Lee Kerr - Welcome to the Apocalypse

Hannah immediately shakes her head.

‘Look, I’ve heard all the shit that was being said between you and the Grandparents and I’ve been watching the news. There have been more killings and more random shit going on, especially in London. We have to look after ourselves so I say we get to Neil’s and grab him and Arianna. Then the four of us fuck off out of London for a while. We also need to get to a bank and get out as much cash as we can.’

Hannah takes her eyes off the fight, looking away from the crazy woman being held back by her husband, and the boy now hitting the monster before him. It would be a scene from some family drama if it wasn’t happening against the backdrop of a floor-to-ceiling mahogany stand, the wood as polished as the ornaments it holds. ‘As much as I can get?’

‘Yeah,’ he says and stares at her. ‘You know I haven’t got any and they didn’t hand out any dole money this week.’

‘So what are you bringing to this little trip?’ she asks. ‘The entertainment? And will that be electronic or penis-shaped?’

He scrunches up his face, shaking his head. ‘Oh, what are you on about now?’

‘Should I pack your bags for you too? Because, let’s face it, you can’t even bring your own car to the party.’

‘Enough!’ he hisses, looking over at the ongoing feud. He realises that they have attracted the attention of Simon, who is now looking over at them while leaning down and trying to talk some sense into little Noah, as well as holding back his frantic lover.

Hannah watches the battle she has created unfold before her eyes, listening to Simon try to explain his lifestyle choices to a ten-year-old.

‘I did my job,’ Simon says.

‘These kids were just a job,’ Blake whispers.

‘I did more than I should have,’ Simon says.

‘You’ve done more than you should have,’ Blake whispers.

Blake starts to pull Hannah away. ‘They are with family, like it or not, and it’s time they got into the real world and we fucked off. Do you think their parents are coming back, with all this shit going on? Where will these kids be safer? Stuck in your poky two-bedroom flat, or in this palace that’s probably got the army watching its back.’

Hannah looks over at them as Blake’s voice rings in her ear. ‘But they won’t be loved,’ she finally says, looking at him, desperately wanting to hear him agree.

‘It’s now or never,’ he says, already stepping away.

Hannah feels him leave, his breath no longer tickling her skin. She is trying so hard to sort all these things out in her mind, remembering the parents who have disappeared and the threats that have surfaced all around the world. What matters most is where these children will be safest, and clearly it will be here, because what these two can afford is safety and security, and surely that is more important than love. If they survive, they can look for love later; they will have a roof over their heads and each other for company.

‘Okay,’ Hannah says, pulling him back towards her. She turns to him out of a desperate need for reassurance but this is something which Blake cannot give her; he can only show her what is right for him. He pushes her towards the door.

A few seconds later they’re in the hallway. Blake is at her back. ‘Faster!’ he shouts.

‘Where are you going?’ she hears Simon shout over Poppy’s crying and Noah calling out her name.

She says nothing, but grabs the door handle. It won’t open.

‘Bottom handle!’ Blake shouts.

She nods, genuinely trying her best. Both her hands shake as she tries all the handles and locks, pulling the door and begging it to open. She knows they are coming and the thought scares her – especially if he is with them. Please, she thinks, any of them but Noah.

‘For fuck’s sake!’ Blake shouts, pulling her out of the way. ‘We are not staying here!’ He tries the handles for himself; the seconds tick by slowly. She can’t watch him anymore and she knows she must turn to face her enemy. She prays, desperate for him to get that door open and set them free, but he’s doing no better than she did. They are both too slow. She takes a deep breath, ready to face Simon, hopeful that it’s only him.

It is Noah that turns the corner first, just a second before. She sees his small body overshadowed by his reluctant grandfather. ‘Hannah,’ he says, tears streaming down his face. ‘Where are you going?’

‘Yes, Hannah, where are you going?’ Simon asks, as he towers over the boy.

She can’t say anything in return, doesn’t know where to begin. She hears the door open, and sounds of celebration from Blake echoing across the hall. He pulls her backwards.

‘You’re taking them with you!’ Simon shouts and lurches towards them.

She ignores him, knowing only one person truly matters right now. ‘I’m sorry,’ she mouths to Noah, with tears rolling down her cheeks.

Blake puts the keys in her hand. ‘Fucking run!’ he shouts, pushing her down the path.

Simon gives chase. She thinks about all the experience of life he has: his decades of festering bitterness, the few precious years he has spent living for himself – it’s vast in comparison with Blake, the boy who has literally done nothing.

Hannah reaches the car first and throws herself into the passenger seat. She leans over and puts the keys in the ignition, her hands still shaking. She looks up to see that Blake and Simon are halfway down the path. The kids are running past them and towards the car. ‘We’re coming!’ Poppy shouts, her small legs trying their best to get her to where she desperately wants to be.

And that’s when Hannah does the unthinkable; the one action that undoes all the good work she has done. All those months of care, all those recent nights when they crawled into bed and she held them tight, they mean nothing now as she locks the doors.

It’s a step too far. Noah starts banging on her window and Poppy stands in the road. No one thinks to help her; everyone is too occupied with their own needs to find the time to care. Hannah looks over to see Agnes watching from the door, her face full of shock. Her sense of shock is nothing compared to the boy’s.

Hannah is about to open the door, to put them in the backseats and tell them to get down low so that Blake will not see them until they are miles from here, but she is quickly distracted, as she looks up to see Blake punch Simon on the nose. ‘Blake!’ she shouts, as he curls up his arm, cradling his wrist; the in-between boy never quite learnt to fight in school. Despite this, he still hit him hard enough to make blood spurt from Simon’s nose. He grabs his nose and blood spills through the gaps in his fingers. It’s enough for Blake to make a run for it and leap over the gate.

He’s too quick for Poppy. She tries to reach for him but when she fails she screams, then desperately looks around for someone to comfort her. This life isn’t something she knows, not something she should ever have been expected to cope with.

Noah seems to have a better idea of what to do and starts to chase after Blake. Hannah watches him move around the car, then she realises Blake is now banging on the driver’s window, his face up close to the glass.

‘Let me in!’ he shouts.

Hannah quickly unlocks the door, looking over at Simon who is now running down the path. Agnes is chasing after him with that dirty tea towel. She turns back around, feeling Blake leap into the car. His screams of ‘fuck, fuck, fuck!’ ring in her ears as he tries to start the car, leaving the door wide open.

She can hear the voice of the other boy as well; his whining, his begging. ‘Please, Hannah!’ Noah shouts, standing next to Blake. His little hands claw at the plastic seat as he tries to clamber into the car. She turns to see him: that blond fringe, those red eyes. ‘Don’t leave us!’