Liam Hall

Tuesday, April 12th, 2022 (22 days after the Shutdown)

There was no breakfast that morning and most people seemed perfectly content blaming Liam for it.

Not that the two situations were related but after waking up half his street screaming bloody murder about a nonsensical shadow monster, many wholeheartedly agreed that it was justified.

Liam, for his part, was content to keep his head low and out of sight from everyone else. Sitting in the backyard of his temporary residence, he idly gazed at the downcast sky, slipping his mother’s ring on and off like a practiced motion.

Last night had given him a lot to think about.

Every time I’ve gone to sleep or fell unconscious, without fail it's been there to greet me and dump more emotional baggage. Instead, there was a ghost and a creature from Hell…

Imagining the glowing eyes and shadows of the monster, an uneasy smile worked its way onto his face.

Maybe that was the Creature in a different form. I mean, that would make sense, right since he always had shadows around him?

With no one to tell him otherwise, he assumed that was the case.

Happily enough, even with the early morning incident, the hunger in people helped them focus on the upcoming expedition.

It was a warning of what awaited them if they didn’t bring back enough food by tonight.

People between the ages of eighteen to sixty-five were drafted by the military, spending all of last night and this morning working with the former council members to create the search parties and the surrounding areas they would scavenge.

The neighborhood of Half-Moon Bay was the residential area at the south of the city of Oakville, but as a newer neighborhood, it lacked many of the municipal services and was largely undeveloped.

What that meant for the neighborhood, was that there were vast swaths of forest at their southern, western and eastern borders for them to tap into.

Forests teeming with wildlife like deer and rabbits to hunt and small streams for them to collect water from. There were only two roads to access the neighborhood, the eastern Mankin Road, and the northern Esther Street which had been closed off by the military. In between Half-Moon Bay and the city of Oakville, there were a few depots and convenience stores.

The unexpected problem that the military faced was that the demographic of Half-Moon Bay was on the higher end of the spectrum, meaning that most of the residents were happily retired when the Blackout struck.

So despite the fact he was scarred and recovering from burns, the army had asked Liam to participate since he was twenty-two years of age and had two functioning eyes.

For a moment, he considered mentioning the nightmares and the trauma of losing his parents, but the army might write him off as a threat to Half-Moon Bay’s collective well-being. Plus, the thought of somehow profiting after his parents’ death made him uncomfortable.

A high trilling from across the neighborhood informed him it was time to go.

Taking his time to ease himself off the porch, he looked at his mother’s ring one last time before tenderly placing it back in his pocket.

A stream of residents had formed, transporting him to the area where the scavenging parties would be announced.

Moving to the side so he didn’t have to strain his injuries this early to keep pace with the others, the general atmosphere was jovial; a significant turnabout from last night’s mood.

Even in his own adopted household, people were whispering up until he fell asleep about how promising the situation had become. The power to take matters into their own hands had taken the stress away for some residents.

The groups were divided by the street they lived on and the soldiers they were assigned to were lining the main road.

Searching for his, an administrator pointed him toward the far end of the road.

Limping in that direction, a few of the soldiers gave him a sidelong glance as he passed in front of them.

The less they think of me, the less responsibility, he reasoned.

Each soldier had been given a piece of paper with a number from one to forty. Seeing the ‘37’ he’d been assigned he started to move in that direction.

A few of the other people he would be working with were in intense discussions with the female soldier, who stood impassively in front of them.

Seeing another civilian stop in front of her, she broke off from her conversation to study the latest member.

“My name is Private Lea Morales and I am the leader of Squad 37. Please wait patiently while the other group members arrive,” the older woman said with a tight-lipped smile.

Giving her a curt nod, he went to sit on the street curb.

Her brunette hair tied back into a topknot and the streaks of gray running from her roots gave her a more distinguished look. Around her waist, the tactical holster she wore was equipped with a handgun and a flashlight.

The other members of Squad 37 were a bit different.

The one who had picked up her discussion right after Liam had been excused, was stockier than Lea and full of vigor. She held a backpack in her hands and seemed to have forgotten about it during her animated monologue, causing Lea to lean back to avoid getting hit by the straps.

Two other men were waiting at the sides with their arms crossed, apprehensively bouncing on their feet and stretching their bodies.

Other squads were leaving by the time the two remaining members finally arrived, vehemently apologizing for their tardiness.

Dismissing their apology, Private Morales asked everyone to sit down while she explained their objective.

“Squad 35 through 40 have been assigned to explore the city for resources. Another military regiment should be there and they may be scavenging as well. As it is their jurisdiction, please follow my lead and do not antagonize them. How many amongst you have backpacks or the duffel bags we asked for?” she asked.

Everyone but Liam raised theirs.

“Do you not have one?”

Did you see me raising mine?

“No, unfortunately, it was lost in a fire,” Liam replied, unable to keep the bitterness out of his voice.

“Okay, well hopefully we find one during our scavenging,” she said before facing the rest of the group. “If anyone has functioning watches, note that the time is currently 11:45 a.m. If your watches don’t read that, please adjust it. Let’s go.”

Walking through the main entrance on the eastern side of the neighborhood, they were sent off by the cheers from the residents who were staying behind. Heavy desperation laced their voices.

“Remember their faces when we’re out there today. Let’s not disappoint them,” Private Morales said, passing through the gate.

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They all solemnly nodded. Abstaining for a second, Liam nodded along with them remembering his debt to Kyle and his family.

Along the road outside the neighborhood, other squads were already busy pilfering from the stalled cars, cheering each time they found a new supply.

Shattering a window with a crowbar, someone yelled out in excitement as they pulled out a pack of chips, waving it in the air.

His squad nervously laughed as he did a celebratory dance.

As the person was about to open it, the soldier in charge of his group barked out a stiff warning and the man reluctantly tossed the bag into the garbage bag they were carrying.

“Any and all supplies you find during this supply run are to be stored in your bags and brought to the community where they will be rationed. We’re doing this for others so please don’t eat anything we find.”

Liam imagined the same collecting arrangement was happening along Esther Road at the north of the neighborhood.

If they continued at this rate, the neighborhood might be able to eat for another day.

Not a great prospect.

With a total of two hundred and forty people actively scavenging for food and water, he hoped their chances weren’t as dour as he expected.

Another thirty minutes had gone by when they finally arrived at the border of the city.

“What the heck…” one of the twins muttered.

Liam had expected the only thing in the streets to be the inoperable cars blocking the way, with maybe a tumbleweed rolling in the empty streets just for effect.

To their surprise, a few people were walking around with their families, some even riding their bikes down the road.

What the hell is this?

Sharing his confusion, Private Morales approached a passing couple. After talking with them for a few minutes, she thanked them and came back to the squad.

“Another military regiment, the 15th, is stationed in a nearby building so we’re going to connect with them and barter.”

The building wasn’t difficult to find, being the tallest one in the surrounding area.

Large barricades of concrete blocks had been set up around the entrance and soldiers patrolled the perimeter. Nodding to the soldiers standing guard, she asked the rest of them to stay outside while she spoke with the commanding officer.

Oblivious to the tension in Lea’s tone and the unspoken plea for the squad’s discretion, the loud woman tried to strike up a conversation with the 15th Regiment soldiers.

Without any means of long-distance communication such as radio or satellite phones, both units didn’t know of the other’s existence, so it was unknown what type of welcome they would receive.

Let them figure it out.

Liam walked over to a nearby bench. This was the most he pushed his body and he was being punished for it.

Ignoring the peculiarity of the walking residents, the fallout from the Blackout became increasingly apparent the deeper they ventured into the city.

A few of the surrounding buildings had been gutted by fire, their blackened debris darkest near the electrical sockets and pieces of computerized technology.

It followed a similar theme to what he’d witnessed in his own neighborhood.

Electrical short-circuiting had started many of the fires.

Tired of standing around, two of the men in his squad squatted down and started playing cards in the middle of the street. The scene looked so ridiculous to him that Liam burst out laughing until his sides ached.

“Yo buddy, are you alright?” one of them asked, dealing the cards.

“As great as a burnt man can possibly be,” he replied with a snort. “What are ya guys playing?”

Glancing at the cards the man had dealt himself, he grimaced. “A game called ‘President’. Heard of it?”

“Heard of it? Can’t say that I have. Is it any good?”

“Play and see for yourself. I’ll teach you the basic rules.”

The older man whose name was Garrett, took back all of the cards and redistributed them. He explained the rules as he dealt the cards.

“So in other words, play all the cards until you have none left,” Liam summarized, staring at his own hand.

Garrett chuckled, “That’s an extreme oversimplification but I mean yeah, that’s the essence of it.”

“You want to get rid of all your worst cards first, so if you have the Three of Clubs, as the consolation for having the worst card, you start first,” the other man with the flannel overshirt explained.

Bored of the wait, the other three members of their group moved closer and started to spectate.

“Squad 37, get ready to move,” Private Morales ordered. Waving to the group that had come out with her, she pointed to a large man with a monstrous rifle strapped to his back. “This is Captain Eric Nguyen. He and his team will be joining us to head deeper into the city.”

Cursing at his misfortune, Liam grudgingly handed a winning hand back to Garrett, who smirked when he saw his cards.

Accepting a hand from the siblings, he peeked at the four stone-faced soldiers filing in behind the large captain, every last one armed to the teeth in tactical gear.

That’s not disconcerting at all…

“As there are residents living here in a similar situation, the commander of the 15th Regiment has given us clear instructions to not scavenge in this part of Oakville. However, he asked me to pass on a warning that there are parts of the city that aren’t under military control. So brace yourself for the unexpected. Since you all are civilians we wouldn’t customarily ask you to join us, but extra pairs of eyes and ears would stand to benefit everyone. So it’s up to you if you want to join us or not. If you don't, we'll ask you to wait here. ”

The members of his squad considered one another, weighing the decision to trust one another with their lives.

The sister and brother duo were the first to step up and looked expectantly at the others until all their eyes were on Liam.

What the hell? We’ve known each for the entirety of three rounds of a stupid card game, but fuck it. Let’s risk all our lives and head into the city since it’s clearly better than scavenging outside the city where no one would bother us, he thought sarcastically.

Peering back down the road they’ve come from, he considered making a break for it.

But if he were to decline, the community would learn of his cowardice and ostracize him. In this new world, his reputation was all he had left.

“... I’m going to sooo regret this,” he grumbled, giving in to the pressure.

Explaining the details of his plan, the captain turned to Private Morales. “My team and I will take the front. Private Morales, you and your team will take the back and look for the stores that have been marked on your map.”

“Yes, sir.”

“We have a simple task ladies and gentlemen. Stick together and don’t make a commotion that would draw attention to us,” he warned them, addressing them in turn.

His eyes lingered on the talkative woman for a second longer than everyone else.

“We should be back before 6:00 p.m.”

***

The city could be categorized into three rings.

The outer ring was the residential sector of the city and contained many of the recreational parks that Liam grew up visiting.

The second ring housed the majority of the entertainment and government buildings, including the police and fire stations.

And lastly, the central ring was what formed the skyline. It was the financial and corporate hub of the city and typically housed the city’s wealthiest.

Walking along Laurier Avenue they were able to cut through the city without any obstruction. The few times they heard indistinct voices in the distance Corporal Nguyen ordered them to stop and wait, but nothing bothered them.

Liam noticed that after crossing Bank Street where the 15th Regiment’s influence ended, there was a spike in vandalism.

Public artworks made to demonstrate the unity of the city’s vast cultural background had been torn down.

In one area that they passed through, all that remained of the stalled cars were their twisted and melted metal frames, the smell of gasoline hanging heavily in the air.

Even police stations weren't spared, the oak doors of one of them were ripped off their hinges. Stella, the annoying woman, pointed that out to the captain and the lines around his face grew deeper.

“There weren’t enough of the 15th Regiment, so we had the police and other first responders retreat to our section we’d stabilized so that we had a secure foothold in the city.”

“... you abandoned an entire city to save one borough?” the sister of the two siblings asked, her eyes wide in shock.

The captain’s silence was enough of an answer.

So, the people here felt abandoned and they reacted by burning a police station. Damn, no wonder… Wait, if the whole city resents them, then sticking with them makes us a walking target.

Approaching a pick-up truck, Liam ran his fingers along the bullet holes that dotted its body.

Distracted by the destruction it had taken him a while for it to register, but the only noises he heard were their own footsteps echoing off the surrounding buildings, alerting the entire city to their existence.

Instead of the families who were casually walking in the military-regulated area, here every road they turned to was deserted, devoid of human presence.

Oakville, a city of one million, had become a ghost town.