Rage of Winter

by Sam Herrera

“Richard? What the hell are you doing in America?”

  “I came over in the Winter, same as you.”

  “The Winter? Oh, right the Winter. Are those chickens?” he asked. Chickens? I followed him to a small wire coop on a ledge, a few yards away.

  “Mara?” I turned to see Father and Andy come walking up. Andy tried to give me a hug but I thought a handshake would do fine.

  “I’ll show you all to where you’ll be staying,” said Chloe, hoping to break the suddenly chilled atmosphere. How the hell did you get here, I wondered again? She smiled, seeing the confusion in my eyes. “Let me guess,” she said as she handed me one of two torches and led me across ledges so narrow I had to press my back to the wall and pray. “You saw me drive off into the sunset just a few minutes ago.”

  “Well…yeah. How did you get back?”

  “It’s time travel. It doesn’t make sense.” I looked over my shoulder at Kyle and the others and he just gave a rueful smile. The woman in front of me was still wiry and hard but she was now more refined. She had showered and combed her hair and her clothes were different: heavy boots, jeans and a T-shirt just like the rest of them. And, of course, she was perfectly cool and at ease. “Pass me your bedrolls. All of you.” We glanced at each other and, shrugging, handing them over. She took each of them in turn, putting them in piles by the ledge. Before we could protest, she kicked them off. I stared over the edge as they vanished into the darkness.

  “What the hell are we gonna sleep on now?” Kyle protested.

  “Everyone stay together and stay close,” she told us. “You don’t want to fall here, trust me.” Kyle picked up Cuffy and we all followed her. I thanked God someone had been thoughtful enough to hammer in hooks to hang the ropes from as we followed her, going downwards all the time. Threading this mad corkscrew was a rope that must have been miles long, reaching all the way down, hanging from God only knew what on the shrouded ceiling miles above us. Finally we reached the bottom. It was pitch black, the only light being our torches. The ground was all milk-white sand, fine and soft, completely muffling our footsteps. Shining our torches, we saw our bedrolls had fallen here. Kyle, Ron, Andy and Dave gathered them under their arms and went over to claim their spots on the sand. I sat on my roll, watching Chloe’s torch-beam ascend as she climbed, caterpillar style, the threading rope, going higher and higher until it was lost to sight. I smiled as I lay back, enjoying the comfy sponge. My smile vanished as longing for Caleb again suddenly hit me. How could I tell him his mother was dead? God. Karden. Son of a bitch. I needed to be with him. But I was down here and he was somewhere high above me, getting treatment. Plus I was so tired. I reached over to run my hands through the fur of the black Lab lying beside me. In many ways he was better than most human shrinks, knowing instinctively who needed him almost every time. Get well soon, my love.

  *

  When I opened my eyes, something was wrong; I heard raised, angry voices echoing all around the cave. I got up, rubbing sleep from my eyes.

  A few of the locals had come down here, via the rope that hung from the ceiling, and were forming a small group of about five or six, gathered around my friends, their postures tense and menacing. Alex and a young guy seemed to be leading them, standing nose-to-beak with Ethan who seemed to be all that kept them off us. Kyle, David and Caleb stood up behind him, their bodies also tensed and ready for trouble. Ethan and the kid whispered for a while. They seemed used to him; it was us they appeared pissed at though I couldn’t tell why. The answer came when Ethan stepped away from him and turned to face us, sighing deeply.

  “He says that you can’t stay here.”

  “Why not?”

  “They have no room left and barely enough food and water for themselves. I’m sorry,” he added.

  “Where are we supposed to go?” I demanded. “The whole city is in ruins, there are monsters out there and we have wounded. My boyfriend needs proper medical help, getting his ribs set and everything.”

  “We’re getting him medical help,” the woman, Alex, assured, looking embarrassed by all this. “But as soon as he’s well enough, you have to leave.”

  “And go where?” I frowned. “Like I said, it’s dangerous out there.” Their silence was answer enough. Fuck you very much.

  “I’m going to see Caleb,” I scowled, “unless that’s not allowed as well?” The young leader of the eviction party shrugged and pointed the way.

  “John,” Alex sighed, “why don’t you show her?”

  “Are you kidding? Fine,” the kid grumbled. He led me, whether I wanted him to or not, via torchlight to the rope. I watched as he put the torch in his mouth and jumped right up, grabbing the rope with both hands. He, like Chloe had, climbed hand over hand, moving his body like a caterpillar crawling along a leaf, until he came upon a ledge, jumped off the rope and disappeared for a second.

  “Are you coming or what?” he hollered down. I looked at the rope and then up at the ledge, with his face peering over the rim, which seemed miles above me. Sighing, feeling caught off guard, I reached out to grasp the rope.

  “Shit,” I gasped as I started climbing, the muscles in my arms already straining. The kid had made it look so easy, but I was having to pull myself up with everything I had. Don’t look down. Don’t look down. John reached out and began shaking the length of rope above my head, a big, broad grin on his face, when he was sure I was a good few feet up. “Stop it!” I yelled up at him. I would break my leg if I fell. He chuckled and reached for my hand when I finally got up to his level.

  “You probably wouldn’t fit in here anyway,” he said when I was on the ledge, gasping and sweating.

  “No?” I panted.

  “No. Come on, let’s go see him.” I nodded and he led me on.

  KYLE

  I suddenly became aware I hadn’t eaten anything for a while, not since the “morning” anyway.

  “Can we get something to eat before you kick us out?” I asked, still resenting them for that. I was willing to bet that thing was behind it. Why he was acting the part of the benign peacemaker was beyond me. Alex nodded. It would seem it was lunchtime here anyway. The community, as a whole, came sliding down the main rope one after the other. We sat to eat our meals of bread, power bars and spreads. River, a decent enough kid who seemed very close to Alex, came over to sit with us. I heard a few new names thrown here and there: one was that of John’s mother, Kyla. As it turned out, Alex was a transsexual and John’s biological father. These times are achangin.’ There was also John’s grandfather, Aziz; Keith, Alex’s brother and his wife, Marie. Other members of this little community included a guy called Tom Thorne; his son, David; Alex’s girlfriend, Diane Jackson; and her father, Phillip Jackson. I heard there was also the resident doctor, David’s pal, Richard Townsend, who was right now up top, working on setting Caleb’s ribs. Mara was still with him, for comfort I supposed. I smiled as I chewed my slightly stale bread stick, throwing Cuffy the power bars, reminded of what Sarah and I had once had: a bond that could not be severed.

  MARA

  I held Caleb’s hand tightly as he grunted in pain. “All done,” the doctor, the tall thin guy with the goatee, smiled. Caleb rubbed the bandages around his middle and nodded as he reached for his shirt.

  “Are we really being thrown out of here?” he asked me. I nodded.

  “They say there’s not enough food and water,” I shrugged.

  “But where can we go, then? We can’t all fit on the Winter or hide out in it forever.”

  “I’m sorry, son, but we’re barely making it ourselves,” the guy shrugged. An odd, thoughtful look suddenly came over his face.

  “Whassup Doc?”

  “I’m just thinking if you found a place much like the Mitten, you could easily, with this Winter machine you have, blast your way in there, make another hideout.”

  “Would that work again?” I asked, liking the
idea if so.

  “Hope I’m not interrupting?” We all looked up to see Chloe come in. “Just checking up on my old ward. How are you?” she asked Caleb.

  “I’m good,” he sighed, sitting up and taking the water bottle she was offering. “Fuck,” he gasped, “it’s like an oven in here.”

  “Well, the desert was on fire not that long ago,” she reminded us, as if we needed it. “You might wanna go easy on that,” she advised, watching him toss it back. Why’s everyone so worried about water?

  “What is going on, Chloe? I know you know.”

  “The fires are just the beginning,” she sighed, sitting on the end of the cot. “Right now, one third of all the oceans have turned to blood.”

  “Blllllood?” I stared.

  “Yes, all the fish are, most likely, dead already. And the shipping fleets, naval bases, docks, you name it, have been hit the worst. So many ships have been destroyed, it’s incredible. Plus all water, wherever it comes from, will now have to be tested.”

  “For what?”

  “Blood and infection.”

  “Infection?”

  “What are you, my fucking parrot? Yeah, a lot of the fresh water has been contaminated as well. Not blood, but some kinda poison or contamination. We’ve already had casualties, even here.”

  “Fuck,” Caleb gasped.

  “How is any of this possible?” I squinted.

  “I dunno. But Ethan has seen it. So have you, haven’t you?” I nodded, feeling cold as I recalled a couple of large, body-shaped wrapped bundles on the sandy floor of the cavern.

  KYLE

  “You serve?” I looked over at Phillip Jackson, a short, heavy-set black guy with some impressive muscle on him.

  “Hmm?”

  “Did you serve in the army?”

  “No, air force. Sergeant. Only I got kicked out.”

  “What happened?”

  “My C.O. was a dick.”

  “Ah,” he smiled. “Sergeant, huh? I was a colonel in the regular army, but then…Well, this happened.”

  “Right. Your daughter and Alex seem to be getting along.”

  “Yes,” he murmured, looking over at them as they shared their sandwiches. I sensed some disapproval here. It seemed that father and daughter didn’t seem to have much in common or want much to do with each other.

  “How long has that thing been living with you?” I asked, seeing him fly down like an overgrown bat and fill a flask from one of the buckets.

  “Kyle.” I looked up to see Mara slide down the rope and walk over to us. I tensed as she passed “Ethan” on the way. If that freak touches her, I swear to God…

  “Hey, Mara. Try the bread, it’s very…awful.”

  “Sure,” she smiled, scratching Cuffy’s ear as he put his forepaws on her thighs. “And I’ll take some for Caleb as well.” I nodded and she went over to where it was kept, following my pointing finger. She stopped and turned halfway, her eyes holding a hint. I sighed as I chewed my last mouthfuls. I’d wanted the chance to sit and chill. I followed her to the stacked baguettes in the corner and we crouched over them.

  “These people won’t let us stay, right?”

  “Riiight.”

  “Well, then why don’t we make our own hideout just like this one?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Another missile, fired in the ground somewhere far away and remote. Well, why not?”

  I saw “Ethan” consider deeply when we told him this. “Why not?” he nodded also.

  We all slept easier that night, nurturing this small spark of hope.

  MARA

  I helped pack the Winter with as much of the basic rations, crusty bread and water flasks, as these people would part with, feeling lost and scared. When we had come here, we’d thought we were finally safe and sound. Now we were being turned out again, left to fend for ourselves. I looked up as Caleb stepped off the ramp, wincing and nursing his side.

  “Are you okay?”

  “Yeah,” he nodded.

  “Maybe you should take it easy.”

  “Everyone else is helping, why shouldn’t I?”

  “Bbbbecause you’re still recovering from busted ribs.”

  “That are now set. I’m fine.” Grunting with pain, he lifted up another box and began to walk back onboard.

  “Don’t worry about him,” a familiar voice spoke up behind me. I turned to see Caleb’s doctor walk past me with a rucksack slung over his back.

  “You’re coming with us?” I asked.

  “Yes, Faith and I.” Faith? I looked over to see a short girl with long, dark hair and a dreamy expression follow him.

  “Ready to go?” he asked her.

  “I had a go on a rollercoaster once. The man in front of me vomited. He wanted a refund as no one had told him it would be pretty rough. But, in my opinion, he should already have guessed that as rollercoasters are known to be rough.” She looked for a while at my baffled expression then went back to staring into space. We watched the weirdo hop onboard, humming to herself, then I turned to Richard.

  “Is she alright, y’know upstairs?”

  “She is an odd one, I’ll admit, but she does have her uses: I’m training her to be a doctor and she’s a great cook.”

  “Fine,” I sighed. “How’d you get all the bed rolls and blankets up here?” I asked, eyeing the stack leaning against the wall.

  “I flew up here with them,” Ethan said, fluttering up to our ledge with the last roll under his arm. “I thought you might wish to recline in comfort.” I watched as he walked past me, onboard. You’re coming as well? I shook my head, picturing Kyle hitting the roof when he found out. This is gonna be awkward.

  *

  “You sure this is the safest place?” I asked.

  “The Mojave is the smallest, driest desert here and it’s surrounded by mountainous ranges that will enable me to see exactly what is coming. Even better, it has very little in the way of civilization,” Ethan replied, sitting beside me in the pilot’s chair. “Also, as you will soon see, it is hardly touched by the fires.”I nodded, glad to hear that.

  “But where do we go in it?” David scowled from the back. He, I, Ron, Cuffy, Chloe, Andy, David, Richard, Kyle, Faith and Caleb made up the rest of this miserable crew. Kyle was the most miserable: he couldn’t stop Ethan either coming with us or flying the Winter. Someone’s none too fussed. I glanced enviously at Cuffy and Faith, the least miserable, as she sang along to the music on her headphones.

  “Whatever world she inhabited, it seemed a lot nicer than the real one. I leaned forward in my seat, seeing the mountainous border of Mojave come in sight. I’d read somewhere that the name meant “beside the water” in the language of the native Indians. I recalled also the photos in one of my books, whatever it had been, of the small, dark green Joshua trees, unique to the desert, dotting the sand here and there and the Colorado River winding its way, like a glittering blue snake, through the dry landscape. I noted it as a valuable source of water should we ever need it…and if it could be trusted. I swallowed as we flew over the mountain borders and saw it as it was now. This is barely touched? It was another Mordor with smoking stumps, fire, ash and dust. And the river, though still flowing, was choked with filth. I sighed, recalling what Chloe had said about the poisoned water. So much for a valuable source. It was so quiet and empty. Ordinarily places like Vegas and the national parks would have many people passing through them. Now though, since the fires and the attacks by the Locusts and Karden’s “measures of protection for the population,” locking them up in pens on air force bases and army camps indefinitely, it was all-but deserted. I felt like I was flying over a bombsite.

  KYLE

  Ethan, still giving me the shivers, reached for a button, one of the few I had never pressed, never even noticed, that cut the nose down the middle and pe
eled back an outer layer to reveal a cone-drill, ready-made for boring.

  “Hold on,” he grinned as he parked us right in front of a mountain.

  “You. Are. Shitting. Me?” I gasped.

  “Whoa, no!” we all yelled. I rushed to stop him, drawing my gun, but it was too late. He rammed us right into the cliff side.

  *

  “Mara. Mara.” I shook her gently. She slowly lowered her trembling hands from her face. “We’re alright. It’s safe.”

  She looked around. “W…Where are we?” she asked, leaning forward to gaze out of the window. The rarely-used high beams showed that we were in a cave, hollowed out by the drill, that was just big enough for the Winter to squeeze through. David, Ron, Caleb, Abby, Richard and Andy crowded ‘round us, gazing around the small hollow.

  “Oookay, now what?” We all jumped and Mara gave a small scream as Ethan fired both the mounted guns, raining down sand, rock and mud all around us. He angled the barrels up and down, carving great chunks out of the rock, until the cave was twenty, if not thirty, times the size of the small hole it had been. Great holes had been carved and walls had been blown away utterly, leaving only thin pillars of rock still standing. He paid real attention to particular sections of rock, blasting deep craters in the floor and chipping out smaller caves and nooks. Finally both the guns gave nothing but dry clicks.

  “Well, that was ammo well spent,” I deadpanned. What was this thing playing at?

  “Yes, it was. As you will see when we’re all living here.”

  “Living here?” Caleb squinted. “How can we live here? There’s nothing here except dirt and rocks.”

  “My father used to collect rocks until he was killed in a head-on collision whilst driving to work. My mother tried to sue the man who owned the other car involved, but was unsuccessful as it turned out my father was the one who was inebriated.”

  “What the fuck?” I whispered. The Richard guy opened his mouth to excuse Faith and then just shut it again, shaking his head.