I promise I’ll give you a service as soon as we get back,’ he said, checking all the dials, but everything looks fine.

  The noise stops momentarily before starting up again.

  ‘Come on, girl, you can do it, we’re almost back,’ he said, guiding the boat towards the pier.

  The banging starts again only this time it’s louder and coming from the side, Danny ignores it, steering the boat until he can park her up at the pier. As he steps out, he spots movement coming from the other side of the boat, and steps back inside to peer over the side, gasping he almost falls over when he realises the man is alive, and it was him making the noise.

  ‘Mate, can you reach my hand?’ he calls over the side, but the man just lifts his hand and throws it down in front of him.

  He needs help, there’s no way he can pull the man out on his own, he turns and runs up the beach towards the house,

  ‘Kyle, KYLE, where are you? I need help!’ he yells, dashing into the house.

  ‘Danny, what’s wrong with you, stop shouting,’ his mother yells.

  ‘A boat must have crashed last night and there're bodies on my boat, but one is alive. I need Kyle to help me,’ he yells.

  ‘Okay, calm down, Kyle’s in the bunker tending to the plants you go back down to the beach and I’ll get him.’

  Danny runs as fast as he can back down to the beach, onto the boat,

  ‘Mister, my brother is coming, he will help me get you off the boat.’

  But the man has stopped moving.

  ‘Mister, mister are you alive?’ Danny calls, shaking the man, he leans over trying to feel for a pulse, but the man’s face falls into the water, he pulls it out, holding it free.

  ‘Mister are you alive?’ he calls again, but the man’s arm flops into the water when he lets it go. Danny spots his brother running towards him.

  ‘What happened?’ Kyle calls.

  ‘I found bodies floating in the water, this guy was moving but he’s not now.’

  Danny’s older brother Kyle, feels for a pulse,

  ‘Na mate, he’s dead,’ Kyle said, helping Danny pull the body onto the boat.

  The young men lay the bodies out on the boat.

  ‘Do you think they are a family?’ Danny asks.

  ‘Yeah, I reckon they are. But look do you think this guy and the woman are the ones from the photos?’

  ‘When they had hair, it could be, what are we going to do with them, should we bury them or put them back out to sea?’

  ‘If it’s the folks who were here before us, then we should bury them, they saved our lives, without the book of instructions we found in the bunker, we’d all have died. Come on we’ll get some tarpaulin and drag them up to the house,’ Kyle said, lifting the child’s body over his shoulder, carrying him towards the house.

  Later the same day after digging four graves, Danny, Kyle and the rest of the McFee family hold a small service for the people they believe saved their lives and bury the bodies, where they will remain forever on Blackcliff Island.

  THE END.

  Disclaimer.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either products of the authors imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead or actual events is purely coincidental.

  Copyright © 2020 J.C. KNOX

  All rights reserved.

  About the Author

  Originally from Somerset, J.C. Knox lives in Northern Ireland and enjoys the outdoors, including walks in the forest, camping and cycling. She often uses the countryside and life experiences as inspiration for her writing.

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