Chapter Eleven – Blindsight “Extinction is the rule. Survival is the exception.”

Carl Sagan

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Part I – Cognitive Flexibility “There is a magnet in your heart that will attract true friends. That magnet is unselfishness, thinking of others first; when you learn to live for others, they will live for you.”

Paramahansa Yogananda

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“Now that's what I call an amazingly quick recovery. You're walking!”

Steve and Grif both turned to look, seeing Henry standing behind them.

“You’re following us!” Grif gave a half smile, he was actually pleased to see Henry.

“I think I wanted to see what the world looks like. It seems we had the same idea.”

“We thought we should get out,” Steve told him.

“Yes, well I can understand that.”

“What happens now?”

“Grif, my boy, I have always liked you. Straight to the point.” He smiled, but hadn't answered the question.

They were stuck halfway up a mountain in a complex that was dead with nobody around except Henry. Like always they could probably make the most of things, Grif was considering the possibilities.

“You better both come with me.”

“Where too?” Steve looked at Grif who smiled back at the boy, that sort of knowing smile.

“Neón de Luces.”

□□□□□

“You have reached your destination!” The woman's voice told them they had arrived, but it was odd, because they did not appear to have landed. The motors were whirring away, it felt like they were hovering.

“What’s happening? Why haven’t we landed?”

“I don’t know.” Joel was irritated by Mark always asking questions, he reminded him of Charlie saying stuff like , ‘how much longer,’ ‘when we gonna get there,’ and then inevitably, ‘I’m bored,’ or ‘I need to pee.” But Charlie was ten years old, Mark was fourteen, Joel thought he should be a bit more grown up!

Jack ignored both of them. “Status!” he commanded.

“You have reached your destination,” the voice repeated.

“Land!” Jack told the machine.

“Landing is not possible at this location.”

Jack scratched his head. Mark was about to say something, but Joel scowled at him making him rethink and close his mouth.

“Land at closest point!” Joel took the lead now.

The vehicle took off, swinging right and then coming to a halt. This time they felt the sensation of descending. The motors cut and the door opened.

Joel stepped out, followed by the other two boys, Jack grabbed the medi-kit bag.

“So that's why.” Mark turned to Joel as if to say I knew it. They starred out across a vast lake with fallen trees scattered in the water, some floating, others half standing at weird angels.

“There!” Jack pointed out across the water.

About three or four hundred metres away was the wreck of a vehicle trapped by the branches of a large old pine tree.

“How do we get there?”

“If you ask one more fucking stupid question.”

“Chill out dude.” Jack looked him square in the eyes.

He really had had enough of Joel and despite a certain fear of his reaction, he basically told him to shut up. It worked. Joel turned his attention to figuring out how to get to the trapped vehicle, apart from the obvious idea of swimming.

Jack looked around and picked up a fairly long branch that was lying nearby. “Maybe it’s not too deep?”

Joel started to strip down to his pants. “Good idea. Give me the branch and I'll see.”

Jack didn't object, he handed over the branch and they watched as Joel stepped forward into the water.

“Fuck!”

He was almost immediately submerged up to his waist.

“You alright?” Mark looked concerned.

“It's fucking cold.”

Joel moved forward slowly, testing the ground beneath his feet and moving to avoid the branches of the fallen trees. He was very quickly up to his shoulders in the water and only a few metres out.

“I’m gonna swim there.”

He discarded the branch and started swimming between the trees and across towards the vehicle. Once away from the shore line, either the water got deeper or there were less trees, but it was an open stretch to the trapped car.

He grabbed a hold on the tree, pulling himself up partly out of the water. Resting a moment to catch his breath. The vehicle door was open about a foot, but wedged against the branches of the tree.

“ANYBODY IN THERE!”

There was silence. Then Joel thought he heard movement. He looked up in the direction of the open door. A boy’s head appeared through the gap, turning to look at him.

“CHARLIE!”

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“How come they got power here?” Steve was looking across at Henry.

The vehicle had come to a halt in the underground garage of a building somewhere in the city. The door was open and the basement lights were on.

Henry leaned forward from the curved bench seat opposite and rested his hand on Steve's leg. “Well you see that is because I made arrangements.” He looked at the boy and winked. “Let's go!”

Grif got up and stepped out, Steve followed.

“Henry!” Steve looked back over his shoulder as he exited the car.

“Yes?”

“Can you not do that please?”

“Not do what young man?”

Grif was standing there waiting, saying nothing.

“Can you just keep your hands to yourself.”

“Touchy aren’t we?”

“Henry, I like you, but I don’t like you feeling my arse.”

“Are you sure about that?”

Grif started laughing. “Come on guys. What now?”

“Now you follow me.”

□□□□□

“Mom!” Charlie slid back inside the car. “Mom, it’s Joel. He's outside.”

They swapped places and Joel's mom managed to get up by the open door. “Joel! Is that you out there?”

“Mom, yeah it’s me. We just came from Uncle Clement's house to look for you.”

“Well I’m glad you did, because we're pretty much trapped in here.”

“Listen mom. You're in the middle of a lake, about four hundred meters from the shore, but we can't do much just now. I had to swim out here.”

“Oh I see. Can you go and get some help then?”

“Yeah, that's what we'll have to do. Are you alright in there? Nobody hurt?”

“We're fine dear.”

“Stop wasting time boy and get some help before it gets dark,” Kado's voice boomed out from somewhere inside.

“Yeah okay. Listen it will easily be an hour, maybe more, before we come back.”

“Just get going!”

Joel felt like telling Kado to fuck off, but he bit his tongue. “Back later then, bye.”

He let go of the tree and started swimming back.

When he stepped out of the water Mark was there with a survival blanket and quickly wrapped it around Joel's shoulders. Even though the sun was shining the water was cold.

“We need to go back to Morro Bay and get some equipment, we can’t do anything now. They can’t get out, the tree is blocking the door, and there's no way we can move that car.”

“Okay let's go.” Jack led the way back to their vehicle.

□□□□□

They found Clement and Joseph outside the house working on what looked like a huge jigsaw of wires and switches inside a large metal housing.

“Uncle we got a problem.”

Clement looked up from what he was working on. “What's happened?”

“Mom and Charlie are stuck in their car in the middle of a lake and they can’t get out. The door’s wedged against some branches of a fallen pine tree and the vehicle is too. We need some equipment. Maybe to try and pull the car out or cut the branches.”

“I see. Joseph can you go with the boys and help? I'll stay and try to fix this power problem.”

“Sure. Come on boys, Let’s get you sorted out.”

They followed Joseph to an out building where they found some rope , a chain and winch, electric chainsaw, wrench and some other tools. They quickly loaded the stuff into the car. Joseph checked the charge on the chainsaw and then the energy left in their vehicle.

“We've enough power to get there and back, no problem. I’m not sure if we'll have the power to pull another vehicle if it’s jammed in tight, but let’s go see.”

□□□□□

“Wow, smart place!” Steve exclaimed as they followed Henry into his apartment. Grif looked impressed too, you could see right across the city, which was obviously all powered up and running.

“So how come you have power here Henry?”

“Griff, you don't really believe I would choose to stay here if we would be living in the dark ages, do you?”

“No, I guess not. Certainly looks like you got things worked out.”

“I have, and you are welcome to join me.”

Grif looked at Steve, who looked at him.

“Thanks.”

“Fine, well you’ll find a bedroom through there, at the end of the hall, last door. You boys make yourself at home, I have work to do.”

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Joseph pulled out the large holdall, the last bit of equipment they had loaded in the car. He unzipped the top, dug inside and pulled out a cord, gave it a tug, and in a half a minute they were standing there looking at a small inflatable.

“Get this in the water, and get the rope, chainsaw and wrench onboard.”

The three of them did as instructed. “Okay, Joel you come with me, you two stay here. Let's see if we can get out there, cut a few branches and maybe attach the rope if we can’t free the door.”

It was difficult to get the inflatable out to the open stretch of water, but they made it and were soon paddling out to the stranded vehicle.

“MOM! We're back.”

“What took you so long?”

“Who’s that?” Joseph asked.

“Kado.”

“Is he always so disagreeable?”

“No not always,” Joel remembered back to that time in the club. He wasn't sure if Kado was disagreeable or forceful, or what. He did get what he wanted, but he wasn't so bad, maybe.

“Listen, we’re going to cut away some branches and see if we can’t get this door open.”

Joseph climbed out and positioned himself halfway along the tree trunk to cut the branches obstructing the door. Joel handed up the chainsaw, and the next fifteen minutes were occupied with the humming and buzzing of the chainsaw cutting through the pine tree.

They pulled the branches free and Joel pushed them well out of the way. “The door’s free. Try manually operating it.”

Kado got hold of the handle from inside the vehicle and tried to turn it, but it didn't move, even putting all his force behind it, he couldn't budge the thing.

“It's no good. It's jammed, broken or just plain fucked. I can’t move it.”

“I'll see what I can do from the outside.” It was difficult to get near enough to exert any force.

“No I can't get a hold to do it from here.”

“Can you pull us out?”

“Yes, maybe, I’ll try attaching the rope and winch.”

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“What we gonna do Grif? We can't stay here, just you and me, with Henry. I mean He’s okay an all, but I need to find Mark and the others.”

The bedroom was huge and very comfortable, a large floor to ceiling window gave a panoramic view of the city. Grif was wandering around the room, gliding his fingers over the elegant furnishings.

“Yeah, pity, it’s kinda nice. Do you think they are still around?”

Grif's fingers roamed across what must have been the music centre, because the most melancholic and beautiful music filled the room with soft violins playing behind the vibrating tones of a woman's voice.

Steve rested his head in his hands and tears welled up in his eyes. Grif moved to sit next to him, placing an arm over his shoulders. Steve looked up.

“I can't loose my brother, I just can't.”

Grif held him tight. “Perhaps they stayed when everyone evacuated.”

“We have to go to Morro Bay. That's where Joel's uncle is s'posed to be, and that’s where Kado was going. You have to ask Henry to help.”

“Sure, don't worry. I'll do whatever it takes, you stayed for me. I owe you.”

He gently brushed Steve's hair with his hand, leant across and kissed his cheek. The music reached a crescendo, descended and stopped to the sound of applause.

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The only possible way to pull the car free was with the rope attached over a branch of a nearby tree on the shoreline, which would give it lift. They had cut free all the branches above the water line, but they couldn't simply pull it through the water. It was four hundred meters and probably they would be pulling the tree with it. The winch wasn't powerful enough. They had to lift it free, if the branch could support the tension.

“Okay fire it up. Engage the throttle... slowly!”

Joel had his hand on the lever, Joseph was watching the branch they had slung the rope over. Mark and Jack stared across the water at the car.

The winch motor whirred into life. The rope snapped taut out of the water.

“Easy Joel, go slow!” Joseph was watching the branch which was bending under the pressure.

The car lifted up slightly.

“IT'S MOVING!” Mark shouted.

Little by little the vehicle pulled up and out of the branches, crashing back down in the water as it finally jerked free. Then it bobbed about making rippling waves until Joel brought the rope taut again, engaging the winch and gently pulling the car through the water towards them.

They got it to within about five or six meters of the edge of the lake, then there were too many branches and fallen trees, plus the angle was now wrong. Mark and Jack waded into the water. They'd shed most of their clothes. Joel did the same, splashing in after them. Together they managed to manoeuvre the car almost to the shore.

Joseph came to join them carrying a long handled jack. He climbed up over a fallen tree to get access to the still jammed door and Joel handed up the jack. Once positioned between the edge of the door and the edge of the vehicle, he started pumping up and down on the lever.

The metal creaked and screeched as the door gradually prized open like a can of sardines, peeling back until the opening was big enough for Kado and Joel's mom to crawl through. They helped them out and through the water to dry land.

It was getting chilly as the sun had got lower in the sky. Joseph quickly moved everybody into their vehicle, handed out towels and survival blankets. Joel hugged Charlie and dried him off, then seated him between himself and his mom. Nobody spoke much. The door closed and they lifted off, back to Morro Bay.