“How can they help you if you don’t know the blood type?”
“They’re O negative.”
“I don’t understand. Jules only said, ‘O.’ We don’t know if she’s positive or negative.”
Lucy turned towards Wren. “O negatives are universal donors. They’re the only hope she’s got.”
✽ ✽ ✽
“Stop right there!” shouted the woman’s voice.
Talikha’s heart sank to the floor. They were so close to Torridon, spitting distance almost. The way ahead was clear. Whoever had spoken was in the trees. “Please! We mean you no harm. We just want to pass through.”
“You need to turn around,” the woman shouted.
“We can’t.”
“You can, and you will.”
“If we turn around, we will all die.”
“If you take another step forward, you’ll all die. It’s your choice.”
“Please let us talk about this. I’m sure we can come to an understanding. We only want to get to Torridon,” Talikha said, looking towards the trees in the direction the voice had come from.
“Torridon is exactly where I don’t need you to be. This is your final warning.”
“They could be bluffing. We could rush them,” Ryan said.
“I say we take the risk,” Vicky added. “They might take some of us; they can’t take all of us.”
“What have we got to lose?” said Saanvi.
Talikha let out a deflated breath. The last thing any of them needed was a moonlit battle. She looked down towards Sammy, but Sammy wasn’t there. “Sammy? Where’s Sammy?” she asked Jake, who pointed. Talikha looked through the shadows to see Sammy’s diminutive figure walking up the side of the road until it was more or less opposite where she believed the woman’s voice to have come from. “Sammy, come back!”
“Please,” Sammy shouted. “We’ve been thrown out of our homes. A lot of our friends have died. We’ve had to leave all our possessions. We have no food or water, and if we go back … if we go back…” She started to cry. For the first time in her life, she began to believe she would not see Mike or Emma again. “They’ve killed my sister and my brother, and they’ll kill us.”
There was a long silence. Then hushed conversations flitted between the trees.
“Is it true what she said? Were you forced out of your homes?” the woman shouted.
“Yes,” Talikha replied.
“How?”
“First, they came from the sea with infected and tried to kill us all. When that didn’t work, they invaded.”
A figure emerged from the trees; then another and another. The woman slowly crossed towards Sammy then on to where Talikha was standing. Even in the dim light of the moon, Talikha could see that the group was made up of children and teenagers, and even the woman herself was not that old. “That happened to Sally and Max. We found them a few days back, just wandering. Sounds like their pirates paid you a visit. Look, I don’t know how this will work, but we’re stopping at this hotel.”
“Ah! That is where we were heading. How many of you are there?”
“Twelve.”
Ryan laughed. “And you were going to kill us all.”
“It was worth a punt. How many of you are there?”
“About five hundred.”
“Yeah, we might have struggled with that many.” Sammy returned to join them, still wiping her eyes. “Brave little girl you’ve got there,” she said to Ryan.
“She’s not mine. Her brother and sister are back there,” he said, pointing his thumb over his shoulder.
“Oh.”
“What are you doing out here?” Talikha asked as the procession began to move forward once more and the remaining youngsters hiding in the trees came out to join their leader.
“We’re looking for somewhere.”
“What kind of somewhere?”
“A place that we’d heard about on the road, a place called Safe Haven.”
“I am sorry to tell you that Safe Haven is what we have left behind. It has fallen,” Talikha replied.
“No!” the woman said, stopping again. “It can’t have done. We came all this way. We were told they’d take us in, that they’d help us.”
“We are not really in any position to help anyone at the moment, but we will be again, soon enough.”
“No offence, but if you’ve got no home, no food, no water and just sticks and rocks to fight with, you’re not really going to be able to help anyone,” the woman said.
“That is not all we have.”
“Oh. What else have you got?”
“We’ve got each other.”
✽ ✽ ✽
The Land Rover skidded to a halt on the track, and Mike dived out, closely followed by Emma and Barnes, leaving Jenny and Ruth almost like statues. They ran the few metres to Mike and Lucy’s cottage and burst through the door.
“I’ll get the range heated up and put some water on,” Barnes said.
“I’ll get all the lanterns on,” Emma said.
“I’ll go get the weapons cache,” Mike added, immediately bounding up the stairs, two at a time.
Less than a minute later, they heard the VW camper coming to a stop. Mike jumped down the last few steps with the holdall full of weapons and ammunition. He pushed it up against the wall to make sure no one would trip over it and ran out to the vehicles carrying the single quilt that he had ripped from Jake’s bed. He climbed into the camper, and with Lucy, Raj, and Wren, they slowly lifted Jules onto the quilt and, taking a corner each, stretchered her into the kitchen, by which time the lanterns were all on. Jenny and Ruth had now joined Emma and the three of them were lighting candles and placing them in strategic positions to cast as much light around the room as possible.
The stretcher-bearers carefully placed Jules down on the solid oak table. “I’m going to need you and Emma to give blood. She needs a transfusion, and you’re the only possible donors,” Lucy said, looking towards Mike.
“Whatever she needs.”
“Goes without saying,” Emma added, lighting the final candle.
Shaw and George walked in, and both of them looked physically shaken at how pale Jules had turned.
“Shaw … Shaw! The weapons are by the door. Me and Em have got to stay here with Lucy,” Mike said, rolling his sleeves up. Lucy disappeared out of the room to grab whatever medical supplies she could find.
“I know, Lucy mentioned it on the drive over here,” Shaw replied. “I’m wondering if we should all stay here until morning. There’ll be a few of them at that barricade and to be four troops down we’ll be struggling.”
“If we don’t do this now, we’ll completely lose the element of surprise. They’ll know something’s wrong if they don’t know already,” Barnes said.
Mike unclipped the enemy radio from his belt. “There haven’t been any broadcasts from them. Hopefully, our luck’s holding for the time being.”
Shaw picked up the radio and stared at it long and hard. “Looks like it’s just you and me, Barney.”
“I’ll go,” Wren said.
Shaw looked uneasy. “I don’t doubt your credentials as a markswoman with those crossbows, but it’s going to be dark, and these guys are going to have guns.”
“No, really? I thought they’d all be armed with peashooters.”
Mike smiled. “You should take her. Wren’s faced down people like this before. I’d feel just as confident having her by my side as one of you two.”
“I can handle a gun too,” George said. “Not a rifle but a pistol. I’ve had some practice.”
“Okay, that’s four of us,” Shaw said.
“To be honest, the only people I need are Mike and Emma. Raj is pretty handy in a tight spot,” Lucy said.
“Okay, Ruth and I might not be able to shoot, but we’ve been in the trenches plenty of times before, I’m sure there’s something we can help with,” Jenny said.
George walked over to the kitchen table and placed his hand on Jules’s
pale cheek. “Hang in there, poppet,” he said before swallowing hard, wiping a tear from his eye, and heading out of the door.
The others filed out too, leaving Shaw with Lucy, Mike and Emma. “I’m sorry I can’t go with you,” Mike said.
“I won’t lie. I’d feel a lot better about our chances if you four were with us.”
“Wait a minute,” Mike said. “How long does it take to give blood?”
“A pint will take about ten minutes,” Lucy replied.
“Leave the Land Rover,” he said, turning to Shaw.
“Mike, you’ll be weak and a little dizzy after giving blood. You’ll need time to rest,” Lucy said.
“I’ll be fine. I’ve lost plenty of blood before, I’ve always been okay,” he replied.
“No, you won’t be fine. Jesus, Mike, I do know what I’m talking about.”
“Look, nothing about this is ideal.” He rolled up his sleeve. “Get the needle in. Shaw, leave the Land Rover; I’ll be with you as soon as I can.”
Lucy glared at Mike and then realised there was no point in arguing, the decision had already been made.
chapter 28
George pumped the gas pedal three times and turned the key in the ignition. The old engine slowly spluttered to life, and he reversed down the track. Everyone remained silent; there was lots of blood inside the campervan, reminding them of how severe Jules’s situation was.
“What do you have in mind exactly?” Raj asked nervously as the camper came to the end of the track and joined the side road. It slowly steered up the narrow lane until it joined the main carriageway. George negotiated the sharp left turn, and they were on their way to death or glory.
“I’m still working on all the details,” Shaw said.
“That’s reassuring,” Wren replied, stroking Wolf’s head.
“On the upside, Barney’s got a night scope for his sniper rifle, and I’ve got one for the SA80.”
“And what if they’ve got night vision too?” Wren asked.
“Even if they have, they won’t have a sniper like him.”
“Okay, but once he’s taken a couple of them out, aren’t they all going to go diving for cover so we won’t be able to see them?”
“It’s not like we’ve got a lot of choices, Wren. We can’t drive straight up to them and let rip.”
“Wren, Shaw’s been doing this for a long time. If it wasn’t for him, Safe Haven would have fallen long before now,” George said.
“No, she’s right, it’s a shitty plan,” Shaw admitted.
“So what’s a good plan?” Raj asked.
“Making sure we outnumber them about five to one.”
“Ah,” replied Raj.
“Exactly, ah!”
“Hang on,” Wren said.
“What?” Shaw asked.
“Okay, we can’t outnumber them five to one, but we can make them think they’re outnumbered five to one.”
Suddenly everybody’s ears pricked up. “How would we do that, Wren?” Barnes asked.
“Well, if we could split up and have Barney on this side of the checkpoint with his sniper rifle and a few of us in the trees on the other side, I bet it would be pretty easy to convince them there are more of us than them.”
“How?” Barnes asked.
“Shaw would need to be in the trees. He shouts out something clichéd like, ‘Put down your weapons, you’re surrounded.’ They probably won’t believe us at first, but at that point they’ll be looking towards the woods. That’s when Barney takes a shot or two from the other side. Maybe you could wound a couple of them or something. They’ll realise they’re out in the open and covered on at least two sides. The only logical thing to do would be for them to put their weapons down.”
“And if they don’t?” Shaw asked.
“Well, if they don’t, we’re back to plan A.”
“And forgive me for being dumb, but how do we get to the other side of the checkpoint?”
“Err…”
“Hang on, I know,” Barney said. “Stan Collinshaw’s motorboat. You could take it up and around the cove. That would give you access to the woods. You’d be able to get bang opposite them without them even having a clue.”
“That … might work. That’s pretty impressive, Wren. How did you come up with that?” Shaw asked.
“I was out on the road a long time before I met you lot, remember. My sister and I did all sorts together.”
“Well, I’m just glad you’re on our side. I’d hate to go up against somebody as smart as you.”
“Considering most of the bad guys out there are men, there’s not much chance of that, is there?” she replied with a smile.
✽ ✽ ✽
“I really don’t like this, Mike,” Lucy said, placing a plaster over the needle puncture.
“I’ll be fine, trust me. Keep an eye on the road. I doubt if you’ll see anything coming from the direction of the village, but if something goes wrong at the North Ridge…” He saw the look of worry intensify on Lucy’s face. “Just keep a lookout, okay?”
Emma walked up to her brother and put her arms around him, giving him a big hug and kissing him on the cheek. “Don’t say I never do anything for you,” she said, handing him a pecan granola bar.
“You’re my absolute favourite sibling over the age of twenty, do you know that?”
Emma smiled. “Funny fucker, aren’t you?”
“Keep an eye out. I’ll be back as soon as I can. Love you.” He turned towards Lucy, who was already preparing the needle for Emma’s arm. “Love you.” She didn’t say anything, maybe because if she did she would begin to cry. Mike walked out of the kitchen and headed straight out of the house towards the waiting Land Rover. The night air hit him, and he immediately felt woozy and disoriented.
“How is she doing?” Emma asked as Lucy slid the needle into her arm.
“Well, I’ve cleaned up the entry and exit wounds and stopped the bleeding. There aren’t any fragments in there, which is great. The bullet didn’t penetrate any major organs, and once we’ve given her this transfusion, I’m going to pump her with antibiotics and a little morphine for the pain. All we can do is keep a close eye on her and hope.”
“What do you think her chances are?”
Lucy looked at Jules’s pale face then turned to Emma. “She’s as tough as they come, she’s a fighter, and she’s not got any other medical issues. She stands as good a chance as anyone.”
Emma watched as her blood began to flow down the clear tube. There was a feeling deep inside her that said all this was for nothing.
✽ ✽ ✽
Richard didn’t know what he was going to do when he reached the North Ridge checkpoint. The guards would be heavily armed, and all he would have was a handgun of some description that he had no idea how to use. He rounded the bend to the final mile stretch of road then he heard a familiar sound carrying on the breeze. It was quiet at first, but gradually it grew in volume. He turned and saw in the distance a set of headlights. These headlights were distinctive though. They weren’t the bright LEDs of modern vehicles that nearly blinded you as they approached. They were the round, not so bright little owl eyes of a VW campervan.
“It can’t be,” he said out loud. His heart began to race. There were only three people who knew how to start Sue’s temperamental old hippy mobile now that it had been reconditioned. One of them was already dead, he was the other one, meaning… “George.”
He watched as the lights disappeared and reappeared around bends and up inclines. For the first time in a long time, a small smile started on his face. If it was George that meant Ruth might be alive too. It meant all the council may have survived. Suddenly he had a purpose once more. He remained in the middle of the road watching the lights as they gradually got bigger and bigger. What if it wasn’t George? What if some amateur grease-monkey had figured out how to get it going? If that was the case, so be it. He was tired and getting mowed down by the project that he and David had worked on like
brothers would be a poetic way to go.
It was several minutes before the campervan finally chugged around the bend and came to a stop, by which time another vehicle’s headlights could be seen in the distance. Despite the lights not being particularly strong, he still had to shield his eyes a little. The side door of the VW opened, and a figure climbed out. To Richard, it was just a silhouette, it could have been anyone. He held his breath as they slowly and silently advanced towards him. Then he saw it, the figure was carrying a pistol by their side. Oh God. This is it!
“Richard?”
For a moment he couldn’t answer; then, as the figure ran towards him, he held out his arms. “Ruth? Ruth, is that you?” He began to cry.
“Oh, Richard, I didn’t think I would ever see you again.” The pair embraced, and even when other figures climbed out of the vehicle and began to crowd around them like spectators around the chimp enclosure at Edinburgh Zoo, they did not stop.
Tears combined as their cheeks met then, finally, they pulled apart. Richard took hold of Ruth’s hand and turned towards the semi-circle that had formed between them and the campervan. “They murdered David.”
Ruth’s hand went limp in his. “What? Why?” Shaw asked.
“He stayed with them. He stayed with Angus and Maureen and the others while the rest of us carried on. Then there were shots. I ran back as fast as I could, but it was all over. There was blood everywhere. They’d tipped the bodies over the cliff. It was…” He started to cry again, and Ruth pulled him into her.
“There was nothing you could have done, Richie,” she said softly in his ear.
He lifted his head. “There was, and I did.”
“What do you mean?” Shaw asked.
“They were using the school minibus. I made them crash. They hit the rocks, and I heard them all screaming as they went down. I heard them screaming, and the sound lifted my heart. I’d got revenge. I’d got revenge for David and the others.” He wiped the tears from his eyes and saw the headlights of the other vehicle much closer now. “There’s somebody coming.”
They all turned. Shaw and Barnes ran back to the campervan and retrieved their rifles, aiming them down the road. The tyres screeched as they followed the tarmac around and Barnes lowered his weapon as it continued to hurtle towards them. “What are you doing?” Shaw asked, keeping his SA80 on the speeding car.
Safe Haven (Book 6): Is This The End of Everything? Page 24
