Safe Haven, page 15
Shocked murmurs began as those who had not heard wanted to learn what had happened, but they stopped again as Shaw resumed.
"Now...under normal circumstances, I'd join you in mourning the passing of our friend, but we've come together today because there is a very urgent matter that we need to discuss and a huge decision that we have to make." He looked towards Mike before continuing. "The army that raided the villages up and down this coast will be coming back. It turns out that those of us who were in Candleton have actually met them before... They are bandits, they are mercenaries, and they are maniacs...and we have a choice to make. We have to decide whether we are going to fight or whether we are going to flee."
"We need to go now...why are we even discussing this?" shouted the voice of a frightened woman.
"We should head to the islands," shouted another, "while there's still time."
"Has anybody tried to negotiate with these people?" asked one of the older men from Jules's group.
"We should run while we have the chance. When are they coming?" Another terrified voice yelled.
Mike remained seated on the table with his arms folded turning his head from voice to voice as the comments came out. A smirk appeared on his face.
"I grew up here, but it's only land... it's not worth dying for," another voice said, and a mutter of approval went around the hall.
Mike stood up and Emma started to get to her feet in fear that he was going to lose it, but Lucy grabbed her arm and pulled her. "Trust him, sweetie," she said under her breath.
He walked to the centre of the stage and waited for people to stop calling out. "You're all scared. I understand that. I've been scared before. It's not a nice feeling. It eats away at you. It spreads through you. It takes a hold of you and before long it's not one thing you're scared of, it's everything and everybody. These men...this army that's coming here...it's a big army...these are bad men...bad, bad men. They're bullies. They're cowards. They hide behind numbers and the unspeakable acts they do. They hide behind bigger bullies, crueller bullies." Mike stepped a little closer to the edge of the stage. "This man who they all follow...this man Fry. I've met him before, many, many times. He's the one who picked on the defenceless kid in the school playground with all his pals. He's the one who mugs the ninety-year-old woman who's just collected her pension. He's the one I came face to face with in Candleton after he'd dropped mortar shells on us, killing my friend and nearly killing my sister. He's the one who's coming here now to do the same, only this time he won't rest until he's won."
"All the more reason to get out now while we can," shouted one of the voices from before.
"If we flee, he will come after us. Wherever we hide, he will track us down. It might be in a day, a month or a year, but he'll find us, and all we'd have done is lived a little while longer in fear...lived a little while longer wondering if today is our last day." Mike paused and looked around at the faces. Most of them were female villagers from up and down the coast, but he saw Jules’ face and her people too, then he saw Beth and Talikha. Their eyes were locked on him, listening to every word. "If we run, we've already lost. But if we stand and fight, I know we can win. Like I said, these men are cowards. We don't need to wipe them out, all we need to do is make winning so costly for them that they give up."
"How? How can we do that, Mike?" It was George who broke the silence of the crowd.
"This place is our home. We know it better than anyone. We know its strengths and its weaknesses. We know what a nightmare it is to drive up Deadman's pass in anything bigger than a Volvo Estate." A small chuckle rippled around the hall easing the tension. "We know how vulnerable the coast road can be to rock slides. We know everything about this place and that's our biggest weapon. That and us. You and me. Everyone in this room. I've been coming up here all my life. I know how proud you are of this land, and I know how proud you are as a people. Every last one of us in this room needs to remember who we are and what we've lost and ask ourselves, are we prepared to lose more? Are we prepared to carry on losing just to carry on living?" He stopped talking as Jules, Sarah, and Beth pushed to the front of the crowded room. People stepped aside clearing a path for them and they all climbed onto the stage.
"Mike's right!" said Jules. Her Belfast accent echoing around the hall. Unfamiliar to many assembled, but honest and clear. "I don't know about you, but I'm sick of hiding and I'm sick of being afraid. Now, I don't know this place, I don't know many of you people. But I know what the last forty-eight hours has been like...and I know that my family wouldn't be here, many of you wouldn't be here and I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for this man and these two women," she said putting a hand on Mike's shoulder and then nodding her head towards Lucy and Emma. "To be honest... At first... I thought he was a fucking whack job," she said to a small ripple of laughter. "But he's the bravest and most selfless man I've known. And I know if he says we should do something it's because it's in our best interests, and we should listen to him."
Beth continued. "Many of you know Mike, Emma, and Lucy saved my life and my family's lives. There isn't anywhere I wouldn't follow them. If Mike thinks we can do this, I know we can do this."
Sarah said nothing, but stood by Mike and shot a glance towards Emma who returned it with a half-smile.
Jules's brothers marched to the front, climbed up on the stage and stood behind her. Then Hughes and Barnes did the same. George joined them and before long the crowd realised that everyone they looked to for guidance—everyone they depended on—was stood on the stage. Now, fleeing looked like less of an option. Who would bring order to their lives if they fled? Who would bring food to the table? Who would organise them? Who would defend them?
Raj stood up from behind the table and walked to stand by Mike as murmurs rippled around the hall. "We have all lost much in these last months and years. But there is no greater tragedy than losing oneself. If we can no longer look ourselves in the mirror because we are ashamed of what we have become, then we have to ask what is the very point to our existence? I for one, and my wife Talikha, will be staying here. A man's strength can be judged by those he calls his friends, and looking around this stage at the people I proudly name my friends, I can indeed be judged a man of strength."
"Thanks Raj," said Mike as he hugged his friend.
"Okay...before we need to get the Kleenex out, can we have a show of hands," said Shaw. "All those in favour of leaving, raise your right hand." There was silence and lots of sheepish heads looking from side to side, but no one put their hand up. "And those in favour of staying." Every hand went up. "Right then. We stand and fight," said Shaw. "When this meeting is over, remain here to be assigned a duty. We have to act fast and work hard, but we can do this, we can win."
***
The crowd formed lines as they were allotted working groups by Barnes, Hughes, and Shaw. Jules and her brothers climbed down off the stage to rally their people.
"I shall go find Talikha, and then I will meet you back here my friend," said Raj climbing down from the stage.
Mike walked back to the table where Lucy and Emma were sitting. Beth and Sarah were standing with them. Sarah had her arms folded and a smirk on her face.
"What?" he asked.
"You could feel the mood in the room change," said Sarah. "It was...incredible. It was like you just won them over with your words. I've never seen anything like it in my life."
"My brother can be very convincing when he needs to be," said Emma.
Mike smiled and walked around the table to take a seat next to Lucy.
"So," he said leaning forward on his elbows and clasping his hands. "We're in it now aren't we?"
***
"Day after tomorrow," said TJ as he rolled the maps back up and replaced them in the tube. "We could head out sooner, but it makes more sense to go prepared, not rush things." Fry sat back and took another long puff on his cigar. "Is Juliet going to be coming with us?"
"Juliet will be keeping an eye on things here for me. I'll have my best men with me. I need someone I can trust," he said. "I don't want that fucking bitch Lorelei heading back this way and trying to fuck things up. I still can't believe she managed to give us the slip." Fry observed TJ out of the corner of his eye as the blue smoke weaved its way into the air. No alarm bells. That was good. He'd hate to have to kill TJ after all this time.
Fry stood up and plunged the thick cigar into the ashtray. It was only half smoked, but he could afford this kind of decadence now that he was in charge.
"I'm going home for a few hours. You know where I am if you need me, but only if you need me. I need to spend some time with my woman."
TJ nodded and smiled. "Okay, boss, have fun."
A grin adorned Fry's face as he left their headquarters in the hotel which had previously been The Don's pleasure palace. He got respectful nods from all of the men he passed, which he returned as he walked through the streets and to his house. The place was a hive of activity. He could hear the sounds of sheet metal clanging as they were pushed against the side of busses for welding to create makeshift armoured cars. He could hear the clunks and thuds of supply trucks being loaded with boxes of munitions. All was as it should be. He walked up the garden path to his front door and entered.
"Honey, I'm home," he shouted as he took off his thick woollen jacket and hooked it on the coat rack.
He trudged up the stairs and burst through the door. The smell of decay engulfed the bedroom, but Fry's psychosis had rendered him immune. He walked over to the chair where Juliet's slowly rotting corpse sat, bent down and kissed her on the mouth.
"I missed you," he said before going to the bed and lying down. He weaved his fingers together behind his head and laid looking at her and smiling. "Day after tomorrow. That's when we're setting off. TJ's got everything in hand. All our plans are coming together my darling...everything we've worked for...and that BITCH!"
His calm demeanour disappeared, and he shot up to sit on the edge of the bed. His intense eyes pierced through the veil of this world and into the next, searching for his beloved Juliet.
"That bitch," he said more quietly this time. "She won't be bothering us again."
He lay back onto the bed and rested his head on the pillows once again, gazing at his Juliet as he drifted into sleep.
***
Shaw brought the van to a stop. He and Mike had discussed their plan once, then sat in virtual silence for the rest of the journey. They had parked on the outskirts of a medium sized village along the A835. It had a school, a doctor's surgery, a few shops and amenities. There was nothing remarkable about it, but Mike had seen a RAM as he had sped through on the bike with Jules. He guessed that where there was one, there would be more.
The pair of them looked and waited for several minutes before Mike reached across and smashed his fist against the horn, holding it there.
"Nice...subtle," said Shaw.
Mike just glanced at him before removing his hand from the horn. Nothing.
"Let's head to the school."
"Why the school?" asked Shaw.
"Good a place as any. Plus, who knows, the kitchens might not have been cleaned out. There might be some canned or dried stuff we can take back."
"We're not scavenging, Mike. We've got a specific goal. When you start deviating from a plan, things get fucked up."
"So how's the plan going at the moment?"
"Are you sure this was the village? Are you sure you saw one?"
Mike just looked at him again. Shaw released the hand break and followed the signs for the school. It was a short drive along a quiet road with well-kept houses. The place looked serene and untouched by the devastation that had steamrolled over the rest of the country. He brought the van to a stop at the gates of a building that was about the size of half a football field. There was also a sign for the village sports centre and swimming pool.
"Big place for such a small village," said Shaw.
"Drive up to the staff car park," said Mike. "These schools tend to service a few villages, not just one."
"So what's the pla.." Shaw began to ask but was interrupted by Mike dropping his fist hard on the horn once again. They sat in silence for a moment and then Mike climbed out, retrieving his rucksack from the foot well and throwing it over his shoulder. Before Shaw even had chance to pull on the brake and turn the engine off, Mike had swung the two glass panelled doors wide open and begun to walk down the dim, echoey corridor. He had noticed a small A4 poster on the side window saying emergency meeting tonight in the William Wallace School Gymnasium 8pm. There was a larger poster, on a wall above a row of lockers. One corner had started to peel, and Mike thought back to being trapped in the house back in Skelton. He had seen a flyer for a village meeting there. All these small places, having all their meetings; meetings that solved nothing.
He heard the door behind him open again and footsteps jogging to catch up. Shaw grabbed Mike's shoulder and pulled him round so they faced each other. His face was more bewildered than angry.
"This has to stop, Mike." When Mike just looked at him, Shaw continued. "It's madness. I get it. You don't like me...hate me even. But we live in a small community. We both have important parts to play. We can't walk around like any second a war will break out between us. People are looking to us."
Mike raised an eyebrow, shuffled his shoulder free, and turned to carry on down the corridor. Shaw went after him and pulled him around more vigorously this time. Mike dropped his rucksack and faced up to Shaw. They were roughly the same height and there was just a matter of centimetres between them as they stood face to face.
"You want to do this again? Now? While we're out here? Fine. Let's do this, Shaw," said Mike backing away and getting into a fighting stance.
"I don't want to fight you, you fucking idiot. I want to bury this shit between us."
"What shit, Shaw? You koshing me when I trusted you, and leaving me and my fucking family for dead while kidnapping my girlfriend? Is that the shit you're talking about burying? There are two reasons you're not dead already. You saved Emma, and I made a promise to Lucy."
"Fuck Mike...under the thumb already are you?"
Mike took a step towards Shaw, holding his fist tight by his side. "I swear Shaw, don't push me."
"I can only apologise so many times. It was a split second decision that I'm going to regret for the rest of my life. Jesus Christ, Mike, Lucy forgave me, why the hell can't you?"
Just then, Mike unleashed a punch that sent Shaw cascading into a wall of lockers. Mike felt the lip burst against his knuckles and before he knew it he was on top of Shaw, punching his face again and again. Shaw didn't retaliate. He looked almost grateful with each strike that bruised and bloodied him. After a few seconds Mike paused, released Shaw and stood up. He turned his back on the downed figure, trying to bring his anger back under control.
Shaw clambered up the lockers and gathered himself. "Feel bether now?" Shaw's lip was bloody, he had bitten his tongue, and as Mike turned to look at him, he saw the damage he had done.
Mike quickly turned away with a small tear forming in his eye. "Why did you do it? I trusted you. You saved my sister. Do you have any idea how fucking angry that makes me? You saved a member of my family, I desperately want to be grateful to you, but you did that other thing too. How the fuck can I trust you ever again?"
When Shaw replied it was hard to understand him with his fresh speech impediments, but Mike listened hard. "You're right not to trust me. Trust is something that you earn. I need to win it back. I am sorry Mike." As Shaw spoke, Mike heard the lisp less and the words more. "Whether you believe me or not. I will never put any of you in harm's way again. Lucy is one of my only friends. She loves you, Mike—you make her happy. That's all I want for her. She forgave me for what I did. She understood."
"Understood what?"
"I was overcompensating. I was trying desperately to be someone I wasn't. You think it's easy being gay in the army Mike? You think people don't scrutinise you a thousand times more? Question your decisions a thousand times more? I fucked up. I fucked up monumentally, and now I need to do whatever I can to make it right."
"You're gay?"
"Fuckin’ hell your quick aren't you? Yes... I'm gay. Anything you want to say?"
"Like what?"
"You want to make a few queer jokes at my expense?"
"Why would I do that?"
"You're not going to take the piss?"
"I'm a lot of things, Shaw, but I'm not an idiot and I'm not a homophobe. I couldn't give a fuck if you're gay or straight. I judge a man on his actions...on whether he'll stand up and do the right thing when it counts."
"Are we going to start fresh you and me?"
***
Hughes turned off the engine, took a final long drag on his cigarette and threw it down to the soil, carefully stamping on it as he climbed out of the digger to ensure there was no danger of it starting a fire. The weather had been consistently dry and hot for the last two weeks and the whole area could go up like a tinder box. He reached around the back of the seat and removed a bottle. He unscrewed the top and took a couple of gulps as he heard the sound of an engine.
"Hi," said Emma as she brought the Kawasaki to a stop and climbed off.
"Alright, love," said Hughes wiping his brow.
"How's it going?"
"Nearly done," replied Hughes. "The other three road blocks are in place, I'm just putting the final touches to this one," he said looking at the piles of earth and rocks he had dumped behind the felled pine tree. "Most of the ground along this road is way too marshy to get a vehicle on, so if they want to come this way, they've got no options but to know the shortcuts, or move the roadblock." Emma nodded appreciatively. "How's it going with everything else?"
"Mike and Shaw are away. George has a big team putting together the...erm...whatever you want to call them. Barnes is still working his way down the coast road. We've got foragers on the beach and in the woods. We've got a team of people making hand weapons...at least nobody has any time to think about what's coming."
