Into the Night

I woke up the next morning with a sore neck and a sore back. I lifted myself to see Chuck, Robert, Johnny and the Army lad sitting around a small radio, which right now was emitting nothing more than a small crackle. I crawled over to them, squeezing between Johnny and the boy, giving myself a mental note to find out his name.

“What ewe doing?” I asked, slipping into what was, for me, a fairly strong Welsh accent. Chuck gave me a weird look, and I shook my head. The accent was something I’d got rid of at University, but now and then would come out when I was still half asleep.

“Seeing if we can pick something up.” Chuck mumbled, turning back to the radio as Robert turned the dial back and forth. “Charlie said it was working yesterday when they tested it.”

“Charlie?” I yawned, watching as Chuck swept a hand through his hair. “Whose...” I caught the eye of the young Army boy, and couldn’t resist giving him a grin. “Ah right Charlie.”

He rolled his eyes before turning back to the radio. “Any luck sir?”

“No.” Robert shook his head, gaze landing on Chuck.

“That’s not good, is it?” I asked, knowing just by the looks on their faces that I had asked something they had all been thinking, but were way to afraid to ask.

Jesus bloody Christ my head hurts. What the hell was that? Argh. Where’s my phone....I need to find my phone. My mam phoned, I need to call her back. She got cut off and then...

Then what happened?

The phone got cut off. I ‘member tha’ much. Mam was telling me to get to somewhere safe, but I didn’t noah what she was going bloody on about. Where am I, anyway? In my room. Ok, that’s Ok. But the lights not working. Why isn’t it working? And why is there rubble everywhere....

Russia, that’s what she was on about. Crazy bat. Love her to pieces but like she just loses it sometimes. Why Russia?

There’s a pounding in my head that I cannot get rid of. And something wrong with my eyes. Maybe that’s why it’s so dark? There’s a round light just in front of my eyes that won’t disappear. Find some water, that’s a good ideah. Could do with some, for my throat like. Then put it in my eyes.

Russia and America. Mam was worried about an attack, but then why would it hit us?

I didn’t understand a word she was on about.

Maybe I should go across the hall, try to see that lad. Whashisname...

Jake. That’s it. The lad I bumped into that one time picking up the post.

Ouch.

I think I just hit my desk. Something just crashed onto the floor. Oh god, not one of the photos...

It feels like the frames broken, and the glass inside. That must mean it’s one of ‘em. Though with no light and this bloody circle in front of my...

Hm. My mattress. It’s a bloody comfy one too, mam brought it when I moved out.

Sleep.

That’s a good idea, then when I wake up this light’ll be gone and I can start sorting my life out.

I wonder if, tomorrow, I’ll have a clue about what’s happened. Maybe-ah, tomorrow, things’ll be back to normal.

I can hope.

They hide the radio, and don’t mention it to the girls when they wake up. Considering everything, they seem in good spirits. The two kids soon start playing on their Nintendo DS100, and the boy is all too eager to show me all his games when I ask. After a while, not knowing what the time is, we seem to make a silent decision to eat. We search through the shelves, looking for something, and something doesn’t surprise me when all we come across are Army Ration Packs.

Chuck explained to me that each was enough to last one soldier for 24 hours. They were full of calories and energy to keep you going. I did a quick count of the amount there, and worked out that there was more than enough to last us all for over two weeks. I gestured to our own bags.

“What about them?”

“They’ll come in useful.” He muttered. “Especially for the kids, we’ve got loads of chocolate in there.”

“Yeah.” I agreed, as Robert and Charlie started handing out the packs. Johnny ripped his open, and then glanced at Tabby.

“Save yours babe, we’ve got enough in here for both of us for now.”

We all glanced at each other, before splitting into pairs. Charlie moved towards Madison, who was now sitting against the far wall, staring, unblinking, at the door. She had a strange expression on her face, her mouth was half twisted, her eyes were narrowed.

“Looks like she’s waiting for someone.” I muttered to Chuck, as he opened his own pack and expertly started setting up the tiny stove that had been contained within.

“We all are mate.” He replied, throwing in the beef stew that had come with his pack. “We’re just waiting for someone to come in and tell us it’s Ok, that it’s safe and we can go outside now.”

I couldn’t help but let my eyes drift up to the ceiling. Nothing had changed up there, it was made of some sort of metal. Silvery colouring, with a few lights coming off it. Stark lighting that made me think of a hospital. I hung my head, feeling the normal nagging at the back of my mind.

Robert crossed over to us, smiling happily as he dug a fork into his own food. “This isn’t too bad. Better than I remember, right Chuck?”

Chuck grinned back, taking his stew out and putting in soup for me. I felt my stomach rubble as Robert eyed the bags at our feet.

“Mind if I have a pack of cigarettes lads?”

“No worries.” Chuck reached in and took out one of the multi-packs we’d picked up. Happily, I took one out of my pocket for myself as Chuck ripped open the packaging and handed a twenty deck to the old Army Sergeant. He quickly finished his food and lit up. His wife’s eyes landed on him, disapproving as Madison leapt up and practically sprinted across the small space.

“Cig?” She requested, eyes pleading as I gave her one.

We all lit up, and fell into easy conversation.

Still, at the back of my mind was the knowledge that me and Chuck now had one less pack, that I had one less cigarette, that we didn’t know how long the rest would last and didn’t know how long we’d be stuck in here.

And if I didn’t have a cigarette, if shit eventually kicked off, then...

Well, I didn’t know what I’d do then. Something driven by being cranky and annoyed and facing the end. Definitely something not good.

Still that strange pounding in my head. That cannot be good. I have no idea what the time is when I wake up, I don’t have a clue if I slept for twenty minutes or twenty hours.

I can’t help but rub my eyes, hoping somehow that it will get rid of that strange circle. But nope, still there. Ah well. It’ll go, eventually, on its own.

I need to get out of ‘ere. Like now, It’s dark and dusty and I swear part of my ceiling’s fallen in. I should knock on that guy’s door really, maybe he’ll know what ‘as ‘appened.

I ‘ope so. I’m starting to get worried. I ain’t heard a noise for what seems like ages...

Maybe I’ve gone deaf, too? I notice it for the first time; a ringing that surrounds me, that comes from all angles. Bloody hell.

Need to get out of my flat.

That’s the first thing.

Get out, get help.

Hospital? Maybe. If I need to. Jake might be able to help though. God I hope he’s in...

I stumble and fall over something that was not there last time I looked, but somehow I make it to the door and push against it. It doesn’t move until I practically throw myself against it. Then it swings open, and I fall out into the hall, wincing at the sudden light.

Bloody hell.

Not as bad as...

That was it.

Just after the phone cut off.

Something happened, I thought it was my head at first because everything shook. The books on my shelf fell onto my desk, knocked a few photos down. Then there was this almightily blinding white light.

I thought I was going to die until I woke up.

But what the hell was it?

Did anyone else feel it or was it just me?

Maybe it was just me and now I’m panicking for no reason. But the bulbs out here, they seem too bright. Oh god mam, please be ok.

“Jake.” My throat sounds hoarse as I yell, before pounding on his door. The floor seems to slant too far to the right, and when I glance up I can see why.

The ceiling’s almost caved in, I can see where it’s bulging. But we’re not the top floor, so it doesn’t really make sense. But still, the building is defiantly not straight up anymore.

There’s no answer from Jake, so I glance up and down the corridor and yell for the others who live there. I yell for Chloe, and within a couple of minutes her door opens and she stumbles out, clutching her leg and lifting an arm to her eyes to shield her from the light.

“Mercy! You’re safe! Oh thank god.”

I stagger towards her as she falls forward. I catch her in my arms and glance at her leg. It’s bleeding, badly, I can just see around the edges of the circle that she’s cut it.

“Chloe, what happened?”

“Part of my ceiling fell. I think we should get out.” She lifts her eyes to lock with mine – they’re beautiful eyes, big and blue and round and always rimmed in jet black eyeliner. She blinks a couple of times as I hoist her up and half carry her towards the steps.

“It’s OK Chloe.” I needed to keep her calm, I realised, as she started to whimper under her breath. “Trust me darling, it’s OK....”

Her skinny, frail arm was pressed against mine, her bony fingers digging into my shoulder where she was trying to hold on. I could have cheered when we finally got to the bottom of the stairs, when I could see the door that would lead us outside.

Outside.

Freedom and air and sky and none of this choking smoke that had seemed to filter up, filling up from the bottom floors and which was now getting into my nostrils and making them inch like hell and getting into my eyes where it was even more painful and my god it stings so bad and I can feel it on my tongue and teeth making them furry almost and my eyes are burning and watering and the closer we get to the door the worse it gets and my skin, it’s starting to itch and sting and flare up red and it’s getting worse! Not better but worse and so much worse too.

Chloe’s fingers dig into my skin. She weeps. Wails. She sounds like one of the women in the Greek play I saw at school.

Still, I drag her with me.

When we get outside I can see that coming out here was not a good idea.

Instantly I raise a hand to cover my eyes, shielding them from the endless amount of smoke that seems to have settled over the town. Through the strange dark haze I can see shadows and shapes, buildings looming up, Most seem to have altered shape, but only in the slightest way. Leaning too far right or too far left. I don’t see anyone, though there are a few cars that seem to be abandoned, some with the engines still running.

“Mercy, what’s happening?”

Chloe coughs, violently after opening her mouth to speak. I don’t reply, too scared to breathe or speak in case I inhale the fog. So instead I pull her with me, and meekly, wordlessly she follows.

Does she know that I have no idea where I’m heading?