SAFE HAVEN: REALM OF THE RAIDERS

by Christopher Artinian

  He turned and saw the vet coming through the dining room doors with a yellow Labrador. He unhooked its harness and the dog ran over to the mound of rubble and began sniffing. Mike and the other diggers looked towards the vet for an explanation.

  “This is Humphrey. He worked with Mountain Rescue for two years before all this started. He’ll be able to show us where to dig.” As soon as the words had left the vet’s mouth, Humphrey began barking and scratching frantically in one spot. Shaw sprang into action and redirected the team to concentrate on that one area.

  *

  The Jackal quietly rolled away again so as not to alert the RAMs on the other side of the river to the presence of live food. Fry edged towards the turret that housed the two sentries and as he got closer he could hear them talking. They were unaware that there was a threat on this side of the water. Although Fry had a gun and plenty of clips, it was essential that he worked quietly. Timing was everything. He picked up a stone the size of a teapot and gently tossed it at the turret. The resulting sound was quiet enough not to be heard by the RAMs, but loud enough to be heard by the soldiers within.

  “What the fuck was that?” shrieked the older of the two sentries. The younger one just stood there frozen. “I’ll check it out. You keep your eyes and ears open.” He emerged from the turret, carefully surveying his surroundings. He went round to the side where the sound had come from, expecting to see something, but there was nothing there. The soldier began to retrace his steps when there was another sound from a bush a few metres to the left. He raised his rifle and slowly walked towards the bush. As he approached, he extended the rifle and brushed aside a branch. Nothing. He moved closer. Still nothing. He was about to turn around when Fry pounced, ramming the blade of his dagger up through the soft tissue at the back of the soldier’s neck and into his skull. The sentry was dead before he touched the floor. Fry removed the soldier’s shirt and vest and wrapped them around his handgun to act as a makeshift silencer. He headed towards the turret. Time was ticking away; a few more minutes and the Jackal would be back. For a split second he thought about the trick that had been played on him, how the enemy had got into camp posing as one of his own men, but Fry was never one for subterfuge. He pulled the material tight around the barrel of the gun, took a deep breath and walked straight into the turret. The sentry was beginning to raise his rifle when Fry aimed and shot him straight through the forehead. He didn’t watch as the body collapsed to the floor; instead, he looked across to the wooded area on the other bank. The sound had not been enough to alert the RAMs. He looked at his watch. Eight minutes had passed since the Jackal had left. He grabbed the sentry’s rifle and flung it over his shoulder, grabbing a spare magazine from the dead man’s pocket. He jogged over to the bridge where the backhoe loader was parked. He wouldn’t need to clear the whole bridge, just enough to give the RAMs on the other side a clear passage. As the engine spluttered into life, the creatures on the other side began to move with purpose.

  The gate and obstructions next to it had already been destroyed by a barrage of grenades, but Fry used the huge mechanical shovel to scrape a path, albeit not a clear one. Before he had even finished, RAMs were already beginning to stumble across the uneven bridge. He jumped down and began to sprint, the injury to his leg already forgotten. He didn’t want to kill any of the beasts, they were now his soldiers, but he would if he had to. After fifty metres he ducked behind a bush. The first of the RAMs had made their way over. He looked again at his watch. Twelve minutes had passed and the Jackal would be back any time now. His position was slightly elevated, yet thanks to the shrubbery, still concealed. As more and more RAMs crossed the bridge a surge of excitement began to run through Fry. He was back in charge. More and more beasts would come from the woods, attracted by the sound of the machine that had cleared the path. These were once his men, and although the invasion hadn’t gone as planned, he would still have victory. He would return with a thousand men or maybe more. They would sweep through this village, wiping out the RAMs and then take everything. He would have his prize.

  *

  “I can see a head,” one of the soldiers shouted. The words hung in the air as all digging stopped and then a frenzy of activity began again.

  “Get some light over here,” shouted Shaw as two men and a woman positioned a large work light, normally used for roadside repairs, just back from the work area. “Looks like a redhead.”

  Mike knew immediately that it was Samantha. “Is she alive?” he asked urgently.

  “Can’t tell yet, Mike, we need to clear some more rubble,” replied the private, who was equally keen to learn whether they were going to find any survivors. “Can somebody please get all the children out of here?” He could handle whatever he was going to find, but if the worst had happened, he didn’t want to have to drag a corpse out in front of youngsters.

  The work continued quickly but carefully; there must be no collapses to send them back to square one. Shaw removed a large piece of roofing felt to uncover Samantha’s shoulders and neck. With trepidation, he moved his fingers down to the soft area of skin next to her windpipe. The flesh was ice cold, there was no pulse. He moved his fingers up to her nose, nothing. She was gone. He looked up at Mike and shook his head. Mike felt his throat constrict, he knew that if he opened his mouth no words would come out, just a cry of despair. He had to leave. He had to go find Lucy.

  As he stormed out of the door he heard Shaw shouting orders. “We’ve still got four people underneath this rubble, we don’t give up until we’ve found all of them.”

  Mike appreciated his fight, but his own drive was fast beginning to leave him. He marched through the dining room. Those who were not involved in the digging were gathering family members together and beginning to leave to return to their homes.

  As soon as he entered the foyer he caught Lucy’s gaze and went into the reception office. Lucy followed him, closing the door behind her.

  Mike inhaled shakily. He was desperately trying not to cry, but he knew it was useless. He leant his back against the wall for support and began to sob. Lucy went across to hold him. She gently took the back of his head in her hand and whispered. “What is it, babe? What’s wrong? What’s wrong, sweetie?”

  It took him a few seconds to gather himself enough to speak. “Samantha’s gone.” Mike felt warm tears running down the side of his face where Lucy’s head was pressed into his. “We’ve just found her.”

  Lucy pulled back to look at him. Streams of salty water were now cascading down both their faces. She moved her hands to his shoulders, down his arms and then intertwined her fingers with his. She looked at him sadly. He was brave, loyal and honourable, but he was still very young. As a doctor she had been around death most of her life and, as horrific as this was, she knew she was going to have to be the stronger one. She was going to have to get Mike through this. She reached up and wiped away his tears with her thumb. “Mikey, as much as I want to just sit in here and hold you and mourn for Samantha, you need to get back in there.” She sniffed deeply to try and regain composure. “Just because Samantha didn’t make it, that doesn’t mean Emma didn’t.”

  “Have you seen it through there, Lucy? It’s like a scene from a nightmare.”

  She moved her hand up to his cheek and gently caressed it. “Mike, a few days ago, I might have agreed with you. But ever since we hit the road I have seen one miracle after another.”

  Mike snorted and shook his head, wiping his face on his T-shirt sleeve. “I think we might be all out of miracles this time.”

  “Mike, listen to me. When this is over, we’ll give Samantha a proper burial and the mourning she deserves. But for all we know, Emma could have found a small air pocket and she could be praying with all her might that her brother will rescue her. She told me you have always been there for her, Mike. You have always been her saviour. Don’t give up when she might need you most.”

  *

  The Jackal revved its engine in a bid to charge the RAMs th
at had crossed the bridge. The two occupants had no idea what had happened to the sentries who were on duty, but now was a time to act, not to think. The passenger brought the radio handset up to his mouth and was about to push the talk button when he looked down to see blood gushing from his chest. He looked across to the driver, whose eyes were looking towards the source of the gunshot. It wasn’t until the passenger slumped forward in his seat that the driver realised he had been shot. He heard a second shot ping on the outside armour. He picked up his rifle, but he didn’t hear the third shot, he didn’t feel the third shot. It was the third shot that bored into his left temporal lobe and ended his life.

  Fry wasn’t stupid, he knew that despite the bounty awaiting the RAMs that had crossed the bridge, some of them would make their way towards him. Sound attracted them and he had made plenty of that. He put the gun down and ran through the trees and hedges down to the river bank. When he was sure he hadn’t been spotted, he slipped into the fast-running water and began to swim across, allowing the powerful current to take him further downstream as he went. As he swam, he noticed some of his army’s vehicles had been abandoned on the other side of the river. One of those bikes would be ideal. Hopefully, by the time he got across and made his way back along the road, most of the RAMs would be on the other side attracted by the sound of the Jackal engine and the backhoe loader.

  *

  Humphrey began digging again, this time at a spot on the other side of the mound. He yelped four times and scratched more dust and rubble away. The vet shouted him down and Shaw signalled to move the operation round to the new spot.

  Mike walked back in and straight up to Shaw. “You okay, Mike?” Mike’s eyes were still red; he just nodded. “The dog’s found us a new spot to dig in.”

  Mike looked across to where they had been digging and noticed three bodies a few metres to the side. Two adults and one baby had been carefully wrapped in white tablecloths. He looked back towards the rubble. Somewhere under there was his sister.

  “Shush!” said someone loudly, but not loudly enough, as people still carried on talking.

  “Everyone shut the fuck up now!” Shaw bellowed. This time, the room fell silent.

  They all looked blankly at each other. Then the blank expressions turned to shock as a muted thumping could be heard coming from the debris. Shaw grabbed a long piece of wood and whacked it against a collapsed beam four times. There was a pause and then four muted thumps came back in reply.

  “We’ve got a live one.”

  The room erupted into a hive of activity. Mike re-energised and although he still didn’t know if it was his sister, he knew that what Lucy had said was true and that was enough. Hope was all he needed to keep going.

  Roof tiles, bricks, glass, beams and other rubble were torn clear quickly and purposefully. The team stopped occasionally to sound off four more hits and each time the reply became a little less muffled. Mike and Shaw together lifted a thick joist that had remained almost unblemished by the explosion. Its removal prompted a cascade of smaller pieces of debris, then just as they placed it down and were about to return to the mound, somebody screamed.

  “There. A hand.”

  At first neither of them could see it, but then as the fingers started moving, the dusty, camouflaged digits became visible. It was joined by another hand, another right hand. There were two of them under there.

  “Em?” Mike shouted at the top of his voice. He couldn’t hear a response, but one of the hands began to flex enthusiastically. He grabbed it tightly. It was his sister, it was Emma. He kissed it again and again. He didn’t mind that his lips were covered in dirt and muck, his sister was alive and that was all that mattered. He reluctantly let go of her hand and began to scrabble away at the debris. Shaw joined him and together they created a hole allowing the hands to become arms, then lifted a large piece of masonry, allowing two dusty upper bodies to shake themselves free of the flotsam that had covered them. Jenny was the other woman. Both were the same colour as the mountain of rubble apart from the odd streaks of blood. Emma tried to speak, but nothing came out other than a scratchy hiss.

  “Water, quickly,” Mike commanded. “And somebody go get Lucy.”

  Mike embraced his sister tightly and she reciprocated until a shudder of pain went down her back. Two bottles of water were passed to the front, and a member of the human conveyor belt that had been removing the debris broke ranks to go and get the doctor.

  The two women sat there dazed and bewildered with the lower halves of their bodies still covered. As Jenny began to get her bearings she scanned the faces of the rescue team, looking for her husband. “Where’s Keith?” she asked in a raspy voice.

  Shaw and Mike looked at each other, but it was the soldier who spoke. He crouched down in front of Jenny. “I’m sorry. He didn’t make it.” The expression of pain that bled over Jenny Masters’ face was agonising for anyone who saw it. No words left her lips, but in that split second, her heart had broken in two.

  Mike shuffled across to the two of them. “Jenny. You should know that Keith died a hero.” The words lingered for a moment. Mike wasn’t sure she had heard, but he continued anyway. “I mean, a proper hero. What he did saved all of us.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “The raiders captured the hotel and held everyone at gunpoint. Keith grabbed the radio to warn us, to tell us what was happening. They shot him, but not before he gave us enough information to launch an assault. He knew they’d kill him but he did it anyway. I don’t think you can get any braver than that, Jenny. If he was still here I’d be the first in line to thank him. What he did saved us all.”

  For a brief moment, a look of pride beat back the anguish. “And my niece? What about her?” Shaw eased himself back from the pair of them. The pain of covering up a newborn baby in a death shroud was still too sharp for him to bear. Mike looked solemnly at her and just shook his head. Jenny stared at him with her mouth open. That was it. She had nobody left.

  *

  Fry emerged from the fast-flowing river and crawled up the muddy bank. He scanned the area and then looked down river towards the bridge. He was a good hundred metres from all the activity. The RAMs that had made it across were starting to spread out. A few had dragged the occupants of the Jackal down to the ground, but others were beginning to make their way up the road and towards the village. A small smile turned into an evil grin, and then Fry turned his attention back to his side of the river. He pulled his hunting knife free from its sheath. If he encountered any RAMs he would have to kill them quietly to avoid winning the attention of a larger group. In a crouching run he crossed the road, continuing to scan the area as he went. Fry knelt down behind a tree and looked up the hill. Torn bodies were scattered across the side of the hill, damaged too badly to reanimate. He searched for movement but found none. The best thing to do was wait. It wouldn’t be long before the RAMs began to go in search of more prey. That would be the perfect time for him to break cover, take one of the bikes and head back to base. The thought warmed him. Fry’s army, or The Don’s army, depending on who was speaking, had taken up residence in a castle and the surrounding village of Sodburgh, on the North East coast. It was a wealthy area and, until they had taken control, sparsely populated, but now it was the stronghold for the four-thousand-plus force. It was a paradise for a man like Fry and a hell on earth for those he captured. His rough tongue licked his lips and overhanging whiskers in anticipation of his return home. When he came back to Candleton, if there was anyone left he would put them through the most diabolical torture ever witnessed. It would be talked about for decades.

  He looked at his watch and then hunkered down. He could afford a ten minute break before he made his escape.

  *

  It was difficult for Lucy to examine Emma with Sammy and Jake attached to her like limpets. They reluctantly let go and headed to the dining room when Mike promised them that their sister would be with them soon. Lucy moved her fingers around Emma’s head an
d looked carefully at the wounds she had incurred before doing the same to Jenny. “Okay. You say your legs are trapped. Do you feel any pain down there?” Jenny was distant but Emma answered for both of them.

  “There’s no pain, but our legs are pinned down. We were working our way loose and the bed frame collapsed on us. It’s wedged.” Emma took another drink and began to get her senses back. She looked at Jenny and took hold of her hand. Jenny was startled at first, as if waking out of a sleep, but then gratefully clutched Emma’s comforting fingers.

  “What about the other woman? The one you were with?” Shaw asked.

  “It was black down there, but I felt an arm. It was stone cold. She was on top of the bed, she’d have got the full brunt of the cave-in.” Emma’s eyes wandered as her thoughts went back to the moments before it happened.

  “Well, it’s tragic that she lost her life, but it makes getting you out a lot easier. We’ve had to be pretty careful to avoid causing a collapse, but if there’s nobody left alive underneath we can work a little quicker now.” His eye twitched, just a little, as he realised how callous his words sounded. He had dismissed the death of a young woman in less than a sentence.

  “We have to get out of here,” she blurted, almost in panic.

  “That’s what I was just explaining, Emma, we should be able to do it quite—”

  “No. You don’t understand, we all have to get out of here.” She looked towards her brother, who had stood back to allow Lucy space to examine the two women. “Those raiders... That army. That was just a fraction of them. Julie came from their camp. There are thousands of them.”

  A chill shuddered down the spines of all who were within earshot. Mike and Shaw shot nervous looks towards each other. They had both been on the front line. They had seen this army, this band of lawless raiders. They had beaten them back once, but if they had to face another attack by an even larger group, they would not be so lucky.