The Fight for Life

by S G Read

  ‘Beat you up this time Mr. King!’ She declared. ‘Are we going to find out who that was you saw the other day? I want to shake their hand!’

  ‘I reckon, the more the merrier but I need some breakfast first!’ Ray answered. ‘Have you walked Blue?’

  The answer was no. Will went with Clem and they walked round the perimeter of the big house to give him some exercise. By the time they came back Ray was sitting in the van ready to go. They had to wait for Clem to use the toilet, then they were on their way to the little shop, well, to a street near the church.

  They parked out of sight of the shop.

  ‘Can`t see any dogs!’ Clem declared. ‘When we stopped for what they called my indoctrination there were a few about but the soon ran off after the men shot a couple.’

  Will climbed down and Clem followed on the passenger side. Ray climbed down on the drivers` side and had a pistol thrust into his face.

  ‘Good reason for not seeing any dogs.’ The man with the gun crowed. ‘We killed them!

  They were relieved of their guns and ammunition but left Ray’s crossbow on his back.

  ‘Not much use against a gun, one of these.’ The man declared. ‘Especially without these pointy things.’ He took the bolts from the quiver. ‘Bring the girl round here!’

  Clem and Will were forced round at gun point and Clem was singled out.

  ‘The boss wants to see you! He knew the men were going to collect you and he wanted to know how you killed them all. I think we know now but he still wants to see you. He is going to be the one to indoctrinate you!’

  ‘Rape me more like.’ Clem answered. Then her voice changed. ‘But then he won`t be the first, I`m no virgin, so why not take the time to taste a real fresh girl. I`ll take you to a height you have never reached before.’

  ‘What the boss says goes!’ The man answered.

  ‘But surely we can have a little recreation.’ She pulled her tee shirt over her head and dropped it on to the floor, then undid her bra and dropped that as well. ‘What you do with these I don`t care, they are a bit too old for me but don`t do it where I can see!’ She unzipped her flies.

  ‘You three take them round the corner and give them a good send off.’ The man ordered.

  ‘David and Paul can handle it!’ The third man declared. ‘I aint going nowhere!’

  ‘The boss won`t like you disobeying me Peter!’

  ‘I`ll risk it!’ Peter answered.

  ‘You two do it then.’ The man retorted.

  Ray and William were pushed along a track at the end of the men’s guns and taken round the corner.

  Clem slid her jeans down to reveal her long legs. She was teasing them and playing for time but if that failed she had another plan up her sleeve. The jeans came off and she slowly slid her pants down and finally stepped out of them.

  ‘Anyone want some?’ She asked.

  ‘The boss wants you first!’ The man who was in charge declared but he was wavering.

  Clem started to undo his trouser.

  ‘Maybe a little starter will get you interested.’ She said sexily.

  She slid his trousers down and his pants. The last thing she wanted to do was to get near the thing she saw there, the thing which was starting to get bigger, without any help from her. She knelt down and put her mouth near the man’s penis. She heard two shots and that stopped her play acting. She took his penis in her mouth and bit on it as hard as she could. The man screamed in pain but she bit with such ferociousness that he was powerless to do anything. One of the other men hit her with the pistol barrel and she fell to the floor. As she did so the end of man’s penis fell out of her mouth and landed on the floor. The man writhed in agony but Clem could not enjoy it, she was unconscious!

  Chapter 3

  Will and ray were forced round the corner at gun point. When they were out of sight of the van Ray barged Will.

  ‘This is all your fault.’ Ray declared, trying to sound hysterical. ‘We should have stayed away from this area, like I said!’

  ‘It was your idea and you know it.’ Will declared and barged him back.

  As he did so, Ray threw him into the two men with them, then ran for it. The two men recovered quickly and fired after him as he ran round the next corner. A bullet tugged at his sleeve but drew no blood.

  Ray ran to the back of the church as fast as he could.

  ‘You wait here with him!’ The man named David ordered. ‘But don`t kill him, I want that pleasure, I want to do them both, slowly! Then we can have turns with the girl.’

  ‘What about the boss?’ Paul asked.

  ‘He aint here.’ David replied and started after Ray.

  Ray stood out in the open, trying to judge where the bolt which had bounced the man’s head and flew over the wall might have landed. He knew he had to find it or both of them would die and Clem would be in their hands. Not a nice prospect! He searched, scrabbling in the bushes and the undergrowth until he heard the man come round the corner. The man was sure of himself and not worried about being seen. Ray hid behind the old yew tree and came face to face with his bolt, sticking in the tree. It was well embedded but he had to have it and, after a struggle, brute strength pulled it out. He loaded his crossbow.

  ‘Come and get it.’ The man called as though he was talking to an animal.

  Ray took aim and fired. The bolt flew silently through the air and stuck in David’s chest. He looked at the bolt with surprise, pointed at it and tried to say something but no words came out. He fell where he stood. Ray took his pistol and all his ammunition then, pulled the bolt out of him. He reloaded his crossbow and slid along the wall towards the other man’s position. He reached the corner and peered round the corner, the man was watching and he ducked back quickly. Will chose that moment to speak from the ground where he lay. Will was still on the ground but watching like a hawk.

  ‘I know where there are more girls.’ He whispered.

  The man turned to look down at him. ‘Where?’

  The same bolt which had killed David landed in his back. A pained look crossed his face and his arms went wide in an automatic reaction.

  ‘In heaven,’ Will added as the man fell forward, ‘but I don`t think you will get to go there!’

  He stood up and waited for Ray to reach him. ‘You took your time!’

  ‘Couldn’t find the bloody bolt but I knew it was there somewhere!’

  ‘Good job it was, or we’d be dead meat by now!’ Will answered. ‘Shall we go round the corner and kick clan ass?’

  ‘Why not!’

  Clem lay there unmoving.

  ‘What now?’ one of the remaining men asked.

  ‘Well James has seemed to have lost interest in this little thing but I haven`t!’ Peter declared. ‘And unconscious means she won`t argue none!’

  He dragged her by the legs to where he wanted her and pulled her long legs apart.

  ‘Don`t that look purty.’

  ‘Why should you have her first?’ The man who so far had said nothing asked.

  ‘Well James is out of the running, not having a cock makes it very hard going when you are trying to rape a girl! So it is going to be one of us and before the other two get back. Now I could shoot you two and do it but that seems to be going a little too far, as we are supposed to be on the same side. So how about, I don`t shoot you and you shut your mouth!’

  He dropped his trousers but still had his pistol at the ready. The last man to speak raised his pistol and Peter shot him dead.

  ‘Any argument from you Terry?’ Peter asked.

  ‘No! Go for it Peter! Just don`t get it near her mouth!’ Terry answered. ‘Makes me wince just to think about it.’

  ‘No one is having her.’ James declared, climbing to his feet, his pistol held unwaveringly despite his pain and loss of blood. He made it to his feet and lurched over to where Clem lay spread eagled.

  ‘Don`t do it James!’ Peter pleaded. ‘It`s a criminal waste!’

  ‘Look what she did t
o me!’ James cried. ‘She dies now!’

  ‘Better to let her wake up and know it is you who is killing her.’ Terry added. ‘You could cut her tits off and cut out her fanny.’ He was looking forward to his turn.

  ‘I might be dead by the time she wakes up!’ James answered and aimed at her head.

  A crossbow bolt hit him in the neck and two bullets killed Peter and Terry. James stood there for a few seconds, trying to shoot but in the end he fell backwards, displaying his missing manhood.

  Will and Ray walked up, ready to fire if anyone moved but they were all dead.

  ‘I certainly won`t upset her!’ Will said, looking at the place where James manhood used to be. ‘It`s dangerous!’

  ‘I should say!’ Ray retorted.

  ‘What do we do with them?’ Will asked as Ray covered Clem with a blanket from the van.

  ‘Make a pile of wood, then we’ll pour petrol from their car over them and make sure they don’t pollute the place!’

  They made a pyre, dragged the bodies on to it, then Ray went in search of their car, or one of their cars if they came it more than one, to get some petrol. He found three cars parked out of sight and collected petrol from one of them. He returned, tipped it over them liberally and let Will have the honour of lighting it.

  While they were watching the men burn Clem woke up.

  ‘I heard two shots.’ She cried. ‘I thought you were both dead! I didn`t know what to do!’

  Will looked down at the neatly folded pile of clothes. ‘Did you do a striptease again? If you did it was quite effective.’ He declared. ‘But put some clothes on now or I am in danger of having a heart attack!’

  Clem smiled but just lay there watching the flames. ‘I was playing for time.’ She said demurely and continued to watch the flames.

  ‘Well you sure know how to show a lonely guy a good time, I don`t know which was more exciting, the threat of immanent death or the prospect of a heart attack, which is still possible!’

  ‘Now what?’ Clem asked when the fire was well alight.

  ‘I suggest you get dressed young lady and we`ll go and try to find whoever it is we are trying to find!’ Ray answered.

  ‘Okay.’ Clem dressed carefully, to look her neatest for whoever they were going to meet, if indeed they did find someone there.

  They moved the van further away from the flames and walked quietly toward the shop. When they were close enough, they spread out and settled down to watch and wait. After half an hour Clem disappeared into a nearby house, when she came out again she was zipping up her jeans again. The men had no need to go so far to go to the toilet, there were trees everywhere.

  They waited patiently and after two hours their patience was rewarded. A woman crept along the edge of the road and slipped into the shop. When she came out she carried a carrier bag with things inside it. They followed her movements by watching, and then moving to where they could still see her, until she went down an alley between two houses. They followed her down the alley and saw her walk into the trees on the other side of a patch of grass.

  They let her get out of sight and then followed her across. There were no houses here but they could see a horse box some way away. They stopped and watched for her but there was no sign of her anymore. She was either inside the horsebox or had walked on!

  ‘Now what?’ Clem asked.

  ‘We wait.’ Ray answered and settled down to do just that.

  Will did the same. Clem was tired of waiting but in the end she sat down near the two men to wait. They saw a little boy come out of the horse box and urinate in some bushes before he hurried back inside.

  ‘She`s not alone!’ Will declared. ‘Got a little one with her.’

  ‘Her’s do you think?’ Ray asked.

  ‘She looked a bit old to be his mother but you never know nowadays!’ Will answered.

  ‘What do we do?’ Clem asked.

  ‘Get closer.’ Ray answered and climbed to his feet using a tree to help himself up.

  They moved closer but as they did so another boy came out. He saw them and ran inside again.

  ‘That`s blown it!’ Will declared. ‘He`s seen us.’

  They moved forward quickly in case the woman and children ran for it but no one came out.

  ‘Hello, you in the horsebox.’ Ray called.

  As he spoke a shotgun barrel slid out into sight but no one answered.

  ‘We mean you no harm.’ Ray added.

  ‘I bet.’ A womans` voice answered. ‘What do you want if you don`t mean us any harm?’

  ‘I came to shake your hand.’ Clem declared and walked forward and in front of the open part of the door, so that the woman could see her.

  ‘Why?’ The woman asked.

  ‘The clan got hold of me and was going to rape me but Ray here saw you in the shop and stopped to see who you were. He heard my screams and killed all six of them!’

  ‘What was the shooting about this time then?’ The woman asked.

  ‘They caught us again but we killed six more and burnt the bodies again.’ Clem answered.

  ‘They won`t like that!’ The woman complained.

  ‘No they won`t.’ Ray answered and stepped forward to stand next to Clem.

  Will did the same.

  ‘I have made a large house my home and anyone who isn’t with the clan is welcome.’ Ray announced. ‘We have hot running water, electricity and ice cream!’

  The last bit was for the two children.

  ‘I`ve got no chance now!’ The woman complained and opened the door.

  ‘I`m Ray King, this is Will Butler and this little firebrand is Clemantine Baker, Clem to her friends.’

  ‘I`m Donna Willcox. This is Billy.’ A boy appeared. ‘This is Joe.’ Another boy appeared. ‘This is Rachel.’ A girl appeared. ‘And this is Evelyn.’ A second girl appeared.

  ‘Well it is going to get a bit hot round here and I`d rather not have to come back over this way until the clan have given up looking for us.’ Ray answered. ‘So shall we vamoose?’

  The four grown ups picked up a child and the walked back to the van but they did it warily, watching for more clan members, hoping to see them, before the clan members saw them but no one was about. The fire was still burning when they drove away but no one paid it any attention.

  Blue met them at the gate.

  ‘This is Blue.’ Will said making sure Donna did not shoot him.

  Instead of letting Blue into the van he jumped down and stroked him, then they both followed the van up to the house. Ray dished up the ice cream and even Donna had a bowlful. After that Donna bathed the children, two at a time. When they were clean and parked in front of the cartoons Ray put on the television for them, Donna took a long leisurely bath. Clem supplied her with a bath robe, she had a few! Later when the children were put to bed the four sat round the television talking. The cartoons had finished playing but no one moved to put anything else on.

  ‘So what did you do?’ Donna asked, looking at Ray.

  ‘I was into insurance, quite high up but I did prefer to do things round the house. I can do a lot of DIY!’

  ‘I was an engineer at a power station.’ Will answered when she looked at him.

  ‘And I was a lazy little cow!’ Clem answered without Donna looking at her. ‘I realise it now so why didn’t I see it then?’

  ‘Maybe you did and didn’t care.’ Donna answered. ‘I am a nurse.’

  She said ‘am’ because it was one profession which was still very much needed.

  ‘We should visit a chemist tomorrow then, so that you can stock up.’ Ray offered.

  ‘Sounds good to me but who will look after the kids?’ Donna answered.

  They all looked at Clem.

  ‘Oh no! Not the children, anything but that! Pull my finger nails out one by one!’ She cried.

  ‘It’s settled then!’ Ray retorted. ‘The lazy little cow looks after the children, while you select what you want at the chemists!’

  Clem stuc
k her tongue out at Ray but she knew not to argue. She put a film on in case they decided to get her doing anything else as well, like the cleaning!

  They left early in the morning before Clem and the children were up but children will be children and is was not long before they invaded Clem’s room and her sleep!

  Ray followed Donna’s directions to the chemist, it was further than the nearest one but it held a lot of stock. When they arrived the door was wide open and parts of the shop had been ransacked.

  ‘Morons!’ Donna complained. ‘They don’t want it so why not make it that no one can use it!’

  She took a basket from the pile of baskets and began to fill it. She did not waste time. If it was any good to her, it all went into the basket. When a basket was full, she stood the basket by the door for loading and took another one. Ray and Will took turns loading and standing guard. When the baskets ran out she found cardboard boxes to fill. She saw Will look at the pile in the van when she brought another box full.

  ‘We don’t want to have to come back here, do we?’ She declared and carried on collecting.

  Clem reluctantly dressed and took the children downstairs. She dressed them in outside clothes and took them and Blue for a walk round the perimeter. Then she served them breakfast in front of Bob the Builder. Blue was fed next and she finally fed herself in front of Bob the Builder. It had all gone quite smoothly. When one needed the toilet she took them and helped if she was needed. She was a little afraid that the girls might fall into the toilet if they were left there alone.

  Donna moved to the back room and started filling more boxes. She took all the toothbrushes and any toothpaste which was there. The people who had gone in first had been after drugs but only the good ones. When the shop and backroom was empty of anything she wanted she carried the last box out herself.

  ‘That will keep us going.’ She declared and climbed into the van.

  Will looked into the van. ‘And the next hundred people we find!’ He added.

  ‘I heard that!’ Donna called from the front. ‘Don’t forget, the children should have at least eighty years to wear out what we have, even if some of us only have half that! We could do with someone who can make the drugs we want when we get ill, that way they will be at their best, some of those I have in the boxes need to be in a fridge, so I don’t know if they will be any good.’