Only the Few

by L. N. Denison

  The pair was now close enough for Hyde to tap Marcus on the shoulder.

  “Can we stop for a short break? The kids need food, and Jas needs to rest.” Despite the sternness of her tone, Marcus seemed unimpressed. She pressed her point. “It’s not an easy task hauling my arse everywhere, because I’m too weak to do it myself.”

  Marcus took a thoughtful stance. “You have a valid point. I’ll let our escorts know. We can stop for an hour or so a bit further up, if they allow it.”

  She nodded and whispered to Jas to hang back, giving Marcus the lead again.

  ~

  Hyde and Jas sat on a wall once they had reached their resting point. The smell of dampness rose in the air, closely followed by a few drops of rain. Shelter was at least five miles away, so there was no escaping the elements. The light shower gained in intensity as the clouds grew darker, eventually becoming a downpour. Hyde closed her eyes and tilted her face up, living in the moment.

  Her fellow travellers seemed relaxed but tired, especially the children. Their sad expressions weighed heavily on her mind. But being children, nobody listened to them when they needed an ear. They were shrugged off and treated as non-essential.

  She watched as some of the children tried to get their parents’ attention, and wonder why they were being ignored.

  All Hyde could think as the adults disregarded them was that they were people too. It shouldn’t matter how old they were. They should still have their opinion heard, so long as it wasn’t just snivelling gibberish.

  Hyde’s moment of reflection was interrupted by a crash of thunder, followed by children’s frightened screams. She shook her head, as if the act would expel her contemplations of a life she would never again have. In that moment, the only thing that mattered was getting her head straight for the rest of the journey. They had fifteen minutes to finish eating, and Marcus made it clear that even this amount of time was a luxury as he repeated over and over that they need to get out of the open.

  Hyde glanced up at the sky, shielding her head with her arms as rain turned to hail. The children cried, but there was nowhere to hide from the stinging cascade of ice.

  Marcus jogged over to their military escort. “We need to find shelter, and quick. Any ideas?”

  Sergeant Jackson rose, along with his subordinates and pulled a small map from the inside of his uniform jacket. Hunching over, he used his body to shield the paper as he unfolded it. “There’s a village a little farther down this road.” He indicated a small area just outside Chesterfield.

  “Gather up, we’re leaving,” Marcus shouted.

  ~

  The building they had taken shelter in was only just habitable; half the roof had subsided and two of the walls had been knocked in. The only things holding it up were four main support pillars, which didn’t fill Hyde with much confidence. But it would make do as a shelter from the bitter storm that raged outside.

  She called out to Marcus as he made his rounds. “Hey, I don’t know about this place. It seems more dangerous than braving the storm if you ask me.”

  Marcus made up the ground between them before he replied. “You have nothing to worry about. We’ll be safe. I promise you—it is sound.”

  Hyde smiled uneasily. She appreciated his attempt at reassurance but didn’t believe a word of it.

  The sergeant and his soldiers rallied everybody together in the most secure part of the building, then distributed the leftover meat. It was still edible, but only just. Even with the lively atmosphere a much-needed meal created around her, Hyde’s mind turned to the past, and the people she’d lost. The death and violence she’d witnessed over the past few weeks. She knew she needed to stop dwelling on the past, but that was easier said than done. After all, she had nobody left, apart from the encampment survivors and her fellow soldiers. London would be a completely different situation again, she had no idea how things would turn out. Marcus and Jas were family, Aggie and John and the others had known each other for a long time. The encampment survivors were the same. She was just a short-term acquaintance. As far as she was concerned, none of them really had any proper reason to care about her once the conflict had ended.

  She shook her head, trying to expel the darkness manifesting in her mind. If she didn’t, it would end up consuming her. She needed to start thinking positively again. Her hands formed fists, and her brows knitted. She was alive for a reason. She needed to embrace that fact. As long as she was alive, she could still make a difference in this desolate world. The thought of her father, and how proud he would’ve been to see her still fighting, hit her like a wave. A tear pushed to the surface. Thoughts of her father smiling upon her with pride always served to brighten her mood.

  Her mind clearer, she tucked into her food and thought about new beginnings.

  ~

  A strong wind blew in from the north, testing the structure of the ramshackle shelter and making everyone who wasn’t sleeping feel uneasy. Hyde had no intention of sleeping in these conditions. She looked across at Marcus, who was keeping watch over Judd, immersed in thought. A powerful gust of wind pushed past the old barn. It creaked in distress, and Hyde’s focus shifted from Marcus to the barn’s rafters.

  She got to her feet and went to wake the private who had been designated to take over guard duty. She then went to join Marcus in his vigil. He seemed transfixed, deep in thought, his vision set on Jas as she slept.

  “She looks so—” he paused, trying to find the word to describe his daughter’s appearance.

  “Peaceful?”

  “Yes, peaceful.” He turned to Hyde with a smile, placing his arm around her shoulders and drawing her close into his side. It was the first time in days that she’d felt safe. She sunk her head into his chest and let out a deep sigh. Marcus shifted slightly, kissed the top of her head and squeezed her tighter. “Everything will work out just fine, you’ll see.”

  Marcus quickly released her from his reassuring hold and stood to leave. Hyde watched as he walked out of sight, her eyes growing heavy as tiredness hit her without warning.

  ~

  Someone was pushing on her shoulder, calling her name. Hyde opened her eyes to find Jas staring down at her.

  “What? What is it?” she asked, wiping away the sleep.

  “We’re moving out. Come on, sleepy head, let’s get you up.” Jas took her arms and pulled her up. She winced, but only a little as Jas supported her as best as she could.

  “You don’t have to do this anymore. I can walk on my own.”

  Jas tightened her grip, as if to say, ‘I am helping you whether you like it or not’.

  The two women made their way toward Marcus, pushing past the straggling line of others who had taken to stepping around the partially flooded road’s deepest puddles. They soon found that it would be difficult to catch up with him, as he wanted to keep pace with the soldiers leading the way.

  “It would make things so much easier if you’d let me walk on my own,” Hyde grumbled. “We could double our speed if you let me loose.” Despite Jas’ clear determination to do what she thought was best for Hyde, she gave her a solitary nod and let go of her arm.

  CHAPTER 27

  The place Sergeant Jackson led them to was vast. It had everything you could ever need to survive an apocalypse: clothing, food, and enough water to last years. The only thing it didn’t have, which ironically happened to be the one thing Jackson had counted on being there, were medical supplies. The food was packaged army rations. It would taste like cardboard at best, but food was food. It would keep them alive, and that was all that mattered to Hyde.

  The Sergeant and his subordinates took point as they moved farther into the building. Hyde followed close behind, wanting to see what the place had to offer. And besides that, she was still a soldier and wished to behave as such. There was a dorm near the back with a shower block, making the place a real home away from home. It had every amenity anyone could ever hope for, although basic. Hyde didn’t care about what it looked
like. The thought of a warm shower was plenty to get her excited.

  “Ladies and gentlemen, the showers and beds are this way,” Sergeant Jackson said, pointing in the direction from which he’d just come.

  Marcus brushed past Hyde, squeezing her shoulder.

  Deep satisfaction melted her heart and she was sure her eyes gave away her feelings. Hanging her head, she thought of the many times he had been there to support her. She watched as he and the others headed toward the shower area.

  While the group had their solar-powered hot showers, the soldiers arranged clothing for them. They separated out trousers and shirts for the men and leggings and t-shirts for the women. The kids had tracksuit bottoms and thin jumpers. Hyde found herself some comfortable fatigues. There was nothing quite like a pair of cargo pants and an under-armour shirt to make a soldier feel comfortable. Next on the agenda was to find a new pair of jackboots and thick socks to prevent rubbing. Her old pair of boots had been through a lot and were falling apart.

  Everybody else had showered and changed, leaving Hyde to take her overdue shower. In her opinion, it couldn’t come quick enough. She stank worse than a wet dog. Grabbing a new bar of soap along with a clean towel from the cupboard outside the shower block, she entered the small bathing space, locked the door after checking that she was the only one left in the shower room, and stripped.

  She stepped into the shower and turned it on full blast. A powerful jet of hot water hit her body, which brought back memories of the water cannon torture that Judd had subjected her to, and forced her to take a step back, shuddering at the thought. She was almost too frightened to step back under the cascading water. But she quickly suppressed the fear that the vision brought and stepped into the flow of water.

  She closed her eyes and let the soothing liquid envelop her, taking in every drop as it rolled over her breasts and sent her into a deep state of bliss, taking her away from her nightmares. It had been a long time since she’d felt so good and she didn’t want the sensation to end.

  Her tranquillity was soon interrupted by a knock on the door.

  “Are you okay in there?”

  She sighed. Although she appreciated Marcus’s concern, she just wanted to be left alone a little while longer.

  “Hyde, answer me.” He sounded worried now.

  “I’m fine. I’m just getting out now, give me a few minutes and I’ll join you.”

  “Hurry up, won’t you? You’ve been in there for nearly an hour.”

  She turned the water off and stepped out into a cold, unforgiving atmosphere. Her skin erupted with goose bumps as she rubbed her bruised body in an attempt to warm it. For the second time in several days, she stared at her naked body. Cuts and bruises covered her once smooth skin. Her hands slipped down her body, fingers probing each of her wounds gently as she remembered how she’d received each one. The bruises around her ribs and chest from the water cannon were vivid. The cuts that covered the rest of her body were deep, particularly on her wrists. Would Marcus ever find me attractive if he saw the real me?

  Shaking herself from her trance, she moved away from the mirror’s destructive influence. She grabbed the pile of fresh clothes from the side and put them on. Then, smoothing herself down, she looked in the mirror again and smiled to herself. That’s more like it!

  Hyde exited the shower room and headed for the common area to find that Major Clarke and Sergeant Brookes had arrived with the rest of Marcus’s group. She beamed at all the familiar faces: John, Aggie, the kids and their parents. After what she knew they’d been through, it was a relief to see them all safe.

  CHAPTER 28

  The major and his subordinates spent most of the next morning gathering up everything needed to keep the group going on the journey toward London.

  Several bergen’s filled with supplies had been stacked against the wall, ready for the off as people waited for the order to move out. Everyone other than Marcus and Jas appeared to be present.

  Hyde wasn’t sure where to start searching for them. She looked in all directions with urgency, halting as she turned into a hallway. Jas was standing with her hands pressed to her mouth in the doorway of a storage room. The closer Hyde approached, the more alarmed she became. Jas’s face was red. Her hands were shaky, and a waterfall of tears streamed down her cheeks.

  What the hell is going on? Hyde picked up her pace. Clutching his mutilated arm, Marcus was lying on the floor in a self-protective position with his knees tucked to his chest. Face contorted in agony, his skin pale and covered with beads of sweat. This strong man, who hadn’t lost control even once on her watch, looked helpless, no stronger than a new-born kitten. I can’t lose him, not now.

  “Someone find the doctor!” Hyde shouted, her voice cracking with emotion, before she knelt behind Marcus.

  Placing his head in her lap, Hyde quickly pulled the belt from her trousers and scrambled to tie off the wound temporarily. She tried to make him as comfortable as possible as they waited for the doctor who wasn’t coming quick enough. Jas stood rooted to the spot, looking down on Hyde and her father, her eyes brimming with tears.

  “Go and find the doctor, Jas! Hurry!” Hyde knew she sounded frantic. She knew panicking wouldn’t help, but she couldn’t seem to stay in control of her emotions. Jas stared at her, wide-eyed for a few more seconds then took off running back toward the main area.

  Hyde looked at Marcus’s pale face and combed his hair with her fingers, trying so hard to suppress her tears. Marcus looked up at her, his face full of fear, his breathing becoming more and more erratic.

  “Help me. Please,” he said, his voice weak, almost desperate.

  Hyde bent her head down and kissed the older man’s forehead. “Jas has gone to find the doctor,” she said. “She should be back soon, just stay awake, do you hear me?”

  ~

  Jas and the doctor ran into view after a minute, much to Hyde’s relief. Jas bent over, placing her hand on her knees, struggling to regain her composure.

  “See, here comes the doctor now,” Hyde said. “Hold on.”

  The doctor practically dove toward Marcus, taking hold of the mangled arm that presented itself in front of him. He lifted the arm to his nose, turning his head sharply away no sooner than he did. “Jesus Christ on a stick, why did nobody tell me his wound had become so bad? I can’t check on him twenty-four-seven. Wet gangrene has set in. The arm can’t be saved but we might, and I mean might, be able to save the rest of him.”

  “There were no visible signs that anything was wrong and the idiot didn’t say anything,” Hyde ground out through clenched teeth. “So how on earth could we tell you if we didn’t know ourselves? Marcus is very good at hiding things.” She waved her hand angrily towards Marcus’s arm for emphasis.

  Placing a hand on the corporal’s shoulder, the doctor replied, “That’s the trouble with wet gangrene, it just creeps up and hits you, without you realising. You weren’t to know how ill he was becoming. If we act now, we might be able to stop it from spreading any further. But I must warn you, without proper equipment his chances aren’t good.”

  “His chances if we wait till London?” Hyde asked.

  “Non-existent.”

  The doctor looked around, then called out to a couple of privates who stood idle at the end of the corridor. “You two, get over here.”

  The two soldiers ran over to the doctor and waited for orders.

  “Carry the patient to the kitchen and place him on a bench. Make sure you secure him tightly by his upper chest and legs, and secure his head. I don’t want him moving while I’m operating. Tie a tourniquet just above the right elbow, while I gather some towels.” He turned to Hyde and Jas. “You two stay here. This isn’t something you need to witness. If you’ve got anything to say, say it now, but say it quick.”

  Both women crouched over Marcus, but it was Hyde that made the first move, kissing the top of Marcus’ head. Jas stared as Hyde got up and took a step back to give her some space. Her head was
down, hiding the fact that she was crying. She turned to her father, took hold of his hand and whispered in his ear: “You’ll be fine, dad. I’ll see you soon.”

  Marcus squeezed her hand, watching an escaped tear roll down her cheek. “You can count on it, kid. Stick with Hyde. You two need to look after each other.”

  Jas backed away and joined Hyde to watch as the two men picked Marcus up and carried him toward the kitchen with the doctor following close behind them.

  ~

  With a furrowed brow, the doctor pondered what instruments to use to carry out the deadly operation.

  “I need a saw, or something sharp enough to cut through bone. I also need something metal to heat up to cauterize the wound. Time is of the essence once I remove the limb. It needs to be sealed to avoid too much blood loss, but the tourniquet will help some.” The doctor thought as he tried to calm himself down.

  Marcus struggled in the tight restraints. This was the moment he feared ever since he’d lost feeling in his hand.

  “Keep him still,” the doctor ordered as he rummaged through the kitchen equipment for anything he could use to perform a field amputation without anaesthetic.

  “There’s a small shed out back ... got all kinds of useful shit in it. I’ll go and have a look see. Saw, wasn’t it?” one of the privates said over his shoulder as he jogged away.

  Marcus’s eyes widened in terror, and his heart rate elevated, as the remaining soldier held his shoulders down. Sweat ran down the side of his head as he made every effort to struggle free.

  “Please, let me go,” Marcus begged.

  “Doc says this is the only way, mate. Sorry.”

  It didn’t take long for the private to return to the kitchen. He held up a hacksaw.

  “That will do nicely, private. Thank you.” The doctor took the saw from the young man and detached the blade. He walked over to the stove and turned it on full blast, then reached up for an overhanging pan. “Keep an eye on the patient while I disinfect everything.” The private joined his colleague, ready to hold him down.