After it Happened Boxset: 1-6 Omnibus Edition, page 12
Ian drove and Andrew went with him. As agreed, when they got close to home, Dan would peel off and make use of the rest of the day. They were told to find somewhere to park the lorry that wouldn’t cause an issue and report to Leah with their haul.
Dan spun around at the island where they had first split off from Lexi’s. He decided to leave Neil’s and Lexi’s groups alone, and allow them to form their own leadership status without him interfering. He decided to head in the direction between where Neil had gone and where Lexi was, which led to a small town probably thirty miles from home. He rolled through slowly, looking from side to side as he crawled.
He couldn’t see anyone, but he had an unmistakable sense of being watched. He decided to stop and have a break, to see if anyone would creep out from the woodwork. He sat on his bonnet with a coffee and lit a cigarette, being careful to give off the not a care in the world vibe when in fact he was acutely tuned in to every sound.
He sat there, sipping his coffee and smoking, with his feet on the winch cable and bumper. His M4 hung down between his legs, the suppressor lightly knocking into the grill when he moved. He was certain he was being watched, but decided that scanning the area was probably a bad idea. He didn’t want to scare anyone else. He decided to take some action, but nothing that would get him shot at. He threw down his cigarette end, tipped the dregs of his coffee, and jumped to the ground.
“I know you’re out there,” he called out. “I’m alone and I’m friendly.” He left it at that, screwing the cup back onto his metal flask.
Just as he was about to give up, a movement to his left showed momentarily. He turned slowly to see a woman carrying shopping bags and looking very unkempt. She had a young girl, probably three or four years old, hiding behind her legs. The woman looked close to tears; she was clearly scared of Dan, but it looked as though she was not going to last long without modern comforts.
“Are you a soldier?” she asked.
He would have placed her at about the same age as Lexi at the oldest, only this woman was painfully thin and looked weak. “Of a sort, yes,” he replied. “I come from a group of people. We have a home set up a couple of towns over. Come back with us?”
The woman still shook and looked to the ground, thinking. “My name’s Eve,” she said with an air of acceptance. “I have no idea about her because she won’t speak to me,” she said, nudging the child gripping her legs. “I haven’t got a clue about kids, but I found her a few days ago and she just followed me,” she finished.
Dan thought that this woman would not last long in the current climate. He opened the rear door of his Land Rover and stepped away, allowing them to approach slowly. He decided that these two could be fixed by others in the group, as he doubted he had the patience. The woman climbed in, but the child was too small to reach that high unaided. It hadn’t occurred to Eve to help her in. Dan gently picked her up under the arms, and he felt her whole body tense. He reassured her, and placed her feet on the back seats, where she threw herself in towards Eve.
“Did you come with the other soldier?” Eve asked as he climbed back behind the wheel. That made him stop.
“No. Tell me about this other soldier,” he said, trying to control his impatience.
“He looked like you, had army stuff on and a gun,” she said, frustrating him with her lack of detail.
“Describe him and the gun. What was he driving? How long ago was it?” he said, forcing himself to go slow with this fragile woman.
“Not long before you came, further up the road. He was shorter than you and a bit older, I think. The gun was a machine gun with a big thing on the top.” She sketched an outline of a large optic. “And he was driving a Jeep like this.”
He swallowed the retort that Jeeps weren’t off-roaders, and off-roaders weren’t Jeeps. He decided to take a drive down to the far end of town before he turned and got these two back home. From the smell of them, he didn’t fancy spending all day in the car. He surreptitiously wound down his window as he drove.
After another hour searching, he saw no sign of anyone. He decided against leaving any clues to their new location.
Dan drove home steadily, getting occasional questions from Eve. He told her how many of them there were, not counting anyone new that the others may bring back that day. He felt a little cruel for thinking it, but he found Eve very annoying.
He stopped a few times to mark places of interest and take notes. That should keep Leah busy for a while, he thought.
He was feeling more hopeful as the days went on now, but a glance behind at a grubby child looking straight at him with suspicious eyes gave him a great sadness for those he had lost.
His own daughter and son. Six and three respectively.
He pushed their memories from his mind and concentrated on the road.
“Grant me the serenity,” he recited silently to himself.
THE LEXI SHOW
She was nervous. Her life had changed massively almost every day since all this had started. A week later, she was now some kind of soldier with high expectations of her, and a very tough act to follow.
She couldn’t work Dan out at all. She tried to emulate his easy authority, to walk in and assess a place quickly before rattling off what everyone should do. The difference was that he was clearly trained, whereas she wasn’t. She wanted to ask to work alongside him and learn, but instead she was leading her very first sortie with other people relying on her for protection.
She pulled into the car park by the big camping warehouse. To her left was a fenced yard where all the tents were set up, some already starting to sag with neglect.
She looked at the doors and decided to do what Dan had told her about; she reversed her unfamiliar Land Rover up to the doors and looped the length of chain around the metal handles. She got back in and drove slowly away to take up the slack. When it held tight, she lifted the clutch to gently force them open. It worked nicely, and she got out to see that she had barely done any damage. She looped the chain and stowed it in the back, trying not to look pleased with herself, as she thought the others might not take her seriously.
She moved her vehicle away and instructed the two lorry crews to their tasks: one to cut the lock to the large caged area where the gas bottles were, and the other to wait for her to check the building before they went to clear it. She slung the rifle on her back, as it was too long to use inside. With the Glock in her right hand and a bright LED torch in her left, she edged into the shop. There was no smell, thank God, and she guessed the place was probably locked up over a week ago and nobody ever returned to open up again.
She stalked through the shop, more conscious of the others watching her from the doorway than anyone inside. Trying to look as professional as she could, she searched the shop floor first, then upstairs on the mezzanine, which she had failed to notice and cover as she first entered.
Lastly, she went aisle to aisle in the stock room and out of the fire escape at the rear.
“Clear,” she announced loudly with confidence as she strode back through the shop.
They walked in and started taking things from the racks closest to the front door. This would probably take a few hours, she thought as she strode outside and holstered the sidearm, unslung her rifle, and scanned a full 360 degrees.
Adam and Kyle were already busy loading the gas canisters, and she saw Cedric lowering the tailgate of his trailer as Maggie was carrying a large plastic container of some chemicals.
She climbed up to the roof rack of her Land Rover and continued to scan the area.
People spoke in hushed tones to each other as they worked effectively.
After about an hour of seeing the three pairs loading their vehicles, Maggie announced that they had all the chemical-toilet equipment. Lexi thanked her, but Maggie seemed to be waiting for more.
“Can you and Cedric please help Jay and Liam load the clothes and other stuff?” Lexi asked.
They both went without argument and started to load the lorry with armfuls of clothes and boxes of camping gear.
It dawned on her just how much authority she had been given by being made a Ranger. With that authority, however, came the responsibility of knowing what to do to keep them all safe. That knowledge deflated her slightly, and she took another careful scan of the area through her scope.
Adam came up to her after another hour and reported that all the gas bottles were loaded. Kyle kept a sullen silence, and she suspected that he didn’t want to be doing much in the way of manual labour. She had thought that of him before Dan had found them. Kyle was a moaner.
She thought for a second before asking, “How much space is left in your truck?” The answer was half. “Back it up next to the doors and help the others load.”
Both went to do as she had asked.
After she couldn’t sit still any longer, she called the group out, calmly so they didn’t think there was anything wrong.
“How are we doing?” she asked with a smile.
“Shop floor is almost cleared,” said Maggie. “Just loads of stockroom now.”
Lexi looked at the back of the trucks; both were three-quarters full.
“OK, everyone, take a break and get some food and drink. Back to it in half an hour,” she said.
Nobody complained, and they took their food and drinks to the grassy picnic area. Lexi didn’t know what to do; should she stay and keep watch, or join them? She didn’t want to be seen to do nothing and lose their respect. The decision was made for her when Cedric interjected.
“Come and sit with us. You need to eat too.” She liked Cedric and Maggie; they were kind and caring. None of the others objected, so Lexi rested her rifle against the side of a picnic table and sat on the grass. She ate an energy bar and drank a fancy bottle of orange and passion fruit flavoured juice.
They talked quietly between themselves. Lexi listened and joined in here and there, but she still felt apart from the group in lots of ways.
The sound of an engine cut over their conversation.
They all looked at Lexi, who without thinking snatched up her rifle and flicked the safety to semiautomatic as she turned to face the access road.
“Inside the shop. Now,” she said to everyone, and they ran to obey, all except Cedric, who remained.
“I’ll talk to them, you stay hidden,” he said.
Lexi hesitated for a second, but decided to go with the plan and moved forward in a crouch to kneel by the corner of her vehicle. She forced herself to breathe deeply, to calm down and face whatever was coming with a clear head.
Cedric’s plan was a good one – why show your hand if the other player folds?
The engine note grew louder, but she didn’t think it was being driven hard. The wait was excruciating, and Lexi realised she had heard a loud engine from quite a distance. She steadied herself and saw a dark-green pickup drive past.
It stopped, and she saw the reverse lights illuminate.
Shit! Shit! Shit! Calm yourself, she thought.
The pickup drove in slowly, and the driver got out when he saw Cedric standing still by the shop.
“Hello,” the man beamed. He was late fifties; a big man but running to fat, he was dressed like a farmer with moleskin trousers over leather boots and a checked shirt on top. He seemed to hold no malice, but Lexi stayed put and watched him over the top of her scope, as the distance was too short to use the magnification.
He walked towards Cedric with his hand extended and announced that he was called Pete.
Cedric responded with his own name and shook the offered hand. Lexi watched for a while longer, unsure if she should reveal herself just yet.
He saw Pete gesture towards the Land Rover as he spoke to Cedric. Lexi’s breath caught in her chest, as she didn’t know whether she or the vehicle were the subject of discussion.
“It’s OK, everyone,” called Cedric loudly as the others started to emerge from the shop.
Pete walked back to his pickup and opened the door. Two cocker spaniels, both a glossy chocolate brown, bundled out and ran around the car park with their noses to the floor. On seeing the others, they bounded up to them, eager for fuss.
Lexi slowly stood and started to walk over. Pete feigned surprise, but his eyes said he already knew she was there. She safetied and slung her rifle before taking the offered hand. “Lexi,” she said, and Pete smiled at her.
Introductions were made all round, and Pete in turn introduced Dram and Tot, his “girls.” On hearing their names, the dogs sat and stared up at Pete with an almost fanatical obedience, waiting for a command.
Pete came and joined them at their picnic tables and the break was resumed. Pete talked about his experience of the last week, and told them that he was a gamekeeper and in honesty hadn’t actually realised anything had happened because he went a few days without seeing anyone if he was busy.
He was a big, loud character, and everyone took to him straight away. He had that quickness to smile and tell a joke, no matter how bad it was, and Lexi thought he and Neil would get on well.
It was suggested to Pete that he join them, and he instantly agreed. He said he was going to load his stuff and would be back later. Hands were shaken again, and Pete gave a short whistle to the dogs as he walked back to his pickup. They responded instantly and flew in through the open door. With a kindly wave, Pete reversed out and drove away.
Lexi had some doubts about him. She was worried about his red nose and large belly, believing she recognised the signs of someone who drank every day.
Everyone was left a little shocked but smiling after he left. Lexi decided it was a good time to take charge before Pete came back and captivated them all again.
“Right, let’s get these trucks filled before he’s back so we can get home,” she said. There was again no argument, but she decided to play an extra card.
“Maggie, can you keep watch for a bit and I’ll load up?” she said. Maggie looked a little taken aback but agreed. Lexi locked her rifle into the Land Rover, guessing that if Pete had been around here for a week and not run into trouble then the area was likely to be relatively safe. “Shout if you hear or see anything,” she called.
She ran in, grabbed an armful of boxed boots, and ran back to load them into the lorry. She worked twice as fast as everyone else just to make a point, and before long, the trucks were full.
They formed up, ready to set off when Pete returned.
After an hour, they were starting to worry a little.
At ninety minutes, Lexi was thinking of calling it quits and wondering how to convince everyone that it was time to go home. It was approaching teatime, and she was nervous that nobody would agree to leave without him. Luckily, the sound of the rough diesel engine hit the edge of her hearing as she was planning how to word her argument.
Pete drove back in, both dogs sitting in the front passenger’s seat and the truck bed brimming with bags and equipment. Lexi saw numerous gun slips and fishing gear. She would have to tell Dan straight away if they wanted to keep guns out of people’s hands as a rule.
The convoy loaded up, and although they didn’t know it, their group had now grown to over twenty.
MOTION LOTION
Neil was very impressed with his contraption.
He had arrived at the shop with Jimmy and Kev, prised open the doors, and searched the place.
Empty, but the smell from the rotting fruit-and-veg and chiller units was rank. The smell was so awful it had graduated to become a taste.
He reckoned that a week ago, just about everyone had gone home sick, and most, nearly all, never left again.
Jimmy and Kev started work straight away and hit the pharmacy before planning to load with water bottles.
Neil went to the fuel station and cut the padlocks from the reservoir top of the diesel tank. He lowered the hose into the tank as far as he could and started the generator. He’d rigged it to power a small pump that he had found on the industrial estate – that seemed like weeks ago now. He heard the sloshing sound and reckoned it would take a long time to pump out the five thousand litres, so he wandered into the shop and selected some snacks to fill the time. He had six empty jerrycans for petrol, and helped himself to the few plastic cans in the shop: green for petrol, black for diesel. He stuck to the established colour code, as he didn't want to mix the fuels, and used a hand pump to work the petrol out and into the cans.
Before long, he was sweating with the effort. He banged the side of the tanker and saw that it would probably take almost an hour to fill it up. He thought it would be safe to pump the petrol despite having an engine running, as the tanker was a little distance away.
He took a short break and drank a warm can of Sprite. Another fifty minutes of pumping petrol out filled the cans, which he stacked into the back of the Land Rover, bar one that he kept back. He watched the diesel pump working, marvelling again at his own ingenuity. A short while later, he lifted the pipe from the reservoir until the fuel in the pipes was pushed through. He killed the generator, sealed the tanker, and secured all the pipes. He topped up the generator, reckoning that pumping the diesel had used about five litres of petrol. He topped the last fuel can up with his hand pump and put it away. Well stocked with motion lotion, he drove slowly back to the front of the shop.
He saw that Jimmy and Kev had worked hard; the lorry was more than halfway full with stacks of quilts and pillows piled on top of heavy bags of medicines. The back was starting to fill with plastic-wrapped crates of water. Neil chipped in and took a trolley to bring more.
Some boxes of tinned food and all the breakfast bars on the shelves saw the truck full. The sliding doors were forced closed again, and the three rested for a little while before heading back.
They reached the prison just over half an hour later, due to Neil’s very slow progress with the heavy trailer. They rolled in during the late afternoon to find they were the second lot to return; Andrew and Ian had brought back a lorry full of solar panels an hour before and parked it out of the way behind the house.
