State of Emergency Read online

  State of Emergency

  KATHY L SALT

  Copyright © 2016 Kathy L Salt

  All rights reserved

  Table of contents

  Author’s note

  State of Emergency

  About the Author

  Author’s note

  Thank you to Marco, Kim, Deniz, Paige and Jules, for all the support, beta-reading and friendship, without you this novel wouldn’t exist.

  I’d also like to thank Therese, Susanne, Ervina, Mariella and Camilla - sillar forever!

  Last but not least, I want to thank my wife Ludmilla for keeping me sane in an insane world and accepting that I don’t just belong to her, but also to my stories.

  Chapter One

  Lieutenant Emma Josephine Tyr looked at the phone in her hands; she knew she shouldn’t. It wasn’t outright against her orders, but she also knew that she wasn’t supposed to call any civilians. Screw that. She looked around to make sure that she was alone behind the barracks and then she dialed her sister’s number.

  The call wouldn’t connect; Jo didn’t know if it was because too many people were calling in the same time or if the military was causing some kind of interference. She groaned in frustration and tried a couple of more times before sighing deeply and dialing another number.

  “Hello?” A rich voice answered after three beeps. Idun’s girlfriend. Not Jo’s first choice, but she didn’t know who else to call.

  “Hi, Mercedes.” She said. “It’s Jo. Is Idun there?”

  “Oh, hi, I’ve been meaning to call you.” Mercedes’s voice was aggravatingly neutral, as if void of any emotion. “Idun got injured a few weeks ago.”

  “Injured? A few weeks ago?” Jo couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “What do you mean? What did you do?”

  “Me?” Mercedes said. “I did nothing, she’s…”

  “She’s not ill is she? What symptoms does she have?”

  “Please don’t interrupt me,” Mercedes’s annoyance was almost tangible. “No, she is not ill. She slipped while trying to reach the animal-shaped plates.” There was no need to explain, Jo knew about Idun’s love for weird china. “She broke two ribs. She’s been healing well though, almost completely recovered.” As much as Mercedes seemed cold, there was a hint of pride in her voice when she mentioned Idun’s recovery that warmed Jo’s heart.

  “I need her to call me.” Jo couldn’t keep the tone of desperation out of her voice.

  “I’m at work.” Mercedes voice was practically dripping with irritation. “There is nothing I can do from over here. I’m sorry.” But she clearly wasn’t sorry.

  Jo fought the urge to argue and fight; she knew from experience that it was impossible to get Mercedes to do something she didn’t want to do. And this time she really needed Mercedes to listen.

  “I need you to go home right now,” she said. Please, please, please Mercedes for once can you just...

  “No.” Mercedes fell silent after that one word.

  “You have to.” Jo tried to sound friendly rather than authoritative. Authority never worked on Mercedes. “Go home to Idun. You have to.”

  Jo wasn’t about to break her orders completely and simply couldn’t give Mercedes the real reason. She just needed Mercedes to listen to her right now.

  “I don’t have to do anything,” Mercedes said. “Maybe you can order your little soldiers around, but I’m not one of them.”

  Jo sighed.

  “Please...”

  “No.”

  Without saying another word, Jo hung up.

  * * *

  Mercedes Alves Correia turned off the phone and put it back on her desk. That sister of Idun’s had some nerve, calling and trying to order her around. Mercedes sneered as she looked at her computer screen; she was busy at work, she didn’t have time to play nursemaid. And Idun would be fine. It had already been four weeks since the break and every check-up since had shown that she was more than adequately healing.

  “Mercedes!” She looked up from the screen and raised an eyebrow at her co worker, Ella. “Raphael is here.”

  “I’ll be right there.” She turned off her computer and got up; grabbed her purse on the way out. She smiled when she saw her best friend, and inconsequently ex-husband, stand by the door. She had almost forgotten she’d promised to have lunch with him today but welcomed the distraction.

  “What’s gotten into you?” He said when she got closer.

  “Hello to you too.”

  He chuckled.

  “You’re looking more murderous than usual, that’s all.” He patted her arm affectionately.

  “Sorry.” Mercedes forced herself to smile. “Idun’s sister called me.”

  “Would it kill you to be nice for once?” He watched as she grabbed her jacket from the hanger by the door and quickly checked the her make-up in the mirror that hung there. “She’s your girlfriend’s sister. She should be like family.”

  “Oh it just might kill me.” Mercedes put her jacket on. “And she doesn’t trust my intentions toward Idun. It’s annoying. And insulting.”

  They left Mercedes’s workplace at the realtor office and started walking toward their favourite café. It was lovely weather outside. It was sunny and birds were singing but Mercedes hardly noticed as she continued to focus on the annoyance she felt.

  “How is the little girl toy of yours?”

  “Don’t call her that.” Mercedes sighed. “She’s fine. Better. She’s still in pain when doing certain movements but she’s much, much better.” At least well enough to argue with me, Mercedes thought irritably, recalling their fight before she had left for work.

  “That’s good.” Raphael nodded. “Does Jo blame you?” He hid a cough in the elbow of his jacket.

  “She didn’t say it out loud, but yes, I think so.”

  “Why didn’t you call her and tell her what had happened as soon as Idun got hurt?”

  Mercedes didn’t answer as they entered the cafe. They both ordered and sat down on the comfortable chairs by the window. They spoke Brazilian Portuguese to each other and a couple of people gave them curious looks.

  “I don’t know,” she said. “She doesn’t like me. I don’t like her. Why should I willingly call her?”

  Raphael gave her his best teacher-look.

  “Don’t play stupid, Meri,” he said. “It doesn’t suit you.”

  * * *

  Raphael walked with Mercedes back to the office. They had changed the topic of conversation now and Mercedes felt happier. She was looking forward to going back to work, and she was looking forward for the day ending so she could back home. Idun usually called or texted her when they fought, but this time she had been silent.

  “What are you going to do now?” She looked at Raphael who sighed.

  “Well, I’ve got classes to teach, but I want to write. Like always.” They stopped outside Mercedes’s office. “Oh, I almost forgot, can I borrow your car?”

  “Sure.” Mercedes took off her jacket. “Why though?”

  “I’ve got a girl to impress.” Raphael didn’t even look ashamed and Mercedes swatted him with her jacket.

  “Fine. I’ll get you my car keys, I forgot them at my desk. Come on.” They entered.

  When they went inside they immediately noticed that something was wrong. The front desk assistant, Kenneth, was gasping for breath with tears streaming down his face and somebody somewhere was making groaning sounds.

  “What the hell has happened?” Mercedes took a step forward but Raphael grabbed her arm. She looked at him and he pointed at a seemingly dead body on the steps to the right.

  “It’s Katya,” Kenneth choked out. “Katya is dead.”

  “Why? How? What?” I talked with her just an
hour ago!

  “Lock the door!” Ella came from around the corner holding a cell phone.

  “Why?” Mercedes stared at her.

  “Just do it!” Ella said. “I’m on the phone with the police, they are telling us to lock the door and not let anybody leave.”

  “Can I at least leave?” Raphael looked at Ella. “I’ve got a class to teach in twenty minutes.”

  Ella shook her head.

  “They were very clear. Nobody leaves.”

  Mercedes stared at Katya’s body. She wished she was home with Idun, she should have listened to Jo when… Jo! Jo had told her to go home, had she known that something was going to happen? That motherfucker.

  The sound of sirens from somewhere outside had been creeping closer and they quieted when a black van stopped right outside their office. Mercedes had expected medical personnel, perhaps a policeman or two. What she hadn’t expected was eight people in hazmat suits, three of them carrying large weapons. She opened her mouth to say something to Raphael but nothing came out. She grabbed Raphael’s arm and held on tight.

  “Breathe,” he said close to her ear .

  She tried. Panicking wasn’t a good idea and she needed to breathe slowly to get her heart rate down. Her hand shook and she dropped her purse to the floor.

  “Everybody calm down!” It took Mercedes a moment to realise who of the figures were talking. “We’re from the military, so I’d suggest you do as we say. How many of you are there?”

  Ella stepped next to Mercedes.

  “There are six of us working today.” She sobbed. “Well, five, since…” she looked at Nadia.

  One of the hazmat suited people approached Katya who was still on the floor.

  “Can someone tell me what happened?”

  “She said she couldn’t breathe,” Kenneth said. “She’s had a cold for over a week. I was going to get her a glass of water and then…” he held out his hand as if he didn’t know what to say and burst into tears. “She just dropped dead.”

  They people in the hazmat suits looked at each other. One of them, a man, waved at one of the ones holding guns. He turned toward Mercedes and the others.

  “Come with me.”

  “What?” Mercedes couldn’t believe what was happening. “Where are we going?”

  “That’s not for you to know right now.”

  “I want to go home.” It was Kenneth who had found his voice again and he stood up, his whole body shaking. As Mercedes stared at him in disbelief, he picked up his hole punch and threw it at the person closest to him. One of the people grabbed him by the neck and tried to hold him down but he kept screaming. Mercedes wanted to do something, anything, but she could she only look on as the people in hazmat suits shared a look and placed a rifle against Kenneth’s head.

  “No!” Ella’s voice was drowned by the sharp sound of a shot being fired.

  “Come with us now.” The voice was authoritative, not one you disobeyed. There wasn’t a chance that they weren’t going to do exactly what was asked of them.

  Mercedes and Raphael joined hands as they exited the building. There was a minibus waiting for them there, next to the black van, sporting military colors.

  Mercedes’s heart beat in her throat, and her whole body was screaming at her to argue, demand to see their supervisor, do something, but the shot was still ringing in her ears and she didn’t dare to do anything. She just squeezed Raphael’s hand tighter.

  She hesitated at the mini bus but after seeing no other option, she entered it and sat down. Raphael, Ella and the others came in behind her. Last came a hazmat suited person carrying a rifle. The door closed. The engine roared.

  Mercedes didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. The morning had seemed so normal and now it felt like nothing would ever be the same again. She let her head fall down on Raphael’s shoulder. At least she wasn’t alone. Her thoughts drifted to Idun for a moment and she felt her body tense.

  Idun was so far away now. Mercedes closed her eyes and tried to empty her head. She kept them closed as the bus pulled out from the curb, drove down the main street and headed for the high way. Taking them away from town, and Idun.

  * * *

  Jo stared at the report in her hand; she couldn’t believe what she was seeing.

  “Is this true?” She looked up at her good friend and fellow soldier, Marco Johnsson. He nodded, a grim look on his face.

  “Reports are coming in from all over Sweden.”

  Jo swallowed, her thoughts first going to the job in front of her, second to her sister who was several miles away. Mercedes had said she was hurt right? Injured, not ill?

  “We have work to do.” He gripped her arm. “Riots have already broken out in several towns, we have to go.”

  “I have to call my dad.”

  Marco stared at her in disbelief, but Jo stared back with just as much intensity.

  “I have twenty minutes before we head out, I need to at least tell him that I’m alive and that… that…” She sighed. “That I will try to get hold of Idun. He’s suppose to fly home soon too, I need to tell him to stay put. I won’t tell him anything… consequential. Please.” She looked at her friend; she knew that she was asking too much of him. She was asking him to break protocol, to become her accomplice if he let her make the call and said nothing. He looked uncomfortable but eventually he nodded.

  “Fine, just hurry.”

  Jo headed back to her room and picked up her phone. She dialed her dad’s Canadian number. Nothing. She took a deep breath, tried again and finally got a signal.

  “Ragnar Tyr.”

  “Dad?” Jo gripped the phone harder.

  “Emma Josephine.” His voice was full of relief. “Oh thank God.”

  “It’s Jo, dad,” she said. It didn’t matter that things were falling apart, she would be dead before she let anyone call her Emma Josephine. “Things are bad.”

  “I know,” he said. “What’s happening? There are no flights and when I went to the embassy nobody wanted to tell us anything. ” His voice sounded shriller than Jo had ever heard it before. She understood his worry; her dad’s visit to Canada was about to get much longer than planned.

  “I’m afraid I can’t tell you much more,” Jo said. “I just wanted to hear your voice, tell you that my people are doing what we can and that I’m alive and well.”

  “What about Idun?” her dad asked. “Have you heard from her? I called a couple of times yesterday but the call wouldn’t connect.”

  “I’ll call her right after this.” Should I mention that I might not be able to reach her? “I don’t want you to worry. I’ll take care of her.” If I can. “I have connections and there are places that are safe.” She readied herself to say good-bye.

  “What about you?” her dad asked, making Jo close her mouth. What about me? she thought. What do you think? Jo had been in the military since she was 18; she wasn’t so much feeling as simply reacting to a situation she had been trained for. We have to protect Sweden. We have to save as many people as we can. We need to serve and protect. Sweden needs us.

  “You’re always in the middle of things,” her dad continued when Jo still hadn’t answered. “Maybe you could take some time off? Take your sister, that lady of hers and… I don’t know, leave the country or something?”

  “Dad.” Jo closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose with the hand not holding the phone. “All the borders have been closed. And even if I wish that Idun and Mercedes could have left last week, I still wouldn’t have left. You know this, I belong ‘in the middle of it’. I want to help. I think I can help.”

  “Emma J…”

  “It’s Jo, dad!” She didn’t know why she was still insisting he called her that, it shouldn’t have been important.

  “Fine, fine, I’m sorry.” His voice held regret. “But have Idun call me, all right? I’m so worried about her.”

  “I’m going to call her right away,” Jo promised. “And I’ll call you if something happen
s, okay?”

  “Yes, honey,” her dad said in a soft voice. “Please do.”

  “Love you. Bye.” She hung up and immediately dialed her sister’s number.

  Chapter Two

  Idun Tyr had just finished her morning exercise, taken a few pain pills and laid down for a nap. Recovering had been a tedious process; boredom and tiredness bringing her mood down every day. For several weeks she had had to wake up every two hours and cough just to prevent a collapsed lung. At least Mercedes was at work, they had been fighting all morning before she had left and Idun needed some time for herself.

  She had just closed her eyes when her phone started buzzing. She tried to ignore it at first, but eventually opened her eyes. She grabbed it with a groan and looked at the screen. Private number, huh. She pressed green.

  “It’s Idun.”

  “Idun! Thank God!” It didn’t matter that Idun was tired and slightly groggy from the pain pills; she would recognize her sister’s voice anywhere.

  “Jo! Hey! What’s up?” She felt a twinge of guilt for not calling her sister for so long. Did Jo even know about Idun’s accident? I doubt Mercedes called and told her. Idun scoffed.

  “Look, I don’t have much time. It’s very important that you listen to me now.”

  Idun’s eyebrows knitted and she sat up to be able to focus. Sudden pain reminded her that she couldn’t yet move freely and she took Mercedes’s pillow and pressed it against her abdomen with her free hand.

  “I’m listening.”

  “Some bad things are going to happen and soon; I’m breaking more rules than I can count telling you this, but I couldn’t bear something happening to you.”

  Idun hugged the pillow closer.

  “You’re scaring me.”

  “Good. I need you to hide. Don’t come out no matter what you hear. Not if someone calls for you, not if someone knocks on the door. Just stay away from the windows and hide. I’ll see if…” The call dropped.