Hope: After It Happened Book 4

by Devon C. Ford

  Anyone wanting to volunteer, or to know more, could come and see him.

  The response was not what he was expecting.

  Maybe Steve had read the signs right before Dan opened his mouth. Maybe the older man’s experience gave him more perspective. One thing was for certain; the majority of the group turned their back on him.

  They saw it as desperate; as him abandoning them. There was outcry that he would take away their guns, their protection, and leave them all to the mercy of dangerous people. They conveniently forgot that it was Dan who had nullified every serious threat within hundreds of miles. Dan who had found this place, cleared it, guarded it and defended it against attack twice over.

  Ungrateful bastards, he thought.

  But they weren’t, they were just scared.

  Marie, despite her positivity, was anxious that the trip happen. She had to do everything in her power to ensure that her baby lived, and that included making the journey to get any answers she could. There had to be a way, and until she had exhausted all options then she wouldn’t give up. Her change in attitude betrayed that she desperately wanted the baby, and her fatalistic opinions were for the benefit of others and not herself.

  She tried to convince herself that she wasn’t going stir-crazy having barely left the prison in almost a year. She longed to be out – but not by only going on short trips under protection. She would be stuck here until she died otherwise.

  The loyalty of others was their sole reason for volunteering. Leah was the first to say she was going, and Dan didn’t even try to convince her to stay at home and hide in relative safety. He loved that girl, and having seen her grow up ten years’ worth in twelve months wasn’t the only reason. She had become a fearsome addition to his fighting strength and going without her would be like going without Ash.

  Neil announced in a characteristic comedy accent that he was becoming soft and felt the need for some fresh air. In all the time he known the man, Dan had never seen him take anything seriously. He knew that beneath the poor humour and the extravagant impressions lay a serious mind, but his oldest living friend was a dependable and capable man.

  He had two guns and a mechanic to accompany his pregnant woman. Not enough for a scavenging run, let alone a journey taking months.

  Slowly, and as inexorably as the tide turning against him by the majority, others came forward.

  Jimmy was another man loyal to Dan. He was resourceful and kind with a sharp intelligence which had proven itself valuable on many occasions. Dan asked him if he would be ok leaving Kev behind.

  “Kev will be fine. He didn’t cope well with the outside world, but he’s busy and happy now. He’s fed and he has work to do. That’s all he wants. Plus, Maggie has him under her wing.”

  Dan nodded as he absorbed this. Kev was a giant man, hugely strong but with a child’s mind. The acquired brain injury he received at birth left him with a very simple understanding of life. The dead bodies littering the world in the aftermath of the pandemic made him weep out of fear and a lack of knowledge. Kev was safe and happy now, and Maggie and Cedric had moved him into their home a short distance away on the gardens. He was given a good breakfast every morning, worked tirelessly all day, then sat happily in the evening as Maggie read to them both. He was happy, and Jimmy could finally let go of the need to protect him.

  Jack, his grizzled old Belfast lorry driver, was another restless soul who trusted Dan with his life. He made a great deal of noise about how he was old but still useful, and could drive anything with wheels. Dan would never had precluded him on the basis of age; he was like a fit old billy-goat and would probably outlive them all.

  Adam and Laura were surprise candidates, both expressing a wanderlust and relishing the chance to be a part of something life-changing. Lou, his ever-reliable seamstress and lover of gossip came forward to ask to join. She was somewhat self-effacing, saying that she had little to offer in terms of skills but said that people needed organising, repairs to clothes needed to be made, and coffee needed brewing.

  Pip, the tiny young girl rescued from the grasp of Bronson’s gang, wanted to know more. She had lost a child not long after it happened and that loss and longing could never be satisfied unless she found out if there was anything that could have been done.

  Their newest ranger, Mitch, had a soldier’s thirst for adventure; nothing more and nothing less. If they were going interesting places, then he was in. Most people’s idea of hardship seemed like a class upgrade for him.

  One sad addition to the party was Ana. Since losing her baby and almost her life some months ago she had withdrawn from Chris. They now lived in separate rooms, as neither could fully come to terms with what had befallen them. Dan thought it was likely she was leaving the pain of the memories behind and doubted whether she would want to return.

  APOLOGY ACCEPTED; TRUST DENIED

  There was no going back after the announcement had been made. Even if the whole expedition was abandoned then many people wouldn’t trust that Dan would stay in the long run. He had sealed his own fate, and also those of many of the group.

  He had twelve people on his side, and of those only four trigger fingers including himself. He also had no medical personnel bar his own and Leah’s training.

  Lexi had been torn, but stuck to her principles and refused to leave home, as had Steve. The older man was to take over as head of Operations, just as Mike was to replace Neil on the council. The headship of Logistics was open, but would no doubt either be filled or swallowed up by Supplies and come under Andrew’s control.

  Lexi wanted to stay primarily for Paul, and Dan didn’t judge on that matter. After all, he was going for a woman.

  Rich hadn’t fared well following their attack on the invaders who had killed Joe, and his nightmares recurred too often for him to be of any dependable use now. He wanted to stay in his cocoon where he cleaned the guns obsessively. Where he felt safe. Dan didn’t blame him.

  Mike spoke to Dan in private, eager to get his point across but not wanting to be seen to be in league with him by the others. He was loyal to Dan as he had saved his life and that of his daughter, Alice. She wanted to stay, and he could never leave her behind. Dan thanked him, told him that he understood and made him promise to look after the interests of the group. After all, he had built it and he didn’t want it to fail.

  Plans were being drawn up for their journey, and every spare minute was spent working out the logistics for such a risky venture.

  The first problem was their personal equipment. Realistically, they would have to be carrying most of what they needed.

  Vehicles. What should they take? Should they take things they could abandon on the south coast or try to find a way to get the vehicles to the continent?

  “Much easier to find a boat that doesn’t take vehicles,” opined Mitch. “We could take a couple of scrambler bikes and use them to range out for appropriate vehicles.”

  That seemed a better option to Dan, who was worried that he would be seen to take the flagships of their fleet on what was being dubbed a suicide mission.

  “Ok,” he said to his assembled planning party of Mitch, Leah, Neil and Marie. “Get ourselves to the south coast and find boats. Where?”

  “Poole harbour,” said Neil with his eyes glazed over in memory. “Most sheltered place and full of millionaire’s yachts from what I remember.”

  “From there to France is only a few hours,” Dan said, moving on.

  “I’ve got another idea,” said Mitch, leaning back and sipping his coffee. “Closest landing to Germany. From there we scavenge whatever transport we can to the military camps. That’s going to be the best bet for getting our hands on kit which can take us all the way.”

  Dan liked where this was heading. Proper military vehicles were likely the only things which could sway him from his love of Land Rovers. The selfish and childish pang at having to leave his Discovery behind stung him again; the car and the dog were part of his new identity.


  “Amsterdam?” offered Marie, pointing her finger on the map. “It’ll be a few more hours by boat but the Channel should be calm in summer shouldn’t it? That’s much closer to Germany than landing in Cherbourg or wherever.”

  “Right,” said Dan as he tapped his pen on his pad, “get to Poole harbour, get a boat big enough to take us to Amsterdam, a couple of days over country to Germany?” he looked at Mitch.

  “Maybe a week. We have no idea the lay of the land there so we’d need to go carefully,” he answered.

  “A week to the army camps, resupply and onwards,” he said.

  “Then how do we cross to Africa?” asked Leah. Nobody had the solution.

  She spun her map around and slid it to the centre of the table.

  “Longer by land,” she said. “Bulgaria, Turkey, Israel and over the Gulf via the Gaza Strip to Egypt.”

  At the mention of those countries the mood fell considerably; they were war-torn hells before it happened, so meeting any survivors there was likely to be a very dangerous occurrence.

  “Or we cross the Alps, go straight down the boot – Italy – and cross the Mediterranean somehow. That will land us with just a few thousand miles of Africa to get through.”

  Leah wasn’t completely unaware that she had just offered an uncertain route as an alternative to a dangerous one, but there was no way to sugar-coat it.

  Dan stood and stretched.

  “Ok everyone. Have a think and we’ll pick it up again tomorrow.”

  PROPER PREPARATION PREVENTS PISS-POOR PERFORMANCE

  Mitch had self-designated as their official quartermaster, helped by Rich who felt no shame in ensuring they were well equipped. Each person had been outfitted with the right clothing and a Bergen as he called it. To most people this was an impossibly large backpack, but the Army’s institutionalised language was impossible to eradicate. The two seemed to speak a whole new language at times to outsiders; talk of ‘tabbing’ and ‘yomping’ when everyone else would say ‘walking’ created frequent confusion.

  Firearms were sequestered and ammunition set aside. Each member of the party was carrying something lethal – even Pip who was instructed in the use of a small nine-millimetre semi-automatic. They carried shotguns, three suppressed carbines, as well as a few backup weapons and one of the large MK14 battle rifles.

  Of the most important items issued were a can opener and a spork; wherever any of them were, they all had the ability to eat. They would have to find places along the way to loot for food and water, as well as wash their clothes as they went as they couldn’t carry too many spares.

  When Dan went to medical to ask Kate for a comprehensive trauma kit, he was met by her and Sera. The door was shut after him and he was asked to sit down.

  This felt too much like an intervention ambush for his liking, and he anticipated an appeal to his better sense to call off the expedition.

  The sat opposite him and a short silence ensued. Dan was determined not to be swayed by any argument, so Sera’s opening words left his open-mouthed and utterly lost for any answer.

  “We’re coming with you,” she said bluntly.

  Dan was dumbstruck, and his lack of answer seemed to anger Sera instantly. They had always been the same with each other; able to argue over anything.

  “Oh no, really, you’re most very welcome,” she said mockingly. She opened her mouth to say more but Dan silenced her.

  “Why?” he asked. “I thought you two were happy here.”

  Kate answered.

  “Because you need us. Marie needs us,” she said simply. It seemed she would ever follow her calling to where she was most urgently required.

  “And because I’m bored,” said Sera. “I saw Pete’s truck yesterday. It has a sticker on it saying ‘one life – live it’ and I intend to. There’s no point in surviving everything we’ve been through if we are just going to cower here and wait to die.”

  He looked at them both, and he thought he could see a hint of excitement in their eyes. They talked some more, and Dan brought them up to speed on where the plans were at. They both raised questioning eyebrows about the parts that relied on some random element of luck, but neither were swayed. He had his medical team.

  “Lizzie and Alice will be fine dealing with this place. They’ve been as well trained as I can manage,” said Kate.

  With that Dan rose uncertainly, almost dizzy at his good fortune.

  The following day Dan and Leah took Mitch and Jimmy out to find the scouting motorbikes they discussed. Curiously, the only motorbikes they had encountered since it happened were now synonymous with the more unpleasant of survivors. Even hearing a motorbike engine sparked some small element of primeval fear in more than a few of them.

  Leah drove the big 4x4 back with Ash sitting beside her, swarmed like tiny satellites by the three men buzzing around her on their newly acquired 250cc dirt bikes. All brand new Hondas liberated from a motorcycle dealership nearby and with barely any miles on them, Neil was eager to get them to his workshop and prepare them.

  He had plans to remove every reflective surface and paint them matt black. Mitch joked that he should add weapon mounts, which Neil didn’t take as a joke.

  Endless plans were made, equipment was piled up and those intending to leave gave away possessions that couldn’t be taken with them. One by one, the people planning to leave found themselves segregated, eating separately, as though the intention to abandon the prison was contagious.

  THE TIME HAS COME

  When the expedition prepared to leave in order to make the crossing before the weather turned, the atmosphere was one of obvious disapproval. Even anger. Most of the group were tight-lipped about their opinions, but it was obvious that there was no coming back from this.

  Steve agreed to assist in dropping an advance party off at the harbour to find and prepare the necessary boat or boats for their journey. This was intended to save them a few days of waiting as they were eager to get the crossing over with whilst the seas were at their calmest.

  With a small sense of ceremony, Dan took one last lap of the Ops room before laying the keys to their flagship – his impressively equipped Discovery – on the table. His fingers lingered on the keys for a second before he turned and left.

  The huge helicopter surged upwards with Mitch and Adam on board going ahead with minimal supplies and a promise of finding a boat for their arrival. A small convoy set off from the prison shortly afterwards. Steve’s old Defender, the very first vehicle Dan and Neil had scavenged all that time ago, went up front packed with as many bags and boxes as could be wedged in or tied on top. Following them were another two of the older vehicles to be abandoned in the south, and one of the small lorries carrying all the spare equipment, motorbikes and stores.

  No grand farewell. No celebrations or well wishing, just a cold goodbye and the firm belief that none of them would ever be seen again.

  The surprise additions to the party were Phil – their airsick mechanic deserter from Richards’ unhappy camp – and Emma. She had always assumed that she was going, but had forgotten to actually mention this fact to anyone until a few days before when she naively asked what she should pack.

  Sixteen of them – seventeen if counting the excited dog jumping over people in the lead vehicle – left at a sedate pace. They drove up the long, picturesque approach, out of the main road emerging through the encroaching trees, turned left and headed for the motorway. They were travelling in sufficient force so as not to worry about being overpowered, but certain pairs of eyes were always alert.

  They made good ground that day, stopping only twice for a break where Dan and Leah fanned out in defence by autonomous action. In the afternoon someone called out that they could see Steve flying back in the distance.

  Dan called a halt at sundown and cleared a small building where people grabbed a spot to sleep. A noise from the back of the lorry made those who heard it freeze. Dan drew his sidearm, nodded to Leah who took a knee and aimed her carbi
ne, then threw open the vertical shutter.

  Henry stood bathed in sudden light, embarrassed at being caught. Dan’s shouting could be heard by everyone as he tore into the teenage boy. He had been told that he wasn’t coming due to his age and the fact that he would need protecting. His counter arguments that he was older than Leah fell away into silence as she rounded on him and stared him down.

  He was big and fit, but very immature. Marie took Dan aside and convinced him that he should allow him to stay, primarily because they couldn’t afford the time to return him. Dan agreed, grudgingly, but had one final piece of advice for the boy.

  “If you put anyone in danger, you’re on your bloody own. Am I understood?” He growled at him, nose to nose.

  Henry’s fear was palpable, but he solemnly promised to not get in the way.

  It was settled. They were going, and none of them knew if they were ever coming back.

  HARD LANDING

  Steve’s fear grew in intensity as each jolt or shudder of the ailing aircraft fed back through his limbs. He was fearful that he would drop from the sky at any point, but was still just a little too far from home to abandon the helicopter where he was.

  If he could only nurse it back then maybe it could be fixed. In truth, it was his own stubbornness which led to disaster; if only he had finally accepted that this, as unenjoyable as it was, would be his last flight then he could have landed safely and made it home by nightfall.

  He didn’t. Maybe being on his own was a bad thing because the presence of another life would have made him less cavalier about the dangers and infinitely more responsible.

  The struggling helicopter surged over the treetops near the prison, desperately low as he fought to control the rear of the bird. The intermittent failure of the oil pressure somewhere thirty feet behind him was causing the tail rotor to lose power, threatening to spin over ten tonnes of screaming metal into the unforgiving ground.