Fall of the Cities

by Vance Huxley

  “Cripes Harold, you don’t have to go out and kidnap one.” The tall, wiry woman at an upstairs window on the right, one of the girl club houses, glanced back behind her. “There’s volunteers in here, I’m sure.” Orchard Close’s heavy metal fiendwaved to Tessa. “I’m Liz, the blacksmith. Don’t believe that boyish charm or that silver tongue until I’ve filled you in on the dirty secrets.”

  Harold seized the chance to wind her up, because Liz liked gossip almost as much as rock music or beating on hot iron. “Tessa knows more secrets than you do, Liz. Anyway, she’s got dirt and lies to swap with Sharyn first.”

  “Keep out of this, wimp, or I’ll be down to beat on you.” Liz inspected Tessa, definitely intrigued. “More secrets than me? I’ll be waiting.”

  “Definitely a big bad gang boss.” Tessa waved to Liz before turning to Harold. “Thank you Harold, for everything. I can take my gear from here, so you can go and soldier. Come on Eddie.” Eddie had been gazing about open-eyed, but from behind his mum’s skirt. “Nobody will hurt you, they’re all Uncle Harold’s soldiers round here.” She picked up the barrow handles, setting off for the house with a big smile on her face.

  *

  Harold headed off to his gun workshop, where Patty stood guard over the wrappedfirearms. “Patty, Caddi’s getting greedy eyes over the other direction to us. I’m a bit worried about how big his gang is getting, and I’ve already signed up more or less any bloke who’ll fight. Could you find a few lasses who will use a crossbow, as extra night guards?” Harold pointed to Patty’s crossbow. “You’re as good with that as any of the blokes and probably better than most. Especially at night?”

  Patty looked suspicious at the dig about night vision, a reference to their private joke about Patty Bats, but then her face broke into asmile. “Probably better?” Harold laughed because Patty had to be the best shot with a crossbow here, and possibly in four gangs. She glanced down at the firearms. “So when do I get to learn to shoot one of those?”

  “A rifle?” For the first time since Curtis had been injured, Harold seriously considered training another shooter. Patty had asked a couple of times, but Harold thought Emmy and possibly Holly had been targeted because they’d learned to shoot. He didn’t want to make anyone else a target, especially a woman, because he already hadenough shooters for the big rifles.

  Two of them, Emmy and Roy, were lethal at any distance up to six hundred yards and dangerous for a lot further than that. Alfie’s accuracy suffered because of his eyesight but he could kill a man at three hundred yards, well outside accurate crossbow range. Along with Harold, who’d learned to shoot in a rifle club long before joining the Army, those three were better than any of the neighbouring gangsters. Harold rethought that, and realised thatsome gangsters had been fighting long enough to be better than Alfie.Patty as an additional shooter, even with a two-two rifle, could be a big help. If some scroat targeted Patty she could look after herself with either a machete or a pistol.

  Better still, Patty seemed a natural shot with a crossbow, so getting her past the basics should be easy. “Okay. Just one of the two-twosfor now but that’s a good starter rifle. You’ll get all the basics and if there’s trouble it won’t be at long range.” Harold smiled and patted a package beside the weapons, then pointed at a wrapped rifle. “I’ve just scored some extra ammo for those.”

  Patty curled her lip a little, unwrapping the weapon Harold pointed to just enough to recognise it. “That’s a toy, isn’t it? They had them in the fairgrounds. They’ve got no power which is why you shoot the scroats through the eyes.”

  Harold shook his head, smiling with anticipation. “Come back when the extra guards are sorted and talk.You might change your mind.”

  “Fair enough. Thanks Harold, I’ll sort out a few likely lasses.” Patty thought for a few moments. “There are plenty here who were caught and escaped, or escaped just in time. I can think of a dozen women and maybe more who won’t hesitate to kill scroats. Where shall I send them?”

  “A dozen? Bring them to see me if you find that many, and I’ll look them over and decide.” Patty nodded,leaving immediately to start canvassing the women. Harold thought about Patty and a rifle, and a dozen women wanting to fight. Perhaps he’d been a bit paranoid over putting women in danger, after realising the bastards had tried to kill Emmy. Nobody else had connected the dots, because they all assumed the bolt that hit Curtis had been aimed at Harold, not Emmy. He’d got worse after Doll nearly died in the Mart massacre just before Christmas. Stupid because he, of all people, knew women really were as dangerous as the men. He’d taught Emmy to shoot a rifle and Patty to use a crossbow, pistol and machete, and either were a match for any gangster.

  As he stripped weapons and put them to soak to loosen the crud, Harold wondered what had sparked him to suddenly reassess. Maybe it was that at the Mansion it had never crossed Harold’s mind to worry about Mercedes being in danger. Now he’d suddenly realised that Patty might be just as lethal, in her own way. Mercedes had been a shock, a short sharp shock, and thank all and any gods not one that would be repeated.

  Harold decided that part of his new outlook could be Tessa. He’d been thinking about what she’d make of Orchard Close, and that meant him reassessing the place as an outsider. With the refugees from the General, and theoccasional refugees turned away by the Army, Orchard Close had filled right up. Harold needed more lookouts. Not just lookouts,he could do with a few more people willing to pull the trigger if someone ever attacked the place. All the other gangs had brought a lot more fighters to the Mart fight.

  Harold smiled quietly about one definite change, his home life. Tessa would team up with Sharyn and have no qualms about teasing him, becausehe wasn’t Soldier Boy to her. Harry Miller counted as fair game for some winding up, ably aided and abetted by Sharyn. Then Liz, Emmy, Patty, Casper and half a dozen others would chip in with their own comments. Oddly enough, that actually cheered Harold up instead of being a worry. Maybe he’d needed a bit of a jolt.

  *

  Once the weapons had been stripped to soak, Harold went home. He’d barely come inside when Patty followed. “Those extra night guards you wanted, Harold. I’ve found some if you want to check them?”

  “If I find them crossbows, will they shoot?” Harold stopped, holding up a hand in mute apology. “Sorry, I asked you to find those who would. I’ll see you outside the gun room in what, half an hour?”

  “That’s plenty of time.” Patty headed off to collect the potential recruits.

  “Do we need more guards,little brother?” Sharyn looked at Patty’s retreating back, a frown on her face. “Is there an extra threat I don’t know about?”

  “No, but we’ve grown and so have all the other gangs, or at least their fighter numbers have. They all had a lot more fighters at the last gathering, comments were made, and I don’t want anyone getting greedy.” Harold sighed at his big sister’s expression, she knew he didn’t like putting women in danger. “I’ve also decided I’ve been too paranoid about teaching women to fight in case they’re targeted. After all, Patty is probably the most dangerous woman in four gangs, and more dangerous than most of the men.”

  “It’s about time. After all,Emmy can probably outshoot any of them but you.” Now Sharyn looked inquisitive. “Tessa reckons your new girlfriend is dangerous.”

  “Not a girlfriend. That was a tease, and also a setup by Caddi that has killed four men at least. There won’t be a repeat. Where is Tessa anyway?” Harold glanced upstairs, keen to get off the subject of Mercedes. “Is she hiding up there?”

  “Not hiding, idiot. She’s putting her stuff away and settling little Eddie into Wills’s room. Tessa will be sleeping here until her house is fit to live in.” Sharyn frowned. “How come Caddi let her leave his territory and come and live here? I would have thought he’d have used her against you, once he found out she’s a friend?”

  “We made a wager and I won, so he had to let her go.” Harold knew he looked smug, but that
one had been a real win. “Not happily. That’s why he tried to give Mercedes a chance to polish her Killer Queen crown.” Even talking about Mercedes had to be better than telling Sharyn he’d bought Tessa to get her free, especially since Tessa hadn’t mentioned it. “I’ll tell you about the visit this evening.”

  “Yes, you can explain why you look so tired.”

  “No mystery, I don’t sleep well when visiting Caddi.” Especially this last time. “Now I’m off to interview recruits for what Tessa tells me is my army.” Harold wondered if explaining later would be better or worse. Tessa would be there this evening.

  *

  Harold paused when he saw the crowd waiting for him. “Blimey Patty, you got the full dozen.” He looked the women over and chatted to them, and they all seemed keen. Initially he had intended putting an extra person into each existing squad as volunteers turned up, but this worked better.

  “So what do you want us to do for you?” Fergie grinned and struck a pose with her chest out. “Since it’s not dance night so we’re supposed to be good.”

  Harold grinned back at her, then Patty. “You do what your new squad leader says, she’sa real demon.” Harold paused for a moment. “A demon knitter I’m told.”

  Pattylooked surprised, then unsure. “Really?” Everyone called her the demon knitter, but now she looked worried.

  Harold shrugged, pretending it was no big deal. “We’ve more women than blokes anyway.The blokes are only in charge of the other three squads because the scroats don’t give them as much trouble. It’s a tossup if Matthew or Bess is in charge of their guardhouse, number six, and Emmy would have her own squad if it wasn’t for breast feeding little Tammy.” His smile grew because he knew how Patty would react. “This’ll piss off the visitors so you’ll get some crap from them?”

  Patty’s lip curled but the sneer had to fight to get past her smile. “Not much. They all know me.” She compromised on a smirk and posed just a little, her hand on her machete. “The Barbies will love it. They’ll probably figure I’m butch enough to try to recruit me.” They both laughed because Harold knew Patty was heterosexual, even if she didn’t practice much. “Hey, does that mean I’ll get to keep this when we visit?” She patted her machete and they both laughed again, because Harold didn’t take women to visit neighbouring gangs. Even if he did,the gangs would never accept a woman as one of the elite, allowed to keep a weapon in strange territory.

  “Go and have a chat to Casper.I’ll ring to let him know you’re coming and why. He’ll explain the system and introduce you officially to the leaders of the other squads.” Patty straightened a bit. She already knew the men concerned,but that would be official confirmation of her new status. “Work out with the others where the sentry line can be shortened and thickened, and you can take over a section. Work out shifts with this lot so nobody is on lookout too long.” Harold turned to the line of smiling faces and tried to look stern. “Can’t have you using it as an excuse for lazing about all day.”

  Patty chuckled, and so did some of the women. “That’s easy. I’ve got at least twice this many women complaining because you didn’t want more sentries.” Patty gestured at the dozen women. “Which makes these the first shift.”

  “Cripes. You can take over a full quarter of the boundary, day and night. That will be a big help. If anyone wants more crossbow practice, sort out time on the targets, will you, please?” Harold laughed at her expression. “Your job now since you recruited them. No good deed goes unpunished.”

  Patty recovered, throwing a very bad mock salute. “I’ll survive. I can knit while I critique.” She led her new squad off to find Casper, calling out “left, right, left, right” as they attempted to march and laugh at the same time. Harold stood a few moments, watching them go before going inside to phone Casper.Most women refugees were very subdued when they arrived. They were either abused, relieved to find safety, or just frightened, and definitely not looking for any confrontations. These women looked very keen, raring to go. Maybe they’d been ready to stand up for themselves for a while now. He would have to start new classes in machete fighting,but this time he didn’t have to do it all. Given how lethal Patty had been in the last hand to hand fight, she could teach them the basics.

  *

  At dusk Harold madehis usual tour of the Orchard Close perimeter wall, checking on the guards.Not a proper brick wall, the barrier filling the gaps between perimeter housesconsisted of bricks from demolished ruins, stacked so they interlocked.The low points were already six feethigh and three feet wide but they weren’t finished. Casper had started buildinga three-foot-wide firing step along the inside.Harold scrubbed up in the washroom and swapped his boots for slip-ons, otherwise Sharyn would give him hell for tracking oil and mud inside. His stomach muttered appreciation at the lovely smell;the canteen had opened the corned beef.

  Sharyn called out from the kitchen as Harold walked in. “Just in time, or we were going to eat yours. It’s corned beef hash so we were definitely tempted.”Tessa already sat at the table with Eddie, her five-year-old son, Daisy, Harold’s nearly seven-year-old niece and his five-year-old nephew Wills. Someone must have let Sharyn know that Soldier Boy had gone to walkthe walls.She’d collected tonight’s special from the canteen for when he arrived home.

  “It’s a good job Caddi didn’t hear that.” Tessa looked across the table and sniggered. “The idiot would think you were getting soft.”

  “Softer,” Sharyn chipped in.Harold rolled his eyes. This pair were going to have such a lot of fun. Sharyn hadn’t had someone here to help her tease Harold for too long now,notsince Holly died. Hazel had started to join in, just a little, but moved to the girl club when she turned sixteen.

  He tried for a scowl. “I might turn nasty if I don’t get some food?”

  “You’re always grumpy when you’re tired. I heard that you had an energetic time, and didn’t sleep very well?” Sharyn had a bit of a query in her voice.

  Harold tried to sound offhand. “Mercedes needed a new chew toy, and it’s me.”

  The wide eyes weren’t even slightly shocked, just having fun. “Ooh, did she bite you? Where?”

  Deciding that his big sister didn’t need to know what Mercedes had bitten, the pillow, Harold sat down and relaxed. “Not yet. Hopefully never because I’ve been treated and survived. I’m starting to wonder if I made a mistake putting you two together, because this could be more dangerous.”

  “I’ll need a knife in my boot like her, if I’m going to be…” Tessa stopped and glanced at Sharyn, then the kids.

  Sharyn shook her head with a sad smile. “I told you, soft lad doesn’t have a woman and you’ll get your own place.”

  “What about tonight, Sharyn? Eddie is doubling up with Wills but there’s only four rooms up there.You won’t want me sharing your bed every night until the place is ready.” Tessa stopped at the worried expression on Sharyn’s face when she looked at Harold.

  Harold took a deep breath. It was time to let go. “You can use the fourth bedroom, because nobody sleeps in there.” He pointed at the study door. “That’s my bedroom.”

  Sharyn looked startled. “Are you sure?” The fourth bedroom had been Holly and Harold’s room.Hazel had slept in there for a while after Holly died, but only until she was sixteen. Harold never moved back in.

  “Yes sis, I’m sure. I’ll feel safer knowing Tessa is safely tucked away up there, instead of lurking out here on the sofa.” That worked because both women smiled.

  Tessa got in first. “I might sleepwalk, wander down and then, well, one door looks much like another?”

  “Harold’s door has four padlocks, a thumbprint reader, and probably a grenade strapped to the doorknob. Apart from when I take a hoover and a duster in there, no woman has passed through the doorway.” Sharyn laughed, because that had been a bitter-sweet joke between them. Now, with the fourth bedroom in use, the sting had gone.

  “But surely?” Tessa looked at the kids, busily eating but paying cl
ose attention. “Later.”

  “Maybe.” Harold smiled, concentrating on his corned beef hash.

  *

  Later came after Harold had read a bedtime Wills-story, and then two Daisy-stories to make up for being away last night. When Tessa finally got her chance, it wasn’t how Harold arranged his love life that bothered her most. Now she’d had time to think, Tessa had started worrying about how she paid her way. The HotRods charged anyone living in the area.They claimed rent for the housing, and an additional sum to protect residents from roaming gangsters. If the residents grew extra food, or employed their old skills to earn a few coupons, those were heavily ‘taxed’ as well.

  It came as a big relief to find out there’d be no rent, just a fixed sum paid to the Coven, the committee that ran the finances in Orchard Close. That would cover Tessa’s share of the balanced diet provided by the canteen, and services such as schooling for Eddie. Tessa, along with every other able-bodied person without a skill, would earn the rest of her food by working four hours a day gardening, scavenging, building walls or something similar. Those with specific skills paid ADT, Asshole Deterrent Tax, instead of working in the fields.

  If anyone wanted something different to the day’s menu, they had to buy it with their own coupons, the same as with clothing and luxuries such as coffee or chocolate powder. Harold had no idea of the actual sums, claiming he had enough problems already. After some discussion with Sharyn, Tessa looked relieved because she’d end up keeping a lot more of her coupons, the ones issued by the government instead of money. She’d be expected to pay for cleaning materials, and extra bedding and curtains for her new accommodation, but she’d be given time to pay. The Coven only charged enough to replace whatever was used, and didn’t charge interest.