Chapter Seven .................. Fresh Air

[moonglum]

“You know, that’s not the first time I’ve heard that!”
Helen stared, open-mouthed, and tried to grasp what she had just heard. She looked him in the eye and stammered.
“What did you ………….?”
Hector stood and grasped her outstretched hand. Pulling her to her feet, he said.
“C’mon, let's see what those boys are up to.”
“No, wait!” Too late, he was off, striding towards the old stairway. To say she was stunned would be an understatement. What he had just said made no sense at all. By the time she caught up with him, they were halfway up the stairs.
“Hector, wait! You can't …. be serious.” She grabbed his arm and turned him to face her. Gasping for breath, she continued. “You must have got it wrong!” Her head was spinning and her mind reeling. She sat down on the stair, still holding his arm. They were the only ones, herself and her fellow companions, but they were all dead! Helen had seen the devastation in the cavern, no-one could have escaped that. Looking up at him she said, “Where did you hear that? Who from?”
Hector sat down next to her and sighed. “He was a crazy old man. Came to the farm a long time ago. Babbled on about being from the past. He kept asking where everyone had gone. He stayed a while and then one morning he'd gone.”
Helen's mind was racing, she stared into the gloom of the stairwell. If what Hector said was true, if this person really was from the past …..... her thoughts trailed off. She had to find him! Turning to Hector, she said. “Who was this man, did he say his name?”
Hector stood, pulling her up with him. “Come on, we need to find those boys.” He started to climb the stairs once more but she held him back, still grasping his sleeve.
“Hector, what was his name?”
“John ….... Jonah, something like that!” With that, he shook his arm free and carried on climbing the stairs.

[moonglum]

There was no sign of the two boys at the top of the stairs. A small metal landing held only the stairs and a steel door set in the wall. Hector tried the door. It wouldn’t budge!
“Where did they go?”
“Up here!” A voice came from above. Looking up, Hector saw Ferret’s face in the gloom, peering down from a hatch in the ceiling. “There’s a way out from up here.”
“Can you get this door open from that side?” Hector felt that would be the safer option for Helen. He looked at her, standing at the top of the stair. He wasn’t sure whether she was deep in thought or half-asleep. The woman had retreated back to her former self.
“No!” Ferret shouted from within the dim confines of the hatchway. “It’s blocked with rubble on the other side, but there is a gap we can crawl through to get out. Tazer is already outside.”
Hector put a hand on Helen’s shoulder, he said.
“We have to climb up there,” he pointed at the hatch with his other hand. “It’s our only way out. Look, there are some rungs on the wall, I’ll help you.”
She brushed his hand away and glared at him. “I don’t need your help! I’m not one of your children!”
Pushing past him, she grasped the second and third rungs and commenced her climb. With surprising speed, she ascended the wall and was through the hatch before he could think of a reply. With a shrug of his shoulders, he followed her. The rush of cool air against his face, as Hector poked his head through the hatchway, was refreshing after the stale air in the tunnels. He followed the pair through the gap and scrambled down the rubble to the ground. The three stood there for a moment, staring at each other until the Ferret burst out laughing.
“What are you laughing at?” Helen looked from one to the other and then started to smile herself. The sight of the pair, blackened from head to foot with the grime from below, broadened her grin until she too laughed aloud.

[moonglum]

Having washed the dirt from their hands and faces from a puddle of rainwater, they sat among the rubble breathing the fresh air and talking. Helen, inevitably, steered the conversation back to Hector's earlier remarks.
“So, who was this man that came to your farm, this John or Jonas?”
“You talking about Jonesy?” Ferret piped up.
Hector grinned. “Yes, that was it, Jonesy.”
Helen took a drink from her water bottle and stopped mid-sip. There was only one person called Jones that came to mind. Stephen Jones? No, it couldn’t be! Her mind raced, they told her he was dead. It couldn’t be him. Could it? It made some sort of sense. Her team was using his research, his work. But how ………….. Her thoughts trailed off.
Ferret looked at Hector. “She’s gone again!”
Hector put his hand on her arm. “Are you ok?”
She snapped back from her daydream. “Yes, fine.” It was now more urgent than ever that she find this man. She was about to continue but stopped herself. She couldn’t share her thoughts, they wouldn’t understand. If what she thought was true, she could barely believe it herself.
A disturbance among the rubble signaled Tazer’s return. He clambered slowly towards them and stood swaying gently, his hand grasping at a block of stone to steady himself. “I think I’ve found it ……..” The words had barely left his mouth before he pitched forward, a crossbow bolt protruding from his back. Hector leapt forward and caught the boy before he hit the ground. “Tazer …” His words were cut short by more sounds of disturbance and then the appearance of Wolves as they encircled foursome.

[moonglum]

“What have you done,” Helen shouted as she dropped to her knees and took Tazer’s body from Hector.
“He’s just a boy!” She breathed a sigh of relief as she saw Tazer was still breathing.
One of the Wolves grinned and said. “The little bastard has been stealing from us for ages. How did he get over the Teme and who are you?”
Hector gritted his teeth and balled his fists. Still on his knees, he fought the rage that was building up inside. He looked at the Wolves. Five, too many, he thought. As if reading his thoughts, the lead Wolf leveled his crossbow at Hector. “Don’t get any ideas!”
Helen was feeling Tazer’s neck. “He still has a strong pulse,” she said. “He needs help.”
One of the other Wolves put his hand on his leader's arm. “Let’s take them back to Rene. The healer can deal with the boy.”
Helen was examining the wound in the boy’s shoulder. The shaft had entered to the left of the spine and just to the right of the shoulder blade. It was embedded up to halfway and the point was protruding at the front. There was no gushing of blood so she assumed it had missed an artery. She gently opened Tazer’s mouth, his breathing was laboured but there was no sign of blood in his mouth. “I’m not a doctor but, I think he can be moved,” she said to Hector.
The leader prodded Hector with his crossbow. “You, carry him!” Turning to his men, he continued, “Take the other two back.”
Hector took Tazer from Helen, stood and the group set off through the rubble towards the Anvil.

[moonglum]

Jonesy had an eventful night. He sat with Juliet until she finally fell asleep, huddled under her blood-soaked blanket. He then dragged the body outside and lay it on the path next to the other man. Cleaning the room proved to be a problem. The blood spatters were too great to eradicate entirely. Still, he did the best he could. Finally, he settled down in a corner of the room, propped his head against the wall, and fell into a deep sleep.
The commotion outside woke them both at the same time. Jonesy stood up and Juliet swung her legs off the bed, just as the door burst open and Rene stood framed in the doorway.
“What the hell happened here?” His voice was low and menacing as he glared at Juliet.
She went to speak but Jonesy beat her to it. Looking Rene calmly in the eye, he said.
“They tried to rape her so I stopped them!”
“You, old man? You stopped them?”
He grabbed Jonesy by the throat and pinned him back against the wall. Still sitting on her bed, Juliet shuffled back into the corner and pulled her blanket around her.
“Leave him alone,” she whispered, her mouth dry with fear.
Releasing the old man, Rene turned on her. “That’s another two good men I’ve lost, because of you! I should have slit your throat when I found you and saved myself all this trouble.” He drew his knife and took two steps towards her when a voice from the doorway stopped him.
“Rene the patrol is back, and they’ve got prisoners!”

[moonglum]

Standing inside the walls of this once hallowed structure, Helen marvelled at how it had survived while the rest of the city had been devastated. True, it had taken a battering but it looked reasonably whole. The outer wall and gates were largely intact and the inner rooms still stood. Helen and the Ferret were standing by a low railing that ringed the inner perimeter. She looked out at a forest of trees and bushes that covered the once sacred green playing field. She shook her head and laughed aloud.
“What’s funny?” The Ferret was staring at her.
Helen put her arm around his shoulders and replied. “This is crazy. I’m sure I’ll wake up in a minute and find this has all been a dream!”
The Ferret nodded toward an approaching group of Wolves who were returning with Hector. “They look real enough to me!”
Helen looked at Hector. “How is he?”
“He’s with their healer,” Hector put his hand on her arm. “She says she’ll do what she can for him.”
The Wolves stepped back as a big man walked up to the group. Rene stopped and studied the threesome. “Who are you and where did you come from?” He barked.
Hector looked Rene in the eye and said. “We’re travellers from Wealls in the middle west!”
Rene was holding the Ferrets crossbow. “Where did you get this? It looks like one of ours!”
Hector realized the trap. He couldn’t take on this many and hope to live. “We found a stash of old weapons. Took what we needed and moved on.” He hoped that was the same way they had acquired their weapons.
The pair glared at each other. Helen could feel the tension building between them. She saw Rene’s hand move slightly towards the knife at his belt. She stepped forward quickly and, placing her hand on Rene’s arm, she said. “How is the boy, will he live?”
Rene shook her hand free and turned to his men. “Take her to Juliet and lock these two up.”

[moonglum]

Hector paced back and forth. The room was small and he hated being confined. Ferret lounged using a table-top for a bed. He raised his head and looked at the big man.
“Do you suppose Mary and Danno are here?”
Hector stopped and thought for a moment. “Very probably. We’ve seen no other signs of life and these are dressed similar to the ones in the warehouse and in the square.”
“Want me to go look for them?”
Hector smiled, the kid was older and wiser than his years. His youth, however, sometimes made him impetuous. Tazer’s wounding showed that these Wolves meant business. He didn’t want the same thing to happen to Ferret. He sat down in a corner, rested his head on his knees, and replied.
“No, we’ll wait and suss this place out. If we get out of this room, keep your eyes open.”

In the infirmary, Juliet was examining Tazer’s wound. Her mind was still reeling from the effects of the previous night. She couldn’t believe what the old man had done. Jonesy was normally so mild-mannered, kept himself to himself while he tended the garden. She never realised he could be so violent. With a groan, Tazer opened his eyes and tried to sit up, Juliet placed her hand on his chest.
“It’s alright, you’re safe. I’m going to get this thing out of your shoulder. It’s going to hurt so I want you to bite down on this.” She placed a piece of wood in the boy's mouth. “Bite down hard!”
At that moment the door opened and Helen was pushed inside. She looked in horror at Tazer lying on the table.
“What …….. what are you doing to him?” Helen crossed to the table and took Tazer’s hand in hers. Her eyes swept the room and finally fixed on Juliet. “This is barbaric! You can’t be serious. He’s just a child!”
Juliet looked at the newcomer. Her face and hands were dirty, her hair bedraggled and her clothes filthy and torn. She smiled, “I know what I’m doing. You can wash up in the next room.” As one of the Wolves took Helen's arm and led her to a door, Juliet said. “I’ll look after him, I promise.”

[moonglum]

Jonesy sat in his hut in the garden staring at Rene, framed in the doorway.
“Why is it I don’t believe you, old man?”
Jonesy had been waiting for this moment, wondering what would happen. Rene could be unpredictable at best. Worst, he could be downright evil.
“They were drunk and were going to hurt her. We need her, Rene.” He smiled at the big Wolf. “Honestly, I didn’t know I had it in me, it just happened!”
Rene stared at Jonesy pondering those words, he may be unpredictable at times but, he wasn’t stupid. The old man could have had an advantage if the two Wolves were indeed drunk. Rene was willing to bet, however, that Jonesy had help from the woman. He came to a decision.
“Stay away from Juliet. Keep to your garden, old man!”

[moonglum]

Helen heard Tazer scream as Juliet pulled the bolt from his shoulder. She pushed past the Wolf and rushed back into the other room.
“What happened? What have you done? She cried.
Juliet was pouring alcohol into Tazer’s wound. “It’s alright, there’s not much bleeding. We’ve just got to keep it clean and it should heal.”
Helen crossed to the table and took Tazer’s hand in hers. She looked at his tear-stained cheeks and, with her free hand, she brushed the matted hair from the boy's eyes.
Juliet looked on smiling. This is what she missed, this is what she needed, a feeling of belonging, of family. At that moment she reaffirmed her vow from the night before, she would leave this place and, if possible, take these strangers with her.

[moonglum]

Hector stared up at the small, barred window and watched as black clouds scudded across the moon. Night had fallen and with it, a quiet had descended over the Anvil. He turned back at the sounds coming from the Ferret, snoring in a corner. He needed a weapon, without his crossbow anything he found would likely mean getting up close to an opponent. He looked around the room for the umpteenth time, and then he saw it. By the door, an old conduit ran down the wall ending about level with his chest. Just poking out, Hector saw what he was looking for, the end of an old wire. He walked over and, with fingertips, gently pulled the end. The wire pulled free for about six inches then stopped, caught somewhere. Taking a firmer grip in his fist, Hector yanked as hard as he could. The wire snapped somewhere in the conduit and, as he fell backward he hoped he would have enough. Hector sat up and looked at the wire in his hand. He had never garroted anyone before, but he smiled and estimated that four feet should be enough.