After it Happened Boxset: 1-6 Omnibus Edition, page 15
He went back to his room and could hear loud whining from Ash inside. Suddenly remembering that the puppy had barely eaten or drunk for days, he thought he better take him outside on the lead. Ash made for the nearest car tyre and relieved himself before sniffing the ground and spinning on the spot. He finally decided to leave a steaming log at the first place he had sniffed before bouncing away, pleased with himself. Dan walked him down to the nearest sports field.
He made the dog sit, removed his lead, and walked away, telling Ash to stay. He decided to give commands in both English and German, to save having to be bilingual. He stopped and looked at Ash before throwing his arm out to the side and calling, “Go!” Ash hesitated.
“Voraus!” he said, and the dog bolted off to the right, looking for the reason he had been sent. He sniffed the ground and then looked up at Dan, who called him back in. “Fuß! Heel,” he said, and smiled when Ash ran to his left side, looking up at him.
Eat your heart out, Pete, he thought. In truth, he knew it was cheating. Someone else had already done the hard work in training this dog; he was looking good and reaping the benefits of it.
Pete returned a while later on foot with the dogs flitting around him. He was carrying two rabbits and five pigeons. He saw Dan’s new sidekick and told his girls to stay as he approached. He held up his haul with a big smile.
“Plenty of vermin to eat,” he said happily. “These woods are full of pheasants too, but they’re breeding, so I’ll leave them be until the numbers get high. No worry about these buggers, though,” he said, indicating his haul.
Dan thanked him, wishing that a rabbit-and-pigeon stew would be accompanied by fresh bread. Pete nodded to Ash, who gave him a look as though he was figuring out if he were edible.
“Found him at a kennels. He’d escaped, but the others starved. Part-trained police dog,” Dan said, trying to sound casual despite his pride at having Ash beside him.
“Good dog,” Pete said, holding his hand out. Ash didn’t bark, which surprised Dan. Instead, he sniffed at Pete’s hands, getting a mixture of dead animals and other dogs. He must recognise a fellow dog lover, Dan thought.
Word of Ash had spread quickly, and people made noises fit for a puppy until they saw that the puppy had a genetically created bad attitude and sharp teeth. Dan put Ash back in his room so as not to excite him too much.
Cedric and Maggie returned not long after, excited at having found a commercial garden area with greenhouses and polythene tunnels. It seemed to be part of the prison, but was about a mile away and had more tractors, machinery, and all the tools they needed. They said there was even a house there that they could look to move into if they needed. There were even two dozen sheep there – this year’s lambs, Cedric reckoned – and a large animal trailer.
They had brought back another Land Rover they had found, towing a trailer of rotting veg, which they dropped off at the farm for the pigs. They spoke excitedly to Penny, saying that they could grow potatoes and carrots there as well as salad vegetables. Penny agreed for them to be there full time, and promised them a helping pair of hands or five as soon as they were found.
A huge sound erupted as they were talking, taking everyone by surprise. Dan instinctively reached for the Sig but relaxed when he saw that it was the large tree finally giving up and coming down to the ground.
The house buzzed with the excitement of the day’s news and new arrivals when Lexi returned last. He watched her drive towards the house, and saw at least two other heads in the Defender with her. She pulled up at the front and got out, looking proud but trying to keep it under control.
“Boss,” she said, “meet Lizzie.” As a woman climbed out of the passenger’s seat, she smiled nervously at him. “And this is Cara,” said Lexi as she opened the rear doors. “And Josh.”
Dan saw that Cara was young – maybe twenty – and he placed Josh at about three. He was a good-looking boy with blue eyes and bright blonde hair. Dan stifled a choked cry; he looked too much like his own son for him to cope just now.
He mumbled a welcome and excused himself, letting Penny take over and welcome them in. He stripped off his boots and got into the grey tracksuit again, then lay on his cot. Ash watched him closely, making him feel slightly uncomfortable after a while. Dan held out his hand to the dog, who recoiled at first, then sniffed and licked at his hand. Ash finally lay down with Dan’s hand resting on the back of his head, and slept.
He always envied dogs that ability. Two speeds: flat out and spark out.
He took Ash out again about an hour later, walking him at heel while he led, and then he shut Ash away again before dinner. The mood was high throughout the meal, and Penny had invited the new arrivals to say a bit about themselves.
Lizzie was a nursing assistant who worked for a care company. She spent her days visiting people at home and helping them, changing dressings and the like. As she said this, Kate said loudly, “Mine!” and everyone laughed.
Cara was in college, having had Josh in her late teens to an absent boyfriend. Dan imagined that some people would have had an opinion on that two weeks ago, but those kinds of grievances were void now. Josh was quiet and nervous, understandably.
Penny called for departmental heads to stay while the others went to the lounge area. Penny made a short speech about how happy she was with the way the group was holding together and growing.
“I hear talk of another new addition to the group?” she said proudly.
“Absolutely!” said Dan with a smile, referring to Ash. His mood was improving now he had got used to the presence of Josh enough to see that he bore less and less of a resemblance to his own son every time he looked at him.
“Lizzie has obviously been taken by medical – no arguments there, I think,” she said. Kate looked relieved to have some backup.
“Cara has expressed experience in catering. I propose to have her cooking for now, with Eve attached for training. The children should be fine with them. All agreed?” All did agree, and Penny’s obvious look of relief made it clear just how stressed she was at producing meals on top of organising.
“Joe has asked to join the Rangers,” she said, looking at Dan. That was no surprise; he seemed a bit of an army nut.
“Pending assessment, yes,” said Dan, and he reminded them that he had the final say on whether someone got a gun or not. He saw an eagerness in Joe that appeared not to be bolstered by arrogance and felt happy to be patient with him. The skills could be taught, but the temperament needed to be the solid foundation for teaching.
“Mark has offered his services wherever they may be required, as he has no children to teach sports to,” she finished.
Jimmy straightened in his seat. “I’ll take him,” he said eagerly.
“Logistics it is, then,” she declared.
DEVELOPMENTS
The next month moved on quickly for them.
Dan spent time each morning for the first five days working with Ash, making sure he was OK around the others and getting obedient. He made sure Ash was fine with Joe, as Dan spent that first week teaching him weapon drills, building searches, maintenance, and target practice. Dan had kitted him out with Neil’s Glock and leg holster, as they were custom-made for the weapons, and the scavenged webbing was fitted to him. They used the gym for the building drills, making Joe drive up and search, with Dan observing and pointing out where he made mistakes. He resisted the urge to yell “Bang!” every time he left himself open.
He had given Joe a standard M4 with a reflex sight, as he wasn’t that accurate through a scope. Dan worked with him until he was over-average accurate at forty metres. Good enough. The first time he’d got him to shoot, Dan had left the gun empty deliberately. As he had expected, Joe flinched when he pulled the trigger. They worked to eradicate that instinct, and moved on to live rounds. He couldn’t afford to expend too much ammo in training without getting more stockpiled.
As they worked, Ash sat some distance back, where he had been told to stay, and watched them. Ash was getting bigger every day and responded to English commands now, but Dan still used German sometimes to show off.
Joe was OK behind the wheel, and had even done a day off-roading recently with a Land Rover instructor. Dan showed him how to use the front and rear tow ropes, too.
Jay and Liam were making good progress with the tree, and Dan reckoned they already had a few tons of logs ready for winter. They would have to triple that before the weather got any worse, and it was already getting colder. A few storms had made them all take cover inside for hours at a time. They started to plan scavenging for the onset of bad weather, getting hot-water bottles and cold-weather gear.
Mark had taken a shine to Lexi, which thankfully kept her away from Dan a bit. Neil and Ian had retrieved three more Defenders, two of which went into a shed on the farm until they were needed and the other was presented to Joe when he was officially declared a Ranger, albeit on probation.
Cara had been a godsend in the kitchen, and was the one person Eve didn’t complain to. She was skilled at making cakes, and also baked some bread and made pastry for game pies, as Pete had been bringing back a steady supply of rabbits and pigeons daily. Cara was named acting Head of Catering, as she was reluctant to take on a leadership role, and agreed to stay in that post until someone better was found. She was just happy to cook and be with the kids, the former making her popular overnight.
Pete maintained that there were plenty of other things to hunt, but he knew about the breeding seasons and wanted the populations to stay healthy. He had been allocated a workshop as such over on “the gardens,” as they were now being called, which had previously been a butcher’s area. Good-quality knives were found, and the old gamekeeper settled into a routine of getting out after breakfast to check the snares he had left the night before. There was no sign of his drinking being an issue, although Dan did find a couple of bottles stashed in his butcher’s shop.
Cedric and Maggie were the happiest of all. They left every day for the gardens to clear the greenhouses and polytunnels, ready to plant some vegetables after Christmas. Maggie had studied a book from the library in depth and knew what they had to do each month.
As he expected, Leah had grown bored after the initial phase of planning everything, and Dan decided to give her something new to learn. Neil had started teaching the members of the group who were either too young or unqualified to drive. Liam did well, and Ana was picking it up slowly. Kyle and Leah struggled, Leah because she was young and Kyle because he was lazy. Jimmy kept Kyle in check, and Dan worried that he was working him too hard at times.
Jimmy and Kev still made scavenging trips, but as the stores were almost full, it wasn’t the top priority. They helped out on the farm and the gardens, then spent a few hours hauling logs before dinner. Everyone got into a good routine, and the general mood was one of happiness and hope.
Mike was moving around well but still tired quickly. Every day he built his strength up a little more by walking the grounds, often joining Dan as he worked Ash. He declared the solar panel project viable, but needed scaffolding and skilled people like builders. Dan agreed it should go on hold until next summer. In the meantime, Mike was working on rainwater collection and had already asked Jimmy and Kev to get a lorryload of materials ready for when he was fitter.
They had a new addition after a few days; a young man from one of the farms Dan had visited found his message and had come calling on a quad bike. He was called Chris, and he was excited at the prospect of joining. He knew about maintaining livestock, which made him a valuable person to the cause. He had left that morning with a promise to return, and came back hours later on the quad bike herding some sheep. He made numerous return trips over the next few days, bringing other animals using the cattle box from the gardens. He took over on the farm and moved animals around. Nobody argued with him, as nobody had the knowledge. He was a hard-working man, thin as a rake and ginger – so much so that he joked about getting sunburn whenever the cloud cover broke – but he had a seemingly endless supply of energy and enjoyed life every day.
He was named Head of Agriculture and given a seat on “the council,” as Penny called it. She had offered Cedric and Maggie a place also, but they declined politely. They were just happy to be together and garden all day. Dan suspected that they would want to move over there eventually, but he worried that they were exposed enough as it was. He didn’t have the spare bodies to post a guard, and said as much to Andrew, who suggested an alarm system.
“How about a big box of fireworks?” Andrew said during a meeting. “Light fuse and hide until help comes!”
Dan had to admit that was actually a pretty good plan in the absence of any real-time communications. Jimmy and Kev were dispatched and did a fine job of bringing back an all-in-one box: Light fuse and stand clear as forty small rockets shot up one by one. Cedric set it up on a raised platform with a solid cover over the top; all they had to do was remove the cover and light the paper.
At the end of the first week, Lexi brought back another two people. Donna was mid-thirties and had been out of work for a while. She was assigned to Penny to help with cleaning and did not complain. Matt, or “Matty,” as he preferred, was still overweight somehow. It seemed that he had survived on chocolate bars and fizzy drinks for two months (and probably longer before), and he was assigned to help Cedric and Maggie on the gardens. He was happy with this, and happier still to be fed every day.
Lexi was ranging every other day, and on the second week, Joe was sent on a few missions close to home. Dan had spent time with both of them, drumming into their heads what to do if they were attacked or compromised. What to do with a vehicle failure. What to do if they were lost. What to do if they had to abandon their vehicles and start escape and evade, or E&E protocols. He checked their kit at random intervals, inspecting weapon readiness and cleanliness and emptying their rucksacks out to see that they had everything they needed if they had to go on the run.
He started to go out on his own again, working with Ash to use him as backup on building searches and developing a deep bond with the dog. He reasoned that Ash was a tool that increased his effectiveness, but he knew that the dog kept him company. It was someone he could talk to, as he did often, but who wouldn’t tell his secrets or judge. Ash listened intently, with both ears up facing him and his head cocked over slightly.
Dan was planning to find another source of weapons and ammo, as the 5.56 stocks were almost a quarter gone. He decided, without telling the others, that he was going to head south again. He avoided Leah, who would ask people leaving home where they were going to be, and told the council that he may be away overnight.
He set off after breakfast with his E&E bag containing the right maps and an extra bag of kit with food and water for him and Ash. Ash seemed excited, as though he sensed they were going somewhere new this time.
Clouds gathered as he left home, giving a sense of foreboding.
RETURN TRIP
He went slowly, cautiously retracing their steps of over a month ago. Nothing much seemed to have changed, Dan thought as he wound past their former camp. The gazebo had collapsed, one loose side flapping against the abandoned caravan. Either nobody had found the place, or nobody had stayed.
Some people would deem his planned course of action reckless, but he considered the chance of finding “them” at the same place he did previously slim. He drove gently, not forcing the engine note much higher than tickover, and parked the Land Rover under a tree off the road. A new vehicle dumped on the tarmac would set his alarm bells going, and he hoped his small deception would keep them safe.
He got out and readied his weapon, checking chamber and flicking the safety catch to full auto then back to safe. Ash bounded out with him, happy to be back on the ground. He ran in two small circles of the Land Rover before cocking his leg against the back wheel. Dan fixed him with a stern look and held his flat palm out towards the dog before slowly moving it down.
Ash got the message; his tail stopped wagging and he lowered himself into a stalking crouch. Dan turned the gesture into a quiet pat on his thigh and Ash loped to his left heel. Dan had worked hard on this, and it paid off. He could work Ash with hand signals most of the time, unless he got bored or overexcited. He was trying to stop Ash barking too, but needed a live subject to help with that. He didn’t want to set Ash on any of the group in case Ash didn’t realise it was training.
They went slowly, moving between cover to minimise the risk of exposure before they came to the place where he and Lexi had saved Mike and Alice. Everything was just as he had left it, apart from the decomposing bodies and small rivers of maggots coming from both dead men. The new addition to his kit was useful then; a black bandana knotted around his neck was pulled up to cover his mouth and nose.
Ash went forward to sniff, and a click of Dan’s fingers brought him back obediently. He decided that the friends of these two arseholes either never found them or just left them there to rot. Either was highly likely.
Hanging around to explore wasn’t the point of this trip, and he still had some distance to cover. They got back in the Land Rover, Dan still not entirely convinced they were safe from those they had run to hide from. He again followed the road he had been down many times before, trying to recall the journey to see if anything had changed – another car abandoned, a sign or a message, anything.
He had decided, despite the veiled warning, to check the army base again. Just a drive past, nothing too intrusive. As he went by, he saw the gates were open. He turned around and came past again – still no sign of life. “Fuck it,” he said to himself, receiving a silent questioning look from Ash, and drove in.
Nobody showed themselves. More importantly, he felt, nobody took a shot at him. He drove slowly between the buildings, finding the doors left wide open to many. He began to suspect that the occupant he had met previously was no longer here. He found the armoury by chance, not because it was marked “armoury,” but because he went inside to investigate the pair of boots attached to the pair of legs he could see from the doorway.
