Lost in time

Chapter 1

“Girls! Don’t fight! Please, not now. Just take what is necessary.” Their mother shouts for the umpteenth time while all of them run to grab what they can and load it in their mother’s car. Their entire life is packed up and there will be no looking back after this.

Their father has disappeared and nobody knows where he is, and their mother is using this opportunity to pack and run. They stayed inland too long as it is, and can only hope to find somewhere to live once they reach the ocean cities.

They have lost contact with everybody and don’t know what to expect on the way or when they get there. Magenta pulls her father’s old truck into the garage and her sister helps her load his machine and research boxes. They talked about it and weren’t going to leave it behind to be covered under all this dust.

It is all they have left of him, and no matter what they have to do, they take it with them. One thing he did good is to make sure there is enough gas to fill both the car and the truck and then some. They will make it to their destination without having to worry about having to find gas on the way.

The plan is to drive right through and not stop. To get to the coast is a seven-hour drive according to their mother, or at least that was how she remembered it the last time she and their father went there on holiday. Magenta on the other hand spent her time listening to the news reports and is preparing for a long drive with more trouble than what her mother is expecting.

Her father saved up ammunition in the garage over the years, and she loads whatever he put away to protect them if they need it. Times are desperate, and he prepared her for the fact that her mother might not be prepared for what is to come.

He took the girls out to the shooting range when their mother was out and taught them how to use the guns because of her utter dislike of guns, and Magenta put them in the truck and car where she knows her mother won’t look for them, but her sisters will be able to grab them if needed.

“Do you really have to bring that thing?!” She watches them tie down a tarp covering the machine when she closes the boot of her car.

“Mother, I’ve told you this is not up for discussion. Are you ready? Can we go?” Magenta ties back her black hair, sounding irritated with her mother.

“Yes, and watch your tone, missy. I’m still your mother!”

They climb into the cars and Magenta starts the truck, not understanding why her mother hasn’t started her car yet.

“She’s waiting for the girls to put on their safety belts.” Mystery rolls her eyes.

Magenta is the oldest sister of four, Mystery is the second oldest, then there is Mayhem and Mischief who were born a year apart but may just as well have been twins.

“Are you kidding me?”

“Nope.”

The car starts and she drives away from the only home the girls have known their entire lives.

“Don’t look back. It’s not worth it.”

“What if he comes back and we aren’t here?”

“If he comes back, he will find us.”

***

Max studies the plans and calculation of Dr. Hart’s paper. The calculations are sound, but he was clever in leaving out a critical part in the calculation so that nobody could steal his formula. The machine build is going well, but finding some of the parts is harder than he anticipated.

Also, finding a power source strong enough to carry the kind of energy required… It’s almost impossible. Leaving him no alternative but to contact his old college buddy Bernard.

Bernard is known for his talent for getting what everyone thinks is impossible to get. His favourite hobby is treasure hunting, and with his vast knowledge about powerful artifacts, he is the perfect person to look for any and all possible magical items that could power the machine.

Max knows it’s one hell of a long shot, but he is willing to try anything to get this project off the floor.

***

The heat is almost unbearable and opening a window is impossible because of the sand that blows in. Lawns have long since disappeared under the hot dry sand and trees were things you only saw on television or in very old magazines.

They have drawn the last of the water they could from the water well they had at home and will have to ration it until they can find some when they reach their destination.

The wind on the road is stronger than they anticipated, making the drive slower. The scenes they drive through on their way are of town after town left empty and stripped to the bone as travelers make their way through hoping to find something to use to help them.

As Magenta expected, they also find the people who didn’t make it.

Cars that were left at the side of the road that ran out of gas and people died because they couldn’t go any further or were probably attacked for what they had.

“Keep your eyes open.” Magenta instructs her sister every now and then.

They only stop when her mother is tired and needs a little while to rest, but they don’t stop for long, needing to reach the city before dark.

“Just think of the lives the people had to leave behind.” Mystery comments over their two-way radio.

“Don’t waste the battery!” Magenta reprimands her, and she can hear the radio click on the other side, indicating that her sister has switched it off.

The closer they get to their destination, the less the heat and dust become, but the quicker the sunsets.

Magenta watches her mother’s car pull off the road, and she rolls her eyes.

“Now is not the damn time to stretch! Time is running out!” She jumps out of her truck and rushes over.

“We have to keep going!”

“We can’t!”

“Why not?”

“Mom’s car, Magenta! It’s dead.” Mayhem jumps in front of her mother, protecting her from her sister’s sharp tongue.

“What?”

“The engine. It’s overheated.” Tears pour down her mother’s cheeks.

“Uhm, okay, quickly, grab the food first and load it on the back of the truck. Mystery, you take mom to the truck and make sure she is okay. We will see what we can get loaded.”

Magenta looks around, and they are sitting ducks while they move everything over to the truck. Unfortunately, her mother insisted on loading their food in the car, and they needed it.

A shot rings past her ear, hitting the roof of the car sending sparks flying as she grabs the last of the boxes.

“s**t! Mayhem! Your gun!”

They haven’t tied down the tarp, and the sand is going to get everywhere in her father’s machine, probably making more damage than they will be able to repair, but they have no other choice but to run.

Mystery grabs the tarp, pulling it into the backseat of the truck as the shots start raining down on them. Her sisters grab their guns and shoot back to try and protect them as best they can, hitting a couple of their attackers and grinding a halt to the large part of the attack.

“Dammit!”

“WHERE DID YOU GET THESE WEAPONS!!” Their mother screams hysterically, as expected.

“Mom, are you hurt? Please, check if you are hurt.” Mystery asks her from the back seat.

Trying to give her big sister a chance to collect her thoughts while she has to drive them out of what just happened.

Their mother checks herself for blood, but they know that she is probably fine. She confirms that she is okay, then asks about the guns again.

“Mom, dad, and I took extra precautions before we left. The truck has bullet-proof armored plating in the sides, but that’s not all.” Magenta sighs and starts to tell her mother of the preparations they did while she went to work every day.

“So, he didn’t take you, girls, to school?”

“There was no school. The school closed the year before.” Mystery doesn’t dare to look her mother in the eye.

“What about the money I sent to pay school fees?”

“That is what we used to pay for all of this extra protection. Look, mom. Dad and I knew that the day we finally had to leave our house, it wasn’t going to be just a drive down to the coast. We knew we were going to have to defend ourselves at some point. He knew we had to be prepared for this new world. People are desperate, mother!”

Magenta looks at her mom sitting in the seat next to her, looking at the road ahead. For once she is not saying anything about wearing a seat belt. Her hands are shaking slightly, but the expression on her face is set in stone. She is furious.

They drive in silence as the sunsets. You can feel the wetter air of the coastal areas as they get closer to the city, and they pull through up to the outside gates just as the sunsets. The heavy gates slam shut behind them, making their mother jump with fright.

“We are here, mom. We are safe now.” Mischief tries to comfort her, but she still doesn’t say a word.

It takes a couple of hours to get processed by the housing department who keeps track of everyone that moves into the city. Resources are limited, and everyone has to do their part to make sure there is enough to go around. When you arrive, you are allocated living quarters, possibilities for job interviews. Unfortunately, children don’t go to school any longer, but there are possibilities for them to work as well to do their part for the community.

When they are done, a guide takes them into the city to show them where their apartment is. They have been given a double garage underground for their truck and possessions because there are many open spaces there, and they can’t change that into living areas for people. Also, people don’t really use vehicles in the city, and cars are scarce, so parking is plentiful.

Their mother unlocks the door to their two-bedroomed apartment, and they walk in, carrying what they can to just settle in for the night.

Mayhem and Mischief help their mom unpack the kitchen and cook a quick supper while Magenta and Mystery carry up some of the furniture they could fit onto the truck. They didn’t know if they would have furniture in the apartment but are lucky that what they need is mostly here.

They all have dinner in silence, each left to their own thoughts, and after dinner, the two older daughters clean up the kitchen while the two younger daughters help their mom set up what they can for all of them to sleep on.

Their lives will always be different. There is one double bed in what looks like it used to be the main bedroom only because of its size. Then there are two single beds in the second bedroom. The doors of the cupboards have long since been removed, the walls haven’t seen paint in many years, and the bathroom will need a good scrub before their mom thinks about taking a bath or shower.

Magenta stretches out her long legs on the couch, appreciating being able to stretch after the long drive. Her hoodie over her head as she is used to doing and her hands in her pockets, she closes her eyes.

“Well,” She hears her mother sigh. “I take it we won’t need all those guns anymore.”

“The guns aren’t up for discussion, mother.”

“Magenta! You yourself said we are safe!”

“Mother, please, it’s been a very long day, and I love you very much, but I’m not getting rid of the guns.”

“I won’t allow them in my house!”

“I will go to the housing department in the morning to find out if they have somewhere for me to move into. Now if you don’t mind, mother. I have a headache, and I’m tired after today’s events. Good night.”