Hope II

Signal

It will never be the same again. It can never be the same again... We lost people, good people. But we can't give up now. He may be back, but we're stronger. We'll keep fighting, keep pushing for as long as we possibly can... Vertuga is but a day away... we can end this. All of it.

I sat with my wife on the trunk of a fallen tree in the forest, alone in the silence aside from the occasional chatter coming from the others outside the forested area. My cargo pants were cold on the snowy log, left arm wrapped around Holly's waist, holding onto her jacket. Her head rest on my shoulder and she wept over losing the home we had finally found. It was the first time she was ever truly happy following the death of our son. She would weep over him daily, a thought and a prayer. Not a day went by she did not quietly mention his name to me, not a day went by in which we both did not share even a slight tear in his memory... but back there, in the supermarket, we were safe. We were happy. We had a home. And now it's gone, everything we ever had has been taken from us. 

We both looked to the horizon, snow falling throughout the forest, covering the entire country in a thick sheet of white. 

We've been here over 15 hours now. When we left the supermarket it must have been five in the evening... now I'm dead certain it is nearing 9am, waiting for anyone from the supermarket to show up... anyone... but there were none, not one person had shown up yet... and time was ticking.

While we wait, Philip and some of the women have been working on getting that thing working, been abandoned for well over a decade, I don't know why they even hope to pick something up. 

'Are we ever going to be safe?' Holly asked me with fear and morbidity in her eyes. 

I glanced down at her, answering honestly a monosyllabic and morbid reply. 

'No' pausing for a moment, I approached her head and kissed her neck before whispering 'No matter how safe and secure we ever think we are... it will never last... no matter where we go, we won't stay there forever... we can't' 

She knew I was right in every word I said, and she appreciated my honesty, so much so she wrapped her arm around my biceps and hugged me closely, her tender lips kissing my neck while I rest my head upon her soft, brown hair. Relaxing for a moment to savour the moment of tranquillity after losing our home. Even if they did manage to defeat the Ripper... I know for a fact our home was destroyed in the process.

My peace of mind was suddenly interrupted by running footsteps calling my name aloud in a high pitched scream, frantically looking for me, a young voice. The voice came from Peter, an 8 year old boy who had come panting towards me. I quickly got to my feet when he heavily exhaled the words. 

'They got it' he said, breathing heavily 'They got it' 

'Got what?' Holly asked, but I knew exactly what it was... and suddenly a feeling of both fear and excitement rushed through me. 

'A signal' I said, completing the boy's sentence 'They got a signal in the radio tower'

I ran back with Holly and Peter, he was a slow runner and appreciated the fact I could not wait up for him, he never complained. 

Out of the forest and into the open white area of what is green grass, but shadowed by thick and heavy snow. I looked ahead to the radio tower. 

It's antenna stretched high in the sky casting darkness over the land in its herculean height. 

Ahead were the double doors to the control room of the tower, straight in I went to see all the others of the group inside, and Philip, standing by working monitors with his leather jacket wrapped around his waist. He immediately looked to me with an emotion of fear, bringing about a sudden decline in my excitement... and my fearfulness began to rise.