Blame

by Simon Mayo

  The police drones had been late to the search. By the time they had been scrambled, the prison coach was empty and the strutters, with the exception of Frail Mary and the unreleased, gone. In the confusion of the evacuation and the escape, it took more than an hour for the police to work out who was accounted for and who wasn’t. By the time they knew who they were looking for, the strutters had fled.

  The police had charged through the trees, emerging onto the Heath, but then had to pull up short. They were faced with hundreds of people sunbathing, picnicking and playing ball games. There was no one to chase. The escaped strutters were strap-less and, for the moment, undetectable. The police could demand to inspect everyone’s backs, but they didn’t have the resources. Not yet.

  If they’d been able to identify the escapees, they would have spotted Ant and Mattie watching football, Daisy and Jimmy ‘sunbathing’ and Amos sitting on a bench reading a paper. Disappearing down a path, the Durrows would have looked like any other family out for a stroll. Lena had lost her Spike shirt, a swiftly stolen football top draped over her. She now looked like one of the many sun-worshippers. On the edge of a group of tourists, a shirtless Jeffrey Blakely, hands carefully placed behind his back, appeared to be taking in the sights.

  Ant had been smiling and applauding a goal scored between two rucksacks. As the players congratulated each other, she and Mattie had turned as nonchalantly as they could and walked further onto the Heath. Eyes everywhere, they saw Daisy help Jimmy to his feet and Amos put down his paper.

  If a pol-drone had spotted them, it would have shown five figures spread out over many hundreds of metres, walking in a v-formation like migrating birds. It would also have noted the changes in their appearance. Three were wearing stolen hats, one had helped himself to new shirt and sunglasses, and another, the smallest, was kicking a football as he went.

  Strung out across the parkland, the five walked steadily away from the woods and the empty coach. They were watching each other, looking for cops and listening for drones. By the time the first fingers pointed skywards, each of the five was virtually invisible, swallowed up by bigger groups.

  They had ended up near a series of large ponds. There were people paddling and splashing, and Ant took a chance. With the four drones moving away, she took Mattie’s hand, mouthed ‘Follow me,’ and approached Amos.

  ‘We need to get out of here before all the cops in London arrive. They’ll have our pictures soon, if they haven’t already. And Jimmy will need medical attention . . .’ She glanced across the pond: he was pretending to watch the swimmers, but she could see him wince every time he moved.

  ‘This is my patch,’ said Amos. ‘I know these streets. If we need to disappear, our best chance is an empty house. And those’ – he nodded towards the corner of the Heath – ‘have always been second homes. Or third homes. Either way, they’re usually empty. I bet nothing’s changed. And see the overgrown gardens? That’s good. Big alarm system, but no people. Usually.’

  Ant had glanced up again. The nearest drone was hovering above trees two hundred metres away. ‘Do it. We’ll watch and follow. Don’t run.’

  He nodded. ‘Watch the fence,’ he said, and began weaving his way through the crowd.

  Amos had left the Heath with a large group of French students, and within minutes Ant had seen movement. Knowing the others were watching her, she strolled down the hill. The wooden fencing ran down to the bottom of the Heath, but some houses appeared to have cut a private gate in it. One of these now stood ajar. With one final glance heavenwards, Ant stepped over an unscrewed lock and into a private garden.

  She had hurried into the shed, closely followed by Mattie – ‘I couldn’t make myself go any slower!’ Then came Jimmy, who had collapsed on the floor, then Daisy, who had helped herself to someone’s sandwiches – ‘They were unattended,’ she explained as she swigged from a water bottle. Amos had gone to screw the lock back on the garden door, but had been forced to forget about it when he heard the whine of a pol-drone.

  It had hovered above them, forcing them to take some thinking time in the shed.

  ‘We absolutely can’t stay here,’ said Ant, ‘or in the house. Even if it is empty and we can break in, the cops will be all over it once they’ve got their act together.’

  ‘But we might find food and medicine,’ protested Amos. ‘There’s bound to be stuff we could use—’

  ‘We need to get away, Amos. If Jimmy can cope, we should hide in a crowd again and get off the Heath.’

  ‘So, like, are you in charge now?’ said Amos, turning to face Ant. ‘Just ’cos you say something doesn’t mean we have to do it.’

  She stared back at him. ‘No, of course I’m not in charge. I’m just saying we should get away as soon as that drone moves on.’

  Daisy stood up and held out her hands to help Jimmy. ‘We wouldn’t have escaped without Ant, so maybe you should just shut up for a while, Amos,’ she said.

  ‘Wouldn’t have been a riot without Ant either,’ he muttered.

  Jimmy, now back on his feet, grabbed Amos by the arm and squeezed hard. ‘Don’t be a dick, Amos. You know Ant’s right. But you want a vote? Fine. Anyone want to stay here?’ There was silence in the shed. Jimmy kept hold of Amos. ‘Seems to me like we’re moving.’

  Amos pulled his arm away just as Mattie pointed skywards. ‘Drone’s gone,’ Mattie said.

  ‘OK, so we leave,’ said Amos. ‘Then what? The Tube stations are bound to have police and CCTV . . .’

  ‘We get on the first bus we see,’ said Ant. ‘Wherever it’s going, it’ll be away from here.’ She glanced at Amos. ‘If that’s all right with everyone?’

  ‘Buses have CCTV too,’ he said.

  ‘We’ll risk it,’ she said. ‘By the time they realize what they’re looking at, we won’t be there any more.’

  With the drone gone, they gathered round the garden gate. Daisy peered out.

  ‘Looks like we’ve cleared the place,’ she said. ‘Loads of people are leaving.’

  ‘Drones above your picnic is like sharks off the beach,’ said Jimmy. ‘Word spreads. No one is going to hang around. So let’s get out of here. One every ten seconds. And remember to move like hunchies too. We’re all walking too straight.’

  ‘Force of habit,’ said Daisy. ‘It’ll take time to be normal.’

  ‘Agreed,’ said Jimmy as they all tried to slouch. ‘There’ll be police around, but let’s pray they don’t know who we are just yet. Amos, you wanna go first? Not that I’m in charge or anything . . .’

  Amos pulled a sarcastic smile and pushed his way through the gate.

  ‘Mattie and I’ll go last,’ said Ant. ‘Go, Daisy!’

  Daisy nodded, swallowed hard and headed out.

  Jimmy looked left, right and up, then turned. ‘Stay close!’ he said, his eyes darting between Ant and Mattie. They nodded, and he was gone.

  ‘You next, Mattie,’ said Ant. ‘We’ll be OK. I’m right behind you. Go.’

  She knew he was terrified – she could see it in the fierce concentration and wide eyes. She pulled his stolen beanie lower, and then he was back on the Heath. She couldn’t wait ten seconds – her count was, as usual, to four.

  Amos was already on the path that led to the nearest gate, moving with the crowd. He might just take off, thought Ant. We might never see him again. Daisy, Jimmy, Mattie and finally Ant joined the throng.

  She had her own baseball cap pulled low, but people were glancing at her goose tattoos. They might just remember those later. She kept walking, avoiding eye contact, pushing where she dared, holding back if necessary. It was surely obvious to everyone that she was an escaped strutter. The strap was more than a plastic and steel tag, it was a brand. It said guilty, and even though hers was now gone, she still felt her back burning.

  As they had expected, there were flashing blue lights ahead – she saw Mattie recoil. Ignore them, she urged him mentally. Just keep going! Then she saw why: two policemen were filming the crowd as
they headed away from the Heath. They might not know who they’re looking for now, but when they do, this will be the film they release. A few people chanced a wave or a rude gesture at the cameras, then laughed at their own daring. Ant fought the temptation.

  Amos had reached the exit; he was walking straight towards the cameras, then took a sharp right. She watched Daisy, Jimmy and Mattie follow, and at last it was her turn. She didn’t know whether to ignore the camera pointed at her or stare straight into it. At the last minute she opted for a pretend conversation with the stranger next to her; Ant wondered whether her words would be picked up by any lip readers the police employed.

  Mattie had crossed the road, following Jimmy, so Ant stayed on her side, behind Daisy. Amos was already out of sight. It was a swift pace – she guessed the fastest they could manage without drawing attention to themselves.

  There must be loads of buses near here – but where are they?

  Turning onto a busy main road, Ant saw Amos, with Daisy twenty metres behind. On the other side it was Jimmy setting the pace and Mattie half running to keep up. The pavements were busy here, and Ant kept as close to other people as she dared. Her friends had done the same, but all five had eyes everywhere, heads constantly turning.

  We look like we’re army, she thought. Like we’re soldiers patrolling the dangerous streets of a foreign country.

  A sudden cacophony of sirens was followed seconds later by three police cars screeching into view. Mattie glanced over his shoulder at regular intervals, checking that Ant was still there. Each time she nodded, and each time she wished he’d stop. He was the most noticeable of them all. Even with the beanie, his black curls bounced as he walked and she held her breath whenever he passed a pedestrian.

  Someone’s gonna spot you soon.

  Bus stop. Amos was looking up at the illuminated scrolling timetable. Ant watched as he nodded and joined the waiting crowd. A bus must be coming soon, she thought, or he’d have kept walking. She glanced over her shoulder – a large red double-decker was a hundred metres away. She hurried over.

  ‘How do we pay?’ asked Daisy.

  ‘We don’t!’ said Amos.

  When the bus’s entrance and exit doors hissed open, instead of joining the queue swiping their cards, he forced his way through those getting off, then turned and waved the others on.

  Mattie looked alarmed. ‘If the driver reports us . . .’ he said.

  ‘If he complains, we’ll just get off,’ Ant said. ‘Come on.’

  They jumped onto the bus just as the doors hissed shut. Amos was standing on the stairs to the upper deck, and when he was sure they were all aboard, he shot up the remaining steps.

  They crashed in the rear seats. As Amos had warned them, a single CCTV camera was sited at the front; instinctively, they all slouched and slid below the windows. No one said anything, but they all exchanged rapid glances. When no one seemed remotely interested in the new passengers, the worried faces relaxed. Amos even smiled.

  ‘No one pays for the bus,’ he said. ‘No one I know anyway.’

  The bus pulled away and edged into traffic. Mattie leaned in close to Ant. ‘We left them behind,’ he said, his voice shaky. Ant closed her eyes. She replayed the images of Dan and Gina waving them away, telling them to run.

  ‘I know.’ She was about to add that maybe they had escaped, maybe they taken another coach. But she had said that already, and saying it again wouldn’t make it sound any more convincing.

  ‘I hope they’re OK,’ he whispered.

  ‘Me too,’ she whispered back.

  Daisy had moved to the edge of her seat. ‘This is all so slow,’ she muttered, her legs jiggling with frustration.

  ‘But no one’s watching us,’ said Ant. ‘A bus is an unlikely getaway vehicle.’

  ‘And where are we going anyway?’ asked Amos. ‘Now we’re here, what’s your plan, great leader?’

  She ignored the barb and glanced at Jimmy, who was curled up on a seat. The back of his shirt was soaked in blood. ‘We need shelter, money and the internet. But medicine first. Better painkillers and bandages.’

  ‘I could get them easy,’ said Amos. ‘There’ll be a chemist soon . . .’

  ‘We need to get stuff without stealing it,’ Ant told him. ‘It’s too risky, Amos. Let’s not get caught because of some first aid.’

  ‘Does Jimmy need this stuff fast or not?’ he said, his anger causing heads to turn.

  In the silence that followed Mattie stood up and whispered into Ant’s ear.

  She smiled. ‘Yeah, say it.’

  ‘There is somewhere else we could go,’ he said.

  Day 0

  We owe you:

  1 football

  4 hats

  5 bus fares

  You owe us:

  Everything

  My favourite things RIGHT NOW: No strap!! Sunshine. Smells. Thinking that D and G escaped. But we don’t know anything. Sometimes feels scarier out of Spike. J is bad but A says he should be OK (she’s guessing).

  Highbury Fields, North London

  It had taken a bus change and a lot of arguing, but they were finally in position. Amos and Daisy had thought it was too dangerous, but the prospect of a debit card and a phone had swung it. They were standing in a deserted service road with lock-up garages on one side and high wooden fencing on the other. Three of the planks in the fence were hinged halfway up, creating a hidden gate. Even though there was no one around, they were all uneasy standing together. Jimmy was leaning against a concrete pillar, his eyes closed.

  ‘We lost the house when we got sent to Spike,’ said Ant, speaking fast. ‘Don’t know who bought it. Dan built this entrance for Mattie, when he was smaller. It still works. My cards are in a tin buried in the garden. It should take me thirty seconds.’

  ‘Do it,’ said Daisy. ‘Then let’s get poor Jimmy sorted.’

  Ant pushed the fence and the three planks tipped inwards like a cat flap. Protecting her stomach with one hand, she used the other to crawl commando-style, hauling herself into what had once been her garden. Tall trees and thick bushes masked most of the house, but she froze anyway, listening for activity. She heard distant traffic and birdsong, but nothing else.

  She crawled towards the small wooden hut where she and Mattie used to hold ‘secret meetings’, pretending they were in a plane, flying off to foreign countries where there were no adults. For reasons that were forgotten, she always chose Australia, he always chose Iceland. Their meetings always finished with one of them saying, ‘We’ll be fine’ – the only time they ever referred to their father. There was just enough space inside for Ant to crouch down and tug at the wooden flooring.

  She pushed her hand into the earth and pulled out a small biscuit tin. She prised it open and removed a phone and charger, a fake ID and a debit card. She replaced the tin and the plank, and was about to leave when she noticed the ‘spy hole’ that Dan had drilled in the front of the hut. Through it she could see most of the three-storey Victorian house she and Mattie had lived in for a year. The upstairs curtains were drawn; downstairs the shutters were closed. Between Ant and the house, twenty metres of uncut lawn. There’s no one here, she thought. No sign of life. An empty house, she was sure of it.

  She was about to scuttle back to the others when Mattie came crawling through the fence.

  ‘It’s Jimmy,’ he said as soon as he was close. ‘We need to get him to a hospital – the bleeding is really bad.’

  ‘There’s no one here, Mattie. Must be on holiday,’ Ant said. ‘There’ll be first aid inside – maybe in the same place we had. Remember the alarm code?’

  Mattie hesitated. ‘We’re breaking in?’

  Ant nodded. ‘Remember the code?’ she repeated.

  ‘Of course,’ he said warily. ‘But they’ll have changed it, won’t they?’

  She smiled. ‘Remember the master code?’ He nodded but looked uncomfortable.

  ‘You said we’d never do this again, Abi.’

 
; ‘This is different . . .’

  ‘Is it?’ he said. ‘It’s not our house any more, you know that—’

  Ant interrupted. ‘No, but it should be! And anyway, they’ll have drugs for Jimmy! We need to do this, Mattie! You can put it in your book if you like, but we need to go.’

  ‘Isn’t our old house the worst place to be?’ he said.

  ‘Maybe. Dunno. But Jimmy needs help now – let’s get it for him. We don’t need to stay long.’

  Within minutes the five were hidden in the garden. Mattie had been right: Jimmy was very pale, his T-shirt a blood-drenched red. He lay on the ground; the crawl through the fence seemed to have taken most of his strength.

  ‘Mattie and I can be inside in seconds, Jimmy. We’ll fix you up,’ said Ant. He managed the briefest of nods.

  ‘And if there’s nothing, we get him to hospital?’ said Daisy.

  ‘If we need to, I can call 999,’ said Ant, waving her phone. ‘Then we need to be out of here. But we’re not giving him up, Daisy, not unless we have to.’

  Daisy nodded grimly.

  ‘Are we just going to break the windows?’ asked Mattie.

  ‘Guess we’ll have to,’ said Ant.

  Amos rummaged in his pockets. ‘Would these help?’ he said, and held out three screwdrivers and a utility knife. ‘They were in that garden shed. I know you don’t like my ideas much, but I thought they might come in useful.’

  Ant beamed as she pocketed the tools. ‘Perfect! Amos, you’re a genius after all.’

  ‘So what happens now?’ asked Daisy.

  ‘What happens now,’ said Ant with a hint of a grin, ‘is you realizing that me and Mattie were brought up very badly.’

  ‘What’s the date?’ said Mattie.

  ‘Pardon me?’ said Daisy. ‘Why?’

  ‘What’s the date?’ repeated Ant. ‘Anyone know?

  Amos checked his watch. ‘The fourteenth. July.’ He looked quizzical, but got nothing back from either of them.

  ‘The window’s a latch, the shutter’s a blade,’ Ant said to Mattie.

  He nodded. ‘I remember,’ he said.