by RR Haywood
‘Keep her,’ he replies, ‘Dave’s right, she wouldn’t go for a child. She’s had plenty of chances and she hasn’t done anything like that yet, she loves kids by the looks of it.’
‘Hmmm, yeah okay then.’
‘I’ll keep her with me,’ Lani says.
‘Right,’ I straighten up, ‘where is she?’
Twenty Eight
Red everywhere. Red from the blood spilled on the ground. Red from the bodies split open and torn apart. Red flames that eat into the buildings they consume.
The red van matches the scene, like it belongs there as one of the varying shades of death. Nick stands at the rear with his hands on his hips staring round.
Lilly walks slowly towards him, having told Todd to remain in the front of the van with his eyes closed to shield him from the scene of utter carnage.
‘No one here,’ Nick comments quietly.
Lilly stares in awe struck wonder at the scale of the battle. Bodies stretched out in every direction and killed in every way possible. Limbs strewn about like twigs, heads separated from bodies, torsos with innards hanging out, thick layers of corpses with spent shell casings glittering in the bright sun. The stench is something never known before. Rotting, charred meat mixed with the metallic tang of blood and chemical smoke from the burning High Street.
‘They should be here,’ Nick turns round, the first real signs of worry evident on his face.
‘Maybe they went,’ Lilly speaks softly, hardly daring to break the silence of this oppressive area.
‘No,’ shaking his head, ‘they’d wait here…’
‘But they’re not,’ Lilly states the obvious. The urge to do something to find her brother nags constantly at her. She can see he wasn’t lying, the bodies and the fires are testament to that. The bullet cases indicate fierce fighting too, but he also said they would be waiting for him.
‘Nick, I can’t wait,’ Lilly says.
‘But they should be here,’ he repeats, ‘they’d know we’d come back.’
‘Something must have happened,’ she replies. ‘Maybe they went to the fort.’
‘Maybe,’ he sighs, ‘there’d be a reason. They wouldn’t just fucking leave me here.’
‘What do you want to do?’ She asks. Staring from the side she can see the concern etched into his face, the way he stares about as if he will find his mates any second.
Shrugging he carries on looking, staring for any sign that they were here. ‘I don’t know…fort I guess…fuck it…why didn’t they wait?’
‘How do you know they came back here?’
‘Because…just because that’s what we’d do…We’ve never been spilt up before but I know that that is what they would do …’
‘But you think they’re okay?’ She asks softly.
‘Yes I do,’ he replies firmly, ‘yeah I don’t know how, but yeah…fucking yes…there’s no way they’d all get…’
‘Okay,’ she steps closer to him, ‘Nick, you stay here if you want...I’ve got to find Billy.’
‘We need the others first.’
‘They’re not here Nick and I can’t wait…’
‘Lilly, I know they’d come back but it’s already late and…’
‘Then something must have happened. Go to the fort and find them…listen Nick, thank you for everything you’ve done but…’
‘You can’t go on your own,’ he turns to face her, ‘you can’t do that.’
‘I don’t have a choice,’ she shrugs, ‘he’s my brother.’
‘What about Todd? You can’t take him with you…No…we have to find the others first.’
‘Nick, thank you but I have to find him…anything could happen…’
‘Mr Howie can…’
‘He’s not here though,’ Lilly cuts him off, her tone kind but firm. ‘Keep the van, I can find something else but er…can I keep the gun please? I’ll bring it back once I’ve got Billy.’
‘No,’ Nick shakes his head.
‘What do you mean?’ Lilly feels the first nagging worry, ‘Nick, I have to go,’ she takes a step back creating distance between them.
‘Eh?’ Nick stares at her confused, seeing the hard look cross her face. ‘Take your bloody hand off that gun…’ he sighs, ‘I didn’t mean I was going to stop you.’
‘You can’t stop me,’ she says firmly.
‘I don’t want to fucking stop you,’ he says quickly, ‘I just meant you can’t do it on your own.’
‘I’m fine.’
‘Did you go to public school?’ He asks suddenly, ‘you speak really nice and posh.’
‘What? What relevance does that have?’
Shrugging he looks away, ‘just asking,’ he blushes at the stern rebuke.
Seeing his face flushing she softens, realising he wasn’t trying to force her into something. ‘Yes, yes I went to a private school before my dad was made bankrupt…’
‘Shit really?’
‘Yes really,’ she looks down at the memory of her father, of the way his body blew apart from the shotgun blast. ‘Look, you might be used to this,’ she starts speaking quickly, ‘all this…this death, but up until yesterday we were hiding at home…’
‘Lilly…’
‘My dad was killed last night,’ she chokes on the tears, ‘and Sam was raped and…and…I saw it all happen and now Billy is…’
‘It’s okay,’ Nick moves in as the tears start pouring down her face.
‘I can’t…’ she gasps, roughly trying to wipe the tears away with the back of her hand, ‘I’m so tired and I’ve got to find Billy…’
‘Okay,’ Nick says softly.
‘No it’s not okay,’ she snaps, ‘it’s not okay at all…not at all…’ she weeps hard and quick, the tears streaming down her face.
Instinct moves Nick close and sends his arms around her. Stroking her back, Nick stays quiet for a few minutes, letting the girl weep without words.
‘We’ll find him,’ he says eventually, ‘I promise…we’ll find your brother.’
‘How? I can’t do it…but I’ll have to…I can’t wait Nick.’
‘It’s okay, come on…it’s going to be okay…I’ll come with you, we’ll go together.’
‘But you said,’ she sniffs.
‘I’ll come with you,’ Nick repeats, ‘this is our way, that’s what Mr Howie would say.’
‘What?’
‘Our way, this is our way of doing things,’ he explains, ‘you can’t leave someone on their own like this…’
‘You don’t have to,’ she regains some composure, her voice strengthening in resolve but she doesn't move away. The warmth and contact from another person, from someone tall and strong with a soft voice and a calm manner, is needed too much to break away.
‘I will,’ he says firmly, ‘I’m coming and that’s fucking that.’
‘You do swear a lot,’ she comments in a quiet voice.
‘I know, Dave keeps telling me off for it. If it wasn’t for Cookey fucking up all the time I’d be making the brews for the rest of my life.’
‘They sound nice, the people you keep talking about.’
‘They are, they’re the best,’ Nick replies without shame or embarrassment.
‘I’m so scared,’ she admits. With her eyes screwed tightly closed she presses against him, feeling the warmth of his body against hers. His voice is deep like a man and he speaks so kindly to her that she is reluctant to move away from the safety of his arms.
‘That’s normal,’ Nick strokes her back, the scent of her hair filling his nose as he feels an overwhelming sense of shame that someone like this has to experience all of this death and carnage. He and his team have been doing it since the first day, since it happened, and they’ve had each other to rely on and stick with. She only came out yesterday and already her life has been ripped apart. ‘Lilly, I promise you…I will do whatever it takes to find your brother…I promise.’
‘Thank you,’ she whispers.
‘Come on, we’ll
do it now.’
‘Don’t you want to wait longer?’ She steps back, looking up at the dark haired young man with kindness pouring from his eyes.
‘No, they’ll be okay…’
‘You should leave a note,’ she suggests quickly, ‘leave a note and say where we’re going.’
Panic grips Nick. To admit now that he can’t write is a shame too far. Telling this woman he will do anything he can to save her brother only to admit now that he can’t write. On his own, away from everyone he could do it slowly, but not under pressure and no way in front of her. His mind can’t think quick enough to ask her to do it.
‘No, it’ll be okay,’ he stammers quietly, ‘er…no…they must have gone to the fort.’
‘Sure?’ She asks, confused at the change of his mind.
‘Yeah sure,’ he berates himself internally for not just admitting it and asking her to do it. However, Nick, for all his strengths and presence, is but a young man full of a young man’s pride, and Lilly is so beautiful that the admittance of such a thing cannot be expressed.
The blood red van starts moving away from the car park. With the streets so littered with bodies they have no choice but to detour into a side street, away from the town and away from the car park.
Within minutes of their exit, another vehicle drives into the area from a different side road. Two young men sit within, driving slowly so they can scan the area before coming to rest near the car park.
Twenty Nine
‘Nice choice,’ Cookey comments.
‘Stop going on about it.’
‘Well…’
‘It’s fine…stop fucking whining,’ Blowers groans.
‘It’s not fine, it is shit.’
‘Does it matter?’ Blowers asks for the umpteenth time.
‘Well duh!’ Cookey says. He stares out the open passenger window scanning the houses and area, while Blowers slowly navigates down the street back to the main road. ‘Oh nice one brainache, we’re back at the car park now.’
‘Yes because that is where I was going,’ Blowers explains with forced patience, ‘to see if the others have got back yet.’
‘Fair enough,’ Cookey holds his hands up, ‘still a shit car though.’
‘It doesn't fucking matter,’ Blowers exclaims.
‘We could have had that nice BMW…it was only three doors up but oh no…you’ve got to get the fucking Fiesta…the shittiest heap of shit rust bucket fucking Fiesta in the entire fucking country…I mean look…it still has a fucking tape player…’
‘So? We’re only using it for a bit.’
‘A fucking tape player…who has a tape player in their car these days?’
‘Fuck me,’ Blowers groans.
‘And they’ve got fucking tapes in here,’ Cookey says as he opens the glove box, ‘look…actual fucking music tapes…’
‘Look out the window not in the glove box.’
‘I’m looking,’ Cookey glances up and round before delving back into the music selection, ‘Ha! Duran Duran…get this…Duran Duran…’
‘Who are they?’
‘Who are they he says,’ Cookey laughs, ‘like he doesn't know.’
‘I don’t know.’
‘Yeah fuck off, you’re like they’re biggest fan.’
‘What’re they doing back here?’
‘Who?’
‘You’d know that if you were looking properly,’ Blowers comments, checking his side mirror to see the car taken by Clarence and Lani driving up behind them. Cookey cranes back and forth, staring forward, then left and right before looking across with a puzzled glance.
‘Behind us you twat,’ Blowers shakes his head, sighing again as Cookey twists round to wave at the car behind them
‘What’s up? Where’s Lani?’ Cookey shouts climbing out to see Clarence already out and striding towards them.
‘We got the boss and Dave, Lani’s with them now. Any sign of Nick?’
‘Really, where?’ Cookey shouts.
‘On the outskirts,’ Clarence replies, ‘where the hell is he?’
‘Nick? Probably asleep somewhere,’ Blowers stares around, betraying the confidence of his voice.
‘I bloody hope he is, he’ll be making the brews for the next ten bloody years though,’ Clarence growls, ‘follow me.’
‘What about Nick?’ Cookey asks, ‘he might come back here.’
Clarence stares at the ground around the car park with a look of distaste. Being back here is offensive, a hell hole that should be burnt to the ground. He glances up at the flames licking at the buildings in the High Street with narrowed, tired eyes. With luck the fire will destroy everything and leave nothing here. Wipe it off the face of the planet and let nature reclaim it.
‘Leave a note for him, make it obvious,’ he snaps before walking off, leaving a quiet Blowers and Cookey staring after him.
‘He’s not happy,’ Cookey comments quietly.
‘He must be knackered,’ Blowers replies. Clarence gets back into the car and reverses. He goes too fast and slams the back of the vehicle into an old Renault, before slamming his fists down on the steering wheel so hard the thing snaps off to disappear from view.
Both lads watch as the giant exits the car holding the steering wheel in his hands, a face flushed with anger as he stares at the object with pure venom. Titanic self-control exerts itself and he just lets the plastic steering wheel fall from his hands.
‘Get on with it,’ he barks at the two lads, then turns to march to the nearest house. As he walks through the already broken front door the lads glance at each other with looks of worry, neither of them knowing if they should be doing something.
A car in the street clunks audibly, the indicators flashing as the alarm is de-activated.
‘Why are you still here?’ Clarence asks walking out the house towards the car he just unlocked.
‘Going now…er…you alright Clarence?’ Cookey calls out. He winces as the big man stops dead and slowly turns, his face a picture of anger mixed with worry and near exhaustion.
‘Yeah,’ Clarence sags on the spot, ‘sorry…I’m just fucked…no excuses but er…’
‘Don’t worry,’ Cookey says quickly, ‘just worried about you that’s all.’
‘I’m okay,’ Clarence nods, ‘I shouldn’t have snapped at you…the boss is safe with Dave, they’ve got some good news for once…see you in a minute.’
‘Clarence,’ Blowers calls out, ‘we don’t know where to go mate.’
Once again he lifts a huge hand to rub his smooth head, the feeling of being out of control floods through him. He is a professional soldier, trained for combat and high-stress situations. Losing it now is not an option but the exhaustion is starting to sap his mental functions.
‘Come with us,’ Cookey urges, ‘we can get another car later.’
He nods, knowing the time is right to take help from those around him. A team is a team for a reason, they help each other through the hardest parts. Ditching the keys he walks towards them with a small smile, before coming to a sudden stop at the side of the car. Looking down he takes in the tiny car before glaring up at Blowers.
‘A Fiesta?’
‘What?’ Blowers rolls his eyes.
‘I bloody told you Blowers,’ Cookey yells, wrenching the passenger seat forward he clambers into the back, ‘and only three fucking doors too.’
‘Stop moaning!’ Blowers snaps.
Cookey holds his breath as Clarence tries to ease his bulk into the passenger seat, his enormous shoulders and wide back dwarfing the seat. As athletic and fit as he is, getting both legs inside, even with the seat pushed back develops into an ordeal that threatens to eclipse the snapping of the steering wheel a few moments ago.
‘Get the other car,’ Cookey shouts but Blowers is already off, retrieving the keys from the floor where Clarence dropped them.
‘Better?’ Blowers asks. Five minutes later Clarence is sprawled across the back seat of a much bigger car as he sticks a finger
up at a grinning Cookey.
‘A Fiesta,’ Clarence mutters.
‘That’s what I said,’ Cookey replies, ‘er…has anyone got any note paper?’
‘Fuck,’ Blowers brings the car to a stop, gently resting his head on the steering wheel as he count to ten.
‘I’ll get it,’ Cookey jumps out feeling the charge as two angry men start fuming quietly. Running into the first open house, he rummages through kitchen drawers before finding an old style lined notepad and black pen. Pen and paper in hand he moves quickly to the cupboards.
‘Here, found these,’ he hands out cans of warm fizzy lemonade, ‘only cheap supermarket stuff but…’
‘Nice one,’ Blowers accepts it with a quick smile, ‘thanks mate.’
‘Well done Cookey,’ Clarence takes the can, patting the young lad on the shoulder with his hand.
With the two grumpy bears busy drinking to replenish their blood sugar, the trio move off while Cookey scribbles a note. Changing his mind he rips the first attempt from the note pad before starting again. Nick struggles to read so writing small won’t help, instead he writes big and clear using capital letters.
EVERYONE OKAY. STAY HERE. WILL KEEP CHECKING. IF WE DON’T FIND YOU GO HOME. COOKEY.
‘Nice and simple,’ he muses, reading it back quietly. Plus no one else will know what it means in case some meandering zombie with the ability to read comes tottering along. Nick will know what “home” means. The fort is their home now.
With the other two out to keep watch, Cookey runs around the area trying to find somewhere to put the notice, deciding in the end to use the doors to the stairwell.
‘So what’s this news?’ Cookey asks, back in the car as they drive through the quiet side streets.
‘I’ll let the boss tell you,’ Clarence replies with a smile, ‘but there is something else you should know.’ Sitting upright, he relates the events at the fort during the night and then this morning’s event with the Saxon breaking down. He finishes by telling them they found Howie and Dave chasing a little girl. The lads listen quietly, nodding as they absorb all the information.
‘So why are Mr Howie and Dave all the way out here?’ Cookey asks.