SAFE HAVEN: RISE OF THE RAMS

by Christopher Artinian

  At the brow of the hill he stopped. He could make out a church steeple, not too far away, and there was the sound of running water. He removed the map once again and checked it, brushing away the spots of rain that splashed onto the outstretched paper. He was nearly there. Down the hill, over a bridge, a couple of hundred more metres by road and that would be it. He would know then if his family had made it to safety.

  Mike descended the hill in no time, and the pathway levelled off as it followed the dry stone wall of a farmer’s field before coming back out onto the road. He could see the bridge up ahead and feel his heart pounding rapidly, partly due to the exertion, partly due to the anxiety.

  “Halt!” shouted a gruff voice as the stranger approached the gate at the end of the bridge. “We’re not taking anyone in. Clear off.”

  Mike wasn’t able to see anyone, but he’d spotted the two turrets and assumed that rifles were trained on him. “I was with a group. They should have arrived here yesterday,” he shouted in the direction that he’d heard the voice. But there was no response. “Please. Can you tell me, did a convoy of vehicles arrive here yesterday? I need to know.” Mike put his hands on the gate.

  “Stay where you are, son,” said a different voice this time, and two soldiers pointing rifles emerged from behind the turrets.

  Mike raised his hands. “Please, I need to know if they got here safely.”

  The soldiers opened the gate and ripped the backpack from Mike’s shoulders. One of them patted him down, finding the knife Mike carried in his boot. He removed it and threw it in the rucksack, which he then shouldered. “Wait here, the corporal’s coming down.”

  “Okay, I’ll wait. I’ll keep my hands in the air, I’ll dance a fucking tango, but will someone please tell me if a group of people arrived here yesterday?”

  Rather than being annoyed, the two soldiers looked at each other and laughed at the young man’s bolshiness. The one on the right had short brown hair and a squashed nose and was missing one of his teeth. He looked like a real bruiser. Not the type of person Mike wanted to get into a brawl with, but he was prepared to do whatever it took to get the answer to his question.

  “Relax, son. They showed up yesterday afternoon,” the bruiser replied.

  “How many? How many got here?” Mike asked impetuously.

  “Fuck me, kid, I don’t know. We’ve not got a fucking signing-in book at the gate. Let’s see, there was a Land Rover, a truck, a van and an ambulance. They were all taken away pretty quick. I heard there was a doctor and nurse among them, and a few kids and Mr Masters’ brother. The corporal will be able to tell you in a minute. I don’t know all the details.” The soldier motioned for Mike to follow him and the three of them stood at the other end of the bridge, awaiting the officer’s arrival.

  An army Land Rover screeched to a halt a moment later and Darren Masters got out. He was almost running towards the three figures.

  “This gentleman says he was with the group that arrived yesterday, sir,” the bruiser said to his superior.

  “Are you Michael Fletcher?” Darren asked urgently.

  “Mike, yes.” He was a little surprised that the stranger knew his name. The corporal stood there for a moment, smiling. He put his hand up to his mouth to wipe away a stupid grin.

  “Sorry, Mike, it’s just that I thought that if I ever saw you, you’d be wearing a red cape with an ‘S’ on the back. I apologise if my men were a little harsh with you, but we got attacked the other day. Just a small skirmish but we killed three of theirs before they fled. My troops are being a little more cautious now.” The corporal grabbed hold of Mike’s hand and squeezed it firmly in his own. He then looked at the two soldiers and noticed the backpack. He signalled for them to return it to its rightful owner. “This is Mike Fletcher, gentlemen. He took on a group of over fifty RAMs single-handedly so his family and friends could get to safety. It’s an honour to meet you,” Darren said, still gripping Mike’s hand.

  “Thank you,” Mike replied, clearly taken aback. “Corporal, did they all get here? Did they all make it?” His brow creased slightly in dreaded anticipation of the response.

  “Every last one of them, Mike. Now come with me, mate, I’ll take you to them.” Darren guided the new arrival to his vehicle and the pair sped away.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

  “So how come you’re still so well supplied in the alcohol department, Mrs Martin?” Lucy asked the tipsy hotel owner.

  “Jenny, please, Mrs Martin’s my mother.” She giggled drunkenly. “What am I talking about, Mrs Martin’s his mother. Well, anyway, we used to go to the wholesaler in Leeds twice a year. We’d just stocked up when the bottom fell out of the world. Six months’ worth of hotel guests, diners and bar patrons get through an awful lot of booze, dear. Keith and I have tried valiantly but barely scratched the surface.” She giggled a little more and then filled everyone’s drinks up. “How are you feeling, sweetheart?” she asked turning to Emma.

  “I’m still sad, but my lips have gone numb,” she responded, drunk but serious.

  “That’s the ticket. Now you just need to carry on drinking until the rest of you is as numb as your lips.” Jenny put her arm around Emma and laughed, as did the rest of the table.

  “Do you have any tonic? I think I’d like a G&T,” Emma said to her new drinking buddy.

  Jenny gulped down the vodka in front of her. “That’s a great idea. Who else wants a G&T?” Jenny asked. She grabbed Emma and pulled her to the bar to help. Everyone raised their hands.

  Sammy and Jake were still happily playing darts and the conversations at the table were becoming less coherent, but noisier, as time went on.

  “You mix the drinks, sweetheart, I’ll cut the lemon,” Jenny instructed as the pair went behind the bar.

  Emma laid out six tall glasses, added ice and carefully poured in double measures of gin, followed by tonic water. Jenny expertly placed a piece of sliced lemon over the rim of each one.

  “The proof is in the tasting,” the older woman said and picked up a glass for herself before handing one to Emma, who closed her eyes and took two refreshing gulps.

  Emma turned to go back to the table and froze. Suddenly the only sound she could hear was the blood rushing to her head. Whether it was the alcohol or the exhaustion, she was unable to compute what she was seeing. The glass slipped from her hand, which impulsively rose to cover her mouth. Standing in the doorway of the bar, grinning like the village idiot, was her dead brother. Only, he wasn’t dead, he was right there, with a goofy look on his face. Tired, windswept, covered in scrapes and bruises, but alive. The glass smashed on the hardwood floor, showering Emma’s feet in cold gin and ice, the sound waking her from the trance-like state. Her lips mouthed her brother’s name but no sound came out.

  “Mike!” Sammy and Jake screamed simultaneously as they ran towards him. The adults at the table had been oblivious to the figure in the doorway, and when the glass dropped they had all looked in the direction of the bar, but now their heads turned to see the children running towards the man crouching down with open arms to embrace his family.

  “No fucking way!” Lucy said, knocking her chair over as she stood up. She had cried so much in the past two days, but now it was from joy rather than sorrow.

  Samantha was speechless. She grabbed Tracey’s arm with a vice-like grip.

  Sammy was so keen to hold her brother that the force of her enthusiasm knocked him over and all three of them became one chuckling pile on the ground.

  “That’s your brother?” Jenny asked, almost as shocked as his friends. Emma’s mouth was still agape, taking in deep breaths in the hope that the extra oxygen might coax her body into moving, but she managed a nod. “Oh my God, this is wonderful. This is wonderful. Go to him, sweetheart, you’re not dreaming.”

  Those were the magic words. Emma had been wondering if she was in a dream or maybe just
going insane, but now, as she looked around at the others, she knew from their reaction that this was real. She ran towards him, just as he regained his footing, and locked her arms around his neck. Tears flowed as Sammy and Jake embraced the two of them. Everyone else in the room hung back and bathed in the warmth of the scene. There had been very little that could be considered uplifting over the course of the last few days, but now Lucy, Samantha, Tracey and even the Martins were overcome by the family’s reunion.

  “This is wonderful,” Jenny said again, taking a thirsty gulp of gin and tonic.

  “Now that’s an understatement if ever I heard one,” Lucy replied, wiping her cheeks and grabbing Samantha by the wrist. “Come on, sweetie, let’s go see our boy.”

  Samantha finally relinquished her clutch on Tracey’s arm and followed Lucy towards the embrace-locked figures.

  “Hey, Mike,” Lucy said, beaming broadly.

  He returned the grin and loosened himself from his family. “You did it, Doc,” he said gratefully as he flung his arms around her and kissed her roughly on the cheek. “I’ll never forget what you did, never. Thank you.”

  “Yeah, well ditto, Mikey. I think I had the easier end of the deal.” She pulled back, grasped his face between her hands and kissed him equally roughly, square on the lips. “Good to have you back, sweetie.” Lucy let go and Mike moved his tongue around his lips, trying to identify the various alcoholic drinks he could taste.

  Samantha was in tears as well. “It’s so good to see you, Mike.” She tiptoed up, kissed him gently on the cheek and held him firmly.

  “Hi, Mike. It’s great to see you got back safely,” Tracey said, feeling like the outsider in the group.

  “Trust me, it’s great to be back,” he said with a wide grin.

  Jenny had disappeared, but Keith walked up to Mike, placed his right hand firmly in his and clutched his upper arm. “It’s a genuine pleasure to meet you. What you did... I can’t find the words, but this village is indebted to you, young man.” He spoke with sincerity and the firm handshake reassured Mike.

  “Thank you,” he replied, a little dumbfounded by the outpouring of emotion.

  Jenny re-entered the room and quickly took charge of the situation. “Right, Emma, if you want to show Mike up to his room, I’m arranging to have a bath filled for him right now. Then we’ll get the poor lad something to eat, something to drink and he can tell us all about it. Mike, we’ve got fresh chicken, some frozen steaks, duck, lamb chops, what can we get you?” Jenny asked kindly, desperately wanting to pamper him.

  “My brother’s a vegetarian. That means he doesn’t eat meat,” Sammy announced as she came and stood in between Jenny and Mike.

  “Is that so, young lady?” Jenny replied, smiling. “Well, I’m sure we can conjure something up for him.”

  Mike was led away by his family as the remaining adults looked around at each other, still in a state of shock.

  *

  “Y’know, it’s incredible being back with you guys, but you don’t have to stay here while I have a bath,” Mike said, enjoying the hot, deep, frothy water.

  Emma was leaning against the wall, while Jake and Sammy were just outside the open door but out of earshot. “You’ll be lucky if I ever let you out of my sight again,” Emma replied, staring at her brother, still coming to terms with his return.

  “How come this place has electricity?” Mike asked, letting the warm soapy water wash away the grime and horrors of the previous days.

  “They have a turbine. From what I’ve heard, it’s a pretty amazing place. Maybe we can take a look around tomorrow. If it’s as good as they say, maybe we should think about staying for a while?” Her words hit Mike like a right hook.

  “What do you mean? We need to get to Gran’s place.” He wasn’t angry, just shocked by his sister’s comment.

  A knot appeared in her throat and her eyes began to mist. “Please, just think about it, Mike. I’ve vowed to myself that I will follow you wherever you go from now on, but if I had to live through the last twenty-four hours again I think it would drive me insane. I can’t bear the thought of losing you, and out there, out on the road, that prospect is always just one wrong turn away. We don’t even know if she’s still alive. But if she is, she wouldn’t want us to risk all our lives if we didn’t have to. Please, just think about it. That’s all I’m asking. Just think about it.” She tried to remain composed but a small tear trickled from her eye.

  He suppressed his instinct to feel betrayed and angry. His sister had been through enough. “Okay, I’ll think about it.” The words wounded him as he said them, but seeing Emma in such turmoil pained him more.

  Oblivious to the conversation, the children brushed past their elder sister and ran up to the bathtub. “We should have a party. It’s your birthday tomorrow. So we should have a party all day,” Sammy said enthusiastically. She took Jake’s hand and began to dance around the room.

  Mike switched his thoughts away from the serious implications of his conversation with Emma and allowed himself to bask in the excitement of his younger siblings. “That sounds good to me,” he said, ducking his head under the bubbles for a second. The children ran back out of the bathroom and continued to dance in anticipation of an all-day party.

  Emma and Mike smiled. Despite everything they had been through, everything they still had to go through, and the life-changing decisions ahead of them, at that moment they were a family again.

  When they returned downstairs, the number of people in the bar had swelled. Joseph and his entire brood had appeared as well as a few villagers who had heard the story of Mike’s heroic actions and just wanted to come along to see him in person. Mike was taken aback once again as his little sister dragged him into the bar and he was confronted by all the smiling faces. On seeing Annie and John, she relinquished her grip on her brother’s hand and ran over to them.

  Joseph had been experiencing palpitations for the last couple of hours and now a thin film of sweat had appeared on his brow, but he was sure it was all just brought on by the stress. It didn’t stop him powerfully grabbing Mike’s hand.

  “It’s a miracle to see you back here, nothing short of a miracle. I can’t tell you how happy we are,” he said as he finally released his grip.

  Other people shook Mike’s hand, embraced him and patted him on the back. He found it exhausting. He was grateful when Jenny broke through the crowd of unfamiliar faces, grabbed him by the arm and led him to a table where a plate of pasta awaited him. He sat down, the smell of the food making his mouth water. He glanced up to see all the faces looking down at him and immediately felt self-conscious.

  Jenny clapped her hands and ushered everyone away. “Okay you lot, let the poor lad have a bite to eat. Come on, we’ll go have a drink at the bar.” That was the trigger phrase.

  As the crowd drifted away, Emma, Lucy and Samantha joined Mike at the table. Lucy had brought two bottles of wine with her. She opened one and poured glasses for each of them.

  “So, Mikey. Tell us all about it,” she said, as she tipped the smooth red liquid down her throat.

  *

  By 2am, Lucy, Mike and Emma were the only ones left in the bar. Emma was reluctant to leave her brother’s side, but she had been fighting sleep for the last hour and eventually she kissed them both goodnight and made her way to her room.

  “That was quite a homecoming. When I was in that loft, I’d have been grateful for a glass of water and a piece of stale bread. I didn’t expect anything like this,” Mike said as he drained his glass.

  “This place is something else. You really need to think about taking Keith up on his offer and staying here,” Lucy said. She peered at the bottles in front of her to see if there was anything left to drain.

  “I’m guessing you’ve been speaking to Em?” he said, smiling.

  “I don’t know your gran, Mike, but if she knew what
you’d been through, what we’ve all been through, if she knew that you could save yourself and your family from having to go through that ordeal again, I can guarantee she would tell you to stay put in a heartbeat.” Lucy rose to her feet. “I’ll show you around the place tomorrow before you make any decisions.”

  “Does this mean you’re staying here?”

  “I want to stay here. Samantha wants to stay here and Emma wants to stay here,” she replied.

  “That didn’t answer my question,” he replied, tucking his chair underneath the table as he shakily got to his feet.

  Lucy smiled and turned to leave. “I’m going to bed. Like I said, I’ll give you a guided tour tomorrow.”

  He watched her go and then lingered in the bar for a moment, taking it all in. When Joseph had spoken about Candleton, Mike had never envisaged this. Food, safety and even electricity. Once, he had taken these things for granted; now, they were a luxury, but a luxury within constant reach if he chose to stay. He thought back to the conversation he had had with his gran on the morning of Alex’s death. If you can’t make it here then at least get out of the city. You’ve got good instincts, Mikey, trust them. Keep the family safe.

  Mike turned off the light as he left the bar and walked up the stairs to his room. He was about to get ready for bed when he noticed the carrier bag sticking out of his rucksack. He remembered how happy his nerdy librarian friends had been when they helped him make a final selection before leaving. He picked up the bag and walked across the hall to Lucy’s room. He knocked gently on the door. Lucy answered wearing just a T-shirt and a pair of pants.

  “I forgot. I got you a little something when I was in Skelton.” He handed her the carrier. It was folded around the object like Christmas paper.

  Lucy had a confused smile on her face as she took the package and unwrapped it. A hand shot up to her mouth to stifle a small cry. The gift was a book. The cover featured a cartoon drawing of a pig looking up at a dangling spider. Below were the words Charlotte’s Web.