The Citadel and the Wolves (28 page)

Christmas was suspended temporarily.

I was troubled when I heard the wolves somewhere else. They were very close.

As I dressed hurriedly in my room, Kim, who hadn’t made a move, sat on the bed, biting her nails nervously.

I frowned. “Get dressed, Kim. You’re no good to anyone sitting on the bed half-naked.”

I thought she might cry, but I didn’t have time to be kind right then. I loaded my newly-acquired revolver and tucked it into my belt. Kim was still in a daze as she slowly dressed. I took the rifle down from the top of the wardrobe. I handed it to her.

She looked confused. “Jade?”

I showed her how to use it. She couldn’t always depend upon the rest of us. She had to learn how to defend herself, and now was the best time to start.

Before we dashed downstairs to join the others, we locked Tommy and Jenny in their room. Mum was waiting at the bottom of the stairs.

Mum was worried. “Jade, where are the children?”

“We’ve locked them in their room upstairs as a precaution, Mum,” I answered.

“You heard the wolves?” asked mum troubled.

Kim and I nodded.

Mark, who came out into the hall at that moment, glared at Kim when he saw her with the rifle.

“Kim, I hope you know how to use that thing? We wouldn’t want you to go shooting yourself in the foot, would we now?” He laughed which was a mistake.

Kim coolly levelled the rifle at him. “I know how to use this rifle, Mark, and it’s loaded too.”

The colour drained from his cheeks.

“Behave,” I said, quickly defusing the situation.

Mark puffed out his cheeks as Kim slung the rifle over her shoulder darkly.

We found father and Wendy outside with some heavy towing chains. The fallen tree had to be removed before repairs on the damaged wall could begin.

I took the chains from Wendy.

I was concerned. “You shouldn’t be carrying anything heavy, Wendy, not in your…” The words died on my lips when I noticed the look on her face. I’d almost blown it.

“Jade, you idiot,” breathed Wendy.

“Sorry,” I whispered.

“Forgiven.”

The others had missed it fortunately. I glanced at Mark. I still found it hard to believe that he was the father.

Father frowned. “Stop gossiping, you girls, and make yourselves useful. Jade, bring the Land-Rover around. We’ve got to clear this tree before we can do anything else.”

“Yes, Daddy.”

“Kim and Mark, keep your eyes peeled for the wolves. If you see any, shout.”

They murmured.

When father barked, others jumped. I was briefly reminded of the schoolteacher of old.

I leapt into the four-wheel-drive, starting her up. Despite the freezing weather, she started first time. I put her into reverse. I backed up slowly to the damaged wall. When she started to slide on the icy surface, I pumped the brakes several times to steady her. I brought the Land-Rover to a halt in front of the pile of bricks, which was once our south wall, and the fallen tree. I climbed out of the vehicle and tied the towing chains to the tow bar whilst daddy secured the other end to the tree trunk. I sat in the driving seat again with the engine running. I wound down the window.

“Take it nice and easy, Jade. If she starts to slide, pump the brakes,” instructed father.

I shifted into forward, letting out the clutch smoothly. I gently squeezed the accelerator pedal. The towing chains tensed. Nothing happened for a moment or two. The tree, which had stood there for over one hundred years, was stubborn; however, she began to creak and groan, yielding to man’s horsepower. When the Land-Rover started to slip, I pumped the brakes again.

“You’re doing just fine, Jade,” said daddy. “Keep her coming.”

Kim’s cry made the hairs on the nape of my neck stand on end.

“Wolves! Wolves!”

Then her rifle cracked.

Shifting the fallen tree was forgotten as we were forced to defend the breached wall.

Hunger had made the wolves brave.

My revolver spat flame as I took out the leading wolf. It fell dead instantly with a bullet through its brain.

Others came.

Father’s shotgun boomed twice. A large hole the size of a plate appeared in the side of a wolf. It fell backwards and lay still. The white snow quickly turned red.

Kim screamed when a large, white wolf, which had sneaked up behind us unnoticed, leapt upon her back, knocking her down. As she lay helpless on the ground, it sank its razor-sharp teeth into the soft flesh of her shoulder. Mark stood transfixed with horror. I pushed him aside. When I squeezed the trigger, I heard a hollow click. My revolver was empty. Shit! I thought. I didn’t have time to think. I picked up the axe that lay there. I lashed out with it. The big wolf fell away and lay still in the snow. Its brains spilled out of a gaping hole in its head.

The remaining wolves fled. We had won the day. They wouldn’t be back in a hurry. I suspected that the big one I’d killed had been their leader.

Kim was covered in blood as I cradled her in my arms. She was very white and still, and for one awful moment, I thought we’d lost her. When she opened her eyes gazing up at me puzzled, I almost cried.

BOOK THREE

The Future

16. TWINKLE, TWINKLE LITTLE STAR

The spring thaw is late this year, which is worrying. Although it’s almost the middle of May, the heavy snow and ice still lies on the ground. Father said that this kind of weather wasn’t unusual for this time of the year. He called it a bad winter. There had been other big freezes in the past. He recalled a big freeze when he was a lad in the 1970s. I disagreed. Something was seriously wrong this time. This was the beginning of a new ice age. He had predicted that it would happen, and it has. Daddy and I had a big debate over it one breakfast, amusing the others.

On one of our most recent trips out, we broke into an abandoned steam history museum and ‘borrowed’ a steam engine. Our generator now runs on wood, and daddy has converted the Land-Rover to run on his potato alcohol!

We haven’t been out beyond our high walls, which we rebuilt and strengthened with over 40 centimetres of concrete, for some weeks now, having stockpiled the fuel and firewood that should last us many months, daddy reckons. We cut up the old tree which fell in the winter blizzards. It gave us plenty of fuel too. Daddy is also experimenting with dried animal dung cakes (UGH!) from our growing livestock for fuel to supplement our reliance on the wood fuel. Our food stores are also very high…and, oh, yes, mum is keeping herself busy on her ‘new’ loom. I’m looking forward to wearing my first, new jumper in a long while. And what else? Oh, yeah, while I was sorting through some of my old school stuff the other day, I rediscovered my vid phone; another reminder of my past life. I tried ringing up all my old school friends and Simon Whitehouse (my old science teacher) too listed in my vid phone book. But the lines were still dead. I considered deleting the numbers. I couldn’t. I put the vid phone away back in the box for another time. There would be another time.

In early spring, ‘Angela,’ our sow, gave us a litter of tiny piglets, delighting everyone including Tommy and Jenny who set about naming them all immediately. I tried to explain to the children that the piglets weren’t pets. They were part of our growing livestock. But they were having none of it.

On a much more personal note, Kim, who lost a lot of blood, survived the horrific wolf attack on Christmas Day. Although she still remains weak, she’s recovering well. I’m her nurse. I look after her. I love her. She’s my little sis.

On Boxing Day, during our delayed Christmas supper, my beautiful, dizzy sister dropped her bombshell. She finally summoned up the courage to announce to the rest of the family that she was expecting Mark’s baby. Mother and father took the news very well. In fact, they seemed quite pleased about it, surprising me a little. I suspect that they’re masking their bitter disappointment at their eldest daughter. She could have done so much better. No, I don’t think so. Perhaps Wendy is lucky. When I look at Mark Taylor, I still can’t believe that he’s the father, though I must accept it. He seemed stunned by the Boxing Day news too. I remain happy for my beautiful sister, even though my nose has grown 20 centimetres in length since I told her that. Despite everything, I retain my old sense of humour. If I ever lose it, then all hope would be lost. After Wendy’s brief and nervous announcement, we all celebrated with a cup of dad’s homemade brew, which was a mistake, leaving us with thumping hangovers the following morning. The infant is due any month now. Wendy is big. Mum said that it could be twins! Secretly, I admit that I’m looking forward to the birth too. Twins? Mother and father are going to be grandparents. Soon our family will be nine or even ten!

Tommy finally called me ‘Jade’ the other day. I wanted to give him a big hug; however, I didn’t want to tempt the gods too much. He and Jenny are growing up fast in this brave, new world of ours. They deserve more for their future.

Daddy, the teacher and scientist, is determined to see that the young ones don’t miss out on some sort of education. He has converted the attic, his old observatory, into a classroom, which is filled with many books that we also ‘borrowed’ from a derelict library. Tommy and Jenny are up there in the attic classroom every day. They’re keen to learn. They’re like little sponges, soaking up the learning, which is a good sign.

Mark ‘sleeps’ elsewhere now. He has moved in with Wendy, no more slyly sneaking down to her room in the dead of the night for him.

But what of my own future? I’m helping father out in the classroom. The street savages shan’t win the day. Civilisation and order shall prevail once more. Tommy, Jenny and the infant (or infants) are our real future, the futures of tomorrow. Today will soon be over.

I jumped when I heard the snow shift on the roof. It startled me in the stillness of the night. I smiled. The late, late spring thaw had started. I was happily wrong. This isn’t the beginning of a new ice age. I’m suddenly the optimist again after so long. Perhaps there is hope yet for mankind.

When Kim reached out to me, tenderly touching my face, I closed my diary on the last page and laid it on the table beside the bed before I turned out the light. I kissed her lovingly.

I woke with a start.

When I reached out to Kim in the dark, she had gone.

I flew down the stairs concerned, throwing on my dressing gown. The back door was open, alarming me.

I found Kim in the back. She stood barefoot in her nightdress on the muddy and icy vegetable patch, holding a bucket of animal feed. Something in the black sky fascinated her. I was intrigued. When I saw what it was too, the hairs on the back of my neck stood on end. She smiled weakly when I put my arm around her. We shared it together till dawn.

A hole had appeared in the thick clouds. A solitary star twinkled in the dark heavens.

ZOOTWOSOME!!!