When the World fell asleep.

Chapter Nine

Dublin, Ireland.

25th May 2013

6:00 PM

It's been four months since the Silence took a hold of  the world, Lisa and her family were still trapped in her house and their food supplies are quickly running out. Once people figured out that the Tescos around the corner had plenty of food it didn't take them long to empty it, Gary salvaged what he could from the ruins of the once proud supermarket but it wasn't much and in just a few days starvation would be a real issue.

Gary sat shivering by the fireplace, he poked at the glowing ambers of the fire willing it to take a light again. He threw another chunk of wood in and breathed a sigh of relief when a flame sprouted up to claim it.

The room was practically empty, most of the furniture had been broken up and burned during the snowy months of January and February, all they had left was a broken bed they'd salvaged from Erics house and a few mis matched chairs they had found on the road.

"When will this end?" Maria cried, she felt her spirit break a few months back when she was forced to accept that she will never speak to her son again. She thought about him all the time, she dreamt about his death everynight. She missed him.

"It won't.... There's nobody to help...... The army are doing all they can but...." He trailed off knowing she knew it all, she knew the army were giving out blankets and water but food was running out.

When everything was right with the world Gary never gave much thought to what would happen if technology crashed but he always just assumed that it would be a minor inconvience, he never could have imagined that it would bring the world to it's knees.

"We will have to move out of here." Michael said lazily from the bed, "The food supply is completely dried up, we're better off heading into the country to where there is farms and stuff, we'd be better off."

Gary shook his head, the weather outside was unseasonably cold, how would they get to the country?

"How would we get out there and when we did where would we stay?" Gary sighs pulling his jacket tighter around himself as he continues to poke at the fire."We've got the little one to think of."

"Well I found a car broken down not far from here we could push it up here and I'll see if I can fix it, you know I was a mechanic in a past life."

"Mmm maybe lets go get it now.... Before someone else gets the same idea or burns it out!" Gary says hopping up from the floor, he gestures for Michael to follow him as he leaves the house leaving Maria alone and sobbing.

Lisa lay on the old mattress in her bedroom listening to the conversations downstairs, her back and legs were still sore and stiff, she couldn't do much anymore. It killed her to know that she was useless but when she tried to stand or move around too much she would literally pass out from the pain.

Eric said it could be because her bones are still healing or maybe they had healed wrong but for now atleast she was out of action. She let out a frustrated sigh as she tried to roll off the mattress and stand up, she used the wall as a crutch as she made her way to her daughters room.

Amber sat playing happily with her dolls on the floor of her emptied bedroom, the house had gone from warm and beautiful to empty and cold in a matter of weeks, once they had run out of wood and coal they had started cutting up wooden furniture and anything that would burn. Now they were even running out of that, Lisa pushed the thought away not wanting to think about what was going to happen.

Amber looked up at her mom sensing that something was wrong with her, she hasn't been the same since she nearly died and she cried at night. Amber didn't understand what was wrong.

Somewhere in America

25th of May 2013

12:00 PM

The sun was still hot as Craig and James started setting up camp, they had been forced to flee the city when the food dried up and the army had told to make their way south. But they'd been traveling for months by foot and they had barely made it out of the state.

Most of the road signs had been torn down or destroyed somehow so none of them were quite sure where they were or where they were going. Jack and his daughter had stuck with them but Craig still didn't trust him, that man knew something and Craig was going to get it out of him even if it was the last thing he ever did.

"What do you think he's holding back?" James asked hammering the pins into the ground.

"Something big, I think he knows what happened..." Craigs answers taking a swig of water and wiping the sweat off his forehead with a towel. The weather was getting hotter each day and Craig was begining to worry the water was going to dry up as well.

"What makes ya think that?"

"Just a feeling I think?" Craig helps James stand back up, "We should confront him tonight when the girls fall asleep. We need to know."

James just nodded not fully convinced that Jack actually knew anything but willing to go along with Craig anyway.

"What time is it?" Craig asked squinting through the trees to see where Cara and Andrew were but he couldn't make them out in the shadows.

"Just after eight, it should at least be getting dark by now..." James said lying down on his back to stare up at the clouds.

"Yea, weird."

"Nothings weird anymore."

"I guess that's true."

Jack came rushing through the forest dragging Andrew behind him, "Run!" he yelled at the little boy as they made their way through the trees.

Craig was first on his feet, something was wrong.  Cara and Sasha were no where to be seen.

"What's happened?" Craig yelled running towards the man. "Where's Cara and Sasha?"

"Two men with guns took them! They dragged them into a house back there.... There was nothing I could do!" Jack sobbed tugging Andrew along. Once he felt they were safe enough he crumbled to the ground, his heart heavy with fear for his daughter.

"Who took them?" James asked shoving Andrew into the tent, "Stay here don't move!"

"Two men...... They had guns and threaten to to shoot Andy if we fought them." Jack cried.

"Right...." Craig nodded loading his rifle, he slung it over his shoulder before grabbing his hand gun and taking off into the woods. Anger built up inside him with every step he took.

"Craig.... WAIT!"  James shouted after him, "You can't fight them alone you'll be killed!"

"Then come."

"We need a plan." James reasoned trying to pull the young man back, "You're gonna get yourself and them girls killed."

"For all we know their already dead." Craig spat out, "And I'm not letting those bastards get away with it and if Cara and Sasha are still alive then I'm going to save them."

Craig began to jog further into forest leaving James no option but to follow him.