Days of Fire
DAYS OF FIRE
BLACKOUT & BURN SERIES Book 1
Rebecca Fernfield
DAYS OF FIRE
BLACKOUT & BURN SERIES
BOOK 1
By
Rebecca Fernfield
Ebook first published in 2018 by REDBEGGA LIMITED
Copyright REDBEGGA LIMITED
The moral right of Rebecca Fernfield to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by her in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All the characters in this book are fictitious, and any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is purely coincidental.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior permission in writing of the publisher, nor to be otherwise circulated in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published without a similar condition, including this condition, being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.
www.rebeccafernfieldauthor.com
rebecca@rebeccafernfieldauthor.com
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Created with Vellum
For Safiyyah, Evie, Harrison, Mia & Jacob.
Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Author Notes
Also by Rebecca Fernfield
Chapter 1
Turbulence buffets the small plane. It banks to the left as Jessie pushes the phone to her ear. Concealing it beneath her hair, she checks across the cabin; Captain Ridley and the rest of the team are asleep or sitting with their backs to her, and Alex, in the next seat, has his eyes closed and earphones in as he listens to music. She knows it’s wrong, but she can’t ignore the call.
As she slips down into her seat, with her sister’s anxious voice in her ear, she looks out of the window. In the distance the lights of the city are bright against the dark of the night, but below the land is black where woodlands stretch over the mountains and lakes fill deep crevices in the hard rock. Here and there bright spots of light appear, perhaps the odd hamlet or farmhouse nestled along the lower hills. She presses the phone closer to her ear, and a frown knits her brow as she listens to Stella’s voice. High pitched and anxious, it is tinny against the thrumming of the plane’s engines and does nothing to reduce Jessie’s tension at taking the illicit call.
“She’ll be there soon,” she soothes. “She must have got stuck in traffic or something.”
“But she should be here, Jessie! And she’s not answering her mobile.”
“Is Lisa there?” she asks turning to the window and speaking into the phone.
“No.”
Jessie’s stomach knots. Their mother often works late, but Lisa was usually at the house when Stella got home from uni.
“She’s probably just stuck in the office,” Jessie placates. “I’ve got to go now, Stella-”
“Not this late!” her sister interrupts.
“Well, she’s been working on some important projects, and she’s been a bit … stressed lately, perhaps they’re taking up more time than she expected,” Jessie adds, desperate to end the call, but not wanting to cut Stella off. Her sister’s anxiety was something she’d had to learn to manage since their father died, but at nineteen Stella really needed to start living with less fear. “Try to call Lisa. I bet Andy will bring Mum home any minute,” she says thinking of the reassuring presence of her mother’s colleague; the man seemed more of a friend and was good with Stella.
“Maybe,” Stella replies though she doesn’t sound convinced.
“Listen, I’ve got to go. We’re landing soon and then I’m coming straight home, I promise. Just calm down. She’ll be there any minute—I’m sure.”
“OK, I-” Stella’s voice cuts out and Jessie presses the phone closer to her ear.
“Stella?” she whispers. No answer. “Stella?”
The plane judders, the lights flicker, and then the cabin is plunged into darkness. She gasps at the sudden change and the phone slips from her hand and slides over her thigh to the gap between the cabin wall and her seat. Damn! She leans forward and fumbles in the dark, slipping her fingers down the side of the seat as a startled yell sounds from the back of the cabin. Clare! Trust her to be the one shouting out. A hand clamps across hers as she clutches at the arm rest. Startled at the sudden pressure of Alex’s fingers around her own, she flinches and the phone clatters to the floor. Damn and blast! Calm down. She takes a breath to calm her nerves then laughs, embarrassed at her own jumpiness. Get a grip woman, it’s just turbulence! The plane judders, the lights flicker and then the cabin brightens. Jessie sighs with relief and leans forward to search for her phone.
Picking up the mobile, she checks the screen. It’s blank. She quickly turns it off before Stella has a chance to ring again. There was nothing more she could say to help calm her, and she didn’t want to risk a reprimand from Captain Ridley—anything but that.
Alex lets out a great breath and laughs as he removes his hand and runs his fingers through the short fringe of his dark hair.
“Sorry!” he apologises.
She flashes him a quick and reassuring smile but regrets it as he holds her gaze for a second longer than necessary then looks away to the aisle. Did he just … No! Emotions that she’s tried hard to push down surface again and she stares out of the window, taken aback. Getting involved with a fellow cadet is something she wants to avoid, and anyway, Alex was more of a mate. Yes, just a mate. Wasn’t he? She turns back to look at him, taking in the smoothness of the skin at the nape of his neck and the way his muscles fill his t-shirt. No! He is definitely not someone she wants to get close to—not that way. Although … He turns back to her, catching her unawares, mouthing incoherent, unheard words as she stares at his lips and wonders what it would be like to kiss them.
“Jessie! Was that Clare who screamed?”
“Huh! Oh, yes!” she replies startled and embarrassed by her thoughts. Get a grip, Jessie!
“Why doesn’t that surprise me?” he asks readjusting his earphones.
“Can’t imagine,” she replies with raised eyebrows remembering the numerous times the woman had needed help during the last three weeks of training. They’d been tough, designed to weed them out she was sure. And, from what she’d seen, Clare wouldn’t be making the selection this time, but then again, given whose daughter she was, maybe she would. She sighs. Having a father in the House of Lords obviously helped your career. Jessie may not have that privilege but at least she knows it’s only her own hard work and determination that has got her this far.
She’d been dreading the training. All the cadets had told her it was one of the toughest challenges of the three years at the academy. True, it had been rough, but not as tough as the time she’d spent in the Highlands with Alex and the others who’d taken up the survival challenge last year—now that had been arduous! Jessie smiles as she remembers Alex trying to light a fire huddled under the canopy in the pouring Scottish rain—he’d been all numb fingers and
thumbs - not that she’d been any better - and Gav had to step in to get it going. She sits back in her seat as the aeroplane judders and notices how Alex’s jaw clenches and his knuckles whiten over the armrest—good job he isn’t thinking of joining the Fleet Air Arm when he specialises!
She turns to him. Perhaps he’d calm down a bit if he was distracted. “Alex.” He doesn’t hear. “Alex,” she tries again and pushes at his thigh.
“Huh!” he grunts pulling out an earphone with a questioning smile. It drops onto the magazine on his lap. It’s turned to an article about the off-road motorcycle trials in Scotland they’ve talked about entering next year.
She takes her cue. “When we get back—after the holidays—are you up for it?”
“Up for what?” he asks with a grin and raises an eyebrow.
The pricking in her cheeks is instant. “The off-road trials!” she says wishing she didn’t react to him that way, and points at the magazine on his lap.
He looks down. “Oh, you mean you want me to thrash you again,” he laughs.
“Hah!” she replies. “If I hadn’t got caught in that bog, it would have been me thrashing you.”
Light from the window catches Jessie’s attention and she turns to look. “Alex! Look,” she says with excitement and points to the dazzling green and blue light dancing across the sky. “It’s the aurora.”
“Aurora?” he asks leaning over and peering out of the window. “I thought they were just at the North Pole?”
“Well, kind of,” Jessie laughs. “But this must be the one they said was going to happen. I saw a post about it this morning—that there’d be an aurora tonight.”
“Oh, why’s that then?”
“Solar storm,” Jessie replies watching the dancing ribbons of greens and oranges.
“It’s incredible!” Alex declares as he leans over to look. Jessie’s heart beats a little faster as his chest presses against her shoulder. The chatter of voices increases as the other cadets jostle for a view out of the small windows and Alex presses just a little closer—unnecessarily close. He must know the effect he has on her! She leans back to let him get a better view and his cheek brushes hers.
As turbulence catches them again, Alex leans back in his chair. To relieve her tension Jessie checks around the cabin. Behind her Tom and Ryan are laughing with a nervous energy, and Faye is watching the lights through the small window, unphased by the buffeting of the plane. Despite her unease, she feels comforted by the sight of her friends. One of the most important things she’s learnt over the past three years is that having a good team around you is critical. She’d trust Tom and Ryan with her life, and Faye was as hard as nails; there wasn’t a hint that being jostled about in the tiny plane was bothering her. If they were ever in a real survival situation she’d want Faye on her side. She was just as competent as Alex, and he had some of the sharpest skills she’d seen in any of the cadets. Looking about the small space, and the cadets that filled it as they’re jostled by the turbulence, a sense of pride washes over her; this autumn she’d finally pass out and join the Warfare branch. Serving in the navy was the fulfilment of her dreams; her way of helping to defend the country and protect her family. It’s what her father would have wanted her to do—what he’d died trying to do.
The plane rocks again and Alex’s hand clutches around hers. She doesn’t flinch.
“Alex. Hey! It’s OK. We’ll be landing soon.”
“Sure. Sure, I know that,” he replies and pushes his fingers through his short fringe. “Never did like planes,” he says with an embarrassed laugh.
“Don’t sign up to be a pilot then,” Jessie smiles and turns to look back through the window and the dancing lights. “What’re you gonna do when you get back?” If she talks to him perhaps it’ll take his mind off the choppy way the plane is making its way over the mountains.
“Huh?”
“We’re on leave once we get back. Two whole weeks.”
“Oh-”
The plane judders again and Alex dries up.
“I’m going home. It’s Stella’s nineteenth birthday and they’ve planned a huge surprise party for-”
The lights in the cabin flicker then go out as the sky is washed with an intense and vibrant red. Chatter in the cabin falls away and even Clare remains quiet. Silence and the red hue fill the cabin. Alex’s fingers dig into Jessie’s arm as her eyes adjust to the strange light. The quiet is odd—disconcerting.
“Strap in.”
“The light will come back on in a minute—it did before,” Jessie responds as Alex clicks his seatbelt into place. “Don’t worry.”
“Just put your seat-belt on,” he insists.
The plane jolts and Jessie’s belly rolls with a queasy surge as she slots the seatbelt through the straps of her rucksack and fastens the clasp. If they did crash, she wasn’t about to lose her bag. Unease creeps over her as the plane drops again and her stomach heaves.
The spectacular light fades as quickly as it came. The grey that replaces it is disorientating and, as she looks out of the window, the darkened cabin reflects back at her. She leans closer to the window and looks down. The hairs on the back of her neck prickle; the greens, yellows and blues of the sky are receding, but below, where white lights had pinpointed houses and towns, there is only darkness. The silence, she realises, is from the engines—or the lack of them.
The quiet is momentary.
“We’ve lost the engines!” a voice calls from the dark.
“Everybody, seatbelts on!” Captain Ridley commands.
Jessie listens to the pilot’s efforts to reach air control and her stomach lurches again as the plane drops. The cabin fills with a cacophony of voices as the cadets realise the plane is falling. Clare’s is shrill above the others. As the plane banks, Jessie peers again out of the window; still black. It can only mean that the lights in the towns and cities have gone out. This can’t be happening! It was just supposed to be a light show—rare, but just a light show.
“We’re falling!” Clare shouts. “We’re falling!”
“Stay calm!” Jessie shouts back though her heart hammers hard in her chest. “Get your seatbelt on.”
“What’s happening?” a voice calls from the dark. “Where are the lights?”
“The engines have failed,” Captain Ridley calls from the front. “Prepare for a crash-landing.”
“We’re going to die!”
“No! We’re not. Stay calm and prepare yourself. You know what to do.”
An electro-magnetic pulse that took out the grid was something that Jessie had often thought about, that and all the other things that would bring the country to a grinding halt, but she’d never really believed it would happen. There should have been warnings! She turns to Alex and reaches for his arm. He’s braced and rigid as he holds himself tight in the seat.
“Alex! It’s an EMP. The entire grid is out!” she says grabbing his forearm and rocking it to get his attention. “The whole bloody grid.” He remains silent and tense.
The plane judders and Jessie’s stomach lurches as the plane makes a sudden drop. Screams fill the cabin and Jessie’s head hits the wall of the plane, her temple catching on the window’s frame.
“We’re going to die,” a voice screams again as pain shoots through Jessie’s head.
“No!” Jessie shouts in defiance. She’s not ready to die.
As the plane continues to fall her mind scrambles for a hope to cling to. Conrad Briggs was one of their best pilots, and if anyone could land a plane safely it was him. The plane lurches again and Alex’s hand clutches around her arm as she’s thrown forward. As the plane tilts she can see the dark of the blacked-out earth against the moon-lit horizon. No longer horizontal, the sight adds to her confusion. Perhaps this was it? Perhaps these were her last moments on earth. What chance did they really have of landing in one piece in the dark and on the mountain? None! The plane would be destroyed as they landed, and so would she.
Oh, God!
The plane lurches once more and the air is filled with the sound of tearing metal. More screams.
In her memory, her mother waves from the gravelled driveway as Jessie clutches her sister’s hand. Eyes red and puffy from crying, her mother tries to smile, then turns and walks away. Stella’s hand clutches at hers and she leads her sister to the wide steps of the school’s entrance, her heart breaking. Her father is gone and this time he isn’t coming back.
Cold sweeps through the cabin.
‘You’re the strong one, Jess. Look after your mother. She’ll need you when I’m gone,’ he’d said. I will Daddy. I will.
The screech of metal blocks out Clare’s screams as Jessie’s head crashes against the window frame and the world becomes black.