Read Online The Space Between by Scott J Robinson - Free Book Online
Authors: Scott J Robinson
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napalm had set people and clothes and grass
alight.
"Shit." Kim got to her knees and stared.
"Shit, shit, shit." She wanted to run and help, but she stayed
rooted to the spot like the Major Oak. Her feet stood still while
her mind ran in circles.
Closer, more people had been injured. One
woman bled from a head wound and Sir Douglas, teeth gritted, was
plucking a shard of metal from his arm. Another piece was lodged in
his breastplate. While Kim watched, the knight tore a strip off his
clothing to bandage his wound then went to help someone else. And
still Kim couldn't move. She knelt and stared while people wailed
and screamed around her. She tried to swallow, but her mouth was so
dry.
"Hey."
A little boy was crying nearby. He was
bleeding from a wound on his leg.
"Hey. Help me with this, will you."
Kim turned and saw one of the 'German'
cannoneers — a short, balding man on the wrong side of fifty. He
had picked up one of the ropes used to pull a cannon into position
and was trying to get it out of the camp and into the open.
"Hey." He was talking to an archer but the
man stood in shocked silence and it was doubtful he'd be any use at
all for a while yet. Then he saw Kim and turned his attention to
her. "Help me with this," he said in his English accent. "There's
another one of the damn birds."
Kim followed his pointing finger.
"Just grab the rope and pull."
Kim was trained to follow orders in battle.
She did as told and Keeble came to help as well.
“ [This had better be a
cannon,]” he said as he pushed at the back. “[It looks a bit
flimsy.]”
Kim had no idea what he said, but she pulled
on the rope and tried to keep up. The little man was surprisingly
strong and his low center of gravity gave him good leverage.
The cannoneer stopped pulling for a moment
to shout at five of his friends. "Sonneberg Artillery. Don't just
stand there. Gets those cannon moving." He let go of the rope
completely and went to shout from closer range. The other men
hadn't moved.
"Are you crazy, Johnno?" said someone from
inside a tent. It wasn't the best place to seek protection from
bombs.
Keeble kept pushing, so Kim kept working as
well. It seemed better than thinking about the people in the crowd.
Or about any of the other things she might think about. She pulled
on the rope and tried not to think.
"Are we artillery men or are we just playing
with our toy guns?" Johnno shouted.
He pushed someone towards a second cannon
and glared at another man until he went to help. Soon all three
cannons were heading for the open ground. Another four men were
getting a large chest from beside a tent. They pushed through the
onlookers, straining with their burden.
“ [This is the worst bunch
of soldiers I've ever seen,]” Keeble said as he took a quick look
over his shoulder. “[Pathetic.]”
Johnno encouraged his men one moment and
abused them the next and soon had all the cannons lined up about
five meters apart.
"Harry, what's the range at maximum
elevation?"
"Christ, Johnno, I don't know," a big man
replied, barely keeping the quaver out of his voice. "We've never
fired them at maximum elevation."
"We've got no chance of hitting a moving
target," said one of the men lugging the chest. "Can we load
shrapnel of some kind? Cutlery maybe?"
Johnno pointed at the bat. "We don't have
time."
Kim looked again. "Shit." She took a couple
of steps back and looked over her shoulder to see just how far away
the forest was. Her heart was racing.
"Come on boys, let's do this." Johnno strode
along behind the three cannon, checking to see the alignment of
each, as if they could possibly know what they were going to need.
"We've fired these things hundreds of times. Easy as pie."
One of the men looked at him and shook his
head. "Who're you kidding, John?" A couple of the others looked at
him as if he were crazy.
"Where's Boydie?"
"Here." He'd been helping with the chest and
was now pulling a key from a chain around his neck. He was a
alight.
"Shit." Kim got to her knees and stared.
"Shit, shit, shit." She wanted to run and help, but she stayed
rooted to the spot like the Major Oak. Her feet stood still while
her mind ran in circles.
Closer, more people had been injured. One
woman bled from a head wound and Sir Douglas, teeth gritted, was
plucking a shard of metal from his arm. Another piece was lodged in
his breastplate. While Kim watched, the knight tore a strip off his
clothing to bandage his wound then went to help someone else. And
still Kim couldn't move. She knelt and stared while people wailed
and screamed around her. She tried to swallow, but her mouth was so
dry.
"Hey."
A little boy was crying nearby. He was
bleeding from a wound on his leg.
"Hey. Help me with this, will you."
Kim turned and saw one of the 'German'
cannoneers — a short, balding man on the wrong side of fifty. He
had picked up one of the ropes used to pull a cannon into position
and was trying to get it out of the camp and into the open.
"Hey." He was talking to an archer but the
man stood in shocked silence and it was doubtful he'd be any use at
all for a while yet. Then he saw Kim and turned his attention to
her. "Help me with this," he said in his English accent. "There's
another one of the damn birds."
Kim followed his pointing finger.
"Just grab the rope and pull."
Kim was trained to follow orders in battle.
She did as told and Keeble came to help as well.
“ [This had better be a
cannon,]” he said as he pushed at the back. “[It looks a bit
flimsy.]”
Kim had no idea what he said, but she pulled
on the rope and tried to keep up. The little man was surprisingly
strong and his low center of gravity gave him good leverage.
The cannoneer stopped pulling for a moment
to shout at five of his friends. "Sonneberg Artillery. Don't just
stand there. Gets those cannon moving." He let go of the rope
completely and went to shout from closer range. The other men
hadn't moved.
"Are you crazy, Johnno?" said someone from
inside a tent. It wasn't the best place to seek protection from
bombs.
Keeble kept pushing, so Kim kept working as
well. It seemed better than thinking about the people in the crowd.
Or about any of the other things she might think about. She pulled
on the rope and tried not to think.
"Are we artillery men or are we just playing
with our toy guns?" Johnno shouted.
He pushed someone towards a second cannon
and glared at another man until he went to help. Soon all three
cannons were heading for the open ground. Another four men were
getting a large chest from beside a tent. They pushed through the
onlookers, straining with their burden.
“ [This is the worst bunch
of soldiers I've ever seen,]” Keeble said as he took a quick look
over his shoulder. “[Pathetic.]”
Johnno encouraged his men one moment and
abused them the next and soon had all the cannons lined up about
five meters apart.
"Harry, what's the range at maximum
elevation?"
"Christ, Johnno, I don't know," a big man
replied, barely keeping the quaver out of his voice. "We've never
fired them at maximum elevation."
"We've got no chance of hitting a moving
target," said one of the men lugging the chest. "Can we load
shrapnel of some kind? Cutlery maybe?"
Johnno pointed at the bat. "We don't have
time."
Kim looked again. "Shit." She took a couple
of steps back and looked over her shoulder to see just how far away
the forest was. Her heart was racing.
"Come on boys, let's do this." Johnno strode
along behind the three cannon, checking to see the alignment of
each, as if they could possibly know what they were going to need.
"We've fired these things hundreds of times. Easy as pie."
One of the men looked at him and shook his
head. "Who're you kidding, John?" A couple of the others looked at
him as if he were crazy.
"Where's Boydie?"
"Here." He'd been helping with the chest and
was now pulling a key from a chain around his neck. He was a
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