by Jeyn Roberts
Janey calmed down a bit when Michael braved going back into the house to retrieve snacks and juice boxes of orange juice for the drive. They’d been trapped in the SUV for more than twelve hours. The children were hungry and a little dehydrated. They needed food and drink. Janey wanted to do it herself, but there was no way Michael would let that kid see what was inside. She had enough nightmares in her life. No need to bring more. So he went in and brought out what he could salvage from the mess. Although most of the food had been taken or consumed, he still scrounged up a few juice boxes and a package of animal crackers.
“We’ll take it slow back to downtown,” Michael promised. “We might be able to find a store that hasn’t been completely looted. I’m sure we can find something.”
Janey nodded and finally relaxed her grip slightly on her knife.
With the agreement reached, they loaded up the children in the back of the white van. They had to sit on the floor and Janey complained about the lack of seatbelts, but she still allowed it. It wasn’t until Michael rounded the corner and headed back to Vancouver, that he started to relax. From the high point of the highway, he could see ahead for miles and the road was clear.
Casey jabbered on the entire time, giving them a play-by-play of the events that led the children to take shelter in the SUV.
“We was having supper. Beans.” Casey wrinkled her nose. “Gross. Always beans. Sister Bea said it’s better with mustard on ‘em, but I didn’t believe her. And they was cold too. Cause the stove stopped working. Sister Bea said we couldn’t fix it.”
“Yuck,” Clementine said. “I don’t like beans either.”
“They are grooooooose.”
“Like stinky pig poop,” Clementine agreed. One of the boys beside her laughed so hard, he sprayed his orange juice all over the back seat. This brought on more hooting from the group.
Michael couldn’t help but grin as he stole a few glances at his girlfriend while he drove. She was a natural. These children had just spent the entire night in the backseat of an SUV, terrified and positive they were going to die. After five minutes with Clementine, they were back to almost normal kids. Michael couldn’t be more proud of her. Just another reason why he adored her. She gave herself completely to others, constantly and without complaint. She did what needed to be done and always made it look easy.
“Brother Mark came in,” Casey continued. “And he told us we had to get out. He looked funny. His face was all weird. Scrunched up, like this.” She tried to mimic the expression. “And his voice was like a girl.”
Two of the younger boys made high-pitched squeals and giggled.
“He was scared,” Janey said.
“A Bagger?” Michael couldn’t keep the surprise out of his voice. The Baggers were a lot of things, but cowardly wasn’t a word he’d ever consider using to describe them. They never flinched or hesitated. Their lack of humanity allowed them to kill without remorse. That’s what made them so deadly. “Are you sure? Maybe they were just people like us.” That made more sense to him. He couldn’t imagine the Baggers being thrilled at babysitting duty. They probably just took some of the prisoners and forced them to do the dirty work.
“They were monsters,” Janey said. “I saw their eyes. I know what they look like. And talk like. That’s why they made us call them ‘brother’ and ‘sister’. They faked pretending to be our friends. They were mean.”
“They slapped Andrew,” another girl said. “Cause he cried. And once Sister Bea locked Janey in the basement all night because she wouldn’t listen.”
“Okay,” Michael said.
“So Brother Mark and Sister Bea talked in the other room,” Casey continued. “She got scared too when she came out. She made us stop eating and took us outside. That’s when we heard the noise.”
“Boogeymen,” Andrew said and the others murmured in agreement.
“They got us in the car,” Janey said. “But they didn’t have the keys. I think they wanted to get us out, but that’s when all the others showed up.”
“Millions of them,” Casey said.
“Billions!”
“No,” Janey said. “But a lot. More than I could count. They came down both sides of the street. Sister Bea told me I was in charge and I had to keep everyone silent. She told me to lock the doors. Then she was gone.”
“She screamed a lot,” Casey said. “When the boogeymen got her. She screamed. I didn’t like it.”
Michael thought about the bodies he’d seen back at the house. Torn apart. Barely recognizable as either human or Bagger. He would have screamed too.
“Janey made us all stay down,” a little boy said. “I wanted to look, but she wouldn’t let me. Even after the Boogeymen left. She was mean too, just like Sister Bea.”
“Shut up,” Janey snapped. “I’m nothing like them.”
“You’re right,” Clementine said. “That’s not a nice thing to say.” She turned around in her seat to look right at Janey. “You’re very brave. You saved everyone.”
Clementine reached out and put her hand on Michael’s leg. He glanced over at her and immediately understood her expression, mostly because he was thinking the exact same thing. Terrified Baggers. Boogeymen. Something new was happening and it didn’t sound good. They needed to get back to camp quickly to discuss the events with Aries and the others.
If they skirted around the edge of downtown, they might be able to make it to the Lion’s Gate Bridge without having to abandon the white van. It would save a lot of time. But if they ran into the Baggers, things would get more difficult. Michael sighed and pushed down on the gas pedal. Best to just drive and worry about it when they got closer to Vancouver.
* * *
They made it as far as Coquitlam before the children became too restless to continue. The van quickly became a podium where everyone began complaining at once.
“I want juice.”
“Candy!”
“Yes, candy. And bananas. I want bananas.”
Michael wasn’t used to kids. He’d never spent that much time with them before. His only sister was only a year younger than him and he’d never babysat or anything that involved being around toddlers. Clementine had Heath, but he’d been older. Every time he glanced over in her direction, he could swear her mouth grew smaller as she chewed on her bottom lip. She may be better with the little ones than him, but even her patience was beginning to grow thin.
The louder the back area became, the twitchier Michael grew.
“We need to stop,” Janey said for the fifth time. “Andrew needs to go to the bathroom and the water is gone.”
“Baffroom.” Andrew agreed.
“You promised us food. And juice.”
“I want bananas!”
But that was easier said than done. They’d gotten off the highway and were heading down one of the main roads now, but most of the shops weren’t of the food variety. Michael didn’t know Coquitlam at all. He’d only been here once or twice while out scavenging. Most of the suburb had been looted a long time ago. The only things remaining in the shops weren’t items that would fill their stomachs.
“Isn’t there a mall close by?” Clementine suddenly said. “Up ahead. That big one. We didn’t go in, remember? Aries thought it was too open. Too vulnerable.”
Her exact words had been along the lines of who knew what might be lurking in all those stores. Places that large had too many hiding spots. They’d come across Baggers hiding in department stores before. They liked lurking there and waiting until desperate people wandered along. What was the name of it? Michael tried to remember. Aries had told him, but Michael was bad with names.
“Looheed,” Janey said. “Yes. Let’s stop there.”
Lougheed Mall. That was it.
“Candy store.” One of the smaller girls apparently was quite familiar with the place. “And toys. I want to see the toys.” She jumped up and nearly slammed into the wall before Janey yelled at her to sit back down.
“It might no
t be safe,” Michael said.
“I don’t care at this particular moment.” Clementine rubbed her temples. “Let’s just go. Otherwise I make no promises about what I might do. I think I need Tylenol. Or something stronger. Remind me to never have kids.”
Michael grinned. They pulled into the parking lot a few minutes later. Aside from several abandoned vehicles, the area was eerily empty. Not a Bagger in sight. Michael drove right up to a set of glass doors. They’d been smashed in a long time ago. From his position, he could see right into the mall. A long empty corridor of darkened stores waited for them. If they wanted to find food, they’d have to venture in by foot.
“I can go alone,” Michael offered.
“No,” Clementine said. “I think we should stick together. We don’t know the area.” She turned to Janey. “Can you help keep them quiet. Will they listen to you? It’s important that we don’t make noise. We don’t want anyone knowing we’re here. There could be Baggers inside.”
“They’ll listen,” Janey promised.
Michael stretched after he climbed out of the van. Clementine went around to the back let the little ones out. They climbed out solemnly except for Andrew, who jumped up and down from one leg to the other. Grabbing their baseball bats and flashlights, she handed one of each over to Michael. They needed to be prepared.
“Come on, kiddo,” Michael said. “Let’s go take a walk over by those bushes. They look like they need watering.”
Once the pee break was over, they headed into the mall. Without electricity, the place took on a sinister tone. The once cheery area was littered with items stolen from the shops. Most of the store gates had already been opened. Clothing racks had been turned over, random items thrown through glass displays. Open wrappers, condiment packages and napkins littered the floor and it looked like someone had attempted to set fire to the Tim Hortons. All the tables had been piled up in a corner and the chairs tossed behind the counters. As they approached the Wal-Mart, the smell of rotted food became overpowering. Michael was used to the odor. They came across it often. Without electricity, half the food immediately turned bad within weeks of the earthquakes. All that processed food, once a simple meal, now useless and inedible. Michael used to do that all the time. Pop pizza in the oven or frozen chicken wings tossed into the microwave. He used to live off that stuff. Bagel bites. Fried jalapeño cheese sticks. Eggo waffles. Food of the gods. These days it was mostly canned food, although things had improved since they’d started growing the garden. He hadn’t realized how deprived he’d been of simple things like carrots or cucumbers until Joy made a gigantic salad a few weeks ago.
Who would have thought that it would take the end of the world to get Michael eating healthier?
Thankfully Wal-Mart wasn’t that far from the front doors. They stood in front of the checkout section while Janey explained to the kids that they needed to go in. None of them wanted to. Michael couldn’t blame them. Someone had driven a car right through the customer service counter. From beyond that, they could see dozens of darkened rows that had been savagely ransacked.
“Come on,” Clementine finally said, her voice unnaturally cheerful and awkward. “The sooner we go, the sooner we get out.”
“Agreed.” Michael said and he took the first step, shining his flashlight towards the shattered display of olive oil. He didn’t look back, but the shuffle of feet suggested that the children were sticking close.
Fruit and vegetables rotted away in bins, covered in green fuzzy mold that appeared to be taking over the store. Flies buzzed about lazily. Michael slipped on the bloated carcass of what might have once been an orange. He heard a noise to his left and when he directed his flashlight towards it, a large rat scattered. Trying not to visibly shudder, he turned and quickly moved away from the destroyed produce. More scratching sounds followed him. Looking up, he discovered that several birds had apparently made homes in the rafters above them. The wildlife was taking back the land.
He kept his baseball bat ready. In the next section over, they found juice boxes that hadn’t been claimed by looters. Janey poked straws through the containers and handed them out to the kids. Preoccupied with their drinks, they seemed to instantly settle down. Clementine picked up an overturned cart and began to fill it with whatever she could find.
“We’re lucky,” she whispered. “There’s still stuff here. I’m not surprised. I wouldn’t have ventured in here if we didn’t have to. I’ll bet most people would stay away. They’d stick to places that have easier escape routes.”
“Yeah, I know what you mean,” Michael said. “We’re way too exposed here. I don’t like it. And if we have to get out, it’s going to take a long time to reach the van.”
“Then let’s get what we need and get out. But don’t be stingy either. There’s a lot of stuff we can use. We’ve got lots of time. Aries isn’t expecting us back for hours. I hope Raj is having good luck too. It would be great to have a big celebration tonight. A welcome home party.”
They moved over to the junk food aisle and grabbed a bunch of chips and chocolate. They took more than they needed, mostly because Michael hoped they’d be able to take it back to camp. They had the van. If they could load it up, they could drive it almost all the way back to the others.
“Barbecue chips. Joy’s been begging for these.” Clementine tossed several in the cart. “It’s going to be just like Christmas.”
“Remember to leave room for the kids,” Michael said. “I’d hate to have to choose between them and the Doritos.”
It didn’t take long to fill the shopping cart. They’d come across a bonanza in the canned food department. Lots of soup and beef ravioli for the little ones. They grabbed a second cart and began to fill it with spaghetti and large bottles of tomato sauce. This was the most food they’d found in months. Michael began to wonder if the rest of the mall was still filled with useful items. He tried to remember what other stores had been displayed on the signs outside. They could use some camping goods too. Batteries. Cooking utensils. No matter how many things they managed to scavenge, there was always a demand for more. Especially since the group had grown. How much easier it had been when their numbers were under a dozen. He glanced down at the kids. They’d need more clothing than the adults. Wasn’t it true that they practically outgrew everything in very short time periods?
Michael was studying the canned fruits when Janey reached up and tugged on his arm.
“Andrew needs to go to the bathroom again,” she said.
“Again?”
“He drank two juice boxes.” Her voice was less demanding and bossy now. Almost apologetic. Now that Michael had proven to her that he was good on his word, she must have made the decision to fully trust him.
“Okay, fine,” Michael looked down the aisle. There had to be a bathroom here someplace. He could always just lead the boy over to the once frozen meat display and let him go to town. It’s not like the smell could get any worse.
“I’ll be right back,” he said to her. This time Andrew reached out and gripped Michael’s hand tightly. Andrew’s fingers were sticky with grape juice and slightly clammy. Hand sanitizer. Now that was something he’d have to remind Clementine to grab on the way out.
They ended up in the deli section when Michael simply led the kid behind the glass display.
“Here?” Andrew looked skeptical.
“You really want to go in the back room?” Michael pointed at the doors where the blackness almost appeared to seep out through the small square windows. When he’d seen the bathroom sign, he’d known there was no way they’d be going there. It creeped Michael out. Imagine how the three-year-old would deal?
Just as Andrew finished up his business, Michael heard the noise.
At first he thought he imagined it. The building wasn’t exactly quiet, not with the rats and birds infesting the rafters. But this was something different. It came from further away. The distinct scrape of metal against metal. Definitely not the sort of thing he’
d expect to hear from an animal.
If Andrew heard it, the little boy didn’t let on. No, he was too busy trying to wipe his hands with a pile of discarded plastic wrap.
Where were Clementine and the others? Michael held his breath until he heard the squeak of the shopping cart to his right. Knowing she was safe didn’t help. The hair on his arms began to rise and his stomach began to flip flop. That strange sensation that something bad was about to happen. It made him remember the time back in the house many months ago. Evans. Billy. The mother with the sick boy. All those people he’d sworn to protect. Even now, he could still remember the look of betrayal on Evans face when Michael ran off to save himself.
He’d let them die. He’d ran like a coward and left them all behind. It didn’t matter how many times Michael reminded himself that he couldn’t have done anything to help. They’d been outnumbered and tricked. Hell, he would have died too if he’d stayed.
But that sinking feeling in his stomach had returned. The exact same sensation he’d gotten that one night, just before he fully understood the danger. The trap Michael had willingly walked his group into.
Metal scraping against metal. There it was again. Further away. Echoing through the store. He could feel a soft vibration forming at the bottom of his feet. Something was coming and it was big. Grabbing Andrew’s hand, Michael tugged him, yanking the poor boy nearly off his feet. They weren’t in the junk food aisle. Where were they? Michael couldn’t move fast enough with Andrew lagging behind him. He reached down and scooped the kid into his arms, trying to keep his face as calm. Although he still didn’t know why, the last thing he needed was the kid bursting into tears. Michael found them two rows over. They’d filled up the last of the second cart. Clementine smiled at him. She obviously hadn’t heard the noise or felt the vibrations. She didn’t look alarmed at all until she saw Michael’s face. The expression on her face froze.
“Come on,” he said, amazed at how normal his voice sounded. Good. He needed to keep them all calm. Relaxed. “Time to go. Right now.”