The Legend of Dark City

Chapter 31

They had waited for four months before another immune arrived. After that there was a steady stream of new immunes coming from every corner of Britain. They were of various ages, although most were young, and every colour and shape. Many had disguised themselves like Bree had done and all of them had stories of danger and hardship. They were very glad that they had found a home where they could be themselves.

The oldest immunes were in their late thirties or early forties. Why were their no older immunes discovered? They did not have to fight off the ravages of the plague so there should have been a larger percentage of elderly people amongst them. The people that were joining the community were all of the right age to reproduce and Sam was wondering if this was by accident or design.

Bree had suggested that others would feel the draw to join the settlement the same way she had and this was confirmed. The instincts of the immunes meant that they were able to recognise the good intentions of the troops and this made the whole process a lot easier. None of the suspicions that dogged the survivors troubled them. They had generally felt the same magnetic pull that had drawn Bree to Dark City.

A few of the immunes had entered into relationships or had become part of a community and were happy where they were. They had declined the invitation to join the group and their wishes were respected. Each of them had made an extraordinarily hard decision as they fought the pull towards the new community but had to consider the ties they had already made. Everyone at Dark City had agreed that people should not be dragged there against their will. A group of unhappy immunes could foment trouble and jeopardise the future of the new settlement.

Eight platoons had headed out from the Dark City. Teams were sent to the south west, the Captain and Sam led that group, to the south east, Wales, east Midlands, west Midlands, north east, north west and Scotland. They had a lot of ground to cover and it had taken a long time to gather the immunes.

It was highly likely that there were sections of the population that they had missed but with limited resources they had done what they could. Larger contingents had been sent to the heavily populated regions and as expected a lot of the immunes had come from those areas. Wherever they went the troops spread the word that they were looking for immunes and hopefully others would make their way to the barracks in the future.

Twenty soldiers and two scientists had headed for the south east. Just searching the capital was a mammoth task. The further that they ventured into the city the more dangerous their task became. Large areas of Greater London were under the control of criminal gangs. Many people across the country had chosen to move out of urban environments. Londoners appeared to have a different mindset and more had remained.

After ten years they could not imagine that there was much food left in the city. Somehow there were people still surviving in the depths of London. Those with a twisted gift for profiting from the misery of others had become organised very quickly. They had stockpiled food, drugs, essential clothes and shoes and all the things that a population might need. If you wanted something you had to trade with them.

Small private armies operated throughout the capital. There were occasional turf wars but mainly they kept to themselves. The main carving up of the city into controllable sections had been done in the early years of the plague. Many thousands had died partaking in or from the crossfire of gun battles which raged as superiority was established. A combination of intelligence and ruthlessness were the qualities which brought the leaders to the top of the pile.

These leaders had occupied mansions in the swankiest parts of town and lived in luxury with others to do the hard work. They had servants to fetch and carry, henchmen to enforce their rules and a harem of women to satisfy their needs. The soldiers saw this pattern repeated again and again as they made their way cautiously through the city streets.

The question that was asked by the platoon most frequently was why did the people stay under these conditions? It was a combination of fear of the unknown and inertia. At least in the city they could get food and medicine even if it came at a price. Those that had stayed had been ingenious in devising ways to produce crops and keep livestock in an urban setting. No piece of land had been left unused.

The parks in the city had been used to plant crops and as grazing for animals. The story tellers would be disappointed to hear that the streets weren't patrolled by lions and tigers. They were more likely to see a cow or a pig. Large planters had been made out of whatever was available. Some were made in the traditional way with wood but soil had been piled into baths, tubs, rubbish bins and even car boots.

People grew vegetables and it seemed a lot of them grew cannabis plants too. Anything that could take the stress out of a hard life would be welcome. The soldiers saw a lot of tomato plants and potatoes and then more exotic things like chillies and even pineapples. It seemed that quite a lot of cooperation had occurred with people in various areas running crop growing projects together.

It was a strange atmosphere deep in the city. Some areas felt relatively safe but the tension grew when the troops went into other areas. Their search was exhausting because they were constantly on their guard. They would have to find a way to be more effective in their search or it would take years to cover all of London.

The darkness was their friend. The platoon moved at night so that their heavily armed presence went mainly unnoticed. The first self-styled gangland king they met was a suited, bowler hat wearing spiv named Billy. He projected an affable persona but one didn't get to the top by being a nice guy. He was a clever man though and he saw an opportunity present itself when he met the platoon.

The first thing that registered with Billy was the amount of weaponry that the platoon was carrying. The troops had gained information about his whereabouts from some of the oppressed people under his control. They had undertaken a stakeout of the area and had identified the men who worked for King Billy. That was the trouble with bullying and intimidation. When someone got the opportunity they turned on you.

As his thugs left to exact their "taxes" the soldiers took them into custody. When a dozen cuffed enforcers were marched at gunpoint to his front door, King Billy knew it was time to negotiate. The platoon leader and one of the scientists held a meeting with his highness in a vast ornate drawing room. The mansion had been the home of a Russian oligarch and was festooned with ornamental gold flourishes everywhere.

The king was a bit overweight and had scars in the middle of both his cheeks which were like two withered apples. It gave him a slightly comical and benign appearance. He knew who ran various sectors of the city and what their strengths and weaknesses were. His was a medium sized operation but he was seeing a possibility to increase his kingdom. King Billy could be of great use to the army with their quest and he would be glad to help. Of course he could only help them if they were prepared to help him.