The Fight for Life

by S G Read

  ‘Is seven enough?’ Barry asked.

  ‘They have three bikes with one on each bike and a plane.’ Ray answered.

  ‘But they are bound to have called for back up.’ Barry replied.

  ‘They have Ray.’ Ralphy declared. ‘A car with six men is going out there.’

  ‘In that case you are in Barry, we might need you expertise. Ralph, if you see the plane or another one overhead shoot it out of the sky. Or you will have company. You might also need to relocate; we can always come back when the clan are no more.’

  They chose to take the people carrier and drove away at speed. James screwed the wire back into place and drove back to the house in Clem’s car. The iron gates closed and they settled down to wait. Men looked skyward and others looked out for dogs inside the wire.

  Laura and John had almost made it to the A23; they were in a place called Cowfold hiding in the garage of a house. That was the information Ray had. They did not know the name of the house and they were worried that the clan might find them, after they used the radio.

  Jason drove. He sped down the smaller roads and then onto the bigger roads. They had to cut across country and it was touch and go if they would get there before dark!

  John watched carefully. ‘They know where we are!’ He declared. ‘Not exactly but what area we are in. All three are on the cross roads now. If they come in here we are in trouble.’

  ‘Any suggestions.’ Laura asked.

  ‘I’ll go into the house and find anything we can take with us, and then we need to go somewhere better than this. There only a few houses around here.’

  ‘You go look while I watch the bad guys.’ Laura replied.

  John filled a bag and returned. They took the radio and the small battery from the boot which made it semi portable, as well as the weapons. They went out the back door, waited until the plane had passed overhead, and then moved slowly from cover to cover. John forced a hole in the rear fence and they moved on. Every time the plane came near, they hid and waited for it to pass overhead, before moving on. To be seen was to be caught and they did not want to be caught! They kept going, moving faster when they were out of sight of the men on the roundabout. They kept moving until it started to get dark, now they needed shelter and in front of them was a school. It was a series of buildings, some high, some low but mainly joined together or close enough to jump from one to another. John helped Laura onto the first roof and they walked to the next one ready to jump over. The plane made them lay flat and stay still, until it was gone again, then they were up and moving quickly. John was heading for a tall tower which had a ladder up the side. They stopped at the bottom of it, for the plane to go by and used the tower as a shield. Then they started to climb. The tower had one door at the top of the ladder. John forced it open as quietly as possible and with as little damage as possible. He climbed inside and helped Laura inside as well. It was a water tower and it still held water so at least they would not die of thirst. The food John had found was a mixture of various tins, a tin opener and two spoons.

  ‘Where are the serviettes?’ Laura cried in mock disbelief.

  ‘I’ll go back for them.’ John offered.

  ‘I suppose we will just have to do without them.’ Laura said grudgingly.

  John was watching through a hole in the wall. ‘They’ve found the car. I wonder if they will link it with us.’

  ‘They may not.’ Laura replied hopefully.

  ‘On the other hand, the trail we left through the back of the garage and through the fence will stand out a bit!’ John said tiredly.

  ‘Well it was better than walking down the road.’ Laura declared. ‘At least, from up here, we can keep them at bay and with gourmet meals like’- She held up a tin. ‘Baked beans, cold from a can we can hold out for days.’

  ‘You haven’t seen the best one.’ John replied.

  Laura sorted through the tins. ‘Dog food! You brought dog food. Why in the hell would you bring dog food?’

  ‘To eat. If I get hungry enough I will eat it!’

  ‘God, I hope it doesn’t come to that!’ Laura moaned. ‘I’ll never live it down if Hetty finds out!’

  ‘We’ll save it for Blue then.’

  The plane zoomed round twice more and then darkness fell.

  Jacob drove like a madman in places until they hit the A272, now he slowed as Ray read the map. Darkness fell but still Jacob plodded on. Not fast now but using the failing light to see the way. When he had to stop they started walking, they were close now and walking was probably better. They heard nothing and no one as they walked. A little torch kept them on track by letting them know where they were. A hundred yards from the A23 they stopped and listened. There was no noise in front of them and no lights. There may have been a fight and the two they had come to rescue killed or taken prisoner. Then again they might still be hiding. They needed to know what was happening.

  They stopped for food and drink, when the food and hot coffee was history, they moved along the road to the A23. There was no sign of anyone anywhere. Ray signalled them on, as John and Laura had not reached here when they called in, they were probably still on the other side. Barry gripped Ray’s arm and sniffed.

  ‘What is it?’ Ray whispered barely audibly.

  ‘A motorbike.’ Barry answered. ‘I’ll have a look!’

  They all stopped and waited as Barry disappeared into the darkness. He seemed to be gone for an eternity as they waited and it made Ray jump when he spoke from beside him.

  ‘The three bikes are at the house and the car Laura and John were in is there I think. It’s the right model and colour but there is no sign of John or Laura. They are waiting for something.’

  They moved on, slowly and quietly with thoughts of taking out the three men. Suddenly they could see lights approaching and they had to get off the road in a hurry. An armoured car drove down the A23, turned and drove up to the house.

  ‘Go and listen.’ Ray whispered to Barry.

  Barry slipped away and the others waited impatiently. He worked his way forward, taking his time to move closer and closer to the house. If John and Laura had been taken they would need to go in and get them tonight; they also had the armoured car to deal with and the plane. He listened from where he was, straining to hear, crouched in the bushes in the darkness. He had smeared mud across his face to cover the whiteness and had his knife handy.

  ‘So where did they go?’ One man asked.

  ‘Out through the back of the garage and kicked a hole in the garden fence.’ A second man answered. ‘Raided the house, so I reckon they have food but there is no water in the house.’

  ‘What’s the plan then?’ The first man asked.

  ‘We wait until first light, put the plane back up and follow their tracks. If we can flush them out or figure where they went we will have them. If they use their radio again we will know where they are!’ The second man answered and proceeded to urinate very close to where Barry was hiding. He had to move his hand to keep it dry but that was all he did!

  He listened for an hour more before going back to the others. Ray knew nothing until he spoke to him from right beside him.

  ‘They don’t have them.’ He whispered. ‘They scarpered out the back and kicked a hole in the fence. They don’t know where they are, which means we don’t know where they are. What’s the plan?’

  ‘We wait until morning. They will have a plan.’ Ray answered.

  ‘They do. If our lot use the radio they reckon to know where they are, if they don’t they will be trying to flush them out with the plane and they are going to try to track them.’ Barry replied.

  ‘So. We wait until they make their move, then we make our move. Jericho the rocket is for the armoured car now but after we know where the others are. Will it is your job to take out the plane, preferably while it is in the air!’

  ‘My pleasure.’ Will replied.

  The rest of the night dragged, sleep was fitful; where they were hiding was not very
comfortable. They greeted the dawn with relief, now they could at least do something. As the morning light grew they moved so they were not visible from the road.

  ‘It is a shame we did not bring a radio.’ Ray said as he tried to rub some life back into his legs.

  ‘A crying shame.’ Will agreed. ‘Still they may call the settlement.’

  ‘I doubt it.’ Barry replied. ‘They used it and had to move so they will know not to use it again.’

  ‘Unless they know we are about.’ Ray answered.

  ‘How?’ Jericho asked.

  ‘If it comes to it, when you blow up that armoured car and he takes out the plane.’ Ray answered.

  ‘So if they don’t find them we attack anyway.’ Barry concluded. ‘I like that.’

  They stayed where they were using binoculars to see what was going on. When they could no longer see movement at the house they readied to move themselves but a man walked to the roundabout from the other side, turned left and walked up the A23. The men looked at each other.

  ‘The pilot!’ Jacob exclaimed.

  Sure enough a few minutes later the plane roared into life and took off using the road as a runway.

  ‘Well the plane is up.’ Ray said quietly. ‘Let us move but we must not be seen!’

  When the plane was no where near them, they moved up to the house. Barry went inside and came out again.

  ‘They’ve gone out the back like our boys did.’ He reported.

  ‘Laura will love being called a boy.’ Will declared. ‘Do we follow?’

  ‘Yes we follow.’ Ray answered.

  The clan were searching for John and Laura, trying to find their trail or scare them out into the open. Ray and the others were following them, waiting until they had found them so that they could attack and set off home again, after freeing the prisoners.

  The plane zoomed about, looking for sign of the fugitives but they were keeping their heads down. There was a playing field in front of them and the armoured car was driving across it slowly; trying to look menacing. The men were on foot, looking for sign. When they saw something they all had a look.

  ‘No wonder they get their arses kicked so often.’ Will said glibly. ‘They are bloody useless!’

  ‘How do you mean?’ Ray asked.

  ‘If you were on foot and it was getting dark where would you head?’ He answered.

  ‘For shelter.’ Ray answered.

  ‘Where?’ Will asked.

  ‘That school I suppose.’ Ray answered.

  ‘Where in the school?’ Will asked.

  ‘Up in that water tower.’ Barry answered. ‘Even if it is empty there will still be an inch or two of water inside it!’

  ‘That’s where I would try and get to and it looks possible, even for Laura!’ Will declared.

  The plane was making a sweep towards them.

  ‘Let us find out! I am sick of this cat and mouse game.’ Ray complained. ‘Will take out the plane!’

  ‘Will do.’ He settled down on his stomach and took careful aim as the plane came nearer. They all waited some holding their breath but Will did not hurry. When he had a clear shot of the cocky pilot he fired. The pilot slumped forward and the plane started to nose dive.

  ‘Nice one Will. Jericho take out the armoured car.’

  Jericho unslung the missile launcher from his shoulder and took it out of its case. He flicked up the sights and aimed.

  ‘If anyone is behind me, they want to move, fairly quickly.’ He said as he aimed.

  Two men moved just to be on the safe side, then Jericho fired. They watched transfixed as the missile flew fast and true. The armoured car erupted in flames and pieces flew off it. Seconds later the plane hit the ground with a loud explosion.

  ‘Well lads, they know we are here so let us get to it.’

  Will fired again and a man screamed and fell.

  ‘One.’ He said happily.

  The others went in search of targets.

  John and Laura sat in the tower. They had found a little water in the bottom of the water tank and used an empty baked bean tin tied to a string to get it out. The night had been long, the floor of the tank was not very conducive to sleeping but they did sleep for some of the time. The noise of the plane engine woke them and John peered out of the door.

  ‘Well they are looking for us.’ He exclaimed.

  ‘When they find us they will be sorry.’ Laura declared.

  ‘What do you fancy for breakfast?’ John asked. ‘Baked beans, baked beans or dog food?’

  ‘I’ll have to think about that.’ Laura answered. ‘Best be baked beans as I am on a diet.’

  They shared a tin of baked beans and John fished out some more water. He looked up suddenly.

  ‘Do you here that?’ He asked and moved to the door.

  ‘No! What is it?’ Laura asked.

  ‘That plane sounds funny, sort of like it is diving.’

  ‘Maybe it has seen us or something we did.’

  John looked out but could not see. He opened the door wider and stuck his head out to see round the corner.

  ‘It is going down!’ He declared.

  ‘Unless he just wants you to think that so you would stick your head out!’ Laura cajoled.

  ‘Wow.’ John cried.

  ‘Was that the plane blowing up?’ Laura asked, now interested.

  ‘No. The clan had an armoured car coming across the field and some one blew it up.’

  There was another bang.

  ‘That was the plane exploding; I think the cavalry is here!’ John declared.

  ‘So what do we do?’ Laura asked.

  ‘Help them.’ John answered.

  ‘How? My pop gun won’t worry them at this height.’ Laura argued.

  ‘No but you can tell them where the clan are, just don’t get your head blown of doing it! I have got used to you now!’

  ‘I’ll try not to get my head blown off then, just for you.’ Laura retorted.

  They moved out of the door and onto the ledge which ran round the water tank housing. They kept flat to the roof to make sure they were not seen and watched what was going on. John took the safety of his Kalashnikov ready to fire. The clan were one side of the trees. He could see that Ray and his men were on the other. One clan member was taking aim at Jason so he fired at him. The shot missed but made him jerk and in turn his shot missed. Jason shot him, then waved to John before ducking down again.

  ‘One.’ Jason cried.

  Will fired and another one fell. ‘Two.’ He said quietly but made sure Jason heard.

  Ray fired a burst on his Kalashnikov and said ‘Two.’

  ‘That’s cheating.’ Will complained and fired again. ‘Three.’

  The rest broke and ran. John took aim and shot one, the remaining two threw their arms up in the air in surrender.

  ‘Damn!’ Will complained. ‘I hate it when that happens!’

  ‘We could shoot them anyway!’ Jason suggested. ‘We are bound to kill them anyway.’

  Will thought about it. ‘Ray might want to question them before we kill them.’ He replied.

  ‘To shoot them without any sort of trial makes us just like them. We’ll let them have their trial and then do what the majority says.’

  The group of men stood looking up at the two on the water tower. The three prisoners were tied up using cable ties and the others waited for John and Laura to come down. But getting Laura up there when there was a group of the clan after her and getting her down, when she could think about what she was doing, was proving to be a very different thing. John tried several ways to coax her down, going down first and being there to put her feet in the right place. Standing below and giving directions, standing above and leaving it to her. Every time she froze.

  They waited below until John turned and signalled that he had no idea how to get her down, then the men below put their heads together. Will and Barry had walked round the school, looking in through the windows; most of the wall above waist high was g
lass so they could see everything in there. When John gave up they decided to act.

  ‘We’ll get her down.’ Will declared and the two left, taking the means to get inside the school with them.

  ‘Do you think there is a trap door in the floor which means she can go down into the school?’ Jason asked.

  ‘If there is she still has to go down a ladder.’ Ray answered.

  They waited again, this time less patiently. After a wait they saw Will and Barry walking across the roof carrying a long thick rope. Barry climbed up onto the water tower and firmly attached the rope to Laura.

  ‘Coming down.’ Barry called down to Will, who waited to untie her.

  Laura was lowered down with her back to the steps and blindfolded. They did not rush, just lowered her down slowly with no hurried movements, until Will directed her feet on to solid roof.

  ‘I’ll leave the rope on in case we think it is easier to lower her the rest of the way.’ He called up to the other two.

  ‘Catch the rope then or it might drag her over the edge.’ John called back.

  They threw the rope down and the two men followed it. Will kept a firm hold on the rope and coiled it on the roof. When they lowered Laura off the roof to the ground many hands were there to make sure she arrived in one piece. They untied the rope.

  ‘Where did you get that from?’ Jacob asked. ‘That is a good rope!’

  ‘It is what the children had to climb up in the sports hall.’ Will explained.

  ‘We’ll have a bit more of that then!’ Jacob declared and a small group went in search of the sports hall.

  James was on top of the ladder putting in the last screw which held the fence to the tower when he saw a car towing a caravan driving towards him up the road. His gun was handy, just in case any dogs appeared, as they had not swept the area inside the fence for dogs yet, but to him the newcomers did not look like clan. The clan had not approached in a caravan before.

  He stood on the top of the ladder with the gun still hanging on the fence and watched them stop. Four men and two women climbed out to stretch their legs.