.Chapter One.................... Down Among The Ruins

[moonglum]

The Ferret crept silently through the shadows of the basement. Careful not to make the slightest sound, in case he woke the others. He let himself out quietly, easing the rusted tin sheet gently back into place. They were currently living in the ruins of an old warehouse down by the waterfront, four of them in all. He could remember a time when there had been hundreds left among the ruins. His days were always the same, scavenging. He was good at it too. Slipping silently and easily through the tangled remains on his eternal quest for food. The ruins of this decaying city was his hunting ground and his aim was to find enough food to sustain the group and especially himself. He had to stay fit, after all they depended on him. He laughed inwardly at that.

Tazer lay in wait. He'd staked out the same alley for days now and knew the Ferret would come through here eventually. His weapon was charged and ready, his grandfather had showed him how to joos it up. He'd spent half the day pedaling the old bikackle his gramps had found in the ruins. His gramps said the dinamod would put enough joos in the gun to stun a horse, whatever that was, plenty for the Ferret. He caught a movement out of the corner of his eye and froze, hardly daring to breathe.

The Ferret stopped at the mouth of the alley, sniffed the air and looked around. Something was wrong, there were normally rats scurrying about here. It was too quiet, too still. He ducked back behind the wall……….just in time. A dart plucked at his sleeve and the charge set fire to the rotting fabric. He pulled his arms free of the jacket and dropped it to the ground. Turning to run, he didn’t notice the trip-wire; and seconds later, he was suspended upside-down, in a net above the ground.

Tazer stood up and walked slowly towards the dangling figure. He smiled. Not a bad mornings work for a thirteen year old.

[moonglum]

“Whotcha got then?”
Tazer sat on a pile of rubble twirling his weapon like a gunslinger of old. He kept looking up at the sun. It was dangerous to be out in the open for very long. The Wolves would be coming through here soon and he didn’t intend to be around when they came.
“Well, wotcha got?” Tazer repeated the question.
“Nothing, you idiot. Let me down.” The Ferret struggled in the net trying to break the rotten ropes.
“Oh, me an idiot! You’re the one dangling. Come on, you must have something worth nicking!” Tazer was getting impatient.
Then he heard it. A stone or an old brick dislodged and falling to the ground. He slid down behind the rubble and held his breath.
“What are you doing? Let me down.” The Ferret called out.
“Ssh. Don’t move, stay still and be quiet,” hissed Tazer.

The Wolf paused. He had heard voices, he was sure of it. So, fresh meat at last. He’d be a hero when he returned. He would get the best piece for himself. The others could fight over the rest. He retrieved his crossbow from his back and folded out the limbs. Locking back the string, he knocked a quarrel and raised the weapon up to his eye-line. He edged his way along the front of the buildings, heading towards the corner. The voices had come from that alleyway, he thought. As he drew level with an old doorway an arm snaked out and encircled his neck. With surprising speed, a figure slipped from the shadows, pushed the Wolf to the ground and jerked backed on the neck at the same time. The surprise the Wolf felt was masked only by the last sound he heard, that of his own neck snapping.

[moonglum]

Hector entered the alley dragging the Wolfs body by its collar. A gust of wind plucked at his dirty trench coat and briefly, sunlight revealed the long dagger tucked in his belt. The tall man paused, taking in the scene. The Ferret appeared to be safe, his pride probably his only injury.
“Hector!” The Ferret called out. “Help, over here.”
The tall man put down his burden and walked over to his friend. Taking the dagger from his belt, he cut the ropes and The Ferret dropped the few feet to the ground. Getting to his feet, he spun round. “Where is he?” he hissed, but Tazer had disappeared.
“He slipped away when he saw me. Who was he?” Hector replied.
“Just some idiot of a kid,” said The Ferret.
Hector laughed. “You are not much more than a kid yourself!”
“Don’t say that!” The youngster bristled. He had provided for the four of them since they had abandoned the farm and came to this godforsaken place. A long time in the wilderness, living off berries, roots and small rodents. He’d earned his stripes. “Wotcha going to do with him? Who is he anyway?”
Hector studied the Wolf closely for the first time. Judging by his clothing, the man had been organized. Boots, weapons, leather jerkin and jeans. Yes, definitely organized!
“We’ll strip him and bury him. If I’m not mistaken, he’ll have friends somewhere and they will probably come looking for him.”

[moonglum]

Perched high up among the ruins, Tazer watched them bury the body from a safe distance. The fools. What have they done. The bloody fools. The Wolves will stop at nothing to find their man. They’ll hunt them down and kill them. Ever since his gramps had died, he’d survived by remembering what he’d been taught. Don’t ruffle feathers, don’t tread on toes, his gramps had said. Over and over and over again. Stay away from their hunting grounds, and if they come round here, stay low, don’t let them see you. He who hides and slips away, lives to see another day. Tazer missed his gramps, he had been on his own now for some time and he was lonely. It had been kinda fun toying with the other boy and talking to someone after so long. He made up his mind. Scrambling down the rubble, he circled around and entered the alley just as the pair were piling the last of the debris over the body.
“They are going to hunt you, you know.”
The Ferret looked up and started towards Tazer.
“You little bastard, I’ll…..” He stopped dead in his tracks as the weight of Hector’s hand clamped onto his shoulder.
“Steady boy. I think your young friend has a point,” Hector said. Looking at Tazer, he continued. “You coming with us?”
Tazer shook his head. “I think you’d be safer coming with me.”

[moonglum]

“There are two more in our group. We can’t abandon them,” Hector said.
Tazer thought for a while before answering. “Do you know the yellow Headless Horseman?”
During the early days of chaos, a group of people had tried to destroy a statue. It was a stone figure of a soldier on a horse, charging into battle with his sword extended. They had managed to break off his sword, then his head, but the rest was too solid for them to bring down. So instead they decided to paint it. What the mob hadn’t realized was, the paint they found in a nearby train yard, was luminous. Even now, although dulled and faded by time, on a moonless night the figure shone with an eerie glow.
“Yes, I know it,” The Ferret replied. “It’s spooky.”
Tazer laughed. “I’ll meet you there just after sundown.” Then he was gone, ducking back around the corner, he disappeared among the ruins.
Hector picked up the Wolfs boots and shouldered the crossbow. “Now we have a weapon!”

Mary tugged on the old mans sleeve. She had been trying to wake him for the last few minutes, ever since she had heard the noise outside.
“Danno, wake up. There’s someone out there,” she whispered.
“What! Leave me be child.” He mumbled and brushed her aside with his arm. Sixty years had taken their toll and he was tired. His back ached, his arms and legs ached. Hell, everything ached. The long walk across the wilderness had almost killed him. That was a while ago now, but still he ached. They had entered the city after dark, stumbling along a dried up river bed. It had started to rain and they found shelter under an old wooden pier. Hector collected the precious raindrops in his can and, in turns, they drank their fill of the bitter, life-saving liquid. Danno hated the stuff. He yearned for a ‘real’ drink. Something he had not tasted for so long, yet something which had left such an indelible scar on his mind and body.
They had found the ruins of an old warehouse and inside, a room with four walls and a roof intact. Hector had found an old door and this was propped up, in the doorway and wedged to keep it in place.
“There’s someone out there!” Mary repeated, this time in his ear.
He was awake now! Danno sat up and listened. The girl was probably imagining it, he thought. Then he heard it! A scratching, pawing noise outside. Dogs!
Twice on their journey here, they had escaped being attacked by a pack of wild dogs. The second time Hector had killed one with his bare hands, and they fled while the pack fought over the dead animal.
Danno put his arms around the trembling child and said softly, “Shh, quiet now and they’ll go away.”

[moonglum]

It was quiet out there now. It had been for a while and, at last, the child was asleep. Danno had laid her down and covered her with her ‘tarp’. Strange, he thought, how some things seemed to have outlasted others. They slept on large pieces of polystyrene packaging. Wooden crates, long since rotted and fallen apart, had been filled with the stuff, which now lay strewn all over the warehouse. The ‘tarp’ was also of a plastic material, strips of which had been woven into sheets. Danno retrieved a few roots and berries from the food-sack, hung on a nail high up to keep it away from animals. He sat back down and started thinking about his childhood and his parents. His parents had told him what they themselves had been told by their parents.

It was a combination of things really, but mainly greed. The Eastern Axis had slowly, inexorably rose to power. In their pursuit for world domination, they had targeted industry as the route to that power. Mass production on a vast scale coupled with prices to the consumer so cheap that, over time, the industries of the Western Alliance collapsed. They became dependent on the Far East for virtually everything. Then, just as the screws were about to be turned even tighter, the unexpected happened. The ozone layer, badly depleted by the airborne contaminants produced in the East, was in no fit state to defend this earth. The solar flare which hit the planet was not, in itself, an extinction level event, however, the magnetic pulse which preceded it rendered every electronic device on the planet, useless. Faced with a complete lack of media and military information, each side mistakenly believed the other to be responsible. Conventional warfare ensued.
Military museums were emptied of vintage aircraft. Petrol engines were removed and diesel engines fitted. Modern aids to flying were ripped out. No more guidance systems meant missiles were useless. Navigation and pilot aids were scrapped and pilots flew using maps. Bombs were released by jury-rigged cables and wires. On the ground, vehicles of any sort were modified and used until the fuel ran out. Then, they fought on foot. When the ammunition ran out, they fought with bows and arrows, sticks and stones. The war raged on for many years and all the while, the earth grew hotter and hotter. Fires erupted everywhere and whole cities burned. Billions died in the fires and the heat and the survivors took to living underground.
Eventually, over time, the temperatures moderated, then reduced to a point where the survivors could leave the shelter of caves and tunnels and walk the ruined land again.

Danno sighed and wondered if any of those old stories were true.

[moonglum]

Mary and Danno awoke with a start as the makeshift door crashed inwards. In the opening stood a big man. He was clad in leather. Leggings, jerkin and an eye patch, all made of old leather. His arms were heavily tattooed and scarred.
“Well, well. What have we here?”
Danno put his arms around Mary to stop her shaking. “What do you want? We’ve done nothing.” His voice betrayed his fear.
The man stepped further into the room. Behind him Danno glimpsed more figures moving about. “What do we want?” He laughed. “What do you want in our city?”

About an hour later Hector and the Ferret returned to find the warehouse empty. Mary, Danno and their meager possessions were gone.
“Where are they?” The Ferret looked around. “They don’t usually go wandering off.”
Hector looked at the nail in the wall. “ They would not take everything with them if they just went for a walk,” he said. “They….” Hector stopped talking. Both had heard a sound outside. The pair flattened themselves against the wall either side of the doorway. Hector unslung the crossbow and fitted a bolt before slowly peering around the door frame. He pulled his head back quickly. One lone figure was advancing across the warehouse floor towards them. Hardly daring to breathe, they waited until the figure crossed the threshold then, almost in slow motion, Hector dropped the crossbow and his arm snaked around and punched the intruder full in the face. The man staggered backwards and dropped the knife he was wielding. In a flash Hector was on him, pinning him to the ground.
“Where are they?” Hector snarled. The man shook his head and the force of Hectors fist connected with the man’s face again. He coughed and spat blood. Hector drew his fist back again.
“Ok! Rene has taken them,” his voice sounded nasal owing to the fact that his nose was broken.
“Who is Rene.” Hector held his fist ready to strike again.
The man spat a bit more blood and said. “He’s our leader. He leads the Wolves.”
Hector lowered his hand and gripped the man by the throat.
“And where has he taken our friends?”

[moonglum]

Tazer sat behind the statue and waited. It was long after sundown and the moon was describing a lonely arc across the night sky. This is crazy, he thought. They must have been caught. The fools. He was just about to leave when he heard their footsteps amongst the rubble.
“You’re late!” He announced as he stepped out from behind the plinth.
“We were delayed,” Hector said in a matter of fact way.
Tazer noticed they were both carrying crossbows. “Oh no. Tell me you haven't killed another one?”
“He is not dead, but he won’t be troubling anyone for a while. Where is Anvil?”
Tazer froze at the mention of the name. “Wotcha wanna know for?”
Hector sat down on the edge of the plinth. He felt guilty at not protecting Mary and Danno. That guilt was bitter and the bitterness was turning into anger. He balled his fists and pounded his knees. Calm now, be calm he murmured. Don’t let it happen again. His right hand found its way inside his shirt and he held the cross and chain. Not now!

Hector had been born and raised in a small commune in the northwest. His mother, Annie, had found her way to the group one day, alone and with child. She was a frail and frightened young woman who never spoke of her past or of the father to the baby she carried. Annie died giving life to her child. They named him Hector and he grew into a lean, strong young man who tackled each task given him with gusto. There wasn’t anything he wouldn’t do for the group and in time he was elected leader after the passing of old Eric. One of his first tasks as leader was to find a way of repairing the wind vane. The groups sole source of water was an old well on the property. The wind vane drove a small makeshift pump which drew water from the well and filled a tank above. The pump had seized once or twice due to wear and old age. It really needed replacing, but there were no new pumps anymore, nor spare parts. Eric had told him of an old mine, about a days walk from the commune. With luck he may be able to find something there that they could use. It was agreed he would go alone, there being too much to do in the fields at that time of year.
Hector set off early the next morning and by evening, found the mine. The place had been ransacked many years before and there was not much left. However amongst the debris he found an old oil pump. It was slightly smaller than their existing pump. It was designed to be hand operated and was in need of a good clean but, he thought, it would suffice. He decided to shelter in an old hut overnight. The next morning he set off early and made surprisingly good time. By mid afternoon he was almost home, the commune was in the next valley. That was when he saw it. Wisps of dark smoke spiralling up above the hilltop. He panicked. The crops were burning! Dropping the pump, he ran up the slope and looked down at the scene below. He breathed a sigh of relief. The crops were safe. Then he saw the remains of the house. Burnt to the ground, the last dying embers flickering their smoke to the skies. He ran blindly down the hill, falling, getting to his feet and running on again. They were all dead. Their butchered and mutilated bodies lying everywhere. Hector dropped to his knees and sobbed. His family all murdered. Who had done this? Why?
He could never remember how long he knelt there or where the anger had come from. It boiled up inside of him until his eyes saw everything through a red mist. Their tracks were not hard to follow. They had a wagon which left deep ruts in the ground. Five days later he caught up with them. He sat in a wooded thicket, one hand gripping his mothers cross and chain that hung around his neck. When the darkness of night enveloped him, he surrendered to the anger and let that anger build into a rage so powerful, he could taste the bile it produced.
When the seven scavengers were asleep, a demented figure stole down into their camp and slit their throats.
Several months later, on a small farm many miles to the south, the Ferret watched a bedraggled and blood stained figure stagger from the fields and collapse in a heap at his feet.

[moonglum]

Hector took a deep breath and repeated.
“Where is the Anvil?”
Tazer shook his head and shivered. “You don’t wanna go near that place, believe me.”
Hector went to say something but the Ferret beat him to it. “What’s your name?” He could see the other boy was frightened. The earlier incident forgotten, he wondered how this boy had managed to survive alone like this. “It’s alright. We won’t hurt you, but they’ve taken our friends there and we have to find them.”
The youngster sighed. “Gramps called me Tazer cos of this.” He patted the weapon in his lap. “Forget what my real name was, s’bin so long since anybody said it!”
“Well Tazer, this is Hector and they call me Ferret.”
“Ferret!” Tazer laughed. “Wot sorta name is Ferret?”
“I find things.” The ferret replied but Hector cut him short. In a more patient tone he said.
“Where is this Anvil?”
Tazer looked at the big man and said. “It’s the other side of the Teme. You won’t get there before morning. It’ll be too light to do anything then. Best travel by day and check it out. Come with me, you can rest. I’ve got food and water!”
Hector was thoughtful for a while. What the boy said made sense. They were tired.
“Is your place safe?” He asked.
Tazer laughed again. “Oh yes, very safe!”
Hector nodded his agreement and they set off, with Tazer leading the way amongst the ruins.

[moonglum]

After a short while, they came to a tall building which looked like it had once been an office-block. It stood about twelve stories high. The outside was battle-scarred and worn, and the windows and doors appeared to have all been bricked up. Tazer led them around the back of the building to a small steel door set in a recess. He fished in his pocket and produced a key. Unlocking the door, he pulled it open and ushered them inside. They found themselves in a short corridor. At the end was a steel grill holding back tons of fallen masonry.
Hector surveyed the scene. “It looks like the floors above have collapsed.” He said.
Tazer smiled. “Yeah, it does, doesn’t it.”
Halfway along the corridor, a large metal cupboard stood against the wall. Its doors hung open, one hinge broken and the inside bare. Tazer reached inside and pushed against a screw-head in the top corner and the back panel split in two. The Ferret thought he heard a slight hum as each half slid back into the wall on either side. They all stepped through into a small box-like room. The room was not much bigger than the cupboard. At waist height, a handrail ran around its walls and on one side a panel with buttons. Tazer pressed one of the buttons and the wall through which they had entered slid closed again. The faint hum from earlier grew louder and the Ferret gasped as he felt the room start to move. Hanging on to the handrail, he said. “What is this?”
Tazer laughed. “S’all right, we’re just going up.”

[moonglum]

After a short while the Ferret felt the floor stop moving and the door slide open. They stepped out into a corridor and Tazer flipped a switch on the wall. Lights on the ceiling lit their way as he led them from there into a room filled with large glass tanks linked by thick cables. Tazer again put on his irrepressible smile and said.
“Battys. They make Joos.”
Hector shook his head in disbelief. “You made all this?”
“No.” Tazer laughed. “It was already here. Gramps repaired it and kept it running. He knew about lektrickery.”
Tazer walked over to a panel on the wall and pulled a small lever down.
“That’s to stop the lift.” He said. “Come on lets have something to eat.”
He led them back into the corridor and then into another room further along. This room was obviously his living area. There were chairs and a table, the floor was covered in remnants of very old carpeting. Along one wall were bookcases filled with old books, some falling to pieces but others wrapped in a clear film to protect them. A doorway into a second room revealed a number of beds. Hector and the Ferret took in their surroundings with amazement as Tazer prepared some fresh vegetables and fruit.
They sat down at the table and began to eat. Hector shook his head for the umpteenth time and pointed to the food. “Where did you get this?”
With his mouth full of food Tazer pointed up at the ceiling. As he finished chewing he replied. “From the garden.”

[moonglum]

The Anvil was an old sports stadium. In years past it had been the home to perhaps the most famous of sports in the country. Now it was home to the Wolves. The once lush grass infield was now a vast garden, producing all the vegetable needs of a thriving community. The outer ring of rooms and corridors were now dormitories, kitchens and living quarters.
Danno looked out through the barred window. He had not slept well. The stomach cramps had returned and so had his thirst. On the old farm they had distilled spirit from potatoes and over the years he had drank his fill and more. Sweat ran from his brow and he looked down at his trembling hands, cursing his weakness. Walking back to his cot, he lay down and curled up into his blanket, like a frightened child.
On the other side of the Anvil Mary fared somewhat better. After their arrival she had been separated from the old man and taken to a room with a padded table, patched and repaired with tape. Around the room were glass cabinets filled with bottles and small packages. A woman entered and smiled at Mary.
“Hello. What’s your name, little lady?”
“Mary.”
“Hello Mary, I’m Juliet. I’m the Doctor and I’d like to check that you are fit and well. Have you any aches or pains? Any itches or rashes?”
“No,” Mary answered. She was nervous and a little afraid of her surroundings. Danno and herself had not been mistreated or man-handled on their journey here. In fact, one of the Wolves had even carried her part of the way. All the same, she was still suspicious of this place. After her examination, Mary was taken to a room to join six other children.

[moonglum]

It was raining when Hector awoke. He got up and stretched. He had not slept in a bed since he was a child and he felt rested, ready for whatever the day may bring. The Ferret was still sleeping but there was no sign of Tazer. Hector decided to look for him. He left the living area and went out into the corridor. At the opposite end to the lift he found a door leading to a flight of stairs. He climbed the stairs and exited through another door onto the roof of the building. The sight that met his eyes made his jaw drop. The whole roof area was one huge garden. There were beds of vegetables, rows of bushes bearing fruit and berries. In the center of the roof, a large water tank stood on a wooden tower. At one end, a row of huge black and silver panels stretched from corner to corner.
“They catch the sun and send it to the batty’s,” Hector started, he hadn’t heard Tazer come up behind him. “Gramps said they used to have a jenny in the down-below, but the fuel ran out a long time ago.”
They moved into a small wooden hut to shelter from the rain.
“But…. This is amazing. You have more here than we had on the farm. Did your Gramps do all this?”
“No. He found it and got it all working again.” Tazer looked out of the doorway at the rain. “I needed this. It fills the tank and waters the garden when it’s dry.”
Hector shook his head. “We need to get going and find our friends.”

[moonglum]

It took the trio the better part of the morning to reach the Teme. The old river bed snaked its way through the ruined city like a huge constrictor crossing a desert. The waters, once flowing through the heart of the city, were now gone, revealing the dried up river bed littered with the rusting hulks of old ships and smaller craft. Most lay on their sides where the evaporating waters had left them. Moisture was slowly returning from the atmosphere, however. The bottom of the channel had a thick covering of mud along its centre.
They stood on the edge of a stone abutment, staring across at a similar sight on the other bank. The bridge between these supports had long since fallen away. Remains of the concrete sections littered the river bed below. The Ferret was the first to speak.
“How do we cross? How deep is that mud?” Questions tumbled from his lips.
Tazer turned and said, “The mud is too dangerous, it’s deep in places. There’s an old bridge around the bend that is still passable, but it’s watched. It’s the only one in the city that’s still nearly in one piece”
“What do you mean, nearly?” The Ferret asked warily.
“It was an old train bridge. The concrete bit in the middle has fallen away, but the old track is still in one piece.”
Climbing back down to street level, they set off again.

[moonglum]

Two hours later found the trio staring at the remains of the bridge from the upper floor of the ruins of an office block. What Tazer had said was true, the tracks did still extend across the river-bed. Boards had been nailed to the sleepers in order to make a walkway. However, it was obviously well guarded. A makeshift shack had been erected at each end and figures could be seen moving about around them.
Tazer cursed. “This wasn’t as well guarded as this the last time I was here.”
“Really? When was that?” Hector sounded annoyed.
“I’m sorry. It was quite a while ago.”
They ducked back down below the remains of the window opening. The Ferret was thoughtful for a moment before asking.
“Are there anymore bridges further on, any other places we could cross?”
“Gramps said most of the bridges were destroyed in the wars. The rest he said, just fell down. The Teme goes on for mills, I’ve not been too far along it so I’m not sure if there are other places to cross.”
Hector stood back up and looked at the rail bridge again. He was quiet for a while before sitting back down again.
“We can’t cross here. Even if we took out the guards on this side, we’d be sitting ducks crossing that narrow walkway. We have to find another way.”
The three edged carefully away, towards the old stairwell they had used to climb up to this level. As they descended back to the street, the Ferret froze. He signalled to the pair behind him to stop and be quiet. Out of an old window opening, he saw a figure in the ruins below. Tazer and Hector joined him and at first, they all thought it was a Wolf, but this figure was not dressed the same. The figure had on a grey coloured, all-in-one suit and helmet. He, or she, appeared to be waving some sort of black box from side to side. As the figure turned, they saw it had some sort of cylinder strapped to it’s back. They watched for a while until, finally, the figure walked towards the remains of a building and disappeared into an opening.

[moonglum]

“Well, where did he go?”
The three stared into the opening. At first, they thought it was a doorway, but once they arrived at ground level and crossed the square, they were perplexed. The opening went back a few metres and stopped, abruptly. A brick wall stretched from side to side closing off the entrance completely.
Hector echoed Tazer’s question. “Where indeed! This makes no sense. Why build a doorway and not have a door.”
Hector walked back to the entrance and froze. Voices. He heard voices. Peering around the corner of the passage, he saw three Wolves on the other side of the square. Ducking back, he motioned the boys to silence. They were cornered like rats in a trap. He looked again and saw the Wolves were crossing the square. Hector looked at the two boys and thought they would not stand a chance against the three men approaching. Just as he was about to surrender himself, the wall behind them slid to one side and a voice in the shadows whispered, “Inside, quickly!”