Fall of the Cities: Planting the Orchard

by Vance Huxley

  “A looted or empty video rental shop? All the porn stuff will be gone, and probably a lot of the really violent ones so maybe it will educate the men. Broaden their horizons.”

  Sarge had his little smile back. “Good luck with that. Though a good few seem to have taken up reading?”

  “We bring back a few.”

  “For sale?” There was an edge in that.

  “No, though you know the men. They’ll sell after they’ve read them. Can’t stop it unless we open a library.” Harry crossed his mental fingers because if there were any rumours about libraries Sarge would jump on that mistake.

  “All right but get a video player for the officers as well. The TV is crap these days. Really crap.” Sarge paused. “Collect a selection of books as well. Something highbrow so they can feel superior. Otherwise some of them will confiscate what the men are reading.” He sniggered. “Then a few for the sergeants, a bit more lowbrow. I like spaceships and tight spacesuits on buxom wenches if you find one.”

  “Maybe you could mention this directly to the captain? Because if Lieutenant Symonns thinks the idea is from me?” Harry shrugged, then smiled. “Maybe the staff could have one?”

  “Possibly.” Sarge grinned. “Though not for the broom cupboard. I assume from some of the looks that Maynard finally found one big enough?”

  Harry let his own smile widen. “How would I know? Though since someone gave them the idea?”

  “Oh, I think that lass might have worked something out in time. Though there’s not a hint she’s taking customers in there?” There was a definite question in Sarge’s voice.

  “Retired. When I asked about marriages? That was for her and Maynard.”

  Sarge stared. “Really? I thought it was you.”

  “Maybe, to get a lass out of this shithole. But that’s been stopped.” Neither were smiling now.

  “Fair enough. Now piss off while I corner the captain in a good mood. Organise the videos because from the moaning through there I reckon this idea will fly.” Sarge headed for the officer’s mess.

  Harry was right, all the porn was gone when he found a shop by using a yellow pages directory. So were a selection of others, but a good few of the remaining videos were requisitioned. Some went into the hide-away but the men didn’t see how many chick flicks were in the bottom of those boxes. Harry had a good reason to raid the chick flicks since the permission that Sarge relayed included the staff. The receiver for the men wasn’t allowed an aerial so it couldn’t get TV broadcasts but morale improved anyway.

  Morale needed improving, because the forays into social or other housing, and the occasional riots, had reduced the eighty to fifty-nine. Seven more were in hospital. Several of those still on the strength had been injured and were recovering, and it was obvious that the situation was getting worse.

  * * *

  The group of soldiers parted and Harry looked down and then around. “Get a bloody medic.”

  “On the way, corp.” The nearest men flinched away as Harry looked up but he wasn’t angry at them. He was angry at the nameless arsehole who’d put a bullet through Menzies. It was a bad wound, the bullet path was half from the side through Menzies’s chest and already there was blood on the corporal’s lips. Blood that bubbled as Menzies tried to speak.

  Harry knelt. “Don’t speak you prat. You’ll make it worse.”

  “Get her out.”

  “I’ll try.”

  Menzies coughed and bright red spattered his lips and chin. “Get her out.”

  “Done. Now shut up.”

  “Promise.”

  Harry couldn’t, but? “I promise I’ll get her safe.”

  Menzies subsided and moments later he was being assessed, stretchered, and carried away. To the ambulance so maybe there was a chance. Harry had no trouble pulling the trigger for the next two hours.

  When he got back to the hotel Harry wanted to go out and pull a trigger a few more times, because Menzies was now in a body bag. Harry went to find Cynthia, because this wasn’t a Cyn visit.

  “Santos? Um, Menzies? He’s dead? Oh Christ.” Cynthia looked absolutely stricken and tears were already starting. “Oh Christ. This will kill Nita. She’ll think it’s a punishment.”

  “What? How the hell does that work?”

  “She’s a Catholic, really old-school. What she did is a sin and she really was worried about it. The thing is she was bloody smitten. As bad as Davie, er, Maynard.” Cynthia gave Harry a worried look. “You know that they were both, well, virgins? Nita and Davie?”

  “Not for sure with Maynard but it was a good bet. Menzies told me about Nita.” Cynthia’s eyes narrowed. “No bragging. He was stunned, in the nicest possible way.” Harry sighed and hugged Cynthia. “His last words were to get her safe.”

  “That will get harder the longer you’re here. She might not be able to walk too far if you’re here another four or five months.”

  “What! You mean, er.”

  “Up the duff, one in the oven, in the club, pregnant. She already missed her period, a fortnight ago, and she doesn’t mind.” Cynthia gave a faint smile through the tears. “Because contraception was a step too far. Sex before marriage was really scary for Nita but she thought God would understand love.”

  Harry was horrified. “Menzies didn’t insist?”

  “Oh yes. We told her he would so she asked how to give God a chance.” Cynthia sighed. “She wanted to know how big a hole in the condom God needed so it was down to Him. If God wanted a baby, she’d have one.”

  “You showed her?” Harry was incredulous because that was lunacy. An illegitimate baby in this bloody shambles of a city?

  “A tiny, tiny hole but either God was insistent or she didn’t think that was enough and made the holes bigger. That’s why we provided the condoms but don’t worry, Nita always carried her specials.” Cynthia cuddled. “Now I’ve got to tell her God’s price was she could have the baby, but not the father. Oh shit.” Harry returned the gentle kiss. “I know it’s bloody rubbish, but it’s how she’ll see it. Will it matter if nobody sees Nita for a while?”

  “No. If it’s noticed I’ll invent something.”

  “Period pains. Blokes never ask for details. That’s a bit sick under the circumstances.” Harry was kissed again. “Now we’d better stop snogging in the corridor. I’ll see you in the morning.”

  * * *

  Nita wasn’t on duty for several days but nobody asked. Before she came back to the dining room Harry had another problem. He was short-handed.

  “I’m not madly keen on someone filling Menzies’s boots, but we need another one to cover the catering. Sorry Sarge, but all day on the raids or all night on riots as well as keeping the grub coming is killing the pair of us.” Harry wasn’t joking because Lieutenant bloody Symonns wasn’t cutting the catering staff any slack. Harry was out scavenging some nights because he’d been fighting all day. That was no fun at all since twice they’d had to drive through a gathering mob to get away.

  “It won’t be for long, but you may as well have Tredwell since you get on so well.” Sarge scowled. “I’ll mention it to the captain while your friend is busy someplace. This is getting bloody ridiculous now.”

  “Right, ta. But what do you mean, it won’t be for long?” Harry had suddenly lost interest in getting help.

  “It’s not official yet, but I can see the signs. They’ll either bring in more troops and rotate us out, or pull everyone back to regroup.” Sarge looked at Harry’s face. “That serious? Then find her somewhere safe before you go. Don’t even think of trying to get her out with us.” Sarge curled a lip. “You don’t want anyone you give a shit about in the camps. That’s rumour, but a strong sergeant rumour.” Solid gold then, Harry thought.

  “I might find a place. But how do they get there? This place will get trampled when we pull out and the mob head for the airport.” Harry paused to let that sink in. “Maybe we could load the lot into a lorry and drop them a few miles away.”


  “Found somewhere? Near a library or a bookshop?”

  Sarge hadn’t narrowed it down which was a relief so Harry went for flippant. “Of course not Sarge. Perish the thought. But what about some transport?”

  “I’ll ask. Now piss off before you find some more work for me. That’s not the way it works.”

  * * *

  “This is ridiculous.” Though Cyn wasn’t smiling, let alone laughing. “I’ve got a bloke on a bed with his pants off and he’s got me stripping. A bloody gun.”

  “I waited until after all the good stuff?”

  “Too bloody true or I really would be pissed off. Just how serious is this because it’s frightening me.”

  Harry hugged her, then tried to get his mind back on the bloody gun because Cyn was still undressed after good stuff. “The thought of you left out here without a gun makes me very afraid. You told us about the estates? Well they’re worse than that now. When the refineries went up over in America, something snapped and they’ve gone crazy.”

  “Can’t you get us out at all?”

  “Yes, into a camp but I won’t do that.” Harry hugged her again. “Sarge says I wouldn’t want someone I care about in there.”

  “Bad boy, saying things like that. Now you’ve said you care, I’m going to have to kiss you, and then try and remember where we were up to. With the gun thing I mean.” Moments later Harry was thinking he should have said he cared a lot more if the result was this. Then he got his mind back to teaching Cynthia the basics of using a hand gun. It was one of the captures and this one came from Menzies. Harry had removed it so his friend didn’t get into trouble when the weapon was found in the hospital.

  * * *

  A week later and after quite a lot of missed sleep in pleasant company Cynthia could reload quickly and smoothly, and take the weapon apart to clean it. “But I’ll never be able to shoot someone.”

  “One of you will if it gets bad enough.” Harry sure as hell hoped so.

  “But what if I miss? People shoot off hundreds of bullets and the man comes out of it untouched.” Which was how films worked. That or the hero hit one target per bullet with deadly accuracy.

  Harry relaxed a bit. “I told you. Close up only and use both hands. Come on, assume the position.” They both grinned. “That one later.”

  “All right, but you behind me.” The grin was pure Cyn. “For this position.”

  “There, now let the asshole get close. Aim at his belly because this will try and kick up. No heart shots and no head shots. Definitely no trying to shoot the bloody gun or whatever out of his hand.”

  “He’ll have his whatever in his hand?”

  “Possibly, but in that case aim for that.” The giggle was definitely enough to spoil Harry’s concentration but he gathered it up again. “Shoot the bastard more than once, until he falls down and drops whatever’s in his hand. When it’s over, if he’s still moving, shoot him in the head.”

  Harry felt her go still and tense. “You never said that before.”

  “Sorry. It’s just that, well, it was the thought of what he’ll be coming for. But what I said is true all the same.” Harry hugged her. “I don’t know how long we’ve got.”

  “Will LC Tredwell teach Nita?”

  “What?”

  “Well Marcie sort of persuaded er, Maynard to teach her.” Cynthia tried to call Maynard by his surname but obviously the women used the soldier’s first names with each other.

  “She did?” Cynthia sniggered and so did Harry. That really did feel much too nice. “I suppose it wasn’t that difficult.”

  Cynthia turned her head and smiled. “Not really. But Nita wants to know as well. So she can look after her baby. To be honest I think she’s more likely to shoot someone than either of us.”

  That shook Harry, because Nita seemed to be so quiet and shy. “Really? I thought that with the religion she’d be peace and love.”

  “A bit more angels with burning swords smiting the sinner I think. Any sinner threatening her child could get a hell of a shock.” Cynthia seemed sure, and Nita’s baby costing her the father because she sinned was definitely that mind-set.

  Harry thought about it. “Maybe. At least Tredwell won’t try anything because he’s happily married.”

  “We know. Nita said she owed it to Santos to look after his replacement and took him morning coffee. To offer coffee, not anything more. We couldn’t stop her without getting crude but Tredwell told her he was married right off.” Cyn had put the hand gun down now and turned in Harry’s arms. “Two of the girls were considering being Tredwell’s wake-up girl since you three turned out so well. They would have been disappointed.” Her tongue peeked out and her arms went round Harry’s neck. “Now about assuming a position.”

  * * *

  “The Army is pulling back to reposition. Please make sure your kit is ready and your rucksack packed for transport.” The colonel looked over the assembled men. “You will deal with any rioting tonight but only if it threatens the route out. There will be no combat tomorrow. We aren’t going back in there until we have more men.” He looked over at the captain. “Carry on.”

  Harry made a beeline for Sarge when the men were dismissed. “Yes, I’ve found a place but it’s three miles. They need transport.”

  “Christ. I’ll try, but they may have to walk.” Sarge looked around him. “It’s a bloody battlefield round here. Maybe the lieutenant will let you take them the first mile to get clear. All of them?”

  “Yes, they want to stick together for safety.”

  “Good idea, I’ll try.”

  * * *

  “You really have to go?” Cyn was hugging very close and had lost her smile for once.

  “I told you it would happen and now we know. We go the day after tomorrow. Tomorrow we pack up and get ready, and the following day the buses will arrive with an extra lorry for our kit.” Harry was hugging hard as well. “I tried Cyn, but you’ll be left. Though you know where to go. It’s three miles but if you stick in a group?”

  “I hope so. There’s too many women, Harry Corporal Miller. We’ll be carrying our cases and obviously refugees.” She hugged and shook Harry a little. “Though at least there’s someplace to head for. You really put food in there?”

  “Yes. If you get there, nail the door shut and don’t answer it.”

  Cynthia smiled. “Is there a broom cupboard?”

  “No but there’s a mattress. Let me try to get you a lift again. Really hard this time.” Harry had already tried and the answer was no.

  “But the lieutenant said no.”

  “I’ve got a secret weapon. Now this might be our last night so I don’t want to talk about him, I want to explore.” Cynthia giggled as Harry started his exploration of an entirely different very frilly nightie.

  “Mmm, yes please. How come you always do that? Lots of exploring even when the girl is already nekkid?” Cyn giggled and looked down. “Or soon will be at that rate. I’m not complaining but usually, in my admittedly limited experience, blokes tend to skip that once the panties are history.”

  “This sort of exploring?” Cyn made an appreciative noise and Harry smiled. “I was trained.”

  “What?” Cyn was having trouble speaking through her giggles. “As a gigolo?”

  “Not quite.” Harry carried on exploring, gently. “My second girlfriend told me a bloke has two sorts of sex, good and fantastic. A girl varies from a non-event to bloody fantastic.” He chuckled. “She said that if the man does this sort of thing, then the girl will have a much better time.” Harry kissed Cyn thoroughly. “Then she might ask him to do it again and make sure his experience is fantastic.”

  “Ooh yes, Harry Corporal Miller. Do it again, please.”

  * * *

  “What do you want, Miller?” Lieutenant Symonns looked up from a small heap of paper he was working through.

  “I’ve come to ask if I can take the lorry to find the staff a safer place, sir.”

  “To tuck y
our girlfriend away? Is that how you got into her pants? I told the sergeant no and I assume he passed on the message.” The lieutenant leant back and smiled. “There’s a petrol shortage.”

  “But keeping them here meant they can’t go home. Their flats will have been stripped, sir.” Harry knew Sarge has presented the arguments but didn’t want to go the next step.

  “I heard it all, about this being near the airport and suchlike. Well they can walk someplace else in that case. Without petrol they’ll have to learn to walk.” Lieutenant Symonns smiled.

  Harry sighed. “I’d like to speak to the captain, please sir.”

  “No.”

  “I insist, sir. These people have put their lives on hold to care for us. They did it cheerfully and now we’re going to dump them. They deserve a chance.” Harry was still trying to get through but the lieutenant was more interested in getting at Corporal Miller. “I’d like to speak to the captain please, sir.”

  “You don’t want to go over my head. It will cause you a lot of trouble and I’ll just advise the captain to say no.” The bastard was smirking.

  “Then I’ll go higher. Sir.”

  “The captain won’t allow it.”

  “Yes he will.” Harry took a deep breath and tapped his ribbon. “This will get me to the colonel at least if I push it, and I will. Despite what you say I have never used this to get any special treatment. Well, this time I will. Sir.” Harry let the arse see his little smile because it wouldn’t make any difference now. Harry was going to pay for this, repeatedly.

  “You jumped up little bastard.” The lieutenant settled back but the smile had gone. “All right. Go for it. See the captain. I won’t even come with you but I will be waiting. I’ll be waiting every time you turn round now, smartarse.”

  “Sir.”

  * * *

  “You’re not supposed to do that where others can see.” There were four squaddies in the corridor, all with big grins.

  “Well I can’t get you in the broom cupboard again, if we’ve got to pack up and leave.” Cyn’s tongue peeked. “Are you coming? Is there a broom cupboard there?”

  “I’m coming, but no broom cupboard because a bunch of big strong soldiers will be watching and they are supposed to bring me straight back.” Harry sighed. “I feel a total shit anyway.”