Chapter 10: Home alone

Laura continued to scream at her abductors from the rear seat of the jeep. The man in the passenger seat turned and pointed a rifle at her between the two front seats. She could see his black eyes glinting with anger and she knew her time was up. That thought had just gone through her head when the man lunged forward, jabbing the muzzle of the rifle hard into her belly.

The air whooshed out of her and pain exploded through her body.

"Shut up you little whore!" he screamed at her.

With the pain and lack of oxygen it was impossible for Laura to make any other noise at that moment other than whimper. She was relieved when the man turned round once more to face the front. Laura found that the brutality of what was happening to her had the opposite effect to what she might expected. If someone had described something like this involving her she would definitely have said she would be terrified. Instead she found herself calming and her brain started to function more clearly. The clarity allowed her to realise that she needed to make sure she didn't make any false moves, if she did, her very life might be on the line.

She tried to estimate how long the journey in the jeep took so that she would have some idea of roughly where she was. She was sure she'd read that in some book of Jamie's. She was counting up to sixty repeatedly and keeping track of the number of times she did it so that when the jeep came to a halt, she reckoned they had been driving for around thirty-five minutes. The chances were therefore that she was somewhere in Glasgow City centre. The glimpses of buildings passing that she managed to see from her prone position backed that up.

When the back door was opened and she found herself being dragged from the seat, her suspicions were confirmed. She recognised the mosque that was in front of her, as the family had driven past it many times. She knew it sat on the south bank of the River Clyde. The fact that she had been brought to the mosque also gave her some other intelligence she realised. It was very likely that she had been picked up by some of the terrorists who had been involved in starting this whole despicable attack on her country.

Laura was prodded into moving forward towards the entrance to the mosque and then brought to a halt and told to take of her footwear.

"I can't take off my boots with my hands tied behind my back," she advised.

One of the men pulled out a sharp looking knife and proceeded to cut through the plastic tie that bound her hands together. Laura gasped as the blood rushed back into her hands and fingers. She hadn't realised just how badly her circulation had been cut off. She clenched and unclenched her fists and waved her hands around to try and quell the feeling of pins and needles that she was suddenly experiencing and then bent to remove her boots.

Once her footwear was off she was pushed forward once more. She passed through a highly ornate archway and found herself in an equally ornate and much larger hall. There were around a hundred other teenagers already gathered in the hall and she was thrust in their general direction. The group was a mixed one of boys and girls, but they all had one thing in common - the look of shock and fear on their faces. It was clear these young people were struggling to come to terms with everything that was happening around them. Laura knew that if they had been rounded up like she had, then that would have been just one more shock on top of the loss of family and friends they must all have suffered.

A different man entered what Laura now guessed must be the place where the Muslims said their prayers. Like the two men that had grabbed her, he was dressed in traditional Muslim clothing - baggy trousers and a long flowing shirt over the top of them. Unlike the other two, this man looked white and British she thought.

"Can I have your attention please boys and girls?" the man called loudly.

Laura immediately noticed that several of the teens around her bristled at being called 'boys and girls'. The term annoyed them despite the circumstances they were in.

"Please quieten down and listen to what I have to say," the man called out.

"You are fortunate enough to have survived the virus outbreak and as our own Prime Minister said before he passed away, now you have a responsibility to help rebuild our country.

"You will all convert to the Islamic faith as a first priority. Lessons on the Qu'ran will begin for all of you immediately. Once your studies have progressed satisfactorily we will discuss with you what role in our rebuilding will best suit you.

"For the time being you will be based here in this holy mosque. I have to warn you not to try and run away - there really is nothing else out there and your best hope of continuing to survive is to accept Islam and work with us from now on.

"Open your hearts to the prophet and work hard at learning and observing the lessons of the holy book. Therein lies your ultimate salvation. Food and blankets will be available for you within the hour."

With that the man turned and left the prayer hall. All round her Laura heard nervous whispering amongst the teens. She was unsure how she felt about what the man had said. She was clear that she had no intention of converting to become a Muslim. She was a confirmed member of the Church of Scotland, a Christian and she fully intended to remain so. The new found calmness and clarity that had come to her told her that she would have to put on a convincing act to the contrary however.

21:43, 3 August

Jamie was in a quandary. He didn't want to give up the search for his sister, couldn't live with himself if there was any hint that he had abandoned her. While there was a chance of finding her safe and well he had to keep up the search. His problem was that if she had been picked up by a hostile group it was altogether possible that she might tell them where he was.

Remaining at the farmhouse could therefore be dangerous for him. But if Laura was still free the farmhouse was the only place she could return to and if he left it she wouldn't know how to contact him.

To stay or go, that was the question he now faced.

"I'll keep looking for two more days and then I'll have to accept that Laura's not coming back," he thought to himself, "I'll sleep in the barn so that if anyone comes I'll have the chance to escape and if Laura comes I won't miss her."

He felt better for reaching this decision. If he had lost his sister it would be just one more huge blow, but he knew that he would somehow carry on. The decision taken, he immediately began to gather up all the things that he would need to make a stay in the barn more comfortable. He put on the kettle to make a flask of coffee and rummaged around in his bedroom cupboard until he found his sleeping bag. The loaf he had used that morning for toast was now fully defrosted and he used the bread to make up some sandwiches, wrapping them in clingfilm. He put everything into a rucksack, which he slung over his shoulder before lifting the shotgun with his other hand.

He closed and locked the back door behind him and made his way over to the barn. The huge structure was almost empty, as it was too early in the year for the hay to have been harvested, baled and stored away for the winter months. There were still a few bales up in the loft and he climbed the ladder with the intention of using these to stave off the worst of the draughts that would inevitably blow through the barn.

Jamie dumped his rucksack on the floor of the loft and laid the shotgun beside it. He made a quick assessment of his position recognising that he had to make sure he had clear lines of sight to the farmhouse and the approaches to it. He also had to ensure he had an escape route that he could use, hopefully one that would keep him concealed so his presence wasn't discovered. He found the best spot for watching the house and dragged the bales of hay over to create a little nest for himself.

The hoist for raising loads up into the loft held a sturdy rope that would allow him to get out of the barn quickly. He tried using it a couple of times to make sure it would work if and when the time came that he had to leave in a hurry. He also realised that it would be useful to have his binoculars with him so he returned to the farmhouse to get them.

He climbed up into the loft once more and made himself comfortable for the night. He ran over his plans for the next day, where he would go to look for Laura and how he would need to be extra careful, particularly when returning to the farmhouse. He knew there was a risk of someone hiding in the house while he was out searching and he would need to be cautious to avoid being ambushed.

Full darkness fell and Jamie realised watching the approaches to the house was impossible. He decided he would have to rely on his sharp ears and pulled the sleeping bag around himself before drifting off to sleep.

The white man had been true to his word and not long after he had left the prayer hall the two men who had captured Laura came in with two huge pots of something steaming hot. They had a woman with them and she carried several large plastic bags containing sliced up bread.

Laura looked at the woman. This was the first time she had seen her and her appearance took her breath away. She was quite simply stunning. She looked to be about five foot five tall, was slim and willowy and had black hair that shone brightly as it cascaded down to the middle of her back. She was clearly Asian or Middle Eastern in origin and her olive skin and fine features were a canvas to showcase her large deep brown eyes. Laura guessed her age to be perhaps nineteen and she felt there was something different about the woman.

Two queues were beginning to form in front of the pots and the two men left the prayer hall and returned with stacks of plastic bowls and spoons. They began to dish out bowls of what seemed to be some kind of lentil based soup and the woman dished out bread to go along with it.

As Laura got closer to the front of the queue she was in, she found herself staring at the young woman, unable to pull her eyes away from her. The woman must have sensed the scrutiny somehow and her eyes rose to lock with Laura's. She felt a shiver run down her spine and she could swear the woman's lips twitched ever so slightly in the hint of a smile. The smile came and went so quickly that Laura couldn't be absolutely sure and the woman's head dropped as she concentrated on her task once more.

She tried to think quickly. The possibility of having an ally amongst the terrorists could be a huge advantage and she wondered how she could achieve that. When Laura reached the front of the queue, she took her bowl of soup and reached out for a slice of bread. She ensured her fingers made contact with the woman's hand as the bread was handed over and when the woman's head came up to look at her, she smiled shyly at her. The woman returned her smile, but had a questioning look in her beautiful brown eyes, as if to ask what was going on.