Something of Value (TV story)

***Something of Value*** was the twelfth episode of *Series 1* of *Survivors*.

## Synopsis

Two disasters befall Abby and her community. A stranger is very interested in their petrol tanker and there is a major flood of their cellar and food supply.

## Plot

Greg, John and Lizzie are fishing by a river, with Greg teaching the children. A stranger, Robert Lawson, appears on the other side of the river and introduces himself, saying he saw them from the woods. He confirms he's been ill and Greg says there's ten of them. He directs Lawson on how to make his way round.

Up at the Grange, Emma gets Abby to retrieve salt from the cellar. Greg arrives with Lawson, who he has invited to stay. He later joins Abby, Greg, Jenny, Paul and Arthur for dinner and says people are coming together into groups but he hasn't found one he wants to join. He talks about scavengers and how people will guard stockpiles that will eventually run out. He mentions that petrol is particularly rare and Abby says their supply should last four or five years. She also mentions they have traded with a community 30 miles away, Little Barton. Lawson accepts an invitation to stay for a couple of days. After he's gone, Arthur and Paul doubt his story, noting he doesn't carry much baggage and doesn't look like he's been sleeping rough. They comment on the storm raging outside.

Next morning, Lawson gets up before everyone and searches the grounds, finding signs of flooding and finally the petrol tanker, which he looks pleased about, before leaving. Later, John goes to get Lawson for breakfast and finds his room empty.

Abby, Paul, Jenny, Arthur and Charmian look over the vegetable patches, washed out during the storm. Abby goes to look for more seeds. Inside, Emma shows John the baby, who she says kept her mother up. John tells her about Lawson being missing. Greg is clearing the drain and Abby tells him about the problem with seeds. They go to the cellar and find it has been flooded, destroying their supplies.

Jim Buckmaster is having a shave by a land rover. Another man, Thorpe, joins him and suggests he grow a beard but he isn't keen on the idea. Thorpe says he's searched twenty miles: The only place he saw that was inhabited threatened to shoot him if he didn't leave. Buckmaster says he'll work out a new search area. Thorpe complains the wood is wet.

Abby and Emma look on as Greg and Jenny clear out the supplies. Greg thinks they won't make it through the winter. Paul suggests another scout and Arthur says they could trade with Little Barton. Greg doesn't think they have anything to trade. Abby points out they have the petrol. Greg agrees: They have 1,000 gallons and he can get the tanker going. Arthur and Paul make plans to fill up jerry cans for their own use. John returns and reiterates to Jenny that Lawson has gone.

Thorpe ruminates on the fact that they'll never see oranges again. Buckmaster is exasperated that this has one just occurred to him. Lawson arrives and tells them about the commune he found and the petrol they had. Buckmaster asks if they'll have trouble getting in and considers getting some drums. Lawson says they'll take the whole tanker. Meanwhile, Paul looks on as Greg gets the tanker going. Jenny is going to accompany him in the land rover, which Greg and Arthur hitch a trailer to. Abby, Emma and Charmian have worked out a list of what they need. Greg takes it, noting he'll be back before dark. He tells Jenny to lead the way. Arthur warns them they've got a flat tyre.

Buckmaster, Lawson and Thorpe watch from some distance away. Buckmaster hopes to get the tanker and leave without being spotted, but is determined to get the petrol one way or another. He and Lawson sneak up, avoiding Charmian, but find John sitting on his own where the tanker was. He says Greg took it. Abby and Arthur appear and Buckmaster and Lawson turn their guns on them, demanding to know where the tanker went. Leaving John behind, they escort Abby and Arthur round the front, where Thorpe is holding LIzzie hostage. Abby admits they went to Little Barton to trade. The three men leave, with Arthur telling Paul there's no point chasing them.

Greg and Jenny are driving when the tankers brakes go. Greg struggles to slow down and to avoid hitting the land rover in front. Jenny manages to get out of the way and Greg manages to bring the tanker to a stop. He checks the engine over and says there's no brake fluid. He suggests getting the tanker into a barn so they can do a proper job. He checks the underside and tells Jenny it's corroded: He can do a makeshift job to get them to Little Barton but will need more tools, copper pipe and brake fluid. He asks Jenny to go back to the house for it while he gets started.

Buckmaster, Lawson and Thorpe are working out the route on a map. They hear Jenny coming and Thorpe stays out of sight. Lawson flags her down and introduces Jenny to Buckmaster. She mentions needing to get tools. Lawson asks about the tanker and Jenny wonders how he knew. They grab her and tell her to let them know where the tanker is, taking her with them so she can't go to get help. Greg sees them watching him from the land rover.

Buckmaster prepares to draw Greg's attention, sending Lawson round the back and leaving Thorpe to guard Jenny. He enters the barn and finds the tanker but Greg knocks him down from behind and tells him to have Jenny brought there. Buckmaster, with a gun in his back, calls out instructions to the others. Greg takes Buckmaster for Jenny, releasing him with a warning that they need the petrol to feed the people and he won't let that happen, so the three men should just go.

Buckmaster thinks they have the advantage since Greg and Jenny are pinned down, despite Lawson thinking they should give up rather than risk being hurt. Greg and Jenny discuss their options: Abby will send someone to search for them before they're starved out. Jenny covers the barn's other door, which is bolted. Lawson distracts them by trying to open it and Thorpe nearly gets in the other door before being driven off. Since the men only had one gun each, and they've got Buckmaster's, Greg thinks Jenny can use their jeep to go and get help while he keeps their attention.

Greg runs out of the barn and trades fire with Lawson. Buckmaster calls Thorpe to join them, letting Jenny get out the back. Greg retreats into the barn and seals the back door again, before continuing to exchange fire. Buckmaster heads back to the jeep for more ammunition but Jenny gets there first and drives off, despite his trying to clamber aboard. Greg reloads and calls out help will be there soon. Buckmaster distracts him by throwing in a burning branch, allowing Lawson and Thorpe to overpower Greg. The three men drive off in the tanker. Greg recalls the problem with the brakes.

The three men drive on triumphantly, with Greg chasing them on foot. Descending a steep hill, Buckmaster loses control of the vehicle and crashes. Badly hurt, Buckmaster is devastated to find Lawson and Thorpe both dead. Hysterical, he blames Greg and opens an inlet valve, letting the petrol flow out. Unable to reason with him, Greg shoots him dead and turns the valve off. Jenny arrives with Abby, Paul and Arthur. Later, as they clear the bodies away, Abby tells a shattered Greg they've lost about 150 gallons. Greg notes three people are dead and wonders if a life is worth 50 gallons of petrol now.

## Cast

* Abby Grant - Carolyn Seymour
* Jenny Richards - Lucy Fleming
* Greg Preston - Ian McCulloch
* John Millon - Stephen Dudley
* Lizzie Willoughby - Tanya Ronder
* Emma Cohen - Hana-Maria Pravda
* Paul Pitman - Chris Tranchell
* Arthur Russell - Michael Gover
* Charmian Wentworth - Eileen Helsby
* Robert Lawson - Matthew Long
* Jim Buckmaster - Murray Hayne
* Thorpe - Paul Chapman

## Crew

* Written by Terry Nation
* Produced by Terence Dudley
* Directed by Terence Williams