Jimmy stood to go, but as he reached the end of her bed, the girl said very quietly: ‘Take me with you.’
Jimmy stopped, stunned, as her eyes flitted towards him, just for a second, before returning to the ceiling.
Jimmy stepped right back up to her. ‘You can . . . ?’
She nodded slowly.
‘The whole time you could . . . ?’
She nodded again.
‘So you’ve listened to all my crap and never said a . . . ?’ She nodded once more. ‘But why?
She smiled. ‘Do you think I want to become a soldier either?’
It was a show of bravado. She had been very seriously ill and badly traumatised when she’d been found wandering in the forest six weeks previously. And she clearly wasn’t completely right yet. When Jimmy pulled his chair closer to the bed and asked her how she’d come to be lost in the forest she just shrugged.
‘Well, where were you before that?’
She shrugged again.
‘Can’t remember, or don’t want to talk about it?’
‘Both. Either.’
Jimmy had interviewed enough people for the Times – kids and adults alike – to know that many of them had been through such horrific experiences that they literally couldn’t talk about them, without seriously jeopardising both their mental and physical wellbeing. They built protective walls around those memories, sometimes so tall and strong that even they could no longer access them.
‘So, anyway, you were sick when you came here, but then you got better – but you never let on because . . . ?’
‘. . . because it’s all about fighting and conquering and . . . stuff. I like the sound of the Titanic.’
‘You have a name?’
‘Ronni. Two ns, one i.’
‘Ronni. What’s that short for?’
‘It’s not short for anything.’
Jimmy nodded. ‘Ronni,’ he said. ‘Ronni. OK, Ronni. Do you really want to escape with me?’
‘Yes. Definitely.’
‘OK then. All we need now is a plan. And an opportunity. And some luck.’ They heard footsteps outside. Ronni’s head fell back on her pillow and her eyes glazed over. ‘Start thinking,’ whispered Jimmy, and stood just as the nurse re-entered, carrying a large pile of fresh linen. She looked surprised to see him up.
‘Jimmy, should you—’
‘I’m confused,’ he said quickly, nodding down at Ronni’s bed. ‘She never moves a muscle, yet her plate’s always empty. I think we have mice. Big ones.’
The nurse smiled indulgently ‘Jimmy, she eats. But only in the dark, in the middle of the night. She’s getting better, but it’s going to be a long, slow process.’
Jimmy shook his head. ‘If you ask me, she’s faking.’
He turned for his bed.
‘Jimmy!’ scolded the nurse.
One thing he was pretty sure of, he needed to stay in the First Aid hut for as long as possible. If he returned to the troop there would be less opportunity to plan or execute the escape. So in the midst of more verbal sparring with the nurse he faked a dizzy spell and collapsed down on to his bed. She rushed across, pulled the covers up over him, took his temperature and tutted. In fact he was feeling rather hot, but he played it up. Later in the afternoon, several of his comrade troopers visited, but he pretended to be asleep. They cooed over his medal and talked about his heroics and remarked on how ill he looked.
‘He’s definitely not going to be fit for tomorrow,’ said Torres.
One of the girls said, ‘I can’t imagine going into battle without him.’
Through all of this Rain Man continued to sleep.
After five minutes the nurse shooed them away. Then she went off for dinner, allowing Jimmy to climb back out of bed. Ronni stood with him by the window while they tried to puzzle out a way to escape. She was slightly more practically minded than he was.
‘We’ll need food, clothes and medicine,’ she said. ‘We’ll need a tent and pots and—’
‘We’re not going camping,’ said Jimmy. ‘We just need to get out. There’s a whole world full of stuff out there that nobody needs any more – we can pick it up as we go.’
‘And what if we wander around lost in the woods, what if we’re wet and hungry and—’
‘We won’t be. Or if we are, we’ll figure out what to do. But none of it matters anyway, because there’s no way out.’
Jimmy stared through the glass at the wire fence thirty metres away. It wasn’t quite dark yet, but the search beams were already crisscrossing the plain beyond. Trucks filled with supplies rumbled back and forth; soldiers sat in little groups, taking their guns apart and putting them back together, checking and rechecking. Some alredy had camouflage painted on their faces.
What did they say earlier? ‘He’s definitely not going to be fit for tomorrow.’ ‘I can’t imagine going into battle without him.’
They were preparing for war.
Jimmy drummed his fingers on the window.
We haven’t even trained with guns yet. What kind of a crazy war is that? If we’re fighting another army, we’re going to get slaughtered!
Not ‘we’!
They. They’ll get slaughtered.
It has nothing to do with me.
I have to get out of here! There must be a way.
And it has to be tonight.
‘There must be a way! There must be a bloody—’
‘There is a way.’
It wasn’t Ronni.
It was Rain Man, sitting up in bed.
Jimmy gave him a hard look. ‘I thought you were sleeping.’
‘How can I with you two plotting your escape?’
‘You weren’t supposed to hear that. And there’s no plotting going on. And if you squeal on us I swear to God I’ll—’
‘You’ll what? Kill me?’ Rain Man laughed. ‘You’ve just saved me. Anyway, I figure I owe you.’
‘Whaddya mean?’
‘Don’t get me wrong, Frankie . . .’
‘Frankie?’ said Ronni.
‘It’s a long story,’ said Jimmy.
‘Short for Frankenstein,’ said Rain Man.
‘Are you some kind of monster?’ asked Ronni.
‘No!’ He glared at Rain Man. ‘What are you talking about?’
‘Well, Frankie, I still think you’re an arrogant, disloyal, disruptive son of a . . . but I still owe you. And I think I know how you can escape. Both of you, if that’s what you want.’
Jimmy stared at him.
‘That’s what we want,’ said Ronni. She nudged Jimmy. He nodded begrudgingly.
‘What’s the big idea?’ he asked.
Rain Man pushed his covers back. He took a deep breath and stood. He immediately sat down again. Ronni went across and offered him her arm. He took it and she helped him up then supported him as he crossed to the window. He leaned on the sill and nodded out. ‘Through the fence . . .’
‘Through the fence?’ Jimmy exploded. ‘Do you not think—’
‘Will you give me a chance?’ Rain Man snapped. Jimmy glared at him again. They would never be friends. ‘OK. So all of the lights are powered from a central generator. If I find a way to disable it then it’s going to be pitch black out there. You’ll have at least five minutes before they get the backup working.’
Jimmy blinked at him. ‘You would do that?’
Rain Man nodded. ‘If it makes us even, sure. Anyway, chances are they’ll get the lights back on and you’ll be shot before you make the woods, but if you think you can do it, why not?’
‘And what if you get caught?’ Ronni asked.
‘I’ll act all delirious and they’ll think I did it by accident. Or something. It doesn’t matter, I owe him.’
Jimmy shook his head slowly. ‘Maybe you’ll just switch the generator off for a minute, long enough for us to get out there, and then you’ll switch it back on again and we’ll be sitting ducks. Maybe that’s your plan. How do we know we can trust you?’
‘You don’t,�
�� said Rain Man.
26
Tunnels
They were being followed, they knew that. Footfalls echoed along the tunnels; they caught flashes of light in the darkness. First Officer Jeffers repeatedly whispered for them to be quiet, but it was difficult, with huge brown rats nipping at their ankles every few metres. They too had developed a taste for human flesh since the plague, but with it running out above ground the Rat Gods had seen fit to deliver a nice fresh dinner below. Or something like that. They were relentless.
‘I hate this, I hate this, I hate this . . .’ Claire repeated over and over in a frozen whisper. She’d always hated the dark. Now she hated the dark and rats. The dark and rats and cannibals. And the fact that their radios no longer worked so far underground. She tried to focus on the one good thing she was holding on to – Jimmy was alive! Babe lives! What else could it mean? But where was he? Was he trying to get back to the ship? What if he’d been alive when he sent it, but was dead now?
C’ mon, Jimmy you can make it.
Even if we don’t.
She’d thought Jeffers’ idea to use the underground tracks was a good one. But the reality was something else. Cannibals behind. Rats all around. Flashlights beginning to weaken. All they needed now was for the cannibals to appear in front of them as well and they’d be trapped. And eaten. She wanted to run, sprint, make it back to daylight, but they had miles to go and they had to keep the speed down because the other passengers couldn’t keep up.
The slowest of them all was the Rev. Calvin Cleaver.
The minister started to cough and splutter almost as soon as they entered the tunnel that would take them on the first leg of their journey underground to Penn Station. Every few minutes he would bend double and dry retch, forcing Jeffers and the crewmen to call a halt until he had recovered sufficiently to continue.
Cleaver was apologetic and blamed his illness on an allergy to rats. ‘You go on – leave me . . . I know I’m slowing you down . . . I’m sorry . . .’ and he looked fearfully back down the track.
‘I’m not leaving anyone behind,’ said Jeffers.
It was a good and noble thing to say, but it didn’t sit well with Rodriguez. ‘You left my wife behind!’
‘Mr Rodriguez, your wife was taken’ said Jeffers, his voice calm but firm. ‘To have spent any longer looking for her would have endangered our entire mission. We are all together here now, and I intend to keep it that way. Now keep your voice down.’
Rodriguez seethed, but said nothing further.
Cleaver pushed himself erect. ‘I think I can go a bit further now,’ he rasped.
As they moved on Claire whispered to Ty, ‘Maybe if we left Cleaver behind the cannibals might forget about us and have him for lunch.’
‘There’s not much meat on him,’ observed Ty. ‘Barely enough for a sandwich.’
‘Don’t be ridiculous,’ said Claire. ‘Where are they going to get bread for a sandwich?’
They giggled. But then there was a cry, a flash of light, and the shadows of perhaps fifty pursuers all jumbled together, were briefly illuminated on the tunnel wall perhaps only a quarter of a mile behind them.
Already the giggling seemed like a distant memory.
‘Come on!’ Jeffers urged.
Two of the crewmen grabbed Cleaver and bundled him along. Claire found herself jogging along beside Jonas Jones. He was a large man and not terribly fit, but he was still quicker than most of the passengers.
‘This isn’t going to work,’ Claire moaned. ‘They’re too fast, we’re too slow!’
Jonas smiled grimly. ‘I’m sure the boss has a plan.’
‘It better be a good one.’
About a hundred metres further on Jeffers stopped abruptly and shone his torch, which was scarcely larger than a pencil, to the left. Then he quickly consulted the map of the network of tracks he’d kept folded in his left hand. As Claire and the rest of them approached she registered the slightest breath of cool air on her face.
‘Mr Benson!’ Jeffers barked urgently.
Benson, hurried up. ‘Sir?’ he asked, a little warily.
‘Benson, you’ve been a thorn in my side ever since you joined the Titanic.’
‘Sir.’
‘You’re always on punishment duty.’
‘Sir.’
‘Well, if you do this properly, you’ll never be on punishment duty again.’
‘Sir? What if I do it wrong?’
‘Then you’ll be dead, Mr Benson, and it won’t matter. We all will. Now listen carefully – to our left here is a service tunnel. The entrance is marked on the map, but not how long it is or where it goes. However, there’s fresh air coming from somewhere. I want you to run down there and make plenty of noise; take your flashlight and make sure they see you.’
‘I’m a decoy, sir.’
‘That’s it. We will continue on along the tunnel in the dark, hopefully we’ll confuse them for long enough to get a proper head start. You understand what you’re doing?’
‘Yes, sir. You’re sacrificing me for the good of the company.’
‘No, Mr Benson, you’re volunteering to sacrifice yourself for the good of the company. Aren’t you?’
‘Yes, sir.’ He turned to go, but immediately turned back. ‘Sir, if I always screw things up, how come you’re trusting me to do this?’
‘Because, Mr Benson, if it comes down to a fight, I want my best sharp-shooters here with me. You couldn’t hit a barn door with a cannon from a distance of one metre. Right – off you go. You lead them on, you do your best to lose them. If you make it, you know where the rendezvous point is – we’ll see you there in twenty-four hours. Now get moving!’
‘Sir!’
Benson darted into the left-hand tunnel.
‘Lights out, everyone,’ hissed Jeffers. They were plunged into darkness. Jeffers immediately called out as loudly as he dared: ‘Not you, Mr Benson!’
‘Sorry!’ echoed back towards them.
His light blinked on.
‘OK, let’s move out everyone,’ Jeffers whispered. ‘Quietly, carefully, and when I give the word, freeze and don’t move again until I say so.’
They walked cautiously along the railway tracks, Dr Hill in the lead, the next man with his hand on his shoulder, the next on his, and right back. They didn’t make a sound when they stumbled. They bit their lips when something furry brushed their legs. Jeffers stayed right at the back, urging stragglers forward, watching the advance of the cannibals behind. There was nothing as disciplined about their pursuers. They were a tumultuous, ravenous horde.
Jeffers passed the word back and they flattened themselves against the wall as the cannibals reached the entrance to the service tunnel. A dull, metallic hammering reached them – Benson at work, attracting their attention by banging on the tunnel walls. The rest of them held their breath as the cannibals’ lights, most from burning torches, flickered in the sudden breeze from the service tunnel. It was the first time Claire had been able to glimpse their pursuers. She was surprised by their appearance. She had imagined crazed, blood-spattered zombies, but they looked so ordinary. Men, women, even children she might quite easily have passed in a supermarket or sat beside in a cinema. Ordinary people, who wanted to have her for dinner.
After a brief hesitation the horde surged into the service tunnel. One by one the lights disappeared as they crowded through the narrow entrance. Soon there were only two distinct lights remaining – one elderly man holding a burning torch and a child in short trousers with a flashlight – and Jeffers was on the verge of ordering them to press ahead, when there was a sudden clattering sound from behind Claire. A moment later a torch, having rolled across the ground and struck the far wall, turned itself on. In the brief moment before Jonas Jones threw himself upon it to block out the light Claire saw Cleaver with his hands raised in abject horror and mouthing the word ‘Sorry!’
The old man and the child turned from the service tunnel entrance to look in their direction
.
The old man pointed.
The child yelled to the rest of his kind.
‘Run!’ Jeffers barked.
He grabbed hold of Claire and propelled her ahead of him into the darkness, pushing the other passengers after her.
Cleaver stumbled forward. ‘I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry . . .’
‘Just keep going!’
Jeffers and the remaining crewmen held back. They had their guns out and were aiming back down the tunnel towards the cannibals, who were now pouring back out of the service tunnel.
Jonas drew his own weapon and came to join them. But Jeffers quickly sent him away. ‘You must press on,’ he ordered, ‘we’ll hold them for as long as we can, but you must reach the factory.’
Jonas raised a hand and saluted. ‘Good luck!’
First Officer Jeffers nodded grimly, returned the salute and then turned to join his men. The shooting started a few moments later.
27
Escape
‘Cut it! Cut it! Cut it!’
‘I am bloody cutting it!’ Jimmy hissed.
‘Cut it harder!’
They were at the wire fence surrounding Fort Hope. Rain Man had done what he’d promised to do. The generator was down and this was their one chance to escape. Hand-cranked sirens wailed. Officers screamed orders. Soldiers stumbled out of their barracks. It was utterly black. There wasn’t even a moon to give them some guidance. It was total chaos, and exactly what they wanted, but it wouldn’t last for ever – and they couldn’t cut the damn wire and vital seconds were storming past.
With the nurse gone for the night Jimmy and Ronni had gone through the surgical equipment stores in the First Aid hut and found a stout pair of jagged-mouthed scissors which cut cleanly through everything they tried them out on – wood, plastic, iron bed springs – but now that they really needed to work they were absolutely useless.
‘Jimmy – do it!’
‘I’m doing my best!’
But his best wasn’t good enough. Jimmy flung them down. He looked up at the fence – the barbed wire that topped it was thick and razor-sharp, there was no way they’d be able to wriggle through it. Nor could they dig under – the fence was tight against the ground and sealed in with cement.
Titanic 2020: Cannibal City Page 16
