Blighted Land: Book two of the Northumbrian Western Series (Northumbrian Westerns 2) (36 page)

‘Right.’

‘When I met him he was different. Better.’

‘I’m sure.’

‘It got to him.’

‘What did?’

She shrugged, took a plate and chewed a hard biscuit. We sat and ate. Daniel’s fire stayed unlit as I kept my eyes on the horizon waiting for people to turn up. Track us down.

No one showed up so we set out the bedding. I still refused to let Daniel light his fire and he took a huff at this so let him play with my lighter for a while. As he clicked it on and off I watched Becky. Her face lit up in the flashes to show sunken eyes and drooped mouth. I wanted to say something comforting to her but Casper was gone and it really was over. All we had now was a chance to escape.
 

After a while I took the lighter off Daniel and told him it was time to sleep. He settled down and soon started to snore.
 

‘Becky?’ I said.

‘Yeah?’ Her voice was flat. Dead.

‘I’ll take first watch if you want.’

‘You sleep. I’ll do it. I’m not tired.’

‘You need to rest.’

‘No, I don’t.’

I stayed awake for a while in case she dozed off but I could sense her sitting there. Not moving.

In time I fell asleep and dreamt of the Eblis being blown apart. Casper frying in the wreckage.
 

In the morning she was still there with her eyes fixed on where we’d come from, her bedding wrapped around her. ‘They were out in the night.’

‘From the town?’

‘Yes, quite a few of them.’ She pointed off towards the west. Where the tank had been.
 

‘At least they didn’t come here.’

‘No, they’d didn’t.’

Daniel fetched some water from a stream and squeezed in a few blaeberries to flavour it. Becky stayed in her bedding as she drank.

‘What now?’ I said.

She drank some more, shrugged. ‘Without the Eblis we can’t do much.’

‘If anything.’

She threw her drink down. ‘Don’t you think I fucking know that? We lost the Eblis and Casper and everything. Everything!’ She stood up. ‘Can’t you say anything useful?’

I said nothing. She needed to let off steam and I wasn’t going to stop her.

‘What a screw up! What a waste! What a waste.’ She went on like this for ages. Waved her arms and stomped around.
 

At last she sat down and took a breath.

‘We could still blow it,’ I said.

She laughed.

‘I’m serious.’

‘You’re serious.’

I nodded and poured her another drink. For a few moments the three of us sat and drank. I wasn’t even sure where that had come from. But I was serious. We were here and we had come for a purpose. It hadn’t been something I’d believed in but here we were.
 

A breeze blew through the trees and shadows ran across the valley as the clouds were driven in from the west. Going to destroy the sub was a crazy idea. Suicide. The sensible thing was to get away. Forget about Gehenna and the town.
 

‘We have to get into town,’ said Becky. ‘They must have traders coming in.’

‘Yes, but they’ll be suspicious after the Eblis.’

‘Have you changed your mind?’

‘No.’

‘There’s no use hanging around out here.’

‘Tell you what, I’ll look the place over. See if there’s some way in.’

‘When?’

‘I’ll do it now.’
 

‘Okay.’ She seemed happy with this. If we were going to do it I didn’t want to end up like Casper. I’d have a look, make a plan and let her calm down.

So I shouldered the assault rifle and walked through the trees, out across the scrubland. Up the hill behind us. The sun fought through thick cloud and lit patches of the loch. Rain fell on the far shore, beyond Gehenna. The town looked the same as ever. All the low buildings and the big object in the middle. There was music and voices that drifted across the glen.

I sat on the hillside for a while. There was no sign of movement around the gates or the trench.

Then I spotted two figures walking towards the town. A woman and a young man: Becky and Daniel, heading for the entrance way.

I ran down the hill towards them.
 

W
HEN
I
CAUGHT
THEM
up they were approaching the bridge. ‘What are you up to?’

‘We’re going in.’ Becky marched on, not looking at me. She had her bag and mine. Daniel carried his stuff as well.

‘They’ll never let you in.’

‘They might.’

‘Stop. Let’s talk about this.’

‘I thought you wanted to go in?’

‘I do but we need a plan —’

‘We’ll work it out, Trent.’ She carried on so I walked with her, towards the main gate. There were remnants of burnt out bonfires on the ground at each side.
 

‘All right. We need to work out some story.’ If they came out and found us just hanging around we’d really be in trouble. After the Eblis’s trick they’d be jumpy as hell.
 

She stopped and thrust my bag at me. ‘Go on.’

‘We’ll say we’re traders.’

‘We’ve got nothing to trade.’

‘Could sell ourselves,’ said Daniel.
 

I think it was a joke but it made sense. ‘We could pretend to be pimp and whore.’

‘Fuck you,’ she said.

‘It’s a plan.’

‘For Christ’s sake.’

I checked to see what was in my bag. There were some clothes, banknotes and the Gehenna stuff. The shotgun and two grenades from the tank.

Daniel raised his hand. ‘What about me.’

Becky prodded me on the chest. ‘This isn’t some kind of joke.’

‘I’m serious,’ I said. ‘We could get in that way.’

She snorted and shook her head but didn’t argue.

‘You’re our star entertainer,’ I said to Daniel.

He grinned and there was almost a smile from Becky. Almost.
 

We carried onto the bridge of heavy logs that crossed the trench. The gates were set in the barricade, held by pillars of solid stone, sculpted to look like rockets, and with steel brackets hammered through them to take the giant hinges.
 

Becky stood by me. ‘They’re the missiles. From Gehenna.’

‘Are you sure we’re ready to go in?’

‘Look, Trent —’

‘Who’s there?’ said a voice.

Becky stared at me. ‘Entertainers,’ she said. Then she whipped her jacket off and carried on removing clothes.

‘Oh aye? What kind of entertainers?’ A hatch opened up on the left-hand gate a couple of metres up. A face appeared, red skinned and wrinkled. ‘What you got?’

Becky took off her top so she was just in a bra and trousers then stepped back. She put her hands on her hips and thrust her head back. There was a smile on her face but her eyes were serious. Deadly serious.

I realised I had the assault rifle over my shoulder so I slid it off. Dropped it into the trench.

The face wedged itself through the hatch and two watery eyes stared out at her as she waggled her chest at him. He disappeared and there were sounds of bolts moving. Becky sighed and relaxed. The smile vanished.

A few seconds later the left-hand gate eased open and the man peered out through the gap. ‘Just the three of you?’ he said as he looked us over.

‘Just us,’ said Becky.

‘Where’ve you come from?’

‘Tarbet. We did a show at the hotel.’

‘So how did you get here.’

‘Walked.’

‘Walked?’

‘Yes, walked. Took ages.’

‘When did you arrive?’

‘Just now.’

‘Today?’

‘Yes, now.’

‘You’ve not got a vehicle?’

‘No.’

‘Guns?’

‘No.’

He stepped back and drew the gate with him. I let Becky go ahead then followed with Daniel.
 

We stood in a small quadrangle with another gate ahead of us. This one was shut.

The man had an assistant with him, a younger man. He didn’t say anything but stared at Becky in her underwear.
 

‘What do you do?’ said the older man as he bolted up the outer gate.

‘Whatever the customers want,’ she said.

‘You performers?’

‘Yeah,’ I said.

‘What do you do?’

‘I sing.’

He pointed at Daniel. ‘And him?’

‘Comedian.’

Daniel grinned.

The man pointed towards his assistant. ‘Joe here needs to pat you down.’

‘Fine.’ I raised my arms and Joe checked me over. He moved down my body with fast hand movements. He did Daniel who giggled at one point. Then he went to the bag where we’d stashed the shotgun and grenades within everything else. If they found this we’d be in trouble.
 

He opened the bag and poked around.

‘Aren’t you going to check her?’ I said pointing at Becky.
 

Even though she was only in her knickers and bra he put the bag down and went over to her, standing close. His eyes were all over her body as he rubbed his hands together. Then he started. First he went over her backside. Across her knickers. Into them. Then he cupped her tits. Gave them a squeeze and closed his eyes. Finally, he slid a hand into the front of her knickers.
 

‘That’s enough,’ said the older man.

He drew his hand out and stood back. Looked at the ground.
 

‘Okay. You can go.’

Becky gave them a big grin. ‘Thanks.’

Joe smiled and showed cock-eyed teeth in his red gums. He led us to the far side of the quadrangle and to the other gate. He hammered on it three times. ‘All clear.’

There was the sound of bolts being drawn and the gate opened. Three men stood there, two with a rifle and one with a pistol.

‘All fine?’ said one.

‘Aye, fine,’ said Joe.

They waved us through. Gave us a good eyeballing. For a moment we all just stood there.
 

Then they stepped aside.
 

‘Go on,’ said the fella with the pistol.

‘Thanks,’ said Becky then she minced off.
 

I followed with Daniel at my side. ‘Maybe see you later.’

The five men stayed at the gate as we walked on.
 

‘Good performance,’ I said to Becky.

‘Yeah. I hope it’s worth it.’ The smile dropped and she slid on her shirt.
 

When I looked back the guards were still watching us.

We headed on into town, Becky pulling on the rest of her clothes and Daniel humming to himself. The road was flanked by burnt-out bonfires and pieces of bone carved with symbols. There was a long walk into town and I expected the fellas at the gate to change their mind and come after us but they never did. We’d got in but lost the assault rifle. Casper and the Eblis.
 

We passed allotments and pens with chickens and pigs and ducks. Open ground with sheep grazing on it.

Further on there were low buildings made of sheet metal and scraps of wood. Then repair shops for machines and others selling food and booze, drugs of some sort. Each had a sign and people milling around. There were piles of timber at the side of the road and up ahead a factory unit with a ramshackle chimney. Wires ran out of it in a chaotic knot to thread out across the town. Men carried wood in and others brought out barrows of ash they piled at the side.
 

We saw carpenters and tailors. More food and drugs sellers. To the right was an old school. Music played and there was laughter and shouting. It was subdued compared to what we’d heard earlier but there was still some kind of a party going on.

The houses became more solid as we continued, the originals of whatever place this had been. They were stone-build and slate roofed though some had boarded windows and patched doors.
 

Off to the left was a tall building. It had once been a hotel or whatever but was now covered in boards with painted symbols: yin and yang and swirling shapes. Flowers and hearts. Topping it off was a giant skull. It was made of dozens of pieces of polished metal nailed onto a wooden frame.
 

The road carried on down to the loch, now a lighter blue but still with that dark shape in it: Gehenna. It was hundreds of metres long, the bulbous sections front and back proud of the water with the tower topped by instruments. There was no sign of anyone on it.

‘Well, here we are.’ I was regretting being so keen to get in.