Fall of the Cities_Branching Out

by Vance Huxley

  “Yes Owen.” Boris rapped on the wooden table. “For luck of course, but we can get back to dealing with our own problems.” The discussion that followed, about the increased quantities of foodstuffs and the first shipments of refined fuels, kept the atmosphere cheery for the rest of the meeting.

  Vanna and Maurice both hung back without any prompting. Maurice spoke first. “The air strike to support civilians is worrying. If the Army are going to be picking favourites, eradicating some enclaves could be a real problem.”

  “Both the Army and RAF might be a problem. The pilots are downright triumphant about who they saved because someone let them know.” Vanna frowned. “What happens when we authorise the final clearance of an enclosure where the Army have local favourites? They may not attack, or the RAF might get cold feet.”

  Owen frowned thoughtfully. “Perhaps we should send a few weapons into your watching posts, Maurice. They are manned by Vanna’s people, so there’ll be no leaks to the Army or the scum. We could send something capable of killing a tank or two, or blowing a pilot out of the sky when fired from one of those innocent enclosures?”

  “Oh yes, that should concentrate minds.” Vanna smirked. “We can always use the same weapons to remove other problems nearer to home if required?”

  “Looking for silver linings again, Vanna? I will look through the lists of munitions the refugee armed forces brought with them. Both the types you’ll need will probably be among the shipments from Brest.” Owen glanced at the exit with a half-smile. “You had better catch up. I’ll let you know where to collect the items.”

  * * *

  Nearer to Orchard Close, Vulcan also wore a half-smile when he saw Harold for the next trading session. “You’ve been holding out on us, Soldier Boy. That’s mean after I let you have that rifle.”

  “You couldn’t shoot it properly anyway.” Harold thought hard. “What have I done to you now?”

  “Bunnies. You’ve always got what you reckon is clean rabbit meat, and your lot are truthful about that sort of shit. One of the Barbies let slip you’d fixed their rabbit problems. Lust and booze has a terrible effect on some people.” Vulcan grinned. “Then one of our new tenants asked what happened to the rabbits, the big yummy ones?”

  “We’ve got them.” Harold grinned. “Definitely yummy.”

  “How much?” Vulcan sighed. “You must have an expert because you always do, and I’ll bet your rabbits don’t get the Myxi. How much for rabbits and what we need to do to keep them safe?”

  “You could buy them from the Barbies?” Harold had wondered if the Barbies were selling any on, to recoup the cost.

  “I tried and no sale. I reckon they haven’t got enough because Christie didn’t even try to bargain. Not only that but their advice would be second-hand.” The GOFS frowned. “We haven’t a lot of spare coupons, but I’m sure we can sort something.”

  Harold relaxed because spreading the bunnies around made sense. After all, if the rabbits in Orchard Close were infected and died, he could buy some from either the GOFS or Barbies. “All right. You get three, two does and a buck, and instructions on breeding them up. There’s another set of instructions for keeping them safe and if you short-cut you’ll be buying more rabbits.”

  “Three? That’s not much of a start.”

  “Breed like rabbits? They’ll push out a litter every two months, and if you let the first few litters mature?” Harold shrugged. “Rabbit Bob reckons ninety pounds of meat a year off each doe.”

  “How much will this cost us?” Vulcan grinned. “Bearing in mind I sent you that poser rifle.”

  “Bloody expensive considering I still had to buy it, and I shot your sniper. Though if I have to buy some rabbits back, I’ll pay the same price you do.” Harold grinned back and they started serious negotiations.

  * * *

  When he arrived back Harold called for the cauldron and the usual suspects. “The GOFS are buying bunnies. Just three and the information. How do you feel about selling live ones elsewhere?”

  “I don’t mind the GOFS too much. After all they’ll probably sell us some back in a disaster.” Emmy’s lip curled. “Geeks, however?”

  “The GOFS will sell some back, as part of this deal. I’ve been thinking about the others. I reckon we should sell some to the Hot Rods and Geeks, just three to each and all the information.” Harold frowned because he’d prefer not to sell to either. “Otherwise either of them might try to infect ours, steal some, or they’ll get some from elsewhere anyway.”

  “True, but I just don’t like doing them any favours.” Patty looked as if she was about to spit. “The Hot Rods tried to cheat on the last deal for knitting, putting spoiled coupons in the middle of the bundle.”

  Harold let a big smile come. “Who mentioned doing them any favours? Hawkins screwed us over the loot after stopping the General. I reckon I can even up for that.” He laughed. “Even Caddi will have to pay up, because this is something he can’t get anywhere else.”

  “What do we need from those two? More Geek crossbows would be handy.” Patty smiled at Harold. “A lot more, unless you want more firearms?”

  “No, we’re all right for pistols now and we can make ammo for crossbows easier and cheaper than getting propellant.” Harold looked around them. “What do we want from Caddi?”

  “More of that good charcoal. Either he did steal some trees or someone else has plenty of timber.” Liz scowled. “Our trees are still slacking. There’s not a single stick big enough yet.”

  “We should sell a few more rabbits to the Barbies, to help them build up. Not many, but maybe another three does?” Elizabeth smirked. “Nobody will steal from them and my money is on them having a good safe place to keep theirs free from disease. No wild rabbits will be hopping into Beth’s.”

  “If the GOFS keep theirs safe for a few months we can sell them a few more, since they seem civilised. If there’s a shortage and a fight breaks out, I’d rather team up with them and the Barbies.” Casper shrugged. “They seem better neighbours.” The discussion went on to what they wanted from Caddi and Hawkins, then what price the Barbies might pay for another three does.

  Over the next ten days Harold sold the Barbies three more rabbits, with a definite arrangement to sell some back at the same price if Orchard Close had a real disaster. He also closed deals for three rabbits to each of the other gangs. Each rabbit traded came with reams of advice, and warnings about the draconian precautions Orchard Close took. That extended to never giving the rabbits any scraps from veg bought at the mart, since wild rabbits had probably been all over them. The GOFS were told they could buy another three does if their first attempts were successful, and agreed to the buy-back idea. The price Harold screwed out of Caddi and Hawkins almost sparked off a party among the few who knew.

  * * *

  The TV did eventually show the breakout from Glasgow, two weeks into January, and the fairly happy start to the year in Orchard Close evaporated. Everyone in Orchard Close stayed glued to the screens as a massive horde of armed gangsters, followed by non-combatants, women and children, ran straight over two guard posts. The cameras showed long processions of people streaming across the city to funnel out through the gap.

  “The Army have been caught completely by surprise due to the sheer size and ferocity of this assault. Now the soldiers are battling to prevent any of these scum spreading south or east to threaten the farmlands or Edinburgh. Forces are being rushed into place to deal with the threat, but that will take time.”

  Onscreen small groups of troops with armour fought to turn back the mob as it tried to veer to, presumably, the east or south. More views showed a long column trekking up snow-choked roads and then alongside a wide stretch of water.

  “The Army have diverted the breakout northwards, west of Loch Lomond where the water will help to keep them away from other populations. We believe they will try to capture the submarine base at Fastlane, and the nuclear weapons there, so drastic steps must be taken.”


  “Not a nuke. Please, not a nuke.” Sharyn clenched her hands together.

  “They’ll never get to Fastlane let alone capture a nuke.” Harold sighed. “Look at them. They’re freezing to death or will when night falls. What the hell possessed them to go north?”

  “No Harold, I meant the government using a nuke.” They stared at each other, horrified because both thought it possible after what had already happened.

  A banging on the door shook them out of it. Harold went to answer. “Liz, Emmy, Finn, and Patty? What on earth do you want, what’s the matter?”

  “We have a nasty question that needs an answer, Harold.” Liz pushed him in the chest. “Now move out of the way and let us get warm.” Behind them Casper appeared, looking grim.

  Harold moved for the five of them to come inside, then headed for the kitchen to get something for everyone to drink. This would be a small beer sort of discussion according to Patty. When he came back into the room everyone had found a seat and sat watching the screen. Sharyn patted the settee. “Sit down Harold. The TV has flipped forward from morning to midday and now to dusk so it’s another of those doctored reports. There’s a storm coming in looking at the way the snow is blowing now and the drifts look deeper.”

  Harold sat and took in the views of driving snow. He shook his head. “Why are they trying to march anywhere in that weather?”

  “The horde is still marching north, and now darkness is falling. The Army cannot risk losing touch during the night in case large numbers arrive unexpectedly at the nuclear base. The commander on the scene has been instructed to stop these savages now while they can still be found. Artillery units have been rushed into place because aircraft still can’t operate due to the conditions.”

  “But camera drones can?”

  “Hush Emmy. Just the usual mushroom food because the Army can see in the dark better than bats, or Patty.” Harold felt a nudge from Patty but everyone’s attention stayed on the screen.

  Bright flashes were all the warning the straggling horde received, as a ripple of explosions swept from one side to the other of the steep-sided pass. Some struck the ground but most exploded in the air over the heads of the leaders, lethal because the fleeing mass had no shelter, not even vehicles. The next ripple of flashes were a little further south, then the next a little further and now the mass heaved and surged, fighting to get back away from the next salvo. Again and again the bright flashes rippled, leaving dark, still forms scattered across the snow. Some of the crowd turned on each other, exchanging gunfire as they attempted to break clear. Several determined groups broke west and east, and headed into the steep hills.

  Eventually the artillery fell silent, and night covered the carnage. Nobody in Harold’s house spoke for a while because that had been a massacre, pure and simple. Sharyn finally broke their silence. “Is that how they intend to kill us, in the end?”

  A long pause followed until Patty spoke. “No Sharyn, because Harold will never lead us into someplace like that. Will you Harold?” Her short laugh sounded harsh and contained no humour. “That’s a slightly modified version of our nasty question, would he ever expect us to break out like that?”

  “No to both questions, but we might be driven out and then into a bad place. Though after this I think the clear lesson is to stay in the city if at all possible.” Several voices objected but Harold raised a hand to stop them. “House to house in built-up areas, even with tanks in support, will be bloody if they come to get us. Especially since the enclaves have all been fighting for a while so they aren’t amateurs.” He forced a smile. “After all, if the Army come to get us there’ll be Wellington, Caddi and even the General all working on the nastiest possible surprise they can come up with.”

  “Not a thought I ever expected to be happy about.” Liz shook her head. “Now explain why those idiots left the city in a blizzard.” Harold couldn’t come up with a sensible answer. The rest also tried to work out why the hell the idiots had gone north, into the mountains, but couldn’t come up with a reason for that either. They eventually gave up and went home still wondering.

  * * *

  The phone call three days after the Glasgow breakout sent Veronica outside to disturb Harold as he stacked pipe fittings behind the library. “Harold, the gate said that Big Mack and three Hot Rods are walking down the road.”

  “Walking? I’ll go and see what’s up. Maybe they’ve broken down?” Mack ranked high enough in the Hot Rods to have a private vehicle, a transit minibus because he had trouble fitting in a car. By the time Harold arrived, Mack had started up the access road to the gate. Harold noticed that one of the others wore the overalls that were a uniform for top Hot Rods, which puzzled him even more.

  “Eyup ‘Arry. Can we come in?” Mack’s big smile contrasted sharply with the scowls on the other three.

  “No problem Mack.” Once the four had been searched and disarmed, Harold led Mack and the new man, called Dodge, to the embassy. Alfie and Emmy followed as guards, and behind them Gayle brought a bag containing four pistols.

  “How come you walked, Mack? There’s barely any snow. Has Caddi started a new fitness program?”

  Mack laughed. “Yeah, or summat close. I don’t mind walking but this lot need toughening up. You could take them on a march with big packs full of rocks, like the Army does?” Mack turned to the scowling gangster. “This is Dodge, and ‘e’s ere so you lot know ‘im next time ‘e comes.”

  Harold inspected the young man, a typical muscular Caddi-style recruit. “A new one? Is Caddi recruiting?”

  “Always, just in case ‘e loses one, careless-like. You can go and get stew and beer now Dodge. I’ve ‘eard the stew is real good, and the beer definitely is.” Mack watched the man leave, then turned back to Harold. “Caddi is saving on diesel, just a bit. ‘E reckons if we ‘ave a power cut, The Mansion can be warmed up with it. There’s only those four pistols to fix so I just stuck ‘em in my belt and walked.”

  That also meant Caddi jumped the queue but four pistols weren’t worth an argument. “In that case do you want some stew? We’ll go down to the canteen to chat so you can eat up and get home before dark.”

  “I’d better. Something terrible might ‘appen to anyone walkin’ around in the dark near Orchard Close. Our blokes up near the island ‘ave mentioned it.” Mack smiled, confident it wouldn’t happen to him.

  They talked about Glasgow while Mack ate. After the big man had eaten his first bowl of stew and asked for a second, Dodge joined Harold and Mack. “Does this stew have them giant rabbits in it?”

  “Yes. Though it also has herbs and plenty of veg.” Harold smiled. “You’ll be able to make your own soon.”

  “Hah, maybe, if Caddi don’t eat them himself as fast as the er, bloody things grow.” Dodge scowled. “He reckons we won’t get any for months yet.”

  “Not until they’ve bred up a bit. You’ll want to keep the first litter or two if possible to boost the numbers.” Harold gestured towards the kitchen. “Until then you can come and get some here.”

  “I doubt we’ll get any then. He’ll be selling them to the other gangs to get the price back.” Dodge sighed. “Which means I’ll be back because this is good stew.”

  Dodge switched to talking about what turned out to be the armed woman Harold had seen on his last visit. The woman had become a true Hot Rod, called Mercedes, though she wore short skirts or tight jeans rather than overalls. Dodge seemed to be a fan. Allegedly Mercedes had arrived armed to the teeth and wearing a necklace of human ears, and demanded to see Caddi. After the meeting she pointed out that anyone trying to get into her pants without permission would contribute his ears to the necklace, since his nuts would shrink after she cut them off.

  More than that, Caddi agreed, and added that anyone trying to rape her had better hope Mercedes killed him before Caddi started carving. Harold stared. “Really? Does he mean it?”

  “He does, and she does. She cut the first man before word from Caddi spread.” Do
dge grinned. “I saw it, before I got promotion. She came in and went up to the bar for a beer. This youth put a hand on the back of her leg and started sliding it up to go under her skirt.” The Hot Rod shrugged. “Don’t get me wrong, she wasn’t much of a prize then, kinda rough looking with scruffy clothes and hair and cuts and bruises. I reckon he did it more as a reflex, with the short skirt and all that. To be honest I hadn’t noticed the knives myself.”

  About what Harold had expected to happen at The Mansion. “What did Caddi do?”

  Both Mack and Dodge laughed. Dodge recovered enough to answer. “Nothing. Mercedes grabbed the bloke’s wrist, slapped his hand down on the counter, and nailed it there with a knife. She tried her beer and pointed out it tasted bloody awful. Then she told him and the rest of the room that the wound was the penalty for touching her leg. If he’d gone up her skirt she’d have cut the whole hand off.” He sniggered. “She pulled out the knife, wiped it on the bloke’s shirt, and wandered off to sit down with her beer. Half the men there fell in love on the spot.” From his voice that included Dodge.

  “What did he do, the one she stabbed?” Harold couldn’t see a Hot Rod standing for that treatment from a woman.

  “You mean once he’d been to get the bleeding stopped?” Dodge laughed again. “He found out about the ears and thought himself lucky. He shows the wound off now and then. The t.. idiot will probably have ‘Mercedes did this’ tattooed on the scar afterwards.”

  “Caddi mentioned a list of penalties and asking.” Harold felt relieved in an odd way, because this Mercedes had made herself visible rather than slipping quietly into Orchard Close as a refugee and causing trouble.

  “Yer. She ain’t a dyke, ‘Arry. Mercedes reckons anyone can ask and she might say yes, but if she says no they better listen. She killed the first one who wouldn’t take no and took ‘is ears.” Mack wasn’t smiling. “A lot ‘ave asked but nobody got a yes, and some ‘ave got scars where they touched after a no. Caddi just laughs at ‘em.”

  “Is she Caddi’s woman?” Though Harold couldn’t see Caddi with a woman who used knives, not the way the Hot Rod boss treated women.