Solace Within

by Gavin Zanker

  ‘Why are you here, Blanc?’ Kendal said, her tone harsh. ‘Just tell me what the hell you want?’

  ‘You have some information, something in that stubborn old brain of yours that could be of use to me. I’m going to get it out one way or another. If you make it quick and easy, I’ll consider letting you get back to your trading. If not? Well…’

  ‘Can we skip the tedious threats and get on with it?’ Kendal snapped. ‘The quicker you leave, the happier we’ll all be.’

  ‘A while ago, someone came to visit you. A man in possession of some old military gear. Brown hair, dark green jacket, has a mutt that never leaves his side. Might have had a kid with him too, a young girl.’ Blanc watched Kendal’s face as she spoke. ‘You remember this man?’

  The muscles of Kendal’s jaw flexed as she gritted her teeth, but she remained silent.

  ‘Where’s Aiden, Kendal?’ Blanc said, her voice low. ‘We both know you trade with him.’

  ‘I’m not in the habit of betraying the trust of my customers. I may have seen him, I may not have. Either way, you already trashed my shop so I don’t see a reason to help you.’

  A panicked shout came from somewhere in the dealership, cut short with a sickening thud. The sound reverberated painfully around Blanc’s head. She pulled out a fresh pill bottle and swallowed another dose of the numbing Echo.

  The familiar sound of slow, heavy footsteps approached from behind. ‘Ah, join us, Adam,’ Blanc said without turning.

  The large man moved to her side, cricket bat in hand, a red streak splattered across one of the worn edges of the wood. Kendal’s expression faltered as she looked up at the imposing figure, and for a split second, the indignant mask dropped and Blanc saw a flicker of fear there.

  ‘A strung out pill-head and a monster,’ Kendal said looking back to Blanc. ‘You two make quite the pair. It’s no wonder this town is spiralling down into the gutter.’

  ‘Cute, but this is your last chance, Kendal. If you’re not going to help me out, I’m going to have to tell Adam here to take a look inside that stubborn head of yours. Let me tell you, the last person that was stubborn? Adam here knocked their head clean off like a ball.’ Blanc made a swinging action with her arms and clicked her tongue. ‘Very messy.’

  ‘You’re not going to intimidate me, you vile bitch,’ Kendal said, staring through narrowed eyes.

  ‘Suit yourself,’ Blanc said with a shrug.

  She looked at Adam and gestured towards Kendal. Adam lumbered towards the tied woman, bringing his bat up high over his head. Kendal flinched and closed her eyes. Adam froze in mid swing, tilting his head as a muted tune played over a radio somewhere behind Kendal’s overturned desk.

  ‘Adam,’ Blanc said sternly, ‘it’s just music. Remember what we talked about. Focus.’

  Adam looked at her and nodded, then lifted the bat in one hand and brought it down on Kendal’s bound wrist. Kendal screamed as her bones snapped under the force.

  ‘No, Ma!’ a shrill voice screamed.

  ‘Wait,’ Blanc ordered. She followed the source of the voice to a nearby cupboard. Throwing open the doors she found a young boy cowering under a pile of clothes. She reached in and hauled the kid out by the wrist, dragging his tiny frame across the floor. Kendal started sobbing instantly, her face melting into a pained expression. It was a strange sight on the old battleaxe.

  ‘So,’ Blanc said with a smirk, ‘you didn’t tell me you had a son.’ She yanked the brat’s arm up and examined him, a mop of unruly hair and red-rimmed eyes streaming with tears just like his mother. ‘He takes after you, Kendal.’

  ‘Don’t hurt him,’ Kendal hissed through gritted teeth. ‘If you do, I’ll rip your heart out!’

  ‘You’re not really in a position to be making threats here,’ Blanc said. ‘So, do I need to lay out what will happen to junior here if you don’t start talking, or can we skip the tedious threats and get on with it?’ she said mockingly.

  ‘Fine,’ Kendal said, shifting her weight and wincing at the pain of her shattered wrist. ‘Aiden was here a few weeks back.’

  ‘Good, now we’re getting somewhere. Adam, hold this runt.’ Adam did as she ordered, picking the kid up under his arm like a barrel as it flailed around ineffectually. Blanc moved to stand over Kendal. ‘Why was Aiden here?’

  ‘He was selling some gear. A couple of old guns. Some assorted equipment. Nothing special.’

  ‘And?’

  ‘And that’s all.’

  Blanc sighed and turned to Adam.

  ‘No, wait!’ Kendal struggled to keep her eyes away from her son. ‘He had this strange thing with him. I didn’t know what it was. Er, it looked like an oversized car key. I asked about it, but he didn’t seem to know himself. That’s all I know, I swear.’

  Blanc nodded as she fingered the bandage on her head. ‘A key. Black plastic and metal? With a broken shield painted on the handle?’

  Kendal nodded, her head swaying slightly. ‘That’s it.’

  ‘And where is Aiden now?’

  ‘I have no idea. He comes in, we trade, he leaves. That’s as far as our relationship goes.’

  ‘Don’t hold out on me,’ Blanc said, aggressively prodding Kendal’s shattered wrist.

  ‘I swear, that’s it!’ Kendal cried out as she threw her head back in pain. ‘That’s all I know. I don’t even know where the guy lives. Why would I lie? I don’t have a reason to anymore.’

  ‘And he hasn’t been here since?’ Blanc asked, pointing her gun at the kid still struggling under Adam’s arm.

  ‘I haven’t seen him in weeks. Please, just let Magpie go.’

  Blanc bit her lip and stared at Kendal. No doubt she was telling the truth. Aiden wasn’t one to give out personal details, and Kendal wasn’t one to ask.

  A knock came at the door and Berkley entered the room. ‘Blanc, we’ve cleared…’ He trailed off as he saw Blanc pointing a gun to the kid’s head. ‘Hey come on, you don’t want to do that,’ he said.

  Blanc looked at the man and frowned. ‘How do you know what I want to do? Are you questioning me? Because it sounds like you’re questioning me.’

  Berkley bit his lip, making his moustache slide around his face. ‘You’re not about killing kids, Blanc. It’s just the Echo messing with your head.’

  Blanc stared at Berkley, a fiery heat surging behind her eyes. Who was he to tell her anything? She turned her pistol on him and pulled the trigger, the bullet hitting his shoulder and sending him sprawling to the floor.

  ‘Some people just don’t know their place,’ Blanc said, shaking her head. The brat was crying louder now, and combined with Kendal’s pathetic sobs, Blanc found it hard to concentrate.

  ‘Everyone shut the hell up!’ she screamed. In the silence that followed she spun the ring on her finger and considered her next move.

  She caught Adam looking at her quizzically. ‘What now, Blanc?’ he asked, cricket bat in one hand, child in the other. ‘Aiden still missing?’

  ‘Now we wait,’ she said, nodding to herself. ‘Aiden might have gone to ground, but he has to pop his head up sooner or later. When he does, I’ll get my decoder back and bury him somewhere even the worms won’t be able to find him.’

  CHAPTER 25

  ‘BUT WHY DO we have to leave?’ Leigh whined as she stood in the workshop doorway with her arms folded.

  ‘Aren’t you getting tired of sitting around here all the time?’ Aiden said, pushing some parachute cord into one of the compartments of his pack.

  ‘No, it’s great here! There’s no one trying to hurt us or steal our stuff.’

  ‘People can get hurt anywhere. Believe me, even when you think you’re safe, life will find a way to blind side you.’

  ‘That doesn’t mean you should go out looking for trouble.’

  ‘Look,’ Aiden said, putting his pack down and turning to her. ‘It’s time I found out what this decoder is and why Blanc wants it so badly. If you want to stay here, that’s fine, you can, but you’ll
be on your own. And it can get pretty lonely out here.’

  ‘Well I’m not going to stay here without you,’ she said, sticking out her bottom lip.

  ‘All right, best go get packed then. We’re burning daylight.’

  ‘Fine!’ she said, turning on her heel and storming out of the workshop.

  Hitch stuck his head in the doorway, looked quizzically at Aiden, then padded after her.

  Aiden rubbed his face and sighed. He could understand her desire to hide here, away from the world. It was one of the motivations that drove him to build the house in the first place. But after Kate was snatched away from him, the place just wasn’t the same anymore. Realising that the safety was mostly an illusion, he decided it was better to go out and feel the world turning every now and then. To put some miles under his boots and spend some time with humanity, for better or worse. It was how he met Leigh after all.

  He picked up the decoder from the workbench and studied it for the thousandth time. This was the key to Project Solace, but what that was exactly was still unknown to him. He only knew it was worth a great deal when someone like Blanc would go to such lengths to get her hands on it. So he made the decision to track down an old friend who was versed in electronics.

  Many years ago during his time with the Kinship, before it’s dissolution, he had become friendly with one of the Brothers there named Ellis. The man had been a collector of pre-Dawn electronics, and if anyone would know the purpose of Project Solace, it would be him. The last Aiden had heard of Ellis was James mentioning that he had moved down to the fishing town of Carson Waters.

  Aiden stowed the decoder in this pack, along with the indecipherable paperwork he had found in the bunker, and finished packing the rest of his gear. Once he’d been over his check list twice, he collected his weapons together. His silenced Glock he holstered in his belt, with a spare magazine stored in his jacket pocket. He opened a drawer and picked out a medium sized utility knife that doubled as a tool and a weapon and strapped it to his hip.

  Lastly, he picked up the small folding knife that hung off the hook on the wall. It had been his gift to Kate so many years ago, and after that, the weapon he had used to kill her abductor and avenge her passing. The knife showed its age now, much like him. Grooves were worn in to the wooden handle, but the blade itself was still sound, holding a razor-sharp edge.

  Leigh reappeared in the doorway, the small pack he had given her hanging loosely over her shoulder. ‘Sorry for being a brat,’ she mumbled.

  ‘It’s all right. I forget how young you are sometimes.’ Leigh looked pained at the mention of her age. ‘Here, I’ve got a present for you,’ Aiden said, holding out the old folding blade towards her. ‘This belonged to someone very important to me once. I’d like you to have it now.’

  She stepped forward and took it from him, staring at the knife in awe. ‘You’re giving me this?’ she asked, running her finger along the name etched into the handle. ‘Didn’t it belong to your wife?’

  ‘That’s right. It’s about time I let it go, and you’re the only person I’d trust with it. It’s a good blade. It has a lot of history behind it. Make sure you look after it for me.’

  ‘I will. I’ll keep it always.’ She pocketed the knife in her jacket and zipped the pocket securely before flashing him a smile.

  ‘No problem. Just don’t hurt yourself with it, it’s very sharp. You’ve got your pistol too, right?’

  Leigh lifted her fleece to show him the small revolver holstered on her belt. Because her waist was so small, Aiden had been forced to dig out one of his old belts and add extra notches so it would fit her. He reached out and tugged on the holster, satisfied that it was secure.

  ‘I don’t think I’ve packed very well,’ she said, unshouldering her bag. ‘It seems really heavy. Can you help me?’

  ‘Sure, let’s have a look together.’

  Aiden cleared the workbench and emptied her pack. They sorted through the contents, and he told her what to leave behind. He took the time to explain why some of her choices were impractical, like the porcelain mug which would break easily, and how carrying too much water would weigh down her pack unnecessarily when they could find some along the way. They repacked the bag together, leaving out many useless items.

  ‘There, that should be more comfortable to carry now,’ he said, passing it to her.

  ‘Much better,’ she said, tightening the straps and jumping up and down with the pack on. ‘I don’t feel like I have a load of bricks on my back. So where are we heading to?’

  ‘Carson Waters. Ever heard of it?’

  Leigh shook her head.

  ‘It’s a coastal town south of here. There’re no roads like there are between the Rim and Kiln Commons, so it’ll be a rough walk. But it should also be quieter with less chance of running into anyone. You up for it?’

  ‘Of course. I bet I could walk further than you anyway.’

  ‘Is that right?’ Aiden asked, with an amused smile.

  ‘Yup. Come on then, slow-coach. We’re burning daylight.’ Leigh stuck her tongue out at him as she left the workshop.

  Aiden laughed to himself, then set about clearing away the unused gear and shutting down most of the house’s electrical systems. Satisfied everything was in order, he left, taking one last breath of the greenhouse plants before joining Leigh outside.

  She was perched on a stump with the bird cage on her lap. Hitch sat beside her, sniffing at the rescued bird.

  ‘Time to let Sid go then,’ Aiden said, locking the front door.

  Leigh nodded. She took a moment, sticking her finger through the bars and murmuring something. Then she stuck her jaw out and opened the cage. The bird hopped out onto her knee, then took flight, disappearing up into the trees.

  ‘Bye, Sid,’ Leigh said quietly, resting the cage on the stump beside her.

  ‘You did well,’ Aiden said, putting an arm around her shoulder. ‘That bird survived because of you.’

  He moved away and set about rigging up the camouflage across the front of the house. When he was finished, he paused and took one last look. It might be a while until he returned, and though he felt the urge to travel, leaving home was never easy.

  ‘What’s wrong?’ Leigh asked.

  ‘Nothing,’ he said, slipping on his sunglasses. ‘Let’s go exploring.’

  CHAPTER 26

  AIDEN LED THEM south until they exited the forest, then turned west, spending most of the morning following the tree line until they reached the coast. The sea was a bleak grey lined with white swells as the waves surged against the high cliffs. Hitch watched the seagulls wheeling overhead as the wind whipped up spray, covering everything in a damp sheen. Licking his lips, Aiden tasted salt. The ocean may not be the same striking blue as it used to be, but it still tasted the same. In the distance a whale breached the surface, sending a jet of water high into the air. The creature swam along the surface for a moment before submerging under the grey surf and disappearing from sight.

  ‘What a beautiful world we destroyed,’ Aiden said as he gazed out over the waves.

  Leigh, who had been quiet until now, asked in a whisper, ‘What was that?’

  ‘It looked like a whale. Some of the biggest creatures on the planet, as big as houses.’

  They continued travelling south, making their way along the cliff paths. Leigh was entranced by the sight of the ocean and a few times she stumbled because she wasn’t looking where she was walking.

  ‘What’s on the other side?’ she asked as they rounded a large boulder in the trail.

  ‘Other side of what?’ Aiden asked distractedly. They had travelled for most of the day now and it would be dark soon so he was keeping an eye out for a sheltered spot to set up camp.

  ‘The ocean.’

  ‘Er, I’m not sure actually,’ Aiden said, realising he didn’t know what state the rest of the world was in these days. ‘People don’t sail far from shore anymore.’

  ‘Why not?’

  �
��Sailors are superstitious. They’d all give you a different answer. Unnatural storms, moving reefs, fog that drains the life from you. Doubtful any of it is true, but the water definitely hasn’t been safe since the Event. When people sail out but don’t come back, most people stop going out.’

  ‘I wouldn’t like to be out there on a boat,’ Leigh said with a shiver. ‘You wouldn’t know what’s in the water beneath you.’ She pointed ahead. ‘Hey, who’s that?’

  Aiden looked to see the figure of an old man walking the trail in the distance. ‘Stay close,’ he warned. ‘Don’t take any risks.’

  As they drew nearer, Aiden got a better look at the stranger. He was even older than he had seemed at first glance, hunched over as he made his way one slow step after another. His threadbare clothes may have been navy coloured once, but they were so faded now that he blended in with the muted colour of the sea. His paper-thin trench coat whipped around in the wind, and he wore fingerless gloves that were more holes than material.

  Aiden kept his right hand close to his pistol as they passed. The old man didn’t look dangerous, but Aiden knew desperation could drive anyone to violence.

  ‘Hello, mister’ Leigh said as they passed, her voice chirpy.

  The old man stopped and turned to look at her in surprise, as if not realising anyone had been there. ‘Hello, little one,’ he said, touching his shock of messy white hair with his finger.

  ‘Would you like to eat with us?’ Leigh asked.

  ‘Leigh, no,’ Aiden said frowning. ‘We don’t know him.’

  ‘He must be hungry though,’ she said with a shrug, ‘and he doesn’t look like he means any harm.’

  The old man looked from Leigh to Aiden with rheumy white eyes. ‘I am indeed hungry,’ he said, ‘and would be glad of the company if you were to invite me to break bread with you. It gets awful lonely walking the world these days.’