One (Alone Book 3) Read online

  “Will she come back?” Cain asked.

  Kaley smiled, “She always does”.

  ~

  The house was quiet as Ollie sat wondering whether he had been right to push Stacie into allowing Cain to come, Cain was of course just a kid but Stacie had found him when he too was just a mere child and she had made it known that to survive in this world he needed to know about the world and learn to hold his own. The way she was with Cain was different, like all she wanted to do was protect him, like a mother, like an adult! He thought back to Sian and how she had always claimed how adults thought they were doing their best to save their families but in fact their decisions turned out bad. But Stacie wasn’t like normal adults, she had grown up in this world, with him, with them. Maybe not together, ‘together’ as she had only been back a while but she had only been a few miles away at most.

  He turned to see that Cain was reading a comic and Kaley was drawing. The look of concentration on Cain’s face as he read the words and looked at all the pictures, taking it all in. His brain was a sponge and he knew that Cain would learn quickly how to protect himself in the outside world, he had after all learnt well with Ollie training him.

  “What’s that?” Ollie asked looking at the picture on the piece of paper Kaley was scribbling on.

  It was just doodles of the word ‘Cure’ but it was dotted more like ‘C.U.R.E’. Like the letter all stood for something else. He noticed there were other words too, ‘Town’, ‘Enok’, ‘Rain’.

  She shrugged, “Just more images I’m getting but I can’t make sense of them”.

  “Wonder what it really stands for? I mean Kian said it didn’t really mean cure”. He pondered for a moment before saying. “But surely they would make a cure of sorts, right? I mean they have to be able to protect themselves if something went wrong?”

  “I have thought that too, but maybe, they just don’t care?” she said shifting in her seat. “Kian said the C.U.R.E was the new form of virus but I think even they who created it don’t realise how bad it will be. They think they can control it but how? You can’t control infected minds.”

  “Can’t you?” Ollie thought out loud, “Look at Stacie, she can with the Crushers, she can connect with them in ways even you can’t. Maybe they have found this out and have mutated a version of it…”

  “I don’t see that though”.

  “But you can’t see everything Kaley. You admit that”.

  She nodded, “Yeah I know… Ollie?”

  “Yeah?”

  “Are we doing the right thing? You know leaving here and going to Svalbard?”

  “Well I guess we will find out once we leave but I think we are, no matter the outcome”, he smiled, stroking her cheek gently trying to soothe her, she held onto his hand keeping it there, keeping her cheek warm, keeping him close just a little bit longer.

  The next morning Stacie was back, no one questioned her on her disappearance but then again no one would want to they all knew what she was capable of, except Kian, he was still none the wiser.

  She looked wired, dark circles sat under her wild and alert eyes, she had most probably been up all night in the woods taking out her anger on unsuspecting creatures or just inanimate objects that got in her way.

  Stacie had called a meeting in the community centre with the help of Dwayne and the others, everyone went, it was as if she had lain down the law. The only person not present was Kian, Stacie hadn’t wanted him there looking intimidating or acting odd with Kaley because of her condition. There was tension in the air as people wondered as to why the meeting had been called and some had witnessed the argument between Kaley, Ollie and Stacie last night.

  “I have called you all here today because we have a lead on where it is Kaley needs to go”, Stacie quickly explained all that needed to be said about Kian and what he had told them, “So that just leaves me with a question, is there anyone who would like to be involved in the trip? It will be dangerous but getting her there would ensure the camps safety in the long run. I also need people to stand up to watch the camp whilst we are gone, it might become permanent if we don’t return”.

  Ollie noted how her voice was strong and commanding, she indeed had grown up into the adult Sian had always feared she would but he could see it in her that she wasn’t like the other adults, she would do the right thing even if it was the last thing she ever done.

  Chantelle stepped forward, “I will offer to help run the camp here, I am here for the children and they all know that, I can be a teacher and a leader if someone will help me?”

  Then the Doctor stepped forward with his wife, “We will help, we wish to keep the camp safe. We have learnt much from you Stacie and young Ollie and of course from Monique and Callum, I think we can handle it”.

  Stacie nodded her eyes welling up, they all knew the camp would indeed be in safe hands.

  “What about the Crushers?” A woman named Stephanie asked, she had been one of the originals to follow them from Brighton.

  “What about them?” Stacie replied.

  “Will they stay here to protect us?”

  Stacie looked to the gate where she knew one was standing guard, “I will take them with me”.

  An angry chorus of voices exploded through the camp and people voiced their concerns about the camps safety if they left.

  “Quiet!” Stacie commanded and everyone died down, “I have my reasons”.

  “And they are Stacie?” The Doctor asked politely, already showing his authority over the camp.

  “We will be going to Svalbard which is in the Arctic Ocean, I don’t know even if just going a hundred miles away will affect the power and communication I have with them let alone different countries which are hundreds maybe thousands of miles away I don’t know, I’m no geography geek but I couldn’t live with myself knowing I left them here, the connection was lost and they attacked and killed you all. You would have no hope against them, Christian and his men where half breeds like me and they had no chance against them, let alone normal humans like you. I just can’t chance it”.

  “We will be fine, we will survive we done it before the Crushers turned up”, the doctor said.

  “That was with Monique and Callum in charge”, someone shouted, “What can you do old man?” The voice belonged to a man of around 36 years of age, a rather disliked figure in the group because he had split Dwayne and his family up. It was Neil.

  “Not just me, you, all of you”, the doctor stated, “We can all do this together if we work together. We keep the system as it is, we do the perimeter checks, we have lookouts, we have a curfew in place we stick to this and we will survive”.

  A few cheers sounded out.

  “We can do this”, Chantelle added, “We have weapons, we have knowledge and we have spirit”.

  More cheers erupted.

  Ollie felt it deep down, the camp would be alright, the doctor and his wife had the wisdom the group needed and Chantelle was the motherly figure and he was pretty sure once they had gone others would stand up to keep the camp safe too.

  Chapter Five…

  I stood in the middle of the community centre with my collective team which had volunteered to come with us. I had dismissed the rest of the camp to get back to their duties, or rather the Doc had dismissed them, I could tell he was going to be a great leader. I had to admit I hadn’t expected many people to step forward due to the circumstances involved, people didn’t necessarily believe that Kaley was the be all and end all, most didn’t want to accept what she could see and do but there was a couple who could see that and those were our people, our small but efficient team.

  Once the others had gone I then allowed Kian entry into the community centre, I had quickly briefed them telling them I didn’t want him to know what I could do just yet and they all agreed to keep quiet, most probably out of fear, we would be on the open road and if one of them slipped up I could kill them and make it look like an accident. Not that I was that way inclined, I wasn’t hom
icidal. Much?

  Kian then told everyone about the facility and why we had to stop them at the E.L. HQ.

  All in all we grouped together a team of nine people, myself, Ollie, Kaley, Cain, Kian, Lara and Dwayne which I had to add was a surprise as he had his daughter here at the camp but he wanted to ensure that she lived that happy safe life whether that be with him or without him. Then there was a girl called Kirsty and her boyfriend Mac. Along with my Crushers we had the hopes of a small army among us.

  Kian didn’t look happy about our numbers, I think he was expecting more to join for the fight. I think he expected me to force people to come and again he saw this as my weakness that I didn’t, that I wasn’t as feared as people made out but why should I force them when me and Kaley were a force to be reckoned with all on our own.

  “Thank you all for joining us, now we have a plan of action to get to Svalbard but I must warn you the journey isn’t going to be easy”, Kian said, his real hand stroked his artificial one, I didn’t think in a pain kind of way more of a habit. “Myself and the Doctor looked over maps of England and further afield and first off we need to get to Ashford international, it’s where the Euro tunnel was based and has a direct line into France. We go from the Calais terminal through France to Dunkirk, then to Bruges, to Antwerp in Belgium through to Amsterdam then Hamburg in Germany, Denmark, Copenhagen then Gothenburg Sweden through to Oslo in Norway then to the peak of Norway and find a way to Svalbard in the Arctic Ocean, for this we will have to find a helicopter”.

  Mac spoke up, “I thought all the places that the Brit’s could escape from were bombed in the war? How will we get through the tunnel, it’s not like there will be running trains?”

  “Good point but they didn’t blow up the tunnel, they merely blocked it off by bombing the entrances. See they weren’t stupid they knew that one day in the future when they wish to retake the world for their own that they will need things like the channel tunnel to get through and they wouldn’t want to go through the pain of rebuilding it when they could just use the one that’s already there, maybe just add a few minor adjustments and maintenance from years of neglect”.

  “So you think we will be able to get through?” Mac asked.

  “I’m sure of it”.

  “How do you know all this?” Kirsty piped up.

  “I told you I worked in their security”.

  “Yes but did they tell you these things?”

  He shook his head, “No, I was part of a rebel movement, all we wanted was to take them down. We had people on the inside who researched things, we stole paperwork and I read it in their files”.

  “Why didn’t you all just team up and take them out?” Mac questioned him.

  Kian sighed, “Because they had eyes and ears everywhere, whenever we planned something they would know about it and we would have to abandon our plans or they would kidnap and kill other rebels but this, an outside attack would take them by surprise they would not be expecting this”.

  “Not even though you escaped? Could they not think you might come back? Or that one of the other countries are striking?”

  I had to look at him and watch his expression as he answered.

  “No, they hit the helicopter, they knew it was damaged, they probably didn’t even think we made it over the Ocean”, He told them then added. “And they have the other countries under satellite surveillance they would see if one of them was about to attack and destroy them but us… They would simply think we were lone survivors moving out to find shelter and food”.

  “They still have satellites?” I asked him as this was new news to me.

  He nodded, “Yes, they still have access to them. That’s how they know that there are survivors left and that some countries have not yet succumbed to the virus”.

  “But won’t they see us coming? Won’t they recognise you?” Ollie asked. “Or that the helicopter did make it here? And now we’re on our way!”

  “No, they won’t recognise me, they can zoom in but not that much”, he laughed. “And the helicopter crashed, they would have thought I died along with Candice. Plus, we haven’t stormed out within a few days with a large army, we are a small group. They will expect us to be scavenging if they did see us”.

  “But they will see us coming? Eventually, if they put two and two together and realise we are the same ones from England travelling,” I stated.

  He nodded and shrugged, “Maybe, yes”.

  “So this is suicide, as soon as we get close enough they can just…Attack us?” Mac said.

  “We can work out ways to hide and blend in. We can travel at night where it’s harder for the satellites to pick us up, try and find clothing that will camouflage us in the snow…”

  “We can’t go out at night!” Kirsty sniped, “What do you think we are stupid?”

  “It will be our best chance”, he told her.

  “And what about the creatures?” Ollie asked, “You said the virus was different abroad, mutated and the animals are infected too. Won’t going at night be a stupid idea? A lot of animals are brilliant hunters at night and if they have escaped from Zoo’s or other places they will be hungry”.

  Kian looked lost in thought for a moment then said, “It doesn’t matter if its days or night they will hunt us. Night time will give us the cover we need”.

  “F… this man. We wanna get there, not be all eaten on the first night”, Dwayne exclaimed.

  “We will decide once there”, I said, “If the night is not safe we will travel in the day. We will have to just be mindful of watchful eyes”.

  “Aren’t there like certain times a satellite will pass over certain areas?” Kirsty asked, “Like can’t we figure out what times good and bad? I saw it in a film once. You worked there surely you should know”.

  “I didn’t study the flight patterns”, he sounded annoyed.

  “How long do you think the journey will take?” Kaley butted in seizing the moment before it all ended in arguments.

  He sighed, “A few days, a few weeks maybe or a even a month or two depending on how many detours we have to take. I have no idea how infested the other countries are or how badly damaged the places were in the bombings but however long it takes we will get there”.

  “It should only take us a day to get to Ashford”, I said, “From there we follow the train track to the Eurotunnel Terminal Folkestone which will take us underground into the actual Channel tunnel, then we begin the walk under water to Calais. We imagine this shouldn’t take more than a day or two, what we anticipate might be lengthy is the other side in France and connecting countries. Obviously we will take supplies but we cannot carry too much so we will need to look for supplies as we travel which could take time as we won’t know the areas and we will need to keep as close to the path we have chosen as possible”.

  “Are we going the whole way by foot?” Lara asked.

  I knew why she asked as her leg was only recently healed and she still limped badly when tired.

  “Hopefully not, we will leave the truck here at the camp as the others may need it and we cannot take things away from them but I’m hoping along the way we find some good vehicles that will help us. If you feel too pained to come Lara then please stay, we won’t be offended if you wish to stay behind. You would be a welcomed asset here keeping an eye on things with the Doc and Chantelle”.

  “No I’m fine”, she smiled clearly a lie. I just had to hope that she wouldn’t become a burden and slow us down. I hated thinking like that but I had to think about Cain and the others and getting Kaley to Svalbard alive.

  “When do we leave?” Cain asked.

  Everyone turned to him, I could feel Kirsty, Mac and even Kian’s stares upon him as to why I was allowing a young child to come with me but I answered anyway, “Tomorrow morning, we will have what the Doctor wants to call a last supper together as a camp, then we pack and leave. Gives people a chance to say their goodbyes”.

  Cain nodded, his dark hair reflecting Tanya i
n every way, his dark eyes determined, “Ok, well I’m going to pack and say goodbye now”. He left us all.

  “Why are you allowing him to come?” Kirsty asked.

  “Because he’s…”

  “Family”, Kaley added, “He’s family and he comes with us”.

  Kirsty nodded, “Ok”, she looked a little sceptical but didn’t fight it, she knew she wouldn’t win going up against myself and Kaley and maybe even Ollie too.

  The group dispersed ready to pack, myself and Ollie sorted through all the weapons and obviously we didn’t want to take a life line away from the people staying so we halved it. I had my rifle and some bullets, I also had my bow and arrows that I had repaired. Ollie took a shotgun, I didn’t want to ask but it looked to be the one he had all those years ago that took out the demented doctor along with a pistol and his blade.

  Kaley just opted for her knife, with her gift she said she didn’t need a weapon when someone else would have more use for it. Lara had her sword which Ollie had helped her sharpen up, lucky for her in the month she had been away from Christian she had managed to work on her upper body strength even with her broken leg the sword didn’t look so top heavy on her now plus to good thing was if she was really feeling pained and tired she could at least use it to rest upon or help aid her walking. Cain had Chantelle’s pistol, she was adamant that he have it, she hated it and only used it on emergency occasions although I made sure Monique’s old handgun was now within eye shot of Chantelle for once we left, she couldn’t be without one completely not with looking after all those children. Kian was given a blade and Callum’s pistol he also had a weapon from the helicopter which one of the camp members had retrieved when the fire had died out, some form of automatic rifle. The others also had a miss match of knives, guns and other handmade things from poles with blades attached to them to baseball bats with nails dug in.

  Around 6pm the Doctor had us all circled around the centre of the camp, a large barbeque had been set up and some of the deer I caught and other wild meat had been sourced to create a grand last feast. The mood was calm, cheery but also sombre as people tried to keep upbeat for us. Wine was passed around a small glass each, someone had even gone and found a tin or two or condensed milk and turned it into a toffee substance which we all slathered on a slice of homemade bread.