Chapter 12

To say that this homecoming was pleasant was a gross understatement. Within four days of our return Carol, Fiona and young Charlie all fell ill with a serious infection. Somehow either Fiona or myself had brought it back with us. The doctors were completely stumped as to what it was, that was why I suspected I must have been the carrier and infected all the others. Marjorie, my young daughter Jane and I never even got a mild infection, but the strain on us both was intense.

Three weeks later the infection had taken the lives of the three who had been infected and this cause a distressing blow to Marjorie and myself. The medical authorities and the coroner wouldn't let us bury the bodies until two months after their deaths. All three were cremated and this left a huge hole in our once large family.

To make matters worse, one day I was out of the house, the military authorities called on Marjorie, wanting to talk to me. Marjorie told me she suspected that they had traced me somehow as a deserter. She was asked to tell them if I showed up.

My world had suddenly collapsed around me. I had lost nearly everything; it seemed that women were fated to die if I showed any feeling for them. Marjorie though was a rock, but she couldn't return to the past with me.

We had talked it over and we decided the safest place for me was in the past. I could return periodically to restock items I needed and to visit Marjorie. I decided I would return to Janesville, for that was where I felt the happiest. Fortunately we had kept strict timetables of the times of the shimmering at all the stations and in ten days the one to Janesville should be activated.

The Range Rover and trailer was still packed with the items I had taken on the last trip and only needed a quick maintenance and restocking of supplies essential for a short period. This time I made sure I had a good selection of ammunition for the three weapons I was taking. I wasn't sure how long I was to be away this time but in some ways I no longer cared.

I was leaving Marjorie now alone, but at least she still had her old friends whom she often visited and who visited her. She also had her shooting club in which she was very actively occupied recently. So I knew she would be all right, for I didn't want her mixed up in a scandal with the military.

I left in the middle of the night, towards where it all began and even parked in the car park where we had parked the semi trucks, when Marjorie and I had returned with Hild. Leaving at the same time as I did then I took it easy watching the clock and the pedestrian bridge in the distance attempting to judge being in the right position at the right time. I had just crossed over into the overtaking lane when I saw the purple shimmering. Keeping up the speed I was travelling I once again entered the portal and applied the brakes as soon as I knew the whole vehicle was through.

I was stopped on open ground where once we had planted our crops but I could see no movement. I got out of the vehicle and called out, but it was to an empty space. Looking around the houses was as I had left them, then why had everyone left? I could see the windmill still turning and even water running from the tap by the sauna.

Something was dreadfully wrong; I noticed the gate at the south end of the village was open. It was there that Hild had been killed, I noted these things as I walked over to the house I had built just before I left. Inside you would have thought they had kept pigs, everything was in such a state. The fireplace was choked with ashes and the ovens were filthy. I tried the hot water tap and the water flowed but cold, as well as the cold water supply. The lights didn't come on but when I went outside and reset the overload switch they came on bright. So why had everyone left?

Returning outside I walked around the village and what had been Northelm's house was stripped empty. All the other houses were in similar condition, perfectly sound but vacant. The ones that were built for the Celts were in a worse condition than my cabin, they were filthy. It appeared as though they had been lying vacant for many months. It hadn't been a raiding party for they would have burned everything, so something else has driven them away.

I drove the Range Rover and parked it outside my old home. I then set about cleaning out the stove range to get some hot water. There was plenty of cut wood around so it wasn't long before the smoke was once more coming out of the chimney. I then went and shut the south gate and dropped the bar in place, just in case there were any raiding parties around. Somehow I couldn't see me on my own putting up much of a defence against a large party.

Amazingly in the first cabin which I built was the box of carpentry tools, the saws and the adzes which I had given to Northelm. Now why would he have left them in the cabin and not at his home? There were that many questions that needed answered and there were no clues at all that I could see.

When I had made my second walk around the water was hot and I started scrubbing out the cabin from top to bottom. The table and stools which Northelm had lovingly made were all hacked by knives. They were still functional but now all scarred. Where the bed was when I moved it, it was overrun with lice which I at once dusted with a dangerous dusting of DDT. I knew that this was dangerous to humans but I bought a small drum of it and I knew that it worked if nothing else did. I left it to lie for a while before I swept it all up and threw the lot under the house. I threw it there to make sure I would catch as many of the lice as possible.

By evening I had the house clean and scrubbed and started moving in my things from the trailer and Rover. At least this time I had a good solid roof over my head and a good many of the essential conveniences.

Early the next morning I heard a banging at the South gate and taking my shotgun, I ran to see who it was making the noise. I could see the figure of a man and as I got closer I recognised him as Wistan.

"Wistan wait and I will open the gate." I shouted to him.

After lifting the beam and getting the gate open he came straight in and clasped my right elbow in his right-hand. "It is nice to see you have returned Chally. When I saw the smoke yesterday I decided to come and investigate."

"What happened here Wistan, when we left everything seemed to be fine?"

"It was Cedric and his Celts, after you left they drove everyone else out. Then they started fighting among themselves. We didn't want to come near this place in case some of them were still here. They were worse than animals; they raped all the women who were here. Sae lost her baby because of the way she was treated. After that all of our people left as well as Wiferth and Easterhyld, They took all the horses and buggy with them, I think they returned home."

"They surely made a mess here, but they never destroyed the houses. Why don't you bring your people here?"

"There are not many of us now, only three households with too many single women."

"Well there is plenty of houses for them, bring them here it is a lot safer than in your own village."

"Thank you Chally, it's nice to see you back." With that he turned and returned down the pathway.

I never realised just how much I missed this place. This was home to me, everything I built myself and felt pride in this humble place. I hope Wistan does come, even though I like to be on my own it is also nice to have company."

The wire basket which Wiferth had made to hold the Sauna stones was lying outside the small sauna attached to the house. I went to take it in and when I opened the door I was confronted with the ghastly smell of rotting bodies. There were five women who had been butchered, stacked up on the ledges. They had been dead for some time and were in a very advanced state of decay.

The first task was to dig a grave outside the village wall and bury them there. When I had completed this task, it was well after noon and still I had nothing to eat until now. Maybe if I had had my breakfast I would have been sick. The other big sauna was clear of any bodies but was really dirty, another task to be completed. The shower outside the little sauna was working so at least I will be able to have a hot shower.

That afternoon I scrubbed and scrubbed the seat shelves of the sauna even rubbing in wild mint leaves to help dispel the lingering smell. Propping the door open I hoped that would clear the smell, but I wouldn't be using the sauna for a while yet.

It was evening before I could make myself a light meal from the rations I had brought with me. The sun had set about six in the evening and now the small house was lovely and warm from the range. I had brought a stack of CD's with me this time, with a cheap CD player, so I spent the evening listening to the music.

Midday the following day Wistan and his people arrived driving their livestock in front of them. The once vibrant village was reduced to three men, two male youths, three young girls and from what I could count twelve adult women. I recognised Hygd and when she saw me she came running over. "Chally everything went wrong after you left. The Celts treated our women very badly. I am very glad to see you have returned to help bring Janesville back to life again."

"At least in here there are plenty of houses and a wall to help keep out raiding parties, but everyone will have to help defend the village."

"We will do anything you ask Chally," she said as Wistan walked over.

"What houses can we use?" Wistan asked.

"Use any you want except the houses of Northelm and Wiferth. I have a feeling that they will return. You will have to get your people to clean the houses out for they have been mistreated, also the large sauna is there for all to use but someone will have to heat the stones."

"What is a sauna? You will have to show my people and me how to use these things."

"Once you get yourself settled I will show you and I am sure you will feel a lot better once you start using the sauna."