Extreme Difference (11 page)

They arrived back just as the sun broke over the crater rim, bathing all in its fierce hard light. Small drops of condensed moisture were already boiling off from their hiding places high up in the surrounding rocks, looking like thin white wraiths, twisting and turning as the blazing heat of the naked sun found them, and boiled them out of existence.

‘The first thing we need to do is cut a channel in the roof just inside the entrance, so that we can roll up the net and keep it out of sight.’ Sandy said, as they sought the cool interior of the cave system. 

‘Perhaps we can get some of the others to do that, while we make the net.’ Ben suggested.

Soon, the sound of metal on stone echoed down through the tunnels as Sandy and Ben began to quietly construct the catch net. Although thin, the rope was a lot stronger than either of them had anticipated, and as the net neared completion, there was still plenty of the synthetic cord left over.

‘Keep the rest of it hidden away in your store,’ Sandy said to Ben, ‘I think it might come in useful for something else I have in mind.’ Ben nodded, knowing from past experience it was useless to enquire what it was, as Sandy would have told him if he wanted him to know at this point in time.

The stone cutters finished their groove at about the same time as the net was brought up for fitting. Ben, having found several short metal rods which they hoped to hammer into cracks in the tunnel roof to hold the net in place, suggested that two extra pieces of metal be driven into the floor of the tunnel to run the hold down cords through, thus preventing anyone escaping from under the entrapping net.

The two hold down cords were run back to a position next to the flame-thrower behind the rag curtain, the idea being that when all the marauding gang had entered and the gas jet lit, someone would release the net and pull the cords in, trapping all those who had been unfortunate enough to enter the tunnel.

‘I think we should try out the system,’ Sandy suggested, ‘just in case there are any unforeseen difficulties we’ve not thought of.’

It took much persuading to get eight members of the group to pretend to be invaders, despite the repeated promise that the gas jet would not be lit, and the whole operation was perfectly safe.

With the unwilling volunteers interspersed between the flame-thrower with its concealing curtain of rags and the entrance to the cave complex, Sandy gave the order ‘fire’.

Some were knocked to the ground as they met others going in the opposite direction at high speed, while most headed for the exit, only to wind up in a tangled heap as the net dropped just in front of those in the lead.

After much cursing and swearing as they untangled themselves, the exercise was pronounced a great success, and to some degree, the fear of an overwhelming attack from the raiders was diminished, but not totally dispelled.

A rota was worked out for manning the flame-thrower in two shifts, one in the early morning and another in the relative cool of evening, as these were considered to be the only times when an attack could be mounted, due to the extreme heat of day and freezing cold of night.

Nan came to survey the set up, but said little about it, Sandy reasoning the lack of enthusiasm for the project probably being due to the apparent and unintentional whittling away of his leadership as Sandy instigated his various projects.

Some members of the group were actually looking forward to an attack, just to see the marauders given a dose of their own medicine, and these were incorporated into the guard roster as the most likely not to lose their nerve at the critical moment.

As they had now acquired the necessary roll of material to make new clothes, Sandy went down to the kitchen cave to approach Mop on the subject, thinking she was the most likely to make a good job of the project. After giving it some thought, he decided a tunic and trousers would be the most practical garments for all, and put the idea to her.

Mop, who was always willing to please Sandy at any opportunity, gave him her best smile and nodded enthusiastically.

‘You’ll need some help, perhaps one of the other women would like to lend a hand? Oh, and before the new clothes are worn, the person concerned must have a good wash and get their hair tidied up. We’ve plenty of water now, so there’s no excuse not to.’

‘How shall we know how to make the clothes fit?’ asked Mop, thinking ahead quickly, ‘everyone is a different size.’

‘You can take measurements, and make any final adjustments while they’re wearing them.’ Sandy replied, quite unaware of what Mop had in mind.

Ben had made a crude pair of scissors from his supply of bits and pieces, and someone had found what passed for a needle, so, during the next few days, while the defences were manned, clothes were made, and after the first two or three outfits had been successfully fitted, everyone was keen to acquire a set for themselves. Sandy made sure that Nan was the first to receive the new uniform, and that immediately overcame any resistance to the change the others might have been harbouring.

Nan’s transformation, complete with hair and beard trim, restored some of the confidence he had lost as leader of the group, and he now walked around at full height, asserting his authority wherever it was possible.

As Sandy’s clothes were still in reasonable shape, he was the last to be fitted for the new uniform, a moment Mop had been waiting for.

‘Come along young man,’ she said with glee, ‘you’ll have to take some of your old clothes off, so that I can measure you for a good fit.’

‘I don’t think that’s necessary,’ Sandy protested, ‘they fit quite tightly, not like the bundle of rags most of you have been wearing.’

‘Surely you’re not that shy,’ she chided, slowly unbuttoning his tunic and savouring every delicious moment.

Stripped to his undergarments, which the others had long since discarded, he cut a striking figure, and Mop took her time over the measurements, checking each one several times until it became obvious what she was up to, and then she blushed a deep red.

‘OK, Mop, you’ve had your fun. As I’m in charge of uniforms, I’ll be around to measure you up for one.’ Too late, he realized his quip would be taken the wrong way, and it was his turn to blush.

There had been no reports of attacks on any of the other groups in the crater, but Sandy still insisted that a keen watch be kept at all vulnerable times.

The shiny metal plates Ben had obtained were polished to a level of high brilliance which surprised even Sandy, and they were stuck on the outside edges of the entrance with some of the sticky black stuff from around the water cave entrance. With another pair just inside, a good view of the local area could be seen by those on watch by the flame-thrower.

When it was Mop’s turn for a uniform, Sandy and Ben disappeared up the hole in the storeroom, enlarging it ready for the day when they could explore the shaft, but that relied on a suitable means of generating light.

At last, everyone had been decked out in the new uniform, been bathed, and had excessively long hair trimmed to a reasonable length. To everyone's surprise, except Sandy's, morale went up several notches at the change.

Shortly after the transformation of the group’s appearance, several visitors from either side came to trade, no doubt intrigued by stories of the new look. One group wanted similar clothing, only to be told there was no more cloth, which was not strictly true.

As water was a scarce commodity to most groups, this enabled Ben, through the exchange system, to collect large amounts of material for his store, including the first proper tools which Sandy had seen since his arrival in the crater.

Word must have spread further afield than they had first realized, and no doubt had been embellished in the process.

They were now getting visits from groups who were on the very fringes of accessibility, there being only a finite time for safe travel across the deadly sands, and Ben's store cave over spilled into the next one.

When the attack came, it took everyone by surprise. It was still dark as far as using the mirrors was concerned, only the faintest glow in the sky heralded the coming dawn.

Karry was in charge of the watch along with two others of like mind, when a scuffling sound brought them wide awake from a dozing like state.

She checked the tiny flame on the end of the flame tube through a small hole in the rag curtain, and then nudged the other two, motioning them to silence as she strained her eyes into the gloom further up the tunnel.

The exit out onto the sands showed up as a slightly lighter patch against the surrounding darkness, and flickering darker shapes cut across it as the raiders assembled in the tunnel entrance.

When no more ghostly shadows moved across the tunnel opening, Karry reached for the gas control valve with one hand, and raised the other to signal when to drop the net.

Karry waited until she was sure the raiders were advancing towards the curtain, and then gave the signal to drop the net across the entrance.

In the stillness of near dawn, the net made a surprising amount of noise as it rattled down across the entrance, and several grunts signalled that the raiders had been alerted to the fact that something they had not anticipated was happening.

Karry’s two helpers, each on the end of a hold down rope, braced themselves for the expected pull, in case the raiders tried to escape out of the tunnel.

She turned the gas control valve, a loud continuous hissing announced that high pressure gas was streaming out of the cylinder and into the tunnel. A surge of panic went through the guardians of the complex, as there was no expected burst of flame, and then it happened.

With a whoosh which was close to an explosion, the gas lit, and a sheet of flame raced up the tunnel engulfing the raiders, who now stood out like so many black shapes in the sea of advancing fire.

If it had not been for the rag curtain, the guardians would have been severely burnt by the back blast, as the heated air tried to escape in both directions. As it was, they were only slightly singed, and the two rope holders managed to retain their grip on the hold down ropes.

The ensuing screams of the raiders would haunt the members of the complex for some time to come, as they tried in vain to escape the furnace heat which pursued them up the passage, igniting their clothing and adding to the tunnel of consuming fire.

As the gas pressure dropped off, the roaring column of flame dwindled down, and then went out.

As darkness rushed in, it was somewhat alleviated by the flickering flames which still danced around some of the fallen raiders. The intense heat had broken down their body fat, liquefying it, and the remnants of their clothing, acting like wicks, continued to burn with red and orange smoky flames, adding to the horrific scene which greeted the rest of the complex members as they rushed up the tunnel to see what had happened.

Swirling clouds of acrid black oily smoke eddied up and down the passage, causing most to vomit copiously as the stench of burnt flesh assailed their nostrils.

Sandy pushed his way to the front of the crowd, singling out a smutty faced Karry who looked just as bewildered as those who had only recently arrived on the scene. He put an arm around her shoulder, realizing she was still in shock at the appalling mess which had once been the raiders.

‘Well done, Karry,’ he began, ‘you’ve saved our lives, that’s for sure.’ The normally tough Karry put her arms around him, clinging tightly, and then broke into uncontrollable sobs. The pent up tension of the last few minutes released itself in a flood of tears, cutting two clean lines down her smoke darkened face. Gradually, her sobs subsided.

‘God, I hope I never have to do that again.’ she got out jerkily at last.

‘I don’t think any of us will, once word gets around of our new capabilities,’ he replied, gently rubbing her hunched shoulders, ‘unfortunately, it had to be done, otherwise we’d all be dead by now, you did well, very well.’

Once the initial shock was over, Nan took charge, ordering the still smoking remains to be dragged out onto the sands as the dawn light added even more detail of the horrific carnage which had taken place.

By the time the charred bodies had been removed to the edge of the crater sands, it was nearly full light, and time for the morning meal. None felt like eating, nor did Mop offer anything to the smut stained few who had done most of the work. Those made of less sterner stuff were nowhere to be seen, having retreated to their caves to get over the shock of what had happened in their own individual ways.

It was while Sandy and Ben were standing just outside the entrance to the cave complex, mainly to get some clean air, that they saw their first denizen of the sands.

Surprisingly, there was now only one body left, a few metres from the rock walls of the crater.

A rippling of the sand, some ten metres out, gave the first clue that something under the now warming sands was on the move. They both stepped back instinctively, ready to dive into the entrance should anything get too close.

Whatever it was, it reached the limit where the sand thinned out to meet the underlying rock, and the ripples stopped. A long thin grey tentacle broke the surface, and groped around for the remaining body. Having found its target, the rope-like appendage of the creature wrapped itself around one of the limbs and retreated back into the sand.

Either the body was too heavy for the creature below, or it was unable to anchor itself sufficiently in the yielding sand, for a large mound rose up, some three metres from the half submerged body of the burnt raider.

The tentacle seemed to relax its grip for a moment, and then gave a jerk, ripping the arm off the body, and both disappeared beneath the surface in a flurry of sand particles.

While the pair of onlookers stood there, transfixed, another commotion further out in the sand filled crater drew their startled attention.

Whatever it was, it was considerably larger than the first creature, and by the eruptions of sand, was probably trying to wrench the severed arm away from its initial captor. A few more spurts of sand, and the first creature escaped with its bounty, leaving the larger one to make a bid for a meal on the half submerged corpse.