by S G Read
Slowly the big table they were sitting round emptied and he was left sitting there with Clem opposite him.
‘Am I going?’ She asked.
‘Surely you mean –I am going!’ Ray answered.
‘No, but you chose don’t you. If you say I don’t go: I don’t go!’
‘How could I possibly pull it off without you?’ Ray asked.
‘You couldn’t but you still might stop me from going just to make sure this Jamal character doesn’t get his hands on me!’
‘You being there might cause someone on the other side to hesitate before they fire and that might save a life. I don’t expect to come back with all those who go up there but I do expect to win with careful planning and good execution.’
‘Is that Jamal?’
‘No I said good execution not a good execution.’ Ray answered. ‘I quite expect to find Jamal Malick dead when we finally get inside. It may not happen and we may have a trial but I will not be holding my breath.’
‘Can you leave James here?’ Clem asked suddenly.
Ray looked at her. ‘Do we have feelings for him?’
Clem nodded.
‘Do you know if it is love or just sexual?’ Ray asked.
Clem shook her head. ‘How can you tell?’
‘I think only time will tell the answer to that one. If you both love each other you will be happy together, however to let you fight and to make him stay at home will not do you any good, even worse when he to finds out!’
‘So what happens?’
‘I choose who I want doing certain things and we go to war. This is not going to be pleasant you know Clem, we might all be killed and you end up in Jamal’s hands!’
‘Not while I have a gun I won’t, I would rather die first!’
‘I hope you have a chance to decide yourself when and if the time comes.’ Ray stood up and stretched. ‘Time for a walk to settle the food.’
‘I’ll come.’ Clem declared and Ray had the impression that she wanted to talk some more.
‘It’s a big area.’ Ray answered and they walked outside together. ‘How far along are you?’ He asked when they were away from other ears.
‘I’m not pregnant.’ Clem insisted. ‘I got Donna to do one of those tests on me.’
‘I asked Donna to see if I was pregnant.’ Ray corrected.
‘You as well?’ Clem quipped.
‘How are classes going?’ Ray replied, ignoring her humour.
‘Okay; Felicity is the first teacher I have actually liked!’
‘Well that’s something. I know you will never be going on to university but you do need to learn things, other than how to kill and maim.’
‘When have I maimed? Oh yes; him. Well I haven’t maimed apart from him and it was in a good cause.’
‘I can’t argue with that but once things are back in order the guns will be worn for protection only. In some ways it will be like the law we just lost. If you shoot someone when we have finished with the clan, questions will be asked, you will have to prove it was in self defence or in defence of someone else!’
‘When the clan is no more I won’t need to go round killing people, the ones I want to kill will be either dead or whatever else you intend to do with them.’ Clem retorted. ‘What is that anyway?’
‘They will all be judged on merit by you lot and whatever you lot decide will be my decision. It will include the other two settlements as well; they will be invited to the trial. For that reason as long as it isn’t a complete bloodbath, we will try them as soon as we have won.’
‘How many do you think there are inside Upton Park?’ Clem asked thoughtfully.
‘On which side?’ Ray asked in return.
‘Both really.’
‘I will ask Gareth, he has been in there. I hope to get a lot of information out of him.’
They arrived back at the back door although it was on the side nearest the garage. They never used the front door and to do so at the moment would entail moving boxes of tinned food and tins of biscuits.
Ray went to his room the only place he would be really alone. He reflected on that, he should make the effort and take another wife; they needed children to make sure the human race on this island survived. He sat down and wrote his letter to Gareth. It took a long time and he made sure he had written it as he wanted it to read before he printed it, to save wasting paper. He sealed it in an envelope and wrote Gareth on the front.
The following morning he sought out Ralph.
‘Is Bradley well enough to be driven home Ralph?’
‘As long as he doesn’t overdo it when he gets there Ray.’
‘I can hardly control that now can I?’
‘If you don’t take him back you can.’ Ralph declared.
‘And Trudi?’
‘A doctor makes his oath to the patient, I want my wife back but I will not see an innocent killed to do it.’
Ray walked over and looked out of the window; Bradley was out there watching the children play.
‘I’ll give him another day but that is all! I need Gareth’s help and by sending him back I am making a statement.’
‘I know the reason you want to send him back but will anyone look after him there?’ Ralph asked.
‘I hope so.’ Ray answered and walked off.
Ralph watched him go. He knew he should have argued more but he was thinking of how Trudi might be suffering up in London. He had to get her out of there, even if she was no longer interested in any men, she would at least have the boys.
Jericho intercepted Ray when he came down the stairs. ‘Do I have time to go back to my old hunting grounds?’
‘Any reason?’ Ray asked.
‘I have a few things I did not bring with me, some which might help us and some which will help me.’
‘Was the boat still there when you went back?’
‘It was.’
‘Good. Do you know how to catch fish?’ Ray asked.
‘If you live by the sea and can’t catch fish you starve!’ Jericho declared.
‘You don’t look half starved.’
‘That is Donna; she feels she has to build me up.’ Jericho replied.
‘Well go out and get what you want, take who you want with you and catch some fish at the same time I haven’t had fish and chips in ages!’
Ray watched as Jericho selected the men he wanted. He chose Will to go, for long range shooting, when it was necessary, Barry for short range sneaky work and Jacob because he was a fisherman. They drove away soon after breakfast.
‘Bradley might have two days.’ Ray thought as he watched them go, he wanted Will to go up with Brian again, faces they knew.
Jethro took his builders to the two towers and Ray went with them as one of the guards. They had not seen the elephant since and they were a long way away from the lions haunt, they hoped! He sat and watched as the towers grew. They laid rows of blocks on one another, until they were as high as they could be. Then they stopped to let the mortar go off and started on the other tower. By the time that was the same height it was time for lunch, after lunch they put more blocks on the first tower and then changed to the second tower again. The wiring was already in place. The plan was to run the wire round the other side all the way to the tower on the other side. All they had to do then was to cut a beam to go from one tower to the next to take the wire across to the second tower to complete the ring. If one tower was taken out Brian was sure he could set the circuitry to tell him which tower it was and when it happened. If it ever happened!
The two towers were taken up as far as they could be and work stopped. Ray helped the others fix the wire across the opening temporarily. He did not expect Jericho back tonight but hoped he would be back with Will in time for him and Brian to drive Bradley home and deliver the letter.
Jericho left his Harley in the compound; this was no job for a motorbike. He drove the mini bus and Jacob followed along in the people carrier. James was not going to be happy about a load of
fish in his car but that was where it was going! They followed the same route back that they had used to get the missiles, a long roundabout route to try to steer clear of the clan. They all kept their eyes peeled as they went along, not only watching out for clan members but also looking for other survivors, or signs of them.
They saw no one and while the others started preparing the boat Jericho collected what he wanted. He had also bought the little generator to leave the ice maker in his shed running. It made flake ice to pack round the catch for the journey back to the settlement.
‘Will, I want you to find a suitable place somewhere up here to keep a weather eye on things.’ He said taking Will to one side. ‘You don’t have to do anything but to warn us if there is company when we get back. I had to leave the generator going and anyone getting too close will hear it and smell a rat.’
‘No boat trip for me then.’ Will sighed. ‘I’m not too sad really; I usually spend all my time throwing up!’
Jericho smiled. ‘So do I but I needed the money then!’
Will watched them go and chose his hiding place with a lot of thought. Once the boat had gone he could just hear the faint chug chug of the generator.
‘At least you stole a really nice boat.’ Jericho acknowledged as they steered out into open water. ‘A good fish finder. We should be able to catch fish very quickly if there are any about!’
They set up the fishing gear and found the fish using the fish finder, after that it was just a matter of getting the fish into the boat.
Meanwhile, Will settled down to listen. Not watch but listen. He could hear the generator and there were no sounds other than the seagulls, there were always seagulls. After two hours an engine made him take a look.
Outside a jeep had pulled up, it was the trade mark clan type jeep. He could see four men inside it and what looked to be a woman in the back. He did nothing, just watched as they looked around with the engine running. Their engine running would drown out the generator so Will hoped they would poke around and leave again. They were obviously talking about something and they obviously came to a decision as turned the engine off. Now they heard the generator! The talk turned immediately to the noise and Will was able to hear what they were saying.
‘That sounds like a generator.’ A spotty face man declared.
‘You’re right.’ A fat balding man answered. ‘Keep an eye on her and we will go and see what it is.’
Spotty and baldy walked off toward the shed with the generator in it. When they walked back a little while later the bald one had a smug grin on his face. The other two jumped out of the jeep, as they walked back.
‘Someone is out fishing!’ He declared. ‘The generator is making ice to pack the fish in.’
‘Let’s shoot up the icemaker.’ One of those who had remained there with the woman suggested. He was a tall man with receding hair and bad teeth.
‘I don’t think so.’ Will whispered quietly to himself and levered a bullet into the breech of his rifle. Four was not a good fight for him; he was slow moving and had only a pistol and rifle. They had machine rifles either AK47s or something similar.
‘What and have no ice to pack the fish with!’ The bald man declared. ‘We wait for them to come back, keeping our latest catch company while we do it. Spotty will keep watch from that window.’
A shiver went down Will’s spine when the fat man pointed to his window.
‘Where will you be?’ Spotty asked.
‘Over in that house giving Roberta here her initiation into the clan’s recreation programme.’
‘Oh no.’ Spotty declared.
‘Oh yes.’ Will argued quietly. ‘One on his own please?’
‘If I have to be in there, then you will be in there!’ Spotty continued. ‘At least I can hear her screams!’
‘You spotty little bastard.’ Will complained.
‘There is bound to be at least one bed in there!’ Spotty added.
‘Personally I don’t care where we initiate her.’ The tall man declared.
‘Bring her with us then,’ the fat man ordered, ‘and you spotty, get up in the window. When you see the boat come in let us know!’
All four walked over to the building Will was hiding in, two of them carrying the woman.
‘Tricky but it might work out.’ Will said quietly and covered himself with sacking and curtains which lay nearby, until he was completely covered.
He still heard them come into the building and expected them all to come upstairs.
‘I’m not carrying her up those stairs!’ One man complained. ‘Look for something downstairs.’
A few minutes later another man spoke. ‘There is a bed in this room!’ He declared. ‘Carry her inside.’
‘Do we tie her to the bed?’ The first one asked.
‘Of course we tie her to the bed; her initiation is liable to take some time.’ The fat man answered. ‘Spotty go up and watch from that window.’
Will smiled. ‘Could be worse’ he thought and screwed his silencer onto the pistol.
The spotty man walked up the stairs and into the room. Will pictured him deciding which window was best, he knew it was the window he was next to and waited. Spotty walked over and pulled back the covering to clear the way. In front of him he saw Will lying there with the pistol pointing at him. There was no delay, Will fired twice into Spotty’s chest and he crumpled forwards. Will steered his fall with the barrel of the pistol and he fell onto the pile of things he had just moved.
Will stayed where he was and listened.
‘Are you alright Spotty?’ The fat man called up.
‘Yes, just moving things about.’ Will answered trying to mimic the dead man.
‘Just tell us when the boat ties up.’ The fat man answered. ‘While we enjoy ourselves down here.’
Will crept to the door and listened to the movements downstairs. He could hear the woman struggling with the three men there. He knew he should wait for the boat and therefore help to arrive but he could not let them do what they were about to do and live with himself afterwards, even if it cost him his life. He moved away from the door, trying to think of a way he could decrease their numbers. The answer came to him.
‘Boats tied up fatty.’ He called down as if he was Spotty.
‘Damn.’ The fat man exclaimed. ‘And I told you not to call me fatty!’
‘I know you did.’ Will answered.
‘Lanky you go upstairs and get ready to pick them off, Piles you go over to the ice machine and wait there. When Piles shoots the first one, you two start shooting yourselves.’
‘What will you be doing Theo?’ One of the men downstairs asked.
‘More like, who will he be doing?’ The other one answered. ‘Why do you think he has gagged her, so the others don’t hear her?’
Will moved Spotty’s body over to the window and laid him face down with his gun pointing out of the window, then he moved to the side of the doorway, behind the door when it opened.
The tall man walked up the stairs and into the room. As soon as he was in Will shot him with the silenced pistol. He tried to catch him as he fell but failed and he fell heavily.
‘What the hell was that?’ The fat man called up.
‘Only Lanky falling over what I moved Fatty.’ Will called down.
‘You call me fatty once more and I will come up there and add a few spots to you!’ The fat man retorted.
Will closed the door and bellied down beside the dead Spotty. He saw the other man moving over to the shed with the generator in it and unscrewed the silencer from the pistol. He watched his progress as he screwed it on to the rifle, then as he was about to go into the shed he shot him dead.
‘Three down one to go.’ Will thought with relief and moved to the door.
He knew that some of the stairs creaked, as he had come up them and each time someone had come up he heard the squeaks again. He lay down on the landing to peer through the banister but he could not see into the room. He moved forward a
nd down the stairs slowly until he came to the second step down. Now he could see the fat mans feet and the legs of the bed. He tried hard to remember which steps squeaked on the way up but he could not. He moved forward until he reached the next step, now he could see the fats man’s backside. When the trouser slid down and the woman on the bed started to really get agitated the fat man laughed.
‘I have that effect on women.’ He said and moved forward.
Will slid to the next step and saw his back but this was a squeaky step and it squeaked loudly. Before the fat man could react Will shot him in the back. He saw him fall face forward on the bed and heard him cry out in pain. Will clambered to his feet, not leapt but clambered. He hurried down the stairs and ghosted as best he could past the door, glancing in as he did. The fat man lay on top of the naked woman on the bed. Will walked in and shoved him off on to the floor; the fat man looked up fear in his eyes. Will shot him twice in the head.
‘Things like this will give me a heart attack!’ He complained, he drew his knife and cut the ropes which held her.
‘What killing men?’ She asked after she had ripped the gag from her mouth.
‘No naked women lying on beds!’ Will answered. ‘Put some clothes on before I arrest.’
‘If they didn’t tear them.’ Roberta complained. ‘I thank you for your intervention. I am Roberta Carmichael.’
Will shook her hand, although she was still naked. ‘Keeping fit then.’ He said seeing her trim figure.
‘I have to keep fit, with the likes of them trying to catch me!’ Roberta declared. ‘It is not the first time. Last time they didn’t even see me but this time they were waiting when I fed the chickens and they just grabbed me. One held his hand over my mouth so I couldn’t call out for help and another one took my legs. They carried me away and there was nothing I could do about it! It’s so humiliating.’
‘Be worse if my friends come back and see you walking about naked.’
Will left the room after making sure the fat man was dead, so that Roberta could dress. He walked over to the man by the shed to check on him, and then walked back. Roberta met him in the doorway.