Megan smiled. ‘Mum and Dad said I needed fattening up!’ She turned to Jane. ‘Mum; Karen was the first person I saw when I woke up and she was really lovely.’ Karen smiled and Jane nodded her appreciation to her.
Bill introduced them to Sally, Peter, Phil and Sophie, who all smiled and said hello. Tom asked how they were getting on and they chatted for a while about their accomplishments before Jamie asked what they all wanted to know.
‘So, Tom, you say the camp’s closing down?’
‘Yes. We’ve given it a lot of thought, but basically we’ve done all we can under the circumstances and there’s not much left we can do. Food, fuel and medical supplies are almost gone and we’ve used up the resources from the surrounding area. We’ve treated and fed around three hundred people since May and got them back to a decent state of health. Obviously, they weren’t all there at the same time as we couldn’t have coped, with only around sixty personnel. But people have come and gone as they got better and then drifted off to make new lives for themselves- or try to, at least. If I’m honest, I don’t hold out much hope for some of them, but hope I’m proved wrong.
No one has ever been faced with these circumstances before, but that’s out of our hands. We’re army and medical staff; we can’t teach them how to grow food or to become self-sufficient, though we gave lectures on a few basic things like making water safe to drink. Many people have made their way down to the coastal areas in Kent and Sussex and we’ve transported some, as we could. Some of them were from those areas anyway and have gone back to their homes as they recovered their health. My biggest hope is that survivors will form communities to help each other.
There are only a couple of dozen people left at the camp now and they’ve all been informed about what’s happening. The number of survivors on the roads south-east of London has dwindled almost to nothing in recent months. People just don’t seem to be moving around any more, especially as we’re going into winter. We’ve got people on checkpoints standing around all day doing nothing and personnel are getting restless to start making new lives for themselves.
The army is finished, really, and there’s certainly no future in it for anyone. I mean, it was a career for most people and a way of life. There’s no hierarchy or infrastructure left and no one’s been in charge overall since the plague happened. What was left of companies like ours have been operating pretty much autonomously since then, making their own decisions and just doing what they could to help people and what they thought was right; sometimes under the command of Majors like Miller and myself, but often under lower-ranking officers, or even NCOs. Once the fuel is gone or becomes unusable we’ll have no generators, and therefore no communications or other equipment. As equipment breaks down we haven’t the spares or the personnel to fix it, and no chance of being re-supplied. An army can’t function without re-supply of essentials like water, food, fuel and spares, whether it’s performing an offensive or a humanitarian role.’
Tom paused and sighed. He took off his glasses and wiped them on his shirt before putting them back on. ‘All the troops and personnel have done fantastic work since the plague. We couldn’t have asked more of them, but we all knew there was no future for us, long-term.’
He gave a wry laugh. ‘Possibly for the first time in military history we had a democratic vote about what to do! Usually, soldiers are given orders and they just follow them, but these are dire circumstances that have never happened before. People voted overwhelmingly for us to disband, so that’s what we’re doing. Everyone wants a chance to start a new life. I daresay most of them will team up to form groups and find places to live together; camaraderie has always been a big part of army life. Some are talking about going back to live at the barracks in Kent. Ultimately, though, it all comes down to food; everyone is going to have to start growing things, or they won’t survive.
Karen and I have no family left since the plague and our home has been the army for many years, serving either here or abroad. My immediate family were all up in the Midlands and Karen’s were in Cumbria. We both had large savings in the bank to buy a property in later years, but that’s irrelevant now. We want to settle in this area and we’d like to be fairly close to you folks, if possible. I liked you two from the outset, when I came to your place to examine Megan. You’ve got guts and determination and you seem to have your heads screwed on right. We both did basic survival courses, but that was many years ago and neither of us really know anything about growing food, farming or trapping, so we were hoping to learn from you folks if you’d be willing. We wondered if you knew of any properties that might be suitable nearby that we could take over?’
‘Well, there’s the Simpson’s place, isn’t there, Bill?’ said Emma.
‘Yes, that would be probably the most suitable place around here that’s close to us. It’s about half a mile away, on the edge of the village. It’s a decent house with a good plot of land and it backs onto fields. It’s got a couple of out-buildings, a covered storage area out back that’s useful and it has log-burners and open fires for heating and cooking. Water will be your main problem. There may be water butts that collect run-off from the roof; I can’t remember. If not, you’ll have to install some. Other than that there are a few lakes within half a mile. The other option would be to dig a well, which would be difficult but not impossible. The Simpsons died in there, so you’d have to clear their remains and clean the place, but I’m sure that wouldn’t be a problem for you.’
‘And we’d be more than willing to help you out with things,’ said Jamie, and Jane agreed. ‘I mean, it’s not like we’re experts, or anything,’ he added, ‘but we’ve done okay so far, for the most part. Bill and Emma have far more knowledge and experience in self-sufficiency and farming than we do.’
Karen and Tom thanked them and said how grateful they were. Emma asked Jane to help her and they served slices of cake and pie for everyone to have with their drinks.
‘You’re welcome to stay here for a few days when the time comes,’ said Bill, ‘until you can move into the place, if you think it’s suitable.’
‘That’s very good of you, Bill, thank you,’ said Karen. ‘We’ve got a tent we can pitch in a field somewhere.’
‘Nonsense!’ said Emma. ‘You’ll stay here in the house. We’ve got a spare bedroom you can use. It’s the least we can do after what you did for our Megan.’
She put her arm around Megan, who looked up at her and smiled. Karen and Tom were moved by their hospitality and thanked them again.
‘By the way,’ said Jane, ‘we met the Turners after they left the camp and came to Bexhill last month, and they passed on your message, thank you. We went round to see them a couple of weeks ago and they’re getting organised. I think they’ll do okay.’ Tom said he was pleased to hear it.
After they’d finished their drinks and cake Tom said they’d better be getting back to the camp as there was much to do. Bill asked if they wanted to see the Simpson’s house before they went.
‘No, that’s okay thanks, Bill,’ said Tom. ‘We’ll take your word for it and I’m sure it will be okay. We’ll have a look in a couple of weeks when we leave the camp and come here.’
They all went outside to see the visitors off. Everyone shook hands and Tom and Karen thanked them again. Just before driving off Tom said ‘It’s funny, you know; over the last eighteen years I’ve served in many war-zones around the world, and I never had to worry about where my next meal was coming from. But now…?’ He smiled and drove off, waving.
They went back into the house and chatted for a while about the implications of the camp closing and of Tom and Karen coming to live nearby.
‘Well it will certainly be handy having a doctor and a nurse in the neighbourhood, especially with your impending birth’ said Bill.
‘Yes it will,’ said Jane, ‘but I’m not sure how much they’ll be able to do in the future without drugs and medical supplies, apart from diagnosing or advising on the treatment of some injuries
and suchlike. I wonder if, when they come here, we should visit all the pharmacies in the area, and maybe the hospital, to see what we can find. Tom and Karen will be able to determine which things might still be usable for another year or more.’
‘Good idea,’ said Emma. ‘It’s also possible, though, that with most of the population gone a lot of common ailments like colds, coughs and other viruses will stop because there aren’t the people to breed the germs and pass them around.’
‘That’s a good point, Emma, and quite possible,’ said Jamie.
‘I think it will pay us to get to know Matt and Zoe much better,’ said Jane. ‘I mean, I’d like to anyway as they’re a nice couple, but Zoe’s a herbalist and we’re going to need to know about such things in years to come. Humans all around the world have been using medicinal herbs and plants to treat common ailments and illnesses for thousands of years.’
‘That’s true,’ said Bill. ‘Why don’t you go to see them and invite them here for a meal one day soon? I’d like to meet them and I’m sure there will be skills and knowledge we can share in the future that will benefit all of us.’ Jamie said they would do that.
‘Maybe in the spring or summer, when everything’s growing, she can come out with us to help identify herbs and plants in the area that will be useful,’ said Jane. ‘We can harvest them when they’re ready and take them to her for turning into remedies or tinctures, or whatever it is she does with them, and in time maybe we can learn to make our own as well.’
They all agreed that would be a good thing to do. Jamie told Bill about his idea to start coppicing the area again. ‘We’re certainly going to need wood in the future for fencing, hedge repairs and fuel, etc., and the sooner we begin managing the surrounding woodland, the better.’
‘I agree, mate’ said Bill. ‘The same thing occurred to me earlier in the year, but that was before we met you and I kind of forgot about it. We’ll need to repair the hedges bordering our fields fairly soon as they haven’t been tended to for a few years now. The woods around here haven’t been coppiced for at least thirty years, since my dad’s day. I’ve got three of his old billhooks in the tool shed, though they’ll want cleaning up and sharpening before they’re usable, I suppose.’
Peter said ‘Let me know when you’re going to make a start, will you? I’d like to come, too.’
‘Of course, Pete,’ said Jamie, ‘we’re going to need a few of us, anyway.’
‘That’s great. It’s something I’ve wanted to do for a couple of years. I was looking into doing some courses on countryside management before the plague came and ruined everything! I’ll look forward to it, cheers.’
‘I’ll tell you what you could do in preparation, Pete;’ said Bill, ‘you could clean the rust off your granddad’s billhooks and sharpen them up.’
‘Okay, Dad, I’ll get onto it,’ replied Peter, smiling.
Jamie, Megan and Jane left, saying they’d see them later. Megan called to Max, who got up from his warm spot in front of the range, stretched, and followed them back to their place. Jane went into the kitchen to make lunch, while Jamie and Megan sat on the sofa and Max curled up in his new bed by the stove.
‘What’s a billhook, Dad?’ asked Megan.
‘It’s a tool used in hedge-laying and forestry work, honey, and for making hurdles; like a heavy curved knife. They’ve been used for hundreds of years and there are many different types from different counties around the country. After lunch I’ll get mine to show you- it’s probably easier than describing it to you.’
‘When you say hurdles, do you mean like in athletics?’
‘No, sweetheart, though I think that’s where the name and the sport originated. A hurdle is a fence panel, made from interwoven young branches that have been got from coppicing, as they’re long, straight and pliable. A billhook is used to split the branches down the middle to make them easier to weave through the uprights horizontally.’
He picked up a pencil and paper and drew a diagram to explain it to her. It made a lot more sense to her after seeing the picture he’d drawn. ‘It’s been a bit of a dying craft for many generations now, sadly. I’ve never made hurdles, though I’ve done some hedge-laying and coppicing.’
After lunch Jamie went next door to find his billhook and took it back to show Megan, along with the cigar-shaped sharpening stone used with it. It had a wooden handle with a heavy steel curved blade like a hook and was around twelve inches long. Jamie showed her how to sharpen it outside with the cigar-stone and she tried it for herself.
‘I used to love going out for walks in the woods with my parents,’ said Megan, ‘though neither of them really had an interest in it the way you and Mum do.’
She looked down and fell silent as she thought of them, and Jamie put his arm around her and kissed her head. She looked up at him with a wistful smile and hugged him. When they went back inside Jane was sitting on the sofa with her hands on her belly.
She smiled at Megan. ‘Honey, come and feel this; the baby’s started moving around and kicking.’ Megan sat next to Jane and put her hand on her stomach, concentrating. After a minute the baby kicked and Megan jumped slightly, looking at Jane and smiling. ‘Oh wow, Mum! That’s amazing. It must feel so weird! I can’t imagine what it must feel like to have something growing inside you and to feel it move like that.’
Jane smiled at her. ‘Well, hopefully you’ll experience it someday as well.’ Megan gave a little smile and blushed, mumbling something that Jane couldn’t catch, and then she hugged her and went quiet. Jane grinned and stroked her hair.
They needed to check the new rabbit snares and Jamie said he’d go out with Max. Megan jumped up, saying she’d go with him, so Jamie got a bag and took a shotgun from the rack on the wall, along with extra cartridges. Max got up, wagging his tail and eager as ever. They kissed Jane and left, heading out across the field to the rear. They walked along the hedgerow to their right, staying to the edge of the field and keeping their eyes out for pheasant as they walked.
‘Dad?’
‘Yes, honey?’
‘When did you first realise you loved Mum, and how did you know?’
‘Ooh, blimey! I don’t know, sweetheart; it just kind of happened as we were, sort of, thrown together by circumstances. We were both scared and lonely and realised we needed each other. I mean, we got on well from the start, but I don’t recall there being a definite moment when I suddenly felt I loved her. We kind of just grew into it and our feelings got stronger over time.
If we’d met before all this had happened I don’t even know if we would have got together, if I’m honest; maybe, maybe not. But we saw things in each other- qualities, I mean- that we probably wouldn’t have seen in normal life before the plague. Most people never got the chance to show their true colours: who they really were and what they were capable of. I don’t think I ever did. Since the plague, we’ve had to do things that we’d never have done before. Relationships of all kinds have been magnified because of our circumstances, and because we realise how precious life is and how important people are in our lives. D’you know what I mean?’
‘Yes; I get what you’re saying and it makes sense, I guess.
It’s just that…’ She got slightly embarrassed and mumbled a bit. ‘Well… Mum, like, got me thinking with what she said about me hopefully having a baby one day… and I wondered if I’ll ever meet someone and fall in love…’
Jamie smiled and looked lovingly at her. ‘Well, I certainly hope so, honey.’
Twenty feet ahead, Max stopped suddenly at a gap in the hedge and went stiff as a board, looking into the next field. Megan pointed to him and Jamie took the shotgun off his shoulder. They both crouched and moved quietly up to where Max was standing. Jamie peered through the gap and saw two pheasants within a couple of feet of each other, about sixty yards out. Megan stroked Max and whispered ‘Good boy, Max!’ Jamie kneeled down and brought the gun to his shoulder.
‘If I’m lucky I should get them both with o
ne barrel.’
He took careful aim and fired. Both birds dropped together and Max raced off to fetch them. Jamie and Megan looked at each other, smiling, and then gave each other a high five. When Max brought the second bird back Megan gave him a couple of treats and patted him. They carried on to where the new snares were and found one rabbit, which pleased them, and then turned round and headed for home.
Later that night, when Megan was asleep, they were sitting on the sofa talking quietly. Jane was stretched out, leaning back against him and he was stroking her hair.
‘Megan asked me something when we were out this afternoon that made me think,’ said Jamie.
‘What was that, hon?’
‘Well, she asked me when I first realised that I loved you, and how I knew.’
Jane smiled. ‘And what did you tell her?’
‘I said I didn’t know; that there wasn’t really a definite moment as far as I could remember. We didn’t date over a period of months, or have time apart to miss each other’s company, like people used to before the plague; we’ve just always been together… I just came to love you the more I got to know you and saw what great qualities you had; your strength, determination and resourcefulness. The thing I thought of this afternoon, though, was that I don’t know if I’ve ever actually told you I love you in those words. Everything’s happened so quickly and it’s been so full-on this year…’
‘Oh, Jamie, that doesn’t matter, honey! I know you love me and I’ve always known. It shows in everything you do and say.’
‘But I do love you, Jane; more than anything. I just wanted to tell you that.’
Jane turned round and kissed him, stroking his face and thick beard.
‘And I love you, too. I think I was already falling in love with you the first week we met. You treated me like an equal and there was never any macho bullshit about you.’
She smiled at him. ‘Come on, Mr Romantic, let’s go to bed.’
The Hoffmann Plague Page 28
