Authors: Justin Gowland
What came next nearly had me and Rees in stitches of laughter. It was a dumpy little man that was dressed in a full three piece suit, he must have been around the seventeen stone mark, nearly all stomach. His hair was slicked back from his large forehead and he had steel rimmed glasses perched on a large strawberry of a nose. He must have been in his late forties, early fifties. He didn’t look too pleased at having to leave, but the man walking behind him was not having any of it.
This man had a pair of jeans on and a leather jacket and we could see that he must have done weights at some time. He had dark black hair and a square jaw and deep set eyes that seemed to always be moving. He wasn’t overly tall I would have said roughly average in height, but the way he carried himself, he knew his bulk from weights gave him the intimidation he probably need in life.
Out came the young lad that had driven the van, he was in his twenties and was wearing jeans and a black jumper he was about average height and as thin as a whip. His hair was a brown color and the same went for his eye’s he was I would say as sort of ordinary looking boy. The sort of person that before this you would never have looked twice at, the only thing that had me looking twice today was the large hand print on his face. So that was who had got slapped on the other side of the van. I smiled and looked away so he couldn’t see me smiling.
Lastly out came the lady that I had spoken to next to the van, she walked over to the Land Rover carrying a large bag over one shoulder and a heavy looking piece of metal scaffold pipe and like the woman carrying the baseball bat it was covered at one end with blood and other matter. She stopped in front of us and looked up at Rees and said “Well, I am glad we didn’t try anything. I would hate to meet you on a dark night.”
Rees did his rumble laugh and bowed to her and said “At your service milady!”
She laughed and said “Never been called milady or anything like it in my life you can call me Bet short for Betty but have always been called it so it stuck.”
I held my hand out a laughed as it was taken in a warm soft hand and said “Well hi, Bet this mountain behind me is Rees and I’m Jay. I’ll be driving the Land Rover and Rees will go with the van.”
She looked again at Rees and said “Oooo…. I bet Jamie isn’t going to be happy with you my friend. He usually likes to have one of the girls in the front with her.”
I asked “Which one is Jamie?”
She pointed to the average looking young lad with the hand print on his face.
I just smiled and looked at Rees and said “Buddy why don’t you go and make friends with our new comrades in arms.”
The grin that came from Rees was just a little too predatory to be good news. Both myself and Bet watched as Rees walked over to the van as Jamie was trying to convince one of the young girls to climb in the front. He walked up behind the young man and we could see from where we stood the young girl’s eyes just open wide as he stood behind Jamie. Next he placed his hand on the young man’s shoulder with just enough force to nearly put him on the floor. Jamie’s legs buckled, but Rees kept a hold and helped him to stand up straight again. Rees, then turned him round and Jamie’s face paled enough that the hand print stood like a glowing beacon on his face. Rees must have told him what was happening because he let go of his shoulder and Jamie went to the drivers door and climbed in, Rees turned, and threw a half arsed salute at me then climbed in the passenger side.
“Well, I think Jamie is going to be a little pissed about the company he has in the front today, Oh well, lead on Jay lets get this show on the road.”
I opened the passenger door and let Bet throw her stuff in the back then climb in. I closed the door and went round the driver’s side and got in. I sat adjusted the seat for me because the giant of a friend had bloody long legs.When I was ready I started the engine, looked through the passenger side window and saw Rees nod to let me know they were ready to get moving.
Pulling out the apartments we headed back the way we had come and toward what we called home. As we got onto the dual carriage way I asked Bet how she had come to be in the apartments. She told me that she had been out at the shop getting milk. When she got home, she found her husband on the living room carpet being eaten by her next door neighbor. She had done what any of us would have done and screamed which of course made the neighbor react and come for her. She had swung the bag with the milk in it and caught her neighbor in the face and knocked her back enough to get to the door and get outside, slamming the door shut. Then she had run and run till she needed to stop, she had tried the police on the mobile her son had given her and only got the busy signal. Then she had tried to ring her son and had gotten the same result, she had stopped outside the apartments so went and tried to get in but the door was locked and you could only get in if you were buzzed in.
She had tried every button and no one had answered until she had pressed the button for Mary’s apartment. I asked who Mary was and found it was the fit looking woman. Mary had only opened the door because that morning she had killed her boyfriend with the baseball bat that she carries everywhere. The rest of the story was pretty much how I thought it had gone down the others had turned up and had been let into the apartments. They had tried to clear the ones they could and had lost some good people along the way. It wasn’t till they got to the top floor that they had come across John, who was the chubby man in the business suit. He had said that because he was an important man in the community that he should be in charge and demanded that the top floor be left for him and that he should have the first choice of food.
It was at that point that Bet had calmly walked up to him and slapped him dizzy (her words not mine. If it was me, I would have punched the fuck and kicked him out.) After a few days the van pulled into the car park and Jamie had climbed out followed by the bloke in the leather jacket, who was called Dave. Out of the back of the van came the two girls, they’re sisters the blonde was Jane and the one with the brown hair is Amanda. Over the next few days they got a few other people, but Bet never said their names, I could see the hurt in her eyes. Well, they defended the apartments as best they could and lost some more people. Things were getting difficult, until they saw us go past this morning and someone had seen that we had rifles and they thought they could have bartered for one.
Chapter Six
It wasn’t till they saw us return and we had more powerful weapons, that they began to doubt their course of action. That was when I had heard the altercation with Jamie and the slap. She then asked about us and how we had found a secure place, I told her the short version and that we would have to sort out something for them with regards to sleeping arrangements. She said that they would do what was ever needed as long as they were secure.
By this time we were coming down the road that lead to the track to the cottage and I thought I better tell Becky and the others we were coming back in. I picked up the radio and pressed the key “Becky come in Becky.”
“Hello fucker and where the hell have you been?” said her voice.
I looked sidelong at Bet and she was just sat smiling.
“Erm…. We went and did a raid for some stuff that we thought might come in handy.”
“Like fucking what? You said you went for stuff to put shutters on the downstairs windows.”
“Yup, we got that and some other stuff. Rees is bringing it in the other van so don’t be surprised when you see it.”
“Well, ok, as long as you and him are ok. How long are you going to be?”
“Just turning on to the track now should be there soon.”
“Ok, see you soon, Oh by the way Maddie says she is going to tie you to the bed and not in the sexual sense. I said I would help but we will talk when you get back.”
There was a click at her end and I put the radio down on the seat. I could feel Bet’s eyes boring a hole in the side of my head. Like hell was I going to tell her that I had gone out injured today. I might have gotten a slap like the one Jamie had got earlier and I didn’t want a red mark, because I knew I was going to get one when I parked up.
We came out the woods and there was the cottage with smoke floating out of the chimney and into the darkening sky. We had got back just in time because it had started to turn dark. I could hear the generator going out the back of the cottage, I was a little shocked but didn’t want it to show.
I stopped the Land Rover in the yard and was getting out the door when the cottage door was flung open and out flew Maddie. She crossed the yard so quick I hardly had enough time to register her between the door and her slamming into me and planting a full on passionate kiss that had my hand going up into her hair and holding her head. (opps, hello little man, I thought you had stopped working.) Pulling her head away from the kiss, she looked me in the eye’s and I knew that we were going to be together.
By the time we had finished kissing Becky and Marc had come out the house and Rees and the van had unloaded everyone. Becky and Marc walked over to us and Becky and Marc pulled me into a hug.
“Ok, lets get this out the way first.”said Becky and yup, I got a fucking slap, she then proceeded to go and do something that no man would ever have done and slap Rees.
“Right now that is out the way, who are these lovely folk?”
That’s when the biggest surprise any of us had not expected. The door to the cottage opened and out walked Ollie, of course Ghost went over for a stroke and rub. Ollie was busy doing that when he just froze and looked straight at Bet who was busy introducing us to people. I could see something on the little boy’s face and I had to smile because I had a rough idea what was going to happen next and yup I was right.
“GRANNNY!!!!” he screamed and shot across the yard straight at Bet.
Bet turned at the sound and her eyes went the size of dinner plates as this little rocket of a kid thudded into the old ladies legs. She bent and whispered his name over and over with tears running down her face. I think nearly everyone was crying except for the old dude in the suit who was eyeing the cottage with undisguised lust. I was watching him and I thought we might want to put an end to that really quick.
But everyone was busy watching Bet and her grandson hold each other and just be happy.
Rees was the one that said it might be a good idea that we all go inside we can get the rest of our stuff sorted later. With that, we followed Ollie dragging his grandmother into the cottage. I smiled as I followed them inside and to the sitting room. I asked everyone who could take a seat and Becky, Rees and I stood while everyone sat.
Becky cleared her throat and asked for people to calm down, then said “Listen people we have had a bit of an emotional moment outside and sorry to be the one to burst the bubble, but it is getting dark and we need to figure out sleeping arrangements.”
The man with the suit held his arm up and said “Well with me being the most important person here I should have a room to myself.”
I replied “Who are you then?”
He looked like I had slapped him “You don’t know me? Well, I suppose you may not, my name is John St-Martin I am the MP for Durham. You realize that with me being a Member of Parliament I am a VIP.”
Becky said “Well, I am sorry to say the Government no longer exists and the only person that I and the other members of our group answer to is Jay. He has so far managed to do more for us than the Government ever did.”
John stood and said “But I am an MP you surely don’t expect me to sleep with these people do you?”
I had been thinking about sleeping arrangements since we found out about Bet and Ollie. I said “Ok, lets get this sleeping stuff sorted then. Ollie and Bet can share the room, Ollie is in at the moment. Maddie I think you can move in with me.” I saw her blush. “Mary and the two girls can have Maddie’s old room, that leaves Jamie, Dave and John. Jamie and Dave can have the sitting room, I hope that’s okay?” I got a nod from both of them. “Right John that leaves you and your need to have a place for yourself, I have the perfect place for you, it’s a large space with plenty of room and you won’t get bothered by anyone. You can have the shed.”
I have never seen someone go beet-root red before, but today I did, he was huffing and puffing. I just looked at him square in the face, whilst out the corner of my eye I could see everyone smirking or trying not to laugh.
John finally found his voice, “What! I’m the most important person here and you are going to put me outside?”
I held my hand up and said “I am not a barbarian dictator like the Government was, I said you can have the shed. So you are not outside and we will give you a camp bed and sleeping bag. Plus with us not putting the Land Rover in there you will have lots of room, and on the plus side you’ll have a lot of friends in there with you.”
John replied “Friends, what friends?”
I smiled “The rats after all you’re all rodents. Listen, I will be honest with you John I hated the Government for the shit they were pulling before all this happened, but like I said I am nothing like them so I will give you a choice. You can either sleep in the shed and pull your weight around here, with the chores and stuff, when the arrogance wears off we will then let you in the cottage. Or you can leave, we will give you a rucksack filled with food, water and some survival gear. But the choice is yours and if you say that you are the most important person here again, I will personally break your nose and drag you to the main road and leave you there. Because in this world the only important persons are the children.”