Tremor: If your world was falling apart, how far would you go to save it? (The Tremor Cycle) (2 page)

Chapter 1

The Collapse:
5 Years and 7 Months Later William

A tremor rumbled through the ground, rattling the house and jostling the pictures that hung precariously on the walls. The huge pile of books on his desk was doused in yet another layer of debris. William held up his hand to stop the books from tumbling, but kept his eyes locked on the journal his head had been buried in for the past five hours.

The candle close to him flickered. He yawned, his arms reaching up and outwards. His right hand disturbed the stack of books and it came crashing down to the floor, causing the thick coating of dust to swirl up into the air. William spluttered as he cleared the muck from the open page of the journal.

‘Damn,’ he whispered, carefully blowing the last few specks away, throat feeling dry. He stood up from his desk, stretched and walked across his room, briefly glimpsing the rubble-filled street as he walked by his window.

Stopping in front of a cracked mirror, he stared at his reflection. Pushing his choppy, light brown hair out of his eyes, he looked carefully into them, his pale complexion enhancing their colour. Even through the cloudy glass they shone a bright, light blue. He pulled his fringe back across his forehead, took a sip from a glass of water on his bedside table and turned away.

Thoughts of his father caused him to return to the desk and he flicked to the next page of the journal – his father’s journal. It was one of the two items he’d been clutching when his body was found in the ruins of the geology station where he worked. The other was a picture of William and his mother. His father’s wedding ring glistened in the faded picture, but that had been lost, a fact that had devastated his mother. He sniffed and moved his focus back to the journal.

William knew his attachment to the journal was bordering on obsessive, but he couldn’t help it, mostly because it was powerfully linked to the cause of everything that made his life hell. He read on to the next chapter, slowly taking in its title.

‘Tremors,’ he muttered, forcing it out, its meaning stinging his tongue. Tremors… William hated them, because they were the very things his father had been trying to stop when he died. He snatched up a pencil and drew a skull next to the word. They’d been created by a war; a war caused by greedy people who wanted oil. And Dad was dead because of them. William shook his head when he thought how unfair it all was, adding crossbones to the skull. He whipped to the next page, almost tearing it from the spine.

The word WAR, with a big exclamation mark next to it, stared up at him. He clenched his jaw. The war had been triggered by some big heads that’d thought they were so clever. But where were they now? William shook his head again. ‘Dead,’ he said, the word slowly uncoiling from his lips. Dead, like so many others who’d fought for power and oil during the Fossil War. He balled his hand into a fist, feeling the blood flowing from his fingers.

‘And what have they left us with?’ he whispered. ‘Tremors.’ All because of the stupid weapons they used to try to save themselves. He rubbed his temples in an effort to calm himself. ‘Blasted us to bits without a second thought!’ He felt the heat rise into his cheeks and he pounded his hands on the pages of the journal.

‘Just bloody tell me how to stop them, Dad!’ he shouted, frustrated, angry tears burning the back of his eyes. He stood and smashed one fist into a framed picture above the desk, his knuckles immediately throbbing and turning red.

‘William!’ shouted a voice from below. ‘Are you awake?’

William looked down at the journal. The pages he’d been reading were covered in glass. He slammed the book shut and dived into his bed, gripping his hand. The sound of pounding feet on creaking stairs echoed from the hall.

The door swung open, crashing into more books and sending them shooting across the floor. William buried his head in his pillow and tucked himself into his sheets.

‘Oh, Will love, this has to stop. You don’t get enough sleep,’ said his mother, Judy, blowing out the candle as she entered the room. ‘And we can’t waste these, you know.’

He felt his mattress sink a little at the bottom. ‘I was asleep Mum, serious,’ he groaned.

‘You’ve been reading his journal again, haven’t you?’ said Judy. ‘Please, love, listen to me, you’ve got to stop this. Dad’s gone. And there’s nothing we can do now. There’s nothing you can do.’

William peeped out from the sheets. His mother’s green eyes shone in the dim morning light and her long brown hair framed her face, pale skin matching his own.

‘I can, I know it. If I can finish what he started we’ll find a way to stop the tremors.’

‘Will, you’ve only just turned fifteen! Your dad had been researching earthquakes since his teens, and even with all that knowledge he couldn’t find a way to stop the tremors.’

William climbed out of bed, careful to hide his knuckles. ‘I need to go to school.’ He walked to his wardrobe and pulled on a moth-bitten school jumper, licking his fingers to help him rub a stain from the maroon fabric. ‘I want to get there before the market opens.’

He picked up the journal and a rucksack and walked out of the room.

‘You haven’t had a proper sleep,’ his mother said, following him. ‘Take a day off and spend it with me. We could relax; listen to the music on my iPod. I got a recharge and a few days supply of electricity as wages, so we’ll have heat and light tonight. I might even be able to cook something warm.’

William stopped just short of the door. ‘Is that it? Didn’t they give you any food?’

‘No, but we’ll be OK, love. We’ve got enough to last us; more than some, anyway. I’ve got tinned broth in the cupboard. I can almost taste it.’ She joined him in the bathroom, her reflection trying hard to smile at him in the mirror. ‘They said there’s food coming in next week’s wages, so we’ll be fine. It’s been a bit mad at the hospital, you see. They haven’t had time to give me anything.’

‘Mad?’ He shoved the journal into his rucksack, scooped up his worn-down toothbrush and the almost-empty tube of toothpaste. It was running out, like so many things were these days. He sighed and squeezed out a slither. He hoped they’d be able to get more, as he really didn’t fancy being toothless at twenty.

‘Yeah, completely.’ She leaned on the doorframe.

He sighed, put the toothbrush into his mouth and let the chalky mint texture sting his gums. ‘Excuses all the time.’ He spat into the sink.

‘Will, love, we had fifty or so starving people from out of town at the hospital last night. I’m glad your dad decided to move us here. I wouldn’t want to be living in that cottage with things getting so desperate in the countryside.’

Judy walked the couple of steps from the door and as she rubbed his shoulder, her work badge caught his eye. The blue NHS logo was nearly rubbed out, and the worn surface made her name and title, Judy Bateman, Staff Nurse, Kentvale Hospital, almost unreadable. ‘At least let me make you breakfast before you go?’

‘It’s getting pretty bad here too, don’t you think? I mean, you haven’t been given food in over a week. Besides, I liked that cottage. I wasn’t cooped up like I am here. We were actually free in the countryside and not held back by brick walls.’ He swung his bag onto his back and headed down the dilapidated staircase.

His mother followed without comment.

William turned to her. ‘I’ll pass on the breakfast, save it for later. I’m not hungry at the moment, anyway.’

The tired eyes opened and shut. ‘It’ll get better love, I know. I trust Terrafall. It won’t let us starve.’ Judy grabbed his hand. ‘Terrafall has been good to us since the end of the war. It’s given us as much back as it can.’

‘It should’ve done more for Dad. It should’ve known he was at risk in that place!’ William pulled his hand back. Terrafall was the know-it-all disaster relief company that took charge when nearly everything was gone. His dad had worked for them; had been loyal to them. And what did he get in return? A grave. William scowled. And thanks to the tremors, the same was waiting for him and Mum too.

‘I’ve told you before, Terrafall wasn’t to know, love. It wants these tremors to stop as much as you do,’ Judy said softly.

‘Terrafall is useless! It might be giving us what we need now, but when things really do start to turn nasty I bet the people at the top will be keeping it all for themselves.’ William made for the door and pulled it open, not looking back at his mother. ‘You think the top man’s family goes without hot dinners?’

‘Right, fine, I’m not going to argue with you, because I know I won’t win.’ Judy followed him and grabbed his hand again. ‘Just make sure you’re home before dark, it’s not safe since…’

‘I know, Mum, I know,’ William replied, turning and looking at her. He regretted his attitude when he saw her green eyes were so full of concern. ‘I’ll try not to get pinched.’

‘I’m serious, Will. It’s so dangerous at night now.’ She pulled him in for a hug. Mum never stopped trying to hold and to hug him nowadays. He got it – he was all she had – but at times, it felt as though he was being smothered. ‘I love you so much.’

Hugging her back, he headed out the door, walking into the cobbled street and almost tripping on a crack in the pavement. The run-down terraced houses on either side of him funnelled the sun like a spotlight. He stepped into the warmth and began to walk down the thin road, waiting at the gate that protected his street from the dangers of the night until the guard opened it for him.

‘Want a copy of the Daily Scoop, lad?’ asked the guard, Victor, his blue uniform tatty and in need of a good wash. ‘Terrafall has a big announcement.’

William nodded. The man passed him a stained piece of paper. He looked down at the first bulletin and muttered the words as he read, ‘Peace Force cracks down on the night abductions. Scavengers to blame. Terrafall promises to keep the streets safe.’ He rolled his eyes. ‘Whatever…’

‘Fresh off the press, that one. Terrafall says it thinks it knows where the Scavengers are coming from. Apparently there’s a load cooped up in a valley somewhere to the north, called Deep Rest Hollow or something, and a few of the breakaway clans further in the highlands are sheltering some of them as well. Said it’s going to launch an attack in the coming weeks.’

William screwed up the piece of paper, not bothering to read on to the big announcement.

‘Hey! Paper’s not cheap, you know!’

William shrugged and carried on walking through the gate and into the main trading area of Kentvale, once the busiest market town in the north of the country and now one of the few settlements remaining in England, and quite probably one of only a few remaining on Earth. As far as William knew, all settlements were under Terrafall’s control, apart from a few communities in the country that had tried to break away from its iron fist.

The area opened into a large plaza with an impressive war memorial built by Terrafall in the centre. A statue of a soldier stood proudly on its platform, cast out of metal so it stood a chance against the tremors. Bits had been repaired, but it still stood defiant, reminding people of the sacrifices that had been made during the Fossil War.

William walked past some boarded-up shopfronts, their original signs faded almost to the point of invisibility. His attention always fell on the war-themed posters that were plastered across some of the boards. One read:

Your Army Needs You!

Recruiting now in all town centres.

Join the fight, save your country,
prevent its end.

William shook his head. The end had kind of happened, he supposed, but not completely: he’d survived, and so had others. Although what was the point in surviving if only to live like this? As he pondered his situation he realised it hardly felt like living at all. Not proper living. So much had been taken from him – his father for one, and most of his family. All he had left were memories.

He shrugged off his thoughts as several people appeared in the square and began busily setting up stalls and filling them with countless piles of junk. The ground shook slightly, but that didn’t stop anyone. People buzzed around like newly hatched midges skittering over a pond, eager to make a living. A few looked over as he passed. Crap, he could do without anyone asking how he was yet again. Walking quickly, he kept his head down to avoid conversation.

He cringed at the prospect of small talk; hated the softly spoken condolences. He continued on, weaving in and out of the raggedy bunch of men and woman dressed in frayed and patched-up clothing. Nobody wore bright colours any more; thanks to a lack of cleaning products everything was muted grey or brown. The absence of colour mirrored society: there was no joy. These people were just trying to survive; trying to live a little longer; trying to be as normal as they could be.

A charade, William decided, that’s what it was.

And the tremors, well, they made everything harder. He held onto a lamppost as, on cue, a more powerful one struck. No huge chunks fell from any of the nearby buildings, so it couldn’t have been too strong, but William knew a devastating force would be upon them soon enough. It’d been a long time since the last – the one that had taken his father from him – and there was always an imminent fear that another life-changing moment was just minutes away.

The tremors were random and no one except the people in charge could anticipate when they’d strike. But the goons at Terrafall kept the technology and the knowledge to themselves, instead of sharing and teaching others how to stand a chance. That’s what he hated most about those guys. His father had told him all about their selfishness – the journal mentioned something called a tremor-reader, a device that could anticipate earthquakes, something it kept from the majority of the population.

Terrafall didn’t care about any of them. Only the day before it had brutally beaten a family forced onto the streets because a tremor had destroyed their home. They’d been accused of being Scavengers, but how the hell could they have done anything about it, when the tremors were so unpredictable? And Terrafall could have so easily prevented that from happening if it had warned the family and moved them to safety.