Only the Few

by L. N. Denison

  “I’m sorry, it’s the best I could do,” she felt the need to justify herself. “I’ve brought you some food. It isn’t much, but it’ll keep you going.”

  She crouched down in front of him, placed her hands through his armpits and hauled him up into a kneeling position, feeling the strain of his resistant body all the way. She took a quick breather and knelt from her crouching position.

  “I’m going to remove the gag now. Be nice, or it goes back in.” She pulled the rag from his mouth, causing him to heave a dry cough.

  “Water.” He managed to squeeze out the single word in between coughs.

  Hyde pierced the plastic on one of the remaining twelve-packs and ripped it open, grabbing a bottle as the others fell to the floor, making the prisoner flinch.

  “Sorry about that.” Hyde turned the lid and passed the water over his lips in a quick motion, which prevented him from choking. He pushed his head forward, looking desperate for more, but she pulled the bottle away after he’d taken a few sips.

  “More,” he said, licking his dry lips.

  “No, not yet. Now you eat.” She opened the pack of freeze dried mango and touched a piece to Judd’s bottom lip as a prompt to get him to open his mouth. “It’s mango.”

  He took the piece of fruit in his teeth, and bit down into it, moaning in pleasure.

  “All the food stores here are freeze dried,” she explained as he chewed. “I’ll give you something more when Marcus lets me feed you properly.”

  Judd nodded, but said nothing because he was still chewing on the piece of fruit.

  When he’d finished, he asked in a subdued voice, “Why are you being so nice to me? I did you wrong, Corporal, and I should be punished for it.”

  “You will be once we arrive back in London. A court-martial will decide what happens next.”

  Another piece of fruit met his lips. Judd fell silent as he chewed.

  After feeding Judd his unauthorised snack and giving him more water, Hyde replaced the gag and laid him down on his stomach. Sitting back down, she reached for her semi, placed it on her lap, and resumed staring at Judd as he wriggled to get comfortable.

  Without warning, there was a loud knock on the door, making both Judd and Hyde flinch. Hyde turned to face the door and waited to hear who it was.

  “Grubs up, Corporal. I hope you’re hungry?” Marcus called from the other side of the door.

  Hyde sighed, and looked down on Judd as she rose. “I’ll bring you back something later. For now, rest. I dare say you need it,” she whispered, as not to be heard.

  She grabbed her rifle and headed toward the door. Taking hold of the brass knob, she started to turn it while glancing over her shoulder at the subdued prisoner who lay motionless in his bonds.

  She was greeted by a quite different Marcus upon leaving the cell behind. He’d pulled his hair into a tidy ponytail, and he’d trimmed that monstrous beard. Her heartbeat quickened as she stared at the handsome face in front of her, but she hastily shook herself out of her trance. She closed and locked the door, then brushed past Marcus, holding her head down in embarrassment. Heading in the direction of the dining area, she tried not to give him a second glance, even though her instincts begged her to.

  ~

  Two tables, fully laden with food, lay in wait as Hyde joined the rest of the group, some of who had already started eating. The mood was jovial, as they sat around the tables talking and laughing. The children had already eaten and were sleeping in the bunk area toward the back of the house. Hyde smiled to herself as a warm feeling twirled in her stomach. They’d all forgotten about what was going on around them. Even if only for one evening, they were acting like one giant family. Even Jas seemed to be getting in the spirit of the moment. She waved Hyde over, indicating the empty chair next to hers.

  Hyde made her way over to Jas, glancing at the faces of everyone else at the table as she passed. She knew nothing about these people, only what she had seen over the past few days. Her new mission would be to put a name to each face, to get a bit of background, so she could feel a bit more at ease with them.

  CHAPTER 12

  Marcus entered the room and smiled as he looked at each of his people, and the happiness that radiated within the room. Noting the look of concentration on Hyde’s face, he wondered what was going on in that head of hers. She looked to be in a trance, her face almost sad. Spotting the empty chair, Marcus headed straight for it, and sat himself down next to his daughter. Continuing to stare at Hyde, he waited for a reaction as his eyes focussed on the side of her head. She seemed oblivious to the fact that he was staring at her, forcing his hand.

  “Penny for your thoughts, Corporal?”

  “I was just thinking, Sir,” Hyde started. “Who are you? I mean, I know your name, but who are you as a person?”

  “This is a great opportunity to have a little introduction session, don’t you think?” Marcus anticipated what he thought Hyde was going to ask, and the look on her face confirmed his hunch. “You start.”

  Clearing her throat, Hyde began. All eyes fell on the corporal as she spoke.

  “Right, you all know my name is Catherine Hyde, and that I’m a corporal in the King’s Army, it’s just all the other stuff in between.” She cleared her throat again. “Where to start...” Her obvious nervousness prompted Marcus to try and ease her anxiety.

  “Why don’t you just start from the beginning?” he proposed.

  Hyde frowned at his interruption before carrying on.

  “Okay, I’m twenty-five, born in Portsmouth and I’ve been in the Army since leaving college at eighteen,” she paused, her hands flexing as she gathered herself. “I lost my parents and sister to the bombs, and most of my unit to the cavers. I have no family left.” Her voice cracked as she spoke. She hung her head in sorrow.

  “I know we’re not your biological family, but many of us are in the same boat. We’ve made a new family and I want you to feel like you’re part of ours,” Marcus offered. “We’ll always look out for you.”

  Lifting her head, her bottom lip quivering, Hyde’s eyes glazed over as she fought to hold back her tears. She gave him a wavering smile, but said nothing. He was proud when Jas took Hyde in a side hug and squeezed her close.

  “I lost my mum to the bombs, so I know how you feel, but I still have Dad.”

  Sometimes he could strangle his daughter, but right now, he’d never felt prouder. Jas smiled, placing her free hand on his knee. “I know I can be a pain in the arse most of the time, but I don’t mean to be. I hope you know that?”

  Marcus’ heart pinged, again and he placed his hand over hers, marvelling at how big she’d grown and how much she reminded him of her mum. “Of course, I do. You’re a teenager, you’re acting out, we all did it at your age. I know I did.”

  Jas turned her attention back to Hyde. “Looks like I’ve got myself a big sis.” Hyde replied with a grateful smile.

  One by one, the remaining twelve adults introduced themselves, including Aggie and Marcus. Everyone gave Hyde a little piece of themselves. Bryan Grayson, aged forty-five from Wakefield had lost his family on the day the bombs dropped. His wife and daughter had been on a shopping trip and didn’t return home. Marcus was forty-two, Jas was sixteen, they had been moving around, gathering people as they travelled the length of the country looking for other survivors, trying to find somewhere permanent to call home. They originally came from North Wales, but had moved to Leeds before the attacks. John Cummings told her he’d been the first to be picked up by Marcus and Jas. They regarded him as a close family friend. He’d been the glue that held them together throughout their perilous journey, and appeared to be the oldest member of the group. Hyde thought he might be around sixty-five. The corporal sat staring with sympathetic eyes, making a mental note of everybody’s names as they reeled them off, taking in each tale of woe. Each matched her own. As I sit here, I realise something—I’m not just a soldier, I’m as much a survivor as these people in front of me, and i
t scares me.

  ~

  With the introductions over, and people dispersing to get some bed rest, Hyde went about resuming her guard duty. Taking some of the leftovers from dinner to feed Judd, she put them on a clean plate at the end of the table. She couldn’t go back on her promise of feeding him, not even if she wanted to. It wasn’t in her nature. Yes, in the cave she had taken her frustrations out on his body, but that wasn’t really her. She wasn’t a naturally violent person. Something had snapped that day.

  Walking with her, Marcus went as far as the locked store room before leaving her to go about her duties.

  “Good night, Sir. Sleep well.” She said as she watched his back disappear towards the bunk area.

  Turning the key, Hyde entered the store room. Her eyes widened as all she saw was the material that’d held Judd’s hands and feet in place. A sharp tug pulled her off balance. It was so quick, not leaving her time to think. Judd had grabbed her by the shirt and pulled her into the room. The plate of food went flying. He threw her to the floor, and they struggled before he grabbed the rifle from her shoulder. The force of his effort caused him to stumble back, but he quickly re-established his footing and pointed the SA80 at Hyde, releasing the safety mechanism. He wasn’t looking weak and pathetic now. His eyes were full of malice, his top lip curled in a sneer.

  “Get to your feet, and bring them with you,” he ordered pointing at his old binds, following her every move with the rifle. “Sit on the chair.”

  Not having much choice, Hyde obeyed. Judd followed close behind, the tip of the rifle nudging into her back.

  She sat down and was relieved of the lengths of cloth. Judd walked behind the chair, dragged her arms behind her back and tied her hands. Feeling his hot breath in her ear, she recoiled.

  “Why are you doing this to me?” she seethed, angry at being duped again.

  Judd put his mouth to her ear, “Because I can, little girl. I caught you off guard, that shouldn’t have happened, wouldn’t have happened if you were a real soldier and not playing dress up. Did you learn nothing?” He stood upright, squeezing her shoulders hard, and then swatting the side of her head.

  “That’s for being so fucking stupid. You should’ve checked the knots before you left me.”

  Catherine winced at her own neglect as Judd slowly walked around the front to face her, his hand draping across her face.

  “What do you intend to do with me?” she asked, trying to keep her voice steady—prepared to behave like a soldier, regardless of Judd’s response.

  Judd took hold of her head in both hands and squeezed, but it wasn’t painful. He didn’t seem to want to hurt her physically, not yet anyway. The anticipation of what he was going to do churned inside her as he stared deep into her eyes, a slight grin on his face. He appeared to be getting off on frightening her.

  “I intend to do nothing with you, my love,” he said, matter-of-factly. “There’s only one person I’m interested in, and that’s Marcus. So, don’t worry that pretty little head of yours, you’ll live to see another day.” Releasing his grip, Judd lifted Hyde’s legs at the ankles and tied them tight, leaving enough material to thread under the chair and tie off at the back, so she couldn’t kick out at him as he came face to face with her.

  “I’m using extreme measures because I don’t trust you... I hope you understand. I suggest that you don’t call for help. I have your rifle, remember? And I will use it if I must... and please, don’t take any of this personally. I wish things could’ve been different.”

  Was that remorse is his eyes? Surely not. And what did he want with Marcus?

  Moving behind her, he pulled her feet underneath the chair. She gritted her teeth as the tendons in her knees stretched beyond their comfortable limit.

  She clenched her eyes shut, fighting the urge to cry out, her bottom lip trembling, her breathing laboured. But she had no intention of giving him the satisfaction of seeing her pain. Walking back around to face his captive, Judd hooked his finger under her chin, and lifted her head.

  “Open your eyes,” he said. She slowly unclenched them and stared at him. “What is giving you so much pain?”

  “My right knee, tendonitis. It flares up occasionally. And you pulling on it like that isn’t helping. Can you please loosen the rope just a little?” she pled.

  “Okay, Okay, but only a little.” He took hold of her head and kissed her full on the lips. She froze, bile rising from her belly.

  Judd smirked at her obvious revulsion. He moved to the rear of the chair and slackened the knot, but only enough to alleviate her pain.

  “Thank you,” she said in a subdued voice, looking at her lap.

  “Don’t do that. Don’t thank me.” Her gratitude seemed to grate on him, the softness of his voice was replaced with anger. “I don’t require your thanks for returning a kindness, I’m not a complete monster.”

  ~

  Judd circled the chair, watching Hyde, who seemed determined to avoid his gaze. But her apparent dismay satisfied him. He was content to continue circling like a vulture. The piece of cloth that had been used as his blindfold had now become the item he would use to further his mental torment of Hyde. He rolled it around in his fingers, tugging at it with menace.

  “I’m thinking to myself, can I trust you not to make a sound when I leave this room?” Judd asked as he finally stopped behind her. “Do I need to resort to gagging you?”

  Hyde struggled against her bonds and forced Judd to tighten the knot around her wrists.

  “Stop struggling,” he whispered in her ear. “It’ll do you no good.”

  With no regard as to whether or not she’d cry out, he placed the gag in her mouth and tied it fast. Walking back round to face her, Judd knelt in front of her and placed his hands gently on her knees. She still refused to look at him.

  “Look at me, soldier. Listen to me carefully,” he started. “I want you to give Marcus a message when he finds you. Tell him that I have his daughter, and if he doesn’t give me what I want, I’ll kill her. Do you think you can remember that? Also, tell him that I’ll find him when the time comes for an exchange and not to come looking for me, understand?”

  Her eyes brimming with tears, Hyde nodded twice in response.

  Judd tapped both her cheeks and rose to his feet. “Good girl.” He kissed the top of her hair, and walked away.

  Glancing over his shoulder as he headed towards the door, Judd looked at the sorry mess tied to the chair, then turned his attention back to exiting and finding his hostage, leaving Hyde with no choice but to watch helplessly as he left the room and locked the door behind him.

  ~

  Unable to sleep, Jas rose from her mattress and left the bunk area, making as little noise as possible. She watched as her father turned over, still in a state of sleep, shuffling his body to get comfortable. She hid in the shadows, waiting to see if he’d wake, but he remained asleep, leaving her free to move away.

  Heading into the kitchen, Jas made her way over to the food store to fix herself some hot milk. Of course, she had to make it from powdered milk and water, but at the end of the day, it would still be milk. It was still a luxury after living for months with nothing but water to quench the thirst.

  As the pan of artificial milk bubbled away on the little gas stove, Jas reached for a cup. Something small and hard pushed into her back, then an arm wrapped around her neck, pulling back in such a way that it was impossible to retaliate.

  “Don’t make a sound,” the male voice growled in her ear. Too scared to react, she complied, not making a sound or trying to escape his grasp. Jas didn’t want to test the theory that the small, hard something was a carrot rather than the barrel of a gun. Wearing only a pair of lounge pants and a loose-fitting t-shirt, Jas was left open to the elements. Her captor made no attempt to find her anything warmer to wear as they entered the chilly autumnal air.

  CHAPTER 13

  Rising from his sleep, Marcus stretched his body into action and glanced over at
Jas’ empty bunk. Girl is finally growing up, she’s up and sorting things out already. He grabbed a bottle of water and took a swig. He slipped on his shoes and stood up, looking upon the rest of his people in their peaceful states of slumber, with satisfaction.

  Heading to the kitchen, he was greeted by the smell of something burning. He rushed over the single gas ring and turned it off. The contents of the saucepan had evaporated completely, leaving a brown ring stuck to the bottom. As he looked at the stinking mess, he remembered when Jas had left her milk on the stove in favour of making a phone call to her best friend. She’d completely forgotten about it, and he’d walked into a hazy, burnt smell in the kitchen of their old home. It brought back memories of happier times, before the bombs, when Jas’ mother was still alive. My poor Marie, I miss you so much. Marcus hung his head for a moment, fighting back the tears.

  Jas used to like warm milk if she couldn’t sleep, it seemed to settle her. But why would she forget about it? There were no phones to answer now. Marcus searched the shelter, but he didn’t call out to her to avoid waking the others. The bathroom area was the first place he looked.

  Nothing.

  He went back into the bunk area.

  Nothing.

  She was obviously not in the kitchen, so the only place left was the stock area... his search had proved fruitless. She couldn’t have gone far. He assumed whatever had distracted her from her milk must’ve been important. Feeling the first signs of panic setting in, he headed towards the storeroom to ask Hyde for help. By his recollection, the door to the room should have been unlocked. But on trying the handle, he found it to be otherwise. Maybe Catherine’s gone to the lav. No, I checked the bathroom! His building panic was thrust into and immediate sense of urgency. With trembling hands, he unlocked the door and swung it open.

  “Oh God! No!” He ran over to Hyde and removed the gag before untying her feet. “Are you okay? Are you hurt?”