Saturday, 18th July 2106
Thirteen Days Earlier
Carly awoke to the sound of clanging metal as the rest of the family began preparations to move camp. Turning her head, she noticed her boyfriend’s half of the bed was empty. Sam must have gone out to help, she thought. She hadn’t been with him all that long, the family coming across him in the ruins of Sheffield a couple of months ago. He was starving, and terrified of strangers, but they took him in, gave him their food, water, and shelter, and within a few weeks he and Carly had grown to be far more than just friends.
A few hours later and the whole camp had been disassembled and packed onto carts; it was time to move. The family never liked to stay in one location for more than a few days in order to make it less likely for the Bemroth’s attention to be drawn to them. Also, it meant that other humans would be less likely to find them; and in many ways they were even more dangerous than the Bemroth. The aftermath of the invasion, almost a hundred years ago, had driven many of those left alive insane, feral, with little care for anything but their own survival, regardless of who they had to steal from, kill or eat to achieve that. Psychologists or anthropologists, if they still existed, might call this condition an evolutionary adaptation. The family called them monsters.
Passing a faded sign, its paint peeling as they crossed over the shattered remains of the A47, Carly was just about able to read that they were still over twenty miles from Norwich. Progress was slow with the family; having an age range of six to seventy-two walking meant that they always travelled at their slowest member’s pace. The carts were only large enough to carry their camp, equipment and one sole passenger; Harriet being the only person who didn’t walk due to her increasing infirmity. With any larger group, it would have been easy for the Bemroth to track them down, but fortunately, the family were very careful to cover their tracks, and they only numbered fifteen. Sixteen, if you included Sam; and some among the family didn’t.
“Don’t go too fast, sweetheart!” Fred called to his daughter, some distance in front of the rest of the family, walking with Sam.
“Yes, father.” Carly droned, still remaining far ahead of them. Sam said something quietly to her and she laughed, looking back to her parents.
“Didn’t quite hear that!” Fred shouted back, but was ignored.
“Ah, young love!” Petra, Amelia’s mother laughed.
“You can stop that, too. I don’t need you encouraging her.”
“Frederick Simon Judson, give us one good reason why not?” His father-in-law, Nathan spoke up. He paused for a moment, narrowing his eyes, and then shook his head, laughing to himself.
“You’re right, I know, I know! I suppose it’s just- It’s just she’s still my little girl, I still see glimpses of it every now and then, and maybe I’m not really ready to accept she’s grown up.”
“You know, I think she still believes you think of her as a child. Perhaps it’s time she was given a few more responsibilities around the camp.”
“You think?”
Nathan shrugged, “Well, she’d know you weren’t trying to mollycoddle her. It couldn’t hurt; something like helping out more on hunts, maybe both Carly and Sam.”
Amelia, who had been listening to the conversation turned sharply to her dad, “You think we can trust him with a gun already?”
“We do trust him already, with Carly.” Petra replied, Nathan nodding, “And she’s far more precious than any lump of metal. In fact, I think it might be a good idea to welcome him into the family properly.”
Amelia watched the two teenagers in front of them, hand in hand. She smiled. “I suppose so. You’re right, the more the merrier.”
“They’re talking about us,” Sam laughed, looking back at the party behind them. Carly laughed again,
“They’re always talking about us!”
“Hmm, I know.” Sam sighed, “I’m kind of used to it now, it’s ‘cause I’m not really one of you.”
“Come on, you don’t really believe that do you? What about Joe, he came to us like you; he’s not technically one of us either.”
Sam laughed under his breath, “Yeah, in more ways than one!”
“Hey, that’s really mean! He and Matt are… well, they’re….” She joined him, laughing.
Sam continued, “Anyway, his whole situation’s different. You found him when he was what, eight? He’s had a chance to grow up and prove himself to you all. I haven’t had that.”
“Well, hold on, Reeta hasn’t either, and she and Uncle David are engaged.”
Sam smiled at her, “Well that’s different. He doesn’t have his parents breathing down his neck anymore, like you.”
“God! Tell me about it!”
“I don’t like him.”
“Excuse me?”
Josh had joined up with his mother, the suddenness of his statement, not to mention what it was startled Amelia.
“Why don’t you like him?”
“I just… don’t. The way he looks at… ”
“What? The way he looks at… what, honey… you?”
“No… at Idris. She told me.”
Amelia relaxed, “Well, that’s something Idris can tell me if she wants to. Don’t worry about it, sweetie, she’s probably just reading too much into things as usual. She can’t help being suspicious.”
Idris always stayed at the back of the group, guarding their rear. She was eager to prove herself to the family, being not much older than Carly, and was a ready participant in all expeditions, be they to cities and towns, or hunting for food; protecting the family from whatever may come against them. Hunting and foraging far from the camp necessitated an armed guard, due to the wild animals that now dwelt in the countryside. In the years since the invasion, countless numbers of animals once kept in zoos had escaped, and while many couldn’t survive out of the controlled conditions, too many were able to thrive. Be they venomous snakes, wolves or lions, the countryside of Britain was not an ideal place to travel across now. To make matters worse, decades ago, the Bemroth had released numerous strange animals from other worlds onto Earth, to breed and prey on the unwary; which the family, thankfully, had been lucky enough to avoid thus far. It was Idris’ belief that these creatures were let loose solely in order to make the Bemrothic-built cities the only safe places to live, so that humans would be forced to flock there and live under their control, in gilded prisons.
The path the family had trodden in the long grass was clear behind them as Idris scanned for any signs they were followed. Turning around, she looked towards Carly and Sam some way in the distance. Her usually focused and determined countenance softened slightly as she looked at the young man walking far ahead. Her father, Jude must have noticed as he slowed down to talk to her,
“What’s the matter, darling?”
Idris’ eyes turned sharply away from Sam, embarrassed at herself, “Nothing, dad. Don’t worry about me.”
“Come on, what’s wrong? Why are you frowning?”
“I’m not.”
Jude sighed; he knew there was no talking to her like this,
“Look, if there is something bothering you, I can help. That’s what I do!” He smiled at her, expecting a response, but nothing came. Idris just continued walking ahead. Her eyes were on Sam again, her face resolute. She didn’t like him, and she didn’t want him here. No-one else in the family shared her suspicions, however, but in time, they would see how right she truly was, and how they never should have given him their trust.
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