The Clearing (Outside #2)

by Shalini Boland

  ‘Speak. We are listening.’ The voice seemed to come from everywhere. It made Liss’s scalp prickle and she wanted to flee the room. But instead she gripped the chair with both hands, forcing herself to remain seated.

  There was nobody in the room, so where was the voice coming from? And it was so loud. Louder than a normal voice. It was a man’s voice and it hissed and crackled like a snake or maybe a dragon. She noticed a red light had appeared on the machine. Maybe it was the machine talking. But she didn’t think so.

  ‘I … I left the yard when I shouldn’t have,’ she said. ‘Our parents said we were never to leave the yard. To never to go outside onto the road. But we did it anyway. I’m sorry,’ she added.

  ‘We are listening,’ the voice said again.

  Did they want more? Liss trawled her brain for more sins, but she couldn’t think of anything. Should she make something up?

  ‘There’s nothing else,’ Liss said. She thought about the soup she tipped away every day and was sure that would count as a wrongdoing. But there was no way she would tell The Listeners about that.

  ‘You may go,’ the voice said.

  Was that it then? Great. She left the room and returned to the classroom, pleased to be back in the daylight again. That hadn’t been bad at all.

  The next day, Liss had a shock.

  Chloe wasn’t at breakfast. She also wasn’t at lessons or at lunch or dinner.

  Perhaps she was ill. Or maybe it was something to do with The Listeners. Maybe she had said something that had made them suspicious. But Chloe seemed really smart. She would never have given herself away.

  Surely she wouldn’t have escaped without her and Annabelle. Would she? Liss would have to wait and see, and hope that the next day Chloe would return. But she didn’t. And she wasn’t back the following day either. Or the one after that.

  Chloe had gone.

  Liss felt terrified all over again. She would be stuck here forever. And the women would eventually realise that she and Annabelle weren’t drinking the soup and they would force them to take it until they became zombie robots like the other girls.

  The days blurred into one another. Breakfast and lessons and tipping away soup and lessons and soup and bed. On and on for days and days with no change. Annabelle had become listless again and this time it wasn’t down to the soup. It was the boredom and monotony and hopelessness of everything. Would it be like this forever?

  One morning, after breakfast, Sarah stood at the top table and cleared her throat. Liss was beginning to realise that Sarah was someone important. More important than mean old Leah. More important than any of the other women. And she was nicer than them too. The girls immediately turned their gazes up towards her and she smiled, a radiant beaming smile that made Liss feel instantly less sad and worried.

  ‘You have all been here for over a month now and I am happy to tell you that you have passed.’ Sarah paused and cast her eyes over every girl in the room.

  Liss made sure to make her face blank and unfocused like everyone else’s. Sarah continued to speak.

  ‘You will all be welcomed into His arms today. Be very proud, children, for not everyone is afforded this opportunity.’

  Despite the warmth of her smile, Liss shivered at Sarah’s words. She had no idea what they meant, but she did not like the sound of them. Not one bit.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Riley

  *

  Pa was due to leave for Ringwood any minute. The AVs and trucks were weighed down with guards, volunteers and weapons. They would stop en route to pick up more supplies and recruits from other compounds.

  I’d been helping to load up and now they were finally ready to go, I stopped for a moment to swig some water. Shielding my eyes from the autumn sun, I scanned the vehicles until I saw Pa. This was him at his best – shouting orders, checking and double-checking supplies.

  ‘Hey.’

  I looked around to see Luc coming towards me.

  ‘Hey,’ I replied.

  He gave me a soft smile.

  The picnic at Coy Pond – was it only the day before? It felt like forever ago that I was laughing and mucking about with Luc. Talking of trivial things and thinking of love. Now the only thoughts I had were of war and kidnap and rescue and danger.

  ‘Is there anything else I can do to help?’ I asked.

  ‘Nope. Don’t think so. They’re pretty much ready to go.’

  A couple of engines started up. Low throaty rumbles.

  ‘You okay?’ Luc asked.

  ‘I honestly don’t know.’

  ‘Me neither,’ he said.

  ‘Is everything really as bad as it looks?’

  ‘Well, Grey hasn’t taken over our Perimeter, so things aren’t majorly bad.’

  ‘Just minorly bad.’

  ‘Maybe somewhere in the middle.’

  ‘Do you think he will? Take over Talbot Woods I mean.’

  ‘I hope not. We’ll do everything we can to stop him.’ Luc took my hand, folded my fingers over and stroked my knuckles sending sparks of pleasure up my arm.

  ‘Are you nervous? About meeting your real father again?’ he asked.

  ‘I don’t really think of him as my father,’ I said.

  ‘No. Of course not. Sorry. I meant . . . Connor.’ He let go of my hand.

  ‘I haven’t really given it much thought,’ I lied.

  In truth, I thought about him all the time. I didn’t know how I was going to act around that man. The last time I saw him I had yelled and said some really horrible things. He probably hated me. But whatever our feelings, we’d have to get over them because we’d be seeing each other sometime later that day.

  It had been decided: While Pa, Eddie and the guards travelled in convoy to Ringwood by road, Luc and I would go by copter to the outskirts of Salisbury where we would rendezvous with Connor.

  Fred and Jessie were also coming. Not to break inside the walls with us, but they wanted to be nearby when we brought out their kids. Only I supposed they weren’t kids any more. I kept thinking of them as these young children, like in the photos on Fred and Jessie’s Welsh dresser. But they were the same ages as me and Luc. I couldn’t imagine what their lives must have been like.

  Doubt was beginning to creep in. Before now, I had only been concerned with getting Pa to agree to my plan. But now it had become real, I started to imagine how hard this was actually going to be. How in the hell were we going to locate two people in a city of thousands? We didn’t even know what they look like and they could have changed their names. But I couldn’t voice my doubts. I had to be positive and hope that luck would favour us.

  Luc gave me a nudge. I looked up and saw Ma tottering down the road towards us like someone out of a movie. She was dressed up for the occasion. Her hair and makeup were immaculate and she wore crazily high heels. She waved at us, her face cheery and bright. Since Skye died, Ma had two settings – fantastically happy or terrified and miserable. It seemed she had chosen happy mode to wave Pa off. I was relieved. I couldn’t have coped with a weeping mother today.

  Pa spotted her and headed over to me and Luc.

  ‘Ellie,’ he said. ‘You look so beautiful.’ He kissed her on the lips.

  ‘I’m just gonna see if dad wants any help,’ Luc said, walking away.

  ‘Hang on a sec, Luc,’ Pa said. ‘Charlie is going to drop you and Riley outside Salisbury in the copter. You need to be ready to leave in three hours. Connor will meet you at the drop-off point.’

  ‘Are Fred and Jessie still coming?’ I asked.

  ‘Yes. But Charlie will keep them in the copter. If you do find their kids, you’ll need to get information out of them. We have to find what Grey’s plans are.’

  ‘And please be careful,’ Ma said, enveloping me in her arms and kissing my cheeks.

  ‘Yes,’ Pa said. ‘Lucas, I’m counting on you to look after my daughter.’

  ‘Of course,’ Luc replied. ‘But she’s pretty tough, Johnny. She got me out
of a couple of really bad situations last month.’

  ‘Yeah, Johnny.’ I grinned at Pa. ‘She’s pretty tough.’

  ‘Well I should think so,’ Pa replied. ‘She’s a Culpepper isn’t she. We don’t breed no weaklings.’

  We smiled, but inside I started to quake. It was all happening so quickly. Would we get through this? Would I ever see Pa again?

  ‘They’re waiting for me,’ Pa said. ‘I’d better . . .’

  I fell into Pa’s arms and he, Ma and I squeezed each other tight while I tried my hardest not to cry. I tried to block out all thoughts of what could go wrong. If I gave into my worries I would turn into a blubbing mess. Pa broke away first.

  ‘Right,’ he said. ‘I’ll see you soon.’ He strode over to his AV and swung himself into the driver’s seat.

  Luc had walked off a little way and was talking to his parents. He was saying goodbye too.

  The AVs moved off slowly. Pa hadn’t activated the blackout mode yet, so we saw him as he rolled past, his mouth turned up in a smile, his sunglasses hiding his true expression. It was too much for Ma and she let out a sob. Turned her back while her shoulders heaved. The smile left Pa’s face but he kept going. Eddie and Rita drove past next. I raised my hand, but they were deep in conversation and didn’t notice.

  And then there was a blur of huge wheels, trucks and faces sliding in and out of focus. The deep roar of engines and the intermittent squeal of brakes. There were quite a few of us lining the road. All there to wave off our friends and family. To wish them luck. To hope they would come home safe. Soon.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Liss

  *

  She had seen its tall spire from a distance, but they had never been right up close before. And now they were to go inside. And they were actually to see James Grey.

  They had learnt about Salisbury Cathedral in their lessons, but all Liss could remember was that it was the most important place in the country and it was nearly eight hundred years old. And now all two hundred girls walked two-by-two in a line towards this ancient building. Away from the familiar courtyard, through an iron gate and along a wide gravel path. Their teachers walked alongside them, silently and slowly, shingle crunching underfoot. A few large drops of rain fell and somewhere above them, a mistle thrush sang.

  It felt strange to be out of their usual confined area. All Liss had seen over the past few weeks had been the dormitory, the dining hall, courtyard and classroom. Now they suddenly came out into the open. Trees swayed in the distance, and their path cut through great swathes of glistening emerald green lawn. Impressive buildings lined the walkways and beyond them in the middle distance towered the imposing cathedral. Liss suddenly realised how much she missed open spaces.

  The rain came harder now and it felt good on Liss’s face. A couple of the women hunched their shoulders and scowled at the weather, but Liss welcomed the cold rain; it reminded her of working at home on the farm. She liked being outdoors.

  The girls trudged on in silence. Liss tried not to stare as a robed figure passed them. The person was covered from head to toe in a cloak with a deep hood so their face was concealed. Several more identically dressed figures walked by.

  And now they came to a wide road with proper pavement on either side. It was all smooth and clean and well kept. The road went on for a long way, but they passed nobody else. Liss suddenly caught her breath as she glanced up and saw the face of a young boy at a window. They locked eyes for a brief moment before Liss had to look away. Maybe FJ was somewhere near here.

  Walking through a wide stone archway, they came upon a narrower road where ancient buildings and tall trees lined the pavements. Her parents had said that when they were growing up, most people lived in brick houses on long streets with roads and pavements. Liss wondered if this was the sort of thing they meant. She didn’t think she would like living like that. She preferred the fields at home and their old stone farmhouse with its sunny yard. Even if she did get lonely sometimes.

  The girls left the narrow roads behind and came back out onto a path flanked by rectangles of close-cropped grass. They soon came to a halt on a wide stone square, right in front of the cathedral entrance. Liss gazed up at the building. It was like something out of a fantastical dream.

  It didn’t look real with all its arches and columns and pointy bits of stone. It reminded Liss of lots of fish bones stacked up on top of each other. She had to remember not to gawp. The other girls weren’t showing the slightest bit of interest. They stood listless and disinterested like a herd of sleepy cattle.

  They were all soaked through to the skin now. Annabelle shivered next to her, but Liss wasn’t able to rub her shoulders or smooth her dripping hair away from her face as she would have liked to. They had to stare straight ahead and carry on pretending to be spaced out. One of the wooden doors was ajar and the girls were led into the cathedral, out of the rain.

  The inside space was as amazing as the outside. Cavernous ceilings amplified their footsteps on the polished floor and hundreds of candles flickered in the gloom, casting long shadows all around. There were arches and columns and windows with coloured glass pictures. They walked past row upon row of empty red velvet chairs, until they were almost at the end of the aisle. Sarah stood in the centre and directed them to the chairs near the front.

  Once seated, Liss heard more footsteps from behind. She wanted to risk a glance. All the other girls had their eyes firmly facing forward and she knew that if anyone saw her turn her head they would know she wasn’t drugged. She noticed some small leather books on the ledge in front of them. Liss picked one up and let it fall near the aisle. She bent to retrieve it and at the same time, turned her head to look behind.

  And what she saw made her pulse begin to race. Behind the now-seated girls came a long line of boys.

  FJ.

  He might be here.

  He must be here.

  The boys began to take their seats. But Liss had to sit up and face forward again. She couldn’t draw any attention to her and Annabelle. They sat for an age. She heard more and more people enter the cathedral. No one spoke, but she could sense the vast space filling up. She could hear more footsteps and dry coughs and the swish of damp clothing.

  Suddenly there was a scraping and clatter of chair legs as everyone rose to their feet. Now an eerie silence hung in the steamy air. Not a sound could be heard. Liss felt the tension like it was a living thing. Annabelle stared up at her, wide-eyed, and she gave her what she hoped was a reassuring look. Thank goodness the younger girl had learned how to be quiet and blend in.

  A robed man appeared at the front of the cathedral. He was tall and thin with a long nose and hooded eyes. He looked very important and very scary. His face was in shadow but he seemed to be staring right at her. Right into her eyes. Into her mind. He must know about her. He must know that she wasn’t drinking the soup. Liss thought she might throw up. But then a big light came on illuminating his face and she saw that he wasn’t staring at her after all.

  He stood before a wooden post which looked a bit like a tall table. Fixed to the table was a small roundish metal object. He leant forward and spoke into it. Liss almost cried out in terror. The man’s voice was so loud. It was like thunder. Annabelle squealed, but luckily, his voice drowned out her cry. His words filled the whole cathedral right up to the rafters.

  The shock of the noise meant she missed the beginning of his speech, but now, as she listened to his words, she began to shake.

  ‘. . . I am your father now. And I will care for you and love you as if you were my own children. You shall want for nothing. I will feed and clothe and keep you until you are taken from this earth. I was put here for that very purpose and you are blessed to have arrived in this heavenly place. And now you will be named and you will become part of our great kingdom, never to be parted from me.’

  This was James Grey, the man Sarah had told them about in their history lessons. But he didn’t look or sound like the great man
Sarah had described. That man had sounded wonderful and kind. Sort of like Father Christmas. But this man in front of them wasn’t like that. He was scary and horrible and she didn’t like him at all. His face was thin and pointy and his skin was all shiny and smooth. His dark robe was trimmed with red, like crows feathers dripping with blood. He looked like a bad man, even though he was trying to seem like he was good and kind. His smile wasn’t even a proper one.

  Liss trembled, she couldn’t help it. Her teeth chattered and she felt as though she might faint with terror. This man was saying they must stay with him forever. He was saying that he was supposed to be their father now.

  He wasn’t her dad. He wasn’t anything like her dad. Liss realised that Annabelle was gripping her hand, but she had to prise it off before one of the women saw.

  She darted glances around the church. All the girls were staring at James Grey like he was the most beautiful thing they had ever seen. They seemed happy, enraptured.

  Liss wanted so much to run right out of this creepy church. To grab Annabelle and sprint as fast as they could and as far away as they could. But there were girls in front of her and girls and boys behind her and there were grownups standing everywhere. There was nowhere to go.

  She wished she was a tiny insect who could slip away unnoticed. Or a sparrow who could flit up to the rafters and hide. But instead she was a useless girl – too big to hide, too slow to run, too stupid to escape.

  She sensed he was saying something more important now. His voice had gone a little quieter. A little scarier.

  ‘It pains me to tell you that before I can welcome you into my church, there are some matters to attend to. Some unfortunate events which need to be dealt with. You will see that I am not afraid to do what must be done. Lesser men would shy away from such things, but I am not a lesser man.

  ‘I speak to you today of betrayal and evil. Of bad people in this world who would like to destroy heaven. Who would ruin our quest for perfection. I must make an example of these selfish people who try to disrupt our peace. For if I spared them, they would leave here and bring others to destroy our beautiful life and that cannot be allowed to happen. I am here to protect you and in order to protect, I must also pass judgement.’