Essential as Air and Water by Matthew Bushen
Chapter 17
Leaving the bus was not a choice. It had been a welcome change from London and had lifted everyone’s spirits temporarily. There was no way they could have prepared for somebody turning in such a confined space. They knew there were risks in attempting any sort of journey. But preparations had been made for the eventuality of a breakdown. Backpacks were filled with extra warm clothing, first aid boxes and energy snack bars. The Prime Minister could have been reached in a few minutes by helicopter. The evacuation site was not far and could easily have been contacted to collect them and take them the remaining distance. For Lanegan and his friends though, walking was the only option. They wanted to enter as everyone else had: nervous, full of uncertainty and without a security team surrounding them.
“Can anyone tell me what to expect from the evacuation site?” asked Stephanie. “I can’t help but imagine a refugee camp, or a prison camp.”
“In appearance maybe,” Lanegan answered. “After the crash all those years ago, it was decided that plans should be made for any future emergency situations. I have only seen the military conducting practice runs of this type of thing and don’t fully know what to expect myself.”
“They must have done that quickly,” said Stephanie.
“The military are experts as a crisis support team; they can react quickly and efficiently. We don’t fight wars anymore, so training is spread equally between this sort of event and combat. We have managed to build a new town in a matter of weeks. It won’t be glamorous, but it will be functional.”
Even with Lanegan’s description it was hard to form an image of the site. As bad as London had become, the thought of sleeping in shared shelters and tents was not appealing to any of them.
“What if we get there and nobody else turns up?” asked Jacob. “I mean, if many of the villages and towns have not been too badly affected, they may think it’s better to stay where they feel safe.”
“We have to hope they believe in a future,” said Ken. “People are generally good-natured and want to help or we wouldn’t have got this far. Would you not want to stop all of this? Even if you weren’t directly involved. They must have considered that one day it would come knocking on their door; or wondered what happens when we are living as if in the middle ages. If this was to end in this exact moment, as we stand here, the damage would still take years to be fully repaired. People rely on each other too much not to care. They will come, Jacob.”
“Does anyone else see that?” asked Stephanie.
A light had appeared that was creeping over the horizon causing a sunset effect that covered the landscape. Standing in a row, shoulder to shoulder, they looked on as their destination presented itself with a dazzling welcome - and then it disappeared.
“What happened? Where did it go?” asked Stephanie.
“What time is it?” asked Morrison.
“Why does that matter?” asked Stephanie.
“Ten o’clock,” answered Lanegan.
Lanegan and Morrison looked at each other.
“Lights out,” they said.
“Eh,” Stephanie grunted.
“It’s to save power. No electricity after ten,” said Morrison. “We’re here. We had better radio ahead and tell them we’ve arrived.”
As they stood looking into the darkness, Morrison announced their arrival and requested they were not to be picked up. A powerful spotlight was switched back on and pointed in their direction. Such a vast concentration of artificial light was deceptive to the eye and made the site seem closer than it was. During the last few miles, as they moved forward the light appeared to be moving backwards as the road undulated like waves. At the side of the road, the density of the trees grew thicker, marking the edge of the forest. With no traffic, the road merged with its surroundings. For the group, the road felt most natural to them - it was what they knew; making the necessary changes within themselves would take bravery that they did not know existed, and would soon mean leaving the familiar.