‘Ok,’ Beth replied, ‘We get it,’ she added, smiling nervously.
They all made it into the shop with no problems, but Bill was holding his side and panting as they stopped just inside the broken doors. They all looked around. The place had definitely been looted, but there was still a load of stuff left in there. It was mostly just overturned racks of modern clothing though.
‘We can shop later ladies,’ Nick told them, trying to ease the tension with a bad joke. ‘Let’s make sure the place is empty first. There’s at least one other level.’ He looked at Dan. ‘There’ll be some clothes for you now though mate.’
Dan gave him a small smile. ‘Yeah I suppose,’ he said, dropping his head sulkily.
They searched the whole of the ground floor of the shop then went up the stationary escalator to the second floor. There were overturned clothing racks everywhere.
After carefully searching around the whole place they found a staff area on the second floor. It had a small kitchen and a seating area. Nick lead the way into the back and they all sat down gratefully.
‘Well there’s nobody here and doubt it’s visited regularly. I think this will do us for a little while,’ he said quietly. ‘Now we must remember to remain as quiet as possible at all times. There should be no reason why they would search in here for us. We can rest up and try to make some plans. Is everyone ok with that?’ They all nodded wearily, too tired to speak now that the adrenalin was wearing off.
‘Dan I’ll help you find something to wear,’ he said. ‘Then we’ll find somewhere for you to keep watch while I go out and find us some food and water, and hopefully some other bits and pieces. The rest of you relax for a while. Get some sleep if you can.’
‘Nick,’ Beth said as he was walking out the door.
‘Yeah.’ He turned back to face her.
‘Thanks,’ she said.
Nick looked around at the two girls and Bill and then he just nodded. ‘I’ll be back as soon as I can. You should be safe here. Come on then Dan,’ he said, and with that he was gone.
Chapter nineteen
Andrew Wilkins was medium height and average build. He was in his late thirties and had short, light brown hair and dark brown eyes. He was a quiet man and seemed to radiate a sense of calm around himself. He was also well liked by the majority of the community and the men in his team. A former carpenter and part time captain in the Army Reserves, he had many skills that were useful to David and to the whole community.
David looked up at him, thinking. The people in the community might have needed banging into shape in the early days, but now things had started to calm down what was needed was a more subtle approach. He smiled at Andrew standing in front of his desk and considered how he was going to play this.
Andrew was content to stand quietly, looking out at the view from the window behind where David was sitting. It was a lovely day, he thought. The sea was dead calm. It would be hot out there. He gave himself a mental reminder to make sure they had water with them when they went out. He glanced down at David and wondered why he was studying him thoughtfully. I wonder what he wants me to do, he thought, but he was content to just stand there and let David think.
In the early days after the pandemic Andrew had locked himself away in his small flat on the outskirts of Bournemouth. He had stayed in there until the riots had stopped and things had calmed down. He had always been a careful and very prepared man. Those traits along with his dislike for shopping every day meant that he had always kept his cupboards well stocked. So he hadn’t needed to leave his flat until about three weeks after the end of the pandemic.
Before the pandemic he had kept himself to himself. Both of his parents had passed away within months of each other a few years back. His Mother had passed away in her sleep. She’d had Parkinson’s disease, but it was pneumonia that had taken her in the end. His Father had died shortly after. He had just given up on life. The people who knew them said that he’d died of a broken heart. He had no other family to worry about and he had never been all that confident around women, so there had been no one else but himself to worry about when the flu struck.
On a warm day in June he had decided to go down into town to see what was left. He had been surprised to find the others who had survived and he had been pleased to see that some form of recovery had been started. The people there had already began to get organised and they had been set up in this hotel. He had joined in with them and helped with the work. Soon after that he had moved into the hotel, and for the first time in his life he had enjoyed the company of others. It wasn’t long before his skills had brought him to the attention of David and he had been given charge of a salvaging team.
‘Andrew,’ David said suddenly, breaking the silence.
‘Yes sir.’
David smiled at that, he did like this man. He was a man who could work with authority and who could follow orders. He was the complete opposite to Brett.
‘There is a delicate situation that I need your help with.’
‘Yes Sir,’ Andrew said again quietly.
‘We had some trouble this morning. I’m sure that you have heard the rumours.’ David smiled at him.
Andrew had heard the rumours. Everyone was talking about how Brett’s team had been wiped out, apparently by only two men. Everyone knew about the way that Brett and his friends acted, and their methods of bringing new women members into the community. He was one of the team leaders who were not interested in taking part in the scheme to increase the number of women amongst them. Some of his team had suggested that they should be but he had decisively stuck with the foraging missions. Bringing in food, water, fuel and other useful items had seemed to him to be the priority. The people in his team who were not happy with that had eventually left to join some of the other more aggressive teams.
‘I don’t really take much notice of rumours Sir,’ Andrew said, straight faced.
‘Good man. Neither do I. Mostly lies and the rest exaggeration.’
‘Yes Sir.’ Andrew glanced up as a seagull flew past the window.
‘This morning was a bit different though!’
Andrew waited quietly for the explanation.
‘This morning Brett’s team were taken out by two men, after they had radioed in for a pick up of three women.’
‘I’d heard that Sir. It’s a bit hard to believe,’ Andrew said, still straight faced.
‘Yes well, it happened,’ David told him.
‘So he definitely radioed for a pickup of the women only?’
‘Yes,’ David confirmed, frowning.
‘So we have to assume that he had decided to get rid of the men?’
‘It’s a good assumption.’
‘Even so. Brett’s a bit of a handful on his own. Even without his team I would have thought he could handle two men.’
‘I believe they were tricked somehow. Brett might be a handful but he’s no genius.’ David smiled. ‘It wouldn’t be that hard to trick him now would it?’ he asked.
‘I’d rather not comment on that.’ Andrew told him, looking out of the window again.
‘No, I suppose not.’ David stood up and turned round to look at the view as well. ‘Imagine for a moment,’ he said. ‘That there was another community setting up in Bournemouth, maybe in another hotel.’ He turned back to face Andrew. ‘What problems do you think would that cause?’
Andrew sighed. ‘Well I suppose that we would eventually be fighting over the available resources.’
‘Yes! There you have it. Things have changed since the virus.’ He sat back down again and leant his arms on the desk. ‘It would be nice to believe that we could, or would be able to pool resources with this other community and help each other.’
‘Things have changed though,’ Andrew stated flatly.
‘They have indeed. So we will have to change our way of thinking along with them! One day things will hopefully change back again. Power stations will be running, farmers will be farming, a government
will be formed, and more specifically, there will be police and an army to enforce civil behaviour.’
‘But that’s not going to happen soon,’ Andrew said.’
‘No it’s not, so unfortunately it’s all down to us. We need to take care of those things.’ David leant back in his chair. ‘I know that you don’t agree with the way Brett’s team operate and I have to admit to you that he has been getting a bit out of control lately.’
Andrew just raised his eyebrows. He knew that the whole community was scared stiff of Brett, and the way he operated, but he had always seemed to have David’s backing. Something else has changed here, he thought.
David carried on speaking. ‘Brett was a necessary evil I’m afraid,’ he said, reading Andrew’s thoughts by the look on his face. ‘You know as well as I do that some of the people were running wild. Looting and destroying, while most of the community were just scared. They needed a strong hand to guide them back to a position of security. I really needed Brett’s way of handling people then? I needed a strong hand to provide them with that security.’
‘You needed?’ Andrew noticed the past tense.
‘Yes needed.’ He leant forward again. ‘We are a proper community now. Most of us have the same goal. We want to return to some form of civilisation.’
‘No need for a strong hand now then?’ Andrew was starting to get the picture. The reason behind this little chat with David.
‘Oh I still need a strong hand Andrew. Just one that’s not quite so crazy.’ David laughed and leant back.
Andrew didn’t join in with the laughing. ‘Brett has carried out a fair amount of evil with your approval Sir.’
‘Let me be honest with you Andrew!’
Andrew just nodded. He knew that usually when someone said that, it either meant just the opposite or that they’d been lying to you up to that point.
David noted the lack of a reply. ‘I only recently found out about some of the things that Brett has been up to using my authority. He has in fact completely abused my authority!’ He leant forward once again. ‘In fact I believe Brett is now almost completely out of control, and the disaster this morning proves that.’ David stared up at him. He was standing there as if he was waiting for a bus, showing no emotion at all. ‘Would you please sit down, Andrew. I would like to find a way to recover from this disaster. Some of our people have been killed. Strangers seem to be running wild in the town. Brett is losing control. It doesn’t give our people any confidence in the community or its leaders.’ He waved his hand. ‘Please sit for God’s sake, It’s making my neck ache looking up at you.’
Andrew shrugged and sat down on the chair before David’s desk.
‘Thank you,’ David said. ‘Now. I think there is a way to resolve this.’
Andrew looked thoughtfully at the man sitting on the other side of the desk. It was plainly obvious that David wanted him to help get rid of Brett. He sighed. All that he had ever really wanted was a quiet life, He and most of the community didn’t look too far ahead anymore. The future was just too uncertain. What was clear though was that their best chance of surviving this disaster and building a better way of life was for the community to prosper. He knew that he would have to help David with this. Brett was an animal, and he was way out of control. If David thought he had a way to make things better then he would listen. He nodded.
David then told Andrew exactly what had happened this morning. He told him that Alex had disappeared and about Mervin being locked away downstairs for his own safety. He told him about the strangers and how Mervin had explained that it was mainly just the actions of one of them, a man called Nick that had led to the deaths of two of Brett’s men and the hospitalization of another. He also told him that this Nick could be the answer to their problems.
‘We will give Brett the illusion that he is in control of your team,’ David explained. ‘Eventually you will find these strangers. When you do I think that Brett will need to prove himself to regain his reputation. He will want to fight him, and if this man is as dangerous as he appears to be. I believe all of our problems can be resolved in one move.’ He moved his hand across the desk as if moving a piece on a chess board. ‘Check mate! Brett is out of the way.’
Andrew frowned. ‘Sounds a bit dodgy to me sir.’
David frowned back. ‘Why?’
‘What if Brett just shoots this Nick guy. You agreed to the use of those shotguns we found on Dell farm. That was a bit hasty. You know how crazy some of these men are.’
‘The people were scared Andrew and they were asking for them. I had to do something, and I ordered that they are only to be used in self-defence. He won’t want to shoot him though,’ David told him confidently. ‘He will want to beat him.’
‘What if this Nick and his friends just take us all out then? Like they did with Brett’s team this morning. My guys aren’t killers. If he took out Brett’s men so easy we won’t have much of a chance against him.’
‘I don’t think they will. I believe the man only acted to save the women that Brett wanted to bring in.’
Andrew frowned again. ‘You seem pretty certain that this will go your way.’
David looked him across the desk. ‘I am normally a very good judge of character Andrew. I know that Brett will need to prove that he can beat this Nick person, and I know this Nick will fight to save his friends. I don’t believe that he just kills people indiscriminately. All you and your team need to do is set up the situation. You might only need to catch one of them, then Nick will come to you and Brett will want to fight him.’
‘Why not just lock Brett up? Leave out all this manoeuvring. Something is sure to go wrong and more people will get hurt. Also, from what you’ve told me about this Nick, I would think that he has probably already made some plans of his own.’
‘Brett has friends, and a large influence with the rougher elements here,’ David told him, his face was serious. ‘If I have him locked up or do anything else with him it will cause trouble and possibly a divide. The community will be harmed, if not ruined. Everything we’ve accomplished will have been a waste of time.’ David leaned closer. ‘He is also a very dangerous man. He may even try to set up that other community we spoke of. How would we fare against a whole community of like-minded people with Brett as their leader?’
‘Ok I get it,’ Andrew said. ‘There’s also the fact that if he is taken out by this Nick then your hands stay clean, but let’s get this straight. You are talking about trying to have him murdered?’
David sighed, ‘I don’t want it Andrew, but I can think of no other way to remove Brett, and we do need to remove him.’
‘For the good of the community then!’ Andrew sighed as well, then stood up. ‘And let’s just keep our fingers crossed that you’re right about all of this and that this Nick is as good as you think he is.’
Chapter twenty
‘Do you know that this is our fifth day since we left home?’ Kay told everyone. They were sitting around the small staff restroom of the shop waiting for Nick to come back. Beth had found two large bottles of water in the fridge and some glasses in a cupboard and they were thankfully resting and drinking their water. Nick had found Dan some clothes and Dan was now on watch. He was looking out of the first floor window of the shop into the quiet street below.
‘Seems longer doesn’t it?’ Beth answered her daughter as she ran her hands through her hair. It felt dirty. I bet I look a state, she thought.
‘It’s not though,’ Kay said. ‘The first day we were driving and we slept in the car. The second day we were at the services and met Nick and Dan, oh and Bill and his-’
‘Yes darling it’s our fifth day,’ Beth interrupted. She glanced over to where Bill was lying on the floor, but he seemed to be fast asleep.
‘Yeah, because the third day we camped out and Nick made a fire,’ Kay went on as if she hadn’t been interrupted. ‘And the fourth day we stayed in that smelly hotel. So now it’s our fifth day.’ She finished off by smiling
then taking a sip of her water.
‘What are we going to do mum?’ Sammy asked. She was slumped over the table with her head in her hands.
‘We rest and wait for Nick to get back. Drink some of your water it’ll make you feel a bit better.’ Beth took a sip of her own as she wondered what they would all do when bottled water run out. Drink from rivers she supposed. I bet Nick knows how to get drinking water, she thought, then she thought about how much they were all relying on him. She wondered if he realised that.
‘I mean after that! Where are we going to live? We can’t stay in Bournemouth now because those men are after us.’ Sammy had lifted her head and she was staring at her mum.
Beth looked back at her. ‘Listen to me Sammy, and you Kay. You both listen to me ok?’ They both nodded. Kay’s nod was a bit more enthusiastic though. ‘We will find somewhere soon. Somewhere where we can live and be safe. I promise you that.’ She looked at both of her daughters in turn. ‘Do you believe me?’ Kay was the first to answer.
‘Of course mum.’ She said smiling.
‘Yes mum,’ Sammy answered wearily, dropping her head back onto the table. Beth looked at them both and made a vow that she would do anything to make what she had told them come true.
Nick was thinking about what they were going to do as well.
While getting Dan’s clothes sorted he had decided to get changed as well. He had swapped his torn and stained combat trousers and shirt for a sturdy pair of dark grey jeans and a new black shirt.
Swapping the clothes had made him think about the future, which was something quite new to him. Over the past few years he had rarely thought more than a few days ahead. He knew that his new way of thinking was because of Beth and the others, and he still found it a strange concept to realise that he had started caring about other people again after all this time.
New World: Nick Smith Book one (Nick Smith Series 1) Page 13
