Chapter 11
The second officers meeting that day took place back in the same damaged building of the market place. The damage to the houses in the fort and the presence of hostiles in the remaining fortified building made it too risky to meet up there.
The two surviving infantry lieutenants were present along with Captain Charterhouse and the general.
The handful of wounded had been carried down from the hill and into a makeshift hospital in the town, First platoon being the only intact unit was holding the fort, the survivors of third platoon had been pulled back to cover the town itself. Moans and groans from the wounded carried across the square as did the shouts of the quartermasters team and loud clanging from up in the fortress.
The naval ratings were working to fix the thrown track on the Land Cruiser, or at least some of them were, the rest stood a very nervous guard in the rubble. First platoon had already uncovered several of the dead that were still capable of movement and any sound in the ruins drew a volley of gunfire.
All four officers were deep in their own thoughts, each exhausted from the battle and the very nature of the foe, even Her Majesties red coats did not fight walking corpses easily.
The door creaked as it was pushed open and the doctor came in, his once clean white coat splattered with dark stains every man present could identify.
The general gestured doctor Adler to one of the empty chairs and the doctor sat down with a sigh of satisfaction, he was getting too old for this sort of thing, past time he retired back to England and started a nice quiet practice in his home city of Birmingham.
“Doctor, your report if you please.”
The doctor had no need to look at his note book, the numbers were stark and he could not forget them. Their blood was still damp on his coat.
“First Platoon, nine dead, four wounded. All four wounded should live, though I had to take one man’s leg, the damage from the wound was too severe. Second platoon, Thirty four dead, three wounded of whom two should live. Third platoon Nineteen dead, three wounded one of whom should live, one may live and the third will not see the morning. Too much infection from these damn bites. One Ironside trooper dead, there was no saving him after his boiler went. One Ironside missing, as yet unaccounted for but probably under the rubble somewhere.”
General Summerby tried to keep his face straight in the face of the numbers and mostly succeeded. He had expected the butchers bill to be high against this impossible enemy in such restricted quarters but this was worst than he had feared.
“Captain Charterhouse, your report.”
“Sir, we have secured the town and fortress. I have a patrol searching the ruins above for any more of those, those things. We found a few in the rubble that were still moving, I left first platoons best sergeant in charge.
The only place we have not yet entered is the fortified building at the back, the door will take explosives to breach, its well guarded and both remaining Ironsides are up there, rearmed and ready.
In addition Lieutenant Engler has had a look at what is left of the cannon they used to fire at us, he says its Prussian made, one of their latest. The Prussians, Germans and maybe the Austrians have access to them. He said it was more modern and certainly more powerful than his six pounders.
We also recovered a number of modern rifles, bolt action, not British. A number of the rebels and black robes had them, the living ones not the walking corpses, we found a total of seventeen though there are doubtless a few more under the rubble.
“General, permission to speak freely?”
Once the general nodded Charterhouse continued.
“Sit, this force is spent. I have never even heard of the dead walking and fighting, to face them, that’s something no unit of the British army has done as far as I know. The casualties we have taken would have broken a lesser company. As it is the men are close to the edge, with less than 30 combat effectives out of a force that numbered over one hundred this morning moral is brittle sir. Very brittle. I fear if we ask more of the men today we will face a rebellion.
To be honest sir, I cannot blame them. Two thirds of the company lost against dead bodies that walk. Nothing we have seen here is natural General, this whole campaign, unnatural.”
The general nodded slowly then spoke.
“I don’t blame them either, they have done all that could be asked of them and more. These rebels that we came to fight, well gentlemen, these were no rebels. I can scarcely imagine what their lordships at Horse guards will make of the reports of this action; choke on their brandies most like.
No there will be no more attacks. If we can get Greyhound working I want her turned round and we will blast that building till it is rubble, no more deaths this day gentlemen.”
General Summerby paused as his thoughts went back to fighting he had witnessed.
Doctor Adler spoke quietly but his words carried in the silence. "When there is no more room in hell the dead will walk the earth"
Every soldier present was startled by the doctors words, each had been remembering the day’s events. Then the import of them became clear.
“Nonsense. Do you think. The bible, the end of the world. Rubbish. Armageddon. Doctor that is more than a little melodramatic.”
The doctor looked across the table, his exhaustion clear on his face and in the tremble of his voice. “What other explanation do you have then General?”
“Beg pardon gents but I reckon that fella in the silver mask be the one to ask about that.”
All eyes turned to the door. Acting Quartermaster Simmons stood there, his clothing dusty but otherwise without wounds despite his antics on the wall. He was standing in the doorway as if about to knock but he took a half step backwards when every soldier in the room turned such looks toward him.
“Sorry general, I didn’t mean to, that is I wasn’t listening. I was here to, here to report. It’s just you were talking and I happened to hear. Sorry general, didn’t mean to interrupt, I’ll come back.”
He started to turn away when he was stopped by the general’s voice.
“What man in a silver mask?”
Simmons looked at the officers and the doctor, all staring intently at him and wondered what trouble he had walked into now.
“The one up in the fortress sir, by the gatehouse. It’s a funny thing general but I would have sworn there was no one there, I was up passing ammo to the third platoon lads and then I looked across the gateway and second platoon was mostly down and dying. I couldn’t see any enemy general, not a one. I could hear the fighting inside the wall and I could hear a lot of shooting going on inside but I couldn’t see what had happened to the lads that were down, them dead things hadn’t reached em yet.
Then a bullet missed me, I swear I felt the thing ruffle my hair, that’s how close it was. I’ll be saying some prayers tonight that’s for sure. Anyway I was looking and, well general it’s odd, I don’t want to be saying anything to make me sound mad.”
Summerby interrupted. “After today not one of us will call anyone mad, out with it man, what did you see?”
Simmons continued. “Well general it was across from where I was, that tower the guns bought down before the attack. It was all rubble and smoke from the fighting but I would swear that’s where the shot came from, I couldn’t see a thing over there but it was like the smoke that was everywhere, well it’s like it was in my head. I looked real hard and sort of tired to see and I got this pain behind my eyes but then most of the smoke was gone and I could see these local types in black robes firing at us. Then and that fella in the leather coat.
Real strange, he was wearing this long leather coat, in this heat. That and the face mask, sort of like a mask but of a face and shining like real silver. He just stood there on the rubble, he had this big book open in his hands and, well general I may have imagined it, the battle was confusing and all, but I thought he was chanting something.”
General Summerby concentrated, trying to remember something, just a wisp of a memory in all the fighting. “I think I caught a glimpse of him, when the guns fired there, I saw something, men in black and another. Yes. I did see a man in a leather coat, he was holding something big but I only caught a glimpse as he ran down from the wall.”
Lieutenant Ambrose spoke up. “I saw him go into the last building, the one that’s still standing.”
Every face present turned to stare at the young officer and for just a second he felt the same fear that the quartermaster had, but just a second. “As I led my men round the end of the main street I saw a man in a long leather coat go inside that fortified building and shut the door behind him. I didn’t see any mask but I only saw his back.”
“Damnation. Gentlemen, I don’t know exactly what has been happening here but it is clearly not of nature or of god. This figure in a leather coat, this book, it sounds like the German that Arab was talking about. I would like words with this chap and if it turns out he is responsible for all of this I want him in front of a firing squad. Court of law be dammed, I’ll not let him escape to do this again if it was him.”
Captain Charterhouse interrupted. “Sir the men are hardly.”
“I am fully aware of that captain; I will lead a small party, volunteers only. Send a runner to the navy, if they cannot blow that door open I want one of the six pounders up there as fast as humanly possible. Gentlemen I will waste no time on this, return to your men, volunteers only, I’ll lead no press ganged soldier into this. Am I understood?
Good, dismissed and may god be with us.”
The officers hurriedly left. As the quartermaster turned to leave the general spoke.
“Simmons, have some of your men take fresh rifles and ammunition up to the fortress, anyone going with me, I want them to have a clean riffle and no shortage of rounds.”
The quartermaster almost came to attention and his right arm twitched as if to salute, then he nodded and left, his voice raised in a shout to the closest of this men.
#
It took closer to an hour than anyone was happy with but the land cruiser was turned round and facing the last building, both six pounders had been carried across the rubble and set up facing the door and a scratch force of volunteers stood ready as the quartermaster made sure each was well armed and with every pouch bulging with fresh rounds.
The officers had been joined by both Ironsides, they were somewhat rested and wanted to find the missing third trooper. The company senior sergeant, a man who had been at the generals side for more years than either could remember was there along with several young and foolish soldiers who had missed out on most of the fighting at the back of first platoon and had volunteered to join this forlorn group.
When all was ready the general looked across at Lieutenant Engler and nodded, number one gun fired at once and the solid shell struck the door in an explosion of splinters and fragments. No matter that the wood of the door was ancient and bound with thick strips of iron, the solid shot punched through its upper half and tore the entire door to pieces. Engler had considered carefully before ordering his guns to load solid shot, the possibility that an explosive round would collapse the wall was too high.
Now the tattered remains of the door frame proved his skill in the science of artillery fire.
The small party approached the smashed remains of the door. Three soldiers, two Ironsides, one sergeant, two lieutenants and a general. Summerby had told Captain Charterhouse in no uncertain terms that the captain was now in command of the force and would remain outside while his foolish general went in.
General Summerby had also refused offers of help from the naval and artillery officers, neither were trained soldiers and would be at a disadvantage in this fight. Besides, he had a nagging feeling that he may well need to have the guns ready if he had to flee the building.
“General.” The voice came from behind the small party and they all turned to see the Arab Abdul Rashid standing there. He had a long curved knife through his sash belt and was holding an old Snider rifle from the levy issue.
“I wish to come with you. To stand with you. God wants this ended.”
Summerby simply nodded and the tenth man joined the band of heroes
#
With the light of the sun now free to enter the building it was possible to see through the dust from the cannon fire. The building consisted of two large rooms, one either side of the door and a corridor that led from the door towards the back of the building. Despite the building seeming to be tall enough for another floor above there did not seem to be any way up.
One of the ironsides stomped forwards, his maxim ready for any enemy. He pushed the remains of the doorframe aside as his steel frame barely made it through the doorway, then he was in the corridor. The second started forwards but a raised hand from the general stopped him; the general pointed to the two pounder cannon the Ironside carried and shock his head. Not the best weapon for the close quarters of a building, instead the general waved two of the soldiers forward and they nervously stepped across the shattered wood and into the building.
The central corridor ran from front to back, no more than a few feet from the now smashed front door there were openings into to two side rooms. The far end of the corridor was hidden in the dust and gloom.
The Ironside took a few steps and turned to face into the left side room, the two soldiers quickly advanced and bought their rifles to bear on the right side opening.
Carefully the rest of the party advanced into the building, all except Abdul. He paused in the doorway, looked into the shadows and turned away.
The two side rooms ran the full depth of the building, narrow slits along the front would allow those within to fire on anyone outside but both rooms were empty. Judging by the bedrolls and belongings scattered everywhere a good sized force had been sleeping here, between twenty and thirty men perhaps.
After checking to make sure no enemy was hidden in either room the force returned to the corridor and looked toward the back of the building, between the dust and the shadows they could see nothing and even the Ironside seemed to feel some primitive fear of the gloom.
Then light filled the corridor and the shadows were gone leaving nothing but the dust floating on the air and a wooden door in plain sight at the back of the building. As the officers glanced back they saw Abdul holding an oil lantern as high as he could in the corridor, the wick turned up full to cast a bright light.
“Good man, should have thought of that myself.” Summerby spoke then turned back to face the Door. “Everyone step aside, let’s see what the two pounder does to it.
The soldiers and officers did just that and left both Ironsides filling the corridor with their bulk. The crack of the light cannon was deafening inside the building and the blast threw up yet more smoke and dust. The shell punched clean through the middle of the door and split the wood in half, though no one could see it the shell had in fact shattered the thick wooden beam that was holding the door shut from the far side.
Cautiously advancing behind the maxim armed Ironside the small group reached the doorway, the Ironside pushed the shattered upper and lower halfs of the door aside and stepped into the room quickly followed by the soldiers, officers and Rashid with his lamp.
This room was small, it looked to have been cut into the hillside as the walls were clay held back by wooden planks and supports. A single wooden staircase led down from the room, to the right and then turning right again, it led down under the building and back towards the fortress and town.
Aside from the stairs the rook contained a number of crates, boxes and clay jars, mostly empty or containing some sort of food stuffs the locals had left here. One of the shelves contained a number of crude tools such as shovels, picks and hammers. The small room was quickly searched and the group turned to the stairs leading downward, into the depths of the earth and into darkness.
The second officers meeting that day took place back in the same damaged building of the market place. The damage to the houses in the fort and the presence of hostiles in the remaining fortified building made it too risky to meet up there.
The two surviving infantry lieutenants were present along with Captain Charterhouse and the general.
The handful of wounded had been carried down from the hill and into a makeshift hospital in the town, First platoon being the only intact unit was holding the fort, the survivors of third platoon had been pulled back to cover the town itself. Moans and groans from the wounded carried across the square as did the shouts of the quartermasters team and loud clanging from up in the fortress.
The naval ratings were working to fix the thrown track on the Land Cruiser, or at least some of them were, the rest stood a very nervous guard in the rubble. First platoon had already uncovered several of the dead that were still capable of movement and any sound in the ruins drew a volley of gunfire.
All four officers were deep in their own thoughts, each exhausted from the battle and the very nature of the foe, even Her Majesties red coats did not fight walking corpses easily.
The door creaked as it was pushed open and the doctor came in, his once clean white coat splattered with dark stains every man present could identify.
The general gestured doctor Adler to one of the empty chairs and the doctor sat down with a sigh of satisfaction, he was getting too old for this sort of thing, past time he retired back to England and started a nice quiet practice in his home city of Birmingham.
“Doctor, your report if you please.”
The doctor had no need to look at his note book, the numbers were stark and he could not forget them. Their blood was still damp on his coat.
“First Platoon, nine dead, four wounded. All four wounded should live, though I had to take one man’s leg, the damage from the wound was too severe. Second platoon, Thirty four dead, three wounded of whom two should live. Third platoon Nineteen dead, three wounded one of whom should live, one may live and the third will not see the morning. Too much infection from these damn bites. One Ironside trooper dead, there was no saving him after his boiler went. One Ironside missing, as yet unaccounted for but probably under the rubble somewhere.”
General Summerby tried to keep his face straight in the face of the numbers and mostly succeeded. He had expected the butchers bill to be high against this impossible enemy in such restricted quarters but this was worst than he had feared.
“Captain Charterhouse, your report.”
“Sir, we have secured the town and fortress. I have a patrol searching the ruins above for any more of those, those things. We found a few in the rubble that were still moving, I left first platoons best sergeant in charge.
The only place we have not yet entered is the fortified building at the back, the door will take explosives to breach, its well guarded and both remaining Ironsides are up there, rearmed and ready.
In addition Lieutenant Engler has had a look at what is left of the cannon they used to fire at us, he says its Prussian made, one of their latest. The Prussians, Germans and maybe the Austrians have access to them. He said it was more modern and certainly more powerful than his six pounders.
We also recovered a number of modern rifles, bolt action, not British. A number of the rebels and black robes had them, the living ones not the walking corpses, we found a total of seventeen though there are doubtless a few more under the rubble.
“General, permission to speak freely?”
Once the general nodded Charterhouse continued.
“Sit, this force is spent. I have never even heard of the dead walking and fighting, to face them, that’s something no unit of the British army has done as far as I know. The casualties we have taken would have broken a lesser company. As it is the men are close to the edge, with less than 30 combat effectives out of a force that numbered over one hundred this morning moral is brittle sir. Very brittle. I fear if we ask more of the men today we will face a rebellion.
To be honest sir, I cannot blame them. Two thirds of the company lost against dead bodies that walk. Nothing we have seen here is natural General, this whole campaign, unnatural.”
The general nodded slowly then spoke.
“I don’t blame them either, they have done all that could be asked of them and more. These rebels that we came to fight, well gentlemen, these were no rebels. I can scarcely imagine what their lordships at Horse guards will make of the reports of this action; choke on their brandies most like.
No there will be no more attacks. If we can get Greyhound working I want her turned round and we will blast that building till it is rubble, no more deaths this day gentlemen.”
General Summerby paused as his thoughts went back to fighting he had witnessed.
Doctor Adler spoke quietly but his words carried in the silence. "When there is no more room in hell the dead will walk the earth"
Every soldier present was startled by the doctors words, each had been remembering the day’s events. Then the import of them became clear.
“Nonsense. Do you think. The bible, the end of the world. Rubbish. Armageddon. Doctor that is more than a little melodramatic.”
The doctor looked across the table, his exhaustion clear on his face and in the tremble of his voice. “What other explanation do you have then General?”
“Beg pardon gents but I reckon that fella in the silver mask be the one to ask about that.”
All eyes turned to the door. Acting Quartermaster Simmons stood there, his clothing dusty but otherwise without wounds despite his antics on the wall. He was standing in the doorway as if about to knock but he took a half step backwards when every soldier in the room turned such looks toward him.
“Sorry general, I didn’t mean to, that is I wasn’t listening. I was here to, here to report. It’s just you were talking and I happened to hear. Sorry general, didn’t mean to interrupt, I’ll come back.”
He started to turn away when he was stopped by the general’s voice.
“What man in a silver mask?”
Simmons looked at the officers and the doctor, all staring intently at him and wondered what trouble he had walked into now.
“The one up in the fortress sir, by the gatehouse. It’s a funny thing general but I would have sworn there was no one there, I was up passing ammo to the third platoon lads and then I looked across the gateway and second platoon was mostly down and dying. I couldn’t see any enemy general, not a one. I could hear the fighting inside the wall and I could hear a lot of shooting going on inside but I couldn’t see what had happened to the lads that were down, them dead things hadn’t reached em yet.
Then a bullet missed me, I swear I felt the thing ruffle my hair, that’s how close it was. I’ll be saying some prayers tonight that’s for sure. Anyway I was looking and, well general it’s odd, I don’t want to be saying anything to make me sound mad.”
Summerby interrupted. “After today not one of us will call anyone mad, out with it man, what did you see?”
Simmons continued. “Well general it was across from where I was, that tower the guns bought down before the attack. It was all rubble and smoke from the fighting but I would swear that’s where the shot came from, I couldn’t see a thing over there but it was like the smoke that was everywhere, well it’s like it was in my head. I looked real hard and sort of tired to see and I got this pain behind my eyes but then most of the smoke was gone and I could see these local types in black robes firing at us. Then and that fella in the leather coat.
Real strange, he was wearing this long leather coat, in this heat. That and the face mask, sort of like a mask but of a face and shining like real silver. He just stood there on the rubble, he had this big book open in his hands and, well general I may have imagined it, the battle was confusing and all, but I thought he was chanting something.”
General Summerby concentrated, trying to remember something, just a wisp of a memory in all the fighting. “I think I caught a glimpse of him, when the guns fired there, I saw something, men in black and another. Yes. I did see a man in a leather coat, he was holding something big but I only caught a glimpse as he ran down from the wall.”
Lieutenant Ambrose spoke up. “I saw him go into the last building, the one that’s still standing.”
Every face present turned to stare at the young officer and for just a second he felt the same fear that the quartermaster had, but just a second. “As I led my men round the end of the main street I saw a man in a long leather coat go inside that fortified building and shut the door behind him. I didn’t see any mask but I only saw his back.”
“Damnation. Gentlemen, I don’t know exactly what has been happening here but it is clearly not of nature or of god. This figure in a leather coat, this book, it sounds like the German that Arab was talking about. I would like words with this chap and if it turns out he is responsible for all of this I want him in front of a firing squad. Court of law be dammed, I’ll not let him escape to do this again if it was him.”
Captain Charterhouse interrupted. “Sir the men are hardly.”
“I am fully aware of that captain; I will lead a small party, volunteers only. Send a runner to the navy, if they cannot blow that door open I want one of the six pounders up there as fast as humanly possible. Gentlemen I will waste no time on this, return to your men, volunteers only, I’ll lead no press ganged soldier into this. Am I understood?
Good, dismissed and may god be with us.”
The officers hurriedly left. As the quartermaster turned to leave the general spoke.
“Simmons, have some of your men take fresh rifles and ammunition up to the fortress, anyone going with me, I want them to have a clean riffle and no shortage of rounds.”
The quartermaster almost came to attention and his right arm twitched as if to salute, then he nodded and left, his voice raised in a shout to the closest of this men.
#
It took closer to an hour than anyone was happy with but the land cruiser was turned round and facing the last building, both six pounders had been carried across the rubble and set up facing the door and a scratch force of volunteers stood ready as the quartermaster made sure each was well armed and with every pouch bulging with fresh rounds.
The officers had been joined by both Ironsides, they were somewhat rested and wanted to find the missing third trooper. The company senior sergeant, a man who had been at the generals side for more years than either could remember was there along with several young and foolish soldiers who had missed out on most of the fighting at the back of first platoon and had volunteered to join this forlorn group.
When all was ready the general looked across at Lieutenant Engler and nodded, number one gun fired at once and the solid shell struck the door in an explosion of splinters and fragments. No matter that the wood of the door was ancient and bound with thick strips of iron, the solid shot punched through its upper half and tore the entire door to pieces. Engler had considered carefully before ordering his guns to load solid shot, the possibility that an explosive round would collapse the wall was too high.
Now the tattered remains of the door frame proved his skill in the science of artillery fire.
The small party approached the smashed remains of the door. Three soldiers, two Ironsides, one sergeant, two lieutenants and a general. Summerby had told Captain Charterhouse in no uncertain terms that the captain was now in command of the force and would remain outside while his foolish general went in.
General Summerby had also refused offers of help from the naval and artillery officers, neither were trained soldiers and would be at a disadvantage in this fight. Besides, he had a nagging feeling that he may well need to have the guns ready if he had to flee the building.
“General.” The voice came from behind the small party and they all turned to see the Arab Abdul Rashid standing there. He had a long curved knife through his sash belt and was holding an old Snider rifle from the levy issue.
“I wish to come with you. To stand with you. God wants this ended.”
Summerby simply nodded and the tenth man joined the band of heroes
#
With the light of the sun now free to enter the building it was possible to see through the dust from the cannon fire. The building consisted of two large rooms, one either side of the door and a corridor that led from the door towards the back of the building. Despite the building seeming to be tall enough for another floor above there did not seem to be any way up.
One of the ironsides stomped forwards, his maxim ready for any enemy. He pushed the remains of the doorframe aside as his steel frame barely made it through the doorway, then he was in the corridor. The second started forwards but a raised hand from the general stopped him; the general pointed to the two pounder cannon the Ironside carried and shock his head. Not the best weapon for the close quarters of a building, instead the general waved two of the soldiers forward and they nervously stepped across the shattered wood and into the building.
The central corridor ran from front to back, no more than a few feet from the now smashed front door there were openings into to two side rooms. The far end of the corridor was hidden in the dust and gloom.
The Ironside took a few steps and turned to face into the left side room, the two soldiers quickly advanced and bought their rifles to bear on the right side opening.
Carefully the rest of the party advanced into the building, all except Abdul. He paused in the doorway, looked into the shadows and turned away.
The two side rooms ran the full depth of the building, narrow slits along the front would allow those within to fire on anyone outside but both rooms were empty. Judging by the bedrolls and belongings scattered everywhere a good sized force had been sleeping here, between twenty and thirty men perhaps.
After checking to make sure no enemy was hidden in either room the force returned to the corridor and looked toward the back of the building, between the dust and the shadows they could see nothing and even the Ironside seemed to feel some primitive fear of the gloom.
Then light filled the corridor and the shadows were gone leaving nothing but the dust floating on the air and a wooden door in plain sight at the back of the building. As the officers glanced back they saw Abdul holding an oil lantern as high as he could in the corridor, the wick turned up full to cast a bright light.
“Good man, should have thought of that myself.” Summerby spoke then turned back to face the Door. “Everyone step aside, let’s see what the two pounder does to it.
The soldiers and officers did just that and left both Ironsides filling the corridor with their bulk. The crack of the light cannon was deafening inside the building and the blast threw up yet more smoke and dust. The shell punched clean through the middle of the door and split the wood in half, though no one could see it the shell had in fact shattered the thick wooden beam that was holding the door shut from the far side.
Cautiously advancing behind the maxim armed Ironside the small group reached the doorway, the Ironside pushed the shattered upper and lower halfs of the door aside and stepped into the room quickly followed by the soldiers, officers and Rashid with his lamp.
This room was small, it looked to have been cut into the hillside as the walls were clay held back by wooden planks and supports. A single wooden staircase led down from the room, to the right and then turning right again, it led down under the building and back towards the fortress and town.
Aside from the stairs the rook contained a number of crates, boxes and clay jars, mostly empty or containing some sort of food stuffs the locals had left here. One of the shelves contained a number of crude tools such as shovels, picks and hammers. The small room was quickly searched and the group turned to the stairs leading downward, into the depths of the earth and into darkness.