She brushed back her golden blonde hair, "sorry. The wind messed with my hair. Only two months after a huge hurricane, we're about to get another one? This weather!" She sipped her coffee.
He chuckled, "so Lucy. Where's Adam?"
Lucy rubbed the back of her neck, yawning, "he's with David's parents. David is already in the city, we're gonna drive up and spend a couple nights there with him."
Lucy sighed, "so uh... John, when's your family getting back from the city?"
"Tomorrow hopefully."
Another thought struck Lucy, "oh yeah! You know the Hawkins family?"
John raised a brow, "they have the autistic son, right?"
Lucy nodded, "yeah, Adrien. Jolene's illness has gotten far worse. They all headed off to Montreal, left Adrien on his own."
John tilted his head slightly, "oh, her stomach cancer? So can he manage on his own?"
"oh yeah, I spoke to his sister Madison, he's fine as long as he's got his medication with him. I hope he can handle though. I heard he doesn't really... understand serious situations sometimes."
"It's so unfair. Heard he's a bright kid. Madison is great though, she's been a good sister to him."
The news flashed on the TV, a Toronto accent speaking, "it has just been announced by credible sources that the massive blackouts that have swept across the western regions of North America have become deadly, many casualties have been reported - although none have been confirmed."
Lucy's face dropped, as did Johnathon's.
Lucy stood up abruptly grabbing her bag and coffee, "well I am not a fan of that. Anyway, I should go get Adam. See you... Thursday."
John nodded, "yeah, see you then."
Lucy fled left small shop, rushing into her car. She turned on the radio, "there is new reports of some sort of incident happening in Sydney."
Lucy smiled, "oh, Maia?"
"Some officials claim this is a hoax. Messages have been received from New Zealand, prompting some to deny the claims. Unfortunately - as it is currently the middle of the night in the affected regions - not much information is available at this time."
"Thank you Maia, I believe you're at a research station in Lewisporte?"
"That's correct. I do live in Gander, but I was invited here by a group of scientists attempting to study this event. There is widespread satellite disru-"
Lucy tapped a few buttons on her car's dashboard, the car speakers playing the ringing sound, drowning out the radio.
"Hello?"
"Hi, where's Adam?"
"Harry took him out."
"Could you call him for me? I'll be at your house in a couple minutes, I'm driving up the 330."
She sighed, "okay... Lucy, don't freak him out. After everything that's been happening, I don't want him hurt."
"Of course. Goodbye, I'm pulling up now."
"See you now hon."
She drove, turning left, then turning right. She pulled up at a small bungalow on a wooden foundation, with a large slightly unkept garden out front.
She ran into the house, "Myrtle! Where are you?"
Myrtle was sat in front of the TV.
On the screen, there was a breaking news alert.
"This is an emergency alert being broadcasted live from Ottawa. The entire country of Canada is being placed under strict lockdown until further notice."
Lucy sighed, "looks like I might not be overreacting. Where's Adam?"
Myrtle shook her head, "not back. George hasn't been answering the phone."
"What?!"
"Stop! They'll be back soon. There might just be some commotion at the school."
Lucy sat down next to her. They watched the screen with blank expressions.
"It's only around 5AM and panic has gripped Calgary as people from the eastern regions of British Columbia have flooded into the province, claiming that some kind of incident has killed people in Vancouver. Many people died in their sleep and apparently car accidents are in the thousands."
"The same panic has been noted in parts of Europe, the United States and Australia. In New York i-..." the screen went black."
Myrtle gasped, "what?"
"Is this satellite TV?"
"Maybe the weather is causing problems."
"Likely story."
Lucy looked out the window, mesmerised.
The quiet streets were slowly filling with residents looking to the sky. Lucy stepped outside the front door, looking up.
"What the hell..."
Streaks of light appeared faint in the sky.
"Lucy! Are you seeing this?"
"Yeah, Ron! It's- it's like the northern lights?"
Myrtle stepped outside, "Lucy? What's g- oh my god... what the hell is that?"
Lucy shook her head, "I don't know. I- I don't know."
YOU ARE READING
Hiraeth: Cities To Embers
Science Fiction'It came from outer space' or 'it was a bioweapon gone awry' The day a commercial airliner departs from London and a group of school students return from a trip to Paris, is also the day a disaster of biblical proportions begins to wipe out both hum...
