by S G Read
‘Good try. I have to keep you alive but no one said anything about you not being shown a good time and that is just what I am going to do to you!’ The man declared and dragged her by the feet to the back of the land rover.
She was helpless to resist, with her hands tied and now that James was unconscious, he could not help her. She tried to kick him but he caught her flailing feet and hauled her close to him. He held both feet with one arm while he undid her jeans and pulled them down. She resisted with all her body, clenching her buttocks to stop them moving but he pulled them down. He smiled and gripped her pants ready to pull them down but suddenly stiffened and slumped forward without a sound.
Behind him she could see a man; a bloody knife in his hand. ‘I believe you were meant to meet some friends of mine.’ He said quietly. ‘Barry Carter: ex marine.’
He cut her ties and dragged her out by her feet so that she could pull her jeans up. He dragged James out, threw the dead man inside and closed the door before picking James up like he was a rag doll and walked away with Clem following, after she picked up the dead mans gun.
He dropped down a bank and let James roll on the floor. Clem slid down on her bottom.
‘This is Jacob, Jason, Richard, Kevin and Tosh.’ Barry said as a quick introduction. ‘They were meant to meet you and we are just tagging along for the ride.’
‘Hi.’ Clem greeted. ‘They are the clan! I am going to shoot as many of them as I can, want to help?’
‘We’d love to!’ Jacob answered.
They moved forward as one, quietly approaching from the rear. As they moved forward they pointed out where each member of the opposition was hiding. As they grew closer they spread out ready for their attack. The clan were keeping low to await their arrival and did not hear or see their advance. Jason lifted his arm, and then let it fall; they all started firing. The clan members either died or ran for it. Two ran down the road away from the lethal hail of bullets but Laura stepped out with her pistol held in both hands and shot them both. She walked up to them and leaned over their inert forms.
‘No prisoners.’ She declared. ‘That is what you said when you shot Frank and he was a good man!’
Richard came running down the road after the two men to make sure they did not escape and found Laura with the two bodies.
‘Well done Laura. See any more go by?’
‘Can you see any more bodies?’ She retorted.
‘Nary a one!’ Richard answered. ‘I’ll look back the other way.’
‘I should.’ Laura assured him. ‘No one will pass me while I’m still alive!’
They counted bodies and checked with everyone to make sure none had escaped but they were all dead.
James staggered out of the trees on to the crossroads. ‘What happened?’
‘You left me to kill them all!’ Clem complained, and then saw a wet patch on his jeans. ‘Did you wet yourself?’
‘Sort of.’ He answered and then saw the other people. ‘Who are they then?’
‘They are who we were supposed to meet except Barry and Tosh there; they are just along for the ride.’ She pointed to the two men in question.
‘With our families.’ Barry added.
‘Well you are all welcome but first we have to get rid of the bodies.’ Clem declared.
‘Why.’ Laura asked walking up the road.
‘To stop the dogs around here having a free feed. The more that die of hunger the better or better still if they eat each other!’ Clem explained. ‘Who are you anyway?’
‘I am Laura MacDonald. I’m with them.’
‘Then you are welcome as well.’ Clem replied. ‘Now gather wood for a pyre and we’ll burn these suckers on the middle of the roundabout. Bring the jeeps and the van though if there are enough of you to drive them.’
They piled up wood and set fire to it with all the bodies piled on top. The men went off to collect their families and drove back up to the roundabout. They found someone to drive each vehicle and drove back to the walled house in a convoy. Clem climbed out and gave the signal for the gates to be opened and they all drove inside with the people in the house watching in awe.
‘There were supposed to be four!’ Ray declared when Clem walked up to him.
Suddenly Justine; Barry’s daughter ran past all of the others. Brian was also moving, not believing his eyes and met her. She jumped into his arms.
‘Hello Uncle Brian.’ She cried and held him tight.
‘They picked up a few stragglers on the way.’ Clem explained. ‘We have to be careful what we say on the radios, the clan were there waiting for all of us.’
‘How many were there?’ Will asked.
Clem counted on her fingers. ‘Ten altogether!’ She decided. ‘It was a good job these came along or we would have been on our way to London! Me, destined to be this Jamal’s plaything and James to take part in some sort of games.’
‘Then I owe you a debt of thanks.’ Ray declared and shook each mans’ hand in turn. He went on to do the same to the women. ‘She might be a pain in the bum but we are used to her now and wouldn’t want to lose her.’
Jacob laughed. ‘She’s a feisty one alright,’ he agreed, ‘but she is a good fighter. Mind you we have brought a few good fighters with us.’
‘Let’s go inside.’ Ray replied. ‘We can get better acquainted once we are inside and I am sure you are all hungry!’
‘You can say that again.’ Laura declared. ‘I can help with the cooking if you like.’
‘Help is always accepted.’ Donna answered. ‘Especially in the kitchen area.’
‘Come on Hetty we will help cook everyone a meal to remember.’
They all filed inside and closed the door on the failing light outside. They talked amongst them selves while the food was cooking and then while they ate it, sitting where they could. Afterwards they gathered in the television room for formal introductions. Ray went first and introduced all the existing members, and then Jacob introduced the newcomers. Barry was standing next to his brother who was still holding Justine.
‘Amazing that!’ Will declared. ‘To find your brother when so many are dead!’
‘And with them living so far apart.’ Jethro agreed. ‘At least John and myself lived close handy. When our families died we left to find any other survivors!’
‘I was on my way to where Barry was living when you found me but it was hard going walking.’ Brian explained. ‘I can drive now Justine!’
‘Never! Not you Uncle Brian!’ Justine replied.
‘Clem taught me.’ He pointed to Clem just to make sure Justine knew who he meant.
‘But surely she is too young to drive?’ Justine retorted.
‘Not anymore!’ Will declared. ‘Now you do what you have to as long as you can do it!’
‘Will you teach me Uncle Brian?’
‘As long as your father agrees I will but he might want to teach you himself!’
Barry looked up and shook his head, whether it was to teach her to drive himself or her learning to drive at all, Brian did not know.
They spent the rest of the day sorting out who was sleeping where and making sure they had a bed to sleep in. When the beds ran out in the house and all the hospital beds removed to other rooms, they took the van and collected beds from houses not yet raided to fill the shortfall. They tried to keep families together and let all they could have a room. When the upstairs was full the rest had to sleep downstairs. They even had to use the room stacked with tins of food, even though they had no where to put the food. The beds were just erected next to a stack of cans.
‘Be alright if I get peckish in the night.’ Barry declared.
‘Just don’t take out the bottom can.’ Will advised.
They all settled in the television room which had also gained a lot more chairs. Everyone had a chair now.
‘We are full now, I think we can agree.’ Will declared as he flopped in his chair.
‘So what do we do with any more arrivals?’
Tosh asked.
‘The second garage can have beds put in it as a quick solution.’ Ray answered. ‘A more permanent solution is to use the other houses but for that we need to put the wall round far enough. With no news from the Welsh lot we will go out and get fencing tomorrow so that we can start to put it round. Can we fix to the second tower yet Jethro?’
‘As long as I get another two courses on it, you can screw at the top of the fence. To do it before then would dislodge the top block!’
‘Then you lay the next two courses tomorrow while we get as much fencing as we can find. There are more now to do the work and to make sure the dogs keep away.’
Chapter 6
By first light Jethro was working. He had enough help now and Tosh could lay blocks. Ray led one team out for fencing while the four from East Anglia with James as a guide made up the other team. Ray led them to a school where there was the type of fencing they required and they started cutting it free with angle grinders and electric saws powered by a generator. As it was cut free the uprights were removed from the fence and the fence rolled up. Each roll was put on the flat bed lorry they had with them and tied down. The uprights were laid on to be tied down all together. When they had stripped the whole fence round the playground they started back to the house.
The holes for the uprights were ready when they arrived and each upright was fixed in place with cement. The rolled fence was left until Jethro gave them to go ahead, as the cement round posts had to set. Ray and his team passed the other team returning with more fence as they went back out again.
The second team dropped off their load and went back out for more as well. The people who were working finished of the second tower then carried on digging holes round the perimeter to take the latest fence posts and any more the others might bring back. With willing hands and a digger, the holes did not take long and the perimeter fence started to take shape. By the time the teams returned and joined in the fence had reached the back of the first house. Behind the house was a steep slope so the new fence had to go in front of the hedge, leaving the house still with a garden. As a perimeter fence it did not look much, just metal uprights running in a wide arc, stopping at the second tower and restarting after it. They unrolled the first section of fence and fixed it to the first tower ready to go when Jethro said so.
Everyone slept well that night.
Morning found them out working at first light. The two teams went out for more fence and the workers dug more holes ready for the next uprights. The day followed a similar pattern to the previous one. They moved from the house Ray had first raided for furniture and kitchen equipment, past the second one and on to the third one, the one he took the oil tank from.
‘It is going to take a while to fence in where you have marked on the map.’ Jethro remarked. ‘Let alone build a wall right round it!’
‘I can see that.’ Ray admitted. ‘When you have passed the house you reached today I think you should do a left turn and come across the front of the settlement. When you reach the place where you think you are level with the right hand side of the perimeter wall, you could turn and come down as far as the wall.’ He traced it out with his finger to show what he meant. ‘That would give us the use of the houses we have protected for any newcomers or if anyone feels like a bit of elbow room.’
‘That makes sense.’ Jethro agreed. ‘That way Tosh and I could build up the wall and towers without anyone having to guard us with guns.’
‘And the fence we have can be reused when you have built the wall!’ Jacob declared.
‘It also means that when we do hear from the welsh crowd we can go and see about the clans downfall and leave people with work to do.’ Ray added. ‘We need to get self sufficient or starve. I know there is still a lot of food about but we could do with fresh food to keep us healthy!’
‘What then?’ Will asked.
‘Then we start the other side: if we aren’t off sorting out the clan!’ Ray answered.
‘So we can do the perimeter in fits and starts.’ Will replied.
‘It’s too bigger task to do in one sitting. I knew that soon after we started.’ Ray declared. ‘But the bigger we make the area we are safe in, the more we can plant or manage; there are some fruit trees in it.’
‘So do we have enough fencing?’ Jacob asked.
‘We will know when we start to cross the front, but we will need some sort of gates out there as well.’ Ray answered. ‘When we cross the road that comes down to the drive.’
‘Not worth building proper towers where that gate is though is it?’ Jethro exclaimed.
‘No we’ll knock up something out of wood to keep the gates manned and to keep them up.’ Ray answered. ‘Ralphy have another try at getting the Welsh settlement on the radio.’
‘Be careful what you say on the radio.’ Clem warned. ‘The clan must have heard what was going on and laid on an ambush. That is how we were caught, but Jacob’s lot sussed it out and turned the tables.’
‘You didn’t do too bad yourself.’ Jacob assured her.
‘It didn’t feel that way when he was just about to have his way with me!’ Clem retorted.
‘He had a bloody nose and a bleeding hand.’ Jacob continued. ‘And you were tied up!’
They talked for a while longer while Ralphy tried to raise the Welsh settlement without success.
‘Back to work then.’ Ray declared. ‘We go round the second house, turn sharp left and head east. Is the first section ready to go up Jethro?’
‘Yes from Tower to tower is ready, leave the rest for another day although we did put a lot of cement round the posts.’
One gang put up the wire from tower to tower while the rest worked to pass behind the second house and start across the front of the settlement, although they could not see the settlement from where they were.
‘So how do we police it?’ John asked.
‘Two men on the gate towers, with wires run inside across the ground to the last tower by the second house and two jeeps driving round the fenced area. The wall will have cameras on the towers so there will be no need for the jeep to go round there. Anyone approaching will be seen and met.’ Ray answered.
‘So in the end it will all be done by cameras?’ He asked.
‘Apart from the main gate which will need to be manned but we can’t afford the petrol or diesel to keep driving round the whole area.’
‘That I can understand.’ John admitted.
They heard a motor and saw Laura bouncing across the rough ground in a jeep toward them. They walked out to meet her.
‘We heard from the Welsh at last, they had to move, something about a power station going up in smoke too near them!’ She said when they reached her.
‘I’ll go back and see what I can arrange with them.’ Ray announced. ‘You work on but keep a watch on the dogs they are getting more adventurous all the time!’
He climbed in besides Laura.
‘Where is your guard?’ He asked.
‘The way I drive no self respecting dog would try to get in here, let alone catch me. Besides I have old faithful here in case one gets to frisky!’ She patted her pistol.
Ray made sure his pistol was ready to fire and held on tight, despite the seat belt.
As they approached the gates opened and Laura sped up the drive to the front door, Ray walked inside; mindful to tell Clem that her driving was not so bad.
He found Ralphy with the radio.
‘Here is Ray now Dai.’ Ralphy said into the mike and gave it to Ray.
‘Hello Dai, before you say too much we might have other listeners.’ As he said that an idea came to him. ‘Yes they listened in to a meeting we planned with the East Anglian mob and ambushed us and the East Anglians. Killed them and took our prettiest fighter prisoner. One of our men managed to listen in to what was said and relay it to us before he died. She was the girl their leader wanted.’
Clem appeared at the doorway to listen with the others.
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��Took her and decided to see if she was worth all the fuss. Drove off towards the west coast, with ideas of going out to the Isle of Wight and have her to keep them entertained.’ He made it up as he went on. ‘So do not divulge any positions while you are on.’
‘Got that Ray.’
‘Good, how are you, it has been a few days!’
‘We had a problem with a power station not that far away. It went up in smoke and we had to move out of its range. We have relocated now so we can get back to your problem.’
‘Good I have a few men here pulling at the yoke but I will get back to you about it now that you are back on line.’
‘I’ll wait to hear back from you then. Bye.’
Ray gave Ralphy the mike.
‘So I am on the Isle of Wight giving the clan a good time am I?’ Clem asked, now by the chess board.
‘Sounded like it to me!’ Ray answered.
‘I feel like a pawn.’ She answered picking one up from the board.
‘Better than actually doing what Ray said you were.’ Hetty declared.
‘Does that mean I can’t go out anywhere?’ Clem asked.
‘Not at all but if you do meet any of the clan, none of them must get away!’ Ray added as he went back out to work on. ‘Come on you can drive me back to where I was working.’
He walked to her car with Clem following.
‘I thought you didn’t like my driving?’ She asked when she jumped into the drivers’ seat.
‘That was before Laura drove me back here.’ Ray answered with a wink.
‘So what’s the plan now that we can’t plan a meet with Dai’s lot?’ Clem asked.
‘I will talk about that tonight, when I have had time to think it over, I hope Jamal will send troops over to the Isle of Wight looking for you and waste a bit of time.’
‘I wonder what he can see in me.’ Clem mused.
‘I think he just likes younger women, well girls.’
‘So he is a paedophile?’
‘If not very close to being one. It is accepted where he comes from to marry young girls, I think.’