Chapter One – Weather Alert
"Due to adverse weather conditions, all transportation from this location is suspended until further notice. Demand for hotel accommodation is expected to be extremely high. In the event you require a safe space to wait out this extreme weather event, please go to one of the warming shelters listed below. Please be aware Health Canada guidelines still advise the wearing of face masks in populated areas."
Casey groaned inwardly and turned away from the electronic display board.
"Don't you think it's a BIT late to tell us there is going to be bad weather NOW?!" she hollered to no one in the empty station concourse.
Glancing up at the flickering departure board Casey admitted to herself with a sinking heart, not only would none of the trains depart today it was extremely unlikely that they would depart at all for the next couple of days. Since Christmas was in just three days, she was in danger of not getting home in time.
Though garbed in a thick winter coat and boots, she stomped her feet against the growing cold and looked around for some sign of life, but in the hour that it had taken her to get to Toronto Union, all human life seemed to have disappeared not only from the main station, but also from the streets, leaving her feeling like the ragged heroine in a post-apocalyptic B-movie.
It shouldn't have taken her an hour to get there, of course. Her job interview had only been in an office development 30 minutes away by foot in normal conditions, but the whole transit system had shut down, taxi cabs had fled and, due to the fast onset of the storm, municipal clearance had not happened so the pavements were treacherous under foot. Silently she cursed her decision to attend the interview – and her decision to pop into a mall afterwards to pick up some last-minute Christmas presents. The former had placed her in Toronto in the middle of an epic snowstorm, the latter ensured she would be trekking three bags of shopping around with her wherever she went next.
And where exactly was "next"? With her car in the shop, the train had been the only way for her to travel to and from London; the trip home was a long journey sure enough, but one which should have seen her arriving in time for the evening meal with her parents. When she had left London early that morning, the previous three-day ice storm (whilst extremely disruptive) had paused. This was Canada, a country which could cope with adverse weather, and it had looked like she had plenty of time to visit Toronto to attend the job interview.
Evidently, she had been wrong about that.
Reluctantly, she made a note of the nearest shelter, took her phone from her purse and began an awkward conversation with her mother as she made her way to the closest site mentioned.
Derek was used to the cold. He was a hockey player for fuck's sake! But his acceptance of extreme temperatures was limited to situations which didn't involve a complete breakdown of his world order – or more importantly, he could cope until his cable gave out. In such situations as these, and when he couldn't just hop onto the nearest plane to tropical destinations, he tended to stock up, lock up and chill out. He didn't enjoy rationing his battery charge, and life without a functioning broadband router was not pleasant. However, he had contingencies that didn't involve staring at a blank wall – or at least not very often. So with hockey training suspended until the new year when the forecast predicted a prolonged snow storm to follow the recent severe ice storm, he implemented his usual plan of attack. He got to the food store and managed to fill his cart before the shelves cleared, he plugged in all of his devices to charge, and he took the maintenance guy in his condo a bottle of scotch.
Some members of his family – particular members – might have been surprised at his foresight and planning, but they would be wrong. Derek was only running true to form by ensuring his fridge was full and his technology up and running. A few years ago, Derek might have also made sure that he didn't sit this storm out alone, and arranged to have his latest "squeeze" nearby. Even he had to admit to some personal failings on that front this time around. Recent world events had changed a lot of things for a lot of people. Derek's dating habits had been among them – although you couldn't blame Covid for everything.
Though alone, he was safe. He was warm. And for now, at least, he still had power. Derek smiled and kicked back on the sofa to watch a hockey game broadcast from south of the border, where the weather was doing more normal December things.
And yet…
…half an hour later, his toes, fingers and other extremities were blue and about to fall off, despite the numerous layers he was wearing - and the arctic-grade coat. The wind whistled around his ears though his head was covered in a hat, and he wore a scarf wound around his neck several times, including over his mouth.
This attire served two purposes. It kept out the cold and it ensured he remained unnoteworthy. Derek was always cautious when he was out and about in the city. His recent run of good form on the ice meant he was now often recognised when he was in public. It amused him intensely as the novelty had yet to wear off, but he was still cautious. On this occasion, however, it was debatable as to whether his own mother would recognise the bundled-up snowman with the hastily applied Leafs' branded fabric face mask who now gingerly climbed the steps of a church. The mask was a necessary addition. They were still in the tail end of a pandemic after all, and Derek was keen to get back on the ice as soon as the weather allowed – something which would not be possible if he needed to quarantine.
A small group of people waited to enter the elaborate religious building, but, mindful of the external temperatures, the staff at the door ensured new arrivals were all quickly ushered inside. Derek found himself in a small porch area, partitioned off from the cavernous interior of the main body of the church by a wall of glass. As he waited to speak to the person at the front of the queue, Derek stared at the scene beyond the screen.
It had been many years since Derek had attended a church during a service – maybe Fiona's never-to-be forgotten wedding? - But he wasn't sure he'd ever seen a church as full as this. It was a motley bunch of people. Young, old, rich, poor, and people of all different faiths and with all manner of personal belongings. Many of them were milling around the glass window so that he could see little beyond and he was squinting to gain more focus when the person at the front with the clipboard spoke to him.
"Name?"
Derek blinked. "What? Oh! No it's fine. I'm not staying. I've…" He spotted something. "Wait a second! Thanks! It's ok!" And with that, he pushed past, entered the throng and began to clear a path to the scene of some disagreement off to one side.
"Come on, gorgeous. There's more than enough room for us to share." A rather unpleasant voice was saying from his perch on a sleeping bag. A sleeping bag, Derek noted which was surrounded by shopping bags.
"But it's not your bed!" A feminine voice protested., her voice only slight muted by the presence of her pink and sparkly face mask. "I was here first. And why the HELL do you think I'd stay anywhere near you! You're the most obnoxious man I've ever met!"
Derek grinned broadly beneath his face mask, pulled off his hat and stepped forward to interrupt. "Aw! Sis, please don't tell me I'm no longer your number one?" he called.
Casey looked up quickly. A range of emotions flashed through her eyes. Shock, confusion, anger, as well as the shadow of relief - and some others which Derek didn't have time to fathom out right now.
"What are YOU doing here?" demanded Casey, hotly. Her mask slipped slightly, and she reached up a hand to pull it back into place whilst her previous combatant frowned and started to protest at the intrusion.
Derek ignored him, shrugged, and made an elaborate wave of his arm towards Casey. "I've come to whisk you away from all this to 'a life of debauchery and slovenly behaviour'. Those last few were your words, not mine." He clarified.
Casey frowned. "But I'm…" She looked down at the sleeping bag and its unpleasant occupant and then up at Derek. There should have been indecision, and he had to give it to her, given the last time they had spoken, it probably wasn't an easy choice. He scratched his head.
"Look MacDonald, we don't have time for a debate. Nora sent me to rescue you and to take you to a place of safety. It's here or somewhere slightly more salubrious. You coming or what? That storm ain't kidding out there!"
Casey frowned again.
"Mom called you?" She asked sounding baffled. Derek nodded.
"Seriously Case. Grab your stuff and let's go before we have to burrow our way there."
"Go where?" She asked, suspiciously.
"Somewhere warm, quiet and with decent plumbing – well it has a door and toilet paper at least." He told her, holding out his hand for a shopping bag.
By now her brain was catching up. Derek was offering to take her somewhere other than this…refuge. Despite the person of her Knight in Shining Armour, the offer of a new "castle" was a definite blessing! Casey bent down and retrieved her belongings, passing the shopping bags to her step-brother, and checking her purse for her phone and valuables. Then she turned swiftly away from the sleeping bag and its occupant.
"But…" The man began to protest.
"It's all yours!" She called over her shoulder with a wave and took three steps towards the exit of the church. Behind her, Derek did not immediately follow, and she paused, watching as he shrugged at the other guy.
"Seriously, dude. I've just done you a massive favour." He told him.
"I heard that, Venturi!" Casey retorted and Derek's smirk was lost behind his mask.
Outside once again, they both unconsciously tightened their scarves and pulled down their hats. Neither removed their face masks, preferring the extra warmth the covering gave their mouths and chins. It made talking difficult, however, and Casey resorted to just trailing after Derek, concentrating on not falling over as the heavy snow coated the thick ice on the pavement. At a street corner, however, they both paused for a snow plough which was failing to make much headway in the drifting snow, and Casey raised her voice to ask about their destination.
"Where exactly are you taking me Derek?"
"To Hoth, providing the Wampas don't get us first." He called back. Casey snorted, unimpressed by the Star Wars reference – but equally impressed with herself that she knew it WAS a Star Wars reference.
"Seriously, Derek?"
"My apartment." He clarified. "It's about four blocks from here. I'd keep the talking to a minimum if I were you. You can shout at me later when we are in the warm."
Casey sighed but took the point. She was curious, having never been to Derek's apartment before, though the rest of the family had. Ed and Marti were regular visitors, and Lizzie had tended to join in on family visits over the past nine months since he had bought it. Somehow Casey had managed to avoid those visits without causing too much comment, predominantly because she had felt excluded - Derek had never extended a specific invitation directly to her and she was 90% certain it was intentional.
Feedback from the family who had seen Derek's new home had been positive. Lizzie had loved the fact he had bought a place in a heritage area rather than one of the new skyscrapers on the waterfront. She had approved of the re-purposing of the old warehouse and raved about the conservation of history and features. Nora had pronounced it comfortable - if a little masculine for her tastes. Marti had wondered about ghosts.
Casey struggled for a moment to remember the feedback from George and Edwin and then realised it was about the wide screen television and high-speed broadband rather than the place itself. Robbie was too young to have an opinion.
It took them a lot longer to get back to the apartment than it had taken Derek to get to the church, mainly because they were walking into the blizzard this time rather than have the wind at their backs. Shortly after they left the church, the streets lights and Christmas decorations died and when they looked about them at the shops and houses, they noticed everywhere had been plunged into darkness.
"Power's gone!" Casey shouted to Derek, wondering if he would now wish to turn around and retrace their steps to the church. Instead, he merely shrugged.
"Inevitable." Was all he muttered in reply.
Eventually, to Casey's (and Derek's) relief, they arrived at the four-storey red brick building which appeared somewhat squat compared to the buildings surrounding it. Lizzie had been right to call it a heritage building, but Casey was surprised to see that the ground floor had been converted into office space, some with large glass windows. When Derek opened the main door to the complex, she was even more surprised to see there was a large atrium configured as a reception area, manned by what looked like a maintenance guy of about sixty years old. He was seated behind a curved desk, his face only visible by the low illumination of some form of emergency lighting. It was a weird shade of blue and gave his angular features a sort of horror movie vibe. Maskless, he grinned at Derek when the latter led the way through the door.
"Pleasant evening?" He called. Derek snorted as he removed his hat, mask and scarf.
"You're such a funny guy, Matt." He deadpanned and closed the door behind Casey, shutting out the wind and snow with a dull thud.
Matt chuckled. "Thanks for the grog, by the way! Much appreciated!"
Derek nodded in acknowledgement. "You just keep that UPS up and running. Lighting I can cope without. But I need my fridge."
"Understood." Matt replied. "Who's the girl?" he added quietly as Casey glanced around the eerily-lit space. It was clean, spacious, and surprisingly modern.
"Casey, meet Matt, Our building dogsbody. Matt, meet Casey, my accident by marriage." He paused and then relented. "Otherwise known as Nora's elder daughter… the other step-sister".
Matt's eyes widened in recognition, having met the rest of Derek's family at various times. He came out from the desk and over to shake hands with Casey, hands which were surprising warm considering the coldness of the evening, though of course, unlike Casey he had been indoors for several hours.
"Pleased to finally meet you." He told her. "Not the night to be wandering round Toronto. I take it you will be with us for a while?"
Casey looked at Derek. He nodded.
"Until the roads clear enough for me to drive her home"
"I can get the train." Casey objected.
Matt shook his head. "They reckon the lines will take at least a week to reopen once the storm passes. Something about temperature intolerances in the rails causing cracks. And shorts in the signalling. My son's an engineer on the rails and my grandson texted to say he's going to be missing a lot of school."
Casey groaned. "Great!"
"It's fine, Case. They'll get the roads open in a couple of days and we'll go home together in time for Christmas." Derek told her. "Besides, you don't want to risk the train breaking down mid-journey. All those hours stranded sharing a bathroom with complete strangers."
"I don't want to risk the car breaking down mid-journey either!" she insisted. "No bathroom and they don't come any stranger than you!"
"Pur-lease! My car will not breakdown." Derek insisted.
Casey snorted. "You said that last time." She told him pointedly turning around to speak to Matt. "This blue light is really creepy". She commented.
Matt nodded. "Yes. It's a low-energy security light. The units on the ground floor of this building are commercial premises, often with full glass windows at the front. At night when the businesses are closed, they leave this blue light on to deter thieves."
"How is it working? The rest of the city is blacked out." Casey frowned in thought.
"The building used to be a factory and warehouse, with complex machinery. In the years leading up to its closure, the owners invested in a UPS system to protect key electricity supplies."
Derek interrupted. "UPS means Uninterruptable Power Supply. It was a huge selling point when I bought the place. In the basement, there is a generator room with a modern generator which kicks in during power failure. It's only enough to provide basic lighting and systems support for the ground floor and one outlet per residential unit on the first through third floors. I have my fridge plugged into my outlet."
Casey laughed. "Why doesn't that surprise me?" She quipped with a waiver in her voice.
Derek could tell she was nearing breaking point and took that as a cue to move things along. "Right! Come on then, let's get upstairs in the warm. Thanks, Matt!" He called to the older man and led Casey to a door marked "Stairs".
"There IS an elevator." He told her. "But it's not on the UPS. At least the climb will warm us up."
"I wouldn't use it if there was, there's no way I'm getting stuck with you in an elevator in an ice storm." Casey acknowledged.
Derek exchanged a look and a grin with Matt.
