Remains of the Past II E-Book

S. C. Loader

• Herausgeber: tredition
• Kategorie: Gesellschafts- und Liebesromane
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 420

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2023

Beschreibung

Silently and without warning, the first wave swept away civilisation. On a carefree Sunday morning in early June, most of the world's population suddenly died, falling instantly dead where they stood. There was no opportunity to express any loving sentiments and no famous last words to fill future history books, just silence. A second wave one week later reduced the number of survivors still further. Nearly six years had passed before Max and Maja joined a group of survivors in Weyhill Castle. Their differing skill sets ensured them a warm welcome and gained them respected positions within the community. As lovers, they became the couple everyone expected to see united in marriage, but not long after joining them, Max unexpectedly left. There were no goodbyes, no note and no explanation, just an empty bed and a bewildered Maja. Five months later, with the first snow of the season lying on the ground, Max returned, leading two survivors and their baby to the safety of Weyhill Castle, and was, contrary to his assurances to his fellow travellers, seriously ill

Leseprobe

Also by S.C. Loader

Helping Hands

The Realm

Three Wishes

The Last Chapter

Remains of The Past

Remains of The Past III

Remains of the Past

II

Mistakes have consequences.

S. C. Loader

www.tredition.de

© 2023 S. C. Loader 207072-2Coverdesign: RebecacoversISBN Softcover: 978-3-384-00277-8 ISBN E-Book: 978-3-384-00279-2

Printing and distribution on behalf of the author:tredition GmbH, Heinz-Beusen-Stieg 5, 22926 Ahrensburg, Germany

The work, including its parts, is protected by copyright. The author is responsible for the contents. Any exploitation is prohibited without his approval. Publication and distribution are carried out on behalf of the author, to be reached at: tredition GmbH, department "Imprint service", Heinz-Beusen-Stieg 5, 22926 Ahrensburg, Germany.

Das Werk, einschließlich seiner Teile, ist urheberrechtlich geschützt. Für die Inhalte ist der Autor verantwortlich. Jede Verwertung ist ohne seine Zustimmung unzulässig. Die Publikation und Verbreitung erfolgen im Auftrag des Autors, zu erreichen unter: tredition GmbH, Abteilung "Impressumservice", Heinz-Beusen-Stieg 5, 22926 Ahrensburg, Deutschland.

Love

is shown more in deeds than in words.

Saint Ignatius

Preface

Silently and without warning, the first wave swept away civilisation. On a carefree Sunday morning in early June, most of the world's population suddenly died, falling instantly dead where they stood. There was no opportunity to express any loving sentiments and no famous last words to fill future history books, just silence. A second wave one week later reduced the number of survivors still further.

Nearly six years had passed before Max and Maja joined a group of survivors in Weyhill Castle. Their differing skill sets ensured them a warm welcome and gained them respected positions within the community. As lovers, they became the couple everyone expected to see united in marriage, but not long after joining them, Max unexpectedly left. There were no goodbyes, no note and no explanation, just an empty bed and a bewildered Maja.

Five months later, with the first snow of the season lying on the ground, Max returned, leading two survivors and their baby to the safety of Weyhill Castle, and was, contrary to his assurances to his fellow travellers, seriously ill.

Chapter One

On one side of the bed stood the ten-year-old Mandy holding the patient's left hand. On the other side of the bed stood the nine-year-old Louise holding the patient's right hand, and on the visitor's chair sat the forty-two-year-old Maja.

'Is he going to die like my daddy did?' asked a fretful Mandy.

'No, Honey. Doctor Christine said he should be fine in a few days. All he needs is some rest.'

'Is he going to go away again?' asked Louise, as she released the patient's hand and wrapped her arms around Maja. 'I don't like it when he goes away.'

'That's a question only he can answer, Sweetie.'

Mandy volunteered, 'Grandma says he went away because his heart was broken,' adding thoughtfully, 'is that why he needs some rest, to mend it?'

'No, only time will heal a broken heart, this is a different illness.'

'How do you break a heart?' asked Louise, looking down at her chest. 'It's inside behind some bones. Grace showed us pictures in those school books you got for us.'

'So Grace is teaching you biology now! She makes school sound like fun! And those bones are called ribs, and a heart is not something like a glass that can break when dropped. A broken heart is a hurt felt inside.'

'Like a headache?'

'Not entirely. A broken heart is an emotional pain, whereas a headache is a physical one.'

'What, like when I feel sad?'

'Exactly, and a broken heart is a deep sadness that won't go away,' a thought then occurred to Maja. Suspecting Julia, a past love as the cause of this broken heart, she asked Mandy, 'Who did your grandmother say had broken Max's heart?'

Mandy looked puzzled by the question, 'The same as everybody else.'

'And who do they say?'

'You!'

Ella, the acting nurse, removed the fireguard and added some more logs to the fire. After returning the fireguard, she washed her hands and enquired, 'How's our patient this morning?'

Maja sighed, 'Much the same as when we brought him in here on Thursday, he wakes up for a few minutes, then falls asleep again. Although today he managed a smile when the girls woke him up arguing about who was going to hold which of his hands, and he even said my name followed by a couple of incomprehensible sentences before nodding off back to sleep.'

'All small steps towards recovery! Aha! I see someone has trimmed his hair and beard. Presumably, that was you?'

Maja nodded.

After shaking the mercury down, Ella placed a thermometer in Max's armpit, noting, 'He's slowly starting to look his handsome self once again, isn't he?' While measuring the three-minute wait for the thermometer on her fob watch, she asked Maja, 'Where's the other member of your fan club?'

'Michael's with Grace, she's holding a special geometry appreciation lesson just for him.'

'On a Sunday? We really are living in a different world now, aren't we? When I was his age, we did all we could to avoid going to school.'

'I was the same, but Michael is determined to be like his dad and build "houses and things", and as Max told him he needed to learn geometry to do that, he's taken that advice to heart.'

Mandy yawned and laid her head on Max's shoulder, and after a short while, she asked, 'Why does he smell funny?'

'Because Doctor Christine and I gave him a bed bath with a disinfectant in the water, but once he's had a shower, he'll smell normal again.'

'What's disinfectant?'

'A liquid that helps kill germs, and you know how dangerous they can be!'

Mandy nodded eagerly, 'Doctor Christine gave us a lesson on germs.'

'And showed us some pictures,' added Louise and opined thoughtfully, 'germs are really ugly, aren't they?'

'They are,' replied Ella as she removed the thermometer from Max's armpit, 'thirty-seven point four, his temperature is returning to normal quite quickly.' After a quick check of his pulse, she declared, 'And this is coming down nicely as well. He should be on his feet in no time.'

'Why does he sleep so much?' asked Louise. 'When I want to stay in bed, my daddy calls me lazy bones, but my bones aren't lazy. I'm just tired!'

Maja raked her hair through with her fingertips, 'Max is also tired, Sweetie. Didn't you hear what baby Julia's parents, Lenny and Sarah, told us last night?'

'Only some.'

'They said Max pushed the heavy trailer with the mama and papa pigs and baby piglets in it all the way from Strone. That's twenty kilometres away! And when they stopped for the night, Max stayed awake the whole night to make sure they were safe, and he did all this while he was feeling very sick. So I think he should be allowed to sleep a little longer for having saved baby Julia, Sarah and Lenny.'

'And the aminals!'

Maja grinned, 'And the animals.'

'Okay, Ella. Why are you grinning at Max like that?'

'Because, like everyone else here in Weyhill Castle, I'm so happy to have him back. I think later generations will see him as a founding father.'

'A what?' retorted Maja disbelievingly. 'This castle was a refuge for over five years before Max turned up. Why on earth would anyone consider him a "founding father"?'

'Because without his ingenuity and resourcefulness, we wouldn't have the spiral wind turbine and the solar array on the castle roof or the twenty-four-hour electricity supply that goes with it. Max also helped you create your inner and outer defences, making us all feel so much more secure, us women especially. Our farmers wouldn't have been able to sow the entire meadow on the south side with wheat and barley without the plough he created, increasing the area under cultivation by fourfold. Three men threshed this year's cereal harvest in ten minutes thanks to his static combine harvester. Last year it was eight men and a whole week! Louise's father has put all the verges and lawns on the east side of the castle under potato cultivation thanks to that plough attachment. That's a ten-fold increase! And now, to further secure our food production, he's pushed a trailer load of pigs halfway across the country in freezing weather while sick with fever.'

'I suppose history will look kindly upon him and ignore the fact he abandoned us for five months, six days and five hours,' after letting a sigh escape, she added, 'I wonder how they will view me?'

'You? You'll also be up there on a pedestal, and rightly so. You're the one who secured the castle, creating a safe environment where we can all live in safety, raise our children and most importantly, the one who has taken away our fear of the future.'

Maja smiled, 'I meant with regards to Max.'

'That's a chapter that remains unwritten, but you still have time to … to influence it.'

'You mean to correct it! From what I hear, most blame me for breaking his heart and chasing him away.'

Ella blushed.

'So it's true then, most do blame me. Why? What did I do?'

'You wouldn't marry him.'

'Of course not! What on earth were these people expecting? By the time he left, we had only known one another a little over six weeks. I've lost items in my handbag for longer! And how would anyone have known that anyway? As far as I'm aware, we didn't tell anyone!'

Ella absentmindedly smoothed Mandy's hair, 'Max did, he confided in Tom.'

'Tom?'

'The beekeeper!'

'I know who he is! Why would Max confide in Tom?'

'I know it's rare, but men do talk to one another you know.'

'So I've heard it rumoured.'

'Well, another rumour has it that at least three women have declared their intention to bag this if you'll excuse the term, handsome hunky piece of manhood as a husband, so if he asks you again … don't dilly-dally!'

'Even if he were to ask me again, which I very much doubt, the answer would still be no.'

'Why would you refuse the most eligible man within these walls? He's handsome, strong and intelligent, and before he left, I saw him pick some flowers from a local garden for you, so I would also add romantic to that list as well. He's liked and respected by everyone within the castle, the little ones adore him, and all seven of the Shadows think he's the "coolest", whatever that's supposed to mean.'

'Only two of the Shadows have mothers, and none of them have fathers, so I think they see him as a surrogate father.'

'And it doesn't fill you with pride that a bunch of sixteen to nineteen-year-olds look up to the man who has asked you to marry him?'

'Sort of.'

'My, you're a hard one to please. During the first wave, my teenage son and his father died glaring at one another across the dining room table! Yet you have a man that seven teenagers admire! Well, all I can say is, you had better make your mind up and soon, those three women are not going to wait around while you um and er.'

As Victoria and Raven left Max's bedside late that afternoon, Maja and the two girls returned. A short while later, Max woke from his slumber to be met by two highly excited girls delivering a barrage of hugs, kisses and two wildly enthusiastic, unpunctuated greetings. On hearing the commotion, Ella returned from her work in the pharmacy. A stern expression and a wagging finger quickly bestowed calmness.

'How are you feeling?' she asked Max.

'Tired and hungry but otherwise okay.'

'Hungry, that's a good sign, especially as you look like you've lost some weight. I'll have a word with the cooks and rustle you up something.'

After helping Max to sit up, a quick check of his pulse followed before Ella turned to the girls, 'You two can have five minutes to say hello, then I want you to go and find Doctor Christine and tell her that Max is awake, she's probably in the new dining room or the social club, clear?'

Both girls nodded, and after Ella and Maja had tidied the bedclothes, they resumed their enthusiastic greeting.

Maja sent the girls off on their errand and then purposely closed the door behind them.

Max felt the blood drain from his face as Maja walked towards the bed. Her slightly narrowed eyes were a forewarning.

Maja sat on the edge of the bed and poked him hard in the shoulder, 'Right! You owe me an explanation!'

'For what?'

'Don't play games, Max. You buggered off for five months without saying a word. Now I want to know why, and don't bullshit me!'

'But bullshit might sound more palatable,' he suggested.

Maja's steel grey eyes narrowed threateningly.

'As you wish. I no longer felt secure in our relationship, so I felt it was better to leave before it collapsed altogether.'

'What! We loved one another! What better security can you have than that?'

'My second to last girlfriend also said she loved me, but that didn't stop her screwing her boss! And my last girlfriend of exactly one year also claimed the same but walked out when I proposed to her and then completely blanked me thereafter. To my mind, you women have a different interpretation of the meaning of love than the one I have, so I wasn't going to rely solely on those sentiments for security. Hence the reason I sought to marry you. I know we weren't together very long, but we fitted together perfectly, and I didn't want to lose you.'

'Not long! Six weeks Max, that's all! My husband took longer to fix a wonky shelf!'

'I never expected you to say yes, Maja. A hint that you found the idea acceptable or might even agree to it one day would have been enough for me, but you killed the question stone dead with a blank refusal each time I asked!'

'And why bugger off without saying a word to anyone?'

'Rather than trying to explain myself, I thought it was easier to slip quietly out of everyone's life.'

'Did you ever intend on returning?'

A sudden knock at the door saved Max from answering the question. Doctor Christine entered.

Maja took to her feet, 'I'll go and chase up something for Max to eat.'

'That's a good idea. He'll be chewing on the bedclothes soon if he goes without food for much longer.'

'Hello, Max, it's nice to see you with us again.'

'Hello, Christine, where am I? I don't remember any part of the castle looking like this.'

Christine looked around, beaming with pride, 'This is our new surgery. Actually, it's the same section as before, but we've altered and modernised it. You are in my treatment room, next door is our pharmacy, and at the end is my consultation room. And when it's finished, part of the old dining room will become a two-bed hospital ward! We have this new resinous hygiene flooring throughout, hands-free operated taps, lockable glass pharmacy display cabinets, sparkling new paintwork and a whole host of other goodies.'

'Well, the white coat really makes you look the part.'

'We raided a doctor's surgery in Ernestwells. The white coats help to give Ella and myself an air of professionalism.'

'And the stethoscope?'

'That's because I always wanted to play doctor! Anyway, now that you're finally awake, please explain what possessed you to push a heavy trailer halfway across the country while you had a fever. You realise you could have killed yourself with such stupidity! You have a strong heart, but it's not invincible!'

'It was only a touch of the flu.'

'Unlikely, flu is a rarity before mid-January and Lenny the pig farmer, told me you fell ill last Monday.'

'That's true, I did.'

'Have you had any diarrhoea?'

'No, just the usual flu systems, fever, tiredness, aching muscles, and some headaches.'

'Some headaches?'

'Quite a few, actually.'

'Have you been near a waterfall recently?'

'No,' answered Max, somewhat bemused by the question. 'Why?'

Christine ignored one question and asked another, 'Immediately before falling ill, had you washed in a river or stream?'

'No.'

'Did you eat or drink anything before that went down the wrong hole?'

'I did choke on a glass of water a couple of days before I fell ill. Why all the questions?'

'Where did the water come from?'

'A well.'

'Was it boiled?'

'No.'

'In that case, I think you had what's known as Pontiac Fever, which is a mild form of Legionnaires Disease. It's caused by the legionella bacteria frequently found in untreated water and infected you via aspiration. With a little more bedrest, you'll soon be fit to leave, and there shouldn't be any lasting complications. You can count yourself lucky it wasn't a life-threatening waterborne disease like typhoid or cholera.'

'How would I contract either of them? They're third-world illnesses!'

'In case you haven't noticed, Max, the entire world now has third-world status!'

Chapter Two

Betty, one of the four cooks and Mandy's grandmother brought a tray containing a hot cup of tea, an apple and a bowl of hare hotpot to Max's bedside, along with an extra thick slice of bread. Noting Max's surprise at the thickness of the bread, she checked for eavesdroppers before offering, 'Our hero needs feeding up to get him back on his feet!' After adding a kiss to his cheek and a 'Welcome home, Max,' she left.

Maja replaced her, carrying an arm full of clothes topped off with a pair of stout boots, 'These are yours, they're the ones you left behind. All the clothes you were wearing when you arrived have been thrown away as Christine and Ella had to cut them off. Apart from a map, which I've left on the cabinet over there, we found nothing else in your pockets. Meadow is cleaning up the contents of your utility belt and charging your mobile phone back up.' Placing the pile of clothing on the cabinet, Maja withdrew a watch from her pocket, 'This is also yours. I assumed you simply forgot to put it on when you left, but you didn't, did you?'

Max did not offer a reply.

'You left it behind because you expected to end up dead in a ditch, didn't you?'

'Admittedly, the thought had occurred to me.'

'You never intended to return, did you?'

After a short silence, Max conceded, 'No.'

'Why not?'

'You.'

'Why would I have stopped you from returning?'

'I didn't want to give history a chance to repeat itself. A long time ago, I left someone else behind that I loved, and the next time I saw her, all that remained of her were some bones and my memories.'

'Christ! You men can be unbelievably asinine at times, can't you? Had it not occurred to you that the quicker you got your carcass back here, the less chance of me ending up like Julia were? You were away five months, not five years as with her, and how the hell do you think I felt when you buggered off? No goodbye, no letter, not a single bloody word!'

Feeling chagrined, Max gave a slight, embarrassed shrug of his shoulders.

Maja jammed a finger painfully into his chest, 'It hurt Max! It hurt a lot! And I'll tell you this if you ever pull another stunt like that, I'll hunt you down and make you suffer the same way as I have, then I'll shove you in that proverbial ditch myself, clear?'

Knowing this wasn't an empty threat, Max nodded meekly.

'Right, eat your food while I go and let your adopted daughter know you're awake. And don't expect any sympathy from her either! Victoria is as hacked off with you as I am for not saying goodbye.'

Fully dressed, Max met Doctor Christine in her consultation room, 'You're looking your old handsome self,' opined the doctor, 'shame I didn't have a pair of handcuffs like Maja or else I could chain you up in here and keep you all to myself.'

Sporting a broad smile, Max asked, 'Are doctors allowed to say things like that to their patients?'

Christine stepped up close, 'You are no longer my patient, I'm not a real doctor, and if I find a man to be particularly handsome, then I should say so, shouldn't I?'

'Thank you for the compliment, although I think Maja might not view it so kindly.'

'Well, I'm just letting you know that if she says "no" to you again, you can always ask me.'

As Christine was over twenty centimetres shorter, Max gently lifted her chin with a fingertip to be able to look her in the eyes, 'A tempting proposition, but I think Bill may have something to say about that.'

'Bill the carpenter?'

'Yes, unless another Bill has joined this community in my absence.'

'Why Bill?'

'Because he's been sweet on you since your arrival.'

A glint appeared in the doctor's eyes, 'Really? Why didn't he say anything?'

'I don't know if he still does, but before I left, he kept his distance because he thought your past mistreatment by men would have made you wary of male attention.'

Christine's smile broadened, 'So that's why he was so eager to make all these alterations. Damn! I wish I had known that before he had finished everything.'

Max looked around for inspiration, 'Doesn't your chair squeak?'

'Occasionally.'

'If I were you, I would have someone take a look at it, just in case it needs repairing.'

A sly grin crossed Christine's face, 'A repair would need a carpenter's touch, wouldn't it?'

'Well, it is made of wood, isn't it?'

Raising herself up on tiptoes, Christine kissed Max's cheek, and then returned thoughtfully to her advantageously squeaking chair.

'Is your calendar correct?' asked Max, setting the date on his watch.

'Monday, the eleventh of December. Yes, that's correct.'

'And your clock?'

'Yes, that is also correct. You seem a little nervous, Max. Worried about making your first appearance in the dining room since your return?'

Max wound his watch up, 'Nervous? No, petrified would be a better description.'

'Well, by the time Maja has shown you all the changes we've made to the castle, you'll have met most of those you'll have to face.'

Max sighed, 'That doesn't make it any easier.'

'Good! Perhaps that might teach you not to succumb to your wanderlust in future!'

A minute or two passed in silence while Max waited for Maja, then a thought occurred to him, 'Who made the calendar? It's been years since I last saw a proper printed version.'

'Meadow printed it up for me on the computer in the security office.'

'So our security officers have other uses as well, do they?'

'They're not called that anymore. Maja is our "Security Co-ordinator", and Meadow is our "Deputy Security Co-ordinator". Maja felt the officer title a little officious, and someone suggested "co-ordinator" as a replacement as it sounded more community-friendly.'

'Personally, I get the impression our community-friendly security co-ordinator would like to disembowel me.'

'And who could blame her?'

'You're not helping to calm my nerves!'

A knock at the door announced Maja's arrival, 'Ready?' she asked Max.

'Shower fresh and ready to rock'n'roll,' replied Christine cheerfully.

Maja looked him up and down critically, 'Let's hope he's also ready to eat a large helping of humble pie, everyone's dying to see him, and they're all expecting an explanation for his deplorable behaviour!'

While Maja pointed out the changes they had made in his absence, Max pulled the two halves of his coat together against the cold draught that whipped around the small courtyard.

'The laundry is still in the corner,' she told him, 'the communal showers next door have been altered. J.D., our electrician and Alex, our plumber—'

Max interrupted, 'I haven't forgotten who's who, Maja.'

'Sorry! Anyway, they've installed electric on-demand water heaters for both showers, so whenever we have a green light, that's one of the lamps over the farm doors, we can use them freely within certain times, men from midnight to midday, and women from midday to midnight. They've also fitted small on–demand water heaters over the sinks in every bedroom and communal toilet throughout the castle.'

'And the bedroom showers?'

'They're still cold water only.'

'Where did they get so many units? There are fifteen bedrooms, four communal toilets, and I also saw two in the surgery.'

‘Plus two dormitories now, and the twenty-six units used came from two big plumbers merchants in Hollaton.'

'What's with the other lamps up there?' asked Max, pointing to them.

'When we generate sufficient electricity, the green lamp lights up, and we are free to use anything electrical. If the orange lamp lights up, we shouldn't use the showers or any heavy electrical equipment. And if the red lamp lights up, we are not to use anything as the kitchen, the laundry, and the surgery have priority over what little electricity is available.'

'And if none of them are lit?'

'Then there's no electricity!'

'Why were the lamps put so high up on the wall?'

'So it's easier to see them from the upstairs landings.'

'Makes sense.'

'There's also a set of lights over the porte-cochère facing the quadrangle.'

'Why there?'

'So that they can be seen from the workshops! Anyway, the old kitchen is now only used by Ava and Rose. With one of the ranges fired up, it gives them somewhere warm to dry the laundry. We've split the old dining room. The latter third, with the toilet and the fireplace, will become our hospital wing, the remainder will be used for storage. As you may have already guessed, we're now using the banquet kitchen. We removed the old gas stoves and replaced them with electric ones, and for when the electricity doesn’t flow, a wood-burning cast iron stove. Breakfast is still the same, tea or coffee, a rosti and a slice of bread, which is a little thicker now that the harvest is in, and with nearly fifty hens, breakfast eggs are more plentiful, although it's still first come first served if there isn't enough!'

As they walked across the open wind-raked quadrangle, Maja asked, 'Do you remember the brick-built grain store by the castle entrance? The one we were using as a potting shed?'

'Of course!'

'Well, that's been fully insulated on the inside and is now our vegetable storage facility.'

'Facility?'

'What else do you call a two-story high building without windows and only one door? A pantry?'

'Point taken. Who did all the work?'

'The four farmers and Ralph, the gardener, and to ensure an ambient storage environment is maintained, only Ralph, his shadow Sally and Vera, the cook, have keys to the place.'

'Why only Vera? There are four cooks here.'

'True, there are, but Betty is not keen on the dark, and both Carol and Evelyn are arachnophobic, and it appears it's not only the vegetables that enjoy dark, airy and temperature-stable places.'

Stopping in the middle of the porte-cochère, Maja pointed to the security office, 'About the only thing that's happened in there since you cut open the vault doors to the emir's panic room, is that we freeze every time the weather turns cold.'

'Why don't you ask J.D. for an electric heater?'

'We have, but he's been busy putting in all those water heaters, so it has probably slipped his mind.'

Pointing towards two steps to the right of the security office, Maja asked, 'Did you ever go down there?'

'No, I just assumed it was another part of the emir's private quarters, so it didn't really interest me.'

'Well, it turned out to be the communications and recreational centre used by the emir's staff. Electronics wise, all we found of use were two non-password protected desktop computers and an ancient inkjet colour printer with copy and scan functions.' Pushing open the door at the bottom of the steps, Maja added, 'We dumped everything that wasn't of use, added some more sofas, armchairs and whatnot and renamed it the social club.'

As Max stepped through the door, a cry rang out, 'It's Max!', and within seconds he was inundated by shaking hands, hugs, kisses, back-patting and an avalanche of questions.

Once Maja had managed to restore a little calmness, she told the assembled well-wishers, 'Max will explain everything after dinner tonight, and I'm sure he'll be happy to answer all your questions then.'

Max warmed himself by the open fire while looking around the comfortably appointed "social club". Some sofas and armchairs had been grouped together, while others had been individually and randomly laid out. Five bookshelves lined the walls, one housing a collection of puzzles, another held board games and the remaining three magazines and books. There was also an old upright piano, several coffee tables and, much to his approval, a self-service tea and coffee corner.

'There are two computers in the corner to play games on,' Maja informed him, 'and those steps over there lead under the panic room. There is a games room with a billiard table and a dartboard down there, along with a small bar, spirits only I'm afraid! No beer and no mixers! And at the end, there's a sizable television room with a DVD player and a fancy stereo sound system, ideal for watching films or holding discos.'

'Discos? Where did they find the music?'

'You! There was a fifteen-gigabyte backup of your mobile phone's music on your computer, so we downloaded everything onto a laptop and linked that to play the music through the audio equipment. So, if you ever need to find one of the seven Shadows in a hurry that’s where you're most likely to find them in the evening.'

'Do the Shadows still have the same apprentice roles they had before?'

'Yes, although Alexandra now allows Lilly, her shadow, to cut men's hair or, as rumour will have it, repair haircuts attempted by security coordinators.'

Checking his hair in a convenient mirror, Max remarked, 'I still like the way you cut my hair, so I won't be rushing to make an appointment.'

At the top of the stairs, they entered the emir's private quarters, 'As you can see,' started Maja,' the emir's bedroom and study is now the men's dormitory. Of the ten beds in here, three are unused, and we still have space for another six with ease.' Pointing to a bed, Maja added, 'This one's yours, as is the wardrobe and footlocker. The rest of your stuff is in the footlocker.'

Max's blank look brought forth an explanation, 'I felt awkward holding onto a double bedroom once you had gone, so about a month after you left, I gave up our room and moved into the girls' dormitory.'

'Sorry.'

'At least the dormitories have fireplaces, a small compensation for not having you to keep me warm at night!'

Feeling awkward, Max steered the conversation back to a less unsettling subject, 'Where on earth did you get so much furniture? Most of these beds are new, and every bed has a wardrobe and a footlocker.'

'Some came from the other bedrooms and the emir's panic room but three furniture stores in town donated the vast majority of it.'

Looking around, Max asked, 'Who do I share this dorm with?'

'Daniel, Tom, Bill, J.D., Jack and Karl.'

'How's Karl and Alexandra's relationship going?'

'They're still together.'

'And J.D. and Meadow, did that take off?'

'Into orbit!'

Max smiled.

Crossing over the top of the porte-cochère and through another door, Maja announced, 'And this is the ladies' dormitory. We have ten beds in here, four of which are free.'

'Where's your bed?'

Pointing, Maja added, 'Here in the corner.'

'Who do you share it with?'

'Kim, Doctor Christine, Ava and Olivia, the novice we saved from those animals over in Hollaton.'

'Yes, I remember.'

'The toilets over the porte-cochère are used by those of us in the dormitories, and we ladies would appreciate it if you could aim straight or at least clear up afterwards if you can't!'

'Noted! What happened to Lenny and his wife?'

'They're safe. They have a room of their own on the south landing, room seven, and they're not married!'

'Perhaps not in your eyes, but in theirs, they are! I trust baby Julia is well?'

'She is. Why did you have to suggest Julia as a name to them?'

'It is just a name, Maja!' Max responded agitatedly, 'The girl is dead and buried, so ditch the jealousy and the inquisition!' adding the immediate afterthought, 'And you can skip the narrow-eyed death stare. It doesn't cut it with me anymore!'

Back in the porte-cochère, Maja made a quick detour into the security office, 'I always check the security cameras before I go into the dining room.'

'There are a lot of areas not covered by those four cameras. Why haven't you added some more?'

'I didn't know we could.'

'This system will take eight in total, although, with that amount of video feed, it will halve the available playback recording on the hard disc.'

'Where can we get more cameras?'

'I only know of one retailer who stocked them, but they had an outlet in most large towns. I'll look into it for you.'

Maja noted the time on the display screen, 'Okay, it's time for diner and also for you to face your fate!'

Apprehensively, Max followed Maja across the porte-cochère, through a reception room and into what Max previously knew as the banquet hall.

The ornate twenty-four-seat banqueting table that was once the centrepiece of the room now resided against the wall at the far end, hosting a display of five large decorative bowls. In its place, the familiar and far more sociable eight-seater tables had been laid out in a fan shape around the open fireplace. Before Max had taken three steps into the room, everyone stood and started cheering and clapping.

Victoria rushed over and grabbed his hand, 'Come on, your old place at our table is still free!'

'It's the one near the gallows, in case you had forgotten,' added Maja.

Max acknowledged the rapturous applause with a raised hand and an appreciative nod.

Before he could take his place, Lenny greeted him with a handshake, 'I nearly didn't recognise you all smartened up. It's great to see you looking fit and well, and thank you for saving us.'

'Anytime!' then gesturing about the table, Max asked, 'Have you met everyone here?'

'Seen, but not met.'

'Then please let me introduce you properly,' speaking to the table as a whole, he asked, 'I assume you all know Lenny by now?' they all agreed they had.

'Good, as Lenny has yet to meet most of you, please allow me to do the introductions,' moving to stand behind Alexandra, he introduced her first. 'This is Alexandra. She is the community hairdresser, seamstress and Victoria's mother. This man-mountain is her partner Karl and is one of the four farmers.'

Moving to stand behind Victoria on the opposite side of the table, Max continued, 'This is Victoria, Alexandra's daughter and Bill, the carpenter's shadow. I presume you know what the Shadows do?'

'They're apprentices, and I know Bill. We sit at the same table. I've also heard Victoria is, by virtue of being the stepsister of Julia, considered by you and everyone else as your adopted daughter. Is that true?'

'It is.'

Victoria craned her neck upwards, 'Bob, Samuel and I are also officially Shadows to Raven now.'

'Congratulations, you three deserved proper recognition.' Moving to stand behind Raven, he introduced her, 'and this is Victoria's partner Raven, an extraordinarily talented archer and hunter. Sitting next to her is our chief security coordinator Maja, a reasonable markswoman with a pistol but absolutely lethal with a knife! At the end of the table, we have Ralph, the gardener and opposite him, his eight-year-old daughter Louise.'

'I'm nine!' she stated crossly.

'Her birthday was two weeks ago, Max!' Ralph informed him.

'Sorry, this is Ralph's nine-year-old daughter Louise. She is the youngest of a trio of children awestruck by Maja's one-metre-eighty-four-tall stature. Collectively they are known as Maja's fan club.'

'Ah! Yes, we've met. This young lady seems fascinated by my pigs.'

'I like aminals!' stated Louise.

'And so you should,' agreed Lenny, 'and if you want to, you can help me feed them sometime.'

'Really! Can I?' questioned Louise excitedly.

'Of course, you can! Now it looks like I had better get back to my seat, or I'll go without my dinner!'

With a general acknowledgement to everyone at the table, Lenny left.

Once everyone had settled into their seats, Sophie stood, her broad, robust figure immediately commanding a respectful silence.

'As the leader of this community, it falls upon me to officially welcome Max back into our community—' another rousing applause interrupted Sophie.

Once an acceptable silence had resumed, Sophie bid everyone, 'Please may I ask you to remain behind once we have eaten. There are three orders of business to be discussed this evening. So, please enjoy your meal, and we will speak again later.'

Maja faced Max across the table, and sporting a mischievous grin, she advised him gleefully, 'It's chicken hotpot with humble pie for you this evening! You're one of those three orders of business, feeling nervous?'

Max nudged Louise and, in a secretive whisper, declared, 'I think I'm in trouble.'

'Why? Didn't you eat your veg-a-tables?' she asked innocently.

Chapter Three

As per the routine familiar to Max, one of the four cooks would place a large pot on each table for the diners to serve themselves, although on their table, Alexandra traditionally served out the meal. That evening, Carol brought a large casserole pot to their table, and shortly afterwards and very unusually, she added a plate containing eight slices of wholemeal bread to the table. She answered everyone's questions and puzzled looks with, 'To celebrate Max's return,' then before leaving, she kissed Max's cheek, adding, 'it's lovely to have him back home again!'

Maja nudged Max with her foot under the table and advised him, 'Don't you go thinking this is going to save your skin!'

With the meal finished and the tables cleared, Sophie received a short round of applause as she took to her feet.

'First of all, let's show our appreciation for our cooks, who do such a wonderful job and the lovely surprise of the bread.'

As the applause ebbed, Sophie cleared her throat, 'And so, to our three orders of business this evening, the first two are regarding Christmas, the third our returning wanderer, Max.'

Numerous faces turned in Max's direction, adding to his unease.

'So to number one, it has been suggested that we have a Christmas tree this year. Despite being an atheistic community, having no belief in any god or the trappings and rigmarole once associated with religious festivals, we did decorate the dining room for the children last year. As we now have a considerably bigger dining room and the privilege of electricity to light it, the children and several adults have asked, or suggested, we have a tree,' spotting a raised hand, Sophie nodded, 'Bill would like to say something on the topic.'

He stood, 'For those who worry that a Christmas tree is too much of a Christian symbol, may I point out that decorating trees at this time of the year were Pagan, Celtic and even Viking traditions aeons before Christianity appeared.'

'What were these people celebrating?' asked a voice.

'The Winter Solstice, which at the time was considered the birth of the New Year. It falls on the twenty-second of December. Celebrating Jesus's birth on the twenty-fifth was just a ploy by Christianity to draw people's attention away from the twenty-second.'

'We could avoid any religious association if we move our celebration to the twenty-second,' suggested another voice.

'Celebration?' queried Max with Alexandra.

'A roast dinner with all the trimmings, including the paper hats, followed by a party.'

Sophie's voice broke through their conversation, 'So, may I ask all those in favour of moving our celebration to the twenty-second to please raise your hands.'

As far as Max could see, everybody did.

'And those against.'

No one raised a hand.

'So, that's passed unanimously. And those in favour of having a Winter Solstice tree, please raise your hands.'

Again, everybody raised their hands.

'And those against.'

No one voted against it.

'Super! That's also passed unanimously. May I ask Karl and Jack to organise our very first Winter Solstice tree?'

Both nodded.

'So, to the second of my three points of order. Thanks to Raven discovering the two fishing lakes in Eggenham, right on our own doorstep, so to speak, and to Tom and Daniel being such avid fishermen, the cooks have informed me of a change to this year's festive dinner menu. Last year it was a chicken roast. However, this year's Winter Solstice dinner will be either goose on a bed of hot red cabbage with potatoes or fresh oven-baked carp served with a selection of winter vegetables.'

Some appreciative murmurs rose from the surrounding tables.

Max nudged Alexandra, 'Isn't it weird, Tom looks after the bees, and Daniel the geese, hens and goats, yet both are keen anglers. Does that make sense to you?'

'What one hand gives, the other takes away!'

'So it would seem.'

Sophie pointed towards the kitchen, 'So, if you would prefer carp, please add your name to the list in the kitchen by the end of next week. I'm told that carp should be served whole to the table, so those who choose it will need to swap seats for the evening.'

Grace, the children's teacher stood up, 'Carp should not be stored for more than a day or two, so how can we be sure that there will be enough fish to go around?'

Tom answered, 'We'll bath them.'

'Sorry? Don't you mean bathe?'

'No, they'll be kept alive in a bath until needed. It's a common practice in some countries.'

Max asked, 'I've heard it's dangerous to eat fish caught in rivers and lakes?'

'It can be, rivers especially, but these two lakes are fed by an underground spring with the same water we draw from our well, so the lake water is fresh and uncontaminated.'

'And so, to our third point of order for this evening. Max, would you stand, please?'

Max stood, diffidence replacing his usual confidence in public speaking.

'Many here,' started Sophie, 'would like to know where you went and what you did during your five-month odyssey. Some would also like to know how you met Lenny and Sarah, and most of us would appreciate an explanation as to why you left us in the first place and left without a goodbye.'

Max took a deep breath, 'Okay, I owe you all an apology and an explanation. To start at the beginning, I left because I had become ashamed of being a man around so many women that had been sexually abused. When I met Maja, she related her past and the abuse she had suffered at the hands of men unconstrained by laws or morals, but as I had only seen six people in the previous five years, I assumed that most, if not all, of these men were now dead.

When we arrived here, I heard more stories, and it seemed to me that almost two-thirds of the women here had suffered some form of sexual abuse since the first wave, and although ashamed of what these men had done, I contented myself with the thought that they were all dead. That was until we came across Doctor Christine and Kim. Their horrific story opened my eyes to the fact that not all these men had died as I had mistakenly believed. Sister Elizabeth and Olivia's appalling treatment also demonstrated the depths of depravity these once civilised men were willing to indulge themselves in.

I could not put to rights what any of these men had done, and I felt awkward trying to offer my sympathy for those of you who had been abused, but I felt that I could and should make amends for my gender. I left because I heard my "calling", as Tom once referred to it, to make the world a safer place for women by hunting down these animals and erasing them from the face of the earth.'

'Some say you left because of a broken heart,' claimed an anonymous voice.

Max glanced down at Maja, 'Broken? No, just disappointed, but life doesn't always follow the path we would like it to, does it? Although I will admit, it was elemental in my decision to leave.'

'Why did you leave without saying goodbye?' asked another.

'I love every one of you,' and after another glance in Maja's direction, added, 'and one in particular. I even love the ugly ones like Karl, and by rights, I would have had to say an individual goodbye to each one of you. And to be honest, I couldn't face that, so I chose the coward's way out.'

'Where did you go?'

'My first stop was Hollaton for supplies, and then I headed north via the Marien's Field Convent. Olivia, may I ask how many were in the auditorium when the first wave came through?'

'Two-hundred and six, plus another twenty-three on-site personnel, drivers, speakers and non-participants.'

'That's very precise!'

'I was one of the seminar organisers.'

'How many survived?'

'Eleven, four succumbing to the second wave.'

'Thank you.'

Olivia nodded.

'I must admit, I did find the sight of that auditorium unsettling. After Marien's Field, I zigzagged my way north up to Rist through the villages.'

'How far is that?' asked someone.

'The signposts for Rist quoted twenty-eight kilometres from Hollaton using the main road. However, my route through the villages was considerably longer. I roamed in and around Rist for a month before heading east towards Zaya. Despite travelling through another fourteen sizeable villages, I hadn't up until that point on my travels come across another living soul, not even a recent sign that there might be someone alive in the neighbourhood.'

'And animals?' asked Daniel.

'Sorry, most of the area north of us was agricultural with very little livestock farming. I saw nothing domesticated, no cats or dogs, no pigs, sheep, goats or cattle, but I did come across a small herd of horses north of Piegarden.'

'What type of horses?'

'The usual type. Four legs, a tail, and a head, plus the lumpy bit in the middle to hold all the pieces together.'

After the giggles had eased, Daniel asked, 'Were they stocky working horses, or ponies, for instance.'

'As far as I could make out, they were smaller than normal riding horses and looked quite solidly built.'

'Interesting, okay, thanks.'

‘Islanders?’ suggested Raven.

Daniel nodded in agreement, ‘They seem to be the only breed with the wherewithal to survive!’

'After thirty-three kilometres, I reached Zaya and came across what appeared to be a recently disturbed supermarket. I spent eighteen days trying to find the survivors' encampment. I eventually discovered one in a brewery, and judging by the empty beer bottles strewn around about some shabby bedding, there were about twenty of them.'

Alex, the plumber, took to his feet, 'Sorry, Max, but I think you were chasing ghosts. Beer doesn't have a long shelf life! Even bottled beer fresh off the production line never had more than eight months to a year's shelf life. Six-year-old bottled beer would be unpalatable, so I think the encampment you found was an old one.'

'I agree with what you say about the six-year-old beer. I found crates of unopened bottles of Pils, my favourite pre-wave tipple and tried one.'

'And?'

'Pond water! Dreadful!

'After Zaya, I headed south towards Loss. It had occurred to me that as Weyhill Castle had made such an ideal refuge for survivors, then so could other castles. So I broke into a tourist information office and picked up all the leaflets for habitable castles in the area. Loss was the closest.'

'I remember that place,' started Elle, 'I went to a seminar there once. It was beautiful.'

'Was beautiful, would perfectly describe it. I'm afraid it has been gutted by fire, and judging by the weeds and tall saplings growing amongst the debris, that fire was a long time ago.'

'Was it attacked?' asked a voice.

Max shrugged his shoulders, 'I don't think so, but it remains a possibility. The castle had no defences to speak of, and all four sides were easily accessible to assailants. Although there were numerous skeletons littering the grounds, there were no weapons, and none showed any signs of their owners having met a violent death. After Loss, I headed south to the next castle on my list. One and a half kilometres later, I walked into the village of Hagen, and a short while later, I discovered the castle was just a rundown old manor house in dreadful condition. A real shame, as it had been built in the middle of a lake and surrounded by a raised one and a half metre high baily sporting a bastion on each corner, making it easily defendable, even against a large force. After that, I headed east towards Aspel. Before the waves, I had visited the museum in its castle, and its size and the neighbouring convent held the promise of finding some survivors. It was a long walk and another disappointment, as was Laden Castle, which now only hosts bats and weeds. Working my way back to Ernestwells Castle—'

'What was the point of that?' interrupted J.D., 'Neon Shoes would have slaughtered anybody there, and as we've never found it, it might even have been his base.'

'Basically, I wanted to cross it off my list. I had already assumed it was empty because when I came through Ernestwells with Maja, we noticed the shops had remained untouched for some time, but still, it was worth a look. Anyway, en route, I came across a brown tourist sign for a castle in Lower Nieder, which wasn't even on my list, but I felt like being nosey, and this is where I finally found another group of survivors.'

Immediately a dozen or more hands rose into the air, each attached to a question.

Sophie bid everyone to hold their questions until the end.