“Well, sweetie, you’re with us now. I can’t say it’s going to be a joyride, but at least you don’t have to face anything alone.”
“What do you think our chances are? Really, I mean?”
“You talking about mankind or just this group?” Lucy asked, smiling.
“Well. Now you mention it, both.”
“I think mankind was done for long before this happened, but it sure as hell speeded everything up. As far as we go, well, I think we’ve got a better chance than most. We’re armed, we’ve got vehicles and we know where we’re going. That’s three things more than most survivors will have,” Lucy said and took a drink from the mug before passing it on.
The two sat in a comfortable silence for a while and then Tracey turned rigid. Lucy looked at her, puzzled, then she heard it too. She immediately dimmed the lantern. The footsteps outside got louder. Soon they were followed by more. The younger woman let out a faint yelp as the sound stopped not far away from where they sat. Both women looked towards the door and held their breath. The crunching sounds began again but this time became quieter with each step. When they were no longer audible, the pair let out deep breaths.
“Do you think they were people or those things?” Tracey asked.
“I don’t know, but there’s no way in hell I’m going to open the door to find out.”
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Alice was first to rise in the caravan, quickly followed by her two youngsters who had been cuddled next to her throughout the night. After five minutes or so, Joseph reluctantly turned over; this morning he felt unusually lethargic. He blinked and saw Alice at the gas stove with two kettles on the hobs and several tins of beans, tomatoes and spam next to her. He allowed himself a weary smile. He could always rely on his wife to get things organised in the morning, to get everybody fed and ready for the day. He edged towards the end of the low berth and placed his feet on the bristling nylon carpet. The sensation made them tingle, and his memory of the night before and the strange pain came back to him. He reached down to look at his bare foot, and saw that just below the ankle there was a small red scratch, no longer than a grain of rice. For the life of him, Joseph couldn’t think how he had managed to scratch himself there. It was inflamed and yellow around the edges. Joseph treated it as he would any other cut: he took down the first aid kit, rubbed in a little antiseptic cream and placed a sticking plaster firmly across it. His father had instilled in him that on a farm a wound always needed to be treated and covered, no matter how small it was. He pulled on his socks and clothes and slid the folding bed back into its two compartments before joining his wife.
“I’ve made some tea. I’m just brewing a few more and starting breakfast for everyone,” she said, as if it was just like any other day.
He kissed her on the forehead. “Thanks, love. Where are Beth and the little ’uns?”
“Beth was up before me. They’re all in the barn somewhere. I heard Annie giggling earlier on. It was so nice to hear. I didn’t think I was ever going to hear that sound again.” She looked thoughtful for a moment, remembering the previous two days, then snapped herself out of it and went back to the tasks at hand. Joseph kissed her again on the back of the head and stepped out of the caravan.
Breakfast was a hasty and informal affair. The group stood around the door to the caravan, taking it in turns to go forward for a plate of food like they were at a friend’s barbeque party. Nervous chatter bounced from mouth to mouth as the beginning of their journey drew closer.
After Lucy and Tracey had freshened themselves up and grabbed something to eat and drink, they quietly pulled Mike to one side.
Lucy whispered to him so her voice didn’t carry to the rest of the group. “We heard footsteps outside last night. We think two sets, but we can’t be sure.”
“What time? Where did it sound like they went?” he asked, looking at both the women for answers.
“It was probably about three hours ago. It sounded like they walked off into the distance... And before you ask, I couldn’t tell, neither of us could,” Lucy said.
Mike thought for a moment. “Look, I’ve got ideas on how we should do this. I don’t just mean how to deal with what could be outside these doors, I mean the whole journey. But everybody’s life is at stake here, and if things turn to crap I don’t want it to be because of something I didn’t think of. We should get all the adults together. I’ll gladly tell you what I think are our best options, but I’m more than happy to take suggestions if someone can think of anything better.” He looked at the two women who both gave a barely perceptible nod in agreement. Mike turned around and went looking for Alice.
“That’s worrying,” Lucy whispered.
“What is?” Tracey asked, looking towards her.
“Granted, I haven’t known Mike long, but this is the first time I’ve ever seen him lack confidence in his own ideas. Hell, his arrogance and pig-headedness are two of his most endearing qualities. You take those away and he’s just like any other twenty-year-old kid. I think this is the first time I’ve seen him scared, and if he’s scared, we’ve got problems.”
“I don’t understand. Nothing’s changed since yesterday or the day before, and he didn’t think twice about throwing himself into harm’s way,” Tracey said.
“I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but Mike’s wired a little differently to you and me. Don’t get me wrong, Tracey, I’m a fan – I wouldn’t be alive now if it wasn’t for him. I don’t think any of us would. But he’s got a few issues, and one of them is that he’s a control freak. The fact that he’s having to rely on Joseph to map the route, on Beth, Samantha, you, me, all of us... Well, all of it is out of his control. It’s not the RAMs or even other men like those who kidnapped you that he’s scared of, it’s us, Tracey. It’s us.” Lucy continued to watch Mike as he spoke to Alice. When he had finished talking, the farmer’s wife ushered the children towards the back of the barn to help with some banal task so that the other adults could make their plans.
When they were gathered in a loose circle, Mike began. “Okay, firstly, can everybody here drive?” he asked, looking at each of the faces as they nodded. He took a deep breath, grateful that the first hurdle was out of the way. “Great. Joseph, I think you should take the lead in the 4x4. You know the route, and that grill guard will mow down any RAMs that get in the way. Beth, you take the truck and caravan. It’s not ideal, but we’ll keep Alice and the kids in there, that’s where they’ll have most protection. Em, you take the box van, and Samantha, you bring up the rear in the ambulance with Tracey riding shotgun.” He paused for a moment to check everybody was following his train of thought. “You and me, Doc, we’re going to be getting some fresh air on the back of the truck. It will give us a good vantage point if we need to use the guns and it will allow a quick dismount if we need to fight hand to hand. Does anybody have a problem with that? Or any better ideas? Because if they do, now’s the time to speak.” Mike stood back, his face inscrutable, but inside he was hoping someone might have a plan that sounded a little less dangerous.
For a long time no-one spoke. Then Joseph cleared his throat to say something; his voice was a little croaky as if he was coming down with a cold. “I wish I could come up with a better plan. Looking around, I can tell everybody wishes they could. The problem is, we’ve only got so many options open to us.” He turned to face Mike. “I can see in your face, lad, that this has been nattering you. If anything happens out there, it’s not on you.” He turned around to look at the others. “If things go our way, we’ll be in Candleton later on today. Hopefully it will be safe, somewhere we can mourn our losses and then begin to build our future. If things don’t go to plan, then that’s just the way it was meant to be, and it won’t be the fault of anyone standing here. It’ll just be that the cards were stacked against us this time.” He stepped back and nodded as if to say I’m done.
“Thanks, Joseph.”
Mike said, mirroring his nod.
“I’ve got one suggestion.” Beth stepped forward and looked towards her father. “Dad, couldn’t we attach a couple of pallets to the front of the bed of the truck in between the cab and the load, to give Lucy and Mike a bit of cover? And maybe some razor wire along the edge as a bit of extra protection.”
Joseph looked towards his daughter with a soft smile. If his head wasn’t feeling so fuzzy, he would have come up with something like that, but trust his eldest to save the day. “Good idea, sweetheart, give me a hand and we’ll have it done in five minutes.”
The group disbanded and a flurry of activity ensued. Joseph, Beth and Tracey went off to begin work on reinforcing the truck, Samantha and Emma joined Alice with the children, and Lucy and Mike headed towards the Land Rover in order to gather and distribute the weapons and ammunition.
“Don’t get me wrong, I think it’s really sweet that you chose me to join you in what is so obviously a kamikaze mission, but can I just ask why?” Lucy said, raising her left eyebrow questioningly.
He stared straight into her misty blue eyes and she could see there was nothing but honesty in his tired face. “Truthfully, Doc, my sister apart, I trust you more than anybody in this place. I trust you to fight, I trust you to do what needs to be done and there is no-one I would rather have standing next to me up there. If I thought for a second I could do this by myself, I would. I don’t like the thought of putting you in harm’s way, but just knowing that I’ve got you to back me up makes me feel like we’ve actually got a chance of getting through this.”
“Oh, man. This is because I gave you that whole speech about being on the same page isn’t it? Jeez, when will I learn to keep my big yap shut?”
*
Lucy and Mike distributed the weapons evenly among those who could use them, with the warning that they should only be fired in extreme circumstances. They left ten cartridges with each shotgun and kept the rest of the ammunition for themselves. Lucy still had the Glock in the back of her jeans and she wedged the Browning along with two magazines under the tarpaulin with some foodstuffs. Joseph, Beth and Tracey had laid a roll of razor wire around the edges of the flatbed, and two large pallets had been secured into place. The gaps in the pallets were a perfect fit for the shotgun barrels, giving Mike and Lucy an extra level of protection should they need it. Two further thick tarpaulins had been attached to the bed of the truck, so if they needed to dismount from either side without getting ripped to pieces by the wire, all they had to do was flip the heavy cloth cover over and down. Lucy climbed up onto the storage box fixed to the back of the cab. There was a groove in the cab’s roof which would give her and Mike something to hold on to when the road got bumpy. Standing on the box gave her a good view, but there were still a lot of blind spots if someone or something got in too close. She stood for a moment and let out a heavy sigh before climbing back down and going in search of her friends.
Lucy got to the ambulance to find Mike kneeling on the floor, hugging Jake and Sammy closely. Emma was standing beside them, enjoying what was left of her family for what could conceivably be the last time. “Now seriously, guys, you behave for Alice. No drinking, no smoking and definitely no swearing, okay?” Mike pulled back with his finger raised and looked at them reproachfully. Both children started giggling and he held them close again, kissing first Jake then Sammy on the cheek.
He stood up and pulled away, but Jake took a tight hold of his hand. “I’m scared,” he said, looking at his older brother for reassurance.
Mike was about to speak when Sammy pulled her younger brother’s chin to face her. Her warm brown eyes, her mother’s warm brown eyes, were confident and reassuring as she answered him. “There’s nothing to be scared of, Jake. Mike and Emma are just going to be riding in different cars to us and I’ll be with you. I won’t let anything happen to us.”
Mike picked up his little brother as if he were lifting a small sack of flour. He was wearing a black T-shirt and his muscles rippled as he supported the young boy. “Sammy Bear’s right, Jake, there’s nothing to be scared of. Now remember what I told you. You be good for Alice.” He lowered the child back down to the floor and tousled his brown mop of hair while giving his younger sister an appreciative wink.
At that moment, Samantha came round the corner. Her red hair was tied back in a ponytail, and her normally pale skin was bright pink. “Alice is looking for you two.” She pointed to the children in a mock accusatory fashion. “It turns out that they’ve got a portable TV and DVD in the caravan as well as a good supply of crisps and chocolate, so while we’re all busy driving, you lot are going to be watching films and partying. How’s that fair?” she asked, smiling at Jake and Sammy. Their eyes widened and they each took one of Samantha’s hands as she led them off.
Emma kissed them both on the head as they went by and then she went up to Mike, who had been joined by Lucy. “This is it, then.” She reached up to her brother’s head, pulled his face into her shoulder and whispered to him, “Don’t let this be the last time.” She pulled back, her eyes wet.
He kissed her forehead, turned and walked away, too overcome with emotion to speak.
“Don’t worry, sweetie. I won’t let anything happen to him,” Lucy said as she handed Emma a tissue. She gave her a firm hug and then she too walked away in order to ready herself for the journey.
Joseph was just about to climb into the 4x4 when Mike approached him. “Joseph, if things... if things aren’t what you expect when we get there, you’re welcome to travel north with us.”
“That’s right nice of you, Mike, but I spoke to my brother before the phones went down. Candleton was already preparing for the worst. If there’s one thing I’m sure of, it’s that we’ll be safe there.” Joseph nodded in appreciation once more and climbed into the car. He reached across and took a bottle of water from a small bag that Alice had prepared for him. The farmer unscrewed the top and took several thirsty gulps. The back of his throat felt like he’d been gargling with sand. He reached across to the glove compartment and took out some menthol chewing gum. If he was getting a cold, at least that would keep his airwaves clear.
Mike stood in front of the double barn door. He undid the lock and looked first to Joseph, then to Beth, who was behind in the truck. Finally his eyes moved up towards Lucy. She had the shotgun aimed towards the door, ready for whatever was on the other side. Mike’s outstretched hand counted down, a digit at a time. Five, four, three, two, one. The engines started simultaneously. Mike ran forward into the courtyard pushing the left-hand corrugated steel door open, eyes darting frantically as he did so, searching for anything that shouldn’t be there. The courtyard was clear. He ran back into the barn and did the same with the right-hand door. The vehicles began to move. Mike leapt onto the back of the truck. The tarpaulin protected him from the razor wire and Lucy’s hand grasped his firmly as she pulled him to safety. He reeled the tarpaulin in and the razor wire sprang back into place. The pair of them climbed into the relative safety of the pallet cage and then up onto the box. The journey was finally underway.
Mike turned and grabbed his jacket from the floor. It was a mild morning, but travelling at speed out in the open would soon cool him down and he didn’t want to seize up at a vital moment. He looked across at Lucy who was wearing a vest covered by a thick cotton shirt.
“What?” she asked, noticing he was staring at her.
“You don’t think you’re going to be cold later on?”
“Never had you pegged for a sissy, Mike,” she said, grinning. He just shook his head in reply as if to say you’ll see.
The convoy rolled through the courtyard and began to retrace the route the ambulance had taken when they first came to the farm. The dirt track was bumpy, and after each rise, Mike and Lucy looked back nervously to watch the caravan bob wildly like an apple in water. Joseph turned onto a track that Mike hadn’t seen before. There were vast
fields on either side, once home to hundreds of grazing cattle and sheep, now eerily empty. The track led up a steady incline and while clinging safely to the cab of the truck, Mike and Lucy looked into the distance towards Leeds and countless plumes of smoke.
Mike looked in another direction. It was further in the distance, but more columns of rising smoke were visible.
“What are you looking at?” Lucy asked.
“If I’m not mistaken, Bradford,” he replied grimly, “or what’s left of it.”
Joseph began to slow down and eventually stopped in front of a gate. The rest of the convoy pulled up behind him. Lucy quickly unfurled the tarpaulin and Mike jumped down. He jogged up to the 4x4 and Joseph rolled down the window.
“Alright, Mike, out of this gate we turn left, we take a narrow lane for just on two miles and then there’s a gate on the right that will let us on to Woodrow Farm. We can get about another six miles taking the farm tracks there and through to Kent Farm.” Joseph spoke with authority. There weren’t many farmers in a fifty-mile radius who he didn’t know.
“Okay, Joseph, we’ll follow your lead. Don’t forget, you see RAMs on the road, you don’t slow down. You plough straight through them.” He looked at Joseph, who nodded confidently.
Mike walked up to the gate with his hand resting on the butt of a machete. He carefully leaned over and looked in both directions. All he saw was a quiet country lane lined with rustling green hedgerows. He slid the bolt across with a rusty shriek and pulled the heavy steel barrier back. Joseph began to move the truck forward and Mike jogged round to the side, where Lucy helped him back on board.
The truck swung out to the right in order to take the left turn without hitting the hedge on the other side of the road. Beth pulled the wheel into a full lock with a grunt and slowly advanced through the gateway. She was almost through when there was a loud scraping crunch and the truck juddered. Mike and Lucy shook too and would have lost their footing if they hadn’t been gripping the cab.
SAFE HAVEN: RISE OF THE RAMS Page 20
