War and Peace

By

Jacquimac

Part seven

Life carried on as usual it was if the war had passed us by on was happening on another planet.

The day of the big birthday party arrived and we set everything up in the meeting hall ready for lunch time and the kids were eager to start the day, we started with the usual party games then went to eat, each of birthday kids had their own cakes and we brought them in one at time.

The kids loved the day but didn`t get their presents till they got home, yes it was good day for everyone.

Each morning on the pretext of taking a walk I had a good look around the area, and never saw any patrols near the settlement.

The weekly visits by the medical teams happened as promised and everyone was in good health.

Meeting were held every two weeks at the Admin Centre and I always went along with Ethel, while there I always kept my eyes and ears open , I never managed to get hold of any real information that may of been of any use.

There as always was Julie in her role as military rep, when she was around we talked about what the settements needs but other than that not a lot was said.

As the summer was here we tended to walk to from the settlements and were free to talk more openly once we were away from the military.

Oue settlement had a lot more pigs than we could comfortably hold and offered the excess to any settlements that needed them, it seemed that all the other settlements were trying to build up they`re livestock so we made a deal for any extra Vegetables and fodder they had extra off.

Ethel had taken one of younger women with her when she went around the settlements a few weeks earlier and while there told them who I was and that I needed to get back to my own side as soon as possible and tried to enlist their help.

Once the crops were in, cleaned and stored we could all relax until it was time to start rounding up the livestock ready for winter coming.

Now we could ensure that all the maintainance needed round the settlement was carried out and have fun with the children.

Eventually we had done all that needed doing and decided to have a party, I had been told that the settlement usually had a summer dance but with the menfolk away this year they held a big party so everyone could let their hair down.

The weeks went by and everyone was relaxed and happy but soon it was time to start gathering the livestock before the start of winter.

I had been living in the settlement for almost a year, it hadn`t been easy to begin with at first the women were a bit wary of me, but eventually I was acxcepted as one of them.

We were expeeting the snow to arrive in the next couple of weeks and hoping it wouldn`t be as deep as last year.

I was putting away the last of the medical supplies when a convoy of military vehicles arrived in the village, we all told to line up and I joined the line carrying the baby with Adrian holding my hand.

The officer in charge slowly walked up down the line a couple of times then pointed at me and the troops to arrest me which they did. I didn`t offer any resistance and tried to hand the children over to Mabel who was in line next to me.

I was bundled into a the back of a truck and the children were passed up to me, I said they should be left in the village but the officer in charged sarcasticly said no they didn`t want to split up a happy little family.

We were taken to the Admin Center and locked in a room with guards outside, the children were restless and I had to calm them down.

A short while I was taken to the commandants office with the children still in tow. That was were he told me I had been betrayed by one of the settlers.

It didn`t surprise me as I had been expecting to be caught a long time ago, but I didn`t hold it against whoever betrayed me. with their husbands in captivity it was easy to put pressure on the women.

Two nurses came in and took the children away, then the interrogation began. I gave them my name rank and number and refused to answer any other question.

When they over ran what remained of my unit they found my pack so they knew my unit and that I had gone to one of settlements to help someone who sick and hadn`t returned to the unit.

They had searched the area and that left the settlements were I could be, the other settlements had been searched and it only left the one I had been living in.

The Commandant admitted that I hadn`t been suspected at first and it had taken a betrayal to find me out.

I was given a drink of what he called herbal tea, It tasted funny but I hadn`t drank herbal tea before so I thought it was the normal taste, I didn`t realise it was drugged.

I was taken to cell and lay down, I felt tired and soon fell asleep.