And in that moment, nothing else mattered. Not the CME. Not the world outside. And not the flames moving towards them.

  All that mattered was that she was back with her son.

  “Mum. My legs… they hurt bad.”

  She looked at the seats. Alex’s knees looked like they’d been compressed back by the one in front.

  “It’s okay, angel,” Lily said, pushing against the seat.

  It didn’t budge enough.

  The flames were feet away.

  “We’re going to get you out of here. Mummy’s here for you now and she’s going to get you out.”

  She pushed again.

  It moved a little further forward.

  But still not enough.

  She saw the flames inching closer and she realised what this was.

  This was the moment.

  This was the moment her son died.

  This was the moment she died with him.

  She moved towards him, letting the anxiety take a hold, preparing herself to give up as the flames progressed.

  “We’re going to see Daddy now,” she said, taking her son’s hand. “We’ll be with Daddy soon. I promise.”

  “I’m scared.”

  She tightened his hand. “Don’t be scared. I’m here. I’ve got you. I’ve…”

  Then she saw what she was doing as if from the outside looking in, and she realised… no.

  That wasn’t her.

  Not anymore.

  She let go of her son’s hand and she pushed all her weight against the seat in front.

  When she didn’t think she could push any further, she kept going, in spite of all the pain in her arms, the pressure in her legs and her spine.

  “We’re getting out of here,” she cried, as the flames nicked at her fingers. “We’re getting away. Just—just move your legs, Alex. Move your legs.”

  She pushed harder as heat engulfed the front of her body.

  She closed her eyes, the air so hot she wasn’t able to breathe.

  And as she made one final push, she told her son to move his legs, to try one final time.

  And then the flames made their final push, and…

  FIFTY-SEVEN

  BETHANY

  DAY TWO: 8:00 P.M

  Bethany held her breath as she walked up the garden pathway towards the house where Dan was being held, fully aware that this might just be suicide.

  But at the same time, fully prepared for what she had to do.

  At least she hoped.

  These people they were approaching, they weren’t to be messed with. Whoever they were, they were clearly a little bit fucked up to say the least before the CME events started. To do what they’d done to Olly… sure, it seemed like they saw the value and importance of supplies. But by killing Olly, and kidnapping Dan, they were clearly a bunch of headcases. Totally mental.

  And people like that were only going to get worse as the whole blackout situation intensified—as the CME, whatever it really was, finally took out all of the power.

  If this was the level and degree of callousness, lawlessness and violence after a mere couple of days—a matter of hours really, in the grand scheme of things—then just imagine how things might look in a week.

  Or a month.

  Or, if Dan’s deepest, darkest fears really were correct, in a year.

  No. She still doubted that. Still didn’t believe it.

  Or she was just being naive.

  Both were possibilities.

  The sky was turning dark.She felt her hands shaking as she walked closer to the doorway of the detached house. It was a nice place, large and high, with an excellent view looking down at the rest of the village and beyond. It was the sort of place Bethany would’ve loved to live. And hey. Perhaps now she’d get the chance to. The world was her oyster, after all.

  But no. It was too high. Stood out too much.

  Already she was thinking like someone from the next world. Because she had the full belief now that the world indeed was going to change. And she believed Dan. It wasn’t going to fix itself for a long, long time.

  She had to be prepared.

  They all had to be prepared.

  But first, she needed to get Dan back.

  She lifted her shaking hand and second-guessed what she was doing. Well, not second guessed. That’d be grossly dishonest. More like thousandth-guessed. But still. The point remained.

  This felt like madness.

  This felt like suicide.

  But it also felt like the right thing to do.

  She knocked on the door, three hard bangs, and she waited.

  The longer she waited, the more time dragged on, the more she wondered if the people in the house were one step ahead of her, somehow. Maybe they knew she was coming. Maybe they’d seen what she’d done.

  But then she saw the movement behind the frosted glass.

  Then, she heard the footsteps.

  And as she held her breath, the door opened.

  She looked the man in his eye. It was the leader, Jacob.

  He looked at her like he was trying to place her for a few seconds.

  Then, he smiled.

  “Hello, angel,” he said. “Fancy seeing you here.”

  Bethany held her nerve. She couldn’t let herself crack. Not after how far she’d come.

  Jacob stepped out and edged closer towards her. “You follow us, hmm? Just couldn’t get enough of us?”

  “I’m here for my friend.”

  Jacob stopped. And then he chuckled a little. “Your friend? See, I don’t know any friends of yours here. I mean, we’ve got Dan. But he’s our friend now. And he’s proving very useful.”

  “Useful to you as a punchbag?”

  Jacob’s expression dropped. “Hey. We needed to teach him the consequences of not complying. But anyway. He found us a nice safe house, didn’t he? Gotta thank him for that Where’s your friend, anyway? Blonde girl. Skinny one.”

  “That doesn’t matter. I want my friend back. If you give him back… you get to keep your supplies.”

  Jacob narrowed his eyebrows and frowned. “We get to keep our supplies? What’s that supposed to mean?”

  Bethany didn’t answer. “If you give him back, we’ll go our separate ways. Maybe we’ll run into each other again in the future. But you can keep this place. You can keep everything you have. We’ll start again. All I want is Dan. So hand him over.”

  Jacob’s eyes narrowed even further. Bethany could see him trying to figure out what she was suggesting, what she was implying.

  After a few seconds of stalemate, Jacob disappeared into the lounge.

  When he re-emerged, Dan was by his side. And behind him, three of his stooges.

  Dan’s face was bruised. His glasses were cracked. He looked like he’d taken a beating.

  But there was a deadness to his eyes, and that was what scared Bethany more than anything. An acceptance. Like he was just willingly accepting all the bad shit that had happened to him.

  But Bethany wasn’t going to accept it.

  She wasn’t just going to lay down and accept defeat.

  “I’ll tell you another little proposal,” Jacob said, pushing Dan towards her. “If you want Dan, why don’t you come join us, hmm? That way we can all be together. One big happy family.”

  A few sniggers from the men behind. Bethany wanted to puke.

  “So go on,” Jacob said. “Either we play it your way, or we play it my way. You join us, and you can have your pitiful little boyfriend here. Or you… well. I’m not even sure there’s a choice anymore. You sure you want to find out?”

  Bethany looked into Dan’s eyes. She wanted him to see the confidence in her gaze. She wanted him to know she had this under control.

  “I hear Olly-boy was Susie-girl’s boyfriend. I’m sure one of my lads can keep her company. Help her through her terrible loss.”

  Bethany resisted the urge to scream at this prick.

  “So, what’ll it be?” Jacob asked.

  Bethany looked into Dan’s eyes. He was right opposite her now, after Jacob had pushed him towards her. The arrogance with which he had done that. It was as if he knew it didn’t even matter if they had Dan or not now. They were going to get away with this.

  But there was something they didn’t know.

  Something even Dan didn’t know.

  Dan looked back at her.

  His eyes were bloodshot.

  Tearful.

  She looked back at him.

  And she mouthed the only words she could.

  “I’m sorry,” she said.

  Dan shook his head. He smiled. “I should’ve known better. I… I’m not strong. And I know nothing.”

  “Don’t be stupid,” Bethany said, crying with him. “You’re so strong. And you’re so smart. And we wouldn’t have even made it this far if it wasn’t for you.”

  She kissed him then. It felt like the most instinctive thing to do. The right thing to do.

  “Ahh, bless,” Jacob said. “A beautiful reunion. Anyway. Come back here, Dan. You can’t go having all the fun yourself.”

  He grabbed Dan. He dragged him back. The three other lads all looked a bit unsure now. Will especially.

  “Part of me wants to invite you over,” Jacob said. “Could do with some female company. The other part… I dunno. I guess I’m just enjoying this. All of this.”

  He pushed Dan down onto his knees.

  “Maybe it makes me fucked up. But… well, it is what it is, right?”

  He had those scissors in hand again.

  The bloody scissors.

  The ones he’d killed Olly with.

  And a glint in his eyes.

  She looked at Jacob.

  And then she looked at someone else.

  Right behind Jacob.

  Will.

  He stared back at her.

  Wide-eyed.

  “You don’t have to let this happen,” she said.

  Will shook his head. Moved his lips. But no words came out.

  “You don’t have to sit back. You can… you can be responsible.” She was saying it to herself as much as she was to Will. “You can…”

  “Any last words to your lover here?” Jacob asked.

  Bethany looked Jacob in the eyes.

  She looked Dan in the eyes.

  “I…” she started.

  And then, out of nowhere, something happened.

  A struggle.

  A gargling sound.

  Blood.

  Spurting out of Jacob’s neck.

  His eyes, widening.

  A look of surprise across his face.

  And even a glummer of amazement, at the blood.

  “What…” he gargled.

  He fell to the ground.

  Bleeding out.

  Will stood over him.

  A pair of scissors of his own in hand.

  He looked up at Bethany, then.

  His other friends looked on.

  Wide-eyed.

  Amazed.

  And then he nodded at Bethany.

  He nodded at Bethany, as Dan crawled away from the house.

  He nodded at Bethany, as the lads shouted at him, and he shouted back at them.

  He nodded at Bethany, as Dan collapsed into her arms.

  And then, together, as Jacob lay dying on the floor… Bethany, Dan and Susan staggered away, leaving the chaos to unfold in that house.

  Will had stepped up.

  Will had been responsible.

  Just as Bethany had.

  And he’d given them a chance.

  Because she’d got through to him.

  Because she’d made him see.

  They ran.

  FIFTY-EIGHT

  LILY

  DAY THREE

  You never know true silence until you experience a blackout.

  And not a poxy blackout. Not the kind that takes out your television for a couple of miserable hours. Not the kind that has you lighting candles and scavenging for batteries to stuff into torches you haven’t used in years. Not the kind where you start getting a little bit frustrated because you can’t charge your phone or your signal’s a bit dodgy and you can’t rely on the WiFi. None of those things. Or, well. All of those things, but worse. Much worse.

  But a real blackout. The kind you don’t know about. The kind I don’t know about.

  But the kind Lily now knew about.

  The kind that was becoming normality.

  It was mid-morning. A strong breeze brushed through the campsite she had taken refuge in last night. She thought it’d be a sleepless one, especially after all the events that unfolded last night.

  But surprisingly, she had slept. She’d managed to get some kip.

  And now she was awake.

  She took a deep breath and stared up at the bright sky. It was a beautiful day, at least. The singing of the birds was the loudest thing in the sky. And to be honest, you don’t realise just how much noise passing airplanes make when you’re living in a world where they are commonplace. You don’t realise just how much of a racket traffic makes, even when you are so far from it.

  You don’t realise the subtle buzz of electricity, running through the very current of the earth below.

  All of that, gone.

  Lily could pinpoint the exact moment the CME hit in full force. It wasn’t a climactic blast like perhaps she’d been expecting. It wasn’t even a blast at all.

  Just one second, her watch was ticking away on her wrist.

  The next… it stopped.

  No drama.

  No great event.

  Just a second.

  Less than a second.

  Power… then no power.

  A tingling hum of electricity in the air—an ever-present hum that you don’t even realise is there, for the most part.

  And then…

  Silence.

  Peace.

  A new reality.

  She thought back to Terrance. Her stomach turned. Terrance would be amazed by all of this. Not surprised. He was a clever, intelligent bloke who clearly had an idea of what was going on. Exactly what was happening.

  But the fact that the solar event had actually struck. Just as the message warned two days ago. Terrance would be in his element, in a weird sort of way.

  She wished she could go back to him. Find his body. Bury him. Give him some kind of dignified send-off. He deserved that. It was the very least he deserved, actually.

  And not just because of how different her own life—her own circumstances—would be right now if he had not shown up at her door two days ago.

  She swallowed a lump in her throat and remembered the pain of those first few moments.

  Aubrey falling to the ground.

  Steve and Becky’s pained reactions.

  It was a hard memory to have.

  She climbed off the ground of the tent she’d been staying in and opened it up.

  She smiled when she saw them. Because it was a perfect scene, in all truth. So much so that she had to blink a few times to make sure what she was looking at was real at all.

  Beast.

  Clarissa.

  Aubrey.

  And her son, Alex.

  All of them smiling.

  Laughing.

  Playing.

  “Never thought you’d see the day, hmm?”

  Lily turned around. Steve was standing there. He was smiling.

  Lily smiled back at him. She couldn’t lie, she hadn’t ever thought she’d see this moment. After all, last night, she’d gone into that burning coach and said her goodbyes to her son.

  But something had made her keep on pulling.

  Something had driven her to drag her boy out of that coach and into the open.

  And it’d worked.

  Somehow, it’d worked.

  She remembered the pain she’d felt when she looked back at that burning coach. The people in there. Some had got away, sure. But some had died in there, too. Those poor, innocent souls. Gone.

  And then she looked at her boy as she lay there in the dirt, Steve and Becky approaching.

  She’d held him.

  She’d cried.

  “Bet you’re just as surprised,” Lily said.

  She saw Steve turn and look at Aubrey, smile on his face. Lily could never forget that moment they thought they’d lost him. The moment her watch stopped ticking.

  Aubrey’s eyes closed.

  He fell to the ground. Started shaking.

  That was confirmation, as far as they were all concerned. Confirmation that Steve and Becky’s worst fears had been realised.

  But then something remarkable had happened.

  Aubrey stopped shaking.

  His eyes opened.

  He looked up at his mum and dad, tears rolling down his cheeks.

  “What happened?” He’d asked.

  He’d been okay since. Nothing bad seemed to have happened to him. He was on his feet, playing, happy enough.

  Maybe eventually things would take a turn. Maybe his little heart would need a little more help than it was getting right now.

  But for now… for now, things were good.

  And you’d be a fool to want anything more than stability in the now in this world.

  They stood around, all of them, Steve, Becky, and Lily, watching their children and the dog. And as this perfect scene unfolded, Lily noticed something. A feeling deep within.

  A feeling like contentment.

  She’d pushed herself to her absolute limit.

  And she’d learned that there wasn’t a limit at all.

  There was only a limit where you defined it.

  And from now on, Lily wasn’t going to define any limits for herself.

  That’s what was going to keep her going.

  “We know what we have to do now,” Steve said, as they all stood around. “I mean, this is great. This is perfect. But this is day one. The last couple of days… they’ve just been a precursor. An appetiser. Things really start now.”

  Lily swallowed a lump in her throat and nodded. She didn’t know exactly what she was going to do. She didn’t know what tomorrow held, or what the day after held. She couldn’t know. Nobody could.

  And she didn’t know how long the world was going to be in this state either.

  She just knew that they had to start surviving. They had to start putting their collective knowledge—admittedly Lily’s was pretty sketchy still—and surviving.