Blighted Land: Book two of the Northumbrian Western Series (Northumbrian Westerns 2)

by Ian Chapman

  She didn't answer but instead pointed at my bag.

  We all looked over at it, apart from Casper who glared at me.

  She stood and went over to my stuff. ‘Can I?’

  I shrugged. ‘Yeah.’

  She raked through my belongings and took out the plans, setting them out with the plates to hold them flat. She ran her fingers across the surface, stopping at certain details and tutting to herself. For a few minutes she did this.

  ‘Well?’ I said.

  She tapped the rear section of the sub, where there was a hatch. ‘This will do it. Anywhere round here. It’ll blow the whole thing.’

  Casper came over. ‘Once we blow it and it’s destroyed, we can go?’

  ‘That’s the idea.’

  He sat back down and stared into the dead fire, muttering to himself. Something going through his head.

  Becky kept reading the small print on the cross-section of the sub. Then she stood up. ‘I’m going to go on watch.’ She grabbed up the rifle and marched off holding the paperwork.

  Daniel grabbed the plates. ‘I’ll wash up.’

  Casper sat by the embers, still lost in his thoughts. I followed Becky up the hill.

  She marched up ahead of me and lay down looking towards the town. The sun cleared the hills and warmed the ground, still damp. The sky was light blue above us, streaked with thin clouds. There was still drumming and cheering but it wasn’t as enthusiastic as before, the pace and volume lessened.

  ‘It’s a pity we’re so far off. We need to get the Eblis in closer. As close as we can get it, really. Going to be tricky to do that without being spotted —’

  ‘You still haven’t explained why you are so bothered. Why you want to blow it.’

  She took a breath. ‘Do you really want to know?’

  ‘Yeah.’

  ‘Okay.’ She turned towards me. Her eyes were soft, wider than usual. ‘My brother, Archie. My real brother. He was in the military. Out in the Middle East. I’ve no idea why he signed up, it wasn’t like he was into all the fighting and so on, but he did sign up and off he went. He was there when stuff turned really nasty. When they started to panic and all the countries threw everything at each other. He had some stories, what little got back to us. Horror stories: chemical attacks and cluster bombs. I don’t want anyone to face what he faced…’ For a moment she didn’t speak and I thought that was it. She’d said her piece. Then she started again but her voice was different. Lower. ‘This isn’t just some machine. A ship or boat. It’s full of evil stuff and people want it. Bad people. I spent time with scum like Maxwell. Heard their crackpot plans. Ambitions. One of them will get hold of it, then we’ve all had it. All of us, even you Trent. We have to get rid of it. ’

  ‘I see.’

  ‘And in case you’re wondering about my brother, he didn’t make it back.’

  I hadn’t been wondering but I wasn’t surprised. ‘And Casper?’

  ‘Casper?’

  ‘Why’s he here?’

  She grunted. ‘Because I am.’

  We both faced the town again. It all made more sense now. If I could believe her.

  We stayed there for some time until the drumming slowed and there was a great sigh from the crowd, all the voices together. Then I saw the figures, a small group over by the trench, holding tools of some sort. They were near the gate, close to where the Eblis had slid in, chewing the ground up to get out again. That was where they were looking, pointing down at the earth where the vehicle had left great track marks.

  I tapped Becky and pointed to them.

  After several minutes they looked around and started to head towards where we were camped.

  ‘Shit,’ she said.

  ‘Yeah.’ The tank would have left marks on the heather. They’d have no trouble following them. There seemed to be about eight people, walking purposefully. If they got too close we’d have to do something. We could probably take out the group but that would also let the town know there was trouble. Even if they didn’t hear us shooting they’d notice when their people didn’t come back.

  ‘Should we go back to the Eblis?’ she said.

  ‘No, they’d see us moving.’

  The group were closer now, at the far end of the valley. The Eblis was hard to spot at a distance, despite its size, being all matt paint. Hidden in the trees. But it was big enough if you were looking for it.

  They stopped and examined the ground. There was some discussion going on, arms waving round. Then they moved off. They turned and went back to the gateway.

  ‘Thank god,’ said Becky.

  My guess was they didn’t want to go looking for something big enough to make those tracks without a good sized band. ‘They’ll be back.’ I reckoned they’d return later in the day, probably armed to the teeth.

  She stood up. ‘We need to go. Prepare to attack.’

  ‘Or leave.’

  Then a great cry rose up, hundreds of voices all together.

  The town all hushed and the music stopped.

  The loch boiled and rippled and something appeared out of it, indistinct at first, just a patch of dark that thickened and grew, joined by another section that stretched back and forwards in the water.

  HMS Gehenna rose out of the loch.

  CHAPTER FORTY

  Blown

  THE SUBMARINE WAS BLACK, matt that absorbed the light, sucked it in and made the surface impossible to define.

  We both stared at it in the loch. It was as long as the town and taller than the tallest building. Despite the plans, and pictures of other submarines I’d seen as a kid, I’d never thought what it would be like in the metal. Seeing it for real.

  The townsfolk were silent as waves rolled out from the vessel and caught the light. White crests on the dark water beside the darker submarine.

  ‘That’s it,’ said Becky. ‘It’s here.’

  ‘It is.’

  Then she ran off down the hill. For a moment I stayed and watched Gehenna. After a short time I followed her down. Now we had to work out what to do. Becky’d be keen to find somewhere for a clean shot. Blow it out of the water.

  When I got down to the Eblis she was packing up the pans and plates. At the side were some weapons: Nico’s assault rifle and a couple of grenades.

  ‘So what now?’ I said.

  ‘We need to get going —’

  ‘Where?’

  ‘What’s going on?’ said Casper.

  ‘It’s Gehenna,’ she said. ‘It’s in the loch.’

  Casper climbed up onto the turret and dropped into the open hatch. It was the fastest I’d seen him move for days.

  ‘What’s Gayanna?’ said Daniel.

  ‘It’s the submarine,’ I said. ‘The one we came to look for.’

  ‘Submarine?’

  I told him it was a special ship, one that could go underwater. But my words were drowned out by the sound of the Eblis’ motors. We had to step aside as it moved backwards through the trees.

  ‘Where’s he going?’ I said.

  It shot back and pirouetted on its tracks so that it faced up the hill. It raced off with a trail of earth left in its tracks.

  As it charged across the rough ground Becky stood there with an open mouth.

  ‘What the hell is going on?’ I said.

  She shook her head slowly.

  The tank made its way up the hillside, thudding over the rocks and vegetation. It didn't slow as it ploughed its way towards the top. We needed to stop him or at least delay him. Get him to ease off before we were spotted. ‘Have you got a gun?’

  ‘A gun?’ She was working in slow motion.

  I grabbed up Nico’s assault rifle and aimed at the Eblis. I squeezed the trigger and knocked off a couple of shots. Both zinged off the tank and it didn’t slow. It surged on up the hill.

  As it came to the top, it slowed. There was some clanking as it manoeuvred then it stopped facing across towards the town.

  ‘Oh, Casper,’ said Becky. She started to ru
n after it.

  For a moment I did nothing: stood with Daniel by the plates and pans and our bedding.

  Then I raced up the slope towards her. Daniel came with me but she had a good head start and neither of us could get near her.

  The Eblis was stationary. For a moment I thought Casper was just looking for the sub.

  But then the gun fired. There was a shot that echoed around the valley and across the town.

  The tank rocked on its suspension then fired again. There was no way to tell if it had hit or missed from where we were. But that was our cover blown. The townsfolk must have been aware of our presence from the sound, let alone the shells landing on or near Gehenna.

  Becky was still running but before she got close the Eblis drove off. It rolled down the other side of the bank and disappeared. When I made it to the crest Becky was there with her hands on her head. The tank was several hundred metres off, racing towards the town across the rough ground.

  The submarine was still in the loch and there was no sign of damage to it. But a smoking hole lay at the edge of the town down by the waterside. He’d not got the range right and had fallen short so now he was making up ground.

  The Eblis approached the trench and stopped. It shifted its turret. Prepared to fire again.

  There was a flash. I thought Casper had fired, but it was followed by another from the submarine. Gehenna had a weapon of its own. There was a great blast just below us, a huge thud, followed by another straight after it. The Eblis was engulfed in a ball of flame and smoke rolled out from it then there was a third flash from the submarine. The tank exploded and sent metal chunks up into the air. The hull lay cleaved in two and parts rained down on us. Becky and Daniel pulled their hands over their heads as wires and switches fell from above. A lever bounced nearby and a gun barrel jammed into the ground.

  In a few seconds it was over and the Eblis lay ruptured and burning. Becky put her hands to her face and cried.

  ‘We need to go,’ I said.

  ‘No, no!’

  ‘We can’t stay here —’

  ‘What about Casper? What if he’s —’

  ‘He’s dead, Becky.’

  ‘No. No.’

  But she didn’t resist as I led her down the hill. Away from the mess that had been the Eblis. She staggered along as if she’d been hit by the debris but she was unharmed. Not physically hurt. Daniel held her hand as we walked.

  Back at the copse I grabbed up what was left of our possessions. The people from the sub would be keen to check the result of their attack and I didn’t want us to be around when they turned up.

  I gave the bedding to Daniel and the plates and pans to Becky. She stood without moving, eyes wide. Staring off. I shouldered the rifle and led off into the valley. I didn’t have much of an idea where to go but being close to the tank’s track marks didn't seem sensible.

  Becky refused to come but followed when Daniel drew her with him. We walked for several hours with only a stop to drink.

  At last we came to another patch of trees and I sat on a log by a gnarled spruce.

  ‘This will do,’ I said.

  Daniel dumped his stuff on the ground. Becky stood by the tree and stared across the valley at nothing in particular. I checked back the way we’d come. There were sounds from way off: shouts and engines but it was hard to work out if they were from the town or where we’d been.

  ‘We need to eat,’ I said.

  Daniel opened his bag then started to gather up wood for a fire. I wasn’t sure if it was sensible to have one yet but I let him carry on. He took out food and arranged it on three plates.

  ‘Are you all right?’ I said to Becky. She hadn’t moved.

  ‘They blew it,’ she said.

  ‘You probably need to eat something. Rest.’

  ‘With Casper in it.’

  ‘I know.’

  She looked at me for the first time. For a moment we just stared at each other. Then she looked away. ‘He wasn’t always like that.’

  ‘Right.’

  ‘When I met him he was different. Better.’

  ‘I’m sure.’

  ‘It got to him.’

  ‘What did?’

  She shrugged, took a plate and chewed a hard biscuit. We sat and ate. Daniel’s fire stayed unlit as I kept my eyes on the horizon waiting for people to turn up. Track us down.

  No one showed up so we set out the bedding. I still refused to let Daniel light his fire and he took a huff at this so let him play with my lighter for a while. As he clicked it on and off I watched Becky. Her face lit up in the flashes to show sunken eyes and drooped mouth. I wanted to say something comforting to her but Casper was gone and it really was over. All we had now was a chance to escape.

  After a while I took the lighter off Daniel and told him it was time to sleep. He settled down and soon started to snore.

  ‘Becky?’ I said.

  ‘Yeah?’ Her voice was flat. Dead.

  ‘I’ll take first watch if you want.’

  ‘You sleep. I’ll do it. I’m not tired.’

  ‘You need to rest.’

  ‘No, I don’t.’

  I stayed awake for a while in case she dozed off but I could sense her sitting there. Not moving.

  In time I fell asleep and dreamt of the Eblis being blown apart. Casper frying in the wreckage.

  In the morning she was still there with her eyes fixed on where we’d come from, her bedding wrapped around her. ‘They were out in the night.’

  ‘From the town?’

  ‘Yes, quite a few of them.’ She pointed off towards the west. Where the tank had been.

  ‘At least they didn’t come here.’

  ‘No, they’d didn’t.’

  Daniel fetched some water from a stream and squeezed in a few blaeberries to flavour it. Becky stayed in her bedding as she drank.

  ‘What now?’ I said.

  She drank some more, shrugged. ‘Without the Eblis we can’t do much.’

  ‘If anything.’

  She threw her drink down. ‘Don’t you think I fucking know that? We lost the Eblis and Casper and everything. Everything!’ She stood up. ‘Can’t you say anything useful?’

  I said nothing. She needed to let off steam and I wasn’t going to stop her.

  ‘What a screw up! What a waste! What a waste.’ She went on like this for ages. Waved her arms and stomped around.

  At last she sat down and took a breath.

  ‘We could still blow it,’ I said.

  She laughed.

  ‘I’m serious.’

  ‘You’re serious.’

  I nodded and poured her another drink. For a few moments the three of us sat and drank. I wasn’t even sure where that had come from. But I was serious. We were here and we had come for a purpose. It hadn’t been something I’d believed in but here we were.

  A breeze blew through the trees and shadows ran across the valley as the clouds were driven in from the west. Going to destroy the sub was a crazy idea. Suicide. The sensible thing was to get away. Forget about Gehenna and the town.

  ‘We have to get into town,’ said Becky. ‘They must have traders coming in.’

  ‘Yes, but they’ll be suspicious after the Eblis.’

  ‘Have you changed your mind?’

  ‘No.’

  ‘There’s no use hanging around out here.’

  ‘Tell you what, I’ll look the place over. See if there’s some way in.’

  ‘When?’

  ‘I’ll do it now.’

  ‘Okay.’ She seemed happy with this. If we were going to do it I didn’t want to end up like Casper. I’d have a look, make a plan and let her calm down.

  So I shouldered the assault rifle and walked through the trees, out across the scrubland. Up the hill behind us. The sun fought through thick cloud and lit patches of the loch. Rain fell on the far shore, beyond Gehenna. The town looked the same as ever. All the low buildings and the big object in the middle. There was music and voices that
drifted across the glen.

  I sat on the hillside for a while. There was no sign of movement around the gates or the trench.

  Then I spotted two figures walking towards the town. A woman and a young man: Becky and Daniel, heading for the entrance way.

  I ran down the hill towards them.

  CHAPTER FORTY-ONE

  Town

  WHEN I CAUGHT THEM up they were approaching the bridge. ‘What are you up to?’

  ‘We’re going in.’ Becky marched on, not looking at me. She had her bag and mine. Daniel carried his stuff as well.

  ‘They’ll never let you in.’

  ‘They might.’

  ‘Stop. Let’s talk about this.’

  ‘I thought you wanted to go in?’

  ‘I do but we need a plan —’

  ‘We’ll work it out, Trent.’ She carried on so I walked with her, towards the main gate. There were remnants of burnt out bonfires on the ground at each side.

  ‘All right. We need to work out some story.’ If they came out and found us just hanging around we’d really be in trouble. After the Eblis’s trick they’d be jumpy as hell.

  She stopped and thrust my bag at me. ‘Go on.’

  ‘We’ll say we’re traders.’

  ‘We’ve got nothing to trade.’

  ‘Could sell ourselves,’ said Daniel.

  I think it was a joke but it made sense. ‘We could pretend to be pimp and whore.’

  ‘Fuck you,’ she said.

  ‘It’s a plan.’

  ‘For Christ’s sake.’

  I checked to see what was in my bag. There were some clothes, banknotes and the Gehenna stuff. The shotgun and two grenades from the tank.

  Daniel raised his hand. ‘What about me.’

  Becky prodded me on the chest. ‘This isn’t some kind of joke.’

  ‘I’m serious,’ I said. ‘We could get in that way.’

  She snorted and shook her head but didn’t argue.

  ‘You’re our star entertainer,’ I said to Daniel.

  He grinned and there was almost a smile from Becky. Almost.

  We carried onto the bridge of heavy logs that crossed the trench. The gates were set in the barricade, held by pillars of solid stone, sculpted to look like rockets, and with steel brackets hammered through them to take the giant hinges.