Nuclear Midnight by Robert Cole Page A

better condition, but there were numb spots on his face, and he had lost feeling in his fingers and toes. His rib cage was also hurting again, making each breath sharp and painful.
    They fought their way through a large, snow crusted hedge and dropped into a lane, which led down to the village, both quickening their pace at the sight of the houses.
    Alex, who was slightly ahead, came to a halt outside a small stone cottage where a light was showing in a front window; he could see smoke, too, coming from the chimney. Tina shuffled up, no longer able to lift her feet high enough to avoid leaving a set of drag marks behind her. He helped her over the front fence and along the garden path. Then, plucking up his courage, he tapped on the door. Almost immediately there were movements inside, but no one came to answer. He knocked a second time and a man's voice rang out: ‘We have no food here, please leave us alone!’
    ‘We're freezing to death!’ Alex yelled. ‘We just want shelter for the night!’
    ‘Please leave us alone!’ the voice repeated.
    ‘You must help us!’ Alex pleaded. ‘We have been walking all day and we can't take another step!’
    Another voice now joined in with the first in a muffled discussion.
    ‘We do have some food. We'll trade it for some warmth and a place to sleep for the night!’ Alex added hopefully.
    The murmuring stopped and the door opened a few centimetres. A middle-aged man with greying appeared in the gap; then, seeing the rifle strapped to Alex's back, he recoiled in fear. But Alex was too quick for him. Jamming his foot in the door, he threw all his weight behind it. The door crashed into the man and sent him sprawling across the floor.
    ‘I'm sorry, I’m sorry,’ Alex said immediately, grabbing Tina’s arm and pulling her inside with him. ‘But I wasn't prepared to be locked out.’
    The man dragged himself to his feet and stood next to a small, plump woman and a young girl. The three of them stared at Alex and Tina, their faces white.
    Alex continued stumbling for words. ‘We need warmth…and shelter,’ he repeated. He saw that they were looking at his rifle, so he lifted the strap from his shoulder and dropped it on the floor. ‘I found it.  I don't even know how to use it,’ he quickly explained.
    Reassurance started to creep back. It was the woman who spoke first, tapping her partner on the shoulder. ‘Come on, Tim, they look harmless enough. Where are your manners? Invite them in.’ She turned to Alex and Tina. ‘I’m sorry, but you gave us quite a turn. If you stand in the hallway a moment longer you'll catch your death. Come in and warm yourselves in front of the fire.’
    Alex almost burst out laughing. He could hardly believe a place like this still existed. They were shown into a small, immaculately kept lounge, with low dark stained wooden beams and a large open hearth fire. The newcomers wasted no time in reaching the fire and discarding their outer garments.
    The woman reappeared, bringing dry clothes and offering a cup of soup from a pot that was simmering by the fire. This was greedily accepted. Both, however, found that their heads, rather than their stomachs, had done the talking, for once the cups of soup were in their hands, they were unable to eat, despite not having taken anything all day. The warmth of the fire seemed to deaden their bodies in some way, and induce in their minds a type of narcosis, so that only the pain of their thawing arms and feet appeared to be real. Looking across at Tina, Alex saw that she had already lost her struggle to stay alert. She stared into the fire, oblivious to her surroundings, swaying gently on her knees, her hands clasped firmly around her cup, like a drunk clinging to his drink at the bar.
    For Alex, this was the first time he had actually seen Tina in anything stronger than torchlight and with more than her hood peeled away from her face. She had shed her jacket and several layers of jumpers in her haste to