Gordon Under Attack (Outback Exodus)

by Millen, Dawn

  Darkness slowly creeps over the village and as the sky turns to velvet black with a sprinkle of diamond stars I slowly walk across the cool grass and into the warmth of my home. Firelight dances across the floor and the glow of candles lights the area by the table. The smell of vegetable stew permeates the air and the sounds of the twins gurgling in their cradle drifts to the door and make home welcoming and warm.

  Gavin is standing beside the fire with a large wooden paddle in one hand and the chains from the pot over the fire caught with the poker he is holding in his other hand. He is preparing to stir the stew before it catches over the heat of the fire. There is nothing worse than burned stew smell all through the tiny cottages. He glances up as the door opens and his smile widens as he sees me framed in the doorway.

  "Hurry up and get inside girl, you’re letting the heat out and the cold in. Its cold enough out there tonight anyway."

  "I know, feels like a frost, no wind out there and the sky is as clear as a bell and the stars are out already."

  I walk across to the fire and put my arms around Gavin and snuggle in close for a hug. He places the poker and spoon on the hearth with a clatter and both arms wrap around me and pull me close to his chest. Looking up I see those blue/green eyes darken with passion and then the world is blotted out as his head descends and his lips gently graze mine. The kiss deepens, only to be abruptly broken as a loud wail sounds from the bedroom. One of the twins is unhappy with something. I reluctantly move away from Gavin and head for the bedroom and find that James is wailing away and Jacqui’s lips are starting to quiver too. I scoop them up and head back into the lounge room and settle in the old yellow arm chair beside the fire and proceed to feed them both. It is getting harder to do this now as they are almost too big for us all to fit into chair.

  "We had better eat shortly too as I have to go over to Steve’s to talk to Gary and Patsy and I don’t want to be out too late as my guard shift starts at 2 am and I would love some sleep first."

  "I’m hungry anyway sweetheart, so I will fill up these two and then we can eat, unless you’d rather go ahead and eat. I can have mine after the twins are quiet. That way you can get going and the sooner you get there the sooner you’ll get home again. With luck it won’t take too long for Gary to fill in anything that Patsy was not able to tell us."

  "I don’t expect it to take more than a couple of hours to get through everything again and to confirm any thing Steve and I are unsure of. I just hope that is all it takes. A couple of hours sleep will be very welcome. Its been a long couple of days and with prisoners to guard and organise dispersal of., none of us are getting much rest. I think I’ll eat now and get off so that I can get back sooner if you are sure you don’t mind. I’d rather eat with you, but sometimes it is just not possible."

  "Its fine with me really. I’d rather you got over there and back again as soon as possible. The quicker you get this done the more rest you’ll get. These two will be a little while yet, so you eat and I’ll grab mine later. Can you put it in a bowl and put it on the hearth for me. It will stay warm there and we can take the pot off the fire so it won’t burn. I’ll add some more to it after dinner and get it going again for tomorrow. I have some beef Mum gave me from the cattle that were killed in the raid and I’ll add some of that to it. We can have the stew for lunch and there will be steak for dinner tomorrow." I smile across at Gavin as his eyes light up at the thought of a steak dinner. Something rare in the village at the moment. With three of the beasts being killed in the raid there is enough steak to ensure that everyone gets some for a special dinner.

  "That is brilliant, I’m going to spend half of tonight with my mouth watering every time that I think about dinner tomorrow night now." Gavin’s grin gets wider as he heads for the shelves and grabs the bowls down to serve the stew.

  Gavin leaves after eating his dinner and heads out after kissing the babies goodnight, they will be asleep before he gets home, they are already dosing off in my arms as they finish their feed. I gently pull James around and prop him on my shoulder patting his back to remove the wind as his sleepy little head nods against my neck. I do the same with Jacqui and then stand with a baby in each arm and head across the room to the bedroom and place them both in the cradle beside our bed. Tucking them in I lean over to kiss them both before I head back and pick up the bowl from the hearth and a spoon from the mantle and eat my dinner.

  Scraps are placed into a bowl to go to the chickens in the morning and I then clear up the area and prepare the meat and extra vegetables. Everything is then placed in the pot with more water before hanging it back on the chains and placing it over the fire. It was not long before the smell of cooking meat drifts around the cottage and gets the dogs lifting their heads to sniff the air.

  The kitchen area is soon clean and I sit down before the fire and catch up with my diary entries before I pick up the mending pile and start to sew buttons back on shirts and repair tears in jeans. Both Gavin and I are hard on our clothes when we are out with the patrols and it is easier to repair than to get new clothing. The sheep are almost ready for their first shearing so it will soon be time to learn to spin and weave to enable us to make cloth for more clothes.

  Before long the dogs are jumping up and heading for the door, their tails are wagging and I know that a friend approaches. The door opens and in walks Gavin. Red faced from the brisk walk across the village green in the icy cold air.

  Chapter 11

  "How did it go?" I ask as he heads for the fire holding out his cold hands to the warmth of the flames.

  "There was not much more to add to what Patsy had already told us, but there was a lot of confirmation of Patsy’s story and a lot of confirmation on the tactics that we already suspected the gangs would use. I think Gary will be an asset if they want to stay. I am sure that Patsy wants to stay here as she feels safe already."

  "I had a feeling that Patsy would want to stay, she needs to feel safe too after so long with the gang and feeling so insecure, not knowing what was going to happen to her next. I do hope that Gary agrees to stay too." I smile quietly to myself, I’ve already picked up on the attraction between Steve and Patsy.

  "I am pretty sure that they will both stay. Gary is a mechanic by trade and should be able to help Raymond and the boys in the workshop. He was surprised at the effectiveness of the bows that we are making. From what he says many of the settlements are not well defended and this was the first time the gang had met with any real resistance. We really surprised them and not one of them got away either. Those who are not prisoners are among the dead." Gavin’s voice drops with sadness as he says the last words. We all hate the killing, but for Gavin it is something that really pulls at his heart. He is a gentle person and each death seems to take a toll on his mind. He fights to protect our family and our village, but really his heart is not in it .

  I stand from my chair and walk across and gently put my arms around him, then I lay my head on his chest. Snuggled up in his arms I just hold him tight knowing that he needs the comfort of my arms.

  A large sigh escapes his chest and I feel his body relaxing into mine and his arms tighten to pull me closer as he feels the warmth and comfort of my love.

  "Bed time for you honey, you have a shift in four hours and you need to get some sleep before you go out again. Which dogs are you taking out tonight?"

  "I’ll take Duke and the larger pups from Girlie’s first litter tonight. They need a run and Duke is doing such a fantastic job training them too. Rhys is going out with me tonight along with Raymond, so it will be the old crew together again."

  "Okay, I think that is a good plan. Girlie and the smaller pups can take the internal patrol of the village with Ernie and Richard. I know that Judy is going out with them tonight and Girlie responds to her better than the men." I grin knowing that without Judy there it would not be a good plan to have Girlie out with Richard and Ernie as Girlie really doesn’t like men at all. She has learned to tolerate Gavin and Steve, but s
till looks to me for leadership. "Buster and the last three pups will stay here with me and can go out and supplement the village pack if necessary."

  "Sounds like a fine plan for Judy to be out with the boys tonight. She is one of the toughest women in the village and I know that she can work well with the dogs too. She proved that when she came out with Steve and I a week ago. I’ve never seen Girlie respond to anyone else but you before, she never put a foot wrong for Judy. Gavin looks sideways at me as he says the last words.

  I open my mouth to answer, but my words stick in my throat as the alarm bell sounds from the watch tower. Gavin whirls and heads out of the door his footsteps thudding across the floor and the door slamming behind him. His short whistle for the dogs is accompanied by the scrabble of claws on the porch and then the sound of running footsteps recedes into the night.

  I head into the bedroom and place the sleeping twins in the pram and cover them with warm blankets, grab their bottles and nappies and changes of clothing and head for the underground shelter where I hand them over to Mum before heading to pick up my weapons from the armoury.

  Calling Girlie, Buster and the other pups to heel I head to the watch tower to find out what is going on. Gavin comes down and tells the section leaders gathered at the base of the tower that Ben had seen lights out on the river flats. He was not sure if they are heading this way, but there are people out there.

  Chapter 12

  Quietly we all head to our posts, wrapping our coats around us against the cold, we take up our positions. Weapons are checked, water is sipped quietly and the waiting begins. Thomas is standing to my right and Kyle to my left. Both are nervous and keep checking and re checking their weapons. This is the first time they have stood waiting for a night attack. Arrow tips are felt over and over and the quiver is emptied and refilled until my own nerves are stretched almost as tight as the bow strings will be if the attack happens.

  "Boys, those arrows have not changed one little bit since you checked them two minutes ago. I think they might be better left in the quiver with the exception of the one you intend to knock if we are attacked." I tell them as they go to check them for the fourth time.

  "Sorry Jenn, nerves are getting to me a bit." Thomas says, his voice zooming through the scales as he tries to cover his nerves.

  "Mine too Jenn." Kyle whispers.

  "All we can do is wait quietly until we know if this is friend or not. Until then sit against the wall, try and rest up for a while." I usher the boys over to the wall settling them down against the upright logs and bricks that form our outer defenses.

  Once settled their restlessness recedes and they place their arms around their knees,their heads droop forward and they are soon drifting between waking and dreams. How I envy them, but they are young and they need their rest. As an adult I have to watch over them and keep them safe, along with the other members of the settlement.

  Time passes, it seems like hours as we stand in the darkness waiting to see if this is an attack or if these are friends. Minutes stretch to hours as the waiting time drags while Gavin and Steve work their way down the slope and out onto the flood plain to check out who is there and what their intentions are. I know that several of the men have gone out with them along with two of the dog packs. Girlie and her four young one’s are patrolling the settlement I can see them slinking around in the shadows as they move through the area within the walls. Small moving shadows against the night, hugging the buildings, stopping to sniff the air, then moving forward again.

  There is a sudden stillness from the dogs and then they move towards the gate, no growling and no signs who ever is out there is an enemy. Girlie stands watchful, but her tail is wagging. I wake the boys from their half sleep and with the help of the other adults the gate is opened when we hear the familiar voices of Gavin and Steve on the other side.

  Standing back with the group of armed guards I watch as Gavin, Steve, the crew of men that had gone out with them and the dogs enter the gates. Along with them they bring a rag, tag tail of young children, some just more than toddlers along with some older children and two elderly women. May sport injuries and all look thin, sick and hungry. The smallest children are carried by the new adults and some of the older children. An older boy of about fifteen years is leaning on Gavin and another girl of about the same age is being carried by Steve.

  "What on earth is happening?" I hear Helen’s gentle voice rise above the sudden noise that greets the new arrivals.

  "They are the survivors from Carrytown, just these few who were able to get away. The adults are the teachers and the kids were in school. They were out on a walk around the local area when the village was attacked. They have been walking for days, little food and what water they could find in the ditches and puddles. None of them are doing well, Helen, I think you are going to be needed for all of them." Gavin quietly fills Helen in then turns and walks over to the hospital tent which is still set up in the center of the village green.

  Settling the young boy on a cot in the tent Gavin steps back to give Steve room to lie the girl on the cot next to him. The smaller children are placed on cots and chairs and the two women are assisted to other chairs. Their feet, deeply cut, torn off toe nails and infections tell the story of a long and difficult journey. Bodies wasted with hunger as they flee from the gangs which are overwhelming many of the small settlements. There must be many bands of people who have escaped and are roaming, looking for safety and security.

  The underground bunker has been opened and Mum comes bustling in, grey hair hanging in tangled curls she looks around at the children and her eyes show her feelings. She heads straight to the youngest group of children and starts to cuddle them and comfort them. Her grandmotherly attitude and actions overcome their shyness and fear.

  Soon their wounds are treated, they are clean, dressed and fed before we settle them down in the hospital tent for the night. Helen will stay and watch them through the night. The teachers have been taken to Mum’s for the so they too can rest.

  All is quiet again in Gordon.

  Chapter 13

  "I can’t help but think those poor kids and teachers could have come from here if we had not been so well prepared when the first attack happened." I whisper quietly to Gavin as we lie in bed together after returning home.

  "I am glad we had a head start on the weapons and training. Steve had already heard about some attacks on settlements when he went to Williamsville and was aware it could happen to us here. We were just lucky the committee were able to work through the possible issues and formulate a plan to protect the village. It wasn’t easy to convince some of the committee, but it has been proved to be worth it now." Gavin’s arm tightens around me as he pulls me close.

  "Time to get some sleep now or you won’t be able to get up for your shift on patrol. Just because we have had a group of refugees it doesn’t mean that things are going to stay quiet."

  "I know, I am going to doze off now and I’ll try not to wake you when I leave." Gavin gently pulls me close and kisses me goodnight before he rolls me over and pulls me against him. Snuggling up I relax against the pillow and with a sigh begin to drift off to sleep.

  I feel Gavin leave the bed during the night and snuggle down further beneath the blankets as the warmth of his body evaporates from the bed leaving me feeling cold. Once my body adjusts to the change I float back into the world of dreams until the sounds of the twins waking pulls me back to reality.

  The grey daylight shows through the crack in the yellow curtains and in the ghostly pre dawn light I stumble from my bed. First job is to build up the fire to warm the chilly house. Then it is off to pick up the twins and bring them from their cot to the warmth of the large room that serves as kitchen and lounge. Snuggling down in the armchair I pull a soft blanket around us all and soon the twins are feeding happily.

  The dogs look up and their tails wag as Gavin comes in the door. His eyes red and tired and his body drooping he slowly walks over to the fire and
on reaching the chair leans down and places a gentle kiss on the twins heads before kissing me too. "You look tired love, you should head off to bed and get a few hours sleep." I say quietly as he settles into the other chair beside the fire.

  "I’ll go in a minute honey, I just want to rest my feet and get these boots off. I think I have a blister from the hole which appeared in my socks last night. I sure know that my feet are sore." Gavin starts to yawn as he reaches forward and pulls off his boots. His socks have a large hole in the sole near the heel and there is blood on them from a burst blister.

  "I’ll clean that up for you when the twins have finished their breakfast. It will get infected if I don’t."

  "Okay, just don’t wake me while you are doing it. I doubt you could anyway. An hours sleep in two days is just a little bit less than I need. I am glad it was a fairly quiet night. Nothing moving out there last night after we brought those kids and their teachers in."

  "That is good news, I like it when we have quiet nights. I do hope today is quiet too as I’ve got a few things I really need to do."

  "Looks like those two have had their fill Mummy, pass them over to Daddy for a cuddle and you can fix my foot before I head off to bed." Gavin holds out his arms for the children. Placing them in their father’s arms I go out to the kitchen and gather together the first aid kit and a bowl before heading back to the fire.

  In a very short time Gavin’s blister is bathed and covered by a dressing soaked in honey. He hands the twins back to me before kissing us all and heading off to the bedroom to rest. I dress the children and put them in their pram before I eat breakfast and drink a quick cup of herbal tea. Now it is time to get on with the plans for the day.

  Banking down the fire and swinging the large pot with the stew in it over the embers to warm, I head outside into the watery winter sunlight. Today we are teaching some of the older kids to use a sling shot. A sign of my rebellious childhood means that I am very accurate with one and have been chosen to teach them how to sight and throw the shot.