He clasped his fingers together forming a stirrup.
“Climb up,” Donny said.
Jamie looked at the cup his brother’s fingers created. Maybe he was thinking too much. He needed to get out of there and everything would be clear. He slipped his foot into the proffered step.
“Attaboy,” Donny said, raising his brother up. “That’s it. Now grab that corner and push it up.”
“Hey,” Fatty said. “I was the one who broke the corner. I should be the one who gets to go first.”
“You’re not strong enough to pull the rest of us up,” Donny said. “And you’re too fat.”
“You still have to lift me up,” Fatty said.
“Do I?” Donny said.
Jamie reached up and pressed at where the two pieces of bamboo met. It didn’t take much effort to lift it. The gap wasn’t large but he thought he could squeeze his body through.
He froze.
His eyes moved to the side, analyzing. Thinking.
“What’s the holdup?” Donny said. “I swear, if Fatty didn’t do a good job I’m using his head as a battering ram to get out of here.”
“Is that what happened to your lumpy face?” Fatty said with a pleased expression.
“Let me down,” Jamie said solemnly.
“What?” Donny said. “Why?”
Jamie was going to fall if he didn’t let him down. Back on the ground now, Jamie looked out at the village. Quiet. Dark. Too quiet. Too dark.
“This is what they want,” Jamie said.
“What are you talking about?” Donny said. “This is what who want?”
“The people here,” Jamie said. “This is their game. Wanting us to escape.”
“You’re being paranoid,” Donny said.
“No,” Jamie said. “I’m not. The girl warned us about these people.”
“Not the girl again,” Donny said, rolling his eyes. “Here’s a question to wrap your noodle around: why should you believe a girl you don’t know?”
“It’s. . . a feeling,” Jamie said.
“I felt the same thing,” Lucy said. “I think she was telling the truth. If we leave this cage they’ll do something to us. Something bad.”
“The Preacher,” Jamie said. “He said something about us having to prove ourselves spiritually.”
“Maybe they decide by seeing if we try to escape or not,” Lucy said. “That’s their test. To see if we’ll be a part of their commune.”
“We don’t want to be a part of their crummy commune,” Donny said. “We’ve got a much better one already at Mountain’s Peak.”
“It doesn’t matter what we want,” Lucy said. “It’s about breaking us down, making us become the kind of people who are easy to manipulate.”
“Right,” Jamie said. “That’s it. If we stay here, don’t try to escape, they’ll let us out.”
“Excuse me?” Donny said. “You want us not to escape?”
“Yes,” Jamie said.
“How long do we have to wait?” Donny said.
Jamie wasn’t sure.
“I don’t know,” he said.
“So let me get this straight,” Donny said. “We have a perfectly good escape method right here and you don’t want to use it because you’ve got a bit of a feeling?”
“No,” Jamie said. “Because of what the girl said.”
“I can virtually taste freedom from here,” Donny said, looking up at the broken cage corner. “The fresh air is literally blowing in my face.”
“It does seem a bit easy,” Fatty said.
“You weren’t saying that when you were sweating and complaining,” Donny said. “It wasn’t easy with a sack of lard on my shoulders, I can promise you that.”
“Hey!” Fatty said. “That was the rock!”
“Sure,” Donny said.
“I should have dropped the rock on your stupid head and given you a third bump,” Fatty said, staring daggers at the older boy.
He’d never dreamed of confronting Donny like this before, Jamie was sure.
“What’s gotten into you, Fatty?” Jamie said.
“Me?” Fatty said. “Nothing.”
His eyes were bloodshot, the pupils frantic, darting this way and that.
“It’s this place,” he said, shoulders slumping. “Being stuck in here like this. Prisoners.”
Jamie had left the cage, stretched his legs and gone for a little walk. What would he be like if he hadn’t left? Probably much like Fatty. Climbing the walls and spoiling for a fight.
One of the locals approached their cage and stood with her back to them. She took out a cigarette and lit it. The group quietened. Probably a spy sent there to learn what they were up to.
“Let’s get some rest,” Jamie said, eying the would-be spy cautiously.
Donny eyed their escape longingly. It was so close. So easy. . .
“Psst! Hey! Hey you!”
It took a moment for Jamie to realize the voice was coming from the girl smoking the cigarette.
77.
SHE WAS doing her best to look like she wasn’t speaking with them, her collar up and opening her mouth only when she put her cigarette to her lips.
“You’re the girl from the church!” Jamie said.
“Don’t look at me!” the girl said. “Look in another direction.”
Jamie did. Fatty, as always, was slow to move. Donny pushed him out of the way.
“What did you do that for?” Fatty said.
“You kept staring at her,” Donny said.
“They’re my eyes!” Fatty said. “I can do what I like with them!”
“Not if they’re going to affect my chances of escape you can’t,” Donny said.
They peeled off into another argument.
Jamie held onto the bars and pressed his face to them. They were cool against his skin. His left ear faced the girl so he could hear what she was saying but without looking directly at her.
“I see you took my advice,” the girl said. “And didn’t try to escape.”
“Just about,” Jamie said. “It took some figuring out. Why couldn’t you have just told us?”
“Not much of a challenge then, is it?” the girl said.
“Why shouldn’t we try to escape?” Jamie said.
“It’s their system of sorting the strong from the weak,” the girl said. “Sit and be quiet like good little boys and girls and they’d let you out eventually.”
“I knew it!” Fatty said. “Didn’t I say we should sit here and wait for them to let us out?”
“Even a broken clock is right twice a day,” Donny said with a sniff.
“How long will we have to wait?” Lucy said.
“It varies,” the girl said.
“On what?” Lucy said.
“On how desperate they are to hunt,” the girl said, picking something out of her teeth.
Hunt. Now there was a word Jamie hadn’t expected her to say.
“What do you mean, hunt?” he said.
“It’s been a while since someone stumbled into their little subterranean domain down here,” the girl said. “My guess is they’ll wait a long time before letting you out.”
“But why hunt us?” Jamie said.
The girl shrugged.
“They like hunting,” she said. “Let you escape, then chase you down.”
“Why?” Jamie said.
“What they say is it’s to help you see the Lord’s will,” the girl said. “In truth, they’re cruel bastards and like seeing people suffer. They like it because it’s what they had to go through to get here.”
“But—” Jamie said.
“Stop looking for logic in this,” the girl said. “These people dress in eighteenth-century English clothes and think they’re God’s favoured children. Do they sound like rational people to you?”
“I guess not,” Jamie said. “But shouldn’t it be the ones who try to escape that are the strongest?”
“Again, yes,” the girl said. “But that’s l
ogic talking. They know their god doesn’t whisper to anyone because they didn’t hear him either. They gave up trying to escape and accepted they were going to die. Only then were they set free. They want others to experience the same suffering they themselves endured.”
“I don’t understand,” Jamie said.
“Of course you don’t,” the girl said. “You’re not from around here. Prisoners escape, then the devout catch them. They make them choose which limbs they want to lose first. The next time they attempt an escape it becomes harder. It’s easier to catch you then. Another limb. On and on it goes. Chop, chop, chop.”
“I feel sick,” Fatty said.
“What happens when you give up?” Donny said.
“Then you’re no longer any fun,” the girl said. “And you’ll stop trying to escape. Your spirit is broken. Now, they’ll accept you into their fold. You’ll be flexible, pliable. You’ve accepted and welcomed death. You will do whatever they say and consider yourself lucky. And most importantly, you no longer have any fire inside you. You won’t try to escape. You’ve been molded into a loyal servant.”
“So are you going to help us get out of here or are you just going to gab all day?” Donny said.
The girl’s head snapped up. She locked eyes on Donny, breaking her own rule of them not acknowledging each other.
“Maybe I’ll finish this cigarette and mosey on out of here,” she said. “Leave you guys to your fate.”
“Ignore him,” Jamie said. “He gets hotheaded sometimes.”
“You need to learn how to control your emotions, chum,” the girl said. “It’ll get you in trouble one of these days.”
Now there was a serious case of the pot calling the kettle black, Jamie thought. Judging by how angry the girl was when she’d left the meeting with the Preacher, she was about ready to commit murder.
Jamie put a hand on his older brother’s arm. Donny snapped his mouth shut, staring daggers at the girl. He hated letting anyone get the better of him.
“Are you going to help us?” Jamie said.
“Sure,” the girl said. “As you asked so nicely.”
She flicked her cigarette to the floor.
“It’s their lunchtime,” she said. “And it’s about time I get my horse out of here. You need to climb out of your cage. Then I’ll lead you to my cart.”
“Wait,” Fatty said. “How do we know we can trust you and you aren’t part of this whole setup?”
“Do I look like I’m part of this nuthouse?” the girl said, holding out her arms for them to inspect her ensemble.
“You could be a spy, someone sent here to make us think you’re not one of them,” Fatty said.
“I could also be the Easter Bunny,” the girl said. “Look, you don’t have to trust me. Listen to your gut. What’s it telling you?”
“That I’m hungry,” Fatty said.
“That we should trust her,” Jamie said.
“Are you willing to lose a hand for that feeling?” Donny said. “After hearing what they do to people who try to escape, I’m not sure I want to take the risk.”
“Well, you’ve changed your tune!” Fatty said.
“Even if they let you out of the cage they’re not going to let you leave the commune,” the girl said. “It’s not in their playbook. You’ll have to work here. Forever. Or until you die or murder everyone. That’s the only way you’re getting out. Really out. And I’m definitely not coming back here again. You’ve got this one chance with me. Take it or leave it. It doesn’t matter a jot to me.”
A pause.
“Everyone chooses for themselves,” Jamie said. “I’m going. Lucy?”
“Me too,” Lucy said.
“Donny?” Jamie said.
“You think I want to stay here?” Donny said. “It’s worth an arm to learn the truth.”
“Fatty?” Jamie said.
The podgy little boy looked from one face to the next. He sighed, giving up.
“I suppose,” he said.
“If we get caught they might do you a favour and shave some of that lard off,” Donny said.
Fatty shoved him.
“Let’s go,” the girl said.
78.
THE GIRL was right. The streets were empty. The locals were heading for lunch. The clatter of cutlery on ceramic plates and the low murmur of polite conversation. Every few minutes the Preacher’s booming voice punctuated the event. It sent a shiver up Jamie’s spine. He could only make out some of the words like: “resurrection,” “peace to all mankind” and “punishment.” A real crowd pleaser.
They crept behind a house, backs to the wall. Jamie was very aware of how sensitive his fingers were to the wall’s rough surface. Enjoying the sense of touch he’d grown accustomed to. Get caught escaping and he might lose it.
The girl held up a hand. The others stopped. They didn’t so much as breathe as a figure clattered around inside the house they were standing outside.
The light came on and the shutters on the window were thrown open. Jamie was on one side, the shutter giving him some protection. If the local looked down they would almost certainly make out his legs and feet.
He could preemptively attack them, he thought. With what? A nice rock at his feet drew his eye. He slowly bent down and picked it up. The girl’s eyes went wide and she shook her head. Don’t do it!
Jamie kept the rock, straightening up again. The shutters closed and the lights went out. The Preacher’s voice undulated in the building’s direction. The man inside shouted, “I’ve got it! Coming!” And jogged back to the main square.
Jamie relaxed. He didn’t let go of the rock. It felt too good in his hand, muscles aching and tense. Something to attack with. The girl pushed on.
Her horse was a stallion by the name of Humperdinck. He was brown, shaggy, and more than a little long in the tooth. The cart was long enough for a grown man to lay in, so they ought to have no problem. It already had a bunch of items in the back, covered by a large tarpaulin sheet.
The girl took a carrot out of her pocket and gave it to Humperdinck, who neighed and stamped his back leg in pleasure.
“You guys get in the back,” the girl said, wary of how exposed they were in the open like this. “I’ll get us through the checkpoint.”
“What checkpoint?” Jamie said.
“The one that we have to pass through to get out of here,” the girl said.
She lifted up the tarpaulin. The items she traded were divided into rows of wooden benches.
“I moved most of the stuff to the top row,” the girl said. “You should fit under the second row.”
Jamie, Lucy, and Fatty climbed onto the back, creeping under the sheet. It was dark and hot under there and smelled of raw vegetables.
“Control yourself until we get out of here, Fatty,” Jamie said.
“I couldn’t eat even if I tried,” Fatty said.
Jamie knew how he felt. He couldn’t imagine swallowing a single bite without it coming back up, he was so nervous. Or maybe it was the smell of vegetables that turned him off food.
“Your turn,” the girl said to Donny.
“I’m not going on the back,” Donny said.
“You can’t sit up front with me,” the girl said. “I always come alone.”
“I’m not sitting up front either,” Donny said.
He crouched down and shuffled under the cart. He placed his hands and feet inside a series of gaps and crevices.
“Are you sure you can hold on long enough?” the girl said.
“Don’t worry about me,” Donny said. “You make sure we get past the checkpoint. If it doesn’t look good, stomp your foot, and I’ll creep up behind the guards.”
He held out a hand.
“What?” the girl said.
“Give me a knife,” Donny said.
“They took my weapons at the checkpoint on the way in here,” the girl said.
“That would hardly stop someone like you now, would it?” Donny said.
&
nbsp; A smile spread across the girl’s face.
“I suppose not,” she said.
A knife slid out the end of each of her sleeves. Small knives. Throwing knives. Sharped to razor blades.
“Thanks for doing this,” Donny said.
“Just remember it’s my limbs on the line too,” the girl said. “So don’t take any unnecessary risks.”
“You have my word,” Donny said. “And by the way. If Fatty’s right and you turn out to be a part of this twisted commune’s plans, I’ll slit you ear to ear. You get me?”
The girl’s smile widened into a grin.
“I get you,” she said.
Donny put one of the throwing knives between his teeth and tucked the other in his boot. Then he gripped the handholds tight and hung upside down.
The girl hopped into the driving seat and clicked out the corner of her mouth. Humperdinck leaned forward, taking the weight, and began walking. They were on their way.
79.
THE CART trundled over the hardpacked road. There were no shock absorbers on the wheels, so they could feel every bump, swaying side to side.
Fatty, tucked beneath ripe cabbages, appeared to have already gotten his appetite back and was nibbling on one of the leaves. He extended his neck to reach it. Unable to complain and thus relax, Fatty’s next habit to keep calm was eating. Jamie didn’t want to deprive him of that but he could see what would happen if he didn’t intervene.
Fatty would keep tugging on that cabbage, harder and harder as he munched away at it. He’d end up dislodging it, causing the others to fall. The guards would hear it, tear the tarpaulin open, revealing them lying there in all their glory. Goodbye fingers and toes.
Jamie reached up and tugged the leaf off, then handed it to his friend. No way the cabbages could fall now. Then making doubly sure his friend wouldn’t give them away, he decided it best to hand his friend several leaves. Better safe than sorry.
Lucy was the smallest of them all and was curled up quite comfortably beneath her row. Jamie’s backside was already growing numb, so he rolled onto his side. He felt trapped and couldn’t get comfortable. Any movement resulted in catching his elbows or knees on something.
After the Fall- The Complete series Box Set Page 37
