Bishop's War, Andrew Scorah [books to read for teens TXT] 📗

I aimed the gun at his head and fired. It was over just like that, I was once again alone on my island. Pain blossomed behind my eyes as a stress headache took hold. I dropped to my knees and screamed at the sky, at the world and at a God that seemed to have forsaken this world. Afterwards I felt better, my mind seemed focused on what I had to do. Do not get me wrong I am not a weak man, but the news I had just been given would have shook Atlas to his core. The world I knew was no more, and a billion Chinese and Russians were knocking at our door. Adrenaline flooded my system and I knew I had to fall back on my training, become a soldier once again. A smile crossed my face, time to rejoin what was left of the world. I looked out past the village with its Methodist chapel and dilapidated houses, toward the Lleyn peninsula. What waited for me over there, my heart beat fast as images filled my head from the films I had seen, a shiver ran through me. I needed a destination too, and the coast guard station at Aberdaron seemed the most obvious choice, one step at a time and the next one gets you where your going, as my Dad always used to say. My mind was made up, the decision made. I would make the next decision at Aberdaron.


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Landfall

I scavenged the wreckage for anything useful and came up with several items of interest, HK MP5k, snub nosed submachine gun and extra ammo plus ammo for the Glock, army issue food rations, flare gun and most important of all a N B C suit and a Geiger counter. These all went into the Land Rover and I drove back up to the Light House, I needed to have one last meal, beef dinner I thought, before I set off on my journey. While it was cooking in the Microwave I tried the radio again but all I got was dead air.
The microwave pinged and I took my meal outside and sat in my lawn chair. I could not help but wonder why I had not succumbed to any of the biological bombs that had exploded, only conclusion I could come to was wind direction at the time. That and the radiation would be a big threat once I hit shore. I did not relish walking around for a long time in the NBC suit, I had used them before and always felt hot and clumsy. I finished my meal and packed a few more items into the vehicle, spare clothes, water canisters. Hopefully I would find a vehicle over there to transfer them too.

For the final time I drove across the island down to the ferry landing, the boat was tied up to the jetty, I retrieved the outboard motor from the boat shed, first making sure it had enough fuel. The boat had been used by conservationist to sail round the island checking on the various wild life populations. Next I transferred all my gear to the boat. Luck was with me as the wind seemed to have died down and the sea was calm. Once everything was secured I jumped in and set off, as I pulled away I took one last look at what I considered my Island and said a silent goodbye. I had no idea what lay ahead of me but I had a feeling I was going to need all my training as a soldier in the coming days ahead.

The journey to Aberdaron took a little under an hour and fifteen minutes, the sun was now low in the sky as evening approached, as I drew near to the former fishing community, now a destination for holidaymakers and sightseers, I killed the motor and scanned the shore with my binoculars. The beach with its golden sand was almost a mile long, and in another time would have been packed with sun worshipers, but not today. All I could see was a few small boats tide up, there was some discarded buckets and spades left behind like remnants of a lost civilization. Discarded deck chairs and sun loungers and a few cooler boxes. The promenade which backed the beach was deserted of life, I could hear no traffic noises or the sound of people, the usual back beat to community life. From where I sat in my boat I could almost feel the emptiness before me.

From here on in I did not want to make any sound so I used the oars to guide me in to the coast guard station, pulling up to the boat ramp I climbed out and secured the boat. I took the Glock with me as I ascended the ramp and looked through the window into the boat house. The life boat was there but no signs of life. A walk way ran around the edge of the building to the front, I slowly walked round it till I reached the entrance. The front door was unlocked so I pushed it open and stepped inside.
The lifeboat was in front of me and to the right was the door to the station proper. I opened this and climbed the stairs, which led to the control room and living quarters for those on duty. It was eerily silent. My heart beat faster and my mouth felt dry, as I pushed open the door at the top of the stairs. I felt like some kind of monster was waiting at the other side even imagined I could hear it breathing. Stepping into the control room I found it empty, although there was signs of a hasty departure, overturned chairs, two mugs smashed on the floor and papers scattered everywhere. a quick search of the rest of the building resulted in the same.

I had at least thought I would find something. Some kind of evidence as to what had happened. But nothing. A scream from the direction of the village bit into my thoughts. Quickly i ran outside and looked down the road which led into Aberdaron.
I could see nothing, the sound came again. I started to run down the hill passing quaint lime washed fishing cottages till i came to a T junction, the road going to the left over a small bridge and to the right into the village. just over the bridge was a post office, four men in jeans and T shirts stood around a picnic bench where a girl of about twenty years, with blond hair pulled back in a pony tail was being held down by one of the men. They had not seen me yet, so intent on the girl and what they were about to do. None of them seemed armed, so i casually walked up, keeping the gun hidden behind my right leg.
"Evening lads" I said as I stopped about six feet from them.
They spun round, a surprised look on their faces.
The largest of the four stepped forward and drew a large knife from a sheaf at the small of his back.
"Who the fuck are you?" he said in a thick Irish accent pronouncing fuck as fick, "Fuck off and mind your business,less me and the boys forget our manners."
"You tell 'im Tommy boy!" the skinny one to the left of Tommy Boy said as he spat on the ground.
I raised the Glock. Adrenaline dumped into my body and my senses zeroed to a fine point, it was as though I was seeing, hearing, feeling everything around me all at once. Everything jumped out at me in high definition but a part of me deep inside seemed to be standing back watching the events unfold, recoiling at the horror about to happen.
"Tommy Boy didn't no one tell you not to bring a knife to a gun fight." With that I pulled the trigger hitting Tommy Boy straight between the eyes.
For just a second the others froze then faster than a Nigerian sprinter they turned and ran up the road. I watched them go till they disappeared from view behind hedgerows up the road. My hands had started to shake from the after action come down. I secured the gun at the small of my back and put my hands in the pockets of my jacket.

I turned back to the girl, who was curled into a fetal position on the bench, silently sobbing.
"Are you OK?" I asked, never been any good at this emotion stuff, it left me feeling awkward like a virgin schoolboy.
Slowly she sat up and rubbed the tears from her face which was sporting the signs of a hand print on her left cheek. I stayed where I was not wanting to scare her.
"Thank you, I was terrified they were going to Kill me after..." Her voice, which held a trace of Welsh, trailed off as if she could not put into words what we both knew their intentions to be.
"Are you a Soldier?"
I laughed,"Not anymore," my mode of dress was why she made the assumption, I was dressed in green combat pants, green t-shirt and a camouflaged combat jacket, a pair of Northwest territories combat boots completed the image. I always dressed this way on the island as I found the mode of dress very comfortable
"No Miss er?"
"Sky Llewellyn." she said and added, "Don't ask, my parents were hippies or new age travelers or something like that."
"Well I think it's a nice name Sky, I'm Charlie Bishop I was, I mean I am the Lighthouse keeper on Bardsey."
"Have the others gone do you think?"
"Probably, but we better not hang around here, are you hurt?"
"Only my pride." She climbed off the bench and walked over to me, Sky really did suit her, she was fresh faced with piercing blue eyes, a small nose and full lips.
We started walking back to the coast guard station, i thought that would be the best location as I was familiar with the layout, plus if we had to make a fast getaway we had the choice of the boat.
"So what are you doing here, how did they grab you?" I inquired as we walked up the hill.
Adjusting her pony tail, she replied,"My Ma and Bampi ran the post office, Dad died last year, Soldiers came to the village and started forcing everyone into lorries." she stopped and I thought she was going to cry but she pulled herself together.
"Bampi made me go up to the old gun site along the coast and hide out."