Below the Radar - Cyprus Summer of '74

Chapter 24 : The Descent (Let It Be)

Eighty hikers in fifteen teams had departed Episkopi four days earlier with a shared aim - complete the full one hundred miles of the Horseshoe Hike. All had envisioned themselves scaling the heights of Mount Olympus, before descending triumphantly from the Troodos Mountains to a hero's welcome. Proud family and friends awaiting them as they wearily trudged the final yards to the checkpoint at Yermisoya dam.

Of the eighty, seventy had successfully reached Mount Olympus, but now only sixty-five hikers in twelve re-formed teams filed slowly out of the camp gates of RAF Troodos at the start of day five. Bound for Kato Milos, fifteen miles and six hundred metres below their starting point, the descent had begun. The cold overcast morning and anvil grey clouds mirrored the mood of the hikers.

* * *

The Night Before (Day 4): Judgement Night

Two minutes after the brawl had ended the previous evening, all ten lads from BG had been rounded up and frog marched out of the shared barrack block into a much smaller cabin. Told to stay there until informed otherwise, two minutes later their rucksacks were unceremoniously thrown in with them.

Having no idea what had happened to the others involved, they watched multiple comings and goings from the main barrack block through the windows as people continued to pile out of the large block. The girls had been steered towards their own cabin as Alex strained unsuccessfully for a glimpse of Kate.

Gordy sat on his rucksack rubbing at his aching jaw. He shook his head slowly as G put his hand on his shoulder before sitting down quietly next him. Ryan couldn't stand still, swearing and muttering incoherently, agitated as he paced around the room, a large swelling already showing above his left eye.

Johnny H and Simon sat still. Simon nursing his aching ribs, breathing with some difficulty, several buttons pulled off his shirt that hung loosely outside his blue jeans. Johnny's face was unmarked. Alex rubbed the back of his head where he'd hit the wall and flexed his neck. There was no real damage and he sat down next to his brother, opposite Dan.

Will wandered around the room. Gradually they all congregated at one end of the cabin, sat bunched up on the edge of three sets of bunk beds, arranged as three sides of a square.

Finally, Simon lifted his head and took a wheezing deep breath. "Everyone ok? Gordy? How about you Ry?"

He received nods and a tentative yes from Gordy in return.

Nodding his head, he nudged Alex with his arm. "Fucking hell Alex, what happened? One moment everything was brill, great music, clowning around and all that shit, next thing I saw that Cox twat throw you up against the wall".

Alex shrugged unhappily at his brother. "Shit Simon. It was that wanker ....Tristan..... I saw.... he twisted Kate's arm ..... so, I went over ...... and she ...... well ... and suddenly that lump Cox ..... you saw the rest ...... sorry. He was about to take my head off. I swear I didn't start it Simon. But....". Raising his head and with a weak smile Alex continued ".... but Jesus was I glad to see you fly across that room. What about you Si. Are you ok?"

Simon took as a deep breath as he was able and looked around.

"Course I bleedin' am", elbowing Alex as he continued. "No thanks to you .... tell you what though, that Cox...." Simon paused mid-sentence raising his eyebrows quizzically." Anyone know which one of them twins I was actually scrapping with?"

At the same time G and Kenny provided the answer. "Ben", "Brian", before turning to each other grinning stupidly.

Will shook his head and sighed. "It was Ben squeezing the life out of you mate. Brian was the one Ryan leapt on".