by Hatchett
Mollie and her sidekick started marching towards Mamba with a sense of purpose. They only managed three strides before there was a blur of movement from either side of them and Faruk and Ismet emerged from the crowd and stabbed them both in the neck.
Blood spurted before either Mollie or her sidekick could grab their necks, making people scream and rush away as fast as they could. Faruk and Ismet just stood there grinning, covered in blood and watching the two figures as they fell to their knees then the floor, writhing and screaming as their life force squirted away. Faruk and Ismet eventually stepped forward and plunged their knives into the heads of the two bodies.
Slowly, people turned back to Mamba, wondering what was going to happen next. There were no more shouts in his direction.
Mamba saw that no one seemed to have run away. The crowd looked roughly the same size as before and he guessed that despite the horror they had witnessed, they didn’t want to miss what was going to happen next.
Mamba looked towards Evelyn and gestured that she should come up on stage. She strode forward, determination written all over her face. Once she had climbed the steps and walked across to Mamba, he handed her the microphone and stepped away. He caught old Ernie’s eye and raised his eyebrows a couple of times in quick succession. Ernie just shook his head in mock disgust.
“Today starts a new chapter for Corsham,” Evelyn started. “Not New Eden. Corsham. No more Reverend, no more Disciples, no more Enforcers or Ushers or Underlings. Today we become the community we should have been all along. Today we are free.”
The first claps sounded from the middle of the crowd and within seconds there was rapturous applause and people were smiling all around. Then came the cheers and shouts of support.
Not everyone was happy, the Disciples and Enforcers for a start, but Evelyn knew each and every one of the people who would revert back to the way things were given half a chance.
“I have no intention of dictating to you. We all have to work together if we are to survive,” Evelyn continued. “We are all equal.”
That brought more cheers from the crowd, who were becoming giddy with their newfound freedom.
“What about those bastards?” someone shouted, and when everyone turned to look who had shouted, they saw a man pointing towards the Disciples and Enforcers.”
“They will be given the same option the Reverend gave our friends and family,” Evelyn replied. “They can leave with the shirts on their backs or they can stay and work hard like the rest of us.”
There were more cheers and nods in the crowd, although everyone there suspected that the Disciples and their followers would be taking the first option.
“We will have elections to determine who should lead us,” Evelyn continued, “but for now we need to go about our business as usual. In the next few days I will be looking for volunteers to go searching outside the town for our people and for supplies. We will use cars and other things which have been denied us. But there is one other thing I need to say.”
She turned to Mamba and Ahmed.
“This is Mamba. This is Ahmed. They and their friends have helped us today and I thank them for that. And that reminds me…”
Evelyn went to the edge of the stage to Chrissy, who passed her a couple of items. She then walked back to Mamba and Ahmed.
“This is a little something to thank you for your help,” Evelyn said, as she handed over a couple of bottles of beer and smiled.
Mamba and Ahmed’s faces lit up and they spent no time cracking the bottles open and taking a long drink.
“I thought there was no beer,” Mamba pointed out with a smile, as soon as he had finished his beer.
Evelyn tapped her nose and turned back to the crowd who were now clapping and cheering once again.
“OK everyone, that’s all for today. Let’s get back to work.”
With that, people started drifting away from the square and Evelyn turned off the microphone.
Ernie and Chrissy made their way to the stage, followed by their group of supporters. There were hugs all around.
“What are we going to do about this lot?” Chrissy asked as she walked up to Thaddeus and suddenly kicked him in the balls. “Bastard!”
Thaddeus crumpled to the floor, tears of pain streaming from his eyes.
“Whatever ya want,” Mamba said.
Chrissy was about to give Thaddeus another kick, but Ernie stopped her.
“Not worth it, girl,” he said, then turned to Mamba. “I knew you were trouble, son” he said, grinning.
“Ya got more beer?” Mamba asked.
“We’ve got some,” Ernie replied, “but I’m guessing we’re going to need a helluva lot more. We’ll send some over to the Hunter’s.”
“Good man,” Mamba replied, edging past Ernie and heading down the line of Disciples, who shrank back at his approach.
He came to the blond woman who was standing behind an empty chair.
“Ya ‘n me got unfinished business,” Mamba said, grabbing her hand and pulling her from behind the chair.
He then marched back to the steps, pulling the woman behind him, then left the stage and headed back towards the High Street and the Hunter’s Arms. The woman made no attempt to pull away and allowed herself to be pulled along without a fight.
Thaddeus groaned through his pain and feebly reached out towards the departing woman.
Mamba didn’t see the looks of surprise on the faces around him. Only Ahmed looked like he’d seen it all before.
23
Day 21 – 11:00
New Eden
Mamba was lying on his back with his head on a nice fluffy pillow staring at the ceiling, breathing hard with sweat glistening on his chest, bringing his snake tattoo to life.
The blond woman snuggled up to him, her right shoulder finding the perfect niche under his left armpit and rested her head on his chest. She was about to draw the cover over them, but Mamba stopped her.
Without moving his head, his eyes travelled down her bare back to her pert backside then back up to study the blond hair in front of his face. He still wasn’t sure if it was natural or coloured, he’d been more interested in other things. Wild things. A small smile played across his face.
“What did ya say ya name was?” Mamba asked.
“How to ruin the moment!” the woman slapped him playfully on the thigh. “Natalie.”
“Yeah, Natalie,” Mamba echoed. “Nat the twat.”
“Nice! Thanks.”
“It was more’n nice.”
Mamba slapped her backside.
Natalie was five feet eight tall with a slim build and model looks. But it was the blond hair that Mamba noticed the first time he saw her across the table at the Reverend’s dinner.
“So, who’s that bloke yer with?”
“Thaddeus. He used to be known as Arthur Rawlinson before the Reverend changed his name to one of the Disciples. He used to be one of the bank managers in town.”
“So, how come ya was with Arthur then?”
“To survive. He was one of the Reverend’s ‘in’ crowd if you know what I mean. I’ve known him for years but never fancied him. I knew he liked me, and it helped with my overdraft situation, but I was never interested…until it all changed, of course. Then it made sense.”
“So, ya only with me ‘cos it makes sense?”
“Yeah…but I enjoyed it,” Natalie replied, candidly.
“I see ya enjoyed it on the terrace durin’ the punishments as well,” Mamba noted.
Natalie laughed.
“Yeah, there’s something about torture, violence and killing that makes me all horny.”
“My kinda gal!” Mamba laughed and slapped her backside again.
“After all that happened in the square…well, let’s just say it got me going. What’s it like hurting or killing someone?”
Mamba thought about it.
“Nothin’ really. Just has ta be done sometimes.”
“You don’t feel remor
se?”
“What’s that?”
“Do you regret it afterwards?”
“Hell, no. The fuckers deserve it.”
“So, what gets you going, apart from sex, obviously?”
Mamba thought some more. He’d never really considered these questions before. He just did whatever came naturally.
“The fight. Winnin’. Like that prick at the football. Thought he was hard, tryin’ ta tell me what ta do.”
“So, you did kill him?”
“‘Course! I ain’t takin’ no shit from jumped up prick who thinks he’s harder’n me. Deserved what he got.”
“So, what happens now?”
“Fuck knows, ask Evelyn.”
“Don’t you want to be the king and have me as your queen?”
“Ya fuckin’ jokin’ right? I ain’t no king ‘n ya ain’t no queen.”
“It would be fun.”
“Nah, it’d be fuckin’ borin’.”
“I could make it worth your while.”
“Bin there, done that.”
“So, why are you here?”
“I’m gettin’ inta that underground city.”
“I’ve heard the rumours, but that’s all they are.”
“We’ll see.”
Mamba moved his fingers through the hair on the back of her head and rubbed her scalp gently.
“So, what now?” Natalie asked.
“Thought ya’d never ask,” Mamba replied, gripping her hair more tightly and forcing her head down towards his groin. “Ya talk too much.”
24
Day 21 – 11:30
New Eden
There was three loud thumps on the bedroom door and Ahmed shouting ‘ya still in there?’
“Come in,” Mamba shouted back.
Natalie grabbed for the cover and pulled it up to her chin as Ahmed walked into the room. With the door open, they could now hear the sounds of people talking coming from downstairs.
Ahmed stared at Natalie for a few seconds before turning his attention to Mamba.
“Ya stayin’ in here all day?”
“We havin’ a celebration,” Mamba replied. “Ya wanna join in?”
Ahmed huffed and looked towards one of the windows as Natalie’s head shot around to look at Mamba in a combination of shock, hurt and accusation.
“Thought ya might like ta know we’ve got some beers fer celebratin’ downstairs.”
“Cool!” Mamba sprang from the bed and started to put his clothes on. “Where’s it come from?”
“Secret stash,” Ahmed replied. “See ya down there.”
Ahmed walked out of the room and closed the door behind him.
“Ya comin’?” Mamba asked, not really bothered one way or the other.
“In a minute. Got to make myself look presentable.”
Mamba shrugged, sat on the bed to put his boots on, then stood up.
“See ya later,” Mamba said, heading towards the door.
“Are you sure you don’t want to stay a little longer?” Natalie asked, pulling the cover aside.
Mamba looked down at her and smiled.
“Later. I need a beer.”
With that he left the room and nearly ran downstairs.
The lounge was packed. In addition to Mamba and his men, it seemed like the whole of the town had crammed into the room to celebrate. Everyone seemed to be drinking and there was some music on in the background.
Evelyn spotted him and came over, grabbing a bottle of beer on the way.
“Come and join us,” she said smiling and handing him the beer. “We’re having a party to celebrate. It’s been weeks since we’ve been able to let our hair down.”
“What ‘bout…” Mamba indicated outside.
“All under control. Some people have gone back home, some have gone back to work although I told everyone to take the day off…”
“I didn’t mean that. What ‘bout the Rev’s men? The bodies, the…”
“All taken care of,” Evelyn confirmed. “Some of my people are sorting things out as we speak.”
They walked through the crowd, people who Mamba didn’t know patting him on the back as he passed by until they reached Ahmed, Basir, Chrissy and Ernie.
“Still got the energy to get up for a beer?” Chrissy said with a knowing smile.
Mamba regarded her for a moment and noticed that she had one of her hands up against Ahmed’s leg with her fingers hanging onto his pocket. He looked at Ahmed and got a cheesy grin in response.
“Nothin’ comes between me ‘n a beer,” Mamba replied, looking back down at Chrissy before taking a drink.
“We just wanted to thank you for earlier,” Evelyn said loudly above the chatter. “As you can tell, people now feel free and are letting their hair down a bit.”
Mamba looked around the gathering, spotting some of his Turks mixing in, laughing and smiling. He looked towards Basir and was about to speak but Basir had read his mind and got in first.
“Don’t worry. They’re not all here. We’ve still got guards nearby.”
“Not that you need them,” Evelyn added.
Mamba nodded, not convinced but taking the comment at face value. He took another long drink of his beer and placed the empty bottle on a nearby table. When he turned back, Evelyn had already found another from somewhere and handed it over.
Mamba nodded and looked around the room again, detecting the music in the background. He knew the tune but had no idea what it was.
“You OK?” Evelyn asked.
“Yeah. Jus’ noticed the music,” Mamba replied.
“It’s ‘Scouting for Girls’,” Chrissy said. “Appropriate don’t you think?”
“As long as it ain’t ‘Men at Work’,” Mamba muttered.
“Don’t go there, bro!” Ahmed cautioned.
“Who’s Men at Work?” Chrissy asked in ignorance. “Never heard of them.”
“Some shit Aussie band,” Mamba replied before Ahmed could say anything.
Chrissy looked up at Ahmed in confusion, a questioning look in her eyes.
“Long story!” he said.
“So, what now?” Chrissy asked.
“That’s up ta Evelyn ‘n the rest of ya,” Mamba replied, “as long as Ernie keeps his promise ta help me.”
Ernie grinned and took a sip of what looked like scotch in a shot glass.
“We’ll start tomorrow,” he said as he lifted his glass up in the air. “Cheers.”
It was clear that it wasn’t Ernie’s first drink and they weren’t going to get anything useful out of him for the rest of the day.
Mamba nodded and raised his beer bottle as Natalie entered the room and looked around her. Mamba waved and she came over.
Evelyn smiled at Natalie as she approached.
“How are you Nat? she asked.
“Knackered by the looks of her,” Chrissy butted in.
Natalie scowled at Chrissy but turned to Evelyn as she replied.
“I’m good. What have you done with Arthur and the rest of the disciples?”
“They’re recuperating,” Evelyn replied. “They’ve got a lot to think about before we decide what to do with them. And the Enforcers, Ushers and Underlings.”
“Ya should kill ‘em all,” Mamba suggested. “That way, ya don’t have ta keep lookin’ over yer shoulder.”
“Well, if they’re going to be hung, drawn and quartered, I want to be there,” Natalie insisted with a glint in her eye.
Mamba winked at her.
“Forgive me, Mamba. You obviously know Nat,” she said with a slight smirk, “but what you don’t know is that she’s been our eyes and ears inside the Reverend’s inner circle for the past few weeks. She’s been critical to our understanding of what is going on. Although she wasn’t privy to everything, it’s amazing what a little pillow talk will do.
Mamba scowled as Evelyn then introduced Natalie to Ahmed.
“We already met…sorta,” Ahmed said and received a suspicious scowl from Chr
issy.
“We need ta get things done,” Mamba interrupted, clearly getting bored of the conversation.
“Like what?” Evelyn asked.
“Like gettin’ some cars ‘n goin’ out ta find more supplies.”
“That can wait until tomorrow. Enjoy the rest of today then we can get back to business in the morning.”
25
Day 22 – 06:00
New Eden
Mamba was up and in a melancholy mood.
The celebration the previous day had gone well into the evening and after getting a few more beers down his neck, Mamba slowly began to relax and enjoy himself. As did half the town, or so it seemed.
He left Natalie in bed fast asleep while he got changed and went down to the lounge to find one God-Almighty mess and a couple of dozen people, including some of his men, snoring their heads off wherever they had crashed.
He couldn’t be bothered to wake them up, so he left the Hunter’s Arms and went for a stroll around the town. It was still dark and there was no one up and about which suited Mamba just fine. There was a slight drizzle which settled on his clothing, otherwise it felt warm enough.
He decided to try out the parts of town he hadn’t seen before and after walking around, following signs and jumping over the numerous cars which had been purposely left blocking the streets, he found himself at a college with large playing fields, a 3G artificial pitch and tennis courts. He found a bench and sat down to await the crack of dawn and the start of the new day.
It was quiet, with just some bird song in the background and a light breeze causing the long grass to sway backwards and forwards.
He wondered what he was doing in Corsham. With hindsight, it had been a stupid idea, fuelled by the sense of adventure and purpose. He wondered how people lived in these country shitholes. It was just so bloody boring he could have screamed. No, he should have stayed at Heathrow and sorted those fuckers out once and for all. Now, he’d given them a chance to sort themselves out and getting on top of them again would be that much harder. He wondered if he had the stomach for the fight, but quickly realised that he did. It was like a burning sensation in the pit of his stomach.