All The Dark Places

10. The Kindness Of Mankind

    Sophie was gone, and Felicia was going back to her parents' care. Rosalind liked the little girl very much, but she felt some relief about not needing to look after the child during such a chaotic time.  She hoped that caring for Felicia would not be too much for Thessaly, but then again, she had a way with Felicia that was admirable, a natural motherly charm. Whereas Thessaly was outwardly cold to almost everyone else, she was warmhearted with her daughter. Scott stood beside her, watching the car pull out of the gate. 

      "We really could go with them if you want." 

       "And then do what? This situation is not better in London. The city will be chaos with no transportation. Liam Fallery said the train is no longer working. The lights in the castle have been going on and off. I'm hoping for the best and preparing for the worst. New York City is gone. How long do you think it will be before this thing gets to London? No one wants to believe that something serious is happening. I saw people on their cell phones talking to family, saying it is just a glitch, a two or three day thing, like it is nothing to worry about at all." 

      "I've been watching the news upstairs with the staff? It's complete chaos worldwide. New York City, Tokyo, Hong Kong, all gone. Just gone. It's every damned state, every damned country on Earth. Seoul, Delhi, Mumbai... All with no transportation and shaky electric. People are freaking out. They're looting and pillaging. The worst part is that this thing is probably going to crush them out and no one wants to deal with that. How do you evacuate cities with millions of people?" 

      "You can't." Rosalind noted. Scott nodded his head. 

      "And London?" 

      "No transport, shaky electric and riots in neighborhoods like Croyden and Hackney." "It could be worse." She bit her fingernail, which was already down to the quick. "Yeah, it sure as hell could be. The thing is, I think it might be soon. London could be soon." 

      "I know." 

      "Maybe we should find one of those things and take it to a lab or something." 

     Rosalind scratched the back of her hand where a deep pink rash had begun blooming. 

      "The question is how to catch one without having it attack us, and even if we did, what lab? How would we get there?" 

      Valerie Stephens came bounding out of the castle steps, running to nowhere in particular. She found an oak tree and collapsed under it's branches, crying. Her blond bobbed hair swung over her face and stuck to her tear stained cheek. This was not crying, this was wailing. They ran to her.

      "Valerie? What happened?" 

      "London." 

      "Oh Jesus." Rosalind covered her mouth and watched Scott sink to the ground next to Valerie. 

     "Valerie, is it...?"

     "Gone. Crushed just like those cities in Malaysia. Completely gone. Everyone is gone. That beautiful city destroyed! I can't even fathom it. I can't..." 

      "You have family there?" 

      "No, thank God! My family is in New Zealand. My son married a girl there, and my daughter is at university in Berlin." 

      "Valerie, call them right now! Tell them to stay away from all cities! Valerie, right now!" 

     Valerie pulled her cell phone from her jacket pocket and fumbled with the phone, her hands shaking too much to find the numbers. Scott helped her, finding her contact page and Valerie clicked her daughter's number. Rosalind looked at Scott pointedly.