by Leo Nix
Glenda limped to the top of the stairs and called softly down to him. “Nulla, come on up here and say `hello'. Don't force me to go down there, don't make me stop the car.”
His skin tingled at the sound of her voice. He felt more alive than he remembered in his whole life. “I'll be up there in a minute Glenda, once I've made some breakfast and set security. Go back to bed and be a good patient.” He tried to be gruff but to his own ears his voice sounded like a love-struck teenager.
With the breakfast fry'up finally done he turned off the camp-cooker just as it began to rain. The clouds had built up through the night and the storm broke soon after sunrise. He wiped the splatter of oil from Glenda's plate of powdered eggs and mashed potato fritters. Then he poured UHT milk, which he'd found at the very back of the cupboard, into Glenda's cup of tea. His feet tried to run the other way and he nearly tripped as he walked up the stairs as he carried the tray of food.
“Glenda?” he whispered her name softly.
She was wide awake and rubbing her eyes as she sat up waiting for her handsome rescuer. With a squeal of delight she saw her cup of milk tea. “Milk, real milk!”
Setting the tray down on her lap he watched her eat. “You must be starved,” he said watching her shovel the food into her mouth with her fork.
“Wouldn't you be if you hadn't eaten real food in nearly three days? Those fruit bars aren't a meal by any stretch of the imagination,” Glenda said through a mouthful of food. She slowed a little and with a twinkle in her eye said, “Come on, big boy, you eat too. You can't just sit and watch me eat, that's cruel. You must be just as starved as I am.”
He picked up his spoon self-consciously and did as he was told.
After breakfast Nulla set about removing her old bandage and checked the wound. The castor oil seemed to have done its job. There was no inflammation or infection and the deep cut was beginning to heal nicely.
“Looks like mum's remedies really work,” he mused. Gently he rubbed more oil around the wound, careful to avoid rubbing too vigorously, then he put a clean bandage on. It was a nasty injury and Nulla told her that they wouldn't know if the glass had missed vital tendons and ligaments until she could put some weight on it. He explained that he had no idea how long it would take before she was ready to make the trip back to their safe-house.
If it wasn't for the pain of her wound and the pressure bandage Glenda would be having the time of her life. Here she lay with a handsome hero of a man, sitting beside her, waiting on her like a devoted puppy. She'd only been with a few men in her life and they had been wealthy, intellectual types. A real he-man was something she never thought she would relish as she did right now.
Two long and lonely nights was enough for Glenda to think seriously about her life: where she had been and where she was heading. She didn't know if she would still be alive this time next year. Even though everyone considered her an independent type, she knew it was just a cover, she was all mush inside. Glenda desperately wanted someone to hold and protect her.
Those first few days were a horror, watching her boyfriend dying in agony sent her into a panic. Then an incredibly handsome man arrived and gave her a reason to live. Over the weeks together she realised he gave her hope, not just of survival, but hope of love. It was very obvious to her that Nulla was different. He never said a bad word to anyone, and was always bright and cheery. Nulla behaved like a gentleman, intelligent and considerate of her and those pesky teenagers. The way he carried her and tended her wound did it for her. An urgent desire for love entered her heart the night he had to leave and it now struck like Eros' arrow. She didn't want it to fall out, ever. She now realised that Nulla meant everything to her.
When Glenda finally acknowledged what she really felt inside, she began to worry. All the time he was gone, ridiculous thoughts raced through her mind, his body pierced by bullets or strung up on a rope. She saw him poisoned and shot and… it made those waiting hours a misery. But when she heard his whistle, everything felt right again.
After breakfast Nulla slept the morning away, she could now hear him moving downstairs. Glenda decided it time they talked. She was becoming agitated and needed to know if he wanted her as much as she wanted him.
“Nulla?” she called in a soft voice. “Nulla?” she repeated a few seconds later.
“Yes?” he replied, she could hear his footsteps running on the stairs. “Is everything OK? Do you need something?”
The rain began to fall heavily on the shed roof outside the window, the noise as soothing as a tropical waterfall. A clash of thunder followed and Glenda shivered. “Sit here, next to me, hold me, please.” She stared up into his eyes and with the next thunderclap she reached out to him. Nulla bent down, gently easing himself beside her, unsure.
Glenda held him close pulling him down so that he leaned over her. They held each other as the storm grew wilder, then their lips met. She moaned softly and her fingers reached upwards to stroke his face. Her sensual fingers grasped the back of his head pulling him to her each time he went to move away.
The hardened warrior managed to free himself for a moment and asked, “Are you sure about this Glenda? I've fallen so hard for you and I don't want to ruin this.” She just reached up and pulled him back down. Another thunderclap and the rain smashed furiously on the tin roof in a roaring torrent of sound.
“Just be quiet and make love to me you fool,” she groaned into his ear.
They made love all afternoon while the storm raged outside. To Glenda it felt like a dream. The rain, the thunder and the love making all blended into one. There remained just one problem, her leg. It got in the way of everything. Every time she moved, her leg moved, and she would moan from the pain. Nulla, never quite sure if it was pleasure or pain, would stop and wait for her.
Their love-making stopped at almost every moan. Glenda would have to sit up and rearrange the position of her leg again and again. It was perhaps the longest lovemaking session since Adam discovered the pleasures of Eve.
“Love, it's getting late. I'm going to run a patrol around the house. You stay here and I'll whistle as usual. Keep your rifle beside you.” Nulla got up and propped the pillows under Glenda's head so that she could hold her assault rifle easily. He leaned forward and kissed her, a long slow kiss. She pulled at him but he resisted. “Not now my love, I have soldiering to do. I'll be back in an hour.”
It rained all day and well into the night. Nulla waited for full dark before pulling on his night vision goggles and camouflaged poncho. He didn't mind the rain, where he came from rain was a novelty and he never got bored with it. When his mates saw him watching the rain they would jibe him for being a desert bunny. But he loved being different, and he loved the rain.
He crept out the back door and around the side of the house. Then he made a sweep of the four houses either side and across the road. It was a good excuse to get outside and think, to get his mind back to reality and out of the dangerous fantasy of love.
His mind went to Glenda, there was no way he would let her out on another patrol now. Her leg wound would probably put her out of action for months anyway. If she were ever in peril he wouldn't be able to make rational decisions, and that could get them all killed.
It was a hard decision to make but once he made it, he felt better. He climbed into the house opposite and rolled a cigarette. Listening to the rain fall outside he entered his mind palace and let his mind dwell on the situation by itself.
`No more patrols for Glenda then, but what will she want to do?' he pondered. `She could do the cooking and prepare each patrol's equipment and routes perhaps. Hmm, maybe she'd like to learn Morse code and manage the CB listening post?'
He wasn't all that convinced though and kept mulling over what he would say to her. `She won't be happy, but she's now a liability and I wouldn't be able to live if something happened to her.' Stubbing out his cigarette under the lounge chair, he considered Glenda's safety. `I have no choice and neither does she, I need to take
her off the front line.'
Nulla, satisfied with his decision, stood up - just as a four-wheel drive rolled past the window.
`Damn! Terrorists!' he said to himself. He ran out of the front door and closed it behind him. He watched as the vehicle continued down the street. It stopped only a half dozen houses past where they were holed up. A small group of men and women climbed out. They walked through the front gate and into the house. A gust of wind carried their voices and he thought he recognised one of them.
Looking through his night vision scope he zoomed in and saw that they were dressed in the usual terrorist uniform of black shirt, but some now wore a black bandanna with the same white writing. It seemed to be a thing that had taken off with them recently. He kept watch. When he saw they might be staying inside the house he raced back to their safe-house and in through the back door.
He gave the code of warning and called out, “Glenda, it's Nulla, I'm coming up, don't shoot me.” He leaped the stairs two at a time.
Glenda was sitting up in bed but this time she held the AK47 in her lap. “What's up big boy, baddies?”
“Yes, a few houses down the street, same side as us. We might be in for some visitors. I think one of them is that same psycho captain I saw earlier. My guess is they're up to no good. This guy is a sadist, he likes to dish out pain. I don't think they're doing a house to house search though, not in this rain. It's probably more like a party or something.” Nulla spoke fast, his breathing deep and his voice was tense.
Glenda noticed the raindrops on his face and put her hand out to touch them. He looked at her and a smile formed on his lips. “Haven't you had enough, madam? Goodness, our lives are on the line and all you can think of is lovemaking.” In reply she chuckled deep in her throat. Nulla felt strangely aroused. “I'd better go outside and check on them, they won't be expecting any visitors in this rain.”
“Nulla, are you sure that's safe? Shouldn't we just sit tight and wait it out?” Concern showed in her voice and he looked at her and smiled again.
He cupped her face in his dark hand. In the dim light it contrasted nicely he thought. “It's all right, I have a license to do this remember? My tribe bred fierce warriors for thousands of years. We feasted on terrorists before your people crawled out of their caves. I know what I'm doing, I graduated basic training too you know.” He laughed lightly, he was enjoying himself again. “Glenda, my love, I'll be careful. If they see me I'll just kill them all and hide the evidence - gangster style.”
The rain didn't let up so Nulla picked his time, in the middle of a heavy downpour, to slide like a shadow up to the side of the house. He didn't expect to meet any of them outside, but just in case, he held his knife at the ready.
Creeping along the side of the house, he saw light coming from one of the windows. Peering inside he saw them all stripped naked in front of a roaring fire. Two were engaged in sex while the others were drinking and smoking, relaxing on the lounge. Nulla couldn't tell which one was the psycho captain. He stayed there watching to make sure they were just doing the orgy thing.
Just as he decided to creep back to the safe house he noticed one of them stand up to grab a burning stick from the fire. The big man ordered the two seated on the lounge to grab the couple making love on the floor. Laughing he jabbed the one on top with the burning brand. The young man cried out in alarm then tried to stand up.
`That must be the captain, it sounds like him,' Nulla thought.
The captain kicked the young man in the side and jabbed him again. Nulla saw smoke rise from the man's flesh. The young man screamed and received another kick from the captain. He doubled over but the two holding him dragged him back to splay him immobile on the floor. The captain picked up another red hot stick and began to burn patterns in the man's back, smiling delightedly at the young man's screams and sobs.
Losing interest in making patterns the psychopath captain held the burning end near the man's rectum. The screams renewed afresh and Nulla decided that he'd seen enough and withdrew.
`Strewth, that bloke's a fucking maniac. I need to get Glenda back to the safe house, this location is now compromised. They could just as easily have chosen Glenda's safe house,' Nulla mused to himself as he worked his way quietly back to Glenda.
He decided to tell her everything at once, about his love and his concerns for her. Nulla told her he didn't want her exposed to lunatics like the captain and he wouldn't let her go on patrol any more.
“I can't think straight knowing you might be in danger, Glenda.” He finished by telling her of what he'd just witnessed.
“We sure picked a bad place to have our honeymoon.” she giggled. “I can't walk so we'll need transport of some sort. What about a bike or a wheel barrow. Lordy, a wheelbarrow, what am I thinking?” Glenda frowned and the lines on her forehead stood out. “Love, I don't care much for patrolling anyway. I only wanted to come along to be near you, silly.” She looked up at him and smiled, her face lit up and Nulla thought of how lucky he was.
“I'm just as happy cooking as listening to the CB as doing anything else. If I can't walk on patrol then so be it, at least I'm better off than that poor terrorist just up the street. Give me a job, but first, get me out of here.”
The rain stopped early the next morning and they made plans in between their lovemaking. Nulla visited the party house, the vehicle was gone and the house empty. He wondered what happened to the tortured terrorist. He didn't like the terrorists, they were the enemy, but he didn't like torture either. If he had been on patrol with the boys they would have stepped in and exterminated them all and hidden the vehicle. The current risk to his lover was far too great to have even considered doing that.
Over lunch they discussed how to get her back to the safe house with Luke and Simon's help. “Why don't you go and bring the boys back here. The next night we can head back on bikes or something. What do you think?”
“Night travel has been safe so far.” Nulla put his hand to his face and rubbed at his eyes, the thought of another trip to the safe house and back again wasn't a pleasant one. “Righto, I'll get the boys to create two safe houses on two different routes, that way if we get pushed across by patrols we have a good chance of hiding in one of them.” It hadn't rained all day and the sun shone bright and hot. The bright rays of sunshine brought hope of a better future. “I'll leave this evening, I don't like to do it, I really don't want to leave you again. I'm going to miss you, you know.”
He left that night and surprised the boys when he arrived just before dawn. They made him some food and a hot cup of black tea, just as he liked it. Nulla didn't feel like talking but he wanted to explain his plan, asking the boys to think about it for him. Then he crawled off to bed.
While he slept Simon suggested they put together a couple of bikes. “Luke, what sort of bike is easy for a one-legged woman?”
“Hmm, a one-legged woman you say? What about a one wheeled wheelbarrow, like a trailer? Turn it back to front and tie it with rope, that might work,” he replied.
“Yeah, it might, good idea Doctor Einstein.” Simon started to draw on the note pad while Luke looked over his shoulder.
“Yes, that's it, I think we could manage it. But we better set up those two safe houses first and while we're at it we look for bikes, pumps, tools and wheelbarrows. It'll need to be light-weight though, a plastic one, not one of those heavy concrete wheelbarrows.”
“What if a patrol comes around the corner while we're pulling Glenda in the wheelbarrow? We'll get caught like we're taking a dump in the middle of the road,” said Simon.
“We just have to take that chance. Besides, isn't that our job, close quarter combat, to protect civilians?” replied Luke soberly.
They worked out the safest routes and suitable safe houses. Next they discussed transport and they eventually agreed on using Simon's drawing as the model. Nulla said he needed to get back to Glenda that night and they would be responsible for all the preparations and to make the trailer.
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br /> “No worries, boss,” said Simon, “my dad was a welder and we made billy carts and all sorts of weird bikes, this'll be a piece of cake.”
Looking at Simon in surprise Nulla thought, `This fellow has the confidence of Gandhi and he might even pull it off.'
“Righto, let's get on to it. Today we plan, this evening you boys go out looking for materials. Stay away from the main road, but this hardware store here, should have wheelbarrows or trolleys of some sort. You'll probably find bikes in people's garages too. And no Hollywood stunts,” he finished with his usual admonishment.
“Boss, we know where some bikes are, this house here.” He indicated a nearby street on the map. “We've been eyeing them off for ages. Simon and I sometimes go over there and do tricks. We are teenagers you know.” Luke shrugged and gave a disarming smile.
“OK, bring them back here, you can work in our garage, and make sure you practice the wheelbarrow thing with one of you inside, to iron out any problems. It has to be perfect at fast speeds. We don't want to get caught with our pants down,” said Nulla.
“Is that like being caught doing a dump in the middle of the road?” asked Luke, turning an innocent face to Simon.
That night everyone had their jobs to do. Nulla went on his trek back to Glenda, fearful that something might have happened while he was gone. Simon and Luke brought back two BMX's and a mountain bike for Nulla. Then they planned their trip to the hardware store for the following evening. They would work at modifying the trailer during the days and then set up the two safe houses during the nights.
Nulla knew he'd given his young troops an enormous task but knew they wouldn't fail him. He trusted them implicitly now.
