The Paul & Jenny Stories Pt. 15f: Another June Wedding Part 6
A Paul and Jenny story.
(Copyright 2001 by Paul. All rights reserved).
All events and characters are fictitious.
* * * * *
June 1972.
Paul.
Somebody was undressing me. That was kind of them. I could feel another body pressed close to mine own. A naked body. Somebody was doing something to my hands. I was holding somebody's.
"That should hold them." I heard a voice say.
I was tired.
Somebody was covering me up.
"We don't want the cold waking them too soon."
That sounded like my old Scout Master. I was tired. I'll have a little sleep then I'll talk to him. I tried to turn over but I couldn't move. I could hear a bell ring.
"Go to sleep, Paul."
That was Len. Everything was all right. He'd look after me. Where was Jenny? What had my grandfather been talking about?
* * * * *
Spain 1937.
Roland Wagstaffe.
One of the men by the truck saw me standing in the doorway and shouted. I lifted my rifle to my shoulder and squeezed the trigger firing just over their heads. They immediately dived for cover. There appeared to be about six of them. One man fired back at the building from behind the wheels of the truck. I didn't fire at him for fear of damaging the truck.
I heard a shot being fired from inside one of the rooms off to one side of the entrance hall. They wouldn't want to rush the house if they knew there were at least two people to deal with. Firing from different angles. Still, we couldn't stay here. There could be more of them along shortly and it wouldn't take them long to surround the Villa.
I saw Miguel standing with the girls near the entrance to the kitchens.
"You must get them out." I called to him in English. "We will get them to follow us then you must take the truck and go quickly to the Convent. Did you hear Roddrego."
"I heard." He called back.
I lifted my rifle and fired again, this time at a man who was trying to get through the gates. He turned and scuttled back to cover.
I looked around for somewhere the others could hide. The only place that suggested itself was the cupboard under the stairs. It was used for the cleaner's tools and equipment and was designed not to be noticed. The handle even looked part of the pattern on the walls. I pointed it out to Miguel and one of the girls, Luisa, led them to it and opened the door. I gave my revolver to Miguel and closed the door behind them then, after firing once more through the front doorway, joined Roddrego.
"What next?" He asked.
"We must draw them through the Villa's grounds and out, onto the hills behind. That will give Miguel a chance to get the others away."
"Then what?"
He fired through the window. Three shots came back in reply. Glass in a pane above our heads shattered showering us with fragments.
Yes. Then what?
"Cross that bridge when we come to it." I said lifting my rifle and firing.
I leaned with my back against the wall to the side of the window and pulling back the breech bolt re-loaded the magazine of my rifle. It looked to be a Middle Eastern copy of a Lee-Enfield .303. Standard British Army issue in its original form for most of the century. The magazine would hold ten rounds. I filled it then checked the bandoleer. I had twelve further rounds.
I lifted my rifle to my shoulder and looked through the window whilst Roddrego checked his own weapon. His was a German make, a Mauser 7.62mm.
"Come, my friend." He said when he had finished. "Let us go."
We ran into the hall. I shouted. "We're off." So that they could hear in the cupboard and we hurried out through the kitchens. We both stopped and crouched behind the rubbish bins by the back door and looked around. It didn't appear that anybody had come this way yet so we sprinted across to the stable block that was now converted into garages. A quick look through the doors as we moved quickly towards the rear of the block showed that all the vehicles had gone.
I heard a shout behind us and felt the wind of a bullet passing over my head. That was close. Whoever had fired was a good shot to get that close to a moving target. The thought passed quickly through my mind. We stopped at the rear of the stable block, panting, two rounds of golf a week wasn't enough exercise I decided. I looked back and could see figures moving inside the Villa and down the side. I hoped nobody had thought to go upstairs.
I heard movement behind me and turned my head. Roddrego was stacking some old packing cases and empty oil drums against the rear wall. I lifted my rifle and fired twice. Once into the kitchens and once at the men moving down the side of the villa. I heard a shout from inside the Villa. I hoped it was because my bullet had found a mark.
"Are you ready?" Roddrego asked.
I looked at the small mountain he had made and nodded.
"After you." I said.
I turned back to the corner of the stable and fired again and again.
"I'm there." I heard Roddrego call and turned to see his feet disappear over the top of the wall. Two bullets thudded into the wall beside me. I moved back and, slinging the rifle across my back scrambled up the pile. I felt something burning across my shoulder before I heard the shot. I kept moving. I was at the top, then over. More bullets hit the wall behind me as I fell to the ground inside the drainage ditch. That ditch must have made the drop nearly fifteen feet.
"Are you all right?" Roddrego called.
He was lying on his stomach fifteen yards away with his rifle pointing towards the top of the wall.
I took two deep breaths.
"All right." I said.
My shoulder was throbbing and I could feel something wet running down my back. I scrambled from the ditch and hurried past where Roddrego when I was a further twenty yards on I stopped and, turning dropped to one knee and levelled my rifle at the top of the wall. Would they come that way or would they follow the wall around on the outside?
"Come." I shouted to Roddrego.
He climbed slowly to his feet and limped towards me.
"It was a long drop."
He said, dropping to the ground beside me.
"You are hurt." He exclaimed, looking at my back.
I lay on my stomach and flinched as he pulled the material of my shirt away. I suddenly felt very thirsty.