Planet X (3 page)

“Bigger?”

“I think it’s
finally happened.”

“What?” Sam
was growing concerned.

“I think
earth’s poles have started shifting.”

Stephen was
afraid that he might be right and if the poles started shifting it
meant that the ice caps would start melting which would cause
massive flooding in most coastal areas. They had to get further
inland, but how could they risk the soaring temperatures during the
day? How could they get out of the city?

As hope
started waning, Stephen spotted a small cabin cruiser drifting
towards them about a block away.

CHAPTER
FIVE

Stephen once
promised his daughter, Jesse, when she was just five that he’d take
her on a boat trip as she was always fascinated with boats, ships
and vessels and said that one day when she grew up she wanted to
join the Navy.

With most of
the Navy wiped out by the tsunami of January 2017 and the world
falling apart at the seams, it seemed like Jesse’s dreams would
never materialise…
that
and the fact that she and her mother
was stuck in an underground bunker waiting for their unknown
fate.

Stephen
steered the cabin cruiser down the ever deepening water of the
downtown streets; looking for any other survivors – coming across
Jessica who stood on a vendor’s rooftop as it slowly submerged into
the rising waters.

A few blocks
further down, they spotted a group of five people stranded on the
roof of a double-decker bus fearing the rising waters and calling
out to be saved, but Stephen was concerned about their own safety.
The cabin cruiser was small and already cramped with three people
on board and though they could still take on two more people, it
was too much of a risk. The panicking people could capsize the
cabin cruiser and then they’d all be stuck.

He steered the
cabin cruiser left into an intersection and away from the stranded
people whose calls for help increased in desperation.

“Stephen?” Sam
was dumbfounded.

“We can’t risk
it.”

“He’s right.”
Jessica said, “They’ll drag us down.”

Sam nodded in
silence and stared back at the group of people as they disappeared
around the bend and out of sight. He’d never leave people behind as
he too was once stranded and somebody came to his rescue – the same
somebody who now turned his back on those in need, but there was no
point in arguing as he knew that once Stephen had his mind made up
there was no changing it.

“So where are
we heading, skipper?” Sam finally asked.

Stephen’s
uncertainty shined through in his silence, but he kept his head
high and protruded the confidence they needed to trust him.

“Somewhere
safe.”

“And where’s
that?” Jessica asked.

“We’ll keep
going until the water subsides and we’ll see from there.”

Jessica wasn’t
fooled by his calm exterior and knew he didn’t have a clue what he
was doing, but she was there on his grace and didn’t want to wear
out her welcome by arguing with the clearly confused skipper. No
matter where they went they couldn’t outrun the global effects of
Planet X as it was everywhere. Months ago it was on the news as a
phobia in outer space and then without warning it was at everyone’s
doorstep. How do you outrun a planet? She knew all too well that
running was only delaying the inevitable.

CHAPTER
SIX

Nine months
ago

Jessica and
her mother, Agatha, sat huddled together on the sofa and watched
with eager eyes as the anchor-man on the news updated the nation
about the evacuation procedure that would take place in the next
couple of days.

With the
howling wind of the storm outside and the rain furiously banging
against the boarded-up window, Jessica had the volume turned up to
hear what was being said. The only thing more dire than the storm
outside was the way her mother tightly clasped her hand – so
tightly that her knuckles turned white.

“The president
has declared a state of emergency in light of the increasingly
violent natural disasters that are currently ravaging the world as
Planet X approaches earth. The intensity of its gravitational pull
will continue to disrupt earth’s rotation that will cause longer
days as well as affect earth’s inner core from spinning slower
which will cause the electromagnetic field to weaken and allow the
sun’s harmful rays to slowly cook the earth.

“It is
estimated that over a third of earth’s population will perish in
the coming months as the rogue planet approaches and once earth is
stuck in its gravity, another third of humanity may perish due to
the elements. It is because of this that governments around the
globe, including our own, started to construct underground
dwellings to house its people. These underground havens, however,
come at a price and only those who can afford it will be allowed to
enter.”

Agatha
switched off the TV and the two of them sat in silence for a
moment; listening to the pounding storm outside – each one too
afraid to say what they were both thinking. They knew that with no
money, it was the end of the line for them both.

“It has to be
the end of days.” Agatha finally said with a heavy sigh.

“Mom… we’ll be
alright.”

A tear ran
down Agatha’s cheek, “How? We have no money. I can’t even save you
from this.”

“We don’t need
their underground bunker. We’ll make it on our own.”

Jessica
wrapped her arm around her mother’s shoulders and pulled her in
closer for a hug; swaying her back and forth like her mother used
to do when she was little.

“I read
somewhere that if this thing’s orbit around the sun is really a
couple of thousand years, the last time it entered our solar system
was in the time of Noah which may explain the great flood.”

“Let’s talk
about something else?” Jessica insisted with a warm smile.

“There’s
nothing much else to discuss. It’s been raining furiously like this
for three days. What if our sandbag barrier doesn’t hold?”

She kissed her
mother on her forehead and embraced her tightly just as thunder
roared and lightning lit up outside; sending rays of light in
through the cracks in the window boards.

“They’ll
hold.” Jessica said, “They’ll hold…”

Swaying back
and forth with her frail mother in her embrace, Jessica glanced at
the boarded-up windows; unable to see what kind of horror was
lurking just outside. She could hear the ferocity of the storm and
hoped to God the tightly stacked sandbags would withstand the
rising waters. She packed them just as the Youtube video explained
and her hunky gym-instructor neighbour helped her, but she was just
as worried as her mother.

The sandbag
barrier, however, didn’t hold…

CHAPTER
SEVEN

The skipper
stood at the helm in nothing but his boxer-shorts with his wet
shirt tied around his shoulders in hopes of cooling himself off a
bit, but it was basically futile. Sam came up the narrow cabin
stairway with two glasses of ice water and joined Stephen in the
small bridge of the cabin cruiser. He stared at the city street
that was now a canal and handed Stephen one of the glasses as he
took a sip of refreshingly cool water.

“Thank you.”
Stephen said, “Where’s Jessica?”

“She’s asleep
downstairs in the berth.”

Stephen nodded
and steered the cabin cruiser through the few obstacles still
peeking out of the rising water.

“We were over
a hundred miles from the actual shoreline.” Stephen said, “Who
would’ve thought the sea levels would rise again?”

“You know; we
could’ve tried to help those people.”

“Don’t
start…”

“There’s
enough space on this boat.” Sam insisted, “There are six bunk-beds
downstairs. It might’ve been cramped, but—”

“But nothing.
Do you actually think they would’ve picked us up if the tables were
turned?”

“Yes I
do.”

“You’re sadly
mistaken.” Stephen said, “I know from experience people don’t just
help strangers.”

“You helped
me…”

“That’s
different.”

“How?” Sam
insisted.

“It just is.
Can we just drop this? What’s done is done.”

Sam nodded in
silence, but wondered how someone so caring could turn so cold so
quickly. If mankind was to survive, they needed to stick together –
not leave one another to die at the mercy of Mother Nature.

“What the—”
Stephen said; staring off into the distance.

Sam looked up
and spotted an obstruction further on up the watery road what
looked like a beaver dam wall constructed from wood, rubble and
traffic signs. It wasn’t clear whether it was the product of
flooding or whether it was manmade so they approached with
caution.

“What do you
think it is?” Sam asked as the boat slowed down.

Stephen
glanced back over his shoulder at the lengthy city block behind
them; it would cost valuable time turning around and going back –
time he wasn’t sure whether they had to spare. They had to continue
– through or over the blockade.

“I don’t know,
but I don’t like it.” Stephen uttered.

The boat came
to a complete halt a few feet away from the barricade and the two
of them stared at it from behind the bridge window; scrutinizing it
to figure out what it was and what to do next. The world around
them was quiet – too quiet. Even in an apocalyptic world you’d hear
something other than the tranquil waters splashing against the boat
with subsiding ripples.

Stephen
switched off the engine and stepped out from behind the bridge to
get a better look. The rubble were stacked tightly together almost
as if forced into place – begging the question; ‘
who
built
it and why?’

Jessica came
up the cabin stairway; asking, “Why did we stop?”

Sam gestured
for her to stay back and she stopped halfway up the stairs; staring
at him – waiting for answers, but the two men stared out in silence
at the object that stood between then and safety.

“Stay hidden.”
Sam cautioned.

“Why? What’s
going on?” Jessica whispered.

“We’re not
sure, but it looks like trouble.”

A loud splash
next to the boat made Sam turn around with a jerk to find Stephen
afloat in the water; wiping droplets from his face.

“What are you
doing?” Sam gasped.

“I’m gonna
take a better look.”

“I don’t think
it’s a good idea.”

“Me neither.”
Stephen agreed, “But at least the water’s refreshing.”

Stephen smiled
at Sam who folded his arms across his chest in protest and then
swam towards the obstruction. He grabbed a hold of it and tried to
yank it, but it was sturdy and unable to budge – making Stephen
realize that it was put there on purpose.

Stephen turned
around to face the boat, “I think it was put here for a
reason.”

Without
warning, a noose slipped around Stephen’s neck, tightened and
lifted him out of the water; dragging him halfway up the impediment
as he struggled not to be strangled.

“Stephen!” Sam
cried out horrified.

“We’ll be
taking your boat.” They heard a thunderous voice say.

Sam noticed a
bare-chested, muscular man covered in tattoos standing on top of
the obstruction with a gun in one hand and a devilish sneer on his
face as one of his comrades reeled Stephen in. Stephen’s fingers
were digging into his neck in an attempt to free himself and his
face was turning purple from suffocation.

“Don’t make me
tell you twice.” The man insisted he cocked the gun at Sam.

Sam slowly
raised his hands in surrender as Jessica warily made her way up the
stairway towards the hull. There was no telling what the men would
do, but she could tell they were in serious danger.

CHAPTER
EIGHT

Sam and
Jessica huddled together in the corner of the dark and damp room as
a muscular comrade dragged Stephen in and tossed him in their
direction. Stephen landed on his side and gasped for air as he
removed the noose from around his neck. Sam crawled closer to his
aid.

“Are you
alright?”

“I’m fine.”
Stephen coughed.

The comrade
didn’t look back as he walked out, picked up a wooden plank and
shut the iron door. From the sound of it, they used the lumber to
barricade the door from the outside and then there was utter
silence. Sam aided Stephen to sit upright against the clammy cement
wall.

“I knew this
was a bad idea.” Sam said.

“I told you;
people don’t help strangers.” Stephen insisted, “Not nowadays
anyway.”

“What do they
want from us?” Jessica wept, “They’ve got the boat. Why won’t they
just let us go?”

“They’re
pirates.” Stephen realised, “And they don’t want us to tell people
about the operation they’ve got going here.”

“So why not
just kill us?” Sam asked.

“I’m not sure.
Where are we?”

“It’s an old
bomb shelter in the basement of a building.” Sam said, “Barricaded
with sandbags.”

Stephen slowly
staggered to his feet and walked over to the door. He inspected it
and then with all his might he slammed his shoulder into it; hoping
to budge it.

“You’ll just
dislocate your shoulder.” Jessica said, “It’s not budging. We’re
stuck down here.”

CHAPTER
NINE

It’s easy to
lose track of time in the dark and with no watches, they quickly
lost track of time. Judging from his growling stomach, Stephen
calculated that about twelve hours or more went by since they were
locked up in the bomb shelter. Their captors never came back to
check whether or not they were still alive and the growing fear was
that they might never return.

“It’s hard to
believe that this is it.” Sam said; shaking his head in defeat,
“Who would’ve thought it? I survived two tsunamis, the loss of the
love of my life, one earthquake, a treacherous relocation inland
and a never-ending heat wave only to die in a dark basement.”