Shadows

by Terry Schott

  "That will cause chaos," said Dawn. "Nearly all money today, in every country, is fiat money. It's worth something because a government says it is, and people believe it. If people lose their reason to believe money is worth anything, that will remove the major influencer of their actions."

  Desdemona nodded. "Yes. Modern civilization, as we know it, is about to end."

  Dawn and Sam sat in stunned silence for a few moments.

  "We are going to have to tell Dad," Dawn said.

  Desdemona smiled. "I know. Make sure to also tell him that there is nothing he can do to stop it." She took a sip of tea. "And be sure to give him a kiss for me."

  46

  "How are you doing?"

  Kerstin pulled back the hood of her jacket and looked around nervously. The banks had been offline for two days. So far, everyone had remained peaceful and calm, but people were getting hungry. The threat of violence hung over the city like an approaching storm on a humid summer day. Kerstin's mom had begged her not to go out, but Sarah-Marie had sounded upset on the phone and begged to meet.

  "Grocery stores are closed," Sarah-Marie said, "and we didn't have much in the house to eat when this all went down. Mom always likes to go shopping late at night when there are no crowds and the food is all freshly stocked. Things went sour a couple of hours before she went."

  "Here." Kerstin looked around to make sure they were alone before handing her friend a bag. "There's quinoa in here. Not very flavourful, but it's healthy. It has most of the protein a body needs and can keep you guys going for a couple weeks. If you have some chicken or beef cubes, throw one into the boiling water before you add the grain. Same ratio of water to grain as with rice; two cups of water and one of quinoa."

  Sarah-Marie accepted the bag and smiled. "Thanks so much, Ker. A few days ago we were on top of the world, and now everyone is frightened of starving to death. It's stupid to be stacked together in cities like this."

  "We have to stay off of the streets and travel in groups," Kerstin said, echoing the warnings that all forms of media were broadcasting. "At least the water and power are still functioning. If that had all gone offline things would be worse."

  "Some variety stores near my house have been broken into and sacked."

  "Same with the ones near me," Kerstin nodded grimly. "If things stay like this for much longer, it's going to get bad."

  "What do we do if that happens?"

  "I don't know. I've spoken with Dawn and Sam. They say things are being 'worked on,' but they aren't giving me any instructions."

  "Why would they?" Sarah-Marie asked. "SHEPHERDS is offline. We can't expect them to lead us in a real-life crisis."

  "Of course we can. That's exactly what we should expect. Our group is more than just a few kids playing games. We should all band together and help protect each other."

  "Do they say that?"

  "Yes," Kerstin nodded. "If this escalates, Dawn has assured me that we will all group up."

  "What about our families?"

  "I assume they will join us," Kerstin said, frowning uncertainly.

  "I guess we'll find out soon enough. I suspect things will get worse."

  Kerstin shook her head. "So much chaos and confusion over money. It's horrible."

  "That's the world we live in," Sarah-Marie said. "At least, I hope that's still the world we live in."

  "Maybe we should leave the city, before the rest of the population comes to the same conclusion and starts a mass exodus out of here."

  Sarah-Marie paused for a moment, then nodded. "Maybe you're right. Any idea where we should go?"

  "Not really, how 'bout you?"

  Sarah-Marie looked around, then leaned in to whisper. "I have cousins who live outside of the city with a fallout bunker and all sorts of supplies. I know they would let us live with them until this all blows over. How big is your family?"

  "My parents, and my brother." Kerstin said. "How many will you bring?"

  "Same. Do you think we should just go ahead and get out of here?"

  Kerstin considered for a moment, then nodded and sighed. "Yeah, I think we should."

  The two girls agreed to go collect their families as quickly as possible and lead them to a landmark near the city's edge. As they were getting ready to go, Kerstin's phone rang.

  "It's Dawn," she answered the phone. "Hey, Dawn, what's up?"

  "You have to get out of the city," Dawn said on the other end of the line.

  "What?" Kerstin took a step backward.

  "Get your family, gather up whatever you can as quickly as possible, and head for the north edge of the city."

  "Why? What's wrong?"

  "I have to make more phone calls, Kerstin," Dawn sounded tired. "If you ever needed to trust me with no questions, now is the time."

  "Okay." And it's official. I am now scared.

  "Call your people and get them out of the city as well. We will all gather together and head for someplace safe."

  "Where is it safer?"

  "I have a place in mind," Dawn said. "Get to the rendezvous point I text you, and do it quick. Understand?"

  "Yes," Kerstin answered.

  "Good. I will text you the place for us all to meet. Reply back to let me know that you get it, okay?"

  "I will."

  "Good, I will see you soon. Be careful, Kerstin." The phone line went dead.

  Kerstin hung up the phone and looked at Sarah-Marie, who asked, "What's wrong?"

  "Dawn agrees. We all have to get out of the city. Now." Her phone chimed to announce an incoming text. Kerstin looked at it and then showed her friend. "This is where we need to go. As fast as we can possibly get there."

  Sarah-Marie nodded and took off toward her home at a sprint. She called back over her shoulder, "We'll be there in less than an hour. Good luck!"

  Kerstin started running toward her own house, trying to figure out how to convince her family to follow her.

  47

  "I just heard from the kids."

  William's head snapped up as his brother strode into the room. "Where are they?"

  "In the city," Harry said. "They were dropped off at my house a few moments ago."

  "Did they tell you what Des is up to? What she wanted with them?"

  "There was no time. I told them to get to the edge of town as quickly as possible. I'm sending vehicles to pick them up. They are bringing as many leaders as they can to get to."

  William nodded grimly. "Good idea. Reports are beginning to trickle in. Things are about to escalate."

  "How long before that happens?"

  William shook his head.

  "Best guess, William," Harry said. "That's all I'm asking for."

  "Morning," William said. "When it gets light and there is no change in the money situation, people are going to go out and start looking for answers. This is like 470 A.D. all over again."

  "Let's hope not." Harry moved to his desk and sat down. "It took, what, six years for things to completely fall apart during that time?"

  "Yes," William said, "but it will happen much quicker now. The world is a smaller place today. It won't take years for a ripple to travel around the globe like it did back then. The world is connected."

  "Until the power goes out and the grid disappears." Harry typed commands into his computer. "I'm going with the extraction team to get the kids."

  "Um, no, you're not."

  Harry started to argue, but William stood up and made a chopping motion with his hand. "We can't lose your leadership, Harry. It's about to get crazy out there, and we will be in serious trouble if you end up bleeding to death on the side of the road in a burnt-out car."

  "That's not going to happen."

  "You're right, it's not." William folded his arms. "Use your head, brother. There are bigger things at stake than you or the kids."

  Harry caught himself before exploding, took a deep breath, then sighed and nodded. "I know you're right. I hate this."

  "I can go," William said.


  Harry thought about it, then nodded. "I would be most grateful."

  William smiled. "See? I told you when we were younger that there were perks to being of less value to the Family."

  "That's not funny," Harry said, "and it's not true."

  William chuckled and walked to the door.

  "Bring them back safe, William," Harry said.

  "Everything will go smoothly," William assured his older brother. "See you in a few hours."

  ***

  The sun was just beginning to creep over the horizon and cast its first rays of light onto the world when William's team arrived at the rendezvous point. "Pull over here," he instructed the driver of the light armoured vehicle that led the small convoy.

  As the vehicle came to a stop, William opened the door and jumped out. He scanned the terrain and found what he was looking for: a small area of woods close to the road, less than one hundred feet away. He placed two fingers into his mouth and whistled, loudly.

  A moment later, people began to emerge from the woods. William recognized his niece and nephew in the crowd, and walked to meet them. "Good, you made it out," he said.

  Dawn rewarded her uncle with a tired smile and nodded. "Am I ever glad to see you," she said, dropping a heavy pack onto the ground and hugging him.

  "Any troubles along the way?" William asked Sam.

  "No," Sam shook his head. "As we got near the edge of the city, things behind us started to sound bad."

  William nodded and looked off into the distance. Large columns of dark smoke rose from various parts of the city. "Those fires just started, looks like. You got out just in time."

  Dawn looked worried. "There are a lot of people left behind. What's going to happen?"

  "I don't know," William lied. I do, and I wish I didn't, and they don't need to right now. Crowd psychology is a very ugly thing. "How many were you able to bring with you?"

  "Ten families," Sam said. "Seventy people in total."

  "We can carry that many," William pointed toward the armoured convoy. "Break them up in groups of five or six. If there are families of more than that, let the driver know and he or she will shift troops around to keep families together. Each vehicle can hold fifteen people."

  "That will work out fine," Dawn said. "There are no families with us bigger than six people."

  "Good. Let's get everyone loaded up and head back to Wallaceton." William looked toward the city again. New pillars of smoke were rising. "I want to get away from here as quickly as possible," he muttered.

  48

  "The place looks different from the last time we visited," Sam observed as they neared Wallaceton.

  Dawn nodded. Small, evenly spaced rods stuck upward from the ground, each three feet high, extending around the perimeter of the town as far as the eye could see. Mounted on the top of each rod was some form of miniature satellite dish. "What are those?" she asked.

  "Sensors," William answered without looking. "They surround the town and let us know if anyone gets close from the outside, or attempts to leave from within."

  "Sounds high-tech." Sam squinted to try and get a closer look at a nearby sensor.

  William laughed. "It is."

  "I still can't get over that," Dawn said, shaking her head. "I always suspected that this place was something different, but I never guessed just how much."

  They were in the lead vehicle. It slowed to a stop as they approached a small house on the edge of the town. An armed paramilitary greeted William as he lowered the window. "Welcome back, sir. How many are you bringing in?"

  "Seventy new people, Jake," William said. "All top-level gamers from the city plus their families."

  Jake's rifle swung backward on its shoulder strap as he pulled out a small tablet. "Can you tell me which players, sir?"

  William looked at Sam and nodded. Sam cleared his throat and repeated the names of the players they had managed to bring with them. Jake recorded the names, then looked up and nodded. "Thank you, sir," He stepped back and gestured them to proceed.

  William raised the window and nodded at the driver.

  "Where are we going?" Dawn asked.

  "We will drop your friends off at some guesthouses. They can stay there as long as needed. After that, we will go see your dad."

  Dawn's expression became stony, and Sam snorted. William raised an eyebrow, but said nothing.

  The next hour passed uneventfully. The convoy came to a stop in front of a row of two-storey white houses, with green front lawns and white picket fences. Dawn and Sam helped get each family situated in its own quarters, then gathered all the players together in front of Kerstin's house. William announced that they were ready to get going.

  "Stay put until we know what's going on," Dawn told the players.

  "Don't call anyone in the city," William said. "Tell no one that you are here. If anyone approaches this town uninvited, it will not end well for them."

  "We won't tell anyone," Kerstin assured them. "Thank you so much for bringing us here. We're grateful for the help."

  William nodded. "Okay, kids, we should get going now." They did, with William driving and Dawn in the passenger seat. A thick silence filled the vehicle.

  After a moment, their uncle broke it. "Don't be mad at your dad."

  "You're kidding, right?" Dawn's head was leaned against the glass as she looked out the window. "He told us our mom was dead."

  "He had no choice."

  "Of course he had a choice," Sam snapped from the back seat.

  "So did your mother. Be upset at him, if you must, but while you do, remember that he stayed and did his best to help you live normal and happy lives."

  The remainder of the ride passed in silence.

  As they pulled up before the mansion, William handed the vehicle off to an attendant and led them up the front stairs. "He's in his office," William said. "I'll take you there."

  They followed their uncle down the main hall and into Harry's office, a large room walled with tall bookshelves. Dawn thought it looked like a miniature version of the library where they had spent time with her grandfather. Harry got up from his desk and embraced them, disregarding their stiff body language. "I know you're both angry with me, but I don't care. I'm glad we were able to get you out of the city before things turned miserable."

  "Things did start to get miserable," Sam said.

  "They're worse now." Harry turned on the television mounted to the wall. An aerial view showed thick dark smoke rising from dozens of points. The helicopter broadcasting the scene was close enough to show people on the streets, a flowing mass of bodies that crashed into the sides of buildings like waves on a beach.

  "What are they doing?" Dawn asked.

  "Looting," Harry said. "Destroying stores and buildings to get food and water—or other things—for themselves. There are people looting smartphones and TV sets, whether they can use them or not."

  The camera zoomed in. A group of people stood in a circle, wildly kicking and punching three people on the ground, arms and legs curled inwards protectively as the blows rained down on them.

  "Why are they beating those people?" Dawn raised a hand to her mouth in horror.

  "That's what crowds do when they become mad. They band together and destroy everything in sight. If you're not part of the crowd, or you fall away from the group, they attack you like rabid animals."

  "How can it be stopped?" Sam asked.

  "It can't," William said. "Not now, at least. Once the frenzy and madness takes over, there's nothing anyone can do."

  "It's like a force of nature," Harry said. "Similar to a hurricane or tornado. The only thing to do is wait for things to blow over and calm down."

  "People are getting hurt," Dawn said. "There are going to be deaths."

  "Yes." Her father's face was grim.

  Dawn turned so that her back was to the television.

  49

  "I'm sorry."

  Hours had passed since their return. Dawn sat in
Harry's office and ignored her father as she continued to stare at the computer screen in front of her.

  "I wasn't allowed to tell you that she was alive."

  "We know," Sam said.

  "You do?"

  "Of course," Dawn looked up and met her father's eyes. "We don't know much about how everything works, but from the little we do understand, it's not difficult to imagine why you had to keep it from us. It still hurts, though."

  Harry sighed and sat down beside her. "I know, and it hurt me to have to keep the secret."

  "There must be a million secrets stored away in your head," Sam said.

  "Likely a bit more than a million. I don't know exactly what your mom told you, but I can guess that it was accurate. Your mother was always thorough at debriefing."

  "Why did she join them?" asked Dawn, eyes bright. She chose an organization of strangers over her own children!

  "I'm sure she had her reasons." Harry rested his hand lightly on Dawn's shoulder.

  "Is it her? Causing all of this?"

  Harry looked at the mayhem still broadcasting on the TV. "Her group."

  "There is so much suffering," Sam said. "Good people that we've known our whole lives. It's terrible. What do the Displaced hope to gain by causing this?"

  "It's a warning. They shouldn't be able to completely hack our security systems and cause the money to disappear like this." He held up a sheet of paper. "They say this is to show what they are now capable of. Our city is the only one affected at the moment, and they intend to let the world watch it be destroyed."

  "What happens after that?" Dawn asked.

  "I don't know."

  "Can we stop them?" Sam asked.

  "We always do." His voice sounded more weary than reassuring.

  Dawn looked at the television screen. Mobs were sacking entire neighbourhoods. She could see expressions on individuals close to the camera focus. "This was supposed to be a computer game, played on our phones, a source of fun and money. This shouldn't be happening."

  "It is a game," Harry replied. "Our entire lives are just games. SHEPHERDS was a more civilized way for us to play, but the outcomes were the same as they have been for thousands of years. People's lives are altered. Some prosper, yet the majority fail. The trick, the challenge to this game of life, is being on the winning side." Harry stood and walked to stand beside the TV screen. "What we're seeing now is still tame compared to many of the battles from as little as thirty years ago. Property will be destroyed and lives will be lost, but the death toll will only be in the hundreds, maybe thousands."