by Jon Robinson
‘I don’t care where they’ve gone. I’m coming with you.’
Alyn shook his head. ‘I need to do this alone.’
‘No, Alyn.’
Alyn grabbed her by the coat. ‘I mean it. If he catches you, he’ll …’
‘I don’t care,’ Jes hissed, pushing him off her. ‘Who are you to tell me what to do anyway? I’m sick of you trying to protect me, Alyn. Always the same story – when we were back in the prison you’d given up; you didn’t want me doing anything. But who saved you all just now? Me. I made Emmanuel cut the power back at the Guild building. But you still don’t trust me.’
Alyn shook his head and walked away. ‘You’ll get yourself killed.’
Furious, Jes marched towards him. ‘Or he will,’ she said.
Alyn grabbed her and kissed her and she put her hands against his face, pulling him towards her.
‘I’ve proved myself by now, haven’t I?’ she said.
Alyn felt Jes’s fingers link round his. He kissed her back and felt like his breath had left his chest. For a moment, the weight of everything lifted from him: Emmanuel, the Pledge and the sickness. None of it mattered. The two stood there silently in the middle of the deserted street.
The snow glowed ochre beneath the street lamps. Flakes drifted through the hazy showers of light, flowing like sparks.
‘Come on,’ Alyn eventually said, as reality began to intrude upon them. ‘Let’s do this. Together.’
Half an hour later, they arrived at the park gates. Shrouded in darkness, the pair were just able to make out figures standing around as the mist seeped in between the trees.
Alyn took the snake mask from his pocket and gave it to Jes. ‘Here,’ he said. ‘Just in case.’
As they neared the park, they became aware of a couple of police officers standing nearby.
‘Wouldn’t go near there if I were you,’ said one of them. ‘There’s something going on. Some kind of gathering.’
‘Why haven’t you done anything?’
‘’Cause they haven’t,’ said one of the police officers. ‘Not yet anyway. But we’re keeping an eye on things, don’t you worry. First sign of trouble and we’ll be there, with plenty of back-up.’
Jes and Alyn released hands and walked through the gates. Large numbers of people were standing around, talking, watching, illuminated by the light from scattered fires.
‘Jeez,’ she whispered to him, slipping on the mask. ‘How many are there?’
Alyn shook his head. ‘There seem to be more all the time.’
‘Let’s split up,’ he whispered, pulling up his hood. Jes nodded and walked away over the grass, quickly mingling with a smaller group.
It was as she left him that Alyn paused, pinned to the spot. You could go back. You’ll never be able to reason with him.
He looked back at the gates. It would be so much easier to turn round. To just leave and forget it had ever happened – to let things unfold. Maybe Emmanuel was right. Maybe they – the Guild and his friends – were wrong. Emmanuel wanted change, and perhaps so did everybody else.
Maybe change is what is needed.
But this wasn’t just change, Alyn thought, studying the horde. This was opening the door to anarchy, and once that was unleashed even Emmanuel would be powerless to control it. Homes would be burned to the ground, people – innocent people – would be attacked and robbed. Whether Emmanuel wanted it or not, the weak would inevitably perish.
Reluctantly Alyn continued on, and as he journeyed further into the park, he began to notice little canvas tents dotted around, belonging to the more devout of Emmanuel’s followers. Their leader had to be nearby.
‘Hey,’ said a voice beside him. Alyn turned as a man in a lion mask stepped towards him. ‘Who are you?’
‘I’m looking for Emmanuel,’ Alyn said.
The man laughed, stepping closer to Alyn. ‘You can’t just demand to see him,’ he said. ‘It don’t work like that.’
‘He knows me. And I have something he wants.’ Alyn held the man’s eyes. ‘And if you don’t let me see him he’ll want to know why.’
Alyn pushed past the man and spotted Emmanuel a short distance away, standing in front of a leaping fire.
Alyn closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He walked closer, aware of eyes following him.
Emmanuel eventually looked up. ‘You just can’t keep away, can you, Alyn?’
He took a step towards Alyn. A circle of his followers instantly formed around them.
Alyn could feel his hands trembling. ‘I’ve thought about what you said. I want to do an exchange.’
The surrounding crowd made an excited mocking sound.
‘And what do you think gives you the right to ask for an exchange, boy?’
‘I’m no boy,’ Alyn said. ‘I’m the new leader of the Guild.’
Emmanuel walked closer towards him. ‘Is that so?’
‘I’ve done what you asked,’ said Alyn. ‘Luthan is yours. He’s handcuffed in a storage unit a few miles from here.’
‘And what do you want in return?’
‘Something I dropped. It belonged to Felix.’
Emmanuel removed the key from his coat. ‘This?’
Alyn nodded. ‘Yeah. That’s it.’ His heart began to race.
Emmanuel smiled menacingly. ‘Why?’
‘It … it opens a safe,’ Alyn lied. ‘There’s money. Felix promised me it as … as compensation. I want it.’
Emmanuel turned the key over, examining it carefully.
‘If you’re going to unleash chaos, I want to make sure my friends and family are able to survive,’ Alyn went on, furthering his lie. ‘We can’t stop you.’
Emmanuel shook his head. ‘This is what it’s all about, Alyn? Money?’
Alyn walked towards him and reached for the key but Emmanuel pulled his hand away. ‘You really think I would give it to you that easily?’
Two men grabbed Alyn from either side before he could reply.
Alyn shut his eyes. He imagined a butterfly fluttering through each man’s skull, into the grey matter, setting off a sequence of synaptic flashes as a gentle prickling sensation snaked through his own.
The men released their grip, flopping on to the grass.
Emmanuel smiled with a look of what seemed to be respect, as another three men rushed forward.
‘Let him go,’ Emmanuel said, and put the key back inside his pocket. ‘If his word is good, the key is his. Get Luthan’s location from him. I want some people there to verify it at once.’
Alyn looked around at the circle of animal masks. He could see threads of vapour rising past the plastic; he could hear the rattling crackle of breath. His eyes followed Emmanuel as he walked away with Felix’s key tucked safely in the pocket of his coat.
41
Ryan and Anton sat on a rattling bus on their way back to the Guild’s building. Ryan had been staring at the key for the last few minutes. Such a fuss for something so … stupid. He just hoped they were right, that together the keys triggered some explosive device at the prison which would put an end to the project once and for all. Then he could finally go home.
He was sure his mum would have a heart attack when she saw him there. Just come home, Ryan. And don’t go being a hero.
The bus slowed and Ryan followed Anton and jumped off. It was only when he looked up that he noticed a spiral of grey smoke billowing like a wreath above the Guild’s tower block.
‘Hang on, is that coming from –’
‘Our building,’ Anton said, quietly, staring at it in silence for several seconds. The pair ran across the road, narrowly avoiding the oncoming traffic, and sped across the park to a chorus of honking horns.
‘What’s going on? What happened?’ Ryan cried as they neared the building. He spotted a fireman and ran towards him.
‘Please step aside, sir,’ the fireman said, pushing past.
‘My friends and I live here,’ said Anton. ‘Please, I need to know –’
<
br /> The fireman looked sympathetic. ‘I’m sorry. We think it was probably an arson attack. Is there anyone you’d like us to –’
‘Were there bodies?’ Anton said. ‘Was anyone hurt?’
The fireman shook his head. ‘As far as we can tell there were no bodies.’
Ryan pulled Anton to the side. ‘Who do you reckon it was?’
‘I don’t know,’ Anton answered, still staring at the building. ‘But I know where the others will be.’
Forty minutes later, Ryan and Anton arrived at the disused station in Mayfair. Anton tapped the boarded door in a secret entrance at the rear.
‘Hey,’ he said. ‘Anyone here?’
‘Anton, is that you?’ a voice answered.
‘Yeah. I’m with Ryan.’
The door opened and Anton sneaked inside, followed by Ryan, who looked around the candlelit space. It was an old station, all right; he could make out the shape of a ticket office and a rusted London Underground sign on the wall. There was an old table, a couple of chairs and a floor covered with sleeping bags. On the walls were faded, torn posters and plaques. Ryan made a fist and sneezed. The entire room smelled of soot and ash.
Preferred the other place, Ryan thought. At least there he had a bed. This looked like something out of a bloody horror film.
‘Someone gonna tell us what happened?’ Anton said.
‘Emmanuel happened,’ Harlan replied. He was holding a tissue beneath his nose to try to stem the flow of blood.
‘Where are the others?’
‘Pyra went with Julian and Elsa to look for Luthan,’ said Charlie. ‘Alyn went after Emmanuel. I’m guessing Jes is with him.’
Jes and Alyn. Ryan felt his stomach tighten. Alyn is back. And he’s with Jes. He removed Blythe’s key from his pocket, knelt down and placed it on the floor.
Harlan picked up the key. ‘Well done. If Jes and Alyn manage to get Felix’s key from Emmanuel, that means we just need Stephen’s.’
‘And an instruction manual,’ Ryan quipped.
Harlan examined the key carefully, then suddenly gripped his head. ‘It’s happening again,’ he whispered.
Charlie grabbed his arms, trying to hold him still. Harlan’s eyes rolled back in his head.
Anton hurried over to help Charlie. ‘Whoa, has he got the –’
Charlie nodded. ‘The same thing that happened to Saul.’
Ryan looked horrified. ‘What’s happening to him? Is he having a fit?’
‘We call it the sickness.’
‘The sickness? What do you mean? Like food poisoning or … ?’
Anton looked solemn. ‘It’s caused by the Ability. It happened to one of our people, Saul. In just a week he’d got so bad we had to tie him up, for his own safety. He lost his mind.’
Ryan looked to Charlie. ‘Tell me he’s joking, right?’
Charlie continued watching Harlan. ‘He’s telling the truth. Saul said it was like being in a constant déjà vu. Then the déjà vu would keep getting worse and worse until his mind couldn’t take it and he’d pass out.’ He nodded to Harlan who was delirious, muttering things under his breath, as if to prove his point.
Ryan stepped away. ‘No way.’
‘We’re all at risk, Ryan.’
‘Man,’ Ryan said, turning away. He covered his face with his hands. ‘Why didn’t you tell us this might happen?’
‘You think it would’ve helped?’
‘No, but –’ Ryan shook his head and squatted against the wall – ‘Never mind.’ He looked up to see that Harlan was now unconscious, his face glistening with sweat.
‘I’m gonna find Jes,’ Ryan said, jumping up and heading towards the door.
‘No,’ Anton said. ‘We need you here.’
‘No offence or nothing, but I want to find my friends.’
Anton walked towards him. He put a hand on Ryan’s shoulder. ‘If we’re attacked, we’ll go down fighting. We need you here, Ryan.’
Ryan let out an exasperated sigh. He turned back from the door and slammed a fist into a corrugated sheet of metal on the wall.
42
Pyra spun the steering wheel and turned sharply into a poorly lit industrial-looking road.
‘You sure Luthan’s down here?’ she said.
Julian pretended to ponder. ‘A loaded question with many philosophical implications. Can anyone really be sure of anything … ?’
Pyra gave him a filthy look.
‘Yes I’m sure,’ Julian muttered and folded his arms.
Elsa popped her head in between the front seats.
‘And I don’t know why you had to come,’ Pyra said.
‘I wanted to help!’
‘Help? Help with what exactly, Elsa?’
Elsa shrugged. She didn’t really know herself. She sneezed, still dusty from hiding in the chimney.
‘Park here,’ Julian said.
The car bounced on to the kerb. Pyra kicked the door open and dashed out.
Julian followed her out and hurried over to the chain-link fence. ‘He’s in there,’ he said, pointing to a grubby, metal storage unit. ‘I’m going to hold back, if you don’t mind. We didn’t exactly say goodbye on a happy note.’
‘Nice try, but you’re coming with me. Now get over.’
Pyra shoved Julian towards the fence and climbed up swiftly behind him. Elsa waited on the other side by the car, looking anxious.
‘On second thoughts I’ll come too,’ she said, leaping at the fence. ‘I don’t want to wait here by myself.’
Once at the top, Julian rotated and tried to descend, but slipped and landed on the gravel. Pyra grabbed him by the back of the coat and hoisted him up. ‘Lead the way.’
Julian trod carefully across the icy ground towards the unit, while Elsa followed behind them, looking over her shoulder. She wished they could hurry up and find Luthan; something didn’t feel right.
‘I still can’t believe you all did this,’ Pyra hissed, stomping after him.
‘He was going to trade us. He didn’t give us much choice.’
Pyra shook her head in disbelief and pulled open the doors. The unit was empty, apart from a forklift in the corner with a single broken handcuff hanging from it.
She turned to Julian. Julian offered her a blank shrug.
‘You think they got to him first?’ Elsa said, looking worried. Neither Pyra nor Julian answered. Elsa gave a sigh and left the storage unit. She froze, noticing a pair of car headlights, sweeping beams of milky light across the compound. Something spiked in her stomach, a sense of dread.
‘Julian, Pyra,’ she hissed. ‘I think we need to get going …’
The car stopped and a gang of four men got out, dressed in bomber jackets, with their faces covered. ‘The kid said he was here,’ Elsa heard someone say. ‘Come on.’
They marched towards the fence. One of the men removed a pair of bolt cutters and began prising the lock. It soon snapped and the gate fell open. The group headed into the yard and towards the empty storage unit.
Elsa hurried back to the others. ‘Guys, we need to get out of here,’ she said. ‘Run!’
Julian and Pyra glanced over their shoulders, spotting the gang enter the empty unit.
‘Get to the fence on the far side,’ Pyra hissed, moving quietly on the balls of her feet, so as not to alert them. The three ran towards the fence, Elsa trailing, looking back over her shoulders.
‘I’ll never get over it in time!’ she whispered, staring up at the fence. ‘I’ll hide. You guys go.’
The gang were just emerging from the empty storage unit. Pyra grabbed Julian’s arm, shoving him at the fence. Elsa looked left and right and darted behind some wooden pallets.
She watched as Pyra and Julian started to climb the wobbling fence. It’s always me left behind, she thought. The weak one. The slow one. While their building had been attacked, what was she doing apart from hiding in a chimney?
‘Either the kid was lying or we’re too late,’ she heard one of the
men say.
‘Wait a minute,’ said another. ‘Look. Footprints.’
Elsa looked down at the ground. The footprints in the slush led directly to her. It was only a matter of time before they found her.
Elsa stood up. ‘I swear I didn’t do anything!’ she spluttered. ‘I got lost. I was looking for somewhere to sleep and I went in there, but that’s all …’
‘She’s coming with us,’ one of them growled. ‘The boss was looking for some girl who attacked him, wasn’t he? Least we won’t be going back empty-handed.’
He and another man grabbed Elsa and carried her towards the car. She tried calling out to Pyra and Julian, who were some way from her by the far fence. But it was already too late.
43
Alyn walked alone through the park, watched by Emmanuel’s followers. Wherever Jes was, he hoped she wouldn’t try anything stupid before Emmanuel’s men returned with Luthan.
He looked left and right, trying to pick her out among the display of grotesque animal masks when a sudden noise from the path caught his attention: a faint groaning sound.
A short way from him a man was lying on his back clawing at the air. His foot was attached by a rope to a motorcycle that was parked beneath a tree. The skin had been torn from his face and his shirt was shredded.
Alyn gasped. Only when he knelt down did he realize the figure was Emmanuel’s assistant.
The gravel and ice had done such damage that he resembled a burns victim.
Alyn knelt down and helped him stand. The man promptly collapsed again, sending them both tumbling on to the damp grass.
‘You,’ he groaned weakly. ‘You did the right thing.’
‘Huh?’
‘He’s a bad man,’ the assistant continued. ‘He’s dangerous. You were right to tell him to get lost.’ With that, he passed out.
Alyn lowered him back down and looked up as a car drove through the park’s gates and tore across the grass. Alyn hurried across to a tree and darted behind it. He watched as the car parked and the figures got out, carrying a struggling girl.
She tried to call out, but a hand across her mouth muffled her cry.
Elsa.
Jes patrolled the park in secret, slipping in between groups of Emmanuel’s followers, who were standing or sitting around on the grass with their faces hidden. Snow had started falling again lightly. She felt traces of sweat forming around her nose, beneath the thin plastic mask.
