"Where's Mummy? I want Mummy!" screamed the two year old with breakfast all over her face. How do you tell your two year old daughter that there mother's gone missing like thousands of other people around the world. "Come on Abbie, 10 minutes and I'll take you to nursery, you want to see Georgina don't you?" I knew that would work, the mention of her best friend will always get Abbie's attention.
Having successfully quietened Abbie's screaming the phone rang. I ran across the room, picked up the phone "Nicole?" I shouted, wanting so desperately to hear her beautiful voice. The voice ignored my question. "RUN KYLE, TAKE ABBIE! GET OUT OF THERE!" I didn't recognise the distressed voice on the other end of the line. "Err… who is this?" I asked. The voice came out a lot recognisable this time and sounded like my neighbour Yvonne. "It's Yvonne! THE GOVERNMENT, TAKING THE CHILDREN, CLAIMS TO PROTECT! RUN KYLE!" As soon as I heard the government I knew there would be trouble.
I grabbed Abbie – who had now managed to get jam in her hair. "Daddy where are we going?" I didn't have time to reply and figured using the back door would be the safest way out. I opened the door to three men standing armed outside. Two men struggled to grab Abbie out of my arms while the third held something… something that looked like a Taser… a Taser! As soon as I registered what the man was holding, everything went black.
It took a while to remember what had happened when I awoke, like a dream that you struggle to remember. I lifted my head quickly and jumped off the sofa, leaving me dizzy and I had to sit back down so I wouldn't fall over. When the dizziness had passed I ran straight up to Abbie's bedroom, I pulled back the cover of her tiny bed, nothing but her doll sat laying upright. I ran back downstairs trying to calm myself and not think about how my life has suddenly turned upside down in the last month.
I sat on the sofa with my head in my hands and cried. The emotion in my body escaping. I couldn't help it, but I didn't care, I had nothing to live for. Nicole, my beautiful, gorgeous wife is missing, probably dead. And Abbie. My amazing little toddler. Why would the government want to take her, she's only two. I sat up then, I needed a drink. A strong drink! The only thing that would help me get through this is my old friend Whiskey.
I headed for the drinks cabinet where we keep the strong stuff 'for special occasions'. I took out the bottle, Nicole wouldn't know if I didn't use a glass anyway. I walked past the kitchen heading for the sofa. Out of the corner of my eye I saw a yellow dot. I turned, and went towards it. It was a note. I didn't recognise the handwriting, but it read:
Do not fear. Your child is safe. The millions of people that have gone missing is why we are taking the children. We fear that whoever is 'kidnapping' the missing people plans to never give them back. Never let them escape. So we have taken your child. Your child is perfectly safe. The children are all that matters now. The life-force that may save the human race.
So they did take Abbie. I choked back the tears. I had to stay strong, I had to find her. I had to run away from here. Surrey, my home, where Nicole and I grew up. Where Nicole went missing. What happens if she comes back when I'm not here? I quickly scribbled a note and ran out of the front door not knowing where I was going; I headed to my car, started the engine and drove.
When I was driving I noticed the quietness that filled every town I drove through. The majority of people who had gone missing and all the children that had been taken. The people that were still there were hiding in there houses. The towns were dead, lifeless. Shadows and darkness was surrounded in daylight making it look like nightfall. The aura of sadness.
I swore to myself that I wouldn't stop until I found a hotel hours from surrey. But the lack of food made me feel dizzy. I pulled up at a dodgy service station in Birmingham. Of course there was no one in there but me and a teenager behind the counter. The guy looked 19 and his face was covered in acne. He had found a chair and was sitting with his feet on the counter rocking out to what sounded like someone took techno music and scratched the CD so, every minute into the song the electrified voice would say the same line.
I walked past the spotty kid, who was eyeing me suspiciously. I went straight to the food section and got a sweet chilli chicken sandwich. I then picked up an energy drink so I wouldn't fall asleep while heading north. I turned around and went to the counter to pay for my items I had picked up. The guys feet was still on the counter when I reached him, his facial expressions getting more and more confused. I stood there for about 3 minutes awkwardly. Him just staring at me. I cleared my throat "erm… can I pay for these?" trying hard not to sound like a complete donkey.
"Your supposed to be dead. Everyone's supposed to be dead. Why the heck are you still alive" Half way through this sentence he grabbed my collar and violently shook me. Not knowing how to react when a spotty teenage kid that lives in a service station and listens to dubstep grabs you by the neck and tells you that your supposed to be dead. I replied as "I'm hungry… I came in here for food…"
He had obviously realised that I didn't want to talk about it and turned to the switch that turned the machine on. He flicked it on, glanced up at me "It will take a while to turn on…" I nodded not wanting to speak if I didn't have to. When the machine finally broke the awkwardness that had filled the air, the kid scanned my items quickly leaving me able to run out, back to my car.
When I reached my car and struggled to put my seatbelt on. I realised that mine was the only car there. Not wanting to stay there any longer. I quickly ate my sandwich and gulped down my drink and drove off. On my way north, it started to dawn upon me that there were no cars on the roads. It took another four hours until I started to feel sleepy; I guess the energy drink really was worth it. I saw a sign up ahead saying Newcastle. Great! I'm finally going to stop and it's Newcastle. I'll be lucky if I can understand anything they say, not that there would be many people anyway.
I drove around trying to find a place to sleep. I finally found a small B&B just out of the city centre. I walked up to the door, pushed at it, but it wouldn't budge. Maybe its pull, man I hate it when that happens. But that didn't work either. I peered through the window but It didn't look like there was anyone in there. Guess I was going have to spend the night in my car. I headed back to my car slowly, a little dazed at the fact that a B&B hasn't got any staff. Or any… life for that matter. I opened my door, put my seat back and closed my eyes. I was glad that Nicole had let me upgrade our car this year. Such comfy seats.
Nicole was in my dreams. I dreamed about the field we used to hide out in when we were 17. Her long black hair wrapped around her soft pale skin. Her hand entwined with mine. I used to tell stupid jokes just to watch her smile. "Come on Kyle, man up. Its only a bee. It'll die if it stings you anyway so quit being such a baby!"
"I'm not being a baby, its just— AAHHH!" I ducked into her lap, I heard her sigh. "You. You need to grow up!" She kissed my head and laughed her beautiful laugh.
I woke up suddenly to a sound of banging. I adjusted my chair into the sitting position and looked out of the window. I nearly jumped out of my skin when I saw a tanned face peering back at me. I rolled the window down "Who are you?" I asked sounding more rude then anything. "I'm Luke," he replied sticking his hand into my window to shake, with a massive grin on his face. I shook his hand confused at the blonde face smiling back at me. A few minutes past and he was still smiling. "So…" he murmured wanting to break the silence. "I guess its just you and me-huh!" From the tone in his voice he wasn't really looking for an answer. But what he said startled me. It's just me and him, what does he mean by that?
When I asked him this question he paused to look at me studying me with his grey misty eyes. "Don't you know? You must have heard about everyone disappearing right?" He looked at me with a desperate look on his face. I nodded, wanting him to carry on and tell me more about the way Nicole went missing. "Well they disappear into the shadows dude! Like there's these monsters and they hide in the shadows and they lure you in by using the voice of the person you love the most. And well, basically… you know…" Die. Nicole is dead. I felt the lump in my throat appear. I new there was a big possibility that she was dead, but my whole body ached from that thought. I wanted so much for her to be alive.
I forgot Luke was standing there. I'm pretty sure he started talking to me, but I wasn't listening. I only realised he was there when he reached in my car and started to shake me. "I know this café. No one will be there, 'cause of the shadows and everything. But its warm inside, we could go there if you like?" I nodded and got out of the car. We walked in silence to the café, but luckily for Luke the café was just around the corner from my car so he didn't need to stand beside a stranger that filled silence with awkwardness. Luke opened the door and went inside, I followed in behind him. When we had sat down Luke began to talk. "so… why're you in Newcastle? You don't sound like you're from here."
"My wife went missing… and the government took my daughter, so I'm going to get her back." When I said this Luke realised why I had acted so strange before. He looked kind of guilty. "Right… well, do you know how you're going to get your daughter back?" Ah… hadn't thought of that. Luke caught on to this and started to laugh "so you have no Idea how you're going to find her? Well. There's really only one way to get her back." A crooked evil smile emerged in the corners of his mouth. "We're gunna have to kill those things!"
However annoying Luke is, I've got to admire his imagination and the way he deals with death of loved ones. He told me that he saw his brother get taken by the shadows. "We should go see my science teacher from when I was in school. He's so mad, knowing him he's probably studying them, the whack job!" Luke told me that it was about 20 minutes to get to his teachers house. But that was when there was traffic, we got there in 10. While we went to the doorstep Luke turns to me "Oh… his names professor Cornelius Featherweight, just thought I'd tell you, he used to make you sit out of the practical if you said his name wrong," This was the first time that I saw Luke sad… over a practical that had happened in a science lesson.
Luke rang the doorbell. We waited for a few minutes "he must be out," I said, but when I spoke I knew it was stupid to suggest this. "HA! He wont be out, you'd be lucky if he came to teach. He never goes out." Luke pushed open the door and went inside. I followed feeling like a trespasser. "Are you sure we should be doing this?" Luke rolled his eyes and carried on until we reached the kitchen. With the massive window ahead you'd be a fool not to see the massive digger in the garden. "Looks like we found him" Luke bounced outside but stopped when he got to the digger. When I reached him Luke crouched down brushed off the dirt revealing a trapdoor.
We went down the stairs of the trapdoor and followed the dirt corridor. We got to a door saying Professor Cornelius Featherweight and opened it. Inside was a massive underground lab. I mean this guy has got to be pretty clever to make a lab underground. To the left of us looking threw a microscope was Professor Cornelius. Cornelius Featherweight looked exactly like his name sounded. He was the skinniest, maddest looking professor I had ever seen. Behind his white lab coat showed no sign of muscle.
"Professor!" shouted Luke who ran over to give his teacher a high five and a hug. "Luke! What are you doing here? Can't you see I'm st-t-t-udying?" He definitely sounded like a science teacher; I don't think I've ever met a nice science teacher though before. "I know, but that's why we're here. We were wondering if you knew anything about the shadows?" The professor's face lit up when Luke mentioned the shadows "My dear boy. Do you n-n-not think that I wouldn't have anything on them? I've b-b-been studying them." Luke was right about the old guy studying them. I guess Professor Cornelius is kind of predictable.
"That's what I thought professor. You see, me and Kyle here… we're going to kill them. We just don't know how. That's where you come in I hope?" Luke tried to complement the professor as much as he could. "But Luke, that is highly dangerous. Of c-c-course I will help. First of all, my studies show that the sh-h-hadows draw people in by using the voice of a loved w-w- one. Also that the shadows are all over the world and heading north. But, that isn't that h-h-hard to figure out, even you Luke could have thought of that." I laughed at the professor's sarcasm towards Luke, but Luke didn't see the funny side and shoved me into the bench.
The professor walked over to a flip chart where he had loads of drawings and calculations that I didn't understand. Pointing to one of them he spoke, "The shadows are going n-n-north because they're following s-s-something… My guess is they're like bees and are following a queen. The question is how do t-t-they follow her? Maybe because of the s-s-scent she is producing little by l-l-little." He flipped over the chart and revealed more drawings and calculations. "So, to kill them you have to find o-o-out where the queen shadow is and kill her. I calculate that it'll take about 12 hours for them all to gather in one place. You let off a bomb and then ka-boom! Bye b-b-bye shadows." The professor finished his lecture looking really pleased with himself. I suppose it made sense - in a make believe Dr Who land. But this whole thing was so out there I couldn't help but believe him.
"One question." Said Luke. "Do you by any chance know where the 'queen' shadow is?" Professor Cornelius Featherweight gave Luke a look "what a stupid question. Of c-c-course I do. From my calculations the queen shadow is heading straight for the Isle of Man."
"So you're saying, we're going to have to blow the Isle of Man up?" I spoke up, getting interested now that I could understand the weird formulas and scribblings on his flip chart. "Precisely!" he clapped his hands together "but before you go. You're going to need weapons." Luke laughed then "ooooh… I like the sound of that."
The professor showed us a door "In there is everything you need to survive." I was going to ask what about the bomb he had talked about earlier but before I could he had opened the door to a room full of guns and in the middle of the room was a bomb attached to wires, under a glass cabinet. "This is heaven," spoke Luke, he sounded a little love sick… But to be honest. I was a little in heaven too.
We loaded the car with as much ammunition and weaponry that we could carry. Cornelius handed over an old basket that had definitely seen better days and said, "For the journey." "Trust me," I said "I think we have enough ammo to blow up the Shetland Islands as well, I'm not sure we can fit this in the car!" Cornelius lifted the corner of the basket and grinned, "C-c-corned beef sandwiches – I'm not sure they'll do much d-damage to the Shetlands though." He smiled, shook our hands and waved goodbye.
It was going to be a long drive, not to mention how are we going to cross the Irish Sea. "Lets take it in turns to drive it'll take us a good 3 hours to the coast." I say. "As long as I get to drive the ferry!" Luke replied. Luke slept, I drove. The M6 was dead, no cars, no lorries, just an eerie blackness everywhere and the rumbling of the engine as we headed west.
We reached Morecombe Bay at dawn, somehow feeling safer with the night sky turning to daylight. "Wake up Luke, time to find us a ferry."
We parked the car and strolled along the harbour, finding as expected the Heysham to Douglas ferry completely deserted. "Well at least it's a free ride" piped up Luke. "Come on lets work this out."
After some serious breaking and entering, lock picking and vandalism, we managed to secure our load onto the vessel. Luke deftly took to sailing the ferry like an old sea merchant and before you knew it we were headed for Douglas port. It took a good 4 hours to get there by which time the midday Autumn sun was burning ahead of us, a cold wind reminding us that Winter was dawning.
Luke took out a map & studied it for a few minutes. "We need to keep heading west. We can find somewhere to hide out to get ready." I didn't argue, having not slept properly for so long my body ached with tiredness. "I just want this to be over." I stated.
The sky was thick with smoke and the sun was now nowhere to be seen. Except it wasn't smoke, looking closer the smoky looking clouds had form, they danced like curtains in the wind, and were moving too quickly and changing shape too often to be clouds. The temperature had dropped sending chills down my spine.
We reached the end of a deserted road where a farmhouse sat abandoned. We stopped the car. "This is it." Luke stated. "How do you know?" I asked. "Can't you hear it, the calling, the screaming? I know they're messing with my head, man, but still it's hard to ignore." Why can't I hear anything though? This made me wonder about why some people were taken and I was left behind. "What does it sound like?" I asked. Luke looked like he was about to cry, after a few minutes he spoke really softly, "It's like all the people you ever knew are calling you, when you don't reply, they start screaming and shouting for your attention. It's really sick man and I don't mean in the good kind of way."
"Come on lets get some c-c-corned beef down us." With this attempt at poor humour Luke started to laugh. We eat in silence, the sky changing about us. "It's getting lower Luke, I think it's time to move."
We head for the farmhouse, guns at the ready. The barn at the back of the house looks like its breathing. The shadows had formed, a mass of cloud swirling and billowing all around it, it was mesmerising. I couldn't take my eyes away from it. Then I heard the voices, my lovely Nicole, my beautiful daughter Abbie. The pain was excruciating, I was so angry, It took every bit of my self control to not go towards the voices. It sound so real. Maybe if I just looked quickly… What's the harm in that?
As I looked into the barn. The tug I felt, like someone wrapping a rope around my stomach and luring me in. I walked forwards, believing everything that my daughter and wife were saying. "NO!" shouted Luke. "You have to snap out of this Kyle, I can't do this without you." He slapped my face and I felt the feeling of the rope disappear, and leave me to come back to reality. "Wh-what happened?" Luke shook his head. "You nearly fell for it man. Doesn't matter! We just need to kill the leader, so all of them can follow."
With this said, we took our machine guns from our backs and blasted I don't know how many rounds of ammo at the barn. Luke's concentration and determination oozing from every part of his being.
The barn caught fire, doors burst open and the roof flew 300 metres in the air. It was like something out of World War II. The once black billowing smoke had become green, like fluorescent green!
"Does this mean it's working?" I cried, "Or is this thing just green angry?" Luke and I ran for the car, carefully opening the boot we carried the bomb as near as we dare to the now blazing barn.
"It works on a detonator, that'll give us a good chance of getting out of this alive." Luke says. The wind was now over 60mph we had trouble standing. Trees were lifting out of the ground and it felt like we were caught in a hurricane. "Hurry" I said, "we need to get out of here."
We run to the car, not daring to look back, we drive as fast as we can back on the road to Douglas. The ferry exactly where we left it. We screech straight onto the deck. The sky was like a green and black canvas, thick and oily; if it had been the sea you would think there had been an oil spill.
Re-calling what the Professor had said, we had exactly 12 hours on board until all of those monsters gathered. I checked my watch 5:30pm. So we had until tomorrow morning. It would probably be best if we slept. Luckily there was separate cabins to sleep in as I didn't fancy having to share a bed with Luke. We said goodnight at went to our rooms to sleep.
Of course I couldn't sleep. I hadn't been sleeping properly since Nicole died. I tossed and turned for a few hours. There was moments where I drifted off, but the sound of the shadows growling woke me up. I had enough of having to stay in that stuffy room and headed to outside area, where me and Luke was before. As I reached the fresh air I noticed the sound of someone crying. At first I thought it was the shadows trying to lure me in again. But as I got closer I noticed Luke with his head buried into his knees.
"What's up?" I asked, worried about the state of him, he looked a mess. "Kyle! Err… I didn't realize you were there dude." He wiped his eyes and got up. "Nothing's wrong. I guess the shadow stuff really got to my head that's all…" By the way he said this I didn't believe him. "Is this about your brother?" when I mentioned this, the pain on his face made me feel guilty about asking him. As seconds passed he nodded his slowly.
He sat down on the bench next to him. I sat with him. "It wasn't just my brother." I was confused. Why didn't he tell me this beforehand? "What do you mean?" I asked. "it was my mum too, and my little sister. She was only 7. They were on their way home from a family party, I was meant to go but I refused too. The last thing I said to them was I hate them all and I wish they were dead." As he told me this, tears began to fall from the corners of his eyes.
We spent the last hours of the night talking about our family. It was still dark when my watch beeped too signal the fact that is was 5:30am. Luke looked over board. "They're gathering it's time! press the detonator Kyle, lets see the end to this." I do as I'm told. Nothing happens.
"It's not working Luke," I'm almost hysterical. I began to shake the detonator. Trying to make it work. I didn't want to have to accept the fact that we had crossed the sea for nothing. "I have to go back" Luke said calmly. i looked at him. "No. You can't, there must be another way!" I felt a knot in my stomach appear. He couldn't go back, I wouldn't let him.
"Kyle, the only way to get that bomb to work is to go fix it myself." He wasn't being a hero. Tears were rolling down my face, how could this young boy give his life like this? I looked at the floor and shook my head again and whispered the word 'no'.
"Its destiny man! At least that's what they always say in the films. Funny how it's really not that cool. Kyle, I have nothing left anyway, you have a daughter you could have a life. There must be more living out there, go find them, start again."
I pulled him into a hug. Its funny how just a few hours and I felt like he was my friend. I didn't want him to die. I was sick of death. The whole world seems to be revolved around it. He pulled away, eyes watering. "its okay Kyle. I need to do this. When I get off, you ride this ferry far away, and when you hear the explosion." He gulped. "… You know it'll be over." I watched him climb down the ladders, and run towards the explosive.
That was the last time I ever saw him.
I looked across the sea, dawn was appearing. The sun was so beautiful. I might as well remember this moment, as in a few minutes all that will be seen would be black smoke. I sighed, wiped the tears from my face and took to the wheel.
Riding the ferry back to my home as fast as I could I heard the explosion, then came the screaming, the blackness of the sky diminished and as I drove back I noticed the sky change from black smokey clouds to the bright sun, and it suddenly didn't feel like anything was real. I watched the birds call out. I knew that what Luke had done today would be remembered and go down in history. Luke, the teenager that had made the biggest sacrifice and he'd done what he'd set out to do.
It was over now, and my thoughts turned to my daughter, my Abbie...