“Uh, sir, we are Canadian citizens, but we don’t have our passports on us at the moment.”
“Then turn your vehicle around and stop wasting my time!” the guard all but snarled. “No passports, no entry!”
“But, sir. We got caught out. We were in Vancouver when the news broke, and we’re just trying to get back to our families in Toronto. We’re not terrorists or illegal aliens or anything. We just want to get home, and this is the quickest way.”
“No passport, no entry,” the guard repeated, looking over their car.
“Considering the circumstances, can’t you make an exception?” Mike tried.
“What circumstances? What on God’s earth gives you the right to disregard American immigration laws, hmmm?”
“Well, the asteroid for starters. There isn’t going to BE any American immigration laws in a few months!” Mike said hotly.
“Pah!” The guard waved his hand dismissively. “NASA will blow that thing right out of the sky. I suggest you turn around now, before I have to arrest you for attempting to enter illegally.”
“Let’s just go,” Mike said quietly. “It’s not worth it, he’s not going to let us in.”
“Thank you for your help,” Tom said sarcastically and started to wind his window up. The guard glared down at him.
“And don’t you go thinking just because this is a small, out of the way crossing that I will not take my responsibilities seriously! We are under strict instructions to maintain our nation’s sovereignty. No exceptions! Just because some people didn’t turn up to work in those big fancy city airports doesn’t mean Joe Tucker is going to abandon his post!”
Tom clutched the steering wheel tightly and swore under his breath as he pulled out of the line and drove back the way they’d come.
“What a prick. Hey, man, it’s not a big deal. We’ll just stick to this side of the border. It’ll take a bit longer, but we’ll still get home,” Mike said and patted Tom’s shoulder.
“Just our luck to pick one with a man who takes his job seriously, even in the face of worldwide annihilation… the Trans-Canada it is, then.”
CHAPTER TEN
Claire
THE doorbell rang. Claire put Tristan in his cot and told Noah to stay in their room. She wasn’t expecting anyone. The stairs creaked as Claire cautiously went downstairs and looked through the peep hole. A blonde woman around her own age was standing there, with her arms crossed and beanie pulled low on her head. Claire couldn’t see her eyes. She didn’t look too threatening.
Claire opened the door, slowly.
“Hello?”
“Hi. Are you Claire?”
Claire nodded, frowning slightly.
“I’m Trisha, Mike Wright’s sister.”
“Oh!” Claire’s pulse started racing. She felt light-headed and clutched the door frame. “What’s happened? Are they all right? Did their plane crash?”
“Well, yes, actually.”
“Oh my god.” Claire slumped to the floor without realising it.
“No! It’s okay! They’re okay. Sorry, I should have said that first.” Trisha bent down and rubbed Claire’s arm.
“They’re… they’re alive? They’re okay?”
Trisha nodded and helped her stand up. “Can I come in?”
“Yes, of course. Sorry.” Claire stood aside and let her visitor into the hallway. Trisha kicked off her wet boots and followed Claire down the hallway and into the kitchen.
“Would you like a cup of tea or coffee?” Claire asked.
“Some tea would be great, thanks.” Claire flicked the kettle on and pulled out two mugs.
“So, what’s happened? I haven’t heard anything from Tom. I’ve tried calling, but his phone just goes straight to voicemail.”
“Mike called me a few hours ago. You knew they had a crazy idea to fly back?” Trisha asked, shaking her head slightly.
Claire nodded. “Yeah, Tom told me. The last time I heard from him, he said they’d landed and refuelled in Alberta somewhere. He was going to call when they landed for the night, but he never did.”
She’d spent a sleepless night, tossing and turning and checking her phone in case she hadn’t heard it go off even though she had the thing set on the loudest setting.
“They hit a storm. Apparently they crash landed in southern Saskatchewan. They’re both fine, just a bit bruised and shaken up. They spent the night in a barn they stumbled across. The farmer found them this morning.”
“Wow,” was all Claire could manage.
“They seem to have gotten lucky,” Trisha went on.
“Lucky?” Claire raised her eyebrows. How was crash-landing lucky?
“Yeah. Finding the barn in a snow-storm was a godsend, they probably would have frozen to death otherwise, and the farmer who found them this morning sounds like a pretty nice guy. He took them in and fed them breakfast, and he’s giving them a truck to drive back in.”
“Wow, that’s amazing. So, I take it the plane is out of action?”
“Yes, thankfully. I don’t know what my brother was thinking! He only got his licence a few weeks ago! Flying back across the country… mad man.” Trisha shook her head again.
“I just want them home. Safely.”
“Yes, of course. Me too. Tom’s phone got lost in the crash. Or destroyed. They’re not sure which. Anyway, that’s why I’m here really. Apparently Tom can’t remember your phone number, otherwise he would have just used Mike’s phone.”
Claire rolled her eyes. “Typical.”
Trisha pulled a folded piece of paper out of her pocket and slid it over to Claire.
“There’s Mike’s number. I don’t know what their battery situation is, but you can contact your husband again.”
“Thank you so much, you have no idea how worried I’ve been.”
Trisha smiled grimly. “Oh, I think I have an idea. Anyway, I’ve also written my number beneath it in case you need it for some reason.”
“Thanks, wait I’ll give you mine as well.”
Trisha fished her phone out of her bag and handed it over to Claire. She tapped her number in and handed the phone back.
“Well, thanks for the tea, but I’d better get going. My husband’s looking after the kids, which is always a recipe for disaster.”
“Thank you for coming over, I really appreciate it.”
“Not a problem.”
Claire stood up and walked Trisha to the door.
“Hey, good luck with everything, yeah?”
“Yeah… you too. Take care.”
Claire watched the other woman walk carefully down the driveway and get into her little red hatchback. She shut the door firmly, leaned heavily against the closed door, and took a deep breath. For a moment there she’d thought Tom was dead. She shuddered. But it was okay. He was okay. He’d be okay.
She called Lisa and told her the news. Lisa sighed and called her brother an idiot.
“Come over then, if he’s not going to be coming home tonight. I found a bottle of red wine that looks expensive.”
“Okay, I’ll be over in an hour or so.”
Claire started to pack up the boys. Noah was a bit teary — he really needed a nap. And his father. Her phone dinged. New email. Claire snatched the phone up. It was from her sister, Lucy. Finally. Apparently not even the end of the world could turn Lucy Black into a prompt correspondent.
Hey Claire,
I’m home at the farm. Took a while to get home, but we got here eventually. Everything is the same as normal, which feels a bit weird. Shouldn’t things have changed? But the sun is still shining, the cows are standing around the paddock, the horses want apples and the dogs are as crazy as usual.
Hope you and my nephews are safe and okay. Mum said Tom was in Vancouver when the news broke. Hope he’s home with you now and you can take your own advice. I’ve given up on reading the news. All the looting is too depressing.