Survivors of the Sun

by Kingslie, Mia

  Georgia felt like squealing with delight, ‘oh, sweet, I can’t believe it.’

  ‘Well, you can thank Jamie, he found it in the other barn, when we checked it out earlier, and thank goodness he did, because we had no candles with us, just my lighter.’

  ‘Yeah, and that’s not all, we also carried in the sofa from the auto shop reception area. Come and check it out, we thought Ruby could sleep on it at night, and during the day, it will give us somewhere to sit if we want.’

  ‘What do you think Ruby?’ Lola asked as they crowded into the barn, eyeing up the faded yellow sofa.

  ‘I think the letting agency has ripped you off dear, the last holiday home was much nicer. There isn’t even a kitchen.’

  Georgia couldn’t help but laugh, and she wasn’t really sure whether Ruby was just teasing. ‘Yes, I think they did, but what do you think of the sofa that Jamie and Josh carried in for you?’

  ‘I think it will do very nicely.’

  Leaving Rebecca and Deedee to set up the sleeping bags, and keep an eye on Ruby and the dogs, the others returned to the dock, to check that nothing had been left behind. They carefully hid their canoe, and placed the other one upside down with the other two, as it had been before, hopefully making their presence less obvious.

  The longer they could stay out of sight the better. The countdown was on. The woman had said they had seven days to register with ‘the Committee,’ and somehow Georgia felt doing that would be tantamount to being controlled, and dictated to. So, the next days were going to be full on, and the onus back on her shoulders to actually make this happen.

  Chapter Sixty Five

  August 27th, Day 48

  As Georgia awoke amongst a tangle of limbs, she lay for a moment listening to the gentle breathing of the others as they slept. Then she caught sight of Ruby asleep on the yellow sofa, those crazy orange curlers in her hair, and her handbag clutched to her breast. For a fraction of a second she felt disorientated, uncertain where they were, then it all came flooding back. The Jenkins property and their plans and as she thought of all they had to do, and how far they still had to travel, anxiety surged through her once more. How on earth were they going to manage it?

  She was no longer feeling quite so confident now that they were here. In fact the very thought of it all, was making her feel sick to her stomach. Back at Stolen Canoe Point, it had all seemed terribly simple. Rig up a bike and the trailer, and load it up with their gear, enough water and food, and be down in Bethel in a week. But now, in the cold hard light of reality, with the automotive shop just next door, she was having doubts.

  Not so much about rigging up the bike and trailer, she was fairly confident she could do that, but she was struggling with the length of time it would actually take them to get to Bethel. Sure they could load up the trailer with water, all their gear, and themselves, then bike down to Bethel. But not in the week she had been unrealistically dreaming off. What on earth had she been thinking? She figured that one person on a bike, could credibly travel that distance in five or six days. But with a rider having to tow so much, it would take at least twice that. So at best, it would take ten days, and that was not even taking into account any steep inclines they might encounter.

  Then there was the all-encompassing constant need to drink and eat. Providing they managed to find more water containers, that part was not an issue. But food for seven people, and three dogs, for ten days. That was not going to happen. That was one hundred and forty meals! Her crazy idea of canning enough food for the trip was…, well a crazy idea.

  ‘Okay,’ she rationalized silently to herself, ‘so we won’t be able to get down there in ten days, so what?’ Instead they would simply stop each afternoon to hunt and gather food. Nothing they hadn’t done before, and they could certainly do it again.

  In fact, it would all be so much easier if, or rather when the trailer set up worked. Not having to carry all their worldly possessions on their shoulders would be a blessing, and Ruby, for one, wouldn’t have to walk. The more she thought about it the better she felt, self-assurance slowly flowing back in to her psyche.

  The important thing, she reasoned, is to stay focused and not panic. If they concentrated on that, surely nothing could stand in their way. Then that nasty little pessimistic voice whispered in the back of her mind, ‘and if the snow comes early?’ She caught her breath, of course there was that! That could stop them. Then she shrugged her shoulders, even though she was alone. Well, if that happens, then they would build an igloo to shelter in and deal with it! She smiled to herself, if life gives you snow, build an igloo. She knew she was being somewhat flippant, but damn, nobody ever put a statue up for a pessimist.

  She unwrapped herself from the blanket she had slept in and stood up, reaching for her jeans, being careful not to wake the others and slid open the barn door. She stepped outside, stretching out her arms and relieving the tension in her shoulders. She slowly drew in long deep breathes.

  She just needed to remain calm, she repeated to herself as she looked around. Besides which, it was hard to stay stressed on such a glorious morning. The early morning dew sparkling as it caught the first rays of sunlight, the air cool, crisp and refreshing.

  For the first time she really took in her surroundings. She had always been so busy before and she found that the sight from atop of the hill was breathtaking. From where she stood she had an uninterrupted view of the entire property, from the waters of the cove slowly eddying past the dock to the road that wound up the hill on the far side of the barn, and out of sight. The very road which would hopefully, take them out of here.

  Across the way were hills framing the valley and on the other side of the water, still covered in mist, were several thin wispy columns of smoke. Further north, she saw more of the same. Cooking fires, she guessed, as she scratched her arm where something had bitten her in the night.

  That could be a problem, for it meant that any fire they made would be clearly seen as well. Even though the people across the way had quarantined themselves, they still had to be careful. However it couldn’t be helped, they had to boil water and cook. She made a mental note to check out the stove down at the house. That it was far from ideal, was a bit of an understatement, but beggars couldn’t be choosers. Failing that, they would have to try and keep smoke to a minimum and put the fires out as soon as they were done with them.

  She became aware of the low murmur of voices coming from the automotive shop. It had to be Josh and Jamie, she realized as she turned and made her way over to the open door. They had been rostered for guard duty the night before; the little that had been left of it.

  ‘Hi ya,’ Josh said, as she stepped into the doorway.

  Jamie gave her a big smile. ‘We’ve been watching you admire the scenery.’

  ‘Well good morning,’ she said, ‘I see you are making yourselves comfortable.’ Jamie grinned up at her, ‘Yeah, we found this Camry backseat propped up against the wall out back, and decided this was a much better position for it.’

  Millie, Badger and Ant lay stretched out between them. Ant’s ear twitched ever so slightly at the sound of their voices, but she made no move to get up.

  She stiffened slightly, noticing that Josh had the rifle loosely over his lap, but almost immediately she relaxed. Lola had obviously decided to go ahead and let him use it. Which despite her earlier misgivings made perfect sense, after all, it was a bit pointless being on guard duty without a weapon.

  ‘So no problems then?’

  ‘Nah,’ Josh said, ‘it’s a pretty good vantage point up here, be hard for anyone to sneak up on us.’

  Georgia nodded. ‘Yes, one of the many bonuses of this place. Did you get any sleep at all?’

  ‘Not much, but I’m good to go, I woke Jamie up just before daylight, I was afraid of dropping off, and then I just couldn’t get to sleep. Though I have to admit I have a bit of a headache, any chance I could have some Ibuprofen?’ As he spoke he kneaded his temples.

  G
eorgia studied him closely. ‘I’m afraid not, we don’t have that many left and if at all possible, I would rather keep it for emergencies, or for Ruby. She has arthritis or something like it and there are times when she can barely move for the pain.’

  ‘I hear where you are coming from,’ Josh said, ‘no big deal.’

  ‘Maybe if you try and sleep it off?’

  Josh got to his feet. ‘Nah, maybe later. So here is where the magic is going to happen?’

  ‘I hope so,’ Georgia said.

  You don’t sound so certain? Don’t you think it will work?’

  ‘No, it’s not that, I mean, yes I think it will work, it’s just the other stuff I am worrying about.’

  Jamie came over to join them. ‘But the trailer is really heavy, even if we do get the bike attached to it, how will one person manage it.’

  Well to be honest I don’t know, but I have seen something a little similar to what I am trying to put together. I was on a stopover in New Delhi, and there was this school bus. It was an ingenious amalgamation of cycle rickshaw and covered trailer. I wish I had photos to show you guys. It was really impressive. Even with something like twelve students on board, and the roof piled high with luggage, the ‘bus driver’ seemed to have no problem keeping up with the traffic.’

  Of course, then she had viewed it through the eyes of an enthusiastic traveler, absorbing all the colors and smells and sounds of an exotic culture. Now she just wished she had paid more attention to the actual construction of it!

  ‘I bet he was really fit,’ Josh said.

  ‘He sure was, he had ripped muscles from calves to thighs and….’

  ‘Woah,’ Jamie said, ‘you seem to have taken a lot of interest in his legs!’

  Josh grinned. ‘She’s gone quite pink,’

  ‘I have not!’ Georgia exclaimed, feeling color inexplicably rise in her cheeks. ‘And anyway, so what if I was, that was long before I met your dad.’

  Jamie grinned. ‘Never mind, your secret is safe with us, right Josh?’

  ‘Yeah, promise not to tell a soul that Georgia’s got a thing for ripped bus drivers.’

  ‘Idiots,’ Georgia said, trying very hard not to burst out laughing. Barely succeeding she turned to Josh. ‘Anyway, do you know much about bikes?’

  ‘You see how she’s trying to change the subject?’ Jamie said,

  Josh chuckled. ‘Yeah, I noticed that,’

  ‘No, I’m not, well yes to be honest, I am. So change of subject, do you know anything about them?’

  ‘Well I had one.’ Josh said, ‘and I rode quite a bit and my dad showed me how to repair it.’

  ‘Sounds like you do know a bit about them?’

  ‘Yeah I reckon so.’

  As they talked Georgia picked her way over to the back of the workshop. She had been looking at the two bikes and suddenly had a brainwave. Why use one bike if you can use two?

  ‘Here, help me get these down, I’ve had an idea, tell me if you see any problems.’

  Once they were lowered to the ground, she stood holding the partially dismantled bikes about two feet apart, parallel to each other. ‘Ignore the missing wheels, they’re still in the boot.’

  ‘That’s a relief,’ Josh said, I was thinking we were missing something fairly important.’

  Georgia raised an eyebrow. ‘So, how would it be if we used both bikes, and welded struts between them? Maybe one rod, from the seat stay and another going across from under the handlebars, anywhere where it won’t get in the way of peddling.’

  ‘I like it,’ Jamie said, ‘two riders,’

  Georgia nodded, suddenly feeling quite excited, ‘I think it would be a lot more stable and I could rig a board or something across the trailer, so whoever is not peddling can sit more comfortably,’ she paused, ‘or do you think that would be unnecessary extra weight?’

  ‘You know that might just work,’ Josh said after a moment. ‘I saw something like that once at a parade. They had two bikes pulling a float with a piano on it. A piano is kind of heavy and there were a few men on the float too.’

  Jamie who had looking at the front of the bikes, looked up. ‘I don’t know. If you stick these together, how are you going to steer?’

  Georgia’s heart sank. ‘He had a point.’

  The three of them crouched down in front of the handlebars. ‘No it should work,’ Josh said, ‘if Georgia welds down here, on the head tube itself, it won’t interfere with turning the handlebars, the bikes will just have to steer independently from each other, and I can’t see that being a problem.’ Josh stood up. ‘I think it’s going to be wicked as.’

  ‘You do?’ Georgia wanted to hug him, hug them both.

  ‘Yeah, we still might have to push it sometimes, but we will be going places in this.’

  Jamie was running his fingers back and forth across one of the handlebars. ‘It needs a name, we should name it.’

  Georgia guessed he had one in mind. ‘Sure, if you want to. What were you thinking?

  ‘Spyder,’ he grinned.

  Georgia laughed. ‘After the car? Good idea.’

  Josh gave a short whistle. ‘What, don’t tell me you guys owned a Spyder?’

  So did everyone know what a Spyder was? Or was it a guy thing?

  ‘I wish,’ Georgia said, ‘but no, Jamie is talking about the Spyder we found. Actually it was a couple of hours before we came across…, well the day we found you. That’s where the champagne came from.’

  ‘I can see why you want to name it that then,’ Josh said.

  ‘Yeah, and because it’s got eight wheels, just like a spider, well, not that a spider has eight wheels…,’

  ‘It’s okay Jamie,’ Georgia said, ‘we know what you mean and I think it’s a great name.’

  ‘So where do we start?’ Jamie asked.

  Georgia bent down and picked up a box of parts, looking for somewhere to put it.

  ‘Well I guess we needed to clear some space here and bring the trailer up.’

  ‘Do you think we could eat first?’ Josh asked, ‘I’m kind of hungry.’

  Georgia looked at him guiltily. She had forgotten all about breakfast. ‘Of course,’ she said, ‘I’ll go wake up the others, and we will see what we can put together.’

  Chapter Sixty Six

  Rebecca was awake, standing on tiptoes, looking out of the small high set window at the back of the barn. The glass was streaked where she had wiped away a thick layer of dust. The top half of the window was strewn with messy long abandoned spider webs. She turned at the sound of the door sliding open.

  ‘What are you looking at?’ Georgia asked as she walked over to Rebecca, putting her arm loosely over her shoulder.

  ‘There’s a campervan parked out the back, do you think I could sleep in it tonight? It might be more comfortable.’ Georgia was a bit surprised because with all the extra sofa cushions and pillows, she had slept like a contented baby.

  ‘You weren’t comfortable?’

  ‘Nope,’ Rebecca said, ‘Lola and Deedee took up all the room, I kept getting pushed onto the ground.’

  ‘Did I do that too?’

  ‘Nope, you were on the other side, it was all them.’

  Georgia looked over at Deedee and Lola, trying hard not to smile, ‘So I see,’ Georgia said. The two of them, lay stretched out, taking advantage of every spare inch. Those two were worse than Boston terriers for ensuring their comfort.

  She turned back to Rebecca. ‘Sorry, you can’t sleep in the campervan, it is safer if we all stay together, but if you like we can check it out after breakfast. At the very least, there might be a foam mattress you could bring in here.’ She was expecting an argument, but Rebecca simply nodded, then indicating Lola and Deedee with her chin, asked, ‘shall I wake them?’

  ‘Absolutely,’ Georgia said, ‘but try not to wake Ruby, she needs all the sleep she can get.’

  Without another word, Rebecca leapt onto the makeshift bed. ‘Wakey, wakey,’ she yelled. Clearly she missed t
he part about not waking Ruby. Grinning broadly, she seemed to be taking an evil delight at the moans emanating from beneath the covers.

  Ant, now awake herself and obviously alerted by the racket Rebecca was making, came tearing round the corner and into the barn. In one movement she bound onto the bed to join in all the excitement, yapping and scratching at the blankets, determined to assist.

  ‘No,’ Lola groaned, ‘I so don’t feel like getting up yet.’ She yanked at the blanket, pulling it up over her head and uncovering an indignant Deedee in the process.

  ‘Goodness, what is going on?’ Ruby asked, looking very confused as she half sat up.

  ‘It’s okay, just trying to get these girls to get up,’ Georgia said, giving Rebecca an exasperated look, before adding, ‘you can go back to sleep if you like.’

  ‘No, I’m awake now, just need someone to help me with my morning ablutions.’

  ‘Rebecca will be happy to help.’ Georgia knew that when Ruby asked for help with her ablutions, she was actually asking for assistance to go to the toilet. With her arthritic knees, even though she now was a lot fitter, she still occasionally needed someone to help support her while she crouched down, especially first thing in the morning.

  Rebecca glared at Georgia, but Georgia ignored it, smiling sweetly at her, wordlessly telling her, ‘well you woke her up!’

  As the two of them made their way out of the barn, Georgia looked back down at the girls, then tugged at the blanket. ‘Time to get up.’

  Deedee sat up, her hair spiked in all directions. ‘Okay, okay, I’m up.’

  Lola clutched harder at the blanket and made an indecipherable sound, which was probably something quite rude, then more distinctly added, ‘wake me up when the power comes back on.’

  Georgia laughed, letting go of the blanket. ‘Might be a really long time before that happens, how about I bring you a coffee instead?’

  ‘Yeah,’ Lola mumbled, ‘need coffee,’ and promptly went back to sleep.

  After breakfast, the six of them pushed the trailer up the hill to the workshop. Ruby sat on the sidelines, with the dogs, cheering them on as though they were at a football match. It was very tough going, hot, muscle straining and exhausting, but even so it was a lot easier than Georgia had thought it would be. They had worked out that the best way to handle it (aside from making sure the mechanical drop bar had been lifted), was to zig zag the trailer back and forth across the road as it became steeper.