The Unjudged_The battle for Cromer

by Phil Hurst

  “Didn’t work,” one of the reckoners said. “That doesn’t spell anything.”

  Then the man with blond hair turned around to face the room. He caught sight of Paige. A strange, manic grin spread over his face: “Oh my God! Is that Paige Grimwood?”

  The other reckoner spun around, holding Lana out in front of him as a shield. His eyes darted around the room. He kept Lana pulled close to his body. Paige was certain she wouldn’t be able to hit him without killing Lana. Not that saving Lana was a particularly high priority for her. She recognised an urge for revenge, but there was something else there. Something feeding it.

  Her neck itched.

  “You are Paige, aren’t you?” the reckoner said. “I’m Jules. You know—Sam’s friend! It’s good to meet you.”

  “Let her go.”

  Jules moved his head back but kept his shoulders in place. He looked genuinely affronted by the request: “No.”

  He took Lana off the other reckoner, who stepped behind him. Then he forced Lana to take a step forward by digging his foot into the back of her calf.

  “Paige, you’re supposed to be on our side,” Jules said. “Wait. Where’s Wix?”

  “You killed my brother.”

  “Can you prove that?” Jules grinned. “Where’s Wix?”

  Paige felt the corners of her mouth turn upwards: “Dead.”

  “Oh. Are you quite sure?” Jules pushed Lana forward another step so they were stood in the doorway to the balcony. Behind him, Artur took a step forward. Paige realised the game.

  “Stay where you are,” she ordered. But Jules pushed Lana forward again.

  “Poor Wix,” Jules said. “Poor Paige.”

  “Poor Sam,” Paige growled at the over-confident man. “Why did you do it?”

  Jules tilted his head to the side: “Why should I justify myself to you?”

  “I’m his family.”

  “Family who ran off and left him so she could live it up in London. Remember to qualify your answer, Paige.” Both the reckoners took another step into the room. “And anyway, what are you doing here? Did you not know your Mum needs help?”

  The sound of an explosion rumbled into the room. Then, fainter, came the sounds of shouting and gunfire. Jules tapped his ear with his free hand.

  “And just like that, the reckoning rolls into town,” he said. “Still sure you want to save your Mum? Leave me with Lana. And you can go.”

  Paige was surprised to feel tears running down her cheeks. Inside, she could feel a huge ball of anger, energy and rage building in the pit of her stomach.

  - Kill him

  Another step forward. And another. Lana had nearly reached the bed now.

  “We’ll kill you.”

  “Sorry, who is we?” Jules shook his head. “It’s only you. And you won’t. There are two of us. And I don’t think you’re a very good shot. Plus, mine is bigger than yours,” Jules said as he pulled a gun from his pocket.”

  Jules pushed Lana away from him. She stumbled into the bed and landed awkwardly. In a second, she had regained her composure, turned and was crouched on the bed, ready to spring at Jules the second his guard dropped. Her face, however, was a picture of calmness.

  “I’m going to kill you,” Lana said.

  “No you’re not,” Jules replied and then shot her in the kneecap. There was an explosion of red across the bedspread. Lana spun around. She didn’t scream but lay for a moment with her face in the covers. The smell of burned blood drifted around the room.

  - Fine.

  - We’ll do it.

  Paige swiftly turned, looking for where the voice had come from. She felt dizzy. She dropped the gun and staggered back into a freestanding full-length mirror. The mirror rocked but stayed on its feet. Paige lost sight of everything in the room as the edges of her vision turned white.

  She heard Jules laughing: “What’s the matter? Chasing a fly?”

  - We’re laying a trap.

  “What?” Paige shouted, and she could just about make Jules step back.

  Paige twisted, trying to find the source of the voice. She fell forward on to her hands and knees. Her eyes flicked open and closed, but she could no longer control them. There was a pain in her stomach, and she realised Jules had kicked her. He pulled the backpack off her and pushed her over.

  “I take it this is the famed weapon?” he asked, throwing the bag to Artur. Paige’s eyes burned. She rubbed them with her fists, trying desperately to get some control over the situation. She had been in charge. What had happened? She moved her hands away, and filling her vision was Jules. He stood with one leg either side of her, pointing the gun directly at her face.

  - Perfect.

  “Who are you?” Paige shouted.

  - This is a good idea—trust us.

  - We are one.

  Jules looked confused. He spoke to Artur over his shoulder and crouched down, balancing his weight on her chest with his knee. Paige thrashed her head from side to side, trying to force the voice from her head.

  - But we are many.

  “I don’t understand.”

  - We will keep you safe.

  Jules straightened up and stretched his back. He said one more sentence. Then he pointed his gun at her and fired. Paige saw the flash of the flame as the gunpowder ignited. She saw the smoke billow out of the sides of the old weapon. And she saw the bullet start its short journey to her head.

  - They will not hurt more like they hurt us.

  The bullet didn’t stop, pause or hover. It changed direction. Without warning, it flew into Jules’ neck. Jules flew back through the open window. He twisted and spun in the air as he was thrown far out to sea. In less than a second, Paige had lost sight of him.

  Artur looked at Paige, terrified.

  Lana

  S he knew the gunshot meant Paige was dead.

  Lana felt a sense of loss she wasn’t expecting. But there was also rage, anger and fear. She ignored the searing pain in her leg and turned over on the bed. She expected to see Paige dead on the floor and Jules turning towards her, ready to finish the job.

  Instead, Paige stood toe to toe with Artur. The man had his hands up, and Paige had placed her nose against his. She stared at him, unblinking. The room was silent—apart from Artur’s heavy breathing.

  “Run,” Paige said. Her voice had changed. It echoed as she said it, as if a crowd of people were speaking, each one a little out of time with the others. The effect was almost hypnotic, and Lana forgot about the pain in her leg.

  Artur didn’t wait. He ran from the room as fast as he could.

  Lana had both hands clasped over her wound. She couldn’t feel anything below the kneecap, and from a quick glance at her leg, she knew it would take some major surgery to enable her to walk again.

  The only thing she could hear was Paige, who had closed her eyes. Lana looked at her. Her breathing was shallow and quick with slight squeaks and whimpers as her lungs filled and emptied. Lana could not understand what had happened. From her point of view, Jules had been about to execute Paige and had even pulled the trigger. It must have been a misfire, but where was his body? How had he vanished?

  Paige stopped breathing but stayed upright.

  “Paige?” Lana shouted. Her head was hurting, and she knew she was getting weaker through the loss of blood. She needed help in order to get the medical attention she needed, and Paige was the only option. “Paige, are you OK?”

  Paige spluttered. She turned and pointed at Lana, and her face changed. The way she held her face shifted slightly, not so much that she was unrecognisable but enough to make it obvious something was happening.

  “You,” Paige said in that creepy voice. “You let us die at the pier.”

  Lana tried to crawl backward on the bed. Her knee was hot with pain: “Paige, are you OK?”

  “You let us die,” Paige said.

  “I don’t understand what you’re talking about,” Lana replied.

  Paige walked towards the
balcony. She rested against the doorframe, looking out to sea, facing away from Lana.

  “He shot us,” she said over her shoulder. “And you let us die in the water.”

  “Paige, I don’t…”

  Paige picked up Jules’ gun: “He died for killing us.”

  Lana looked around for cover, for something to use as a weapon. She didn’t understand what was happening to Paige, but she could hear the anger in her voice. It was rising as the conversation progressed. However, there was nothing she could use to protect herself apart from an old display remote.

  Paige turned and walked towards her. She held out the gun in front of her, pointing it at Lana.

  “Paige!” Lana shouted. “Don’t do this.”

  “We need revenge.”

  “Who needs revenge?” Lana asked. “Who are you?”

  Paige looked to the backpack.

  “We are many.” Paige tilted her head.

  “Paige, don’t do this.” Lana stared Paige down, determined to face her death with her eyes open. “Fight it.”

  There was a moment of recognition in Paige’s face. Her expression relaxed for a second.

  Then she scowled and raised the gun.

  An arrow struck Paige in the hand. The gun fell to the floor, and Paige screamed.

  Lana, eyes closing, weak from loss of blood, looked to the door.

  Marie, tears in her eyes, reloaded her bow. She aimed at Paige, who had crouched and was staring at her hand in disbelief.

  “No,” Lana said. It came out as a whisper. She tried to shake her head. Marie held the bow up for a second longer, knuckles turning white with the effort. Then she looked at Lana and relaxed the string. The archer dropped her weapon and ran to the bed. She tore part of the bedding free and wrapped it tightly around Lana’s thigh to stop the bleeding.

  Then she pulled Lana to the end of the bed and tried to position herself under her arm. Lana shook her head. There was no way Marie would be strong enough on her own. But then, seemingly from nowhere and with an arrow still embedded in her hand, Paige appeared. She positioned herself under Lana’s other arm, but said nothing.

  “Paige,” Marie checked. “I’m sorry, but you were going to…”

  Paige didn’t acknowledge Marie and started to walk towards the door. Rather than drop Lana, Marie had no choice but to follow her.

  “What about Jennifer?” Lana asked. She was going a little light-headed. Paige didn’t react at all to the mention of her mother. She just carried on walking.

  “Someone had taken her,” Marie said. When I got to the street, the reckoners had moved in. They were tearing everything apart.”

  “Did anyone take the pills?” Lana asked.

  Marie laughed sourly: “Everyone. For all the good it did them.”

  “What do you mean?” Paige asked.

  They got in the elevator. Lana looked down at her leg. Although most of the blood had been stopped by the bedding, she had still left a trail of blood down the corridor. It felt like her head were swimming. The world kept falling in and out of definition.

  “What do you mean?” Paige asked again.

  Lana explained that the pills were a bluff. They were something Oliver and Jennifer had come up with to reassure the Unjudged before the occupation of Cromer. There were probably a lot of confused Unjudged, wondering why their final option had become nothing more than a sugar pill. They were all probably tagged by now, locked in a URC van, cursing their leaders. She faded out of consciousness for a second.

  When she managed to focus again, they were outside. The wind was blowing off the sea, and Marie’s hair was brushing against her face. She lifted her head up and saw two reckoners running towards them, soul staffs held up in a firing position. Then the darkness came back.

  It lifted, and she saw a car approaching from behind the reckoners.

  She saw the reckoners scramble. She heard a thud and saw one of the men bounce along the tarmac. The other reckoner ran to help him.

  Lana could just about recognise Ed as he got out of the car. He ran to her and took her weight from the others. Then she was on her back, looking at the blue Cromer sky. There was some pressure on her leg and a tightness in her chest. Pain came flooding back for a moment as she was hauled upright again. Then Ed’s face was inches from hers.

  “What the fuck have you done to yourself?”

  Epilogue

  Oliver

  O liver knew something different was approaching. He knew when people were around, but what woke him up from his afternoon sleep was something completely different. Then he heard it: half-a-dozen voices, arguing with each other. But there were no names or identifiers. It was another Tumi experiment.

  He reached out to it.

  “Who are you?” he asked.

  The voices were silenced for a second. Then they started up again at 10 times the urgency, arguing and fighting with each other.

  “You have great power,” Oliver said.

  - We do not know how you are talking to us.

  - We are discussing how to respond.

  “What is your name?” Oliver asked.

  - We do not need a name.

  - What use is a name to the dead?

  “I need to call you something,” Oliver said.

  - We have many names.

  - But we only need one.

  “Is Sam still in there?”

  - We do not recognise Sam.

  “What about Marcus?”

  - We do not recognise Marcus.

  - We are not one, we are many.

  Oliver paused for a moment. “Legion.”

  - We like that.

  - How is it that you can talk to us?

  - We cannot see you.

  “I suffer the same way you do,” he said.

  - Nobody suffers like us.

  - We thought his death would help

  - But we are still here.

  - Maybe another will.

  “No one needs to die.”

  - The man who created us does.

  - He will die.

  “Let me help.”

  - Those who hurt us will perish.

  - We have decided.

  - We have not!

  - We have decided to start at the top. With the first. The others can help us until then.

  - We do not trust you.

  Oliver opened his eyes and walked to the top of the grand staircase. Beneath him, Lana, Paige, Ed and Marie entered the main parlour of Sheringham Hall. Despite the fact he was hidden in the shadows of the grand hall, Paige immediately knew where he was. She looked directly at him.

  - You’re here.

  “I am.”

  - Do not trick us.

  “I won’t.”

  Paige fell to the floor. Lana fell as well, screaming in pain. It sparked action around the house. A commotion started as Dr Bhaskhar and the remaining Unjudged ran to help them. Oliver shrank back into the shadows.

  Lana

  L ana sat up on the bed and reached down to her new leg.

  Dr Bhaskhar had found a prosthetic among his stolen medical supplies and was able to fit it with relative ease once he had amputated Lana’s leg. She was grateful she had been unconscious for the operation. Marie had since assured her the procedure was necessary if Lana had wanted to wake up at all.

  Lana was finding that she trusted Marie’s judgement more with each passing day.

  The new leg was reducing her mobility, but she was already considering the possibilities. She had plans for pulsars to be implanted in it in case she came across a reckoner with a soul staff. Although she had a Tumi implant, being tagged was not an option Lana was considering as part of her future.

  She opened the door to Paige’s room and looked in. Paige was still sleeping. She had been asleep more than she had been awake since escaping Cromer. Whatever had happened to her, whatever had given her the power she needed to kill Jules, it had taken a huge amount of energy. With Dr Bhaskhar’s help, Paige’s hand would heal quick
ly. She would have a scar, but Paige would have full movement once her muscles had recovered.

  Next to Paige was the bag with the head in it. Whatever powers it had, Oliver said it was linked to Paige in some way. Lana and the others had made a point of keeping them together.

  Maybe because of the excitement of the previous day, the Unjudged occupation and the drone battles, by the time the reckoners decided to move in on Cromer, there was no resistance left in the locals. Most people opened their doors and welcomed the Tumi implants. A few were more reluctant and had to be taken to a processing centre. But they were all expected to return home soon.

  The first line of the Unjudged defence, some of whom with the red sugar pills half-dissolved in their mouths, had been killed or tagged. The others, suddenly presented with a full show of reckoner power and news of Jennifer’s capture, either dispersed or surrendered. Lana heard rumours some had hidden in a friendly home, pretending to be visiting relatives.

  Sheringham Hall was hidden away in a vast estate a little while along the coast from Cromer. Before the reckoning had started in London, it had fallen into disrepair and was officially closed. It wouldn’t be long until a captured Unjudged told the reckoners about the place, so everyone present knew it was only a temporary solution. They were going to have to make a decision: keep running or give up.

  Lana reached over and brushed Paige’s hair away from her eyes. The other woman stirred.

  “Mum?” Paige said from her bed.

  Lana moved back to the other side of the room. She hid in the darkness.

  “It’s Lana,” she said.

  “Where am I?” Paige said, pulling herself into a sitting position.

  “Sheringham Hall.”

  “What happened to Cromer?”

  “The reckoners moved in.”

  “And my Mum?”

  “I don’t know, Paige. I don’t know.”

  Paige was silent.

  “I’m sorry,” Lana said.

  “Don’t be.”

  They were silent for a moment. Paige wiped her eyes.