‘I'll cut you again. Do you knowwho I am?’
My lungs felt like they were turning inside out. Marshall quivered the glass under Byron’s chin. It was more of a teasing gesture than a proper attempt to stab him, but I knew he was capable. I had no doubt that Marshall, lost in his rage, would go further than Byron. He’d cause injury. Or worse.
The situation would only calm down if Marshall calmed down. And for that to happen, he needed space and quiet. He needed Byron not to do or say anything antagonistic. I bit my lip, closed my eyes, and willed him to keep his mouth shut.
‘Do you know what I’m known for?’ Marshall repeated, relishing the moment, his ugly ego in the spotlight. ‘I’m the one from the papers. They actually gave me a nickname. They called me the‘Bus-stop Brute’. The world thinks I’m a scary guy. So should you -’
I held my breath. Don’t speak, I prayed. Don’t respond.
‘Only one of the papers called you the Bus-stop Brute,’said Byron breezily.
Too late.
Marshall’s eyes narrowed.
‘The other papers described you as a jealous middle-class dropout who’d watched too many gangster movies–their words, not mine. Not everyone’s scared of you. For instance, I’m not. I’m scared of that piece of glass and where you’re pointing it, which, if you must know, is rather uncomfortable for me. But I’m not scared of you. Not in the way you think I am anyway -’
Marshall pulled a face, like he was confused. But he didn’t lose it–yet. Then Byron opened his mouth again.
‘Kate’s not scared of you either,’he said. ‘In fact, she’s done everything she can to erase you from her memory.’
This did it. Marshall snapped. He grabbed Byron’s neck and pulled back the glass, aimed the sharpest point right at his throat, poised, ready to lunge. Byron stared him down. He even blew a raspberry, but Marshall wasn’t amused.
‘You’re going to die,’said Marshall.
And he meant it.
Chapter Forty Nine
The walls started to shake. A creaking sound, that creaking sound, suddenly filled the air -the same sound we’d heard in the art room, moments before the sinks and pipes exploded. Marshall froze, held his position. He didn’t take the glass dagger away from Byron’s neck, but at least he was distracted from the moment.
‘What’s happening?’said Gemma, alarmed.
A moment of stillness, then the ancient school plumbing gave up. The water roared through the walls, shattering the plaster, smashing through the skirting boards. The smell was vile. We all started to cough and splutter. After being divided, so desperately divided, the four of us looked at each other.
‘We have to leave!’I said.
Marshall glared at Byron.
‘I’ll deal with you later,’he snarled, dropping his grip, shoving the glass in his belt.
He ran towards the broken window. He didn’t wait for us, but we followed anyway. Byron limped. We climbed onto the window ledge, but it didn’t look good. The fallen tree - our means of a bridge - was disappearing beneath the water.
‘It’s rising!’I said, with dismay.
Marshall shoved me aside.
‘Time to jump ship.’
I stiffened. To me, this looked like a tougher challenge than the dreadful zip-wire. I glanced back to the dark interior of the library, to the collapsing plaster and burst pipes. What was it Leon had said about poor foundations? The entire building juddered. The walls and floors shook. It didn’t seem like they were going to stay standing for my much longer. I looked to Byron, hoping he’d have an idea about what was going on, what we needed to do. He'd been right about everything else.
‘What do you think?’I said.
‘I think...we’re doomed,’he said.
A dump of plaster came down behind us. The dust filled the air.
‘Let’s go!’cried Gemma.
We bundled towards the open window.
‘You first,’said Marshall, opening the way for her.
Gemma surveyed the shaky branches and the torrent of water.
‘No thanks,’she said. ‘After you.’
Marshall scowled.
‘Just go!’he said, shoving her forward.
She scooped beneath the broken glass and trod down on the tree trunk, using the higher branches to guide her. She moved cautiously, edging her way towards the water, bracing herself against the wind and rain. Part of me wanted her to hurry. It wouldn’t take much for the tree to wash away or become impassable - and there were four of us to get across. When she got to the water’s edge, however, she stopped.
‘You can do it!’I shouted.
‘Hurry up!’said Byron.
She looked back and I could see the fear in her eyes.
‘Go for it, Gem!’I cried.
She couldn’t give up now, no way. She’d come so far. She’d survived. The tree started to creak and this got her moving. She leaped. It was clumsy and close, but she made it. She stumbled into the brambles. Marshall pushed Byron forward.
‘Your turn,’he said, pinching his arm. ‘But don’t think I haven’t forgotten. I’ll get you on the other side.’
Byron shrugged him off. Clearly, he didn’t know Marshall like I did. He staggered through the window. He could barely walk and he was obviously in pain. He wasn’t the most physically capable looking person anyway, but with his bad leg and all his other injuries, I was scared for him.
‘Be careful,’I said.
He looked back and smiled. The tree rocked - the bulk of the trunk was unstable. Meanwhile, Byron shuffled along, stopping to catch his balance each time it swayed. When he reached the submerged section, Gemma called from the other side, hands outstretched, ready to catch him.
‘He’s never going to make that,’ said Marshallcoldly–just to remind me of how much I hated him.
I closed my eyes. I couldn’t bear it.
After a second, I forced myself to look again.
He made it!
He was in a bundle on the bank, on top of Gemma. He saw me and beckoned.
‘You have to come now!’he shouted. ‘The tree! It’s going! The current’s too strong for it!’
‘Now!’shouted Gemma.
Just an assault course, I told myself. No time for fear. I ducked beneath the window. I heard Gemma and Byron shouting for me. I put my foot out, swallowed my nerves, stepped forward.
Then the air stopped in my throat.
Marshall’s arm swung across my neck. I could hardly breathe. I couldn’t move. And I knew, whether the tree would hold or not, there was no way he was letting me go.
Chapter Fifty
Every time I struggled Marshall gripped tighter.
‘Get off!’I cried.
‘Not till you tell me you loveme.’
How could he ask me to say a thing like this when he was semi-strangling me?
I could see ahead, the tree trunk rocking in the water, the brown deluge rampaging across it.
‘Just let me go,’I begged. ‘Before the bridge goes.’
He didn’t care. He forced his hand across my mouth to stop me shouting to Gemma and Byron, then dragged me away from the window. I did my best to look back. I could see Gemma jumping up and down, waving her arms.
‘Kate!’she called through the rain. ‘Kate!’
‘Get help!’I shouted, my voice muffled by Marshall’s hand.
I think she heard me, but she knew as well as I did, by the time‘help’ was found, it wouldbe too late. Physically, I was no match for Marshall. Now that he had me alone, I was at his mercy. And even if I managed to get away from him, I couldn’t get away from the flood. I struggled, thrashed, tried to bite him, kick him, throw him off me, but it was no good. Then, suddenly, he stopped, pulled a face. There was Byron, crashing through the water, back across the tree bridge, twice as fast as before, taken by the urgeto save me. I couldn’t believe his courage. He staggered up the trunk, ducked through the broken window, grabbed a shardof glass of his own and jabbed it ag
ainst Marshall’s ribs.
‘Put her down,’he said. ‘Or I’ll finish what you started.’
Marshall’s grip loosened. He seemed shocked that Byron–weedy looking Byron–had come back for more. I wriggled from his arms and jumped behind Byron, and together we crept backwards. Byron held Marshall at bay with the glass, while I inched up to the window, but just as I got my foot on the ledge, the tree took flight down the rapids. It bashed against the outer wall of the library, then turned on its side and hurtled down the gulley. Either we were lucky - or incredibly unlucky. Marshall had both of us now.
With a flick of his hand, Marshall disarmed Byron and punched him out cold. I was livid- after all the risks Byron had taken for me, he’d endured yet another beating.
‘You thug! You disgusting thug!’I yelled.
Marshall grabbed my arm and marched me forward.
‘What are you planning?’I demanded. ‘What’s next in your twisted head?’
‘Whatever I like,’ he hissed.
He didn’t know, though. I could tell. He didn’t have a plan. He was just acting on nerves, on fear. He stopped at the steps of The Pit, pushed me to my knees.
‘It’s time to be true with your feelings, Kate,’he said, holding my face over the black water. ‘Everyone said you were the best thing that ever happened to me, that I was lucky to get a girlfriend as nice as you - almost like they didn’t think I was good enough for you. But I say it works both ways. You need me as much as I need you. I mean, before we got together, you were just some dappy schoolgirl. I made you look cool.’
‘Hardly,’I croaked. ‘You made me look like an idiot. My friends can’t believe I gave you so many chances. My parents want you banned from coming near me. I just wish I’d listened.’
Saying this only made him angrier. He pushed my face down, until it was hovering above the water. Another inch and my nose and mouth would be immersed.
‘In that case,’he whispered,‘we don’t need them, do we? We don’t need your parents or your friends interfering. We’re better off alone. Maybe it’s a good thing the tree washed away?’
As he said this, he dug his nails into my neck. I could feel the skin breaking, the blood gathering. He pushed my face until the tip of my nose touched the water. Then I realised there was only one way I was going to win this. I closed my eyes.
‘Okay,’I said, trembling. ‘I get it, now. I see what you’re trying to say. You think we’re meant to be together. You think I’m the one for you. You totally love me -’
‘Exactly.’
‘You want to look after me?’
‘I always look after you, Kate. You’re my number one priority,from dawn until dusk.’
I could see his reflection in the water. He was smiling. The hairs on my back prickled. But I had to play along.
‘So - so you want to give it another go? You and me?’
He pulled back, released me from imminent drowning. But he didn’t let go entirely.
‘Are you playing mind games with me, Kate?’he said.
‘No. No. Really. I’m just starting to figure it out in my mind, what you’re saying, I’m starting to seeit makes sense. You’re right. We should stick together.’
‘So?’
‘So,’ –I took a breath– ‘so I loveyou.’
It pained me to say it, but as Marshall’s hands relaxed and his expression softened, I knew the lie was worth it.
‘I never stopped thinking about you,’I added. ‘You were in my head the whole summer. When I went back to school, I kept thinking about you.’
‘You did?’
‘Yes.’
‘So, what was that kiss about then? Don’t deny it, Kate. I saw you.’
Teary snot streamed from my nose. I couldn’t stop shaking, not just from nerves, but because the coldness had caught up with me again. My feet and hands were tingling and the skin on my fingertips had gone all wrinkly, likeI’d been in the bath for too long.
‘The kiss was nothing,’I whispered, trying to control the chatter of my teeth. ‘It meant nothing. I–I was missing you. I thought it would make me feel better about things. But I was wrong. It’s you I love.’
‘That’s right.’
He exhaled, let go of me. I collapsed to the step, huddled into myself. He put his arm around my shoulders and cuddled up like we were sitting in the back row of a cinema.
‘What’s the matter?’he said. ‘You’re turning blue.’
‘I’m so cold,’I said.
‘You don’t look good. You’rea mess.’
‘Am I?’
Chapter Fifty One
We lay on the steps, watching the debris drift in the black well of The Pit. Eventually, I heard Byron groan and stir. Marshall jumped up, went to grab him. I tried to move, but my legs were so numb with cold I couldn’t feel them. My head felt thick, like it was full of damp cotton wool. Seconds later, Marshall reappeared, holding Byron by the scruff of his neck. Byron looked terrible. The frames of his glasses had been bent out of shape and the lid of his left eye had swollen shut. His face was pale, almost grey. Marshall shoved him beside me. He yelped as he was forced to bend his bad knee.
Guilt seeped into every pore.
‘Does it hurt?’I whispered.
His gaze drifted, like he was in a trance.
‘More I concentrate, less painful it becomes. When a person’s mind is strong enough, Kate, they can turn pain into something else. Pain is cold. Pain is hot. Pain is fuzzy. Pain tingles. But it’s no longer pain.’
‘Stop talking,’snapped Marshall. ‘Stop bothering Kate. She doesn’t want to talk to you.’
He wedged himself between Byron and I, put his arm back round my shoulders. I squirmed with disgust, but did my best to disguise it.
‘So, what are we going to do?’I said.
‘I’m thinking,’said Marshall.‘Don’t pressure me.’
Byron let out another howl. Clearly, his mind-control wasn’t working.
‘He needs medical attention,’I said.
‘He needs to stop being a wimp.’
‘Please,’I said. ‘The school nurse’s office is just through that door. Let me get him some decent bandages. Maybe some pain killers.’
‘No one’s going anywhere,’said Marshall.
He looked sulky now, like a toddler not getting its own way. He was calm at least, but I knew things could change. He could turn and pounce. If Byron or I did or said the wrong thing, all he had to do was grab us.
I thought of Leon and what state hewas in, but it was too upsetting. It made me want to cry. And quite frankly, this wasn’t the time for crying. So I tried to catch Byron’s eye, to check he was still with me, hopeful that he’d have a spark, an idea of how to overpower Marshall - but he was blank-eyed. He looked defeated, like he’d run out of energy.
Marshall started whispering in my ear, silly comments and observations, things like: could I see that floating filing cupboard? Or the holes in the ceiling? Or the rats with the crisp packet? It was as though we were having a picnic in a park, watching the world go by, not a care in the world.
The reality, of course, was something else.
The sewage water had now overrun the library and had begun to trickle down the steps towards us. The water in The Pit had submerged the rows of lockers. There wasn’t a piece of furniture left–it had all floated into the link corridor. And to make matters worse, one of the large cement columns supporting the balcony was showing signs of strain. A massive crack had appeared down the middle. It seemed bigger every time I looked. I didn’t know whether to draw this to Marshall’s attention or not.
In the end, the choice was made for me. With a shudder, part of the balcony’s concrete floor collapsed. A ton of rubble and dust came down on the water. We jumpedto the side. If we’d been a few meters to the right, we’d have been beneath it.
‘I knew it,’said Byron. ‘The building is giving up. It can’t take the load. Still, it’s coped longer than expected. In poor countries, flood
s of this scale wash entire villages away. At least we have concrete on our side.’
It was hardly the right thing to say, but in a way, I was pleased - he sounded more like his old self again. Marshall scowled, coughed out the dust
‘What are you saying? That the ceiling’s about to fall in?’
‘Probably.’
I thought–I hoped –this would make Marshall panic. I thought he’d understand that we simply couldn’t stay, that we needed to find a way out. But instead he dug in.
‘Fine,’he said. ‘Then that’s how it’ll be. I’d rather die with Kate, than go outside and have her taken from me.’
He squeezed my shoulders, gave me a peck on the cheek.
I started to cry, but silently.
Chapter Fifty Two
Hope comes in many forms. Through my sorrow, through the glassy film of my tears, I saw a flicker of movement across the water. Difficult to tell in the dark, but it looked like it was coming from the link corridor. Then I heard sloshing, someone wading. I didn’t say anything. Marshall didn’t notice. Subtly, I adjusted my position, sat up, watched the corridor, while pretending not to. Moments later, a swaying figure loomed at the doorway and I knew straight away - Curtis!
As soon as he saw me, he waved his arm. He was about to call out. I had to act quickly.
‘No!’I cried.
I thrashed, shook my head, raised my hand to halt him. He got the signal. God knows how, being Curtis, but he took the hint. He stepped back into the shadows.
‘What is it?’said Marshall, bearing down on me. ‘What’s wrong with you?’
‘I’m just– just SO COLD. I can’t bear it anymore.’
‘You can take my coat then. I don’t want you suffering.’
As he said this, I had an idea. I glanced at Byron, but his eyes were half closed.
‘A coat isn’t enough,’I said. ‘It’s not going to make a difference.’
I lowered my eyelids, looked as weak as I could, which wasn’t difficult.
‘I’m sorry, Marshall, I’m not feeling good. I - I think I’ve got hyperthermia.’
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