20 Years Later

by Emma Newman

  The trio listened with varying expressions of horror. Zane was the very embodiment of sympathetic distress, whilst Titus, at the other end of the scale, simply pressed his lips tight together as he took it in.

  “They did this to Lyssa,” he muttered, not at anyone in particular, but Eve nodded all the same.

  “It’s always worse for girls that they find in the Uppabov, cos girls are special cos of something they carry inside that’s important to Hex.”

  “Zane?” Erin stepped away from the window. “Do you know why that would be?”

  Zane shrugged. “Not sure. But I don’t like the sound of it at all.”

  “It’s to do with something inside that stops the stuff in the air from killing people, I think,” Eve continued. “People in Uppabov have clever bodies. They don’t get hurt, but people in Hex do, and if they go outside without these big yellow pyjamas and special hats on, the air gets inside them and they die.

  “I saw one of them die once. He fell over and smashed the glass over his face, and so some of the air got in. He was screaming, and this weird kind of gurgle sound was coming out of his throat. And then there was blood coming out of his eyes and his nose and his mouth. And he coughed and it all went everywhere.”

  Encouraged by her enraptured audience, she continued, her voice still scarcely louder than a whisper. “Then he died, and then Hex sent lots of people in suits to the tunnel and they scrubbed everything lots and lots and lots with stuff that smelt horrible. And no-one from Hex went down there for a long time. They were scared to go down that tunnel.”

  “You saw this?” Titus questioned. “You were there?”

  “Yes,” Eve replied. “I was hiding, I saw all of it.”

  “And you breathed the same air?”

  She nodded. “Yes, it doesn’t kill me, or any of the children they hurt. We’ve got something called ‘Immunity’ and it means we could go to Uppabov and not die. But they won’t let us go to Uppabov. Cos they want to test the ‘Compound’ and find a way to go to Uppabov without dying, see?”

  Erin’s eyes narrowed slightly. “But you can unlock the doors, can’t you? So why don’t you just escape?”

  “I can’t leave my friends!” she exclaimed, appalled. “I’m the only one who makes them feel better. I couldn’t live in Uppabov when I knew they were in Hex and being hurt with no-one to talk to and keep secrets with. That would be horrible.”

  Erin seemed satisfied with the answer and her suspicion melted away to a look of respect. “Even though they hurt you too?”

  Eve nodded and looked down at her toes, just visible past the hem of the pyjama bottoms.

  “That’s brave,” Zane said quietly and smiled at her.

  After a pause, Titus asked, “Do you know where Hex is?” At Eve’s confused expression he re-framed the question. “Do you know anything about any places in Uppabov that are close to where you are?”

  “Oh,” Eve thought hard. “They talk about somewhere called Green Park sometimes. They talk about going up there, so that must be a place in Uppabov.”

  Titus smiled broadly. “That’s great, we have somewhere to start. We’ll have to look on a map to see if the places we know they go to are near to this Green Park.”

  “How did I get into this room?” Eve asked, flicking a stray blonde hair from her eyes. “I went to sleep and then I was here. I don’t understand.”

  “You’re still asleep,” Titus replied gently, patiently. “Your body is still where it was when you went to sleep, but your mind has come to talk to us.”

  Eve nodded, but not in a very convincing fashion. She began to take in the room properly. “It’s very strange here … I don’t understand what all of those things are.” She pointed at the shelves and the objects on them. “And why does the floor look so … weird?”

  Zane looked at the floor. “It’s made of wood,” he offered.

  “Wood?” Eve crouched down and ran her finger along the grain. “There isn’t anything like this in Hex. Is everywhere made of ‘wood’ in Uppabov?”

  Titus smiled and shook his head. “No, there are lots of things made of lots of different materials. I’ll show you, when we get you out.”

  Eve looked up at him and their eyes locked in a long gaze. She finally asked, “Are you going to get all of us out?”

  “Yes, all of you,” he replied. “All of the children. I promise.”

  Her head tipped to the side again as she seemed to study him. “Yes, I believe you.” She stood and smiled. “I like you.”

  Titus blushed, relieved that she looked away to Zane and Erin. “I like you both too. I feel a bit funny, you’re starting to feel … far away.”

  Titus stood too. “You’re about to wake up.”

  “Oh.” Eve reached out to brush Titus’ hand. “Can I come here again?”

  All three nodded as Eve’s form faded away.

  “I like you too,” Titus whispered, as the last remnants of her image disappeared.

  “Can you hear something?” Erin asked and Zane strained to listen.

  “It’s the Bloomsbury Boys’ alarm!” he exclaimed. “We need to wake up!”

  Chapter 30

  REDEMPTION

  By the time the children had woken, thrown on shoes, and avoided various adults as they dashed out of their houses, the clanging alarm in Russell Square had stopped and a small crowd of Boys had collected at the edge of Herbrand Street. It was hard to see anything in the darkness; the moon was only half full and shadows clung to every building, every child, as they peered down the street, too afraid to go any farther.

  “What happened?” Zane asked the nearest Boy as they ran up.

  “Dev saw sommat on his watch, near where the Giants go,” the boy replied excitedly.

  “One of the Giants?” Titus demanded, standing on tiptoes to try to see past the throng of heads.

  “Nah, some bloke I think. Not big enough for one of them Giants. Dev said ’e were carryin’ sommat, then Jay went an’ got a torch and now Jay’s over there sortin’ it out. Dev said this bloke were tryin’ to leave sommat in our patch, but Dev yelled and he ran off before ’e could.”

  Whilst Zane and Titus quizzed the boy, Erin slipped away to climb up a rusting fire escape and look over the crowd. She saw an amber glow reflecting off the pale buildings at the end of the street. Jay came into view, his burning torch held high and in front of him with one hand, the other holding a knife firm. He swept the torch back and forth, peering in between rusting wrecks of cars and piles of wreckage left at the northern edge of their territory.

  “Zane, Titus!” she hissed and beckoned them up to her. The rusting metal steps creaked in complaint as they climbed up to stand next to her and watch Jay’s progress.

  “Have you seen who it is?” Titus asked, following Jay’s search just as keenly.

  Erin shook her head. “By the way he’s looking though, I think whoever it is has been trapped in that street.”

  “I’m going to look too,” Titus said, “I don’t want them to get away. They’re probably from the Unders.”

  “It might be a Gardner,” Zane cautioned, “You don’t know who it is.”

  “Not likely to be a Gardner,” Erin muttered back. “They never approach from the north. I think Titus is right.”

  “Come with me if you want,” Titus said, as he began to climb back down the shaking steps. “But I’m not staying here and missing a chance to learn something about the Unders.”

  Erin nodded and leapt down to the ground from where she had been watching. Zane picked his way back down, fretting at the sound of the wall fastenings scraping against their loose housings. By the time he had reached her side, Erin had an arrow notched and Titus had joined her too.

  The three children climbed through an overgrown garden to get past the dense cluster of Bloomsbury Boys and hurried down the street to Jay’s position. Seeing them do this, a handful of the braver Boys broke off from the front of the crowd and began to follow them, eager to show Ja
y that they were unafraid.

  When they reached the road that Jay was searching, Erin moved to the centre of the street, positioning her body at an angle ready to loose the arrow. “I won’t let anyone or anything go past me,” she stated.

  Titus and Zane continued past her, but they had only moved a few metres into the road when Zane pointed to a pile of rubbish halfway down the street, close to where they could see Jay searching. “Someone’s in pain behind there,” Zane whispered. “I can feel it.”

  They watched Jay creep round the wreckage. There was the briefest pause and then he yelled, “What the hell are you doing?! Get away from ’im!”

  “He’s dying!” a man’s voice retorted, but Jay leapt forward, pressing an attack. Both Titus and Zane arrived in time to see Jay slash at a man, forcing him back. He threw the torch down to draw his second blade, planting himself firmly between the intruder and the body of a child in familiar pale pyjamas.

  The boy was shivering violently as ragged breaths rattled in his lungs. Zane rushed over to him, focused only on saving his life. He worked swiftly, knowing exactly how to draw the substance out of the boy’s lungs.

  Titus picked up the torch and held it towards the trespasser to try to identify him. Even though the man’s face was barely visible by the flickering light, the resemblance was incredible.

  “Zane! It’s him!” Titus yelled as the man staggered away from Jay’s blade.

  “Stay back,” Jay growled as Zane looked up and their eyes met for the briefest moment. When the man didn’t withdraw farther, Jay gave a chilling cry and leapt at him, both blades flashing in the amber glow of the torch. Zane stared, struck dumb by the sight of his father desperately holding his arms in front of his head as he stumbled away down the street.

  “I was trying to save him!” he cried out as Jay’s knives slashed at his arms.

  “Liar!” Jay shouted, “I saw you tryin’ to kill him–your hands were round his neck!” He repositioned his blades in his palms as he stalked the man, slowly moving him further away from Zane and the new boy. “I’ll kill you, Unders scum!”

  “I’m not one of them!” he cried, now directing his desperate defence at Zane as well as his assailant. “I was saving the boy from them! You have to believe me!”

  Zane stood, finding himself believing him, despite Jay’s words, despite what Lyssa had said. He took a tentative step towards him. “Dad?”

  “Jay!” Erin called out from the end of the street. “Get out of the way!”

  Zane watched his father’s face distort into an expression of abject horror. As Jay leapt to one side, Zane turned to see Erin taking aim at his father.

  “No, Erin!” Zane screamed, the very moment that her fingertips loosed the arrow.

  The arrow hit with a loud thunk and Shannon’s legs buckled beneath him. He cried out before collapsing onto his back, the air knocked out of him.

  Erin notched a second arrow as Zane hurled himself towards his prone father.

  “Erin, wait!” Titus yelled, watching Zane fall to his knees, staring at the point where the arrow was embedded in his chest.

  Erin came closer, not moving her aim an inch.

  “Get out of the way, Zane,” Jay growled. “He’s the one that’s been hurtin’ my Boys, I know it.”

  “He was saving him!” Zane shrieked, glaring back at Jay with glistening eyes.

  Titus nodded. “I believe him,” he said, positioning himself between Zane and Jay. “Let us take care of this. The new boy needs you now.” As Jay drew a breath to protest, Titus patted the air and said, “This isn’t in your territory, Jay. It’s no man’s land here.”

  Erin drew up alongside the fallen doctor, aiming the arrow at his neck. “If they’re wrong, Jay, I’ll finish him.”

  Jay took the measure of her statement, and then a fearful whimper from the new boy snapped his attention away from the standoff. “Don’t let ’im near my Boys,” he hissed and then hurried over to scoop the frightened child up and take him to his square.

  “Is he going to die?” Titus asked Zane in a hushed voice.

  Zane was staring into his father’s chest. “It’s pierced his lung, but I think I can save him.”

  “Are you sure he was telling the truth?” Erin’s bow creaked as she held the string taut.

  “Yes!” Titus replied impatiently.

  “But then why are they all so scared of him?” Erin pressed, not letting her aim slip.

  Titus fell silent, recalling the memories he had seen in Squeak’s mind. He shuddered. “I don’t understand it yet … but I know you shouldn’t kill him.”

  Erin sighed and let the arrow slip down as she lowered the bow.

  Shannon’s face was pale in the moonlight, a sheen of sweat glistening in the silver light. Barely conscious, his breath was ragged, with an awful rasping sound. Zane placed his hands either side of the embedded arrow shaft and looked up at Erin. “When I say so, pull the arrow out as quick as you can.”

  Erin nodded and made herself ready. At Zane’s “Now!” she pulled it out swiftly and Zane trembled with effort as he fought to close the wound. There was a brief spurt of blood as the barbed arrowhead was pulled free, but then no more. Within moments the tension in his father’s body lessened and his breathing became stronger and steadier. The cuts on his arms began to close, the steady trickle of blood that ran from them also slowed to nothing.

  Zane shook with exhaustion but smiled when his father’s eyes opened and looked up into his. “Are you ok? You were –”

  “Winded,” Titus interrupted, giving Zane a pointed look.

  The doctor only blinked for a few moments, then smiled weakly up at Zane. “Eve said she dreamt of a boy,” he whispered, “A boy that looked like me with brown eyes.”

  Zane nodded. “That was me!”

  “Miri’s eyes,” he whispered and the tears began to tumble from his own. Zane fell upon his father’s chest and their arms locked around each other as both wept unashamedly.

  Titus stood back, watching carefully as Erin took a pace back also, her nose wrinkling at the display of emotion.

  “I thought such terrible things about you!” Zane cried. “But I was wrong, wasn’t I? You saved that boy, didn’t you?”

  “Yes,” his father whispered hoarsely. “I’ve been bringing them up here for years. Any time I could get one away.”

  Titus narrowed his eyes. “But you hurt them too.”

  The doctor released Zane from his embrace and sat up shakily. He looked down at his chest, confused, but then shook his head. “It’s very complicated,” he replied. “I don’t have time to explain now. If I stay here any longer, Eve may get caught.”

  “You and Eve are working together?” Erin asked and he nodded.

  “I couldn’t do this without her.” He clambered to his feet, Zane supporting him as he found his balance once more. Even though his wounds had been healed, it was clear he’d lost a lot of blood from the way he swayed when upright.

  “Are you one of the Unders gang or not?” Erin demanded, her stance shifting as if readying herself to take aim once more. “You can’t be both.”

  “I’m not one of them!” the doctor retorted. “I hate what they’re doing!”

  “Then why help them?” Erin threw back at him.

  The doctor struggled to contain himself. “Because they force me to!” he spat. “If I don’t do what they tell me to do, they will come up here and kill Miri and my son. Don’t for a minute think that I have done any of these experiments willingly.” The sudden rush of rage began to ebb as he swayed again. Zane quickly tucked himself under his father’s arm and held him up. “I’m no monster,” he whispered as he struggled to stay on his feet. “Please, son, don’t think that I’m one of them.”

  “I don’t,” Zane replied and shot a warning look at his friends. “That’s why you left Mum that day, isn’t it?”

  The man nodded, his head drooping. “They took me the day she told me she was pregnant.”

  T
here was an awkward silence as the three children took it all in. Zane didn’t know whether to be overjoyed or upset.

  “I have to get back to Eve,” the doctor said. “But I’ll come back, son.”

  Titus stepped forward. “You have to help us to stop them,” he said, and the man nodded.

  “I will, gladly,” he replied. “I can’t do it without help from people up here, but if you know people that are willing to take a risk …”

  Titus nodded. “Yes, we do. Just tell us how to stop them.”

  “Two nights from now, I’ll come back here at the same time,” he replied, “And I’ll tell you all you need to know.”

  “Everything will be okay now, Dad,” Zane said hopefully. “I’ll tell Mum and she’ll be so glad and –”

  “No,” Shannon interrupted. “Don’t tell her you saw me, not until this is all over.”

  “But she thinks that you’re one of them!” Zane protested.

  “Just wait until this is done,” his father insisted. “If something happens to me, I don’t want her to lose me twice.” He placed a hand on Zane’s shoulder and squeezed gently. “If I get the chance, I want her to hear the truth about me from my own lips. And if that’s not meant to be … then you can speak for me.” He glanced at Titus. “Gather all the help you can. You’re going to need it.”

  Chapter 31

  PLANS ARE MADE

  By the time of the meeting, Titus was exhausted. Nothing about arranging it had been simple. Arguments about why they should meet, who would be there, where it should be held, constant bickering and posturing. Through this muddy frustration, his determination pierced like an arrow set on its target. He was so close, so close to understanding enough to destroy those who had hurt his sister. Those who had hurt him.

  Zane had helped him as far as he could, but he’d been distracted by the anticipation of speaking to his father again and the sheer magnitude of the secret he was keeping from his mother. Several times, when he had heard her twisting and turning in bed, her mind too fraught with emotion to permit rest, he had almost gone to her. He wanted to reassure her, to let her know that the man she’d loved so much hadn’t become the villain she thought him now.