“Yeah, cheers, Rick,” said Mass.
Tony clapped his hands together. “Okay, we’ve probably blown our cover after all this shooting, so let’s strike camp and get a move on. We’ll have to march tired.” He turned to Mass. “Can you manage? You’re looking a little better.”
“I can move, slowly, but I’m getting stronger by the minute. We’ll keep to the fields and try to avoid a fight.”
“Not so easy these days, my friend. You have a safe journey.”
“You too, Tony.”
Tony pulled a face. “It’s not the journey I’m worried about. It’s what happens when I arrive.”
8
God’s wretched sun rises overhead as another beautiful slaughter commences. Crimolok’s legions never sleep. They feed only on flesh, and they are ravenous. Their minds burn with ferocious insanity, placed there by Crimolok’s ulcerating presence. They have just finished feasting on a mother and son, both having survived inside a long boat floating on a narrow river. Demons detest water, but with Crimolok’s insistence they had swum the river and boarded the boat. The mother’s startled shrieks had echoed off the concrete embankments for miles while monsters ate her child.
It was disappointing losing the humans on the road yesterday, but with their weapons and numbers, they must have come from the city. No doubt they have scurried back there like vermin. Their fates will come soon. There is no rush. No risk of failure. Crimolok will enjoy mankind’s last gasps, for he has spent an eternity in the deepest of hells. He has brought that hell with him, despoiling every inch of God’s creation. It would be a waste not to savour every moment.
Every drop of blood.
Dawn broke, lingered, and scurried away. The sun hung high in the sky. Assembled at Portsmouth’s gates was one of the largest gatherings of human beings left alive. There might be other populations surviving on the continent, or in America perhaps, but right here was the heart of civilisation. No empire had ever been so great as Great Britain, and it swelled Thomas’s chest with pride to ensure its ongoing legacy. This time, the empire would not shrink and fade, but it would grow and expand until it one day smothered the globe. That might be beyond the scope of his remaining years, but the foundations of that everlasting victory would be laid today. The rebirth of a nation.
Reports indicated that the demons were reforming and growing bold again, but they would crumble beneath the unrelenting force of Thomas’s army. He had designated his leaders, laid out his strategy, and assembled a force to be reckoned with. Now he just had to pull the pin and wait for the explosion.
Thomas climbed on top of an articulated lorry that blocked Portsmouth’s northern gate. A guard waited up there and handed him a megaphone. It hissed excitedly with feedback as he placed it to his dry lips. For a moment, he feared he couldn’t speak. A twinge of doubt struck his ribs so suddenly that he almost doubled over. Tens of thousands stood before him, waiting on his orders. What if he was doing the wrong thing? What if his time had come and gone and he was no longer the leader he thought himself to be?
I almost retired because of that populist tart. She had me believing I was past it, but what if she was right? What if I did the wrong thing getting rid of Amanda Wickstaff? No, my only option now is to succeed. Doubting myself is not helpful.
Thomas took a breath, focusing on the life inside his expanding lungs. He had been a great general long before he’d come to Portsmouth. These people needed him to be at his best and that was what he would give them. He was the only one who could do this, the only one who could lead them.
“People of Portsmouth, we are a family, and as a family, we must sacrifice and provide for one another. Today, we face our fears for the final time, knowing that nothing that can come can be worse than what we have already faced. Mankind is a unique and unmatchable animal, superior since the day it first stood on two legs and reached out to the sun. Unlike God’s other creations, we clothed ourselves and warmed ourselves beside fires. We built temples and cities, roads and mines. We are special, for we do not live for the sake of living. The demons shall not steal what we have taken millennia to build. They will not take what our families, ancestors, and bygone heroes gave to us. Mankind has beaten the odds every step of the way, and today it faces yet another obstacle it shall surely overcome. We will send our enemy packing, straight back to Hell.”
Fifteen thousand people cheered. Thomas handed the microphone back to the guard and hurried down the ladder, then gave the order for the driver to back the lorry away from the gate. The door to Great Britain was unlocked. Thomas’s army stepped through.
Thomas climbed onto a horse that had been found and tamed for him. His designated commanders and junior officers joined him on mounts of their own, each grinning with pride and anticipation. Thomas smiled too, enjoying the determination on their faces. There would be no sympathy for the enemy this time, no empathising with motives or sympathising with beliefs like the adversaries of old. The demons were vermin, and he would put them down with the snapping of fifteen thousand rifles.
Let our enemy despair, for its days are numbered.
All the doubts Thomas had momentarily experienced melted away. This was what his entire life had been leading up to. There was no way he could fail. Absolutely no way.
There was a time when the start of a new day brought a depressing grey feeling, signalling morning commutes, frosty construction sites, and the odd hangover. Now it meant mankind had survived another night. Ted welcomed the dawn and the tasks ahead. Walls needed building, apprentices needed teaching. Work was no longer a window of hours each day, but a constant state of being. Hard work meant staying alive.
Caution was almost as important as hard work, but it was that the camp lacked. People were too eager to accept newcomers, which had led to Kielder Forest becoming inundated with them. It had started with the group from the supermarket – necessary due to them having a fully stocked pharmacy. Then smaller groups had come out of hiding, creeping out of the trees with fear in their eyes and hunger in their bellies. No one possessed a heart cold enough to turn them away. Lately, however, their newest residents were not vulnerable or needy, but dangerous and suspicious. Besides the American soldiers who had appeared via a gate, there was now a group of American coast guards in camp. Add to that the demon, Sorrow, and various other shady characters that Ted suspected had survived the apocalypse through less than savoury means, and things no longer felt quite so safe at Kielder. It was important not to lose sight of mankind’s capacity for evil. Sometimes it exceeded that of the demons.
Then there was the ex-vicar, Angela. What was her deal?
Ted was on his way to meet with some of the newcomers now. He had met with the American coast guards briefly last night, but it had grown late and the excitement of camp had made things chaotic. In the calm of a new day, and after a night’s rest to consider things, Ted could now question the strangers properly.
As was the case with all visitors, the newcomers had been allocated the guest cabin built at the rear of the castle’s courtyard. Ted had built the place himself with a small team. It was right in the crossfire of several archers standing on the various wooden platforms. It gave visitors the illusion of freedom while retaining the option to fill them full of arrows. It wasn’t fun being suspicious, but there was no other way. In the last few months, Ted had started to see the grey areas of leadership. It was impossible to think of himself as good or bad any more. Being good didn’t always keep people alive and being bad sometimes saved lives.
Dr Kamiyo had left his post at the activity centre and was waiting by the guest cabin. He had his hands on his hips and was staring up at the early morning sky. When he sensed Ted, he lowered his gaze and smiled. “Morning! Looks like we might get rain. Winter’s on the way.”
“We’re ready for it. Long as nobody does anything stupid.”
Kamiyo chuckled. “That might be a problem, because people can’t always help themselves when it comes to being stupid.”
Ted patted
his friend on the back. Along with Frank, Dr Kamiyo was one of the few people he fully trusted. They were each committed to the survival of the camp at whatever cost. “Good thing we have you to patch up all the idiots, Doc. Are our guests inside?”
Kamiyo nodded.
The guest cabin was a rickety structure covered in tarps. The nearby supermarket had sold flatpack sheds, which had come in useful. The only problem was their small size. Ted had needed to fashion half a dozen of them together to make the guest cabin. It had a felt roof and raised floor, which counted as luxury these days.
“They’re still inside,” said Kamiyo. “Far as I know, they slept all night through, but Nancy woke them at sunrise.”
Ted shook his head and pinched the bridge of his nose. “I heard something about her daughter being alive. Is that true?”
“From what I’ve been told, the girl’s aboard a ship parked on the coast near Newcastle. It would be really something, huh? Nancy came all the way from Idaho to get here and her daughter just turns up.”
“Indiana,” said Ted, suddenly a little grumpy. While it was truly a blessing if Nancy’s child was alive, it filled him with jealousy. His own daughter, Chloe, hadn’t made it, even with him there to protect her. How could a mother still have a daughter after a year of absence? It wasn’t fair. “If Nancy’s daughter is alive, we’ll do everything we can to reunite them. We can always use more children.”
Kamiyo smiled. “Couldn’t agree more. Hey, you know Tammy’s pregnant, right? Can you believe we’ve come that far?”
“People feel safe. The irony is that it puts them in more danger. They need to know that they’re still only a split second away from jeopardy. You and I both saw what came out of the lake.”
Kamiyo flinched and looked away. The mere memory of the giant creature emerging from the lake was terrifying, and they rarely spoke of it. “Have we had any sightings? Any at all?”
“Not one. The few scouts that know about it have been searching everywhere, but it’s like the thing vanished.”
“Let’s hope it did. That’s what happened to the demons near the lake.”
Ted blew air out of his nose and headed for the guest cabin. “Come on, I want to know what these newcomers are all about. Hey, have you found out anything about our other guest?”
“Angela? Not a lot. She says she’s here to help us fight, but she hasn’t said a lot else. She keeps asking for a drink.”
Ted frowned. “So give her one.”
“No, I mean she keeps asking for a proper drink. Whiskey. She got quite arsey about it actually.”
“I’ll talk to her later. One thing at a time.”
Despite being the unofficial leader of the camp, Ted’s manners forbade him from entering the cabin unannounced, so he knocked. It was Nancy who appeared to bid him inside. White as a sheet, she had a desperate look in her eyes. Ted hadn’t known the woman long enough to trust her, but there was no doubting a mother’s misery.
“Nancy, any news about your daughter?”
“Alice, and yes! She’s safe. I can hardly believe it. If only I could get to her.”
Ted tried not to think about his Chloe. “Amazing.”
One of the Americans spoke up at the back of the cabin. “If you can spare a vehicle, and some people who know the safest way back to the coast, we can get Alice here today.”
“First things first,” said Ted. “Who are you people?”
The man gave a casual salute. “Captain Tosco. I served on The Hatchet with Nancy’s ex-husband. He died handing the demons a great defeat in one of your cities to the south. Portsmouth.”
Ted nodded. “There’s a settlement there?”
“Thirty thousand strong.”
The figure seemed impossible. The number of survivors at Kielder was a feat of pure human determination, but thirty thousand was miraculous.
“The problem is,” said an attractive brunette in her thirties, “that the whole place is under the control of a power-mad old man. It puts us all in danger.”
Captain Tosco nodded. “Maddy’s right. General Thomas might not be a threat to you yet, but if he ever deals with the demon problem, there’ll be no stopping him from taking control of the entire country.”
Ted thought for a moment and ended up shrugging. “If some general wants to wipe out the demons and bring back some authority, I can’t see it being anything but an improvement. We’re hanging on by a thread here, and every battle might be our last. I really don’t care who’s in charge so long as the people here live. You’ve had a wasted journey if you’re hoping to stir up some kind of opposition.”
Tosco raised his palms. “We’re not here to incite anything, but we do request asylum.”
Ted huffed. “Asylum?”
“Yes, we request to stay here at Kielder under your protection. We’ll work hard and help you face whatever threats may come.”
Over by the door, Dr Kamiyo cleared his throat. “By the sound of things, the biggest threat to Kielder would be letting you people stay.”
“I agree,” said Ted, nodding to his friend. “This General Thomas wants you all dead, I presume?”
The woman, Maddy, glared at Ted, which was a little brazen considering her position. “The bastard planned on killing me in my sleep before I had a chance to tell people how he murdered Portsmouth’s true leader. Captain Tosco gave up everything to help me escape. We came here because we hoped you were decent people.”
“We are,” said Nancy, “and you’re welcome here.”
Ted raised a hand. “Hold your horses. I don’t think you’re in any position to be making promises, Nancy. You only just got here yourself.”
Nancy rolled her eyes at him. “You might think yourself the mayor around these parts, but this place belongs to everyone. Every man, woman, and child at Kielder has fought to stay alive and build this place. Nobody has a right to rule them. I came here with Damien to help protect Kielder from monsters and men.”
Ted was flabbergasted, and he let it show on his face. “Is that some kind of threat? I knew you and your misfits couldn’t be trusted.”
“Let’s calm down,” said Kamiyo. “Maddy, you’re right, we are good people. That’s why Ted has to be extra careful to keep everyone safe. You’re welcome here, of course, but your problems are not more important than Kielder’s survival. I think it’s safe to say that we can’t make you any promises if this General Thomas makes trouble. As for you, Nancy. You might think Kielder belongs to everybody, but no one has done more for this place than Ted has. Show some respect.”
Nancy averted her eyes and turned away. Dr Kamiyo was a mild-mannered young man, which was what made his judgement so damning.
Maddy moved in front of Ted and put her hands together, almost like she was pleading. “I promise we didn’t come here to cause you people any trouble. We just want to be safe.”
“We’re decent people, too,” said Tosco, “and so are the people of Portsmouth. We only left because General Thomas gave us no choice.”
Ted sighed. As much as he didn’t like it, he’d already made up his mind to let these people stay. “You’ll need to do your fair share of the work around here… do you hear me? Any nonsense and you’re gone.”
Tosco nodded respectfully. “You have our gratitude more than you know. With that decided, we have another pressing issue to discuss.”
Ted nodded. “Nancy’s daughter?”
“I need to go get her,” said Nancy, almost hopping on the spot. “I want to leave right now.”
There was no stopping a desperate mother, and Ted didn’t care to try. “You can take a vehicle and get going right away. I assume you’ll take your own people with you as protection? I’m sorry to hear you lost some of them on the road yesterday.”
There were tears in Nancy’s eyes, and she was a bundle of emotions. “They were good men, but they died well. I’ll return here as soon as I can to help keep this place safe, but I can’t bear the thought of Alice being so close. I have to bri
ng her here.”
Ted smiled. “I look forward to meeting her.”
Nancy beamed, then quickly exited. Kamiyo left, too, citing several patients in the infirmary that he needed to check on. That left Ted alone in the presence of strangers. “So, you all came here by boat? How many men do you still have on board?”
“Not enough to threaten you,” said Captain Tosco, “if that’s what you’re asking. The Hatchet is fully armed but low on fuel. We took all we could from Portsmouth, but it might be the last we ever get. It’ll stay where it is for now, and with your permission, I’ll rotate teams back and forth between here and there. I’ll keep a skeleton crew on board to man the guns. They might come in handy should we ever need them.”
Ted raised an eyebrow. “Your guns can reach here?”
“No doubt. We outfitted our boat with several long-range mortars, but the aim won’t be precise enough to avoid casualties. If we find any demons in the surrounding areas, however…”
“You’re right, that might be useful. You’ll have to tell me more about it later. For now, make yourselves at home. Rest, if you want, or make yourself useful with one of the work crews. They’re easy enough to spot.”
“I’ll be heading back with Nancy,” said Tosco. “I’ll leave my team here though, if that’s okay? They deserve a rest.”
Ted nodded and exited the tent. Having a bunch of armed sailors, along with whatever ship was berthed nearby, might end up being a well-needed advantage, but he couldn’t help worry about the ire of whoever this General Thomas was. He had images in his mind of rolling tanks and whizzing helicopters storming Kielder Forest. How much of what Captain Tosco and Maddy had said was true? All of it? None of it?
I suppose we’ll find out.
Right now, he needed to go see an ex-priest about some whiskey.
“I come bearing gifts,” said Ted as he entered the last bedroom on the activity centre’s upper floor. When the woman saw the whiskey bottle she lifted herself up in bed until she was sitting upright. She licked her lips and said, “Bless you, sir. Miracles still exist. What do I have to do?”
Hell On Earth Box Set | Books 1-6 Page 150
