5000

Looking back on his prized farm land, the house that five generations of Vilahugo men had raised their families in, Julio was anxious but hopeful that the new settlement would prove to be the start of a new life for his new-born son and the future generations. Wildfires had engulfed all of the known world from the snow-topped mountains in the North to the warm Southern coast where Julio was now heading to try to save his family.

Filling up the final bottle of water and securing it to his pack, he looked back for the final time at his farm house. Everything he had worked for, everything his family had made and earnt, had to be left behind. Julio could only reasonably take one bag, especially if he wanted to make good time on the journey and most of that one bag had to be taken up with water. He didn’t really know how much water little Marco could drink in 24 hours, but he wasn’t willing to take any risks with the heat. He couldn’t count how many times he’d wished for his wife’s comfort and advice already this morning, and he knew it was only going to get worse.

One more deep breath and he was out the door. He turned to lock it but stopped himself.

“What’s the point?” He thought, holding back the tears. He wasn’t ever coming back, and neither was anyone else. Anyone who didn’t make it to the new settlement was probably going to be dead within the month. The fires had gone past the point of unstoppable and the Government had gone past the point of caring. It was leave or be left. Julio knew which side of that decision he wanted to be on with his son.

He felt sorry for his cattle that would soon be abandoned to face the fires alone, but his priorities couldn’t be any clearer; Give his son a future, no matter the cost. Plus, as much sympathy as he had for his animals, he couldn’t help but feel as if those in charge had left the people in much the same way. They had vacated the country at the first sign of danger and the news about the ocean settlement was the first anyone had heard from any authority in the month since. When the Governor and his staff left, leaving a void of power, everyone thought that anarchy would soon ensue. However, it soon became clear that there was no point stealing or looting when everything would be burnt to a crisp soon anyway. It was a gloomy thought but if it kept the peace, then nobody was going to complain. Maybe if someone had stolen his livestock, Julio wouldn’t have had to feel so guilty as he turned away from them and leave the ranch for the final time. He thought he’d seen a look of betrayal in their eyes but shook it off as hallucinations caused by the heat.

This new ocean settlement was the best the failing Government could come up with, but it could only sustain 5000 people, less than 1% of the population. Well the population before this tragedy, so far nearly half of the population had been killed by the fires already. However sick it made him feel, Julio couldn’t help but be grateful for his increased chance of survival. Part of the conditions for the settlement was that only a maximum of 2 people from each bloodline could possibly go (to ensure the best genetic variation for the future population). This had comforted Julio in the weeks leading up to the evacuation because unlike many families, he knew that his bloodline was pure and that is immediate family were the only ones that shared his genetic code. He had been told that there were DNA testing stations as part of the security before anyone could board and knew that if he could get that far then he and Marco would be safe. As if his son had followed his train of thought and reached its destination before he had even got there, he began to cry the same lost, grieving cry that had haunted Julio too many times over the last 3 days. He missed his mother and, at six days old, was far too young to understand the sacrifice his mother had made for him. Kiara Vilahugo had taken her own life three days after giving birth to her second child and only son. She knew only two from the family could be saved and that she was too weak to survive the journey. Kiara had promised herself that the fires were not going to be the cause of her death and the only way to avoid this was to walk to the clifftop were she and Julio were married not 5 years earlier and to let herself be thrown over by the waves. In the three days since, no one in the village had managed to recover the body and now it was unlikely that anybody ever would. Those that didn’t make it onto the ship were predicted to only have a matter of days before the fires closed in on the tiny port town that was quickly becoming the only place not engulfed.

Still more tragic yet was the fact that Kiara was not alone in her self-sacrifice, not even alone in her own family. Brianna, aged 4, unknown to herself was also never to return home from her walk to the cliffs edge that warm summer evening. Her body had however been washed ashore early the next day which only added to the two remaining Vilahugos’ grief. It had been decided and carried out that Julio and Marco were the chosen ones to go and fight for their place in the new world and Julio was determined that they were going to make it.

It was about a day’s walk to get to the port, maybe longer with the baby, but Julio didn’t want to waste a second that wasn’t essential. He had planned his route carefully, trying to avoid the worst of the fires but they were spreading so fast, he couldn’t be sure that anywhere was safe. Driving, for those who could afford it, had been out of the question for months now with the stifling air temperature putting any fuel at serious risk of spontaneous combustion. Step by step, he fought onwards following what was left of the roads, past long deserted villages and towards the port.
As night drew in, Marco fell soundly asleep in his father’s arms, rocked by the even footsteps never wavering in rhythm or pace. Julio knew he was getting close, there were more travellers on the roads now all with the same destination. Despite the people, it was quiet, everyone focusing their energy on the journey. The exhaustion of having walked since sunrise was balanced with the slight ease of walking without the sun burning down on his neck. The nights never really got cool anymore but there was a breeze and some shade, and that was plenty good enough right now. The wind picked up and somewhere in the distance you could hear the roaring wildfires spurred on by it, racing across the empty countryside. Julio wondered if there was anything left to burn anymore but the fire always seemed to find something. Just as long as it is wasn’t his family, he didn’t really care what is was.

The previous thought of wind pushing the fire towards them, made up Julio’s mind that he wasn’t going to stop to rest tonight.

‘We’ll just get in sight of the port,’ he whispered to himself, ‘Just so we can see it.’

And so, on into the night they went, further and further from anywhere Marco had ever been in his short life. Luckily, Julio had lived in the valley his entire life and although he hadn’t left it since his marriage and inheriting of the ranch, he remembered these roads like he hadn’t been away a day. Cool summers spent with his childhood friends going on adventures as soon as they were old enough to stay away from home. They never had a worry in the world, the countryside was their back garden and they owned it just as much as the farmers and the landlords. The roads seemed longer now, and sadder. Like they had forgotten all the fun that was once had. Ever since the fires started, everyone had lost all memory of happiness and serenity. Julio hadn’t spoken to any of the men that had made up his boyhood gang in months, but he didn’t suppose they had all made it this far. That would be too much luck for anyone to wish for and right now, Julio wanted to keep all his luck reserved for his son and their future together.

Pushing the thoughts of what had almost certainly befallen his friends out of his mind, he tried to focus on remembering the good times. Back then the journey was a luxury, one of the few they had, but it was fun and exciting. The sun on their backs and the wind on the cheeks was all these young lads needed to feel like kings of world. They were like knights from the old legends, crusaders on their own missions of adventure and exploration. He remembered a time when they stayed out under the stars for a whole weekend, they brought enough rations for an army, they ate and slept, caught some fish and ate some more. There used to be so much wildlife, you barely had to leave the settlements before you were surrounded by life. There was a harmony in the world, between the people and the nature. Some people said that life was better in the 21st century when the world was rich and full of technology, but Julio couldn’t disagree more: He loved the simplicity and the return to the traditional way of life, ranching was his passion. He loved his life with his land, his work and his family. He loved his childhood and his teenage years in this place. Life was easier then, free from commitment and obligation. Not that Julio would ever go back, he loved Marco with all his heart. Marco was all he had left of his beautiful wife and daughter. Whilst he was dark skinned from the manual labour, they were all so fair and delicate, like angels, untainted by life. When he first met Kiara, he promised her that he would never make her lift a finger a day in her life. He just never thought that that life would be so short.

In the dead of night, with the glow of the country alight behind them, the father and his son, crossed over the brow of the hill that marked the edge of the port town. Despite the hour, it was bustling with people. Some, like him, were trying to find somewhere to settle down for what was the last few hours of the night, but most the people seemed to be official: Men in uniforms, setting up barriers and tents. It looked so threatening but then Julio had never seen a crowd of people like he expected to see tomorrow. He couldn’t face going down the hill to join the chaos just yet (plus he’d promised himself he’s stop at first sight of the port), so he found a sheltered spot on the hillside and sat down. He woke Marco to give him some water, before finishing the rest and propping himself up against the moss-covered rocks. Before he could even think about how much he missed his own bed, his eyes closed, and he was asleep.