Date: Mon, 30 Apr 2012 08:55:19 +0200 From: Amy Redek Subject: The Ridge. Part Ten. This story is for persons of eighteen years or over. All comments, good or bad, are welcome and all will be answered. Part Ten Smith got back to the shelter at the same time as the others and the girls were then told what had been on the other end of the rope that they had pulled through the trees. Tiki went off and was sick in the bushes when Smith described how Liam had risen up into the tree and shat himself as he died. It was for Pearl, he had cried, but it still sickened them that they were now becoming like animals. It's kill or be killed Smith argued, again using Pearl as a back up to his argument. Carlton was in agreement but got Smith to shut up and let the girls come to accept it in the long term. The shelter was silent for the most part as Smith went back to making stakes for the shelter's perimeter and to keep the girls occupied, Carlton got them making fresh ropes and a grass skirt for Stacey. The day after they had buried Pearl, he'd taken the lengths of hydraulic pipe he had cut from the undercarriage up to the pool. Here he had tied them in a bundle and put them into the water to clean them out of what little oil might be left inside. The slight oil seepage that would come out, he surmised, wouldn't be enough to taint the water. With everybody doing something he went up and collected them and by running water through them, found them to be clean of oil. He had been disappointed at the size of the bore of these pieces of pipe and so had to discard the idea of using bamboo, it being too thick. When fishing, he had noticed not far from that point, plants growing near the water that looked like some form of reed. Were they hollow? That's what he had to find out next. `Smith,' he said when he got back from the pool. `I'm going to take two of the girls down to try and find some hollow reeds. We'll be away two hours so if we're not back in that time, come and look for us. We'll be down near where we have been fishing though we'll be taking a different route, circling round to the west.' `Okay,' he replied. `Who are you taking?' `Tiki and Toni. Judy's our nurse and Stacey's still a bit shook up.' He called the two he'd chosen and had them get their spears as he told them what he was looking for. They set off and were down on the beach twenty minutes later. There seemed to be a veritable field of these clumps of rush type reed plant growing quite close to each other and by moving just a few feet inside these thickets, they couldn't see the beach or be seen. He was delighted to find that most of those that they snapped off were indeed hollow, having some kind of sap only inside that was bitter to the taste, but when drained out, they had a good tube. So they took a variety of different thickness, checking first that they were hollow and with a small bundle each, returned to the shelter within the two hour time frame. The two girls went back to their tasks as he sat down and began breaking the shoots up into lengths and then grading them in thickness and finding that he could insert a slender end into a thicker end. He could ram them in tight but not be sure if they would stay watertight. `Smith, you've been cutting into quite a few trees, have you found any that have a thick sap or any kind of resin?' `Yes, one or two. I leave those alone, too hard to shape with just a penknife.' `Could you find me some so that I can see if it would be any good to use as a sealant?' `Yes, you want some now?' `Please.' `Okay, I won't be long. I know of a couple of trees close by.' He got up and taking his spear and penknife, left and went off into the trees. He was back twenty minutes later with a palm leaf and two small blobs of resin resting on it. `Here. From two different trees for you to try out.' `Great. Thanks,' said Carlton and setting the leaf down, he used a small pointed stick to transfer some resin onto some joints, using both but keeping them apart to see which one or if both would work. He laid the four different pieces of joined reed out in the sun on another palm leaf. `They would dry and harden quicker if you held them over a flame,' said Toni who had been watching from where she had been sitting. `It only need be a small one, just for a minute or two.' `You could light up a cigarette at the same time then,' said Carlton with a laugh. `Now why didn't I think of that,' she laughed, giving him a grin as she went and found her cigarettes, bringing back the glass too. So he made a very small fire of grass and wood chips from which she lit up and he slowly turned his reed pieces over the flame. They did indeed harden quite quickly and soon all four were as hard as the wood they had come from. He'd also fitted a plug in one end of each and sealed these at the same time. Then came the test and the small tubes were filled with water and propped up against a tree and were left for awhile to see if the seal held or not. An hour later, the tubes were still full of water and everyone was delighted for it would now be possible to bring the water to the shelter. It was a happier group at their evening meal this time and the mood continued into the night with both Carlton and Smith having a partner when they bedded down and then a second one before dawn. * This euphoria lasted all this day and into the night again. The water had been collected before sunrise and they ate breakfast as the sun rose. After which, they all went down to the beach and began collecting the reeds. Carlton had said that it didn't matter what length or thickness as he needed all sizes, and they set to work and it didn't take long for them to have a big enough bundle each to carry back to the shelter. It made quite a stack when all piled up. A lot of the sap had run out in the process of breaking them off of the main plant and whilst being carried up, but they still had to be tested to make sure they were fully cleared. This was a tedious business of trying to pour water in one end to see if it flowed out properly at the other. This way, quite a few were discarded and it was with the good ones that Carlton started to fit two pieces together, the thin end being inserted into a thick end and rammed up tight. Smith went off with Judy to begin collecting resin to seal these joints. Carlton began joining lengths together to have a pipe approximately ten foot long which would be joined up as and when the time came to lay down the whole length, which had been estimated at being around one hundred and eighty feet. Judy kept running back and forth with small amounts of resin at a time and Stacey and Toni did the sealing of the joints that Carlton and Tiki were making. Carlton left Tiki to carrying on with this while he went up to the pool to measure the lengths he needed to make the siphon using the hydraulic pipe for the bends. The intention was to lay the whole pipe line in one day, joining up as they went along and burying the pipe at the same time. This would mean carrying a portable fire to speed up the sealing process, so Smith made a small frame to hold a can with the top cut off which would hold a small fire within. It was late afternoon when a halt was called for they still had to eat and wash before supper. There was a repeat performance that night in the shelter. The last for two of them. * After breakfast, Carlton said that he wanted to start work on the siphon but they still needed another bundle or two of the reeds. Smith said he would go down. `Take Stacey and Toni,' Carlton said, `Judy and Tiki have got the hang of joining the reeds together so they can carry on with that. When you get back you can collect some more resin.' The beach party collected their spears and set off and Carlton with the knife and some pipe and selected lengths of reed, went up to the pool. The siphon was a simple affair. One piece would be in the water to a depth of a foot and a piece of tube would bend to a piece that stretched over the rim of the pool to have another piece of pipe bent to take the last piece of reed that was longer than the one in the water, its end well below the height level of the end piece in the water. With this lower end being sucked on, water would be drawn up and over the lip and with the outlet being lower than the feed end, the water would then continue to flow as a simple course of nature. But this would only be done just before the joining of the whole pipe line. With all the bends on the pipes, he tested the siphon and it worked, so that it now only needed the resin sealant and it would be done. He was quite pleased with what he had achieved and soon they would have water on tap down at the shelter. Tiki then came out of the trees and gave him a shout. * `There's two of them down at the far end of the beach,' Drew panted, having run back from the ridge to find King. `You sure there's only two?' he asked. `Who?' `I only saw two. I stayed there for a couple of minutes. Smith is one and the other is one of the girl's.' `Carol? Toni?' King asked, a light in his eyes. `No. One of the others.' `Right. We'll go along the tree line and rush them at the closest point. Get your spears,' which they did and set off, keeping inside the trees and over the small ridge and moved along till they knew that they'd reached the point where the tree line finished by rocks that led down to the sea. They moved ever closer to the beach until they could see Smith on guard looking along the beach towards the ridge and saw Stacey come out of the reeds with a bundle in her arms. She dropped them on the sand and spoke to Smith for a moment before disappearing back into the reeds. `What're they doing?' John whispered the question. `Fuck knows,' said King. `Be ready, for the next time she comes out, we attack. Drew, you go for the girl, John and I will take out Smith.' * Smith had led the two girls down to the beach by a different route from the path they had used before. They had stayed out of the trees and bushes so that they couldn't be surprised like they had been before. `I'll stand on guard,' Smith said when they reached the edge of the reeds. `You Toni can get some reeds and when you've got enough for a bundle, call out and Stacey will come and collect it. We'll take three bundles back with us.' Toni said yes and disappeared into the reeds. It was at this time that Drew had seen them. Himself, King and John had just started off through the trees when Toni called out that she'd enough for one bundle and Stacey went in and collected it and returned with an armful that she dropped onto the sand. As Toni had broken off more than enough for the first bundle, it didn't take long to have another lot ready and called out for Stacey to collect them. She went back and a minute or two later, came out with another armful which she began to drop on the sand as the three men came hurtling out of the tree line. She gave out a scream as she dropped the reeds and searched for her spear. Smith whirled round to see King and John coming at him, spears levelled for they'd learned not to throw them. They were well ahead of Drew and came at Smith, spreading themselves so that they would come at him from two sides. He parried the first thrust from King and also managed to knock John's to one side. They were panting from the short run but were now facing him as they kept jabbing at him with their spears as he swung his to try and keep their points away while thrusting forward himself. He was a mite too slow on one parry of John's and his spear finished up on the outside of that spear which stopped him from bringing it back across his front to Parry a thrust from King. The point entered his stomach several inches which caused him to cry out and start to double over. King gave a cackling laugh as he pulled the point out, moving back as he did so. John now thought that he would have a chance and pulled his back to thrust again at Smith, but he had released Smith's spear which he now swung round and as John lunged forward, Smith moved forward too and the point of his spear went straight into the middle of John's chest. His eyes flew wide at the sudden pain and was dead before he hit the sand, the point having gone straight through his heart, His own spear had hit Smith high in the ribs and as John fell, his weight pulled Smith over, the spear stuck between the ribs. King gave out a shout and brought his spear down with some force and plunged it into Smith's back. Drew had parried Stacey's thrust of her spear and made a thrust of his own, the point entering her just below the rib cage. It wasn't deep but far enough to puncture her lung. She gave out a cry as she pulled back, her hand going up to the wound. Drew gave her a wicked grin as he watched her stagger back then his eyes flew wide as Toni suddenly appeared out of the reeds with her spear which she buried in the middle of his stomach. In shock, he dropped his spear as he tried to pull the one out of his stomach which Toni helped by pulling it out herself and Drew went staggering backwards. Stacey, though badly hurt and she knew it, saw King raise his spear and drawing a wooden knife from her belt, half ran at him as he rammed the spear into the back of Smith. She was too late to save Smith but she flung herself forward and stuck her knife in King's thigh. The point broke off as he roared out and fell backwards just as Drew staggered back and King caught Drew and held him up as Toni came forward, her with the only spear left. King slowly began to move backwards, limping from his leg wound, holding Drew in front of him as a shield. Stacey began to call for help and Toni was in a dither as to what she should do. Keeping going forward towards Drew and King or let them go so that she could help Stacey. It would be two against one with Stacey down for she didn't know how badly hurt Drew was, so she let them back away and went to help Stacey. `Oh God it hurts,' Stacey cried out as Toni sat her up, flecks of blood on her lips as she spoke. `Go and get help.' Toni was in a panic. She saw King dragging Drew back to the tree line but still remembered Smith's words that they didn't leave wounded behind to be captured. `Please,' Stacey begged. `Get Carlton and Judy,' and she coughed and blood began to run from her mouth. There were tears in her eyes that were screwed up with pain. `Be quick.' It was on seeing the blood coming from her mouth that decided her. She eased Stacey back down on the sand next to Smith's legs and got up and seeing that King and Drew had gone, ran up the beach. She went like a bat out of hell, crashing through the brush, scratching herself to pieces as she flew up the slope and staggered into the clearing of the shelter. `Help Judy, help!' she cried. `Get Bob! Stacey needs help!' Both Judy and Tiki had jumped up at her arrival. `Get Bob from the pool, quick,' Judy said to Tiki as she went into the shelter and got out the medicine box. She went and comforted the crying Toni till Tiki came back with Carlton. `Bob!' Tiki had cried out from the trees. `There's been a fight! Come quick!' and she disappeared back into the trees. He dropped everything and raced down and caught up to Tiki at the clearing and went straight to Toni and knelt down. `What happened?' he asked her. `Smith's dead and Stacey's hurt bad,' she cried. `What of the others?' `John's dead too and Drew's hurt bad and I think King's wounded as well.' `Judy get the...' `Already got it,' she said, indicating the medicine box. `Tiki, spears. You stay here Toni.' `No!' she almost screamed. `Stacey needs me. I'm coming too.' Carlton didn't argue but helped her to her feet and gave her a spear from Tiki and took one for himself and they all quickly went down to the killing ground. There was blood still on the sand but it was the three bodies lying there that had their hearts leaping up into their throats. Smith lying there with a spear still sticking out of his back as he lay over John. Stacey was draped across Smith's legs, not moving. They raced down the sand and Carlton went down onto his knees next to Stacey and Judy did the same. Toni fell onto her knees a few feet away, her fist up to her mouth as she cried, Tiki stopped next to her and held her head against her thigh. Stacey was across Smith's thigh and her head hung down and on the sand was a large pool of blood that hadn't seeped away as yet. He turned her over and saw that her eyes were wide open and the whole of her mouth was awash with blood. They could see the wound just below her right breast, blood still seeping out. `She's dead,' Judy sobbed, tears running down her face. `She's had a haemorrhage. A punctured lung I think.' Her hand was at the neck but didn't feel a pulse. Carlton closed her eyes and then moved over a bit and felt the neck of Smith for a moment. He too couldn't find a pulse. A month ago he had met an enemy and now he had just lost a friend. He bent his head and then he too cried. Not just for Smith, but for Stacey too as well as Pearl and Carol. A film director would have made something of this tableau of grief. The body of John covered by that of Smith with a spear still stuck in the middle of his back, Carlton kneeling by the two of them with his hand on Smith's lower back as his head was bowed. The camera moving back slowly to show Judy kneeling next to the bloody half naked body of Stacey and moving further back to see Tiki crying, standing there with her hand on the head of the kneeling Toni who's tear stained face full of anguish would have won an Oscar. They stayed like this for some time before Carlton got up and like a drunk, staggered up the beach and along to where Pearl and Carol lay and began to scoop out sand for yet another grave. Slowly, the others came up one by one and began to help. * It took them the rest of the day to dig the three holes. The worse thing for Carlton was the pulling of the spear out of Smith's back. He had the impression that the piece of wood wanted to stay there it was so difficult to extract. But with it out, he got two of the girls to help get the bodies up for him to carry them over his shoulder and they helped to lower them into their graves. Each were covered in palm leaves and the sand pushed back to cover them. It was a silent four that stood there when they'd finished, no words being said, but their thoughts were for those they'd just lost. For Carlton, he just made the promise that he wouldn't rest now until King and the others were dead. Others? He'd just buried John. Liam had been hung. That only left Drew with King and Stacey had thought he was badly wounded. Well he'd fight the pair of them, half dead or not, he would kill them. They slowly left the gravesides and went along the tree line and Judy said that they might as well take the reeds that had been dropped on the sand, Carlton and Toni waited while she and Tiki gathered them up and the four then carried on up to their shelter. It was a miserable supper and though both Tiki and Judy tried to console Carlton that night in the way only a woman can but he wouldn't with either of them. He had neither the strength or desire for such comfort and he slept very badly in consequence. The shelter the next day was a place of lethargy, more so for Carlton and Toni. Both refusing breakfast and spent nearly the whole day stretched out under the sheltered roof. The two were coaxed out for supper but as soon as they had eaten, went back inside. Needless to say, nothing was done about the water system. * King dragged Drew into the tree line and managed to get his arm up over his shoulder. In spite of his own leg wound, he managed to get Drew back to their shelter where they both collapsed onto the palm leaves where Drew rolled onto his side and pulled his legs up. His was in real pain and constantly groaned. There wasn't a lot of blood but his insides felt like they were on fire. He didn't know that the spear he'd taken had gone through the intestines and also ruptured his bowels and that the seepage was slowly poisoning him. King took no heed of Drew as he was more concerned about his own wound. His leg was throbbing and he was sure that the point of that knife was still there, which it was. He couldn't angle his body to see and Drew was in no mood to look at his leg what with his own problem. He tried with his fingers to get a hold of the knife point but every time he touched it, pain shot up his leg. What was more, he knew that it would have to be cut out but there was no way that he could do it himself. So he suffered all night with his leg and listened to Drew as he slipped into a delirium. By the time it was daylight, Drew was raving, the poison having begun to spread slowly, gathered momentum as the night wore on and by late morning he was in a coma and died about noon. King spent most of the day sitting at the seas edge, hoping that the sea water would do something, though all it was now was a painful throb. He was glad when Drew had finally shut up, not knowing that he'd slipped into a coma and didn't even discover that Drew was dead until he got an evening meal ready. Not wanting to spend the night in the shelter with a corpse, dragged Drew's body down to the sand and instead of digging a grave, just piled sand over him in the last hour of daylight. He ate his supper alone in the dark that night. *