The Dust: Book Two - Pursuit (2 page)

The boy stopped in his tracks, the sight of the massive beast towering above him was too much and he turned and fled blood flowing from his gunshot wound spreading over his skin like a road map.

Rossiter quickly loaded another cartridge into his gun and took aim, it was no use the boy was just a dot in the distance. He sat there on Chive and took a deep breath,
what the hell was that all about?
He was sure shooting an unarmed minor would bring severe repercussions but for now he was just glad to be alive. He took a deep sigh of relief.

He patted his stallion on the neck, if it wasn’t for his trusty steed it could have got very nasty. Rossiter looked up at the empty blue sky, he still couldn’t get used to seeing no planes, no helicopters, no jet streams.
The bloody dust had a lot to answer for.

He missed his wife, he missed her voice. The last time he had spoken to Anne was two weeks ago, she was marooned in London. Where was she now? He had no idea. All he knew is that there was total communications blackout and the transport system was already down. He just had to sit it out and wait. He had his son back at the house that was some consolation. Henry had been a great help the last fourteen or so days helping out, the staff had simply not turned up for work one day, why? Again he had no answer.

His sister Janet was also at the house even though she had seemed to have been knocked the most from the flu that had been doing the rounds. At one point they had all seemed to have been laid up with it, the day after the magnificent frozen fog that had illuminated the clear night air. He remembered thinking if it was actually the dust in the atmosphere that was glistening. Anyhow everyone had recovered fully now and his little niece Alice was a delight to have around, she reminded of him of Janet when they were young children. Charles Rossiter tapped his feet into the sides of Chive and trotted back up to Wisteria Hall, perhaps today might be the day he would hear from his Anne.

***

‘The light has come on.’ Jake Meadows looked over to the dashboard and could see the little yellow dot below the fuel gauge.

‘It’s been on for some time.’ Roger Clough answered not taking his eyes off the road.

‘Christ, how many miles have we got left in the tank?’ Jake looked out of the truck window for signs of any buildings or vehicles.

Roger shrugged. ‘Don’t know mate but I can’t see it being more than twenty.’

‘Do you know where we are?’ Angelica Carpenter leant forward from the back seat to speak to the men in the front.

‘Haven’t got a clue.’ Jake replied.

‘There doesn’t seem to be any road signs on these small tracks.’ Roger tapped the dashboard to try and will the needle back up above the red.

‘Tickhill.’ Angel confirmed. ‘Just keep your eyes peeled we will come across a mansion sooner or later.

‘Tickhill?’ Jake didn’t have a clue where he was.

‘I’ve heard of that.’ Roger remembered it being on television. ‘An affluent area?’

‘Yep.’ Angel confirmed. ‘We can swap this heap of junk for a Bentley.’ She smiled.

‘I like this heap of junk.’ Lou Pepper piped up tapping Angel on the arm.

‘Sorry honey I was only joking.’ Angel ruffled the little girl’s hair.

‘Get off.’ She laughingly protested. ‘I’m not a dog.’

Angel barked at her and the pair started laughing in the back of the truck horsing about.

‘Look, over there.’ Jake spotted a large stately home through the trees. ‘There must be a road up to that.’

‘I can see it.’ Roger slowed the truck down. ‘What do you think guys, shall we take a chance?’

‘It could be another farmer like Jeremiah.’ Lou beamed remembering the kind man that they had saved from the nasty naked beasts.

‘We need fuel don’t we?’ Angel asked.

‘You’re right, we have no choice.’ Jake agreed. ‘We have to take a look.’

‘Okay that’s unanimous.’ Roger still in the habit of indicating on the deserted roads clicked down the small lever and turned the truck onto the long winding gravel driveway.

‘Oh here we are.’ Jake called out as he spotted something. ‘There is a big slate sign with writing on it.’

‘What does it say?’ Lou shouted with excitement. ‘Is it a farm?’

‘Wisteria Hall.’ Jake said.

‘Very posh.’ Angel smiled. ‘Not for the likes of us.’

‘Well today my lady you will be going to the ball.’ Roger put on a snooty voice and then laughed. ‘Let’s hope diesel is on the menu, and plenty of it.’

Chapter Two

‘Over there boss.’ Harry James pointed to a figure hiding in the shop doorway. ‘I can see a girl.’

‘I can’t see anything.’ Lonny Gold was looking over to where the boy was pointing. He dabbed the brake on the old army truck.

‘There, the butchers shop.’ Harry James could see a young girl crouching in the shadows of the porch way.

‘Oh nice spot young Harry, you have been eating your carrots haven’t you.’ Lonny Gold applied the hand brake and switched off the engine.

‘Wow boss she looks a beauty.’ Archie Stanton said with glee then wolf whistled. ‘Can I have her boss? Please I asked first.’ Archie licked his lips. ‘She looks a right tasty treat.’

‘All in good time Archibald, all in good time. Let’s go and meet her first, introduce ourselves, be civilised.’ He opened the driver’s door of the cab and climbed out.

Archie pushed past Harry James. ‘Out the way gay boy.’ He sneered

Harry James was having his fill of Archie, sure they were friends but hanging around with Mr Gold had unearthed a whole new side to him and he didn’t like it.

‘Hello my dear.’ Lonny sauntered across the deserted road towards the shop doorway. ‘It’s okay we are here to help you.’ He beamed and held out his two hands.

‘What’s she doing boss?’ Archie crept up behind Lonny almost using him as a shield between him and the young girl.

‘Shhh boy, you will scare her.’ He stopped walking and Archie nearly bumped into the back of him. ‘What’s your name my pretty?’

The young girl was trying her best to make herself as small as possible in the darkness of the damp doorway and she looked petrified.

‘Harry James.’ Lonny turned around to face his young companion. ‘Get one of the women from the truck.’

‘Which one boss?’

‘Any fucking one, Jesus do I have to do everything by myself?’ Then he stopped himself. ‘No, you're right to ask, young Harry, bring out one of the older ones, the one with the ginger hair, the pogue.’

Harry James unbuckled the canvas backing to the truck letting the daylight into the large sitting area. He waited for his eyes to come accustomed to the dark and looked around. There she was sat at the back, ginger hair sitting neatly on her shoulders, her piercing blue eyes cutting through the gloom.

‘You.’ He pointed to her. ‘The ginger woman, Lonny wants you.’

‘She has a name if you can be bothered to learn it.’ A woman closer to the front mumbled over to Harry James.

He ignored her. ‘You need to come out, we have found another girl.’

‘Tell her she’s better off dead.’ The woman near the front mumbled again. ‘And her name is Iris.’

The ginger haired woman named Iris stood up and made her way to Harry James, he in turn unfolded the small rusty iron steps that lead down to the road. The other women started to stand.

‘No just her.’ Harry shouted. ‘The rest of you stay here, it’s not safe.’

The women sat back down too tired to argue.

‘What’s your name my lovely girl?’ Lonny was still trying to get the girl from the doorway when Harry James returned.

‘The ginger woman, boss.’ Harry stood beside Lonny and peered into the doorway at the girl crouched in the corner holding an empty bag of crisps.

‘The name is Iris O’Neil.’ She said in a soft southern Irish accent and glared at Harry James who was young enough to be her son. ‘And what do you want?’ She then asked Lonny.

‘A girl.’ He pointed. ‘We need to save her, we want her to become one of the family.’

Iris had already rumbled Lonny Gold’s game and knew he wasn’t travelling across the North of England collecting females just out of the kindness of his heart.

Iris shook her head but walked up to the doorway regardless, at the moment his truck was the safest place to be. Peering into the doorway she was met by a girl of about fifteen years of age who was shaking with fright. ‘Oh my child, you need to come with us.’ Iris held out her hand.

The young girl stretched her hand out but seemed reluctant to make contact. Her other hand gripped the crisp bag tightly and she started to whimper.

‘What’s your name my sweet?’

‘The girl opened her mouth but nothing came out, only a solitary tear fell from her right eye and trickled down her soiled cheek.

‘Come on my child, it’s not safe here, you need to come with us.’ Iris moved a little closer.

The girl spoke softly. ‘Hannah.’

‘Your name is Hannah?’ Iris asked.

The girl nodded and then leapt up and ran to Iris clinging onto her as if she was never going to let her go.

‘Oh my.’ Iris hugged her back, the young girl was now sobbing into her shoulder. ‘It’s okay Hannah you are safe now.’ She hated saying it because she wasn’t sure herself how true that actually was. She then turned to walk the young girl back to the truck stroking her cropped brown hair.

Hannah then dropped the crisp packet she was clutching so tight onto the floor and suddenly she became hysterical, frantically looking for it.

‘What’s wrong?’ Iris released her arm. ‘What’s wrong Hannah?’

Hannah was now on her hands and knees scrabbling through the gutter when she came across the old packet of crisps.

‘It’s okay Hannah we have food on board you don’t need to hang on to that empty packet.’ Iris went to gently take it off her when the young girl pulled her hand way so she couldn’t touch the bag.

As she did two objects fell out and onto the floor.

‘Oh my God.’ Iris stepped back, she was looking down at two severed fingers, one with a gold ring on it.

Hannah gathered them up quickly and placed them back into the old greasy crisp bag. ‘They’re my father’s okay?’ She screamed at Iris and started crying. ‘One of those fucking lunatics bit them off and then started to eat him.’ Tears and mucus ran from her face and into her mouth. ‘Now he’s dead and this is all I have, his two bloody fingers and his wedding ring.

Iris pulled Hannah close to her once more and hugged her. ‘I’m so sorry my child.’ She whispered trying to soothe her. ‘Let’s sit you down and clean you up.’ She then led Hannah back into the partial safety of the old army truck.

Harry James looked on and wandered back to the cab. He shook his head thinking the girl must have been through some pretty bad times over the last week.

‘Fucking hell boss did you see the tits on her?’ Archie was rubbing his hands.

Lonny smiled. ‘You are one sick puppy Archibald but I do love you.’ He patted the youngster on the back.

‘You promised though boss, she is mine isn’t she?’ He fidgeted with his crotch pulling at his denim jeans as excitement was stirring.

‘You can have that one my boy, she’s all yours.’ Lonny smiled and walked around the front of the cab to the driver’s door. ‘Consider it an early Christmas present from your Uncle Lonny.’

‘Oh Christ I’m going to ruin her.’ Archie was almost dribbling as he climbed into the cab and sat beside Harry James. He looked at his friend. ‘She is all mine every inch of her, my property so hands off gay boy okay?’

Harry James just nodded, he was starting to feel very uneasy about the whole situation he had found himself in.

***

‘Shall we knock the door?’ Jake asked and looked at Roger. ‘I’m still not used to just breaking into people’s houses and taking what we want.’

‘For fuck’s sake do you two need a meeting and a discussion for every little thing we do?’ Angel pushed between them and banged hard on the big oak door.

‘Angel stop swearing, it’s naughty.’ Lou Pepper tapped the side of Angel’s leg unhappy with her behaviour.

‘Sorry honey.’ She apologised patting Lou on the head. Lou in turn tried to push her hands off and was fed up of telling everyone she wasn’t a dog.

‘I can hear footsteps.’ Roger leant closely towards the door.

All four stood in silence and the metal locks clunked from the inside and the door slowly opened.

A woman’s face appeared, a ruddy complexion as if she had led an outdoor life but her makeup was immaculate and subtle. Her brown hair was tied back and she must have been in her mid-forties.

‘Can I help you?’ She enquired.

‘We were wondering if you had any diesel we could have off you, for our truck?’ Roger was the first to speak.

The woman looked over his shoulder at the dusty truck and then back at the gang of four. ‘You will have to ask my brother, this is his place.’ With that she pushed the door to and disappeared.

Jake turned around to Angel. ‘She could have invited us in.’

‘She obviously doesn’t like the look of you.’ She smiled.

Jake looked into Angel’s eyes, when she smiled her whole face lit up and came to life and wished she would do it a bit more.

‘I can hear footsteps again.’ It was Roger that broke their little moment.

‘Can we have some cake if they have any?’ Lou asked Angel.

Angel put her finger over her lips as to quieten Lou. ‘Later.’ She whispered.

‘Yes what seems to be the problem?’ It was Charles Rossiter who stood at the door with a towel in his hands, it looked as though he had just had a wash.

‘Diesel.’ Jake said trying to keep it short and sweet. ‘Do you have any we could maybe, borrow?’

Rossiter’s eyebrows narrowed. ‘Do I look like a petrol station?’

With that Angel turned and started to walk off with Lou Pepper. She hated the silver spoon wealthy and she certainly hated upper class twats who looked down their noses at the hard working common people.

‘Where you going?’ Jake walked after her.

‘I’m not being spoken too like that. Who the fuck does he think he his?’ Angel stopped and turned to Jake.

‘Angel!’ Lou shouted and tapped her leg again.

‘Let Roger talk to him, you know what they are like, people like him. They are short on time.’