It was decided that they would travel together in two cars. Beth, the girls and Bill in one car and Nick with Dan in the other. Nick wasn’t quite sure when he had decided to travel with them, or even if, but there it was decided now. He watched Beth as she effortlessly took over the organising of events. Nick was to go back to his camp with Dan and pick up his and Dan’s gear. Bill would try to find two suitable cars, while she and the girls would get all of their stuff together and ready to be packed into the cars.
As Nick and Dan left Beth had a slight pang of worry that she would never see them again, but she dismissed it from her mind. She had seen something in Nick that it seemed he had kept hidden for years. Even from himself. It was the need to belong. She was sure he would come back, even if he wasn’t sure why.
‘Ok girls! Let’s get moving. We need to be out of this place as quick as we can. Before anyone else turns up,’ she said.
‘You’re happy today mum,’ Sammy said.
‘It’s because we have men to look after us,’ Kay told her, with a serious expression on her face.
‘We don’t need men to look after us!’ Sammy told her back. ‘We did fine on our own.’
‘Oh yeah Fine!’ Kay pointed at her. ‘Look at you all beaten up, and mum strangled. We could have been killed yesterday, or worse,’ she said. Her big brown eyes thoughtful.
‘What’s worse than being killed?’ Sammy put in peevishly.
Beth interrupted Kay’s inevitable answer to that. ‘That’s enough the two of you! Stop bickering about every bloody thing.’
‘But-’
‘No buts Sammy. We are with other people now and you will both start to behave properly.’ She paused for a second then spoke to them quietly. ‘Yes Kay, you are right. We now have the two men to look after us, and we need them.’ She put her hand up to stall Sammy as she was about to speak.
‘The world is different now Sammy,’ Beth continued. ‘There are no laws, or police to keep people safe, or to stop people from doing what they want. The strong people will take from the weaker ones. That’s not just men, but unfortunately men are stronger than women. They are physically stronger anyway.’ She smiled to try and ease the effect her words were having. ‘We have other skills, and it’s those that we must use now. Nick and Bill seem to be good men, which is very unusual in my experience. I think that they will both try to look after us in their own way. They will do their best to protect us from other people, but we have to play our part, and right now that means you two not being right pains in the arses by arguing and causing trouble.’ She looked at each of them seriously for a few seconds until they had both dropped their eyes.
‘Sorry mum,’ Sammy said.
‘Yeah, sorry mum,’ Kay repeated.
‘Ok that’s fine then,’ Beth said. She smiled at them again. ‘Now let’s get moving. It looks like Bill has found us a car.’
Chapter twelve
Dan watched Nick as he moved silently through the woods just ahead of him. He was feeling really excited about today. They were all going to Bournemouth and they were driving as well. He didn’t have to wander around being scared and hungry on his own any more. Since Nick had saved him from that gang the other day things had just kept getting better and better. He couldn’t believe that Nick had decided to go with the others. He jogged a few steps to catch up with him.
‘I can’t believe that you said you’d go with the others Nick,’ he said excitedly.
‘You’re not the only one,’ Nick told him grumpily. ‘I’m still trying to decide if I should change my mind or not. It’s been a strange few days since you came along.’
Dan’s face fell. ‘Oh.’
Nick turned to look at him. ‘Don’t look like that. You can still go. It’d be one way of getting rid of you.’
‘You shouldn’t keep saying things like that to me you know!’ Dan said a bit too loudly.
Nick winced, looking around. ‘Are you ever going to learn to keep bloody quiet?’ he asked him.
‘It’s not fair!’ Dan stopped walking and leant back on a tree.
Nick stopped and turned around. ‘What are you doing now? Sulking?’
‘No! I want to know if you’re going back or not.’ All of a sudden Dan bent his head and covered his face with his hands. ‘I can’t stand the way you keep being bloody horrible all the time.’ His shoulders started moving and Nick realised that he was crying. ‘I was happy and now you’ve just made it all shit again,’ he sobbed. ‘You’re just shit!’ he shouted. ‘Horrible shit! And I don’t care if you kill me! You’re just horrible shit!’
‘Oh for fucks sake!’ Nick sighed and walked back to where Dan was now crouching down against the tree, crying into his hands. He crouched down in front of him and went to put his hands on the boy’s shoulders then he pulled them back and placed them across his own knees.
‘What do you want from me boy?’ he asked quietly. ‘You’re right. I am shit. I’m horrible shit. I don’t like myself much most of the time. I find that it keeps me in the majority.’ He stopped talking as Dan looked up at him through tear filled eyes. It was almost too much for him to take. Why did these people matter so much to him after all these years of not caring? ‘Look I’m sorry ok? I will go with you. I’ll go with the others and we’ll all live happily ever after shall we? Does that sound good to you?’
Dan wiped his face and looked up, ‘You mean it? No being horrible and changing your mind again? Honest?’
‘Cross my heart and hope to die.’ When Dan just looked at him confused he added, ‘yes! I mean it!’
‘That’s great!’ The boy flung himself up and crashed into Nick. He was like a great big puppy and he pushed him over backwards. They rolled around a bit together as Nick tried to stand up and Dan tried to hug him. By the time they were both back on their feet they were covered in old leaves, breathing heavily and laughing. Nick gave him a light cuff round the head.
‘No more of that ok?’ Nick looked at Dan as the boy nodded. ‘Good. I have a certain reputation to keep up.’ He brushed himself down a bit. ‘Now let’s get our gear and get back before they all leave without us.’ Dan gave him another worried look. ‘It’s a Joke!’ he said, raising his eyebrows. Then he asked, ‘just how old are you Dan?’
‘Thirteen, but I’m nearly fourteen. Why?’
‘Oh nothing,’ Nick replied, feeling even worse now. Only bloody thirteen. The poor little sod. ‘Big lad aint ya?’
‘Yeah. Can you teach me how to fight?’ he asked enthusiastically.
‘One thing at a time Danny boy. Let’s go get our stuff.’
Nick and Dan got back to the others as quickly as they could. When they did they saw that two cars were waiting near the broken doors of the services. One was a big grey Nissan Navara and the other a dark blue Volvo estate.
‘Hello. You’re just in time,’ Beth called to them. Dan waved but Nick just scowled.
‘I’m going to have to teach you all to stop bloody shouting,’ he told Dan as they walked across to the cars. The others were waiting next to them. He nodded at Beth.
‘I’ll take the Navara if that’s ok?’ he said chucking his large rucksack into the back of it.
‘Yeah that’s fine. Bill thought the back would come in handy for stuff,’ Beth told him.
‘A large van would have been better.’
‘No vans,’ Bill stated.
‘This is great,’ Dan said excitedly. ‘Can I get in?’
‘Of course you can darling,’ Beth answered him, smiling as she pulled open the passenger door of the Navara for him. He jumped straight in with a big grin on his face.
‘Everything is packed and we’re ready to leave when you are,’ Beth said, looking at Nick.
Nick looked around at them all for a second, studying them. ‘Ok. Before we go anywhere,’ he said. ‘Let’s lay down a few rules.’
‘Rules!’ Bill said.
‘Yes my monosyllabic friend. Rules.’
‘Ok that sounds like a good idea,�
� Beth said quickly to stall any impending argument. ‘What kind of rules Nick?’
‘First, no more shouting. Sound travels a long way these days. Second, no stopping the cars for anything other than an emergency or an agreed stop, and I mean agreed with me, and I mean an emergency for us. No stopping to pick up anyone on route, no matter how they look or who they are. Even if it’s a lost puppy because it will most likely be bait for a trap. I’ve seen it done.
‘What if we need a wee?’ Kay asked, putting her hand up.
Nick laughed. ‘That would count as an agreed stop,’ He told her. ‘And you don’t have to put your hand up to ask questions.’
She dropped her hand down quickly as she noticed her sister rolling her eyes at her. ‘Oh ok,’ she said, a bit embarrassed.
‘The car in front will flash the hazards. The car behind will flash the headlights. That way we make sure that we all stop together. But even then, keep looking and listening, and only think about stopping when you have a clear view. Nobody can sneak up on us then.’
Nick looked over at Bill. He wasn’t sure about the big fella yet. He wasn’t sure if he could trust him considering what had happened with his brother not too long ago, but Bill was being very calm about it, and he was just watching the others through his swollen eyes. He was obviously trying to avoid looking at him though. They would have to have a chat before much longer. He needed to know who he could trust.
‘If we have to change cars,’ Nick continued. ‘Because we get stuck, or if we have to stop for a wee.’ He looked at Kay and she smiled at him. ‘When or if that happens, and I guess it will be when. You lock all the doors and close any windows.’ He was looking at Beth. She nodded to him. ‘In any case I will get out first to check the area before anyone else gets out.’
‘Why you?’ Bill was looking at him now.
‘There’s a long answer to that and I can’t be bothered with the debate Bill.’
‘So you’re putting yourself in charge are you?’
‘They are all good ideas,’ Beth said quickly. ‘Thank you for the advice Nick. She emphasised the word advice. ‘Now!’ she said quickly. ‘Are we all ready to go?’
‘Ready as we’ll ever be,’ Nick said. He then walked around to the driver’s door of the Navara and jumped in. He racked the seat forward a bit then adjusted the rear view mirror.
‘Ready Dan?’ He looked at Dan and noticed that the boy could barely contain his excitement. Nick smiled. ‘I’ll take that as a yes then.’
He watched as the others all climbed into the big Volvo. Beth was driving. Probably because the big man was in a bit of a state at the moment. The two girls jumped into the back. As Bill got himself awkwardly into the front seat Nick noticed the cars suspension sink down, then the car pulled slowly away and Nick followed it out of the services and onto the slip road.
Chapter thirteen
Nick sighed. ‘Remind me again,’ he said. ‘Why are we going to Bournemouth?’
Dan had been looking out of the window but he turned to look at Nick as they finally came to a complete stop. A mass of cars were blocking the way. It had taken over two hours to drive about thirty five slow miles since leaving the services. It had been very slow going because there were so many stationary cars. Nick had used the big Navara at times to push some of the cars out of the way to make gaps. Now they were completely stuck though. They would have to get out and drag all of their stuff to the front of this wedge of cars and find another couple of cars to continue their journey in.
This was one reason why Nick didn’t like to use cars himself. The other reason was that they were noisy. Anyone within ten miles would hear them coming. Nick preferred walking. When you were walking you also had the advantage of being able to forage on the way. There was no chance of doing that while driving down the M3. He knew that neither the girls nor Bill were in a fit enough state to be able to walk any real distance though. What he couldn’t understand was the rush to get anywhere anyway. Bournemouth was going to be no different than anywhere else at the moment. He wondered once again how he had gotten into this.
‘I don’t know,’ Dan finally replied. ‘But it will be fun.’ He thought that riding in the car with Nick was already brilliant enough. He wouldn’t have cared where they were going. The fact that they were going to the seaside was an added bonus for him. He was just so happy to be with people after weeks on his own, and he thought it was great now that Nick was being nice to him.
Nick watched the other car for a bit, wondering what they were waiting for, then he remembered his rules and realised that they were waiting for him to get out and check the area. He looked all around. He couldn’t see any dangers so he opened the door and stepped out into the hot sun. He immediately started to sweat through his shirt. They’d had the air conditioning on in the car and he had forgotten how hot it was at the moment. Bloody hell, he thought. A few hours of air conditioning and he was already softening up. He looked around and saw only overgrown farm fields each side of the road. He noticed that the cars were also jammed up on the other side. Maybe a big accident, he thought as he walked to the hard shoulder. There was a grassy bank, with a low fence at the top and then a seemingly endless field of overgrown grass. He walked up the slope to scan the fields and he listened for a bit but all he could hear was the birds singing. He was pretty sure there was nobody around. He waved at the other car and put his thumb up to indicate that it was ok to get out. Then he went back down and walked over to Dan’s side of the car and pulled open the door.
‘I thought that I told you to lock this door.’ As he said it he saw Dan’s face drop. ‘Don’t worry. Just make sure you lock it next time. Like I told you. Someone could just open the door and grab you. Come on out now then mate. We’re all getting out to go for a little walk.’ As Dan climbed out he went to the back of the pick-up and pulled Dan’s rucksack out. ‘There you go,’ he said, handing Dan his stuff. ‘Now put the rucksack on your back and go help the girls. Carry as much stuff as you can.’
He watched as Beth stepped out of the car. Kay jumped out, smiling as usual, followed by Sammy from the back seat. The big man got out slowly then stood and stretched as Beth opened the boot of the car and started handing out items to be carried. This is madness, Nick thought then he looked over at the fields behind the low fence and he had an idea. He walked over to Beth.
‘I might have a better idea,’ he told her. ‘Unload the stuff from this car anyway.’
Beth smiled at him. ‘Ok boss.’
He smiled back. ‘Just let me see if this works. I’m going to try and drive the Navara onto the field up there. If it doesn’t work we’ve lost nothing. If it works we’ve saved ourselves a long walk.’
‘Are you sure?’ she asked worriedly. ‘What about the barrier and that high bank.’
‘Yeah it’ll be fine,’ he answered, turning away. ‘It’s a 4 by 4. It’s what they’re made for.’
Beth went back to unloading the car. She handed a couple of bags to Dan. He took them from her distractedly. He was watching Nick as he dumped his large pack out of the back of the Navara and onto the road and then climbed back into the driver’s seat.
‘What’s he doing?’ he asked Beth.
‘He’s going to try and drive the car into the field so that we don’t have to walk.’
‘Oh,’ Dan said then asked, ‘why are we going to Bournemouth?’
‘Cause it’s the seaside,’ Kay told him happily as she took a couple of bags off her mum.
‘Oh yeah, that’s what I thought, ‘Dan replied. ‘I’ll tell Nick that then, because he doesn’t know why.’
Beth shook her head at them both, two of a kind, she thought, then she told Sammy to take some blankets. Sammy looked like she was still feeling a little rough but Beth thought she also looked on the mend. It was brave thing that she had done and Beth smiled at her younger daughter. Bill still looked like he was in a bad way and she realised that Nick must have already thought about all of this. That was why he had d
ecided to have a go at taking the Navara across the field.
They all watched as Nick reversed the big car back a bit then drove it slowly towards the crash barrier. When the big car hit the barrier there was a thump then the sound of screeching metal. The barrier bent in a bit but didn’t break. Nick reversed again then drove into it a bit faster. There was a crashing sound and then he was through. He kept going slowly up the steep rise. Beth had imagined that he would go really fast up the bank and crash through the fence like in the films, but he just kept it in a low gear and the big car seemed to glide up the steep bank. Once at the top the car just nudged the fence over and the large wheels crushed it and then Nick was in the field. It was as easy as that.
He jumped out and waved to them. Then stood there looking all around. Beth knew that he was looking for any sign of danger.
‘Come on then everyone let’s get up there,’ Beth told them all.
Nick walked back down onto the road and hefted his large pack onto his back then he climbed the steep bank again.
When he got up there Beth was arranging everyone so that all of them and everything they had could fit into the one car. Nick would be driving with Bill in the passenger seat. The two girls went on the rear seat, Beth and Dan went in the back with most of the gear.
Nick drove slowly across the overgrown field with no problems. It was a bumpy ride but they didn’t mind. They all kept looking at the road to their right. It was a massive jam that stretched for about two miles and they were all glad that they hadn’t had to walk it.
Inside the car the girls were very quiet on the back seat. They were a bit nervous with the two men in the front that they barely knew.
Bill broke the awkward silence by asking Nick a question. ‘Do you ever wonder where everyone was going?’ He was looking past Nick and down at the long road jam.
New World: Nick Smith Book one (Nick Smith Series 1) Page 8
