Flare

Chapter 43

“What did they say?” The Secretary demanded the moment I was within earshot.

“I put our side across,” I lied smoothly, “and he’s asked for some time to consider it.”

“Do you think they’ll come over?”

I shrugged. “He seemed like a sensible man, I reckon he’ll realise which way the wind is blowing and act accordingly.”

His eyes narrowed at that, and I forced myself to remember that whatever this man was, he wasn’t stupid.

“I explained how important it was that we don’t waste resources fighting each other when there’s so little left,” I said hurriedly, “and he promised to come back to us within quarter of an hour.”

He nodded at that, mollified. “Well it’s not as though they can slip away, we have the place surrounded.”

He turned to the Major. “Curtis, assume command. If we receive no answer within fifteen minutes then we’re going in.”

The other man nodded and hurried away, taking the other soldiers with him apart from the drivers who kept their vehicles idling to prevent the batteries draining.

“Did he say how many men they had?” The Secretary pressed, but I shook my head.

“He didn’t give anything away, I’m afraid. He did agree that he didn’t want more violence, however.”

“Well that’s very much up to him seeing the light, isn’t it. We can’t go having rogue units zipping about the countryside stealing our resources, now, can we?”

I could have driven a truck through the holes in his logic but wisely chose not to say anything.

As the Secretary called another soldier over and began detailing orders, I slipped back towards where Emily leaned against the nearest vehicle.

“What the hell was that about?” She demanded in a low voice.

“Making friends,” I said just as quietly. “And with any luck getting us away from here. Their leader promised us a distraction, so if something happens get ready to act.”

“Something being what, exactly?”

I shrugged and spread my hands. “No idea, but I think it’ll be big.”

I was imagining some kind of explosion possibly, charges set up to go off inside the petrol station or something equally flamboyant, but when the distraction came it surprised us all.

Fifteen minutes came and went, and the Major sent a runner back to the Secretary to confirm the order to storm the building.

The Secretary strode forward impatiently to get a view of the petrol station himself, but only got a few yards when something small and fast tore through the night air, his Kevlar helmet flying off his head as the sound of a distant shot reached us and he fell to the ground, screaming.

“Ambush!” The cry went up even as the soldiers opened fire, pouring bullets into the surrounding hedgerows with a roar that seemed to shake the very earth, the night suddenly alive with muzzle flashes.

I stood and watched in amazement, unsure if we truly were under attack or if this was the distraction we’d been promised.

“Come on!” Emily grabbed my shoulder and spun me in a half-circle as she sprinted towards the last Landrover, the driver already turning the vehicle in preparation for a quick getaway.

“Orders!” Emily snapped through the open window, and the driver, drilled by years of practice to obey instantly, stopped the vehicle and leaned over to hear what she had to say.

She barely slowed as she reached through the window, grabbing his un-helmeted head and slamming it hard into the door frame. He cried out in pain and she did it a second time, then tore the door open and pulled him, stunned, to the ground.

“Get in,” she shouted over the gunfire as she grabbed his sidearm and vaulted into the driver’s seat.

I jumped in the back, and by the time I had the door closed she was already off down the road, accelerator flat to the floor.

I kept low, expecting shots through the back windscreen at any moment, but none came and after a few moments I straightened.

“Are we being followed?” Emily called over the noise of the engine. I looked back over my shoulder, watching for any tell-tale lights but saw nothing.

“I think we’re ok,” I said, climbing awkwardly into the front between the seats. “Thank you.”

“For what?” She didn’t look over, too intent on keeping us on the road in the dark.

“For acting so quickly. Had it been down to me I’d probably still be standing there trying to work out what was happening.”

“You’re welcome. Good distraction by the way, that was one hell of a shot, whoever fired it.”

I nodded. “I was expecting them to blow the petrol station up.”

“What, and waste all the petrol in the tanks? Not likely.”

“So what now?”

“We head north again. Let’s see how far this heap of junk will get us, maybe find some diesel somewhere if we get too low.” She flicked the fuel gauge and I saw that it was showing about half a tank. I assumed that was good news, then I remembered how thirsty Landrovers tended to be.

“How long do you think it’ll take us to get to Manchester from here?” I asked, “can we do it in one run?”

She laughed. “We’re not on foot anymore Malc, Manchester’s only about three hours away by car.”

After days of walking, it seemed almost inconceivable that we could get halfway across the country so quickly, and I realised how much my worldview had changed in the last week.

The thought that I might have my little girl in my arms before dawn was enough to bring tears to my eyes, even though we still had to find our way back through territory that we now had to consider hostile.

I looked back over my shoulder once more, still expecting to see some sign of pursuit but nothing moved on the road except us. Perhaps, I mused, the Secretary was dead, and without him the soldiers were unsure what to do.

Emily glanced over at me and took a hand off the wheel long enough to give my arm a quick squeeze.

“You look shattered,” she said, “why don’t you try and get some sleep. I’ll wake you when it’s your turn to drive.”

I nodded and settled down in the uncomfortable seat, the after-effects of the adrenaline making me feel tired to the bone.

Despite my excitement at the thought of seeing Melody again so soon, the motion of the vehicle was soon enough to lull me into a deep sleep as the miles rolled past.