Alex Knightly - Sudden Darkness - A Post-Apocalyptic EMP Thriller

The growl of the engine drew him back to the present. He looked at the others. They were watching him impatiently. He sighed and turned back to the door.

He felt uneasy. Maybe it was the exhaustion and the bunged up heady feeling that he always got when he was coming down with a cold. He made a mental note to get some paracetamol when they found a pharmacy.

He grabbed the door handle and jiggled it, lightly at first with the intention of applying more and more pressure until it gave. He didn’t need to. Instead of meeting resistance, the handle turned easily.

His sense of alarm grew. He stood back and drew his weapon, nodding to the others that they should be careful.

He pushed the door open and stood back, half expecting someone to rush out at them. No-one did.

He stepped inside, moving swiftly into the vast space and becoming more and more confused. He turned to the others and nodded. It was clear. So why did he feel so on edge? His instincts weren’t usually wrong. Now his heart was pounding and he felt even more lightheaded.

But there was no-one here.

Perhaps it was the fact that he could still hear that engine, louder than ever. Surely it should have passed their exit by now?

He noticed the look on Olivia’s face. “What is it, darling?”

The others looked uneasy too. They hadn’t taken their packs off and they clung to their bikes like they were security blankets.

“I don’t know, Clive. It smells awfully like petrol in here.”

He took a step towards her, hand out in an attempt to calm her. He couldn’t smell a thing, but he’d been bunged up all morning. He hadn’t even been able to smell the cheese earlier, and the others had said it stunk to high heaven. “I’m sure it’s just the fact that it’s a garage. They’ll have been—”

“I smell it too,” Annie said warily. “My nose is blocked but I still get it. We should—”

Clive took a step towards the door, about to suggest they discuss it outside. After all, garages weren’t in the habit of refuelling client cars, and no-one could have driven in or out for at least four days.

He didn’t get as far as the door. It banged closed and there was a weird scraping sound.

He hurried to it and tried the handle. It moved, but there was something stopping it from opening outwards. The brackets , he realised with a start. “Who’s there? What’s going on? I’m a police officer!”

He stopped. Maybe that wasn’t something he should mention. He turned to the others and his stomach lurched as he saw the fear and surprise etched all over their faces. He turned and rammed his shoulder against the door again and again. But it wouldn’t budge.

Then there was a strange whooshing sound, as if all the air had been sucked out of the room.

Someone screamed. But he didn’t turn around. He knew that sound. And the new smell that filled the room was one that even the harshest cold couldn’t block out.

Fire.

Si was dripping sweat by now. She’d released the ropes and the bar had slammed down into the brackets on either side of the door, just like she’d practised. Everything had gone perfectly, but that didn’t stop her worrying. She could still hear the second car.

Damn it. Why didn’t I think of this?

She scrambled back and peered in the window. It was already filling with smoke even though it had only been a few seconds.

She froze. They weren’t the people who took Max.

She faltered for a second. Stop it. There’s no time. This is just the rest of their crew.

“Where’s Max? Where the hell is he?”

“Who the hell is Max?”

Si blinked. It was a woman. A younger woman.

Stop thinking! There’s no time! If the others get here before I’ve gone…

“Bullshit. You came and you took him.”

She watched as the flames rose around the edges of the big space. One of the men stumbled back to the roller door and tried to pull it up, before being turned back by the flames.

“There’s no point. I’ve disabled it. Tell me where Max is.”

“We don’t know anyone called Max,” the older man said, turning around.

Si’s eyes widened when she saw the gun in his hand.

They widened even more when it finally dawned on her that they had bicycles. Bicycles.

Oh no.

She didn’t know much about the men who took Max, but they weren’t the cycling types—she was sure of that.

“You don’t know Max?” she said frantically. “What are you doing here?”

“Open the fucking door!” one of the men screamed. “Now!”

Si knew now she’d made a huge mistake and it might be too late to fix it. She turned and leapt off the roof, landing hard. She didn’t care.

She turned and stumbled to the door and pulled hard on the bar she’d used to block it.

“No!” she cried. “Come on.”

Why hadn’t she set something up to put out the fire? She hadn’t even considered the possibility that a bunch of random people could walk in. What were the odds?

They had seconds. She had to get them out.

She tried to move the bar again.

“I’m trying,” she shouted. “I’m sorry. I thought you were someone else. They took my…” She swallowed. Now wasn’t the time to make excuses. She had to save her breath and her strength. The smell was horrendous.

The ropes were still attached to the ends of the bar. She looked up. There was nothing to throw them around to get leverage. She wiped her eyes with her forearm. The smoke was billowing under the door now. It was almost unbearable. What must it be like in the garage?

Focus!

They were screaming now. It set her teeth on edge. It hadn’t been long but she couldn’t imagine the hell they were going through in there.

She squatted down in front of the door, aware that it could explode in her face at any moment. She didn’t know if the Jaguar was still approaching. She couldn’t hear a thing over the roar of the flames and the creaking, warping metal roof.

Come on. You dragged it onto the roof several times. You can do it.

But lifting it wasn’t a problem. Working it loose from where it was jammed into the bracket was the difficult part. She’d done it before when she practised, but never in a hurry.

She took a deep breath and roared as she rose up and shoved her palms under the bar. It shrieked and scraped out and landed on the ground with a hollow metallic thud. She jumped back.

Panting, she grabbed the door handle. She pulled her hand away. It was searing hot. She put her sleeve over her hand to try again, but the door came crashing down on her before she could try again. She managed to sidestep it just in time.

“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry,” she cried as the four strangers hurried out. The reality of what she’d just done was starting to dawn on her. “I thought you were… why did you even…” she shook her head as someone grabbed her by the throat and propelled her forward.

“What the hell were you thinking? You could have killed the lot of us!”

“No!” Si croaked, clawing at his hands to free herself. “Please… no time… we have to get out of here.”

“We?” one of the women coughed. “We?”

Si looked around desperately. These were normal people and look what she’d done to them. They were bug-eyed with fear and gasping for breath in a way that sent them into coughing fits. She’d almost killed them. But there was no time to think about that now.

“Listen!” She tried to shout but her voice came out as a squeak because of the hands around her throat. “That car. It’s coming here.”

Something crashed to the floor in the garage and made them all recoil. The grip on her throat loosened and she stumbled back out of his reach. She was only feet away from the yard. She could lose them in there. She could get away.