Fall of the Cities_Branching Out

by Vance Huxley

  Meanwhile the convoy headed out of Orchard Close territory, and a Hot Rods vehicle pulled out of a side turning ahead. A hand from the window beckoned them to follow, and the radio crackled. “We’re meeting the other side of The Mansion, because there’s others coming. Watch out because some of them will be bloody edgy.” The voice laughed. “Especially the Ferdinands with both Caddi and Soldier Boy there. Did you bring your spanker?”

  Harold didn’t answer. When Roy looked a question he pointed to his stick, propped up against the dashboard. Billy explained spanking Ferdinands at the mart while Harold concentrated on driving. Not only did the slits in the plate restrict his vision but the difficulty in slowing meant he had to be very careful not to trample the car in front. The original truck brakes had to stop both truck and trailer, difficult because the steel plate alone weighed well over two tons without the original vehicles and the people aboard.

  * * *

  Harold almost changed his mind when he saw the number of vehicles and blocks of different gangsters waiting, but gritted his teeth. By the time he’d got the vehicle parked nearby all the fighters were looking, and a group headed by Caddi were on the way. They all stopped about twenty feet away, waiting for Harold. “Fucking hell, Soldier Boy, is this your tank?” Caddi laughed, probably a genuine one. “Choose wisely? What sort of logo is that?”

  Harold climbed out to general merriment from the rest, except the Ferdinands led by an overweight man wearing an American footballer’s helmet, shoulder pads and tight pants with knee and elbow protectors. Harold turned to shut the door before stepping aside so they could all see the paint job. “Seems clear to me.” The girl club really had decorated the steel plate. On the cab door they’d painted a big circle with lines in it to denote the view through telescopic sights. In the sights they’d painted a tilted cross on a mound, with a bullet hole through the top part of the upright. On the crosspiece they’d lettered ‘PEACE’ in red.

  On the rear half of the plate protecting the truck bed the artist painted a big red heart with a ribbon across carrying one word, ‘PEACE.’ The picture had been surrounded by cupid bow lips, balloons, streamers and shooting stars. The CHOOSE WISELY in big black letters on white between the two pictures seemed a clear enough message, the girl club thought.

  “I can live with that, but ‘We Come in Peace’ and all the ribbons and hearts doesn’t quite work.” A tall teenager with a shamrock logo pointed at the trailer.

  Cooper almost choked laughing but got it out. “It says ‘We Shoot to Kill’ on the back.” The group laughed again.

  “Come on Soldier Boy. Bring two bodyguards the same as the rest.” Caddi nodded towards Casper. “He seems to be back in action. Who else?” The gang boss seemed to be in a tremendous mood considering the urgent summons and warnings of a serious fight.

  “Take Roy, since I might get wound up among that lot.” Billy shrugged. “He’ll be more use than me in serious strife anyway.”

  “Roy?”

  “A pleasure and an honour. Are there any rules?”

  “No loaded crossbows and don’t point weapons at people. If it kicks off kill the bastards, all of them.” Harold grinned. “That’s my rules anyway.”

  Casper spoke from just behind Harold. “I’m good with that.” The three of them followed the rest to a cleared patch of ground. As he walked Harold looked at the numbers that had gathered. The five waiting blocks each held forty to fifty fighters, and the Geeks had brought the same. The GOFS brought less but Harold knew they weren’t all here yet. Harold had thirty-five with Roy’s squad but would be outnumbered by any one gang if trouble started.

  * * *

  The introductions were cut short while everyone stared and most started swearing at the nine vehicles full of Barbies following the rest of the GOFS. Caddi reverted to words first. “You are fucking crazy.”

  Gofannon laughed at Caddi. “No, the Barbies are crazy and you said a serious fight. Don’t worry, we’ll put them the other side of the armoured brigade to your lads and anyone else of a nervous disposition.” Gofannon narrowed his eyes. “I wouldn’t want any incidents to upset my allies before the General comes calling.”

  “Some allies.” But Caddi only muttered as Christie and Ken came over with a woman Harold recognised from the puppy-buying.

  “How’s Splash?”

  “Fantastic thanks, but this isn’t the place for walkies.” She grinned. “At least I can cripes here if I want.”

  “If Soldier Boy’s girlfriends are done?” The tall solidly built man in his mid-twenties, Paddy, sported a big green shamrock on his leather jacket to show he belonged to the Murphies. He looked over the Barbies before pointing to people in turn. “Baggies, Ferdinands, Trainspotters. You know us and the rest.”

  “That urgent? Right, where’s the fight and where do you want us?” Ken looked round as if she expected to see a horde charging right now. Considering the big GOFS-made sword held with the blade resting on her shoulder, maybe she did. “We’ve brought fifty, so worth about a hundred of you lot.”

  The meeting really started, with the Baggies supplying the information. They had been fighting off small groups of last year’s refugees, the ones who fled south, for about a month. The floods last year hadn’t ever properly cleared down south, and were already rising with the recent rain. In desperation all the groups down there, which had never formed proper gangs, combined to either conquer a drier territory or break out. One of them had run to the Baggies, trading a safe place in the gang for him and his family in return for information.

  The middle-aged man brought into the middle of the group looked terrified, which seemed sensible. “Why are they going for the mart?” Harold still couldn’t see the logic for that.

  The man cringed away. “The area near the marts down south is flooded so there’s only a narrow approach. Everyone down south decided this is the best place to break out. Maybe not the first place, but the first one with a mart and a clear approach.”

  “Why do they want a mart? An Army post without one would be easier to overrun because here the mart guards and armoured car will get involved.” Ken might look like a maniac and Barbies had a reputation as lunatics, but she was using her brain right now.

  The man cringed the other way, away from Ken. “Those organising it want the supplies in case there’s nothing to eat out there.”

  “But the marts will shut and starve us like London.” The Ferdinand, Bull of course, scowled.

  A small youth with bright red dreadlocks, a Trainspotter according to his anorak, shrugged. “Why should they care if they’ve left the city anyway? What he says makes sense to me.” He glanced at Caddi. “You said urgent, so when does this happen?”

  A Baggie called Boing wearing a black and white striped scarf pointed south. “We’ve pulled everyone and everything out of the way because there’s gotta be six or seven hundred at the very least. A mob that size will just trample us. We’ve sent a messenger to show them where there’s a clear run. We reckon it’ll take anything from a couple of hours to four or five because they’re mostly on foot.” He grinned. “There can’t be anyone or anything left down south, because this lot have brought everything, and I do mean everything. Grandads, women, kids, and probably any kitchen sinks they can carry.”

  “Women?” Hawkins smirked.

  “Keep your bloody donnies off them until the fighting’s done, or I’ll hand you to Emmy from Soldier Boy’s lot. First we kill the fucking fighters, right?” Ken glared and Hawkins held up his hands, placating her.

  “Yeah, right, first we kill the fuckers with weapons. Just sayin’, when we sort out the take, right?”

  “First we sort out how to win, or sorting out the take isn’t going to happen, is it? Not only that we’ll have no food so you won’t exactly want any extra people, will you?” Several of the other’s smiled since Harold didn’t hide his sarcasm.

  Though Hawkins didn’t get a chance to react. “True, now shut it you randy bastard.” Bull nodd
ed towards Harold’s vehicles. “You’re a bit light on fighters, Soldier Boy, because we’ve all brought about fifty I reckon.”

  Harold just smiled. Sure enough Caddi spoke up. “First, we’ve no idea who is in there. Second, his lot will be killing them while you’re still undoing your flies and finding your weapon.”

  “He shot a bloke through the head and then the two with him, at half a mile, too fast for them to drive away.” Gofannon smirked. “Handy. It’s where he got that truck and backed off that fucking General.”

  “Bullshit.”

  “I stood and watched them fall, through binoculars. Three shots, bang, bang, bang, all stone dead and two through the head.” Bull opened his mouth, thought twice about calling Gofannon a liar, then looked very thoughtfully at the truck.

  Though Boing still wasn’t happy. “That’s one shooter.”

  “He’s got more.” Ken looked at the minibus.

  “We might even find out how many?” Caddi looked thoughtful now. “And how many rifles.”

  “We need another big rifle Caddi, to use all my shooters. How far can your bloke be certain of killing them with your old 303?” Harold wanted Caddi’s ammo, not the actual gun.

  “That hasn’t got a scope, as you bloody well know.” Caddi frowned. “Though you didn’t need a scope to shoot at eyes that first time, did you? What sort of range will we be fighting these fuckers at?”

  “Here.” Another Baggie, Throstle, produced a page from a road map, and the leaders from each gang crowded closer to look as he explained.

  “They’ll come in through all these houses and down the neutral road. That’ll all be close-range shit.” Franco the Trainspotter grimaced. “That’ll be bloody with those numbers.”

  “Don’t fight them there. Let them come out of the buildings onto the cleared area near the mart, then hit them from behind. If the Baggies and Ferdinands move into the houses they’ve just come through? Or whichever gangs want to cut off any retreat?” Harold used his finger to indicate a curve on the map. “The rest of us stay here, keeping out of sight behind the derelict housing. Once the mob hits the mart, we move out and start killing from the other side of the strip the mart demolished. They’ve got to run right across that open space to get to us.”

  Wellington, the Geek general, clapped his hands. “Thank fuck for another brain among this lot. I keep saying that head on in buildings is a bad idea. The Army and mart guards will be at the other side and they’ll use machine guns. If these aren’t a proper gang, just a mob, they’ll come apart.”

  “They’ll be surrounded.” Bull closed his hand as if crushing something, then frowned. “How far is that, from the mart to the first houses to the north and west?”

  “About five hundred yards, but it varies.” Caddi frowned. “The fucking mart knocked it all down because some smartarse stuck a crossbow bolt in one of their blokes.” He glanced at Harold. “Is Patty along?” He grinned. “Is she a shooter?”

  “Patty is along but maybe just for anyone getting a bit closer.” Harold pointed at the map again. “I’ve got people who’ll pick out and kill anyone pointing a rifle at that range. If you have they should concentrate on just that. The rest of your rifles just have to hit the main mass.” Internally Harold winced because there’d be women and kids in there, but there were women and kids in Orchard Close who would starve if the mart shut. “Once they find we’re killing their riflemen they’ve got to come over that open ground to get to grips, or to hit us with handguns.”

  “Told you.” Caddi looked quite smug as he spoke to the gangs on his southern and western borders. “He’s a soldier. His lot might not have numbers but they survived one of those mob breakouts during the crash.” Caddi shrugged. “We only brought about fifty each because none of us would strip our places bare. Soldier Boy hasn’t got a big army to start with.” He glanced at the trailer. “Luckily or the bastard might have cleaned us all up.”

  The rest were more or less ignoring Caddi now, looking at the map and thinking or discussing with their own gang members. “I’ll buy it. Better than trying to stop them getting to the mart.” Franco, the redheaded Trainspotter, frowned. “We’ve got shooters who can do that, pick a target over five hundred yards away.”

  “As long as just attacking the mart doesn’t get them closed down?” Christie had a point, and they all thought that over a few moments.

  “If we try fighting in those houses, enough bastards might get through to attack the mart anyway.” Throstle nodded slowly. “This way is good enough, once we sort out who goes where.”

  “Can you send someone to the mart, tell them we’re on the way?” Harold smiled. “We’ll arrive just too late to stop the first ones attacking. With luck the RAF will get there first. At the very least the mart will have all their posts manned with rifles or buckshot.”

  “Good point. I’ll send the whores.” Caddi whistled and waved, until a man ran across for instructions before heading for The Mansion at speed in a car.

  “We’ll go nearest to the bypass and the Army so we can flash our knickers at them.” Christie smirked. “They’ll be less likely to shoot at us poor females.”

  “We’d better put the armour next to protect us from you.” Caddi sneered. “Then the GOFS I suppose or Soldier Boy might nick their girlfriends.”

  “We might be more interested in Soldier Boy’s girls?” The rest of the bosses compared forces and gangs dropped into place along the impromptu battle line. The Trainspotters and Baggies volunteered to fight in the ruined housing, though the Trainspotter shooters would stay clear, to shoot at long range. Harold thought that made sense, going by what he’d seen of the Ferdinand’s lack of hand-to-hand expertise.

  “We’ll take the bit next to the houses, then if it looks like the mob are breaking out again we’ll get them from the side. Flank them yeah?” The Murphy looked at Harold with a grin.

  Harold smiled back. “We’ll make soldiers of you yet. Now we’d better get moving in case they arrive early. Unless someone else wants to start the ball rolling, we’ll take the first shots to nail some of those with rifles before they take cover. Nobody get impatient because we want them all out of the neutral road housing first.” After some discussion the rest agreed. Harold would fire the first shots then everyone would open up.

  * * *

  Harold waited until arriving at ‘his’ sector before briefing everyone. He held up the 303 rifle from Caddi and three boxes of rounds before throwing a box to Alfie. “Have fun, and keep the empty brass.” He threw two full clips. “Save those for closer up.”

  “Who gets the extra rifles, Alfie’s two-two and that big one?” Doll’s little smile definitely volunteered her.

  “Finn gets the 303 because he can shoot a pistol with the same sights. Just aim at belt buckle height, Finn, and I’ll show you how to adjust the sights for when the range drops. Harold smiled at Doll. “You’ve used Finn’s pistol, so you get a rifle.”

  “I had a go as well, when I moved in with Finn and Barry for a while.” Billy shrugged. “If anyone is any better I’ll step down?”

  Harold looked at Roy, who shrugged as well. “You saw us all shoot a rifle. If he’s used to those sights let him have a go. These blokes will be more useful with shotguns, handguns and machetes.” Roy hooked a thumb at his four men.

  “Fair enough.” Harold spoke to the men directly. “The best shotgun ammo when they get in range, under a hundred yards, then use up the rest. At fifty yards everyone start shooting as fast as you can with handguns while keeping the muzzle down.” Harold went through how they’d set up. “Just remember Bess, aimed shots if they break.” Bess blushed and promised to remember.

  A couple of tries showed what angle between the truck and trailer left a gap that could be covered by the steel sheet. “There’ll only be crossbows, shotguns and pistols behind here. Keep down so you don’t attract attention until they get into range, and save your pistols for if they get to fifty yards. We want anyone in that mob with rifles sho
oting at the thicker steel on the vehicles.” Harold smiled. “Hopefully we’ll have shot those people by the time they’re in shotgun range.”

  “You’d better.” Casper gestured at his arm. “That’s only just healed up. We’d better have the bombs because we haven’t got a roof in the way when throwing.” Since the mob hadn’t arrived they all practiced parking up and getting the steel into place. Those unused to their rifle practiced loading and sighting.

  “Emmy?” Harold waved her away from the rest. “I don’t want you in the vehicles.”

  Emmy scowled. “Don’t go all protective now. I’m here to fight, Harold. I’m the best shot apart from you, and I’ve practiced with this rifle.”

  “Yes, which is why I want you up high. You get in the roof of one of the forward houses, that one just behind and to the left of where we will set up. The mob will shoot at the vehicles so you’ll get a nice clean view without being under fire, and the extra twenty yards will make no difference to you or that rifle.” Harold pointed at the group of people. “Take half a dozen with you to rip up timber joists or anything else that’ll stop a bullet and make a low wall in the loft. Lie down behind the cover and knock out a couple of tiles. Send the helpers back as soon as the first warning comes.”

  Emmy narrowed her eyes suspiciously. “Why do you want me up there?”

  Harold handed her a headset. “With this on you can shoot while talking to let me know what’s happening. I want to know if the bastards have broken out someplace, or the Army have arrived, or we’re being flanked.” Harold sighed. “If the mart has been breached, because then we may as well save ammo and go home.”

  Emmy wasn’t convinced. “Anyone will do as a spotter Harold. I’m a shooter.”

  “A shooter with a superb view and in the perfect position to use that very good rifle where it’s needed. If Caddi or Hawkins start shooting at us by mistake, make it a fatal mistake. We might not even realise down here in the sound and the fury.” Harold hadn’t many reasons left, not ones he could say.