‘Sounds good, Jamie. You’ve obviously given a lot of thought to certain things recently.’
As they made their way back to the house he told her of his panic attack and breakdown on Monday, when he realised the enormity of his situation and the realities of survival and self-sufficiency- especially being on his own. They sat down in the conservatory.
‘Oh, God, tell me about it! The number of nights and days I’ve sat at home crying my eyes out, wondering what to do,’ she admitted.
‘I was a bit naïve at first,’ he said, ‘but after the reality hit me on Monday I sat down and did a lot of thinking and writing down ideas and plans. We’re not going to survive by living and eating on a day-to-day basis; we’ve got to plan weeks and months ahead, especially for the winter. That’s what got me thinking about ways of storing and preserving food.’
‘I agree. I’d come to similar conclusions as you, but hadn’t yet got around to thinking about how I was going to do it. I think I’ve been too focussed on finding somewhere else to live and planting vegetables and fruit.’
‘I know- I was just the same!’
They talked all afternoon. He showed her the cellar with the modified wine racks for storing fruit and veg’ and spoke of his plans for preserving foods by drying, pickling, salting, smoking, or storing in oil, and to collect as much salt, vinegar and oil as possible. He then told her about finding Sainsbury’s warehouse stacked with food of all sorts. She listened with great interest, adding her own thoughts and suggestions, and they threw ideas back and forth between them. She had some experience of growing fruit and vegetables from previous places she’d lived, when she’d had gardens.
Their talk gradually moved on to more personal things and experiences; the plague, how they’d survived, the loss of family and friends and the awful realisation that there were almost no other survivors. He related the incident in B&Q when the man had threatened him, and the encounter with the other man in Tesco. Jane had lost her mother and both sisters in the weeks before she had become infected. He told her of his awful last conversation with his brother, and how Dave had begged him not to come round. They both got a bit tearful at that point, so he got up to make some coffee. He poured a generous slug of whisky into each mug and handed her one; she smiled in appreciation and raised her mug to him.
‘Listen’, he said, ‘you’re welcome to stay the night here and rest here tomorrow as well, or until you’re feeling better. But… given what’s happened, I’m well-aware that you might not feel comfortable doing that and want to be in your own home. We have, after all, only just met. If you’d rather go back to your place tonight I can drive you back after we’ve eaten.’
She smiled at his understanding, but shook her head. ‘No, it’s alright, really. I feel totally comfortable with you and yes, I’d love to stay the night, thanks. The thought of going back to my flat and being on my own tonight wasn’t a happy one, but I didn’t want to ask or impose.’ She hesitated for a second; ‘To be honest, Jamie, now that I’ve met you I feel a bit guilty for running away that time and for not approaching you on the other occasions I’ve seen you. I was scared, though, and couldn’t bring myself to do it.’
‘Don’t even think of it; I understand completely.’ He smiled at her. ‘Good. You can have the third bedroom; there’s a single bed in there. The largest bedroom, as you saw, I’ve turned into a store-room along with the study, and I’ve got the second bedroom. I plan to build some more shelves for the other rooms for storing jars of preserves.’
The afternoon had flown by with their conversation and it was now early evening, so they agreed it was time to prepare a meal. She went outside to pluck the duck while he built the stove up. There were still plenty of glowing embers so it didn’t take long to get going again. After Jane had prepared the duck he took her back down to the promenade, telling her of his discovery about sea beet and sea kale. She was fascinated by this and he showed her how to identify the sea beet with its glossy green leaves; the sea kale was pretty obvious. They picked a few handfuls of sea beet leaves from different plants, along with some new leaves and young stems of sea kale, and then went back to start cooking.
The duck went into a small cast-iron casserole pan with some seasoning, which he placed in the stove to roast. He prepared a casserole with the sea vegetables and some tinned potatoes and carrots. There was a bit of pancetta left from that morning, which he threw in for extra flavour, along with some parsley he’d found in the garden, which was mature and a bit overgrown around the borders. He made a mental note to have a good look around sometime soon, to see what other herbs might be lurking in the undergrowth.
While it cooked, he went into the cellar to fetch a bottle of wine as he hadn’t had any from there yet, and now seemed like a good time. It was a mature Chilean Cabernet Sauvignon and they said Cheers, clinked glasses and took a mouthful.
‘Oh, wow! That tastes good,’ she said. ‘I haven’t had any wine in months and have missed it!’
‘I’ve had a small supply, but it was getting low; I found eleven more bottles in the cellar. I’m hoping there will be a lot more in the warehouse at Sainsbury’s. We’ll need to visit there and make an inventory of the food and drink that’s left,’ to which she agreed. She made a face and reached down to touch the back of her right leg.
‘Jamie, would you mind having a look at my leg again? I think some of the wounds are weeping.’ She turned around on the chair and stretched her leg out and he bent down to have a look.
‘Yes; three of them need new plasters and probably a swab.’
He fetched the first-aid kit and a bottle of surgical spirit then removed the plasters. After cleaning the wounds he dried them and put on new plasters. There were yellow-purple bruises developing around all the wounds, adding to the orange staining from the iodine, so he dabbed them with witch hazel as well. She thanked him and they sat back around the table. He toyed with his glass for a few seconds, took a mouthful of wine and cleared his throat.
‘Jane, I’ve been thinking today; well, not just today, obviously, but especially today since we met. I’ve realised this week what a daunting and difficult task it’s going to be to survive and become self-sufficient, and damn-near impossible on my own; there’s just so much to do! In fact, I don’t mind admitting that I’m terrified at the prospect. My biggest fear is of getting injured or becoming ill and not being able to fend for myself. All it would take is a twisted ankle, for God’s sake, and I could be stuffed for days, maybe; unable to gather food, or fish, etc.
There are so many skills that we need to learn- skills that we haven’t really needed in the modern world until now; things that our ancestors took for granted because they’d grown up being taught them. What are you- late thirties?’
‘I’m thirty-eight.’
‘Okay; well, I’m forty-two. We have no way of knowing what the situation is in the rest of the country; but, based on what we’ve seen so far, it doesn’t look good, to put it mildly! I’ve only seen seven living people so far in Bexhill, including you, in over two months. From the news reports on TV and radio before the services failed it seemed to be the same everywhere in the UK; I don’t recall hearing of anywhere that was unaffected. There’s no infrastructure left and no utilities. There are bound to be other survivors somewhere, but we’re faced with the probability that it won’t get any better than this.
If we live that long, we may have another thirty or forty years of things being this way! In a matter of months we have- virtually- been taken back to the Stone Age, or at least the Middle Ages: apart from cars and some other stuff, but you know what I mean. We’ve relied on technology and service industries for so long that, as individuals, we’ve lost the basic skills necessary for survival and for making things. We’ve taken everything for granted up until now because they’ve always been available; but how many people know how to produce or make even simple things like vinegar, salt, candles, or fire?
… And what about more complicated things li
ke metal for tools, etc.? How many people left alive will know how to locate and mine metal ore, build a furnace to extract the metal, and then forge it into knives and other tools? It’s mind-boggling when you think of the implications!
We have no electricity and will have to live without it, pretty much, for the foreseeable future. I know I’ve picked up two generators, but the fuel I can gather for them will only be used for essential stuff, when it’s needed.’ He paused.
She was looking at him intently. ‘Go on.’
‘What I’m getting to is… Well, what do you think about teaming-up and becoming kind of partners; to work together and to help and support each other in the future? Based on today, we seem to get on well, and I think we’re going to need each other. Now, don’t get me wrong; I’m not talking about moving in together and playing happy families and all that crap! I don’t know if I want that or am even ready for something like that; but what about, maybe, moving in next door, or at least a house nearby? What are your thoughts?’
She looked at him for a few seconds and then looked down. She was silent for a while and then her bottom lip quivered and she wiped tears from her eyes. She drank some wine and looked at him again, a tearful smile on her face.
‘I can’t tell you how pleased I am to hear you say that! Today started out as the shittiest day of my life: being shot and then knowing I was going to be gang-raped… I’ve never been so terrified. And then you came along, and it turned into the best day I’ve had in many months, since this whole fucking thing began! I don’t just mean about you saving me; it’s more than that. I’ve thought about some of the things you’ve just spoken of and, like you, I’ve been terrified at the prospect of trying to survive on my own.
Hearing you talk today about planning for the future and what we need to do has highlighted to me that I hadn’t given nearly enough thought to what would be involved, and that made it even more scary for me. I’d maybe assumed that you were just being a good and decent man in helping me today, and that afterwards we’d go back to our own lives. I’m relieved that’s not the case, though, because I like you. So, yes, I’d really like for us to become friends and partners in survival!’
She got up, came around the table and gave him a quick hug. They both felt a little embarrassed, while also feeling very relieved. She sat down again and he raised his wine glass.
‘To new friendship and new beginnings!’
‘New friendship and new beginnings!’ she repeated.
They clinked glasses and drained their wine, then he refilled them. The food smelled like it was ready, so he removed the duck from the stove and took the casserole off the top. He carved some meat and served up the food then they tucked into it, chatting all the while. It was delicious and just what they had needed at the end of a hard day. Afterwards, he opened another bottle of wine and they sat in the conservatory with a few candles lit, talking for many hours before retiring. Tomorrow they would find her a place to live nearby.
Nine
The following morning Jamie awoke early, feeling the effects of the two bottles of red wine they’d consumed between them, plus some brandies. Jane was still sleeping. He made a large pot of coffee and took a mug outside to wander around the garden. He went first to the vegetable patch and was delighted to see shoots at regular intervals along several lines. He was no expert, but to him they looked like onions or garlic, or possibly both; it was hard to tell at this stage. The previous owners must have sowed them last autumn. That was great news and a good start to having fresh vegetables, ahead of his proposed planting.
Walking around, looking in the rather overgrown borders, he identified a large patch of chives, a rosemary bush and a spreading bay tree around four feet high. There was also a plant he was pretty sure was lovage, which Jane confirmed later. He was pleased, as he loved herbs and they would be welcome additions to his diet for extra flavouring, along with vitamins and minerals. He stepped across the border to the wall and scrambled up it to take a look at the house on the right, on the western side. He was looking around the garden and at the house when he heard the back door open and looked round. Jane was standing there looking rather bleary-eyed.
‘Morning!’ he said, smiling.
‘Morning,’ she replied, with rather less enthusiasm. He jumped down, walked back up the garden and followed her into the kitchen.
‘Bloody hell, that wine was strong! I haven’t drunk much at all in recent months; I’ve turned into a lightweight!’ she said sheepishly. He smiled and gave a small laugh.
‘A few cups of this Java will sort you out!’ He poured her a large mug. ‘How does the leg feel? Any better?’
‘Yes, a little better, thanks. It’s not as stiff, and the bruises are coming out. It was probably good that I kept moving on it yesterday, and I think the witch hazel has helped, though they’re still pretty sore. At least the wounds aren’t bleeding or weeping any more.’
‘That’s good. As long as they stay that way today, maybe you should take the plasters off tonight to let them dry out and get some air to them,’ to which she agreed.
He told her about finding the herbs in the garden, and the onions or garlic that were shooting. ‘That’s good news. Hopefully we can find a place for me today, and as soon as I’ve moved in we can start planting. There’s a lot of stuff that should have gone in already, I think.’
‘Well, fingers crossed, but we might not have to look far. The house next door looks promising, from the outside at any rate. The garden is slightly bigger than this one, I think, and there are beds and borders that can be dug up for planting, along with areas of lawn. There’s no conservatory, but the French doors open onto a patio. What is good news is that there must be open fires, log-burners or a range of some sort, as there’s a wood store outside, against the far fence. It looks like just a shed with the door removed. There’s a lot of wood stacked up in there and it has a new felt roof. The downside is that it’s a house, rather than a bungalow, which means roof and gutter maintenance will be harder, but we’ve got ladders here in the garage, so it shouldn’t be a deal-breaker.’
Jane grinned. ‘It would be great being next door. It would make working on the gardens so much easier for us, and for coming-and-going.’
‘Yes it would. Anyway, let’s not get our hopes up too much, yet. We’ll have some breakfast first and then go and take a look. There’s an upstairs window ajar, so we can take the ladder round and get in from up there.’
‘Okay.’
‘I’ve just realised that after I found this place I stopped looking and didn’t go any further along the road. This looked like it would suit my needs, so it never even occurred to me that there might be a better place further down!’
Between them they made some Scotch pancakes with sultanas, covered in honey, and he fried some pancetta to go with them. While they worked they said what a shame it was that there was no butter or eggs, but at least he had some powdered milk.
He took the pan off the heat and Jane said ‘You know, if we took a drive around the surrounding countryside sometime, we might even find a farm with some chickens roaming around. If we could catch some and bring them back we could have fresh eggs regularly. It wouldn’t take much to knock-up a pen from fencing wire and a hutch for them; or is it a coop? In fact, why would we even need a pen? This place has a high wall all around it, anyway.’
‘That’s a good idea. Wouldn’t it be cool to have our own supply of eggs? I really miss them. I’ve still got a jar or two of pickled eggs left, but it’s not the same as being able to make omelettes and other things with fresh ones.’ A thought occurred to him. ‘I found out the other day where the previous owners got their logs from; it’s a farm out near Hooe that used to deliver to here. I’d already decided to take a trip out there soon and get a supply of logs for the range and the stoves. There is a possibility that there’ll be chickens there, or maybe somewhere nearby. Once we get you moved in somewhere we can take a trip out there.’
‘That s
ounds like a plan! It will be nice to get out of town for a while, too.’
They had breakfast and cleared up, and then Jamie went back outside with a step-ladder and climbed over the wall to next door. He walked down the far side of the house to the front, where he withdrew the bolts on the side gate and opened it, then went across the two driveways to his garage. Between them they carried the big ladder across the front and then down the side to the back garden. Jane stood on the bottom rung while he climbed up and peered inside; it wasn’t a pretty sight. He looked down at Jane with a grimace.
‘Two corpses in the bed.’
She made a sour face and then shrugged resignedly. ‘Well, we had to half-expect it, and it’s not like it’s anything new to us by now, is it?’
He used the large wrecking bar to force open the window, passed it down to her and then climbed inside. After a quick search he came downstairs and opened the back door for her. ‘There’s another one in the smallest bedroom; a young girl. She’s still holding a teddy-bear, bless her. Fucking hell!’
Jane looked sad and shook her head. ‘Ah; poor thing.’
Jamie shook his head to brush the thought away and then gave her a small smile. ‘But I think this place is going to suit you well. Come in and have a look.’
He stepped back and she followed him into the kitchen, which was bigger than the bungalow’s. There was a large farmhouse-style table and chairs and on the right-hand wall was a large fireplace and chimney-breast with a range cooker in it. They bent down to examine it; it said Esse, but neither had heard of the make. He opened the doors to look inside; the left-hand door for the fire was glass with an ash-collection door under it, and an oven to the right. On top were two hotplates with hinged covers. They stood up.
The Hoffmann Plague Page 8
