by S G Read
‘Come on let us go back to the settlement, we ought to burn this place to the ground but it might keep going and destroy all of London again.’ Ray said angrily.
‘Would it matter?’ Ralph asked.
‘We might need London again one day. We are putting up signs to tell people where to go and several of the women want to stay in London with their men so they are going to run a refugee centre and send them on to wherever they want to go. So we might have people turning up on our doorstep at any time.’
‘The more the merrier.’ Ralph said as they walked out of the stadium for the last time.
Chapter 13
The journey back to the settlement was a happy affair, women were reunited with their husbands, and some had new men in their lives and would soon be married. In the absence of a priest it was down to Ray to perform such ceremonies despite his objections. The women who had children were happy that they would soon see them again after they had been brought back from Hastings.
They arrived at the gate to find it still closed and opened it after making sure there were no dogs around. They watched the gate as the vehicles drove through and then closed it again. They drove via all the empty houses and saw the newcomers into an empty house or caravan. When that was done they drove on. The second gate was closed as well as the gates to the main house and they had to climb over to open it manually as the generator had long since run out of diesel.
They turned the diesel supply on and after a struggle started the generator. The houses in the settlement soon had electricity, something the new owners were not used to, although they did have a generator in the stadium but it was not used by everyone, only the important people and they were mostly dead now. The gates were closed and a celebration started in all the settlements. They knew because they called them on the radio just to say thank you for their help. The people from the other houses drove up to the main house and joined in and it was morning before the celebrations started to slow down. It was midday before the coach from Hastings drove into the settlement. Brian was on gate duty and opened it for them, after making sure they kept watch for any dogs as they drove inside. Two wounded men stood guard as they passed through the gate and the gate closed, then they climbed back on to the coach which drove as far as the hospital to unload the injured men who were now on the mend. Ralph and his wife came out to greet them; when Ralphy saw his mother he charged off the coach closely followed by his brother and they threw themselves into her arms. Tears flowed freely, even from the people watching. Donna cried as she helped the wounded men to their beds.
‘How did you know it was safe?’ Ralph asked.
‘Ralphy listened to your celebrations and to what happened to Jamal.’ Donna answered. ‘After that it was hard work to keep them there so we came home.’
‘I should have known he would have his radio with him. So you must have had a generator?’
‘He made sure we took one with us, just in case we had to move on.’ Donna explained.
‘Ten going on twenty.’ Ralph declared and followed her inside.
Ray sat in the television room with the television turned off, thinking; what to do next was uppermost in his mind. They could press on with finishing the wall right round the settlement or they could build a purpose built building for the food to be prepared in, whether it was a canteen type or somewhere to go to cook some food, where any leftovers would soon be eaten. He was still thinking about it when Will came in.
‘The children are back.’ He said quietly.
‘The peace is about to be broken then. How is the generator holding out Will?
‘Fine but it is drinking a lot of diesel, the sooner we switch over to wind power the better it will be.’
‘Take a trip down to the wind farm and see what we need to do to manage it. Take who you want with you, just in case of trouble.’
‘I’ll go down there later today with Jericho and Barry, they will be all I need with me and we can shoot round Jericho’s old stamping ground, to see if he is needed there again.’
‘Making sure Roberta has a bun in the oven? I suppose the more children born the better it will be! I wonder how Felicity got on.’
He jumped out of the chair and hurried out to meet the returning women and children. When he saw Felicity, she looked sad and was carrying a wooden coffin. The sight told him all he needed to know. He looked for Donna and found her unloading suitcases from the coach.
‘The serum failed then?’ He asked but it was more rhetorical that real question.
‘Yes the plague has claimed yet another victim.’ Donna declared tiredly. ‘We have to find a way of beating it, or all the babies will die!’
‘What did Ralph have to say?’
‘I didn’t have the heart to tell him yet, now that he has his wife back; I’ll tell him tomorrow. Felicity is going to bury Dawn in the garden; she didn’t want her to be all alone down there.’
‘That I can understand. We will all go and mourn with her when Dawn is laid to rest, she ought not to be alone.’
‘Dawn was supposed to be the birth of not only a new child but a new era in our history; instead it was just another day of the old life.’ Tears threatened to fall from Donna’s eyes again but she carried on unloading suitcases and bags from the coach.
Ray helped to carry them into the house for sorting and taking to the correct place or room before he joined the others in the dining room.
‘If you haven’t already heard Felicity’s baby was taken by the plague, despite the serum Ralph made from our antibodies. That means we have to think again, or we are likely to lose every baby who is born without our protection. We are just guessing as to what will do some good I am afraid but we have to keep trying and keep producing babies. I will talk to Ralph about the serum later, first we have a funeral to attend to.’
‘I’ll dig a grave if you want.’ Will offered.
‘I’ll dig one by hand; I’ve done what I wanted to.’ Jericho offered. ‘It will be a bit less impersonal.’
‘Lot of work though.’ Will added.
‘I get your point Jericho.’ Ray said intervening. ‘I’ll help you. I think it is the thing to do.’
‘I’d help if I was up to it.’ Will declared.
‘Ask Felicity where she wants her buried.’ Jericho said as he finished what he was doing.
‘Will do. I’ll see you in the garden.’ Ray answered.
Ray found Felicity in the school room, sitting with the coffin on the desk in front of her.
‘We need to lay her to rest Felicity.’ He said quietly.
‘It didn’t work.’ Felicity replied.
‘I know and I don’t know why but we will find out or all the newborns might suffer the same way.’
‘She was going to change everything.’ Felicity cried. ‘She was my link with my husband, my only link. She would have kept him alive.’
‘I know but she has gone and we have to lay her to rest, unless you need for Ralph to take some DNA from her and make you pregnant again with her.’
Felicity looked up.
‘I did think about that but to open the coffin and see her like she is now would be my last memory of her and I wouldn’t want that.’
‘In that case, we need to know where you want to bury her.’ Ray replied.
‘Just there.’ Felicity replied pointing out of the school room window. ‘So that she can see me when I am teaching.’
‘There is where we will dig it then.’ Ray said and walked out to find Jericho. He had not measured the coffin but Donna had with her dress making tape.
They dug a grave by hand with neat sides and piled the soil against the wall of the house to keep it out of sight while they had the service, leaving just enough for anyone who wanted to, to throw a handful of soil onto the coffin after the service. With the grave dug they prepared for the service.
‘Who is going to do it?’ Ray asked. ‘I am not the most religious man about especially after losing Miriam to the plague.’
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br /> ‘Everyone looks up to you, including me.’ Will replied. ‘I don’t think Felicity would let anyone else do it.’
‘Sound the hooter; I want everyone who isn’t confined to bed here for the funeral.’
‘Yes Ray.’
A few minutes later a hooter sounded for a few seconds. It was quiet and then it sounded again for a few seconds. It was meant to summon anyone who were not already there and it worked. The ambulance arrived with the man who could still not walk and he insisted on being carried to the grave. The wounded men had told Ralph of the outcome after Felicity had given birth and he was sad but he came as well, to pay his last respects to a baby he felt he had failed. One part of his mind was busy asking why it did not work but he needed to talk to Donna before he could make any more plans.
Everyone gathered by the grave and two men went to collect the coffin. Felicity wanted to carry it herself as she had carried her for the nine months beforehand without any trouble but they persuaded her it would be more dignified for Dawn if she was carried properly with Felicity walking behind them. The small procession made its way to the grave in silence and the coffin rested on the two planks over the grave.
Ray had found a bible while they were waiting and had marked to pages to read from, one was Genesis, the start and one was Exodus, he took it to mean the departure.
He talked about the carrying of Dawn, the birth and read a passage from Genesis then moved on to the death caused by the plague and Ralph’s work on the antidote to the plague, which, sadly, had obviously not worked. He also passed comment on the coffin which had been made by Otis and had caused many tears to fall as he made it, before the little coffin was lowered into the ground. Felicity in floods of tears threw two handfuls of soil onto the coffin, one for her and one for her dead husband before Donna led her away. Others lined up to throw in a handful of soil before they returned to the dining room where a hastily prepared spread was laid out and several bottles of champagne. They were going to celebrate the short life of Dawn, even though most of them had not even seen her.
Morning came and Will left to inspect the wind farm on the coast with Jericho, Barry and Terry in tow.
Ray announced that he had decided that the communal cooking facility would be the next to be built as they were fairly secure in the settlement with the fence round it. Once the cooking facility was up and running they would continue with the wall round the settlement. By then they would probably be looking to make the settlement bigger anyway.
Work began on the foundations and vehicles left to get whatever they needed, including the
cement lorries. The plans were drawn, altered and then changed back to how they had been in
the first place, then they were redrawn as no one seemed to be able to settle on a design. Ray
left them to it. The women, who were the people likely to be cooking in there, took charge of
the design and the men working, just did what they asked them to do.
Will let Terry drive as she wanted to, after finding out that Clem had never driven before she came to the settlement. She started slowly and hit a few things but slowly it came together and by the time they were on their way to the coast, she was enjoying it. She came along because she wanted to see Roberta, who wanted a baby by Jericho. She was thinking she might try that when she was a bit older.
Will looked at the wind farm from the shore while Jericho found a boat, then they went out to make sure they had all been finished. Satisfied that some would work, Will then went to the room where the power they produced was harvested and sent along to the national grid. It had not yet been connected or it had been disconnected for some reason. Will did not know which but everything seemed to be in order. Next they followed the power lines looking for a way to take the power across to the settlement. When they had found a route away from the coast to follow, they took the time to visit Roberta and see what was going on there.
Will drove there as he knew the way and parked where he had parked for the last meeting. He sounded the horn twice. They sat in the car and waited until an old man appeared with a shotgun.
‘Hello Tom.’ Will greeted. ‘Just a visit to keep you apprised of what is going on, if we are welcome?’
Tom lowered the shotgun. ‘Of course you are welcome. I see Jericho is with you Roberta wants to talk to you.’
‘Sounds serious.’ Will said as he climbed out of the car.
‘Old age is the pits.’ Tom declared.
‘Tell me about it.’ Will replied. ‘Especially when we have to go to war, just to fight for what is right.’
‘Did you sort them?’ Tom asked.
‘We did,’ Will answered, ‘but I will tell you about it when I have a glass of your home made wine in my hand.’
‘That can be arranged Will.’
They followed Tom back to the house where Roberta was working.
‘I wondered when you would come back and finish the job you started.’ She declared.
‘I just came to see if it took.’ Jericho answered.
‘Can you see a lump?’ She replied.
Jericho was promptly dragged upstairs and it was only by Will’s intervention that Terry did not follow them. No one downstairs knew what was going on upstairs although some could hazard a guess but it was an hour before they came back down. It which time Will had downed enough home made wine to decide to give the keys to Barry as they returned to the car, not that he was expecting to meet any other traffic on the way to the next line of pylons.
They had to wake him up when they reached the end of the run of pylons they had been following; he directed where Barry should drive and made notes as they went. When the pylons veered away from the settlement and were too far to be of use Will cursed.
‘Be quicker by helicopter.’ He complained. ‘We will have to start again but it is too late today so we’ll go out tomorrow.’
‘What about a Cessna?’ Barry asked.
‘What about it?’ Will asked.
‘Would it help if we went up in a Cessna?’ Barry asked.
Will looked at his face via the rear view mirror. ‘Are you telling me you can fly?’
‘Nope.’ Barry answered.
‘Well, why did you ask then?’ Will retorted.
‘Because Justine can fly, I paid for the lessons.’
‘But she is only fourteen!’ Will declared.
‘Fifteen, she was fourteen when she had her first lesson, had a few since then but she might be a bit rusty. Still it’s like riding a bike, once you have done it you never really forget how, do you?’
‘But with a bike you only jar your knee and damage your dignity when you fall off!’ Will replied. ‘Still it would save a lot of time and diesel.’
They returned to the settlement and Terry followed Jericho, until they were alone.
‘What was going on with you and Roberta upstairs?’ She asked.
‘She wants a baby.’ Jericho replied openly. ‘She doesn’t want marriage or a man about the house, just a baby so I am trying to oblige but it obviously didn’t work last time.’
‘A baby!’ Terry echoed. ‘I wouldn’t mind having your baby.’
Jericho stopped in mid stride and turned to look at her. ‘The world needs babies and lots of them, God knows there is enough room for them now but you will have to wait until you are older.’
‘That is not what Jamal said.’
‘He was a paedophile and said just what he thought would get you to lay still while he had you.’ Jericho answered.
‘Oh we didn’t lay down I had to’-
‘I don’t wish to know what that pervert did to you, after I let them take you when I said I would look after you!’ Jericho declared cutting her off.
‘Oh; sorry. When can I have a baby?’
‘Ask Ray he is in charge.’
‘Okay, see you later.’ She walked off to find Ray.
Jericho watched her go and smiled, Ray was in for a surprise.
In the morning, Will, Je
richo and Barry drove of with Justine to find an airfield. Their plan was to fly round and map the area using a camera to be able to plan the route they needed to take with the incoming power from the wind farm. It was a long drive to the airport at Headcorn but it was worthwhile. They found a Cessna and fuelled it ready for the flight. They were soon flying over the land with two of the men taking photographs while Barry was taking cine footage for later use. They flew to the wind farm and then followed each pylon run to see where it went with Will muttering things, when he saw where each one led to.
‘Where to now.’ Justine asked when they had flown over everything they needed.
‘We’ll take a few turns over the settlement and take a few photos, it might help us plan new buildings and what fields to work on.’ Barry answered.
The new canteen started to take shape with many hands helping to build it and the foundations were soon laid. Lunch was brought to them and it was regular now to leave the inner gate and the main house gate open. They sat and ate round the new structure, which was right in the middle of the settlement.
Today they sat and talked idly. They heard an aeroplane high above them but did not panic as they knew just who it was and what they were doing. As they talked they saw Rachel come out of the trees below them and run toward them but the speed and way she was running made them take notice. She ran as fast as her little legs would carry her and Jethro went to intercept her. She kept running until she reached him and he picked her up with his giant hands but it was some time before she could speak. By then the rest were gathered round the two of them.
‘A big dog got Billy!’ She spluttered through her breathlessness.
‘Where?’ John asked.
‘By the fence!’ Rachel answered.
‘Which fence?’ John asked.
‘The one between the house and here.’ Rachel answered. ‘We were playing there and it just got him.’
Their guns, which had been just ornaments seconds ago, were checked to make sure they were ready to fire then the men jumped into the vehicles which had brought them to the work site. Rachel was lifted in but clearly did not want to go back to where it had happened.