‘Hello Jamie, hello Jane. Nice to see you, too. And please, call me Harry. This is former Warrant Officer Maria Vasquez.’
She smiled, shaking their hands, and her face softened, completely changing her appearance. ‘Hi; I’ve heard a lot about you from Tom and Harry and it’s nice to meet you.’ There was a slight trace of a Spanish accent in her voice.
‘This is Bill Anderson, who owns the farm,’ said Jane, and they exchanged greetings and shook hands.
‘Shall we go into the house?’ said Bill. They all agreed and followed him into the farmhouse. Emma smiled at them as they entered and introductions were made, and Bill invited them to sit at the table while Emma put on a large kettle for drinks.
‘Tom told me the awful news months ago about what happened to Megan,’ said Harry, ‘and I’m so pleased to hear she’s made a full recovery.’ Jamie and Jane smiled and thanked him
‘So, how did it go with the closing of the camp?’ asked Bill.
‘Oh, it went fairly smoothly, under the circumstances,’ said Harry. ‘The remaining survivors left over the last week. Some of them had developed close bonds and a group of four families said they were going to settle together by the countryside on the edge of Bexhill, near Cooden. Two of the families were from that area anyway and the other two were refugees from London. We got their vehicles going for them and gave them what fuel and food we could spare to get them on their way.’
‘What about the other troops and medical staff?’ asked Jane.
‘Well, some wanted to see if any of their families had survived in various parts of the country so they headed off in all directions. The majority, though, knew their families were gone. A large contingent has gone to take over Scotney Castle; the National Trust place near Lamberhurst. There’s a big manor house there with extensive grounds and a moat, with plenty of room for them to farm the land. Some of the troops are coming down to this neck of the woods: when they heard that we were coming down here they decided they would, too. They’re going to look for suitable places close to each other where they can help each other out, or maybe form a small commune.’
‘Oh, so you’re coming to live here, too?’ asked Bill.
‘Yes,’ Harry replied. ‘Tom and I have served together for many years and we thought we’d stay together.’
‘The four of us are going to live together in the house down the road,’ said Tom. ‘Obviously, we can’t all impose on you, so we’re going to get the house cleared and cleaned this afternoon and move straight in. We’ve got plenty of stuff with us in the vehicles for disposing of the remains- tarps, body-bags, strong disinfectant, etc. Mindful of what you said about water, we brought one of the water bowsers with us and filled it up from a lake on the way here, so we’ve got 220 gallons to keep us going for now. We thought we’d dig a well somewhere out the back over the next few weeks.’
‘I shot a couple of pheasant on the way down so we’d have fresh food for tonight,’ said Maria, ‘and we also raided Tesco’s warehouse at the retail park and stocked up on provisions for quite a while.’
‘Well, why don’t you bring the pheasant here and have a meal with us after you’ve finished at the house?’ said Emma, which they said would be great and thanked her.
‘As the Commanding Officer,’ said Harry, smiling, ‘I had first dibs on what we took with us from the camp. We’ve got an L85A2 rifle each, two shotguns and our service pistols, plus a good stock of ammunition. We’ve got some medical supplies, a comprehensive tool kit and also two VHF radios with solar panel chargers, along with various other useful bits of kit.’
‘Can the radios operate on CB frequencies?’ asked Jamie.
‘Yes, they can. You can set whatever frequency you like.’
‘That’s handy,’ said Bill, ‘as we now have a CB radio here, so we’ll be able to talk on them. Matt Turner set it up for us last week, and also for our friends Sarah and Georgie a few miles away, so we can all keep in touch.’
They all agreed that this was great and would be very useful in the future. They talked for a while more, before Harry said they’d better make a move and get the house cleaned. Bill said he would go with them to show them where it was. They said goodbye and that they would see them later when they’d finished.
Bill got into the Land Rover with Tom and Karen and, back on the road, directed them towards the village and pointed out the house. They pulled into the gated entrance and parked by the side of the house, then got out and walked around the property, ending up at the back. They saw that there were, indeed, two large water butts at the rear corners of the house, collecting run-off from the roof.
‘Well, that’s good news,’ said Karen, ‘and one less job for us to do!’ The others agreed with her. They all commented that the house and grounds looked good from the outside, and that the out-buildings would be useful. Maria tried the back door and it was open.
‘If you don’t mind,’ said Bill, ‘I won’t come in with you. I’ve seen my share of bodies this year, but they were friends and I’d rather not see them like that. I’ll walk back to the farm and you can come over when you’re ready. If there’s anything you need give us a shout.’
They thanked him, saying they would see him later. Karen gave Bill the bag with the pheasants to cook for them later and he headed back to the farm.
It was dark by around four p.m. and the four of them arrived at the farm just after six, having walked there with torches. Bill invited them inside and ushered them through to the kitchen, where introductions were made to those who hadn’t yet met. The younger folks went and sat in the conservatory.
Maria had a British Army combat shotgun slung over her shoulder and Harry had his Glock 17 pistol on his hip. They removed them and asked Bill where to put them, so he said in the hall up by the door. Jamie asked Maria about the shotgun so she handed it to him.
‘It’s an auto-loader; twelve-gauge with seven-shot capacity. It fires 9mm buckshot or solid slugs- great for combat but not very good for pheasant, really! There’s only nine pellets per cartridge, so you’ve got to get pretty close to guarantee a hit.’
Jamie smiled and said ‘Nice!’ before handing it back, then she took the two weapons and put them in the hall. Karen handed Emma two bottles of wine and she thanked her and got them all a glass. They stayed in the kitchen so they could talk while preparing the meal and Jamie went back to chopping vegetables with Jane while they chatted. Tom said they’d cleared the bodies and burned them out back and would bury the remains the next day. Between them they’d cleaned and disinfected the relevant areas and the place was liveable now. There were four bedrooms, so they didn’t need to use the ones where the bodies had been yet.
‘Everything’s a bit musty at the moment,’ said Karen, ‘but we’re used to that and we’ve all slept in far worse places! There’s a good supply of logs out the back and also inside, so we’ll be okay for heating and cooking for a while.’
‘The first thing we’re going to do tomorrow,’ said Harry, ‘is to go shopping for some new clothes. None of us has any civvies and we’ve been living in three sets of musty uniforms for nearly a year! We noticed an M&S and a Next at the retail park in Bexhill, so we’ll go there in the morning.’
‘Amen to that!’ said Maria.
It was a relaxed evening; the guests were great company and interesting to talk with, and they discussed many plans for the future. Later on, Jamie went out for a smoke and Maria said she’d join him. They stood in the cold air and chatted, the only other sounds being the calling of a tawny owl in the trees nearby and the horses in the stables. The sky was clear and filled with stars.
‘I guess this is going to be a huge lifestyle change for you after the army,’ said Jamie.
‘Oh, man, tell me about it!’ said Maria, laughing. ‘But I’m looking at it as a new challenge; we all are. We’ve got a lot to learn in the years ahead about growing stuff and we’re looking forward to learning from you guys.’
She hesitated for a second. ‘I
’ve heard from Harry and Tom that you and Jane have had some difficult moments and seen action. I just wanted to say good for you for looking after yourselves and doing what needed to be done. It’s not easy for civilians with no training to do those sorts of things.’
Receiving praise and respect from this tough army career-woman was unexpected and Jamie felt a bit self-conscious. He smiled and mumbled slightly with his reply, looking down. ‘Thank you, Maria. Well, you just have to do what’s necessary sometimes.’ They smiled at each other and went back inside.
The radios were proving extremely useful for exchanging news and arranging visits between them all, as they had imagined. They had agreed between them three times in the day when they would turn on the radios for thirty minutes in case anyone needed to get in contact, but said that they should keep the talking to a minimum to conserve the batteries. When the days lengthened and there was more daylight for the solar panels they would be able to talk for longer periods.
In the lead-up to Christmas they were able to make arrangements and discuss what they would all bring. Bill and Emma had decided to have everyone over to the farm; Matt and Zoe and their army friends had no fresh produce yet and it would have been a bit dismal for them to have Christmas dinner from tinned food. Megan and Sally scoured the area around the farm, collecting holly and fir-tree branches to make wreathes to hang in their houses. Bill, Peter and Jamie took the van to Tesco’s warehouse and loaded it up with plenty of drinks and food. There were many sweet and savoury products that were still within their use-by date, which was good.
Maria said that she and Harry would provide Christmas dinner and asked Jane if she could borrow one of their hunting rifles; the L85A2 rifle they had was a decent weapon but it was no match for a proper hunting rifle over long distances. Two days before Christmas they came back with a fallow deer, which they butchered and hung in an outbuilding at the farm, and Max was happy to get the off-cuts they didn’t need.
Christmas day was a joyous occasion, with Bill and Emma having a full house of nineteen people. Sarah and Georgie came, and Matt and Zoe with the twins, along with the four army folk. Emma and Jane split the cooking between them as they needed both ranges for all the food. Karen prepared various dishes at their place and brought them over, as did Zoe, Sarah and Georgie. They only got presents for the kids, which were mostly books and board games. Jamie and Jane found pocket identification books on trees, plants, wildlife and fish for Megan to carry when she went out, plus her first knife, which she would need for the future: it had a fixed four inch blade and a nice leather sheath. Jamie said he’d give her instruction on its safe use and she grinned and thanked them both.
After their Christmas dinner Bill got up to say a few words. ‘Emma and I are so pleased to have you all here; Merry Christmas, everyone!’ They all cheered, raised their glasses and said Merry Christmas! He went quiet for a few seconds and his face changed as he became serious. ‘Well, it’s been a very difficult year for everyone, to say the least. We’ve all lost family and friends to the plague and experienced hard times. Some of us have seen and done things that… Well, you know what I mean. No one in their wildest dreams could’ve imagined this happening eighteen months ago.’
He looked on the verge of tears and paused to compose himself. ‘I’m not a religious person, but my mother was. If she were here now she’d probably be quoting from the Book of Revelation about The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, with Death riding out on his pale horse to kill with sword, famine and plague, and how it’s come true. I don’t know about that, but an apocalypse has certainly happened.
None of us knows what the future will bring, but I’m really happy that we’ve met all of you lovely people. We’re going to have hard times ahead- I think we all know that- but it’s going to be a lot better now that we’ve got each other to rely on for help. We all bring something different to the table in terms of skills, knowledge and experience and we’re going to need all of it if we’re to survive the difficult times ahead. Here’s to us!’ He raised his glass.
They all raised their glasses. ‘To us!’ they repeated.
Over the next month winter tightened its grip and the temperature dropped below freezing regularly at night, with thick frosts covering the ground in the mornings, although there was no snow. Bill said it was the coldest they’d had at the farm for several years. Jamie and Jane were thankful for the smaller size of their new home as it was much easier to heat than the bungalow would have been in that weather. They still went there to collect salt, but less frequently now because of the temperature.
On trips into town they began seeing a few people here and there; the first they’d seen in Bexhill in over eight months. They stopped to talk when they could- or when people allowed them; some were wary of strangers and hurried on their way. Most were friendly, though, and they spent time talking with them: some were former refugees from the army camp, but others were folk returning to their homes after nearly a year away. These people had fled the town at the start of the plague to live with family or friends in rural areas: some said they would stay but others were returning just to collect things left behind in the panic.
Their four army friends had been busy with improvements at the house and they saw them regularly as they were just down the road. Harry and Maria dug a well in the garden, lining it with bricks, and built a covered structure around it with a bucket and winch. Maria had let her hair grow since arriving and without the severe crew-cut and army battle-dress she looked stunning, especially in the tight jeans and sweater that she often wore. Jane caught Jamie looking at her behind on one occasion and nudged him playfully in the ribs; he looked at her and just shrugged and they grinned at each other.
By the end of January Jane was looking rather big and had a distinct waddle to her stride. She was getting tired more frequently and finding it harder to do some things now, which she hated. Tom and Karen turned up at the farm one afternoon with a surprise for her. Knowing that Bill and Emma had mains power, they had driven to the Conquest hospital at Hastings and brought back an ultrasound machine so they could give her a scan. Jane was very moved by this and hugged them both, saying how grateful she was. She could imagine what horrors they must have seen at the hospital. They went into the spare bedroom at the farmhouse to conduct the scan and Karen told her that the baby looked healthy and everything seemed normal. Jane was relieved beyond words to hear that as she had been so worried in recent months.
‘Do you want to know the sex?’ asked Karen.
She thought for a second. ‘Yes, please.’
‘You’re going to have a daughter,’ she said, smiling.
Jane smiled and then burst into tears, hugging them both. She walked back across the yard with a little smile on her face. When she got inside Jamie and Megan were sitting expectantly on the sofa, holding hands.
‘Well,’ she said, grinning, ‘everything looks normal and healthy. We’re going to have a baby girl!’
‘Oh, wow!’ said Megan. ‘I’m going to have a sister!’
Jamie just sat there speechless, with tears rolling down his cheeks.
Thirty-three
In the first week of February the weather worsened and they had a few days of heavy snow. It settled to around two inches deep on the ground, but in places had been blown into drifts over two feet deep. It looked like Max had never seen snow before as he was running around madly in his excitement, while Megan and Sally made a snowman in the top yard, complete with an old hat and scarf.
Jane’s back and neck had been giving her pain for a while and Jamie gave her regular massages using some ointment Zoe had made, which helped ease the pain somewhat. Tom told her he had painkillers that would be safe for her to take if the pain got too bad, which she thanked him for but declined. Karen also spent time with them on several occasions, going through breathing exercises and procedure for when she went into labour. They told Megan over dinner one evening that the baby would have her name as a middle name, which made her sm
ile and feel proud.
‘Annie Megan Parker,’ she repeated a few times, liking the sound of it.
By the following week the temperature had risen a few degrees and the snow started to thaw, turning the yard to slush. One morning, Jane came out of the kitchen and paused to look at Megan sitting at the table, surrounded by books and writing in her notebook. Her wavy blonde hair cascaded over her shoulders and she reached up with her left hand to tuck it behind her ear, as she often did. Jane smiled to herself, thinking once again how lucky they were to have found her and that she had survived the shooting and recovered fully.
Megan sensed her watching and looked up. ‘What?’ she asked, a curious smile on her face.
‘Oh… Nothing, honey. I was just… I don’t know; feeling grateful, I suppose, for having you in our lives.’
‘You’re not going to get all slushy on me and cry, are you?’ she asked teasingly.
‘I might,’ Jane smiled. Megan grinned and tutted, rolling her eyes theatrically.
Jane went up to her and kissed the top of her head. ‘How’d you like to come and help me choose some clothes for the baby and get some other supplies?’
‘I’d love to, Mum. I’ve nearly finished my writing- won’t be long.’
Jamie drove them into town in the Land Rover, leaving Max with Sally and Peter. They visited the pharmacies in the town centre first, picking up all the nappies they could find, along with other supplies they would need. They took everything that was left on the shelves and Jamie also broke into the store-rooms, where there was more stock.
Snow-drifts had piled in the shop doorways on Devonshire Road, which, along with the broken glass in some stores, made it look even more like an abandoned ghost-town. There wasn’t a great choice for baby clothes there, though they found some. After that they drove to the retail park, where there was a better choice. It was the first time Megan had been there since the shooting and they were both a bit concerned about her, but she showed no signs of distress.
The Hoffmann Plague Page 30