The Legend of Dark City

Chapter 38

Napier and the troops scavenged for equipment and bartered with other communities to get livestock and seeds. He worked with the other settlers at the barracks and they gradually brought the fallow fields in the area back into use. They had cows, pigs, sheep and hens and also horses which they used for transport.

The original group who had moved onto the army base were unsure at first about the people moving in on their turf. They stared at the immunes with both fascination and some nervousness. Anything that was different was viewed with suspicion. Napier worked hard to forge a bond with them. He did not want a them and us culture to develop.

The benefits of accepting the newcomers were becoming apparent. The originals were to be included in the larger community and would share the expertise and help that the army and scientists offered. The elderly man who had become the leader of the small group gratefully ceded to Napier who was born to be a leader. It was difficult starting again, but he faced the challenge and made a huge contribution to the design and ethos of the new society.

He was very aware that those with scars could feel like they were second class citizens. Napier insisted that the immunes were scattered amongst the others and that they all did the same type of work. Living alongside, and working with, each other meant that friendships were formed and the community came together in its efforts to produce the things they needed.

Solar panels had been taken off of houses in the nearest town and they were used to provide a small amount of energy. Napier had arranged for a canteen to be set up similar to the one in the village. It was a meeting place for all the settlers and a place of entertainment too. They put on plays and held concerts and told stories. They did not tell tales of Dark City because it was not a legend to them. They did wonder whether those stories were still told at other places across Britain.

The final tally after a year and a half of searching was 96 females and 121 males. There were some children but the majority were of the right age to reproduce. There were no older people to work as record keepers and recorders of knowledge like the elderly settlers in the village. Maybe there would come a time when they could visit the village and share in their knowledge.

Sam and the other doctors and scientists visited all of the immunes and had somewhat difficult conversations with them. The essence of these discussions was that it was important that the parentage of all the children born was known. It was a small community and they wanted to keep the risk of inbreeding to a minimum. Promiscuity would be frowned upon simply because it could cause doubt about who was the father of a certain child.

There was a worry that the presence of the soldiers and scientists might inhibit the immunes but the first pregnancies were starting to occur and everyone waited anxiously for the births. Bree was among the first as she wanted to lead by example. The father of her child, Balfour, was a man who had arrived at Dark City shortly after she had. They had forged a friendship and he was aware that her heart was with Napier.

It was with great relief that children were born who were free of any, discernible, defects. Of course only time would tell if problems would develop but there was a tangible feeling of hope in the community. The doctors measured and weighed the babies practically every day but after a month they began to calm down and let the parents get on with their jobs.

As the group at the barracks settled and children were born a subtle change was being made. They had to work hard to produce their food and there were many things that they didn't have but they were slowly going from surviving to living. People talked about the future and what they might need. There were skills that would be lost when people died so apprenticeships were introduced.

Sam had a small retinue who accompanied him when he went to see patients. He was training the next generation to be healers. One of the girls had shown great promise and was keen to perform the next appendectomy when required. She was one of the immunes who had a remarkable gift. She could sense the area where an illness was and often could identify exactly what the problem was.

The animals were cared for and what they could not learn from the few books available was learnt by trial and error. An immune man was a kind of livestock whisperer who had a way with all the beasts. He had been nicknamed Dr Doolittle and rather revelled in his new identity. He had tamed some wild dogs and a few were now being kept as pets again.

It was at this stage that Napier had made a suggestion which was met with great interest. The village had a man working as a blacksmith, a skill which their community lacked. Maybe they could take one of their people to the village to train as a smith and bring back one of theirs to train as a doctor. It would be a good excuse to catch up with old friends too.