Chapter 6: Winter, Hard decisions

Authors note: There is little bit of period play just over a third of the way in to this chapter, it is only one scene and it ties in with an event later in the story, but you have been warned, so just skip that bit if it's not your thing!

On the Wednesday morning we had our first major problem since we were appointed as leaders. Kelly came looking for me in a panic, she couldn't find Kirsty anywhere. I helped her look everywhere around our house and outbuildings, and then we started working our way around the village. Kelly was getting more and more distraught by the minute. The third house was Graham and Joan's, they were on watch duty, but Harry was in with Emma.

Harry immediately said, "Come on Emma, we'll go and relieve mum and dad. Dad can track footprints and with this snow he should be able to see where she's gone."

Graham appeared about five minutes later and told everyone to stop tramping around, we were just obliterating tracks, and he worked out from our house. He got to Shaun and Jill's house, which was the second place we looked as Millie and Kirsty were now inseparable, and shouted, "I think she's gone off towards the stream bed with Millie, there are two sets of children's tracks." Jill's mum, Mary, appeared then from the direction of Railway Farm and said she could not find Millie either.

Graham followed the tracks with Kelly just a step behind him. They led to a disused barn at the edge of the village. There was also another set of foot prints, adult sized, a fact which was not lost on either Kelly or Graham. He unholstered his pistol and Kelly now held her shotgun out in front of her. They both burst into the barn. There was a single shot, then a scream. Graham shouted, "Mark, quick!"

As I entered the barn the sight that greeted me was horrific. Millie and Kirsty were tied up to a beam, naked, and gagged. Wayne Goodram was laying face down on the floor, most of his face missing, and he was naked from the waist down. Kelly had shot him at point blank range. She was frantically trying to untie Kirsty, and Graham was working on Millie's bindings.

Both children were chilled to bone and shivering uncontrollably. They were both freed quickly and, by now, quite a few more people had followed the sounds. Millie and Kirsty were quickly wrapped in coats and carried back to our house. Kelly was covered in Wayne's blood. Both children were chilled, but still conscious, and it very quickly became apparent what had happened.

Wayne had called at Shaun and Jill's house saying he had a treat for the girls and led them to the barn. He had overpowered Kirsty, and warned Millie that if she screamed or tried to escape her friend would die. He then stripped and tied them both up. There was no doubt what his next act was going to be.

Everyone was fussing around, Jill had now appeared, and was in tears. I told Kelly and Jill to take both children upstairs and give them a hot bath to warm them up. It would also get them out of the kitchen which was now a sea of concerned faces. Everyone meant well, but for the children, who had already been traumatised, it was just adding to the stress. Linda then appeared, she was still living with us, and when she heard what had gone on she went up to see Kelly and Jill.

Graham then came up to me and said "Kelly may have a reaction, I take it that was the first time she had used her shotgun in anger."

"At the moment she seems to be holding up well ... I need to go and see Wayne's family. It won't be easy, particularly as I fully support Kelly shooting him, it was obvious what was going to happen."

Graham thought for a minute and said, "I'll go if you like."

"I'll speak to them but I would like you watching my back. I really don't know what will happen and I probably don't need to say this but I hold Colin Goodrams life in little regard at the moment. There have been rumours in the past about him behaving in an inappropriate manner with children but nothing on the scale that Wayne was planning. Any threat to anyone else should be dealt with quickly."

"In other words," said Graham, slowly and thoughtfully, "shoot first and ask questions after."

"Something like that."

Kelly came back down and said, "I've been listening, I WILL come as well. I am not ashamed of what I did and I want to confront his father as he is no saint either."

We tried to discourage Kelly from coming with us but she would not hear of it.

So we begun the grim task of loading Wayne's body into a wheelbarrow, and walking the half mile or so to their house. I asked every one else not to follow, I didn't think having a baying mob behind us would help.

Cheryl answered the door and shrieked, "Wayne! Oh God! What have they done to you?"

Colin then appeared behind her and as soon as he saw Wayne he flew at Kelly. Graham and I reacted quickly and brought him down just as he was lashing out at her. He managed to grab a handful of her jumper which ripped but physically he did not touch her.

We held him down while I explained what had happened. I told him that Wayne was preparing to sexually assault a six and a seven year old girl when we found him. As we held him he started describing what he was going to do to Kirsty in revenge for killing Wayne. It was disgusting.

Having got over the shock, Cheryl's reaction stunned us. She turned on Colin and screamed, "That's it! Get out of this house and never return. I told you all that kiddy porn you looked at was sick. You let Wayne got hold of it and he went the same way. I've put up with this for two years or more but now it's over. Go!"

She turned to us and pulled her top off to reveal her back, bruised and scarred, and said, "He did this to me. I only put up with him because of the children and he tried to pollute their brains with his filth. As you are now the leader, I am making a complaint to you about my husband's behaviour, I want protecting from him."

Kelly looked at Cheryl and said, "Why? Why didn't you say something earlier?"

"Kelly, you're tough, I'm not, but my weakness has cost me one son. I know you pulled the trigger. and I would have done the same in your shoes. I am determined that Scott will grow up into a normal healthy lad, not some pervert like his dad and brother."

I noticed Graham had immobilised Colin with some cable ties around his ankles and wrists, and Colin was now leaning against the door post.

"I think it would best if we take Colin away from here," I said to Graham. "But I don't know what to do about him."

Graham and I lifted him up and dragged him up the road away from their house. I noticed a crowd waiting at the end of the cul-de-sac where the Goodrams and the Hinds lived.

Dawn was waiting for us and asked what was going on. We gave her a very short version of recent events and she visibly paled, she went away muttering, "I knew it, I knew it."

I then decided that the best place for Colin was in my log store where we could keep an eye on him. Kelly wasn't happy but I said, "We have to put him somewhere out of the way while we decide what to do next. We also need to have a private talk to decide on his fate, I think as leader and deputy we need to make that decision together."

We put him in our log store and Graham volunteered to watch him. I then spoke to everyone who had followed. "We, Kelly and I, your leader and deputy, will decide what to do. I don't intend calling a meeting or offering a vote on the matter, as I think it puts you all in an awkward position. I will tell you that Cheryl has asked me to protect her and her other son from further violence from Colin. She has also told us that Colin has been acquiring pornography involving children, and encouraging Wayne to follow suit. Does anyone have any objections?".

Everyone now looked sombre, and no-one objected to our course action.

I then took Kelly's arm and said, "Let's walk up towards Railway Farm."

We walked slowly up the road, being careful not to slip on the hard packed snow. When we had walked about four hundred yards I knew there was a bench, looking over the countryside, and I sat us down there.

"What do you think?" I asked Kelly, holding her trembling hand.

Her reply took my breath away. "Take him out of the village and shoot him! If we throw him out he might come back and hurt someone."

I had already come to the same conclusion. There was something about Colin that made me think that he would continue to hurt us until he met his maker.

I looked at her and said, "I think we should tell people we have sent him on his way but actually kill him. It sounds heartless and evil but I don't think everyone here has woken up to what has actually happened."

Kelly was shaking and looked very upset as she mumbled, "I don't feel good about shooting someone in cold blood. Wayne was different, he was a threatening Kirsty and was about to rape her, but I know that Colin will try and hurt us, probably through Kirsty."

We sat there for probably fifteen minutes, holding each other, as we worked through our options again and again. I could see no way of stopping Colin from trying to hurt us if we released him.

"I'll do it!" I said to Kelly. "I'm not proud of myself or my decision but I know that if I don't, I'll regret it at some point in the future."

"We'll both carry a pistol," she whispered. "We're both good shots. We will both shoot him, then we won't know which bullet actually killed him. As far as everyone else is concerned, he has left and won't be seen again."

We then kissed, a lovers kiss, and walked slowly back towards the village.

As we set off Graham came to meet us and said, "I know how your mind works, Mark. I hope you've gone with your instinct on this one."

"We have decided on a course of action but, for now, we will just escort Colin from the village."

"I'll come with you."

"I think I would rather just the two of us go."

"OK, I know what you are going to do, at least I hope I'm right. Would a third bullet make any difference? I take it you won't be announcing Colin Goodrams demise locally."

Kelly looked at me and said, "Is it that obvious? What about the others?"

Graham said, "No, it's not obvious, but why else would you be so long discussing it. You're worried if you're doing the right thing. You know you are but it doesn't make you feel any better about it. As leaders you have taken responsibility and carried it through. That is what a good leader should do."

I looked at Graham and said, "Are you sure? It involves you if it goes pear shaped."

"If I'm involved it's less likely to go pear shaped," he replied with a wry grin. "The army unit I was in undertook covert operations."

We were nearly back to the village when I said, "Thanks for the offer of help, Graham. Yes, we'll take you up on it."

We got Colin out of our wood store, told him we would be escorting him from the Village, and taking him as far as Bridlington. He had now gone quiet but when he was out of earshot of other villagers he hissed, "I'll get back at you through Kirsty. I've always wanted to stick my dick into a young girls arse, she may bleed to death afterwards if I do it hard enough. I'll bide my time but I don't care, I'll be patient."

If we were in any doubt about our plans earlier we now knew we were doing the right thing. That little outburst probably signed his death warrant.

To keep up the pretence I asked him if he wanted to take a case or a bag with any personal possessions. He said he did so we marched him home.

"He's not coming in the house," said Cheryl when she opened the door. "He can tell me what he wants to take and I'll burn all his other possessions, starting with this filth." She produced a pile of the most vile pictures I have ever seen, and I thought I'd seen it all. Even Graham looked sick.

Colin demanded some clothes and food. Cheryl appeared a few minutes later with a packed bag. She threw it at his feet and said, "After what I've just found upstairs I would shoot you myself, but there you are, you're a danger to children. The incident with that girl in Brid a couple of years ago, I've found the pictures, you got away with it, but those picture prove you were guilty and that the police were incompetent or bent."

We picked up his bag and pushed him out of the village in the direction of Bridlington. He kept up a constant stream of threats, but we just walked along behind him in silence.

We were about two miles from the village when Colin said he needed a pee. I think we all knew what was going to happen and, as he left the road to pee behind a tree three bullets entered his back, scrambled his organs, and exited through the front of his body. He was dead before he hit the ground.

The ground was frozen, what were we going to do with the body? Graham then produced a rope, from his back pack, tied it around Colin's feet, and threw the end of it into the tree. It uncoiled and went over a high branch.

"No one looks for a body up high," said Graham. "We'll haul him into the tree. The blood is already drying and freezing."

We pulled and heaved and eventually Colin was wedged in the crook of two branches and could not be seen from below.

Graham climbed the tree using another rope and recovered the rope around Colin. "With a bit of luck the scavengers will do our job before anyone finds the body," he said as he climbed down.

We burnt his clothes and bag where the bloodstained snow was. We then dragged snow back over the area. You could see there had been some signs of activity but we were confident that the next snow fall would obliterate them.

We walked back to the village in silence.

A few people spoke to us and we all gave the same story, that we left him at the top of Quay road.

Kelly and I went home and had a long hot shower together but we didn't have sex, for the first time neither of us wanted it. Then we got dried and dressed and Kirsty bounded into the room with Linda who had looked after her for the afternoon. We then realised why we had just killed someone in cold blood and misled all the other villagers. And, whilst we still didn't feel good about it, it was nice to see the object of our concerns so happy and carefree.

To be fair Kirsty, like most children, was resilient and although she had not forgotten about her scare in the morning, she didn't realise how close she had come to suffering serious harm, and had got over it quickly.

At least Linda was coming out of her shell, looking after Kirsty seemed to give her a purpose and she was helping with the communal bakery. She was an attractive woman and got on well with everyone in the village. I wondered if she would ever find another man.

Kelly and I went to bed early that night, as soon as Kirsty was in bed, and we made long slow love. I fucked Kelly in the missionary position and, because I was holding myself back, I managed to get an orgasm out of Kelly, the first time in this position.

Just before we went to sleep we discussed the days events again.

"That was the worst day of my life," said Kelly. "But I still have those around me that I love so I'm going to forget about it and look to the future."

"We did what we thought was best," I said. "I think of Kirsty as my daughter now and if anyone hurt her because I had failed to do something I couldn't live with myself. Graham thinks we did the right thing. I just hope no-one finds his body and identifies him or we'll have some awkward questions to answer. I think deep down quite a few people are actually scared that he may come back, I bet Cheryl doesn't sleep easy for a long time."

"That's why I love you and want your child, because you care."

There were now a lot of projects on the go and we were kept busy the following day, and the day after that and so on. So we slowly forgot about Wayne and Colin Goodram, and Cheryl and Scott began to help with the village projects. Cheryl was actually was a big help, she was a bright woman but had been kept down by Colin.

At home we cleared the other spare room and Linda moved into it. That night Kelly asked an odd question, "Do you find her attractive."

"Yes, she is," I said truthfully. "But if I'm honest, she doesn't have the sort of figure that really lights my fuse." Kelly rose up so I could see her figure in the moonlight and I said, "Exactly. Now look what you've done." She smiled sexily when she looked down and saw the tent pole forming under the covers. We started kissing and cuddling and we were soon in a sixty-nine. It didn't take me long to realise that Kelly was on. It didn't bother me and I continued to pleasure her with my tongue.

Kelly was even more vocal than usual. I remembered that day when we discussed sex and she mentioned me fucking her during her period. I worked her up to a sexual pitch that I had never seen before and when she came she leapt off me and impaled herself on my dick. She was gushing and her whole pussy and arse area was slick with her juices, and no doubt more, but I didn't care now.

She then did something else she had never done before, she lifted off and lowered her arse onto my dick. She then fucked my dick with her arse. No lube, just her juices. She cried out, "Fuck my arse! Get right up me!"

I whispered "Linda," at her but she didn't hear as she was in the throws of another massive orgasm. I could hold back no longer and shot deep into her bowels. She then collapsed on me and waited for my dick to wilt and slip out of her arse. All the while I could feel the muscles fluttering as they do after an big orgasm.

We both just went, "Wow!"

When she had recovered she said. "We need a shower. You knew I was on, didn't you, and you just carried on, you stuck your tongue right up inside me. I told you it was a fantasy and you gave it to me. Didn't my blood bother you?"

"Love, if that's what happens when I lick you out when you're on the rag I'll do it every month. You arse fucked me without any lube, I can't believe it went up you so easily."

"When I get really horny I could take a fist in either hole and enjoy it. I don't even feel sore, just full of your spunk., I need the toilet, it's running out of my arse now. And remember, if my plans work out I won't have periods for nine months."

Kelly put the light on and we both realised what a mess we were in. We went to the bathroom and had a shower. While we were showering Linda came out and called through the bathroom door, "Are you OK?"

"Yes fine," said Kelly, "we just needed a quick wash before we went to sleep."

Linda laughed and said, "I know, crying out 'Fuck my arse. Get it right up me, ' doesn't leave much to the imagination. I'm surprised Kirsty didn't wake up."

Kelly was out of the shower now and drying herself when she opened the bathroom door and said, "I'd say I am sorry, but I'm not really, I love sex." They both laughed.

Kelly turned to me and said, "Hurry up, I'm off back to bed."

Linda and Kelly said goodnight and I finished drying myself and slipped back to rejoin Kelly in bed.

With the light on I could see we would need to change the sheets in the morning.

We cuddled up and slept soundly, we were both fucked out.

It was the middle of December now. Katie and Larry were working on the boiler project and making good progress. They had constructed a vertical boiler and, because we did not have any suitable welding kit, they hot riveted everything, much like it would have been done in the early twentieth century.

It was the day of the boiler test and Katie did a hyrdostatic pressure test. The boiler passed with flying colours so it was time to fill it with water and light a fire. We got a fire started and soon the pressure gauge started to show steam pressure. The safety valve lifted at 95psi, we didn't intend to increase the pressure beyond that as our primitive construction techniques might fail and an exploding boiler will kill people.

We then coupled up the donkey engine and found that with a good fire going the output was around five horsepower as far as we could tell. Output was very dependent on the wood but even with poor quality wood two horsepower was available.

It was time to try and provide a small amount of power for each house. Initially the boiler was also going to provide heat but the problems with harnessing the heat and the risks of having a boiler in a house meant we abandoned that idea. We ended up mounting the boiler in a hastily erected corrugated sheet building on the edge of the green.

I now need to go scavenging for some fork-lift truck batteries and this meant a trip in to Bridlington. My plan was to have the steam generator charge the batteries and then use the batteries to feed a motor-alternator set. This would mean that there would still be power available even when the steam engine was not running. I did the sums and knew it would work, it was very similar to my home system which was charged by wind and solar power. It would also enable us to harness wind power to supplement the steam generator. I was disappointed by the solar cell's output and wouldn't attempt to set up any more of them.