Survivors of the Sun

by Kingslie, Mia

  ‘Have they ever stayed away before?’ Georgia asked.

  He shook his head. ‘It’s a weekly thing,’ he said. ‘The very first time they went out, Mack, one of our group, returned alone at dusk, to let us know that they had shot a deer, but hadn’t killed it right off, they were tracking it, and not to expect them till the next day.’

  He went on to explain that aside from the hunting party, there were only two other men in the camp, both of them in their late seventies. There were also nine women and six children, the youngest who was six months old.

  As he spoke, Georgia gave a quick glance back at her own group, they had moved a little down the embankment and were now standing in the shade of a tree. Jamie and Deedee were on guard and at the ready. She gave a thumbs up, and saw them relax ever so slightly. She suddenly saw them as a stranger would see them, quite formidable, warlike, haughty, and savage and not like children at all. In fact, they looked so very like Apache Indians, it was as though, somehow, they had stepped through the very fiber of time to be here.

  ‘We are like a big family,’ Harold continued, not appearing to have noticed the ‘Apaches’, ‘most of us coming back here each year in the summer. I’ve been coming here since I was a boy. Now I come with my wife, my daughter and her husband.’ He waved vaguely in the direction behind him.

  Georgia peered over his shoulder but could not see anything. If a camp was there, it was well hidden.

  ‘Gonna be a granddaddy, baby on the way,’ Harold added, ‘due in October.’

  ‘Congratulations,’ Georgia said automatically.

  ‘Thank you,’ he said, shaking his head slowly. ‘Might not be a good thing though. My wife is a midwife, but so much can go wrong.’

  She did not know how to reply to this and for a moment they were both silent. He was right, without antibiotics, and ultrasounds and all they had taken for granted so much could go wrong.

  ‘So,’ he said, clearing his throat, ‘you headed for Warsaw?’

  ‘Yes, going on further south. How is it over there? We still have a fair way to go, and will be needing supplies.’

  ‘Well,’ he pulled his hat off and began slowly scratching his head, reminding Georgia of a fat Galah, idly scratching its crest. ‘You might be able to trade for supplies at Warsaw. We’ve been able to get some gear in exchange for venison, they are happy to trade for meat, mind you they won’t part with any medicine or ammunition. They seem to have had some kind of a committee set up that controls all that.’

  Georgia was surprised, ‘a committee?’

  ‘Yeah, town seems pretty organized that way.’ He coughed and spat into the grass. Then went on, ‘most of them left after word came of the power station meltdown, up near St Louis somewhere, but there is still a couple of hundred people living in Warsaw by my reckoning.’

  Despite the heat of the day, Georgia suddenly felt chilled to the bone. It was one thing to muse over the possibility of such a thing happening, but to actually hear that it had, was something else altogether.

  ‘Meltdown?’ she echoed, ‘when did that happen?’

  ‘Not rightly sure, but it would have been well over two weeks ago. A couple of guys came through on horseback and told us about it, they had come across a group of people a few days earlier, said they were mighty sick, radiation sores all over them.’

  ‘Oh God!’

  ‘Yeah, sounded mighty bad. There was a lot of talk, about radiation clouds, headed down here and we lost a few from our own group that day, mind you, it meant less mouths to feed. They headed south as well. But so far none of us are sick, so I guess we must be far enough away.’

  ‘I guess so,’ Georgia agreed, grateful that she had found those iodide tablets. She also felt, somewhat guiltily, a sense of exoneration. She had been right after all. Right to leave the city, right to insist they all take the tablets, handing them out, each and every day, for the recommended ten days. For now there was the knowledge that, there was nuclear contamination in the air, even if it was all the way up near St Louis.’

  ‘So what are you needing,’ Howard asked, his voice suddenly all business like.

  ‘Well food for a start, and we are going to need warmer clothes, shoes and blankets, possibly even a tent.’

  ‘Mighty sorry, but I can’t offer you any food, we are getting pretty low ourselves. Harold looked embarrassed as he said this, and Georgia hastily assured him that she absolutely understood. She did not expect him to give them any food.

  ‘But I tell you what,’ he interrupted, ‘you should be able to find blankets and such over at the abandoned Pacelli place. You might even find a tent.’

  ‘The Pacelli Place?’ Georgia queried.

  ‘Yeah, The River View Resort, it’s a large camp ground with rooms, cabins, that kind of thing; used to have a great restaurant too. You’ll find it easily enough; it is on the way to Warsaw, about four or five miles from here.’

  Rooms and cabins equaled blankets, sheets, and beds. A real bed with pillows. Maybe, they could bunk down there for the night.

  Harold was still talking, ‘food wise, we pretty much cleaned it out a couple of weeks back, but we left a lot of the bedding and such behind, only took what we really needed. Odd world now,’ he suddenly added, ‘never taken a thing in my life that wasn’t mine before this,’ he wiped his sleeve across his eyes, his voice had a touch of what might have been shame in it, and as he spoke his face screwed up and it occurred to Georgia that he was fighting back tears.

  She reached out and gently touched his arm. ‘It’s what we have to do, now,’ she said.

  ‘Yeah, I know, however, it still seems wrong. I mean, I knew the Pacelli couple really well. Mighty friendly they were, Jerry and I occasionally went fishing together when the Resort wasn’t too full.’

  ‘Did… did something happen to them?’ She asked before she could stop herself. Suddenly sickened to her stomach

  ‘You mean like did we kill them.’ He shook his head. ‘No, we didn’t,’ he spoke softly staring at the ground, his voice barely above a whisper, ‘but they might be dead.’ He shrugged his shoulders. ‘So many people are, makes me feel mighty bad about it.’

  ‘So what happened?’ Georgia asked, dropping her voice as well.

  Harold suddenly looked so much older, haggard almost. ‘I don’t rightly know. They just weren’t there one day, nor were any of their staff.’

  Georgia stared at him, a cold tight ball of fear settled in the pit of her stomach, careful, a voice in the back of her mind warned. You are stepping into territory that is best, left undisturbed.

  She looked back towards Lola and the others, they seemed to recognize her tension, Deedee and Jamie had come a little closer. She held up her hand to stay them, then turned to Harold.

  ‘Maybe they went to family,’ she said slowly, staring at him, ‘if so, I don’t see any reason to feel bad.’ She stopped talking. Her heart thudded inside her chest so loudly she was convinced that Harold could hear it. Nobody just ups and leaves a fully stocked and supplied place. Moreover, any family would be making their way here, not the other way round. They certainly did not just disappear and leave the place untouched.

  ‘Maybe they went to family, maybe not,’ Harold said, ‘I just feel bad because I know how hard they worked to get that place back up on its feet. By all accounts the previous owners had all but run it into the ground.’

  Georgia didn’t say anything.

  Harold drew in a deep breath. ‘Anyhow, like I said, there should be plenty of blankets over there and you should probably stay the night and relax. You look kind of done in, and there’s good fishing to be had there.’ He sounded thoughtful, caring, like a kindly uncle, and Georgia felt a momentary prick of shame.

  She smiled at him. ‘Good idea, we will do that.’ Then common sense prevailed. Relax? Was he kidding? One thing was for sure, as tempting as the thought of sleeping in a real bed was, they were absolutely not going to be staying the night at this River View Resort.

 
She held out her hand. ‘We had best be going now,’ she said, ‘thank you for the heads up, I really appreciate it, and good luck in October.’

  ‘October?’ He seemed puzzled.

  ‘Yes, with the birth.’

  ‘Oh yeah the birth.’

  They shook hands. She might be paranoid, as Lola loved to point out, but not only did she suspect that he had something to do with the disappearance of the people from the resort, she was seriously beginning to doubt, that there actually was, a cluster of women and children and two aged men, just out of sight behind the trees. If they did exist, they were uncommonly quiet.

  She made her way back through the grass towards the others. For a moment, she didn’t see Lola but as she came up the embankment, Lola leapt to her feet, tossing aside the grass stalk she had been chewing.

  ‘What did he have to say?’ she asked.

  As Georgia pulled on her pack, she began recounting their exchange.

  ‘So how come they are still here?’ Deedee asked, ‘Why…,’

  ‘I don’t know, I think they are living in motor homes and the like, perhaps they don’t want to leave them.’ Georgia clipped the strap across her hips, and then pulled it tight. She had learnt that it was much easier to have that strap tight; really tight. ‘Anyway, let’s get moving. I’ll tell you the rest as we go, but one good thing; it seems that we can trade meat for goods in Warsaw.’

  She turned to wave cheerily to Harold, to allay any fears that he had aroused her suspicions, but he was gone and that unnerved her even more.

  Chapter Thirty Six

  It was with mixed feelings that Georgia thought back about the chance meeting. The encounter had unnerved her, but as untrustworthy as she felt this Harold character was, the knowledge she had gleaned from him had given her hope and confidence that the way ahead would be a little easier.

  They had spent so many weeks carefully avoiding populated areas out of fear and concern for their safety. Fears that were proved justified by experience, never knowing what real dangers lay ahead. But it seemed that here, or at least once they reached Warsaw, they would be able to drop their guard.

  If the residents of that town had organized themselves into a self-governing body, then it stood to reason that they would also have a system of law and order. The idea that the citizens of that town were open to trade was very encouraging. Harold had said they would trade goods for meat, but surely they would trade for other things as well? Like the gold she had tucked away in her pack. Perhaps they would be able to trade some of that for good winter clothing. Even woolen gloves and hats would be a good start.

  The days were still baking hot, but this weather could not last, and when fall arrived, Georgia knew from experience, the change in seasons would be swift and merciless. They would not stand a chance without warm clothing.

  As they started walking, Georgia shared the rest of what she had learned from Harold with the others, including all of her suspicions. She had decided that she would not be keeping secrets from any members of their little group ever again. Yesterday had been a debacle, which probably could have been avoided if she had just told Rebecca the truth, straight away. She was still not speaking to any of them, and what was worse, was flatly refusing to help with anything. It was so hard to tell what was actually happening in her mind.

  ‘So are we going to stay the night there?’ Lola asked, when Georgia came to the part about the River View Resort.

  She shook her head. ‘No, as tempting as the thought is, I think we should grab what we need, and keep on going. We really need to reach Warsaw before it gets too late in the day, that way we can get our business over and done with and still have plenty of time to find a decent campsite.’

  She knew her decision was a harsh one, choosing to sleep once more out in the open, when there were soft beds just waiting to be slept in, but Harold’s insistence that they overnight there, and the unexplained absence of the owners, seemed like two very good reasons to keep going.

  The heat was unbearable, and they were forced to stop twice, mostly to give Ruby a short break, for while she did not complain, it was clear that she was suffering from the unaccustomed exercise. It was only when they stopped the second time, and the dogs were thirstily lapping at their water bowl, that it occurred to Georgia to check Ruby’s drink bottle. She was horrified to discover that Ruby had not even taken a sip from it.’ At this rate she would become dehydrated!

  There had been a short battle of wills, with Georgia trying to get her to drink some water, and Ruby insisting she was fine, and was happy to wait until they stopped at a little café on the way, where they could order tea and scones. Eventually, Georgia won out, and Ruby drank water. As they continued on their way it was decided that anytime someone stopped to have a drink, they had to ensure that Ruby had a little as well.

  Despite the stops, they reached the resort in just under two hours. It was with some relief that they spotted a large brown billboard ahead of them, proudly announcing ‘The River View Resort’, and beneath in exaggerated inverted comas ‘Where you can’t bear to leave’.

  Yet, if one were to believe Harold, the Pacelli’s had done exactly that. They crossed the forecourt and headed towards what appeared to be the main building. Outside the reception area, two hand-painted signs, leaned against the wall. One, apologizing for the resort being temporarily closed due to lack of running water and power, and the other inviting passerby’s to come on in and leave a message on the wall, letting friends and family know, should they happen to come this way, that they were alive and well. The white paint had run in places but the writing was legible, and the latter had been signed, ‘your hosts, Jerry and Janine.’

  They had gone inside, and now stood, crowded together, almost awestruck, gazing at the walls. So many people had taken up the offer to leave messages, that there was barely any space left amongst the scrawled communications.

  Some of the messages; ‘Jeffrey, Gladys and I are taking a kayak, to Uncle Henry’s cabin - Denise Coombes, August 2nd’, and ‘Today, 14th July, Bertha Cunningham and the MacDuff twins are headed to Eureka Springs’, were short and to the point, others read like an advisory bulletin. Informing travelers where safe lodging could be obtained (one night only), of people who had died, where there was a doctor who would set broken bones in exchange for food, and places to avoid due to warfare or disease.

  There was even a clear plastic bag taped to the wall filled with some sort of mushroom. (Now half decomposed.) Large letters warned; ‘don’t know what these are called, but do not eat them, two of our party died after consuming them.’

  ‘Well, I’ll be!’ Lola exclaimed as she read the message, ‘those are Deadly Galerina, I reckon they must have been real desperate to eat those!’

  ‘Or really stupid,’ Georgia thought cynically. No matter how hungry they had been, they had all agreed, for exactly this reason that wild mushrooms were out of the question.

  She read the last of the messages, as the faint glimmer of hope that there would be a message from Nathan, died away. For one wild excited moment, she had imagined, that here on this wall, there would be irrefutable proof, that he was still alive. That he was on his way to Bethel. It had been a foolish hope, because she knew full well, that the odds that he was still alive, were astronomical.

  ‘Weird, don’t you think?’ Jamie said suddenly.

  ‘What is weird?’ Georgia asked, feeling somewhat despondent.

  ‘That Jerry and Janine, didn’t leave a message themselves, I mean, in here on the wall, like this, telling people where they were going.’

  Georgia and Lola exchanged a look, Jamie was right, she was just about to reply when Lola said, ‘I reckon, you are right, that is weird.’ Then, looking over at Georgia she added, ‘I think we need to find those blankets or whatever and get the tarnation out of here.’

  They hurried out of the reception, making their way past the pool and a large barbeque area. The wooden walkways were covered with leaves and the pool was a
nasty color, dark with algae and things that moved just below the surface, just looking at it made Georgia want to shudder.

  ‘Anyone for golf?’ Lola joked, as they stepped through the mini golf area, but no one laughed.

  It was only once they reached the row of motel rooms, that Georgia realized that Rebecca and Ruby had not followed them. ‘Hang on, I will be right back,’ she said, looks like we left Ruby and Rebecca behind.

  ‘Yeah, and um, I guess you will need to get the keys as well,’ Lola said, as she tried the nearest door handle. ‘Looks like the rooms are locked.’

  Georgia found Rebecca still standing in reception, staring at the messages. Ruby had ensconced herself in a comfortable chair and was leafing through a magazine. As the door banged shut, Rebecca turned and stared at Georgia, tears in her eyes. ‘I thought Dad might have left us a message,’ she said.

  ‘So did I…,’ Georgia began.

  ‘Oh there you are,’ Ruby exclaimed, we wondered where you had gone. The service isn’t very good here, is it? I rang the bell, but nobody came, not even a porter, and I didn’t like to ring again.’

  ‘Never mind, we won’t be staying.’

  Ruby rose to her feet and placed the magazine neatly back on the pile. ‘Yes, well I can quite understand why, but shouldn’t we wait?’

  ‘Wait?’ Georgia echoed, only half paying attention as she stepped behind the reception desk and unhooked the keys to the rooms. She dumped them into the bag with Ant, receiving a long suffering look from her, at this misuse and abuse of her home.

  ‘Yes, we really should wait. Lexie and Josie should be here anytime soon.’

  Georgia froze, glancing over at Rebecca, but it did not appear as though she had heard. Thank goodness for that.

  ‘Oh,’ Georgia said, then not really sure how to handle this, decided for bluntness. ‘No Ruby, we are definitely not meeting them. They have other commitments.’

  Then not waiting to see how Ruby took this, she hurried over to Rebecca. ‘Come on, we have to go,’ she said, tugging her by her sleeve and successfully bundling her out of the door. As she did so, she caught sight of Ruby, settling back into the chair.