Categories > Celebrities > My Chemical Romance > My Heart It Can't Contain It ...
Rachel cleaned up the mess she had made in the kitchen. She was placing the last soapy bowl on the draining board when Jenny called out her name.
“Rachel quick! You’ve got to see this,” she grabbed a tea towel on her way out and was drying her hands when she reached the living room doorway. Everyone had stopped eating and they were all looking intently at the small screen. Mel’s fork was hanging mid air with a bit of pancake clinging to the end. Rachel smiled internally.
“Can you turn it up,” she asked. Moving inside she stood next to the sofa with her arms crossed. The tea towel braided between them.
“… So I ask all of you to stay where you are. An officer will be making rounds to take down people’s names and provide you with supplies if you need them. Starting from now the lockdown is in effect . . .” The face on the screen disappeared and was replaced by the anchor woman. Rachel raised one eyebrow.
“What the hell is he talking about a ‘lockdown’?” Rachel scanned the room waiting for someone to answer her. Nat responded, her arms clutching her notebook tightly to her body.
“Well they decided that until those … things are taken care of we are all confined to our homes.”
“What! You are joking right. What about the lottery they announced this morning. How are people going to get out?”
“Wait what lottery?” Nathan spoke up.
“Well they said that they would start a lottery today, to start evacuating people.” Ledgard replied.
“Well they can’t make us stay in. what right do they have.” Rachel shrugged her shoulders as she spoke.
“They can and they will. They said that anyone caught outside will be arrested. Also anyone caught with a weapon or anything will be tazered or pepper sprayed. Also that if they didn’t back down or were doing anything really dangerous then they would be shot.” Lauren said matter of factly.
Rachel sat on the arm of the sofa next to Amy. Amy broke the silence that followed.
“What are we going to do?” Amy asked in her sing song voice. Everyone grew silent, lost in their own thoughts, no-one made any eye contact.
Rachel decided to let her defenses down and listen to the little voice that was crying out for center stage. Sitting in silence she searched for and found nothing. Her mind went blank. A few moments passed before she heard it whisper in the background. ‘Only death can look this good at a time like this.’
*
Two days passed with little happening. The first winners of the lottery were already being evacuated to safe harbor. A police officer had visited, only stopping to take down their names before he moved on the next house. The lockdown had been incredibly effective with the law abiding citizens. During the first day everyone had stayed in Storey’s living room. The news casters seemed to be the exception to the lockdown rule and were covering what was going on in the invaded cities and right out side their door. A few people had rebelled against the lockdown. Ten people had already been shot. Eight of them were in the hospital, two in intensive care. The other two were in the morgue. The invaders had not travelled any further than the Victoria / South Australia border, where the Australian Army was putting up one hell of a fight. Ring tones sounded through out the day and night from people’s mobiles and the landline. Rachel had yet to get through to her parents.
There was knock on the door and everyone stopped what they were doing. Rachel was sitting in the hall playing solitaire on her iPod and was first to the door. When she opened the door a man dressed head to foot in black tactical gear was looking down at her.
“Scutch!” Rachel proclaimed. Rachel knew Scutch from a year 11 camp she had attended. She was still close most of the people who attended, Scutch included. He was a heavy set man with broad shoulders he looked even more bulky in all of his gear. He constantly had a frown on his face, even while smiling and most people got the impression that he was not a man to be messed with. That was true of all STARies but Scutch had a big heart behind all of the muscle.
By now the others all stood behind her.
“Well, well, well. If it isn’t Whipcraker,” Scutch patted her briefly on the shoulder before returning his grip to his assault rifle.
“What…’ Rachel began but he cut her off.
“Unfortunately this is not a social call. I’m here to escort one or two of you to get supplies.”
“I thought they would be sending a couple of cops. Not a STARie.”
“Yeah well there’s a gang around this area that refuses to do the lockdown.”
“Oh.”
“Well who’s going to coming with me?” Almost everyone cried out, pleading to be the one who could go. After two days cramped in a small unit with twenty other people and nothing to do, small tiffs had broken out.
“Hey!” Scutch boomed. “I only need two of you and it going to be dangerous with the gang out there causing all types of crap. So I only need two of you.” Everyone started calling out again oblivious to what he had said. This time it was Rachel who shouted.
“Shut the fuck up.” Everyone grew silent. Scutch chuckled.
“That’s why you’re called Whipcraker. Now I’ll take you and you. Let’s go.” He pointed at Rachel and Ledgard. The two of them moved quickly to grab what they needed. Rachel went into storey’s room, ditched her iPod, grabbed her vans and her favorite hoodie. They were running back out into the road before Scutch had managed to walk next door. Rachel notice for the first time a large army truck following Scutch along the road. The flat bed was enclosed by a large camouflaged tarpaulin. Another band dressed from head to toe in black was standing behind the truck.
“Move it along people.” He beckoned to Ledgard and Rachel. When they reached the back. He helped them up into the back. Once they were in Rachel saw twenty other people all sitting on the floor. A few of them looked ready to vomit. Rachel sat next to Ledgard, their backs to the people, feet hanging off of the back. She finished putting her vans and hoodie on and turned to talk to Ledgard as the truck moved along the street a few meters.
“Did you bring the shopping list?”
“What?” Rachel groaned and jumped off of the truck.
“Hey where do you think your going?” The officer twitched his gun slightly and Rachel looked at it before returning her gaze to his face.
“I need to get the shopping list. I’ll be quick.” He hesitated then flicked his head towards her house.
“Hurry.” Rachel ran back to storey’s house and pumped her fist against the door. Tegan opened it and she flew past her and into the kitchen before she could say anything.
“What are you doing back here?” someone asked. Rachel reached for the shopping list and ran back out into the hall.
“I needed the list!” she called back over her shoulder. They had been instructed, through the news, to make a shopping list with all the essentials they needed. Any prescriptions had to be stapled to the back. Running towards the truck Rachel saw Scutch helping a woman onto the truck and the other police officer was climbing into the back.
“Come on,” he called when she was a few meters away. “Didn’t the camp teach you anything about promptness?” Rachel was hardly panting as she replied.
“Yeah it did, but there is no way I’m doing push ups.” He laughed as she climbed up and took her set back next to Ledgard. He closed the back and walked off towards the front cab.
“Got it,” she told Ledgard flourishing the shopping list at him.
*
When they arrived at the local shops, Rachel leaned out and saw three trucks ahead of them. She hoped it wouldn’t be a long wait. The sound of an agitated voice wafted in.
“I’m sorry you have to go to Highgate shops there was an attack down here.”
There was a pause and then the engine roared and reversed. As it pulled out of its three point turn Rachel saw the smoking remains of building that were the Mitchum shops. Ledgard and Rachel exchanged worried looks.
The Highgate shops were down the road from their old high school and a couple of kilometers from Storey’s place. Scutch was around the back before the truck had stopped. He dropped the tailgate and people spilled from the back, staying close to the truck. There were three other trucks in the car park; six men dressed in black were standing in a circle in the middle. All of them were clutching guns.
“Ok people listen up,” Scutch barked out in his deep voice. “Stay within the shopping center any problems come straight back to trucks. Stay with your partners. You have,” he looked at his watch. “Fifteen minutes to get everything you need.” As soon as he was finished people moved hurriedly towards the shops entrance. Scutch called after Rachel.
“Hey, you be careful.” Rachel gave him a grin.
“Come on you know me.” His mouth moved into a smile at her response, but it wasn’t a joyful one. He turned and shouted at the six men in the middle of the car park.
“What the hell do you think your doing?! Go and patrol the perimeter.”
Rachel walked through the permanently open glass doors and followed Ledgard into the supermarket. It was pandemonium. People were running around like ants trying to defend their nest. People had shopping carts full of food and other assorted items.
Ledgard spoke to her for the first time since they had left the house.
“Here you go into the pharmacy and get the medicine and shampoo and stuff all the toiletries and I’ll get all the food.” Rachel thought back to Scutch’s words. She listened for the voice but it was silent.
“Ok,” she took the scripts and moved off towards the pharmacy. The voice suddenly shouted in her ear. ‘Don’t let him go you idiot!’ she turned around to follow but he had already disappeared in the throng of people. Her mind raced as she wondered what she should do; follow him or go to the pharmacy? He was already doing his task so she should go and do hers. She turned and jogged towards the pharmacy. She suddenly had a bad feeling about this.
“Rachel quick! You’ve got to see this,” she grabbed a tea towel on her way out and was drying her hands when she reached the living room doorway. Everyone had stopped eating and they were all looking intently at the small screen. Mel’s fork was hanging mid air with a bit of pancake clinging to the end. Rachel smiled internally.
“Can you turn it up,” she asked. Moving inside she stood next to the sofa with her arms crossed. The tea towel braided between them.
“… So I ask all of you to stay where you are. An officer will be making rounds to take down people’s names and provide you with supplies if you need them. Starting from now the lockdown is in effect . . .” The face on the screen disappeared and was replaced by the anchor woman. Rachel raised one eyebrow.
“What the hell is he talking about a ‘lockdown’?” Rachel scanned the room waiting for someone to answer her. Nat responded, her arms clutching her notebook tightly to her body.
“Well they decided that until those … things are taken care of we are all confined to our homes.”
“What! You are joking right. What about the lottery they announced this morning. How are people going to get out?”
“Wait what lottery?” Nathan spoke up.
“Well they said that they would start a lottery today, to start evacuating people.” Ledgard replied.
“Well they can’t make us stay in. what right do they have.” Rachel shrugged her shoulders as she spoke.
“They can and they will. They said that anyone caught outside will be arrested. Also anyone caught with a weapon or anything will be tazered or pepper sprayed. Also that if they didn’t back down or were doing anything really dangerous then they would be shot.” Lauren said matter of factly.
Rachel sat on the arm of the sofa next to Amy. Amy broke the silence that followed.
“What are we going to do?” Amy asked in her sing song voice. Everyone grew silent, lost in their own thoughts, no-one made any eye contact.
Rachel decided to let her defenses down and listen to the little voice that was crying out for center stage. Sitting in silence she searched for and found nothing. Her mind went blank. A few moments passed before she heard it whisper in the background. ‘Only death can look this good at a time like this.’
*
Two days passed with little happening. The first winners of the lottery were already being evacuated to safe harbor. A police officer had visited, only stopping to take down their names before he moved on the next house. The lockdown had been incredibly effective with the law abiding citizens. During the first day everyone had stayed in Storey’s living room. The news casters seemed to be the exception to the lockdown rule and were covering what was going on in the invaded cities and right out side their door. A few people had rebelled against the lockdown. Ten people had already been shot. Eight of them were in the hospital, two in intensive care. The other two were in the morgue. The invaders had not travelled any further than the Victoria / South Australia border, where the Australian Army was putting up one hell of a fight. Ring tones sounded through out the day and night from people’s mobiles and the landline. Rachel had yet to get through to her parents.
There was knock on the door and everyone stopped what they were doing. Rachel was sitting in the hall playing solitaire on her iPod and was first to the door. When she opened the door a man dressed head to foot in black tactical gear was looking down at her.
“Scutch!” Rachel proclaimed. Rachel knew Scutch from a year 11 camp she had attended. She was still close most of the people who attended, Scutch included. He was a heavy set man with broad shoulders he looked even more bulky in all of his gear. He constantly had a frown on his face, even while smiling and most people got the impression that he was not a man to be messed with. That was true of all STARies but Scutch had a big heart behind all of the muscle.
By now the others all stood behind her.
“Well, well, well. If it isn’t Whipcraker,” Scutch patted her briefly on the shoulder before returning his grip to his assault rifle.
“What…’ Rachel began but he cut her off.
“Unfortunately this is not a social call. I’m here to escort one or two of you to get supplies.”
“I thought they would be sending a couple of cops. Not a STARie.”
“Yeah well there’s a gang around this area that refuses to do the lockdown.”
“Oh.”
“Well who’s going to coming with me?” Almost everyone cried out, pleading to be the one who could go. After two days cramped in a small unit with twenty other people and nothing to do, small tiffs had broken out.
“Hey!” Scutch boomed. “I only need two of you and it going to be dangerous with the gang out there causing all types of crap. So I only need two of you.” Everyone started calling out again oblivious to what he had said. This time it was Rachel who shouted.
“Shut the fuck up.” Everyone grew silent. Scutch chuckled.
“That’s why you’re called Whipcraker. Now I’ll take you and you. Let’s go.” He pointed at Rachel and Ledgard. The two of them moved quickly to grab what they needed. Rachel went into storey’s room, ditched her iPod, grabbed her vans and her favorite hoodie. They were running back out into the road before Scutch had managed to walk next door. Rachel notice for the first time a large army truck following Scutch along the road. The flat bed was enclosed by a large camouflaged tarpaulin. Another band dressed from head to toe in black was standing behind the truck.
“Move it along people.” He beckoned to Ledgard and Rachel. When they reached the back. He helped them up into the back. Once they were in Rachel saw twenty other people all sitting on the floor. A few of them looked ready to vomit. Rachel sat next to Ledgard, their backs to the people, feet hanging off of the back. She finished putting her vans and hoodie on and turned to talk to Ledgard as the truck moved along the street a few meters.
“Did you bring the shopping list?”
“What?” Rachel groaned and jumped off of the truck.
“Hey where do you think your going?” The officer twitched his gun slightly and Rachel looked at it before returning her gaze to his face.
“I need to get the shopping list. I’ll be quick.” He hesitated then flicked his head towards her house.
“Hurry.” Rachel ran back to storey’s house and pumped her fist against the door. Tegan opened it and she flew past her and into the kitchen before she could say anything.
“What are you doing back here?” someone asked. Rachel reached for the shopping list and ran back out into the hall.
“I needed the list!” she called back over her shoulder. They had been instructed, through the news, to make a shopping list with all the essentials they needed. Any prescriptions had to be stapled to the back. Running towards the truck Rachel saw Scutch helping a woman onto the truck and the other police officer was climbing into the back.
“Come on,” he called when she was a few meters away. “Didn’t the camp teach you anything about promptness?” Rachel was hardly panting as she replied.
“Yeah it did, but there is no way I’m doing push ups.” He laughed as she climbed up and took her set back next to Ledgard. He closed the back and walked off towards the front cab.
“Got it,” she told Ledgard flourishing the shopping list at him.
*
When they arrived at the local shops, Rachel leaned out and saw three trucks ahead of them. She hoped it wouldn’t be a long wait. The sound of an agitated voice wafted in.
“I’m sorry you have to go to Highgate shops there was an attack down here.”
There was a pause and then the engine roared and reversed. As it pulled out of its three point turn Rachel saw the smoking remains of building that were the Mitchum shops. Ledgard and Rachel exchanged worried looks.
The Highgate shops were down the road from their old high school and a couple of kilometers from Storey’s place. Scutch was around the back before the truck had stopped. He dropped the tailgate and people spilled from the back, staying close to the truck. There were three other trucks in the car park; six men dressed in black were standing in a circle in the middle. All of them were clutching guns.
“Ok people listen up,” Scutch barked out in his deep voice. “Stay within the shopping center any problems come straight back to trucks. Stay with your partners. You have,” he looked at his watch. “Fifteen minutes to get everything you need.” As soon as he was finished people moved hurriedly towards the shops entrance. Scutch called after Rachel.
“Hey, you be careful.” Rachel gave him a grin.
“Come on you know me.” His mouth moved into a smile at her response, but it wasn’t a joyful one. He turned and shouted at the six men in the middle of the car park.
“What the hell do you think your doing?! Go and patrol the perimeter.”
Rachel walked through the permanently open glass doors and followed Ledgard into the supermarket. It was pandemonium. People were running around like ants trying to defend their nest. People had shopping carts full of food and other assorted items.
Ledgard spoke to her for the first time since they had left the house.
“Here you go into the pharmacy and get the medicine and shampoo and stuff all the toiletries and I’ll get all the food.” Rachel thought back to Scutch’s words. She listened for the voice but it was silent.
“Ok,” she took the scripts and moved off towards the pharmacy. The voice suddenly shouted in her ear. ‘Don’t let him go you idiot!’ she turned around to follow but he had already disappeared in the throng of people. Her mind raced as she wondered what she should do; follow him or go to the pharmacy? He was already doing his task so she should go and do hers. She turned and jogged towards the pharmacy. She suddenly had a bad feeling about this.
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