‘How would you usually pay’ he asked,
‘vouchers’ she told him, but I have none left, I don’t get many’ for the first time since he met her she stopped smiling, Peter tried to catch her eye’s but her gaze was set downwards,
‘Sex usually works’’ she said, Peter wondered what happens when she no longer became attractive, but didn’t ask the question,
‘So what happens if I wanted a voucher?’
‘you get one of mine when I get them next, I get 2 a week,’ they were still stood on the doorway, Peter was hoping she wouldn’t drop her skirt again, she held the door open wide as if to invite him back in,
Peter put his hand in his inside pocket, he had been given 25 vouchers, his first weeks wages, ‘that must make me rich in this place’ he thought.
He handed one to Karen, she hesitantly took it as her face lit up,
‘No catch’ he told her, ‘it’s for being a good neighbour’ her smile returned and she put her arms around his neck, her face gleaming.
‘Oh thank you’ she said, showing her gratitude, Peter smiled at her, Carol thought he looked twice as handsome when he smiled,
She pouted her lips’ you can still come in you know and examine my white bits’
‘It’s fine’ he told her’ and found himself smiling.
‘such a shame’ she said as they parted company, Peter looked up the street he could see his own house in the corner, he looked at his next and only other work sheet, ‘a blocked drain in Maple’ it said, and as he looked at the map, that’s where he walked, within in a couple of minutes he was at Maple.
Eileen and the children had walked so far with Peter and the rest of the way home on their own as he went into number 6 to fix the washing machine, they waved goodbye to each other as if it was the most natural thing in the world,
‘what are we going to do’ Lily asked her mum as soon as they said goodbye to Peter, it was the umpteenth time Eileen had heard it, ‘I haven’t a clue’ was her answer, but she didn’t want to tell Lily that, She couldn’t tell her that,
‘Your dad will sort it’ she told her, Lily huffed and puffed, Eileen was concerned about Nathan, he held her hand as they walked, he would never normally do that, he had become quiet and withdrawn, she couldn’t begin to understand what this was doing to her children. She knew what it was doing to herself and that was bad enough, she couldn’t understand herself, why wasn’t she shouting and screaming, demanding answers, calling the police, even resorting to violence if she had to, like she had done in the past in her younger years, but she knew she could do all that if she wanted to, she also knew it would make things worse, she would bide her time, play it safe, it was like Peter had told her ‘there will be an opportunity’.
They walked into the house, number 12 Hawthorne, Eileen put the keys on the table in the hallway, though she had slept there the previous night, it was only now she started to take things in, she noticed how clean the place was, and in a sense that made things worse, everywhere they had been since they got here was spotlessly clean, yet it had a sense of a dirty living hell, Lily and Nathan told her they were going to look at the garden as they left through the kitchen door, the house seemed empty and cold at that moment.
Eileen began opening the cupboards, indeed they were well stocked with food and utensils, the fridge was stocked with cheese, milk and fresh vegetables, the freezer was full, under the sink was a host of cleaning materials ‘if this was a holiday, it would be lovely’ she told herself, at that instant she wanted to pretend it was a holiday, have a good time until Peter thought of a way out, ‘will that be possible’ she asked herself, she was awoken from her trance by the sound of her children shouting for her, she grew concerned as she headed for the back garden, panicking as she feared the worse, she could not believe her eyes as she tried to take in what was in front of her.
At the side of the house was vast landscaped gardens, a summer house, a slide which Nathan was sliding down, climbing frames and swings, in the corner was a fish pond with a waterfall, a large barbecue with seating area and an assortment of outdoor furniture, it was probably the nicest outdoor space she had ever seen, and in a strange way she thought that this only made things worse,
‘It’s beautiful’ she said out loud, Lily had come over to stand by her, they both stood looking at the beautiful garden.
‘I’m still not staying here’ she told her mother, and as Lily stared at the garden, basked in sunshine, she really wanted to get her bikini on and get a suntan and forget about this awful place such was the allure that stood before them.
‘Those recliners look comfortable’ she added and Eileen agreed.
They both stood and watched for a moment, transfixed by the colourful borders full of evergreens, watching Nathan make his way to the top of the climbing frame that stood twenty feet high, he was now at the top and making his way to the other side, Eileen wanted to tell him to be careful, but she didn’t, watching him do normal things was enough for her, the tranquillity was broken by a voice from the other side of the fence, and as Lily and Eileen looked in that direction, they saw the heads of their three neighbours.
‘Hi’ said Rebecca, a 38 year old red head with a face as pretty as an angel, peering over the fence beside her was 11 year old Samuel and 15 year old Ivy, both with the same red her and their mothers good looks,
‘Lovely garden isn’t it’ Rebecca added,
Eileen and Lily went over to greet their neighbours, ‘yes it is’ Eileen said, still trying to take in the surroundings.
‘Can I go and climb on the frame with him’ said Samuel, pointing to Nathan who was swinging from one of the bars, Rebecca shot him a look as if to tell him not to be cheeky,
‘Of course you can’ Eileen told him and he shot over the 5 foot fence in a flash and as Eileen laughed she had guessed he must have done that many times before. It was the first person Lily had seen around her age and as she studied Ivy’s face she could swear she could see the same fear on her face that swept through her own body,
‘Fancy some sunbathing’ Lily asked Ivy,
A smile broke out on her face,
‘Sure but I’m gonna get my cossie on first’ and off she went,
‘Me to’ shouted Lily and ran into the house to get changed, Eileen and Rebecca stood and laughed on the opposite side of the fence,
‘I think she’s glad to see someone her own age’ Rebecca said through the giggles and Eileen noticed her expression change to one of concern,
‘How old is she’ Eileen asked her,
Rebecca’s reply was instant
‘she’s 16 in 7 months and 23 days, and they both just stood quiet for a while, trying to take in what was said, the horror of it dawning on Eileen, and wondering just how long she had been counting down in days, she found herself doing the maths in her own head for Lily, but quickly blanked it out of her mind,
‘I’m Eileen, fancy coming around for a chat’ she held out her hand and Rebecca took it, a smile returned to her face, ‘you get the glasses and I’ll get the wine’ she told her, and that’s what Eileen did.
Chapter 7
Tony Griffiths had finished his job for today, he had never known it so quiet and wondered how long it would be before the sheriff wanted to make some changes, he had never had it so easy, he could eat as much as he liked, though the choices weren’t always there, he always had a well-stocked fridge and larder, there was plenty of home brew which he indulged in most nights, and if it wasn’t for the woods and the three that run this community, Underwood would be a fantastic place to live, he always said that, and he knew, he was the only one who did having lived here before and after the change.
He pushed the Avensis into position and put a “for sale” sign on it, he laughed to himself as he always did, it was his own private joke, he had done it many times before but still laughed, it was his own kind of reality check, he looked around his yard, the car lot had over a 100 cars for sale, the Avensis the newest and by far the
most modern, Tony thought that most of them should be in a museum, only Underwood didn’t have a museum, Underwood didn’t have much of anything, it was a fairly nice day, a few grey clouds in the sky, but they didn’t look full of rain and the slight breeze was warm and comforting, he had become quite settled over the years, the three people in charge never really bothered him as long as he was there to repair whatever it was needed repairing, he had no family now, his wife dying 5 years ago, and as he stood and looked around his car lot, he thought about Alice, as he very often did, it was the cancer that took her according to the doctor, her last few months riddled with pain as she was doped up with cannabis, and the one day he walked in to see her on her death bed, for the first time her eyes didn’t look at him, they were just staring into space as she lay on the bed, her body arched in pain, and the silent scream of agony on her face made him take the pillow and press it over her head until she could feel the pain no more, and he will never forget holding her hand after her last breath, tears streaming down his face, not so much for the death of his wife that he had loved ever since he was a teen, the tears flowed because he wished he had the courage to do it earlier and end her suffering.
He blamed himself for her death, the cancer may not have taken her away if it had not been for Underwood, the day Underwood changed, Tony was still convinced that the close by steelworks had somehow blown up and caused this holocaust, it created Underwood and the evil that lie within it, he wondered how many died from the explosion, he himself had been a fitter in those works, repairing the broken down kit, they had been good years, he guessed those that died were the lucky ones, he was sure that the Llanwern steelworks was gone now, along with the rest of the world, but how could that be, where did the new family come from, there was never no smoke from the furnaces or the ovens that he remembered so well, sometimes the fields and trees a yellow colour from what the works threw out, no there was no smoke or steam, no noise as the blast furnaces slipped, he looked up into the sky, clouds was all he could see, no trails from planes, he couldn’t remember the last time he saw a plane fly over Underwood, there had not been one since the explosion or whatever it was changed the world, he was sure of that, but Underwood had changed now, the old army huts that once was a 2nd world war prison camp was still standing, but not a prison any more, Underwood had become the new prison.
He thought about when they made him burn her body like a guy Fawkes on bonfire night, he swore his revenge at that time, his body and mind enveloped with age and anger, everyday consisted of planning on how he could take his revenge, but over the years the time had taken that away from him, the chance never came, and the longer it never came, the less important it seemed, now he stood looking at the skies hating himself for letting those thoughts diminish, but something had changed this week, and he guessed Peter Ford might have something to do with that, Tony Griffiths was thinking he might get his revenge after all, this time it wouldn’t be full of rage, anger and bitterness, this time it would be oh so sweet.
He locked the gate behind him as he walked out of the car lot, not that anyone was going to break in, he just wanted to try and live life as naturally as he could, no one could pinch the cars, not one single car had ever been sold from his car lot.
Underwood had grown over the years, once an estate now a town as they had built closer and closer to the trees, his car lot used to be by monks ditch, a brook that run through the town, now since the storm it lay besides bluebell wood.
He had no idea where it would lie next, nor did he really care, because all he really wanted to do was raise the place to the ground.
He fancied a draught beer, so that’s where he made his way to, the only bar in town, the finest homebrew money, or in his case vouchers could buy, the Underwood Social.
He took the long way and walked alongside Monks Ditch, wondering what history it had behind it, he could see the old army huts in the distance, and not for the first time he wondered why they were still standing, and when the devil took Underwood into its own grasp, why did he not leave the huts behind, he remembered playing there as a child, making dens, chasing the girls, he allowed himself a smile from the fond memories, he wondered if the answer lied within the huts, he doubted it, they were ruins of an old prison of war camp, probably held a lot of secrets, but no Devil, the largest hut had been rebuilt and converted, now its where the babies were born,
‘The Devil’s children’
‘What can I get you’ asked Trish Young, beer or beer’ she laughed as she pumped the homebrew into a glass, Tony wondered how many times she had asked the same question, one day he would trick her and ask for wine, but he hated the stuff, Tony took a long sip, it tasted good, better than his stuff at home, even though it was the same homebrew, it was always better when pumped and frothed from the excellent bar that Craig kept, Craig was playing pool on the worn out pool table with a man in his seventies that could barely manage to walk around the table, by the look at him Tony guessed that there would soon be another Sunday bonfire, ‘at least this one may die through old age’ he thought to himself, sat in the corner huddled close together was the towns two wino’s, two 60yrs plus woman, drinking homemade wine, Sue Bradshaw and June Murphy, Underwood’s oldest female residents, one of only a small number of original residents left, who still bore the mental scars of what happened those many years ago, the fight all gone from them, and now they buried their nightmares in the free wine that Craig Jones bestowed upon them, trying to forget, but never able to forgive, waiting for time to end, so the memories will be gone forever, he wondered what story’s they could tell if they were ever given a chance, he stood and looked at them for a little while, through all the years he had known them in the new Underwood, they had never changed, two of Underwood’s oldest residents, and probably the bravest.
Tony waived to the two wino’s in the corner, but they didn’t acknowledge, not seeing him through the blurred vision the wine had given them, he recalled them being young pretty girls that he looked up to in the old Underwood, and wondered how long it would be before all the original residents were gone and the only ones left were those born here or brought by the storms, but most of those from the storms had perished as they refused to accept their new homes, how much longer could this land survive, what was its life span. They were questions he had pondered for years, he didn’t think Underwood could go on forever, it was created in a flash so it could just as easily end in a flash, he pondered this over his pint of homebrew, he had a strange feeling that the end was near, and he would thrive on it.
Tony didn’t think that would happen to the newest recruits, he didn’t think they would perish so easily, they had a look of survival about them and he had the feeling that the future of Underwood was about to change because of them, for better or for worse, and he hadn’t had that feeling for a very long time, he thought his question might be answered soon, he just hoped he would play a part in that answer.
Peter had unblocked the drain, he had to go back to the depot in the sports centre, to get some rods, Steve Duce gave him a lift back with the rods, not saying a word as they drove the short distance, Peter sensed a nervousness about him, he guessed he was like everyone else in Underwood, living in fear, because there didn’t seem to be much hope around, Peter was beginning to have a new respect for those he met, there didn’t seem to be a lot of loyalty in Underwood, but he had to be careful in who he befriended, and the ever smiling bus driver would not be one of them.
Unblocking drains was not his usual work but he cleared it never the less and as he stood checking the flow, a thought occurred to him ‘where do they lead’. He wasn’t aware of any outlet, if they flowed outside of Underwood it could mean, ‘A possible way out’ that intrigued him, he wondered if there was a map of the drainage system anywhere, somehow he doubted it, but he couldn’t do this on his own, ‘maybe I won’t have to’.
He took his tool bag and the rods back to the depot, he didn’t bother to ask Steve Duce over the radio’s they had
been given, for a ride, he felt there was only to much good conversation he could have in one day, however he did have what seemed the only vehicle, other than the police cars, so it would be best to keep on the good side, his thoughts were deep as he walked from the depot to his new home, his eyes were spanning the surroundings of trees, trees, and more trees, he thought again about the Underwood sign “one way in, no way out” he refused to believe it, he let his mind wander to places he had no control of.
He soon found himself home, not really remembering walking that distance, it reminded him of his sat nav, when he would be driving and the sat nav would suddenly announce “you have arrived at your destination” and he could never remember how he got there, that’s how he felt then as he stood at the top of his path, but he knew he would never ever forget the day he arrived in Underwood, the only memory that would outweigh that one, was the one yet to come, ‘the day they escaped from Underwood’.
No one was in the house, he noticed the kitchen door was open and he realised that he had not yet been that way to the garden, he panicked for a moment, he expected to see his family sat there waiting full of despair, hitting him with a thousand questions as soon as he walked through the door, their absence threw him a bit, he stood opened mouthed at what he saw, in the most beautiful garden he had ever seen, was his son and another lad, climbing a frame, his daughter and another girl, in their bikinis sunbathing and his wife and another woman sat at a patio table drinking wine, Nathan and Lily waived to him, and carried on doing what they were doing, Eileen and the other woman looked drunk, Eileen waived at him shouting,
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