Chapter 4: Autumn, Planning for the Future

When I arrived at the railway museum Larry Ponsford was already there and he had brought a friend with him. The friend was female but was dressed like Larry, in overalls. As a result I couldn't tell a lot about her but she looked to be about forty and had a pretty face.

"I'd like you to meet Katie," said Larry. "Believe it or not, she is a qualified boiler maker and inspector." We shook hands and sat down in the main hall.

I chatted again with them about my ideas and it soon became apparent they were an item.

"Like you, I lost my wife last year," said Larry, "and Katie lost her husband. He was a qualified driver on the North York Moors railway and Katie was a fireman. We're both concerned about the future. We live in York but the floods are getting worse and we'd like to move. You have some good ideas and I reckon together we could come up with some things which would make life in a village easier. We don't have space where we live and thieves are always trying to steal our things. Could we move to Newsham, into one of the abandoned houses?"

Well, we didn't really have a leader as such but I was prepared to stick my neck out and said, "One way or another, I'll get people to buy into our ideas. I think once the electricity fails for good, and it will sooner or later, then anyone who's against my ideas to build a small steam powered generator to give each house an electric supply for a few hours a day, during the evening, will change their mind."

We worked on our ideas and I said finally, "If the other people in Newsham don't go for our ideas I know of an abandoned farm about a mile and a half away. We could you set up there and I'll join you with a lady friend. I'll bring my supplies and another family who are wanting to leave York, who could help defend us."

Larry agreed that this would also be OK. Katie said, "If we can't get together with some other people we were discussing setting out on our own."

I asked about transport and Larry said, "Come on your bike if you want."

"We tried a loco on wood," said Katie. "We were able to raise enough steam to move up and down the yard, but there's some coal as well so transport is sorted. Newsham is only just over half a mile from the railway, where is this farm you spoke about?"

"Right next to the railway, between Bempton and Hunmanby."

"Why don't we take that over anyway," said Larry, "even if your village does accept your suggestions."

I asked which engine they had tried and they pointed to one in the yard. "That looks too big," I said with a frown. It wasn't a small tank engine, which I had in mind.

"You need an engine with tender if you are going to try and run on wood," Katie explained. "And that one underwent a major overhaul at the end of 2010, it was the last major overhaul I supervised before things went to hell in a hand cart." I saw the sense in what she was saying.

It was now nearly eleven-thirty, we had been talking for over two and a half hours, and we had a plan. I promised them I would see them again in two weeks. We arranged to meet at the rear entrance at two in the afternoon. I got on my bike and headed through the centre of York to start the ride home. I felt pleased with myself, I had achieved what I made the trip for and a bit more besides. I knew I would face opposition from some of the residents at home but I felt confident that most of them now accepted that we were on our and would stand or fall by our own efforts.

As I rode through Walmgate Bar I remembered Harry's warning about Tang Hall and slung my shotgun over my shoulder in clear view. Many people were now openly armed. I rode down Hull Road without incident. There were a few people around but they were wrapped up against the wind and no one bothered me. I carried on along the A166 towards Stamford Bridge. I had to stop near Murton Lane to put some thicker clothes on as the stiff northerly wind was now making riding quite unpleasant.

I got to Stamford Bridge in just under an hour but I didn't hang about, there were now a few little flurries of snow and the earlier blue sky with a few fluffy clouds had given way to an all over grey. I had a feeling that by the time I got to the Wolds it was going to be a lot colder and windier than on the Vale of York, so I just had a drink and some biscuits.

I was about two miles out of Stamford Bridge being buffeted by the northerly wind when I saw two men standing in the road in front of me. I had put my shotgun back into the temporary case on my bike when I left Stamford Bridge to protect it from the flurries of snow which were now increasing in intensity. I had a bad feeling about the men, they just looked threatening. I slowed down as I approached them, keeping a hand on my shot gun, wobbling a little as I was steering one handed.

As I got within thirty feet of the nearer of the two men he ran at me, pulling a knife. I pulled my shotgun out and blasted him in the face from less than ten feet. He went straight down. I knew he would be dead. The recoil had knocked me off my bike but I picked myself up quickly and saw the second man running off up the road towards Full Sutton. I jumped back on my bike and followed him.

He was running hard and had a hundred yard start but a bike can quickly catch and overtake someone on foot. Perhaps it was panic but I thought it was more likely stupidity that kept him on the road instead of making off across the fields where I wouldn't be able to chase on my bike. I caught up with him within a few hundred yards and shot him in the back of the head from almost point blank range. Again I was knocked off my bike even though I was expecting the recoil to affect my balance this time.

I picked myself up and went over to him. I turned him over, he was on his front, took a picture and searched him. He was also carrying a knife, it was a long kitchen knife which had been ground on both edges. I found some gold jewellery in one of his pockets, a bracelet and some rings, and a piece of paper with a name and address on it. He also had five, ten rouble coins. I rolled him into the ditch at the side of the road and walked my bike back to the other man.

As I did so I thought about the fact that I chased the second man down and killed him. In my mind, I was doing the law abiding section of our crumbling society a favour. If I'd left either of them alive they would have attacked someone else who wasn't capable of defending themselves ... I suspected that they were amongst the inmates released from Full Sutton Prison a few weeks ago. It's a good job I have a strong stomach, a shotgun at almost point blank range makes a helluva mess of a face. I took a picture of him just in case.

The second man just had the knife, a couple of ten rouble coins and some small change. I rolled him into the hedge as soon as I had photographed him, loaded two fresh cartridges into my shotgun and stowed it back on my bike. As I carried on towards Garrowby Hill the weather was now my main concern. There was a steady fall of fine snow and, although the road was clear, I suspected that it would be worse on the Wolds.

Garrowby Hill takes the main road from the Vale of York to the top of the Wolds, and climbs about eight hundred feet in a mile. I had a low gear on my bike and made good but slow progress up the hill. However, after about five minutes my legs were beginning to fail and I had a five minute break. I then cycled on again. It took me about fifteen minutes to finally reach the top of the hill where I stopped for another break. The weather was now horrible, the wind was stronger up here, and the snow had got worse. I was only able to make seven or eight miles an hour, and it was now one-thirty. I had four hours or so of daylight, and about twenty six miles to go, I hoped I would get back before dark.

It took me the best part of an hour to get to Fimber and then the road follows a valley for a few miles to Sledemere, I hoped it would be more sheltered. It was but the downside was that the snow, instead of being blown off the road by the near gale force wind, was now settling and that made riding harder. I ended up having to walk on several sections and it took me an hour to get to Sledmere even though it was only six miles. The light was also failing, there was now a heavy cover of cloud.

I knew it would be bad when I got onto the open Wolds after I climbed back out of Sledmere, but nothing prepared me for the worsening of the snow storm when I got out of the shelter offered by the belt of trees about a mile out of Sledemere. I nearly turned back to Sledemere, I was cold and exhausted. However, I thought I was only fifteen miles from home and could walk it if I needed to.

I struggled on, now walking and pushing my bike, riding was impossible. It took me another hour to get to Octon and I decided to shelter against a tree near the old crematorium. I needed to eat some of my emergency chocolate. I had been shivering for the last thirty minutes and sat down out of the wind, sheltered by an old oak tree. I had only intended to stop for a few minutes. When I sat down I felt better, and warmer, and really tired. I ate some more chocolate but couldn't force myself to start the final trudge home. I now know I was suffering from hypothermia, but at the time I just sat there, doing nothing.

I was watching the snow fall. In the shelter of the trees the flakes were falling slowly but I could see the snow being whipped by the wind beyond them. I started to dream, weird dreams, all mixed up, about Sally, Kelly and Jill.

Then I heard voices, 'No! No! No! Mark, please be OK.' Kelly's voice, almost screaming. I then thought I was being laid down and felt a warm body, female and curvy, lying on top of me. I thought, 'This isn't a dream. This female has boobs and a butt, and smells womanly.'

I could hear Kelly telling someone, "I am trying to warm him up. There isn't a mark on him even though he was covered in blood ... He's coming round now, I can feel his hands moving." There was a pause and then, almost crying, she said, "Mark, why? Why did you take off like that? Where has all blood come from?"

I was still weak and tired, I muttered "Two men attacked me. I shot them." I didn't answer the why question. I then said, "Where are we?"

"When you didn't come back today I persuaded Dan and Phil to come out in the Landrover and look for you. It's a good job we did, you would have been dead by the morning. Anyway we're nearly home now."

I just held Kelly for a few minutes, she was bouncing on top of me, and in spite of everything I started to get a hard-on. She noticed it and whispered in my ear, "At least you're pleased to see me." I just hugged her and she kissed me quickly on the lips.

"I am, I missed you," I said quietly so that only she could hear. "You upset me but I still find you sexy. I reckon you've saved my arse."

We were home now. Kelly put a blanket round me and helped me into the warm kitchen. Kirsty was sitting there with Stella and ran up to me, giving me a hug but not saying anything. I was given a hot drink and some toast which I finished quickly.

"Mark, if we lose you we are finished," said Phil. "What possessed you to try and battle through the snowstorm?"

"I wanted to get home."

I told them of my trip to York and finished by saying that I would be seeing Dawn tomorrow and asking for a meeting to discuss my proposals. Phil, Dan and Stella said goodbye then got up and left. Kelly told Kirsty it was time for her to go to bed and Kirsty just shot up stairs saying, "Goodnight," as she went.

"I want to share your bed tonight," said Kelly. "Am I forgiven?"

I decided I may as well come clean about my night with Jill and told Kelly all about it. I expected her to kick off, but the reaction I got was not the one expected.

"Good," said Kelly. "I'm glad you fucked her and relieved you weren't turned on by her. I'm sorry for what I did, I was stupid and I know it. I just want another chance and I will NOT fuck up again. I'm happy that you find me sexy and that makes me feel good." I just smiled, she took my hand and said, "Let's have a hot shower together and then go to bed."

We had a shower and that felt good. Apart from a slight headache I seemed to have no adverse reaction to my experience. We cuddled in bed and talked about my trip. I told her of my decision to leave Newsham if the other villagers voted down my proposals to try using steam power to assist with agriculture, transport and power.

"If you leave, Kirsty and I will come with you," said Kelly emphatically. "If you'll have us," she added softly. "I was pissed off with you leaving like that but I know I deserved it. I think we've both realised that we will do better together than apart. I love you, Mark, and I hope that, if you don't now, you will grow to love me as well as lust after me. I think we'll make a good team"

"I love you too, Kelly," I said softly. "I'm thankful and fortunate that you were stubborn enough to get the others to help you look for me."

Five minutes later I was asleep. I was woken the next morning by that wonderful, warm, wet feeling of Kelly's mouth on my dick. I pulled her into a sixty-nine and we made love for about an hour, until Kirsty knocked on the door and said, "Are you two going to make some breakfast?"

We got up reluctantly and went downstairs to get some breakfast on.

It was a fine morning after yesterday's snow, which was six to eight inches deep everywhere. The power had gone off last night and was still off, I did not think it would come back on anytime soon. I went in search of Dawn Chalmers and told her about my trip. She agreed that we needed a meeting to discuss my proposals, but was more positive than I was about the outcome. She said that she had detected a change in attitude from several families who had previously been acting as if everything would be back to normal next week.

"Can we have the meeting at your house since it looks like you may be one of the few with heat and power?" I agreed and we set the time for seven o'clock.

Before going home I walked for about half a mile towards Bridlington and saw that the overhead power lines to the village were down in several places. Even if other places had some power, what I saw confirmed my thought that we would not be reconnected anytime soon.

When I got back Kelly had tidied up in the kitchen. I told her that we would be having fifteen visitors for tonight's meeting. We sat and talked again while Kirsty built a large snowman in the garden.

We spent the rest of the day at home pottering around. I repositioned the solar cells to take better advantage of the low sun. When it got dark we went back outside and walked to the top of the hill where we could see across Bridlington towards Hull. It was a clear night and we could see about thirty miles. There was not a light to be seen anywhere. I reckoned that the electricity supply had gone off for the last time. We got back in at quarter to seven, just as the first few people were arriving.

By five to seven everyone had arrived and our kitchen was full to overflowing. Every household had sent someone.

Dawn called the meeting to order and then handed the floor to me. For the third time I recounted my trip to York. As I expected there was quite a lively debate and, yet again, there was a clear split between those who realised that anything that we gained as a community would be done with our own hands, and those who said, "You cannot do this or that..."

I answered a lot of questions, they were about all sorts of things, but mainly about the people I had met who I wanted to invite to live in our village. Food was less of an issue than I thought, five other families had large stockpiles, eleven houses had planted vegetable gardens during the summer and had good crops. I explained about my walk to the top of the hill before the meeting and the fact there appeared to now be no power anywhere.

After about an hour and half Dawn said, "OK, we know what is being suggested. All those in favour raise your hands." Eight people raised their hand. "Those against raise your hands." Three people put their hand up.

"We have a simple majority in support of Mark's proposals. Mark would you please start work on turning your proposals into actions. I think we have reached a watershed today, it is obvious that all the old systems and services have broken down and I agree with Mark's view that things will not return to normal anytime soon, maybe never. Would the three people who didn't vote put your hands up."

Three hands were raised rather reluctantly. Dawn turned to the first one, Ian Holloway, and said, "Why didn't you vote?"

Ian was the manager of a clothes shop in Bridlington until the spring. Since then, like nearly everyone else, he had been scrimping and scraping to get enough food.