Chapter 15

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15

By the time we reached the outskirts of the little town of Comus, the great hill loomed in the distance. It had been over two hours since the alarms first sounded, and no one knew exactly how much time we had left.

As we neared the entrance to Sugarloaf Mountain, we saw other people with the same idea. There was only one access road up the southeast side, and I remembered that it twisted and curved past overlooks and car parks, almost to the very peak. Then, U-turning, the road started down the southwest side, finally exiting onto the country road at the mountain's base.

Cars were politely lining up at the entrance road to make the assent. Father sized up the situation and turned up the exit road instead. I felt a little uneasy passing the one-way and do-not-enter signs on the narrow lane, but nobody appeared to be coming down the other way. Everyone wanted to go up. A few other drivers saw what Father was doing and peeled off the queue to follow us.

The sun was rising now, low and red. The dappled light shot beams through the trees. It was too beautiful to be frightened this morning, but Father seemed to know something, and he took risks to move us up the road as fast as he could.

"The mountain should be tall enough," he said at last, "but we've no idea exactly how high the wave will be. So we'll have to hike to the very top."

Joo Chen gave me a look that said "No problem!" but we both knew it was serious business. The hike was rigorous and Mother and Father weren't exactly young any more.

We moved up the exit road quickly and Father came upon a roundabout where confused drivers coming up the entrance road tried to decide which way to go. Father kept us to the far left and avoided the jam.

Soon we reached the car park just below the peak of the mountain where the road ended. A string of cars coming up the entrance road on the other side slowed and clogged that side of the lot. 

Father swung the giant vehicle around and backed into an end space at the rear of the lot, pointing downhill.

"We're stopping here," Father said shutting the engine down. "Even if the car won't start later, we can coast downhill. We'll have to hike the rest of the way up. Gather your things and let's go."

As I stepped out of the car, the incoming traffic around us was getting noticeably worse. Horns honking, people yelling.

The cars that followed us up the exit road pulled into the few remaining parking spaces. Those behind them, with nowhere to go, simply stopped, blocking the way. We had made it just in time.

Joo Chen was already pulling packs from the cargo area. He handed me mine and helped me put it on. Then he helped Mother, too, while Father threw some heavy silver tarpaulins over the petrol containers and other items we wouldn't be able to carry.

Some people looked well-prepared and were unpacking hiking gear, but others simply stayed in their cars. A woman held the hands of two small children who looked like they had just been awakened from a deep sleep and weren't at all sure this wasn't still a dream. They just stood there, next to their car, not knowing where to turn.

Quite a few people, not just children, had only their pajamas on, and others just the clothes on their back. No food, no gear, no supplies. Understanding hadn't sunk in yet, that there would likely be no going back home after this day.

Father was looking around as if he expected to recognize someone, then turned to us. "We can't stay here in the car park. We need height. Let's move!"

We walked out of the lot over to the path signs, and here he consulted with Mother. 

"The Green Trail will get us to the peak quickest," he announced, after a moment, "but it's a vertical climb of at least one hundred meters, so we better get going." 

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