Chapter Six
Following Lucas down the winding path from the cliffside, Emily emerged into a forested area. Trees dotted the area, and a path could be seen running along the bottom of the rock wall.
"This way," Lucas called out to her right, standing a few metres away, waiting for her.
Emily walked up to him, and the two continued on, passing by an abandoned truck, left to rust when the Aurora had stolen the life from it. Pressing on, the pair came to a road, and following Lucas, they continued on to the left, keeping the centre of the tarmac.
"So, you've mentioned Hibernia, but are there any other settlements in Desolation Point?" Emily asked, wanting to start a conversation to break the silence.
"Not really," came her answer. "Desolation Point is a small area. There are other people here, but they all have some connection to Hibernia, or else there wouldn't be any reason to stay. The area is too small for competing communities, and it would just lead to conflict. That, and the only place suitable for a community is Hibernia, everywhere else just doesn't work."
"What do you mean?"
Lucas pointed over to the right, and Emily saw the lighthouse she had spotted on the cliff.
"Take the lighthouse for instance. Sure, people can live there, and someone does, Alan, the lighthouse keeper, lives there by himself. However, he plays a role in being a lookout for Hibernia. He sends them a message in morse code with a mirror if he spots a threat to the town, such as a bear or moose sighting, or if a wolf pack has entered the area, even if ships have been spotted on the horizon. In exchange, food, clothes, tools, and pretty much anything you'd need to survive, are dropped off at his doorstep, all for being a lookout for the town."
"Are there any other people with connections to Hibernia, or is it just the lighthouse and The Riken?"
Lucas paused in the question, stopping in the middle of the road. "Well," he started, if you want to get technical there is."
He pointed his arm down a path that they were passing, and looking down it Emily could see another mine entrance.
"Over there is a mine that runs through the cliff. See, the cliff makes a slight peninsula, as it juts out into the sea. The mine however allows for easy travel from one side of the bay to the other, all the while not needing to worry about the cold or any dangerous wildlife. They have guards stationed there to make sure a bear doesn't take up shelter, as that could be a nasty surprise to anyone wanting to take the tunnels. It is also one of Hibernia's sources of coal, so the guards are also to stop people from stealing the coal."
Emily's mind continued to whir as they continued on in silence. They continued on the road, staying with the road as it curved along the shoreline, with a bridge and an abandoned car near it emerging from between the trees.
"Alright, then how many communities are there on Great Bear?" she asked, curious about the different societies that had formed after the collapse of modern civilization.
"Well, there are a lot of groups of people all over Great Bear," Lucas started, "but for genuine communities, rather than individual families, obviously there is Milton, where your parents live. Then there is Hibernia, here in Desolation Point. You then have Cinder Hills back at Coastal Highway. Then there's Thomson's Crossing in Pleasant Valley, which we'll pass through at some point. In Broken Railroad, you have the Maintenance Yard, though last I heard they are barely hanging on. In Bleak Inlet, there is the Last Resort Cannery, where a community has set up shop there. Apparently, they are doing well, due to the monopoly they have on the ammunition industry."
"What do you mean?" Emily asked, curious about the Cannery.
"Well, there's an ammunition bench in the Cannery, and the folks there are the only ones with an accessible one, so people often send requests for munitions to be crafted. This has kept them thriving, though it's only a matter of time before it falls apart."
Noticing Emily's confusion, Lucas explained. "See, they need resources to make the rounds. Stump remover, charcoal and dusting sulphur can be used to make gunpowder, and lead from car batteries can make the bullets, pop them in a shell case, sure, but they're all a finite resource. Sooner or later, they're going to run out of bullets they can make, and then the town is most likely going to shrink, or outright disperse."
"Is that why you don't carry a rifle?" Emily asked, pointing to the bow that was slung over his back.
"That's part of the reason, the other is that rifle rounds make a lot of noise when fired, drawing the attention of anything nearby and spooking your target if you miss." Lucas then rubbed his neck, his cheeks becoming slightly red out of embarrassment as he said, "I also have a crap relationship with the mayor of Last Resort. That, and Lohar is an old friend of mine, so I like supporting his craft."
The two pressed on in silence, passing by the abandoned car, with Emily trying to ignore the frozen corpse resting against the rear bumper of the car. Seemingly noticing her discomfort, Lucas hurried them across the bridge, taking a sharp right as they cleared the bridge, taking them over the ice and towards The Riken, jutting into the air. Looking at the deck of the ship, Emily noticed a small face looking back at her, his dark skin standing out against the setting sky before he disappeared out of view.
"That would be Mihan," Lucas explained, noticing where her gaze was. "He's Lohar's eldest kid. Pretty sure he's also turning fifteen next year, in February. He also acts as the lookout for the family, so they know that we're coming."
They pressed on across the ice, soon reaching the hull of The Riken. A barricade had been set up in the side of the hull, where there had apparently been a hole. The barricade swung open, however, and out stepped a dark-skinned man, with a large, joyful grin on his face, his black hair cut short and facial hair non-existent, as he held his arms open, ready for an embrace.
"Lucas, my friend," he greeted, embracing her guide in a strong hug, which was returned by Lucas. Both men broke the embrace, holding each other's biceps.
"It's been a while Lohar," Lucas grinned back. "I do hope you have my order prepared, I paid upfront after all."
"Come now, you know that I always deliver, especially for a friend such as yourself." Lohar clapped Lucas' shoulder, before noticing Emily standing behind Lucas.
"Oh," he said with a sly grin. "Lucas, my friend, have you finally settled down and gotten yourself a bride? I'm hurt that I wasn't invited."
Both Lucas and Emily blushed at the assumption.
"No, this isn't my wife, and I'm not married," Lucas clarified. "Lohar, allow me to introduce you to Emily Scron. I'm taking her to Milton."
"Pleased to meet you, sir," Emily said, nodding her head, her cheeks still warm.
"Please, don't call me sir, call me Lohar," he said. "A friend of Lucas is a friend of mine. Come, let's get inside. People in Hibernia would talk if they heard that I left Orion himself and his employer outside in the cold."
They were both ushered into the ship, with the barricade closed behind them. Inside, Emily looked around, noticing the various shelves and boxes that lined the wall, leaving a clear pathway to the furnace near the end of the ship.
"Follow me," Lohar said to her, catching her attention. She followed him up a set of metal stairs, coming up onto another level of the ship. This seemed to be the living quarters of the ship, with open doorways clear of doors leading into a room with bunk beds lining the walls, as well as another doorway leading into a small kitchen. There also lay a set of stairs near the end, leading onto what Emily assumed was the deck of the ship. Through the doorway into the kitchen, Emily could hear a conversation happening that was out of sight, and out of curiosity decided to see what was happening. Entering the small room, she saw Lucas, who evidently knew the interior of the ship quite well, leaning against a counter, talking with Lohar and a tan-skinned woman with brown hair.
"Ah, welcome dear," said the woman, noticing Emily standing in the doorway. "Do come in, there's plenty of room to stand and talk."
Emily walked into the kitchen, leaning against the counters alongside Lucas, and not failing to notice the smirk Lohar gave them.
"My name is Evelyn," the woman introduced herself, "I'm Lohar's wife. From what I've heard, you're seeking to travel to Milton, correct?"
"That's right," Emily responded, nodding her head. "Mr Vorban was kind enough to guide me there himself."
"There is no need to be so formal," Lucas sighed, turning his head to her. "Just call me Lucas. Mr Vorban takes way too long to say."
"Alright. Lucas offered to lead me to Milton, good thing too as I'd stand little chance of getting there without getting completely lost."
Both Lohar and Evelyn nodded. "If you need someone to take you anywhere on Great Bear, then Lucas is the right man for the job," Lohar said, with Evelyn humming her agreement.
"We were also hoping we would be able to take shelter for the night. We plan to head out at first light, and hopefully reach Thomson's Crossing by nightfall tomorrow," Lucas explained.
"Of course," Lohar exclaimed. "You know that there is always a bed free for you, Lucas. And you as well Emily. We'll get some food ready, and when you both feel like sleeping, there'll be a bunk bed the two of you can use."
Lohar and Evelyn soon got to work getting busy in the kitchen, cooking up a meal consisting of cooked meat and fried mushrooms, with Lucas helping out where he could, and Emily trying her best to keep out of the way. While the three were cooking, Emily met the two children of Lohar and Evelyn, Mihan and Uhaar, who were fourteen and six respectively. While Mihan was quiet, Uhaar was filled with curiosity and talked a mile a minute. It required Evelyn calling them to dinner to free Emily from the hundreds of questions he had for her, and the thousands of facts he told her about himself. The meal was pleasant, and the meat, which she was informed was rabbit, was soft and juicy, and the mushrooms gave an earthy taste to the meal. Despite volunteering to do the dishes, both Lohar and Evelyn adamantly refused to allow them to clean the dishes, instead getting their two children to help, much to the annoyance of Mihan and Uhaar. Lucas and Emily both moved to the bedroom, with Lucas taking the bottom bunk and placing his bag on the ground, leaning against the wall, and Emily taking the top. Taking her shoes off before climbing in, she was overwhelmed with a wave of exhaustion, slowly falling into the warm embrace of sleep, all the while hearing the indiscernible noise of Lohar, Evelyn and Lucas discussing, keeping their voices low in an attempt to not wake Emily or the two children. Giving up resisting sleep, Emily closed her eyes and snuggled under the thick blankets, and allowed sleep to overwhelm her, like a wave engulfing the shore.