At home Becky had things well organised. The children were watching a DVD in one room while some of the women fussed round Mary, who was sitting quietly in a corner still obviously very distressed. The others were making food for the hungry DVD viewers.
Jack, Jerry and Fiona’s baby was being spoilt rotten with all the fuss and attention he was getting. I gave her a quick résumé of what was happening and what we had found out about the gang, including our desire to rescue the women who were being kept prisoner. She agreed that we needed to rescue them, but didn’t want any of us to put ourselves at risk by doing so.
I helped her to make a couple of trays of tea and we carried them out to the rest of the men, who were still working to clear the mess around the barricade. We’d gathered six shotguns, about two hundred cartridges and also a variety of weapons, including a very sharp looking Samurai sword, from the dead and wounded. Looking at the weapons, I couldn’t help but think they would make a valuable contribution to our defence capabilities.
Jerry came over to me, saying that all but one of the seriously wounded had died and he didn’t expect the last one to live much longer. I didn’t ask him if they had died naturally or if he had helped them.
It was his decision to make and I didn’t want to question it. I trusted him to do the right thing.
We had twenty one bodies to dispose of. We would have to move them away from our street, but where to? And should we bury them or cremate them? This was a difficult decision because neither solution was straightforward. Burying that many people would take a very large hole and, to be honest, none of us wanted to spend a lot of time and effort digging a grave for people who had been trying to kill us. But we were still trying to hold on to our sense of morality and decency. If not, we would turn into people like our attackers.
In the end it was agreed by a majority vote, that we would use my trailer to take the bodies in a few trips up to a building site a few roads away. There we would build a funeral pyre and burn the bodies. We used whatever pallets and wood we could find on the site and a good soaking of petrol.
Jim, one of the neighbours, volunteered to say a few words before we lit the pyre. It was the only thing we could do. We were sure that before long we would be faced with the same dilemma again. But we couldn’t have bodies rotting in the street, spreading diseases and being eaten by the increasing number of animals and rodents roaming around.
As it was getting late, with only a few hours of daylight left, we had to get a move on, as we didn’t want to leave the bodies until the morning.
Leaving a few people behind to man the barricades, we took three trips to move the bodies, while a few of the others built up a large stack of timber to form the pyre.
I used a hammer and screw driver to knock a hole in the petrol tank of a nearby car and collected a few buckets of petrol. Then we liberally doused the pyre with it. As we gathered around in the growing dusk, Jim spoke up with his hastily prepared speech.
“God, please take these poor souls into your care. In their desperation to survive, they lost their way and we are truly sorry we had to speed their passing. I hope you can forgive them as we have done, as they have now paid the ultimate price for their temporary loss of humanity. Amen.”
I lit a rag, tied it round a length of timber, and making sure we were all clear of the pyre, threw it on top of it. The petrol ignited with a loud whoosh and we all stood for a few minutes watching the pyre burning, each lost in our own thoughts. “Come on,” said Allan. “We should be getting back now, it’s getting dark and I’m sure your wives will be missing you.” We were a silent group as we walked back to our road, tired to the bone after the day we’d experienced.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
When we got back, the men gathered their wives and children and started to drift back to their own homes. Bob and his wife Jo, not wanting Mary to go back to her empty house, took her home with them. Pete, now that Jerry had set his arm in a proper cast, was looking much more comfortable, and had spent his time while we were outside, clearing up and re-working the rotas, now that Rick and the Coles had run away. I raised the issue about the neighbours who had disappeared at the first sign of trouble on the barricade.
“I know, Tom. Becky and I sat down and we’ve worked out who we think they are.” He showed me the list and I agreed with it. There were five names on it, and thinking about them as individuals, you could describe them as the more academic members of our community.
“What do you propose we do?” I asked.
“I’ll find them in the morning, speak to them all separately and listen to what excuses they have to give. Look Tom, I know this situation we’re in is something you’ve obviously been thinking about for quite a while now, and so you’re far more mentally, materially and physically prepared than the rest of us. I’ll probably give them all the benefit of the doubt this time. But if it happens again, then there’ll be no more excuses.
The rest of us stood up to be counted when it mattered and as a collective, we’ll all have to work together to protect and cherish what we have, for as long as we can. If some of them aren’t prepared to do that, then their presence here will have to be questioned.”
It was quite a speech and Pete had obviously given it a lot of thought. In my view, he’d got it exactly right. We did have to work together, but I was going to have to think very carefully about the way things were at the moment.
All the preparations I’d made over the past few years, especially in the days preceding the event, had been about feeding and protecting my immediate and, if necessary, extended family. We had started the food bank on an impulse, when we realised we had collected more than enough supplies and would still have the opportunity to collect more. So we’d begun to allocate half of everything we’d collected, to be given to friends and neighbours when the need arose. But there were about twenty families still on the road, at least eighty people. It was going to take a tremendous amount to feed them all.
Even with my food bank and Allan’s supplies from the police station, it was only going to last for so long. With winter approaching, the food that nature could provide us with, from vegetable gardens and from foraging for wild edible plants, would be significantly reduced.
I had to think about whether we wanted to be part of the collective or whether it was best for us to be on our own.
The first meal we shared with Jerry and Fiona, after the children had showered and settled down to sleep, was a very quiet affair. We were all completely drained after the events of the day. I wasn’t on sentry duty, so after the meal I opened a bottle of Becky’s homemade damson gin. We settled down on the sofas in front of the log burner for a night cap. The alcohol relaxed us all and the conversation flowed around our anxieties about our families and friends around the country and how they were coping.
Jerry and Fiona were very happy to have joined us, admitting that it was the first time in weeks they’d felt able to relax, knowing that others were out there right now protecting us. They couldn’t stop thanking us.
Jerry had said that Fiona had given up her job when the children arrived, but I’d never got around to asking what she did.
“Well, I was a dentist and decided to take a career break to raise the children. I always intended to return to it once both children were at school.”
“Jerry and Fiona, it’s a pleasure to have you with us. If you decide to stay with us, or move into one of the empty houses, that’s up to you. The fact that you’re a doctor and have brought supplies with you is great and everybody has already, as you know, voted to allow you to join us. As soon as they find out Fiona is a dentist, they’ll all be over the moon!”
Jerry knew about my car and asked me about it.
“Mm. The incident with the Land Rover only happened today, people haven’t yet made the connection that mine will probably be working as well. As a precaution, I’ve been in the garage, taken out the battery and disabled the car by removing and hiding the spark plugs and solenoid. I
don’t want to run the risk of my car, and someone wanting it, becoming another potential flashpoint. If people ask, I’ll say, yes, it does work, but it’s been disabled to avoid temptation and it will only be used if everyone is in agreement. I hope they’ll all have enough trust in me.”
We discussed the supplies that were still hidden at their house. Jerry said,
“I think we should treat them as our emergency stash and avoid telling anyone about them. What do you think?”
“I agree, and it would probably be a good idea at some point to go back to the house and fix the shelf unit against the wall in to hide the doorway properly, just in case someone searches your cellar and accidentally uncovers it.”
The talk led to the morality of what we had done today. I told them how, only this morning, I’d been physically sick with fear after confronting the gang at Jerry’s house, but just a short time later, I’d had no hesitation in shooting at and most probably killing, quite a few people. Jerry summed it up by saying,
“I’m a doctor, and as such, I’ve sworn to offer my help to all in need, but things are different now. They have to be. I didn’t want to shoot and kill those people today, or do what I had to do to the seriously injured afterwards.
But if I hadn’t, we wouldn’t be sitting here now and people would be suffering needlessly. We’re going to have to be strong to survive in the future, otherwise we’ll just fade away, or someone will come and take it from us. We may be judged at some point, but I hope it will be seen that we did our best to keep our decency and humanity.”
“Well said, Jerry!” Becky replied. “If it hadn’t been for all your bravery today, the possibilities of what could have happened don’t bear thinking about. I’ve no doubt that you’ll all do your best to protect us all. We can’t judge you if the only course of action is to kill someone if they’re trying to kill you, or anyone else in our group. As you rightly said, Jerry, things are different now, and until some order or government is formed again in the future, we have the right to do what we need to do to survive, according to our own moral compass.” Tears started to roll down her cheeks, so I pulled her into a hug and told her I loved her.
“I think we’ve all had enough for today. Let’s go to bed and hope that tomorrow is a bit calmer,” I said quietly. Nobody disagreed, so we bade each other goodnight. I talked to Becky about whether it was best for our family to stay and work together with our neighbours, or to go it alone. We discussed the merits of trying to get to our house in Wales, or using the caravan. In the end we both decided that we would feel safer if we stayed at our house. As long as all the neighbours were working together, it would be a lot better than being on our own.
It rained heavily that night which was a blessing, as it washed the street clear of all the blood.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Pete called a meeting of all the neighbours early in the morning, saying that he had a few items he wanted to discuss with us all.
“Obviously, yesterday’s terrible events have brought up questions of security. I have measures I think we need to implement. I want to put Allan in charge of road security. He will be responsible for making sure our defences are sufficient, and will also recommend any improvements or changes that need to be made.” Pete was a very organised man and had drawn up a “job description”, which he wanted us all to approve.
“Allan will be responsible for training everyone, so that in the event of an emergency, we will all know immediately where to go and what to do. If he needs help, he’ll arrange it through me, so that the best person or people can be allocated to him.”
A few people queried Pete’s right to tell any of us what to do, which in normal circumstances, would be a fair and reasonable question and was one, I think, which Pete was expecting. He gave a stirring speech.
“This is the reality. If we all work together, as we are doing at the moment, we will survive. And yes, nobody has the right to order any of us around, but hopefully my requests will be reasonable and I will do my best to divide the hard or menial tasks fairly among us.
If anyone thinks they are being unfairly treated then all they have to do is speak to me.”
After giving the matter some thought, most people could see the sense in it, so most indicated their agreement. The next item on his agenda was food and cooking.
“As far as cooking goes, we need to make better use of the supplies we have by cooking it collectively. At the moment, if people need food, they help themselves from the boxes that Allan has given us.
This has obviously led to wastage, both in the fuel that’s being used for cooking and the supplies used. If it was all cooked together, less fuel would be used and the supplies should last longer. I need volunteers to be placed in charge of a soup kitchen, to itemise the supplies we have, and to draw up some meal plans.”
Everyone seemed to agree with this idea. Since the gas had stopped flowing a few days ago, people were finding it harder to cook and prepare food, and the gas barbeques that most people had switched to using were beginning to run out of gas. Russell, who lived down the road, came up with a great idea.
“If we use my large garden marquee, the cooking could be done outside. We haven’t got a gas barbeque, so my family have been cooking on a fire pit I’ve constructed on our patio. I don’t think it would be too hard for me to construct a larger one that would be suitable for cooking for all of us.”
Pete thanked him and after asking if there were any objections, which there were not, told him to start immediately and to tell him if he needed any help at all. The cooking had reminded me to raise the issue about the water supply. I suggested that even though the water was still coming out of the taps, it would probably be a good idea to boil it first before drinking it. Pete thanked me and put it down on his list.
A couple of the neighbours were standing at the back, looking ill at ease throughout. Pete asked them if everything was OK and whether they had anything they wanted to add to the meeting.
John, one of the neighbours who had hidden the previous day at the first sign of trouble, stepped forward and spoke.
“Pete, we do appreciate what you and everybody else is doing for us, but a few of us are very uneasy about the whole concept of living in an armed camp. I hate the idea of guns being carried and used.
I’ve tried to learn to live with it and I know it’s only being done to protect us, but after yesterday and the killing of all those people.
I’ve decided to leave and I think there are a few other families who’ll want to join me.”
“But John, where are you going to go? As far as we know, it’s like this everywhere. You’ll only be safe if you stay here!” Pete replied. “Your principles will most likely get you all killed. You heard what the gang that attacked us yesterday were doing! That’s going to be happening everywhere. You won’t stand a chance!” John stood his ground.
“I understand what you’re saying, but I’ve made up my mind and we’re going. There must be somewhere out there where we can live a civilised and normal life!” I stood there and listened, not saying a word, but thinking about them to myself.
“I can see that the other three families who seem to be agreeing with John are also the ones who didn’t help yesterday and I’m still pissed off with them. As far as I’m concerned, the way I feel now, if they don’t want to cooperate and contribute, as the vast majority of the neighbours are doing, they may as well leave and go and look for this impossible place they think exists somewhere.”
Pete asked for a few minutes to think, so we all stood around. A couple of people tried to persuade John and the others to change their minds, but they were unwavering in their determination to leave. Pete came back and asked for quiet.
“John, as you’re obviously determined to go, I have a proposal. We’ll give you as many supplies as you can carry, but in return you’ll allow us to use your houses and anything left in them. Obviously if you do return, they’ll be yours again.”
John asked for a
moment and he and the other families went off for a discussion. He returned and said, “That’s fair, and we agree, but can we ask that if we put any personal items we can’t carry, such as photos, paintings and family mementoes, into one room in each house, that you’ll respect them and keep them safe?” It was a reasonable request and everyone was in agreement. They would leave as soon as they had everything sorted and had collected their supplies.
Once everyone had gone back to whatever task they were busy with, Allan and Pete walked over to me. Allan had asked for a couple of people to accompany him to the police station, to check firstly if the prisoners were OK, and to give them some food and water, and secondly, to help him start moving the supplies and equipment back to the road, as it would be easier if we could use my trailer.
Of course I agreed and went to get it from my garage as Pete rounded up a few more volunteers.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
We felt a bit safer leaving the road, given that the previous day we’d apparently eliminated the biggest threat to us in the area. We were all armed, but as we pushed the trailer the short distance up to the police station, we still cast nervous glances around, looking for a potential threat. Every house we passed appeared to be deserted. ‘Where’s everybody gone?’ asked one of the men.
I gave it some thought.
“I think a lot of people have left for the countryside in the hope of finding food, but when I was driving around yesterday a few people came out of their houses as I passed, and then we had that confrontation with the group outside Jerry’s house. I think there are more people than you think.”
I paused.
“If some of them still have food, they’re probably hiding away and trying to survive on their own, but as people get more desperate with every passing day, we’ll come across more people either begging us for help or trying to take what we have by force. The one thing we can’t afford to do is relax. I know I keep on about it, but we’re in a ‘life or death’ situation and survival’s going to be tough, even for people like us, who are well supplied at the moment.”
UK Dark Trilogy Page 11