Volucris_Emmergence Read online

  “Yeah, it was probably nothing, there was an RV seemed to be following me.”

  “You sure, you want me to call the police?”

  “No, no it’s ok, I’m sure I just got spooked. Can we lock down early tonight?”

  “Yes love of course, I’ll do it now.”

  She kissed Mo on the cheek as Mo breathed in the smell of clean clothes and home cooking. Mo’s grandmother went over to the holo projector and called up the house security system . She keyed in the code and spoke.

  “Full lockdown.”

  The house was filled with the sound of grinding metal as the shutters on all the windows came down and the sounds of the alarms arming came on. Some thought that the Swift family had gone a bit overboard with their level of protection but Rebecca Swift and her granddaughter did not care what others thought, and now many in the neighbourhood were doing the same. There was no chance of anyone getting in. Rebecca had always been very cautious, Mo put it down to the responsibility she felt looking after her. And the fact that she had lost a daughter and wanted to try and control as much as she could. Mo never made her Grandmother feel bad about not letting her out so much, she knew how hard it was for her and how sad she had been.

  Chapter 2

  The itching on Mo’s back woke her up; the incessant prickling was driving her mad. She looked at her holo it was just after 10 in the morning, she had slept longer than she had wanted to again, but it was always difficult to get up, especially as there was not much to get up for. She went into her en-suite bathroom, another luxury her Grandmother felt she deserved. She took off her top and moved her hair around her shoulder. Hher scratching had caused red marks on the middle of her back where she had tried to reach the red patches., Tthere were two evenly marked scratched and angry looking patches on both her shoulder blades, what can this be, she said out loud.

  “Grandma, Grandma” Mo shouted. , Sshe was getting worried now that this maybe more serious than she originally thought. However, she also knew calling her Grandmother would be no problem as she was always up cooking or sewing much earlier than she was.

  Rebecca came into the bathroom not bothering to knock, they were both very comfortable with each other and Mo knew nothing would shock her Grandmother, but this time it seems she was wrong. She looked in the mirror into the face of her Grandmother that had gone very pale; she had fallen back slightly on to the door frame gripping it for support.

  “What is it, is this bad, what’s the matter?” Mo asked, a slight panic in her voice.

  Rebecca shook herself and seemed to recover from her shock at seeing the red marks on Mo’s back.

  “It’s ok love, sorry, I didn’t mean to shock you, you just looked so like your mother for a second it really took me back.”

  “Oh sorry.” Mo looked down feeling guilty for bringing back a painful memory.

  “No, darling no, it’s fine, don’t feel bad, it’s lovely you look so like her now that you are growing up, please don’t ever be sorry!”

  “Ok, what do you think these are on my back?”

  Rebecca approached Mo and gently swept back her hair, she ran her hands over the inflamed skin, she seemed lost in thought gauging what to say.

  “Well, should I be worried?” Mo asked bringing Rebecca out of her revere.

  “No, I’m sure it’s nothing, it will probably go in a couple of days, and I recently changed the detergent, you are probably reacting to that. Don’t worry.”

  “But why is it just in those places on my back? Tthe marks are practically symmetrical?”

  “I don’t know, skin can react funny. Iif it hasn’t gone in a couple of days I’ll take you to the Doctor., I have got some cream that will help though, and I just need to find it.”

  Rebecca left the bathroom and headed for her own room. Mo was reassured by her Grandmother but she also had a niggling feeling that she was not being told the whole story somehow;. sShe dismissed the thought.; Hher Grandmother has always told her the truth in everything, why would this be any different. Rebecca returned with an old looking wooden pot.

  “What’s that?” Mo asked not hiding the disgust in her voice., Iin this infectious time everyone had become very careful with cleanliness and cleaning, although there were some who said the obsession with keeping clean was the part of the reason the virus was so virulent.

  “It’s an old natural recipe, it will work wonders you’ll see, trust me.”

  “Ok if you think so.”

  “I do, I’m a lot older and wiser than you my girl.” sShe said with a tease in her voice.

  She undid the lid and a smell of lavender filled the air.

  “Mmm, well at least it smells good”

  She carefully spread the ointment over Mo’s back and the relief was instant.

  “Oh, that’s lovely, the itching has stopped straight away, that feels great.”

  “See I told you to trust me, now just apply it once a day, not too much as this is the only pot I have, I’ll help if you can’t reach.”

  “Thanks Grandma what would I do without you?”

  “And I you lovely girl, well what are you doing today, do you feel up to going out after yesterday, you can take the car if you like?”

  “And go where? “

  “Well why don’t you pick up Lizzie and go for a drive up the coast, it’s pretty safe up there and you can stay in the car, it’s bullet proof you know.”

  Rebecca wasn’t even joking., Tthe car was small, convenient and completely bomb and bullet proof, another one of Rebecca’s controlling influences to keep her beloved Granddaughter safe.

  “Ok, yeah it will do us good to go out and Lizzie’s parents like our car, I think they trust it more than their own, I’ll go and text her.”

  Mo threw on a top, relaxing as finally the itching had subsided. ; Rebecca watched her go, worry etched across her face, what should she do? Was it time? Time, it had all gone so quickly it seemed. Oonly yesterday she was holding this little infant who relied on her totally and completely. She had been so scared then, losing Iliana like that, seeing him just leave her, why? She cupped her head in her hands and a sob escaped her, she quickly recovered knowing she must not reveal herself to Mo. She had a decision to make whether to put out the call, or maybe she wouldn’t have to.

  Chapter 3

  Mo kissed her Grandmother goodbye grabbed the car keys and went to the garage. The car was pretty non-descript but Mo liked it, it was fun to drive because it was so small and Mo really enjoyed the freedom it gave her. Rebecca had made sure she took lessons before her 16th birthday and she passed her test very quickly. She jumped in and drove round to Lizzie’s; outside her house she honked the horn. Lizzie bolted out the door and ran quickly to the car.

  “Come on let’s go quick before Mum finds out!” Lizzie gasped.

  “Oh, no I’m not letting you go anywhere without permission, I like your Mum, I don’t want to upset her.”

  “Its fine, Dad has said yes, she is just getting so stressed with it all, she doesn’t want us going anywhere but Dad’s right, if we don’t go now we may never get the chance again or for at least a very long time! Dad said he will tell Mum and have the argument. Iit’s ok honest, look, there is Dad waving us off.”

  And sure enough Mr Spencer was waving from the window making gestures for them to leave quickly with a big grin on his face. Mo smiled, she loved Lizzie’s Dad he was always more reckless than her Mum, almost trying to live his youth again through them. She remembered him once when they were still allowed to have parties, he came gate crashing in, dancing away to the music blasting out. Lizzie was mortified but Mo and the other’s thought it was hilarious. Lizzie’s mum came in and took him out, Kyle dancing all the way. He was right, things like this may never happen again, just taking a drive like this could become obsolete, and the world was changing so quickly it was hard to keep up.

  They drove off and headed up the coast. It was a beautiful part of the world and so far, relatively safe. They lived in
a very prosperous area that had not really been affected by the gangs or virus. It was a glorious summer’s day and the heat was coming off the tarmac in waves. The sSea was a deep blue but incredibly calm without much wind, the waves just lapping the bottom of the cliffs. There was not another soul on the highway. That wasn’t particularly unusual but on such a lovely day Mo had expected to see a few more cars. The girls chatted about school work and their friends, only a handful had caught the virus and died in the whole school, but this obviously was enough to make most parents panic. The girls were not as concerned; they were 16 and felt, as all girls their age do, invincible. None of their friends had been aeffected which helped their lack of concern.

  Mo pulled up at their usual spot overlooking the sea; it was next to the Sea View diner. This had been their old hang out; a typical teenage diner serving burgers, fries and great milkshakes. The girls and their friends had loved it. Mo worked there for a time to help her Grandma out, so she didn’t have to work so hard, and she also really enjoyed it as most of the customers were her friends. It had closed about 8 months ago, but Mo and Lizzie liked to come back and reminisce about old days. The place now was boarded up, a shadow of its previous self, it used to have tables outside the car park full of cars and bikes. Lots of teenagers laughing and dancing. As much as technology had made it possible to stay inside for pretty much everything, the human creature is a social animal and these types of places had always been popular.

  “You know I have not had a date in 8 months since this place closed.” Lizzie complained.

  “Yeah like you had so many before, you’ve only just turned 16!”

  “I know but me and Declan were getting kind of serious, and you can’t really get serious on a holo projector.”

  “Well go and see him, he is clear, isn’t he?”

  Everyone was routinely checked for signs of the virus. Every week you would have to give a small blood sample, just a pin prick on your hand. In the beginning, you could analyse it yourself on your holo and send in your results to the authorities, but after a couple of months the authorities realised people were faking the results using different unaffected people. I t was usually a family where one member had caught the virus and the others had not yet. They did not want the authorities to know as their action was swift and strong. The infected member would be removed from the family and the rest quarantined. The family member could be a mother or a child, you could understand the reasons behind people’s actions, but it did not help stop the spread of the virus. So now, every week an approved person would come and take the sample and analyse it on the spot. They became known as bin men as like the old bin men they came on different days in different areas. This helped the situation but did not entirely eradicate the problem of false sampling; bin men could be bribed or in poorer areas threatened. This is another reason why more affluent areas were surviving as the bin men were less likely to be threatened and if a case came up however awful it was, they would be removed and the family quarantined, although more often than not the family was infected too and soon followed the same fate. The virus, as most viruses do, had taken its toll on the most vulnerable first, the old and very young. This had been true in wealthy and poorer areas. , Iit had worried Mo terribly when many of her Grandmother’s friends had died, and she was expecting the same fate for her,. Bubut she had surprised all by staying healthy., Vvery early on she had stayed indoors and had not even attended the funerals of good friends, she used to call them virus holes, people would go out of duty and leave with the virus. Mo worried less about her Grandmother now, she knew she had been so cautious for her to ultimately keep Mo safe too, but she seemed so far to have avoided the first phase.

  “Yes, he is clear and his whole family, but his mother trusts no-one, keeps him and his brother in the whole time. We talk a lot but it’s not the same. They are going stir crazy in there., I’m glad my Dad is a bit reckless, I can’t imagine the shit my mum is now giving him!”

  They both laughed.,

  “You’re poor Dad.” Mo grinned.

  “So, what about Oscar, I saw you two getting close last year?”

  “Yeah, he was ok, but we are just friends, like you say it’s not easy on a holo, and he kind of lives on the other side of town and Grandma doesn’t like me going too far.”

  The girls pulled out a small pack lunch Mo had thrown together., Tthey would love to get out of the car and eat at the old tables of the diner,. bBut they both knew that would be foolish.

  It was a hot day outside the car, but inside the climate control made it quite comfortable. Mo thought how nice it would be to go down to the beach and paddle in the cool waters of the sea. But considering everything, they were both having a nice time, enjoying some rare independence and talking about normal everyday things. Mo was just finishing off her sandwich and taking a sip of water when a head appeared on the horizon coming up from the beach; it was a child’s head. Mo thought this odd and pointed it out to Lizzie.

  “What do you think that kid is doing?”

  “What kid?” Lizzie looked up just as the kid started to run towards the car. She was a slight child about 8 or 9 with long blond hair. Her clothes were quite dirty as were her hands and knees.

  “This does not look good Mo, come on we should go.”

  “She is just a kid; she may just be lost and need us to call the police or something.”

  The young girl ran straight up to the car and knocked on the driver’s window., Sshe started pointing over the cliff and talking, probably shouting, but the girls could not hear her, the protection on the car was too great. Her eyes were pleading with Mo, something was clearly very wrong. Mo reached for the car door handle.

  “Mo! What are you doing?” Lizzie almost screamed.

  “She needs our help, something is clearly wrong, she is only a child!”

  “Mo, don’t be so stupid, she could be infected or it could be a trap to get us out of the car, come on you’ve seen the safety ads, ‘never leave your car for nothing or no-one.”

  Mo hesitated, she knew Lizzie was right but there was something in this girl’s eyes, sheer panic and desperation. The girl started banging on the window more furiously and pointing at where she had appeared from. Mo looked over, another head had appeared but this was an adult not a child, then another and another. The girl’s eyes were pleading with Mo scared stiff of what was coming.

  “Lizzie put your mask on.”

  “Mo no, we can’t, let’s just go, just drive!” Lizzie had also noticed the others walking towards them.

  “No I can’t just leave her and I won’t. Eeither put your mask on or don’t, but she is getting in the car.” The girls scrambled for their portable oxygen masks that had a small tank attached to them. Tthey quickly fitted them over their nose and mouth and Mo unlocked the back door. She indicated for the girl to get in. Mo looked up to see the gang were a lot closer; it was a female and two males. The female was heading the pack and as she saw the girl get in the car she raised her hands pointing them at the car.

  “She has a gun!” Lizzie screamed.

  Mo turned to see the girl safely in the car, she locked the doors and reversed out of the car park, they all heard the ping of the shot as it hit the front of the car. , Sshe turned the car round, adrenaline flooding her system as she tried to get the car into drive but the shift slipped, she heard a hand slap the back of the car. She found the gear she needed and floored it just as she saw one of the men swing back with something to break the screen. The car shot off, bullets pinging off the back.

  “What the hell!” Lizzie was screaming, panicking.

  Mo, focused she had to get them out of here, she had to call the police.

  “Shut up Lizzie, I need to call the police and if you are screaming I can’t” Lizzie clamped her hands over her mouth as Mo called out to the voice control on the car.

  “Car, phone 911.”

  “911 what’s your emergency?.”

  Mo explained as calmly as she could w
hat had just happened, still speeding along the highway. She knew she was headed towards town and she would feel safer there. She looked in her mirror to see the young girl looking back at her, shaking, tears in her big brown eyes. They continued on the same route for about 5 minutes before Mo heard sirens up ahead and was relieved to see 2 patrol cars heading towards them. One went straight past them while the other pulled alongside their car and directed them off the highway.

  Mo pulled up as the officers came over to the car, one went straight to the back and opened the door gesturing for the girl to get out. Mo looked at her again in the mirror, the girl looked back, she did not look relieved, she looked even more scared now than before. She closed her eyes and let her head fall down as she got out of the car, resigned to her fate. A female officer indicated the girls should also get out of the car which they duly did. Mo watched as the girl was escorted to one of the waiting patrol cars and got in the back. The girls both still had their masks on which made it difficult but not impossible to talk.

  “It’s good sense you put the masks on. , Lleave them on for now and when you get home use your holo to contact the station and give your statement. We will disinfect your car now.” Mo saw another officer throw what looked like a small round ball into her car, as soon as it entered it exploded, it was a disinfection bomb.

  “You girls should not be out here, it’s really not safe anymore, you need to pay attention to the public information broadcasts, they are there to protect you. Gangs are roaming everywhere, this girl was probably in one and upset someone, or was trying to run away. Well at least she is safe now.”

  Mo was about to ask what would happen to her, but she didn’t, maybe she didn’t really want to know her fate, maybe she would try and ask later. She had started to shake as the adrenaline wore off and all she wanted now was to go home and be with her Grandmother.