‘We’ll fire them up tomorrow after the cement has set, to test them,’ said Bill, and Jamie agreed.
For the remaining afternoon they installed studwork inside the lounge, which would be lined with plywood panels, giving a cavity for extra insulation in the winters. They finished up for the evening, saying they’d see each other in the morning, then Jamie drove home. He stopped at their two snare locations, but again there were no rabbits in them. He shook his head, sighing, and then carried on home.
Megan rushed to greet him when he arrived, saying ‘Hi Jamie’ and gave him a hug. He bent down and kissed her, then Max jumped up at him, barking and wagging his tail, and he patted and stroked him.
‘Well, that was a nice welcome! Thank you.’
Megan grinned at him, took his hand and led him through to the kitchen, where Jane was busy working. On the kitchen worktop were the freshly-prepared carcases of four pheasants and three good-sized rabbits. Jane grinned at him and he kissed her.
‘Jamie,’ Megan said excitedly, ‘Jane and I went out hunting this afternoon! We walked all the way to the golf course at Cooden Beach and we hid in the bushes for ages and Jane shot four pheasants and then three rabbits later on. It was so cool! And Max was just brilliant; he didn’t make a sound. He sat there watching, all tensed-up, and then ran out as soon as Jane had shot the pheasants and brought them back.’
Jamie smiled. ‘That’s fantastic Megan, and just what we needed. Well done to all of you!’ He kissed Jane again and then Megan.
Jane said ‘Well, we haven’t done too well recently with meat, so I thought I’d go out for the afternoon to see what I could get. It turned out well, and Megan and Max enjoyed themselves!’
They sat down with a drink and he told them about the work he and Bill had done, and that the range and stove were installed and would be tested the following day. Jane and Megan were pleased and congratulated him. Not long after their evening meal Megan was nodding off, so she went to bed while they sat up and talked. Jamie said he thought it would be a good idea if they went back to the gun store sometime soon to collect the rest of the ammunition for their guns, along with several other weapons, maybe. There was, after all, no point in leaving it all there; extra weapons and ammunition would be useful for the future and they could take everything to the farm. Jane agreed it would be a good thing to do and they went to bed soon after.
On Wednesday morning Jamie and Bill fired up the range and the stove to see if the flues drew well enough and to check for any internal smoke leaks. All seemed fine, though, and they slapped each other on the back for a job well-done. With the range lit the kitchen heated up in no time and they had to open all the windows. The last job on that front was to fit two cowls over the tops of the flues to stop rain coming down them. By Thursday afternoon they had finished building the stud walls and lining them with sheets of plywood. They also made some repairs to the units in the kitchen and added extra shelves for storage.
As the place was a lot smaller than the bungalow and they would be short on storage space, Bill said they could use the unit next door and either put in some cupboards or extra shelving. He told Jamie that it was full of old junk mainly, but hadn’t got around to sorting it out for years. They wouldn’t be able to store clothes or furnishings in there as it was unheated and such things would get damp in cold weather, but they could certainly use it to store preserved food and all of Jamie’s tools could go in there, along with their bikes. Jamie thanked him and said that would be great. They arranged to meet at the retail park the next morning to pick up some more materials. Also, he had promised to take Megan to Halfords to get a bike for her and then take her on to the farm to spend the day with Sally while he was there working. Back at the bungalow he gave Jane and Megan an update on the work progress and they were looking forward to seeing the improvements.
The following morning he and Megan left earlier than they had arranged to meet Bill, to give them time to choose a bike for her. They pulled up outside Halfords and everything looked normal. Jamie had the sawn-off slung over his shoulder and, as usual, he stood in the entrance for a minute listening, just to be sure. It was all quiet, though, so they went in and climbed the stairs to the bike section. Megan looked at all of the bikes suitable for her age and size, and Jamie said she should get the biggest one that she could ride comfortably with the saddle lowered a bit, to give her time to grow into it and be able to use it for a few years. She tried a few and then picked a nice mountain bike in green.
‘This is great; can I have this one, please?’
Jamie looked at the price tag and made a face. ‘Blimey! I’m glad we haven’t got to buy this!’ Megan laughed and smiled up at him. While they were there he picked up a couple of spare inner tubes, a stirrup pump and some puncture repair kits then carried the bike out to put in the back of the BMW.
‘I need to go to Wickes to look at some things now, honey, and that’s where we’re going to meet Bill.’
‘Okay,’ she replied cheerily.
They walked off round the corner, chatting about her new bike. She was excited and couldn’t wait to ride it. ‘It’ll be great- I’ll be able to ride along the promenade and take Max for runs.’
They reached the corner of the warehouse when Megan said she needed to pee. Jamie pointed her to some bushes by the fence, set back a little between the buildings, while he wandered away a few yards and turned his back.
Seventy yards away to his left, out of his line of sight, two figures came out of Wickes and saw him. It was two of the guys they had encountered at Battle and they recognised him straight away. One had a shotgun over his shoulder and he was the one who’d been injured when Jane shot his baseball bat on their last visit. He scowled angrily then swore, swung the shotgun down and started to raise it to his shoulder.
At that moment Megan came out and saw them. She screamed ‘Jamieee!’ and he span round. She ran into him, knocking him over just as the shotgun went off. The blast caught her instead of him, knocking her off her feet and flinging her backwards like a rag-doll. She hit the ground hard and lay there unmoving. Jamie scrambled to his feet, looking in horror at Megan’s crumpled body.
‘Nooooo!’ he screamed. He heard an engine start and rev loudly. Neither of them had seen the red pickup parked behind an abandoned van outside the store. The truck took off, heading for the exit opposite him.
Jamie had always been a fairly calm and even-tempered man. He’d never been in trouble in his youth and hadn’t been the kind to get into fights, but now blind rage erupted in him like never before and completely overtook him. He bent down, picked up the sawn-off and ran to intercept the truck as it neared the exit, screaming and swearing like a madman. It swerved by him just feet away; he raised the shotgun and fired both barrels through the open window, hitting the driver full in the head and face. The out-of-control vehicle smashed into a lamp-post with steam coming from the shattered radiator.
The other guy climbed from the wreckage, his face a mess and covered in both his own blood and that of his mate. He stumbled, trying to bring the shotgun to bear on Jamie, but couldn’t see properly because of the blood in his eyes. Jamie broke open the sawn-off, ejected the spent cartridges, then scrambled frantically in his pocket to get two more and loaded them into the gun. He raised it to his shoulder and fired both barrels again, barely feeling the huge recoil. The blast took the guy in the centre of his chest and he flew backwards and hit the ground. He didn’t bother checking if they were dead- it was obvious.
He ran back to where Megan’s lifeless body lay and looked down at her in despair. The shotgun fell from his hand and clattered on the ground. The left side of her body, from the neck downwards, was covered in blood. He sank to the ground, lifted her frail, still body and cradled her to his chest, howling and sobbing for this beautiful young girl who had come into their lives and given them such joy.
Twenty-five
He sat there on the ground clutching Megan to his chest for several minutes, rocking
her body with tears streaming down his face and oblivious to everything. He was barely aware of Bill’s van screeching to a stop nearby, or of him jumping out, swearing and cursing as he ran over to him. He knelt down next to him, his face full of grief. Jamie was covered in Megan’s blood and Bill thought it was his.
‘Oh, fucking hell! Jamie, are you okay? Are you injured?’
Jamie didn’t respond but just sat there in a daze, sobbing. Bill shook his shoulder and then lifted his face so it was level with his own.
‘Jamie!’ he said loudly. ‘Come on, snap out of it! Are you hurt?’ Jamie’s eyes slowly came into focus and he stared at him.
‘The fuckers killed her, Bill,’ he sobbed. ‘It was meant for me and she saved my life.’
‘Are you hurt, too, Jamie?’ he asked again and Jamie shook his head.
Bill looked down at Megan’s body with tears in his eyes as Jamie held her and he noticed a small movement in her chest. He reached his hand across and felt at Megan’s neck for several seconds.
‘Jamie, she’s not dead! She’s got a pulse! I can feel it. It’s a bit slow and erratic, but she’s alive!’
Jamie shook his head to clear it and felt for himself. Bill hadn’t been mistaken; he could feel a pulse and Megan was alive.
‘Jesus, Jesus! Oh, thank God!’
‘Jamie, where’s your car? You’ve got to take her to the army camp at Tunbridge Wells right now. They’ve got doctors and medics there. They’re the only ones who can help her now.’
Jamie shook his head again, trying to remember. ‘It’s round by Halfords.’ He fumbled in his pocket and gave Bill the keys to the BMW and he ran off, returning a minute later with the car. They lifted Megan carefully between them and placed her on the back seats, then covered her with Max’s blanket from the boot. Jamie had recovered from his initial shock and grief and was now thinking more clearly again. He got into the driver’s seat.
‘Jamie, whatever you do, don’t go mad! Take it steady- you don’t want to come off the road and kill both of you! And keep talking to her and reassuring her.’
Jamie nodded. ‘Bill, can you go to the bungalow and tell Jane?’
‘Course I will, mate. You take it easy; drive carefully and I’ll see you soon. Best of luck, mate.’
Jamie thanked him and then drove out of the retail park, his mind racing as he thought of the best way to go. The quickest way was the new road to the top of Hastings to pick up the A21, so he headed up Wrestwood Road to join the Combe Valley Way from the new roundabout near Sidley.
That journey was probably the best piece of driving he’d ever done in his life. He drove as fast as was practicable, slowing carefully for the bends and speeding up on the straights. Never before had he been so focussed or concentrated so hard; all his thoughts bent on Megan’s survival. He spoke to her constantly, reassuring her that she would be okay. He didn’t know if she could hear him, but he kept it up nonetheless.
It was just over thirty miles to the army camp and it went by in a blur. On some of the straight stretches he was doing well over a hundred miles-per-hour. He got there in just over forty minutes. Signs had been placed at intervals along the road, announcing the camp’s presence, and he found it easily. He pulled off the road into a gated entrance to a large field, full of huge tents and many army vehicles. A soldier stood guard at the gate, his rifle at the ready, as Jamie jumped from the car and approached him. The soldier looked at him warily; Jamie’s face, hands and clothes were covered in Megan’s blood, which he had forgotten about, and the soldier held his rifle on him.
‘Please, you’ve got to help me. I’ve got a wounded girl in the car- she’s been shot and needs help immediately.’
‘Sir, please stand to one side,’ the soldier said, his rifle still covering Jamie as he went to look in the car.
‘Is Major Miller or Major Cunningham here?’ Jamie asked urgently. ‘I met them in Bexhill a week ago. They know me and the girl- her name’s Megan and I’m Jamie Parker. Major Cunningham examined her at our house.’
‘Major Miller is out today, but Major Cunningham is here. Please wait here, sir, while I try to contact him.’ He walked off a few yards and spoke into his radio.
Jamie opened the rear door, knelt down and stroked Megan’s hair, kissing her forehead and telling her that everything was going to be okay. The soldier came back after a minute, telling him that Major Cunningham had been informed and asking for him to wait, and Jamie thanked him. After several tense minutes Cunningham came running up with two orderlies carrying a stretcher.
The soldier opened the gate for them and they approached the car. Cunningham was a professional and he didn’t waste time with greetings. He merely nodded to Jamie and bent down to look at Megan for a short while. He nodded to the orderlies and they lifted Megan carefully from the car and onto the stretcher. Cunningham instructed them to take Megan to the medical tent immediately and they set off across the field.
‘Private Baker; direct Mr. Parker to the vehicle parking area and have him wait there. I’ll come when we have news.’ Baker saluted and Cunningham nodded to Jamie again and ran off after the stretcher.
‘Thank you, Major…’ Jamie called after him and Cunningham raised his hand in response.
The soldier gave Jamie directions and he thanked him, got back in the car and drove across the field to where he’d been instructed to park. He passed many tents and army trucks, one of which looked like a command vehicle with lots of antennas on the roof. He parked the car and turned the engine off, then sat there for a few minutes as his heart rate came back to normal. He picked up his rucksack from the footwell, rummaged inside and pulled out his hip flask. He took a couple of mouthfuls of whisky, put it back in his pack and then sat back in the seat. The adrenaline was starting to wear off and he felt like he was sinking.
He opened the door for some fresh air and got out. He looked around him at the camp and further down the field he could see other civilians; probably other survivors who had either made their way there or been brought there by the army. The first half of the camp was all army and medical operations and quarters. He took the blanket from the back seat and put it on the grass to sit on, but saw the bloodstains on it and tears came into his eyes again as he wondered how she was. He picked the blanket back up and threw it angrily into the back of the car, then sat back down in the passenger seat, where there was more legroom.
He’d been there nearly half an hour when Jane pulled up next to him in his Seat. He got out of the car and she looked in horror at Megan’s blood on his clothes and face, then burst into tears and threw her arms around him. She looked up at him desperately.
‘How is she?’
‘I don’t know, my love. Major Cunningham took her away to a medical tent half an hour ago. All I know is that she was breathing, but unconscious. All we can do is wait.
Jane… Megan saved my life: I’d be dead now if it wasn’t for her. She threw herself into me and pushed me out of the way and took most of the shotgun blast…’ He started crying again and Jane hugged him.
‘Who were they?’
‘It was two of the guys from Battle. I think the one who shot at me was the bloke you injured when you shot his baseball bat, but I can’t be sure.’
‘Did you get them?’ she asked, with fury in her eyes.
‘Yes- they’re dead.’
‘Good! I hope the fuckers rot in hell!’
They sat in the BMW and Jamie related the whole thing for her. She said she hadn’t been able to get her Golf started as the battery was too low, so had taken his Ibiza. Bill had driven off after hugging her and telling her not to drive madly, and she’d said they would tell them when they had some news. Bill had offered to take Max to look after so they didn’t have to worry about him or leave him on his own, and Jane had said thanks, that would be great.
After that they both went quiet for some time. They sat there for another three hours or more, talking occasionally but mainly just lost in their own thoughts, befo
re seeing Major Cunningham walking towards them. They got out of the car, both holding their breath, but then Cunningham smiled as he got nearer to indicate good news. He dispensed with the formality of a salute and shook their hands instead.
‘Well, Megan’s out of danger. She’s heavily sedated but stable, and she’s going to be okay.’ They let out a huge sigh and breathed again, then thanked him.
Cunningham smiled. ‘Her injuries actually looked worse than they were and it was misleading due to the amount of blood on her. It was small shot that their gun was loaded with, so the pellets didn’t do as much damage as larger shot might have. She only caught part of the shot pattern, because if she’d taken the whole load then she wouldn’t be alive. We removed dozens of pellets from her left arm, side and neck and have put her arm in a sling, which she’ll need to keep on for at least a week or two, probably. The arm will be very painful for a while and she’ll have only limited use of it, but it will heal in time.
Ironically, the worst injury was from her head hitting the ground when she fell. That’s mainly why she was unconscious and she has bad concussion, but we think she’ll be fine. We’d like to keep her here for observation for another two days after this, to monitor her progress. You can come late Sunday afternoon to collect her as long as we’re happy with her progress. Would you like to see her? She’s sedated and sleeping now, but you can have a look at her.’
They said they’d like to, so Cunningham led them to the recovery tent and showed them Megan’s bed. They thanked him again and shook his hand before he walked off, saying he’d see them on Sunday. They looked down at her lying there and Jane started crying again and hugged Jamie. Her head was bandaged and so was her left arm, which lay outside the sheets in a sling. Her chest rose and fell rhythmically and she was sleeping soundly. Jane knelt down beside her and put her hand gently on Megan’s right shoulder.
‘Hello Megan, my love; it’s Jane,’ she said softly. ‘Jamie’s here, too. You get well soon and we’ll see you in a couple of days. We love you very much.’ She leaned over and kissed her cheek carefully. Megan stirred and murmured in her sleep. Jamie bent down to kiss her, too, then they got up, left the tent and walked back to the cars.
The Hoffmann Plague Page 23