I reached up, grabbing a handful of hair and pulled it over my shoulder. What else? My mind was in a frenzy. Max’s left side. That was fine. Hand. Check your hand! screamed the voice in my head. I thrust my right hand deep into the pocket of my jacket. I looked ahead. Six more people in front. Stay calm. Act natural. What if they check Max’s I.D. card? They’ll read the name – Fred Butler. Shit. Shit. Shit. This isn’t gonna work. Four more staff in front.
“Stop Cruor Pharma from testing on animals – animal cruelty should be stopped.”
I looked over at the gate. A large crowd of people holding up banners had swarmed around the entrance stopping the staff from entering and leaving.
“It’s not science, its animal cruelty,” the crowd shouted.
The two security guards at the entrance gate tried to hold them back but the group pushed forward chanting even louder.
I looked back at the line in front. Two more people were ahead of me and Max.
“Wait here,” the guard on the gate ordered. He left the exit and walked over to the animal protesters who were still gathering outside the front gate.
I could hear the staff behind me grumbling about missing their bus. The two people in front looked at their watches, feet tapping impatiently.
I looked back at the security guards. They had their hands full, attention caught up with the protesters.
Turning to face Max, I said, “Let’s go.”
He nodded his head. We pushed past the two staff in front, hoping we wouldn’t get noticed by security. The staff tutted at us as we shoved passed them and out through the gate.
Relieved to be out of the grounds of Cruor Pharma, I breathed in deeply. Would Raven and Jude be as lucky as me and Max?
The crowd had become more vocal. They thrust forward, waving and swinging their banners about. I turned to look at Max but got swamped up by the protesters. I tried to push through them. Their bodies tightly compacted around me. Each step forward I took, I was thrust back several paces. It was like being caught up in a wave and trying to swim against it.
“Please can you let me through?” I tried again to break across the crowd. My plea went unheard. The protesters were shouting and screaming, my voice lost amongst their cries. I couldn’t see Max. Had he made it through the crowd?
Another shove back. I could feel the panic rising in me as I realised that I was now back within the grounds of Cruor Pharma – pushed back through the gates. I had to get out. I shoved back – using my shoulders to barge past two protesters. I collided with a man who stumbled back. He regained his balance. He stared at me.
“Scum,” he spat. “Animal killer”. He lifted his wooden banner and brought it down on my head.
I fell back. The protesters became nothing more than a spinning blur as my head hit the concrete ground.
“Get back!” A male voice screamed behind me. A pair of hands slipped about my waist and lifted me off the floor. I watched hopelessly as I was dragged away from the yelling crowd and back amongst the staff of Cruor Pharma.
“No,” I protested, snatching at the hands that gripped me. I was being pulled inside a room. “I need to go.” My head was still spinning. I tried to focus.
“You ain’t going anywhere, missy. Not while those protesters are out there.”
I looked up. My head pressed against the stomach of a security guard. He hoisted me up into a chair.
“You’ve had a nasty knock to your head.” He walked around from the back of the chair and crouched down in front of me. “How you feeling?”
“Dizzy,” I murmured, lightly touching the top of my head. I couldn’t believe I was back within the grounds of Cruor Pharma. I’d had a few steps of freedom only to have it snatched away.
“Gonna have to fill out an accident form,” he said, standing up and pulling open a drawer.
My eyes shot toward the door. There was no way I was going to hang about to fill out some crappy form. I had to get out. There was no time to waste. I looked back toward the open door. The crowd had grown. The protesters were shoving forwards, the security guards struggling to hold them back. Staff were piling up. Some shouting at the protesters. The noise was deafening.
“Here we go.” The security guard turned around, holding a sheet of paper up. He grabbed a chair and placed it in front of me. Sitting down, he pulled a pen out from his shirt pocket. His name badge glinted from under the single bulb that hung from the ceiling - Charlie.
I stood up. “I haven’t got time for this, I’m going home.” I made for the door.
Charlie jumped up from his seat, quickly blocking my escape. “You ain’t leaving till you’ve filled this form out, missy,” he spat. “I ain’t getting the sack for some silly girl who doesn’t abide by the rules.”
I tried to step around him. “I’ll fill one out tonight when I come back for the night shift.”
“No, you won’t. You’ll do it now,” he ordered, his arms out-stretched on both sides, herding me back toward the chair.
Over his shoulder, I could see the gates had been pulled shut. The security guards leaning all their weight up against them, desperate to keep the protesters from breaking through. Their angry screams and chants pierced the air.
“I’m not filling that shitty form out now – I’m leaving,” I snapped. I went to duck under his arm. He was too quick. He grabbed me by the shoulders, forcing me down onto the chair. Panic filled me. I had to get away. I had to find the others before they got on the bus. “Get your fucking hands off of me – don’t touch me!” I screamed, shoving him back. I no longer cared if I didn’t act like a member of staff. All that mattered now was my escape.
Charlie’s eyes narrowed. “Where’s your I.D. badge?” He loomed over me. His eyes filled with suspicion.
A voice suddenly sounded over his radio. “Get your arse out here, Charlie – they’re climbing up the gates.”
“You,” he pointed his finger in my face. “You, stay right there – don’t move.” He turned and ran out through the door.
I leapt up. If I was gonna escape then it had to be now. Slipping the strap of the satchel over my head, I charged out into the crowd.
CHAPTER TWENTY SEVEN
I was tangled up amongst the staff. Boxed in from all directions. I couldn’t move. I stood on tip-toe, straining to see over the heads that bobbed about in front of me. My eyes shifted frantically from left to right through the wire fencing. Where were the others? I couldn’t see them. Had they left me? Were they already on the bus? The protesters blocked my view. Their faces pushed up against the fencing like a pack of wild animals trying to break in. I tried to push through.
“Excuse me.” I struggled to separate the two people stood in front of me. I pushed my arms out between them, hoping I could lever them apart. I didn’t care if they saw my claws. I didn’t care about anything other than escaping. They didn’t hear me. The shouting and screaming had turned into more of a roar. I could hardly hear myself think. I had to get through. I charged forward, breaking past the block of staff only to find another barrier of people to get past. I pushed and shoved. I was gonna get out – even if I had to fight my way out. I rammed my way between the staff. The wire fence was closer now. The angry faces of the protesters screamed and swore. The security guards yelled back, their arms outstretched, trying to hold the fencing up from the weight of the protesters. How was I going get over the fence? The gates were shut and the fence lined with more than ten security guards. Even if I did try to climb it, I would be dragged back down by security. My eyes suddenly fell upon Jude and Max. They stood amongst the protesters, pulling and hanging on the fence. The sight of them spurned me on. I could do this. I elbowed my way through the staff, knocking them aside. Adrenaline giving me strength to propel my way forward.
“Kassidy, over here!” shouted Max. He pushed on the fence.
Jude leapt up, hooking his fingers into the wire. This was it. I was going over the fence.
I tried to push past a woman blocking my way. S
he wouldn’t budge.
“Move!” I screamed at her. She ignored me. I grabbed a clump of her hair, desperate to get by her. I yanked her back. She fell to the floor – stunned. I clambered over her – my way now clear.
“Murdering bitch!” screamed one of the protesters as they saw me break through the staff.
I hesitated. The protesters’ attention was now on me as I stood apart from the staff of Cruor Pharma. Their crazed faces leered at me. They wanted my blood. If only they knew what really went on inside Cruor Pharma. There were no animal tests in there. Just humans. Victims like me.
I looked to the right. Charlie was screaming into his radio. Our eyes met.
I didn’t need to think too hard. Cruor Pharma or the protesters? I ran for the fence.
“Oi, you,” screamed Charlie, fixing his radio to his belt and charging toward me.
I ran. My legs moved liked pistons. My arms thrust me forward. I lunged for the fence. My fingers hooked onto the wire. I yanked myself up. My heart beat from within like it wanted to escape from my chest. My muscles burnt as I tried to pull myself up. My feet slipped from the fence and I hung momentarily as I tried to find a gap in the wire for my feet to prop on to.
“Come on, Kassidy,” screamed Jude, his face just inches from mine as we clung onto the fence from opposite sides. His blue eyes filled with panic as he saw Charlie reach up and grab my ankle.
I slipped. Charlie’s hand held me down – preventing me from climbing up. The protesters joined in. They shoved at the fence, knocking me, snatching at me. I hung on. Jude kicked out at them. His foot caught one of the protesters in the face. The man fell to the side.
“Kick him off, Kassidy!” yelled Max, his eyes on Charlie.
I looked down. With my free leg and my fingers gripping tightly to the fence, I kicked out. My foot smacked hard into Charlie’s face. He stumbled back. I reached up. One of my shoes fell to the ground. My toes squeezed into a gap between the wire and I lifted myself further up the fence. Jude had climbed higher. His arm reached over the top of the fence, his fingers snatching for me.
“Come here,” snarled Charlie, “I ain’t letting you get away. I know who you are.” He was back on his feet and climbing up under me.
The fence started to move. I could feel myself swaying backward and forward. The weight of the protesters throwing themselves against it was too much. I stretched out my arm. Desperate to feel Jude’s fingers take my hand. The briefest touch of his skin against mine vanished as the fence came down.
I landed on my back. Stunned. The wire fence pinned me down. The protesters charged forward. They had forgotten me now as their break-in had been achieved. They clambered over. I had to get out from under the broken fence or I’d be crushed for sure. Jude and Max were trying to lift it up but the protesters barged through them, sending them flying. I could see Charlie. He was trapped. Caught up in the broken wires. I used my feet to push myself back, sliding out from under the fence. I held my arms up as the protesters swarmed through the broken gap, charging in like frenzied animals. Staggering to my feet, I was knocked from left to right, my limbs tangled up with rushing bodies of the protesters and staff colliding as one. The noise was overwhelming. I wobbled forward, teetering on the broken fence. It lay at an awkward angle, broken banners strewn across it. Charlie still kicked about underneath the fence, half his body still caught up in the wires. I spun around. I had lost sight of Jude and Max. Which side of the fence were they on? Shaking, I moved forward, my escape out of Cruor Pharma right in front of me. I just had to get past the crowds.
“You ain’t going anywhere.” Charlie’s voice filtered through the screams and shouts. He snatched at my ankle. I toppled over, landing on my knees.
“Fuck off!” I screamed, swinging my leg out as he pulled me toward him. The heel of my foot crunched down on his nose.
“You little bitch!” he bellowed, grabbing hold of my other ankle – dragging me nearer to him.
I wasn’t gonna let this piece of shit ruin my escape. Not now. Not after everything I had been through to get this far. I screwed my fingers tight into a fist and slammed it down between his legs. He cried out. His hands fell away from my ankles. Tears welled up in his eyes. He curled up on his side, screaming. I jumped up. Determined, I shoved my way through the oncoming protesters. Their cries and chanting hurt my ears. I continued to push ahead. Another sound stopped me dead in my tracks. The faint noise of sirens. As if snapping out of a daze, I barged through the gap in the fence. The police were coming.
CHAPTER TWENTY EIGHT
I ran through the crowd of protesters, looking for Max and the others. A bus rumbled off into the distance, disappearing into the fog. Where were they? I frantically searched through the protesters. What should I do? The sound of sirens was getting louder. There was no time to wait. I shouted out my friends’ names. I spun around. I couldn’t see them. There were too many people. Too much noise. I couldn’t compete with the screaming and chanting.
Bright lights suddenly appeared over the crest of Strangers Hill from both sides. The loud wail of sirens filled the air. The foggy morning was suddenly lit up with flashes of blue. I turned away. Desperation turned to panic. My eyes anxiously veered from left to right. I pushed through the crowd. I wanted to hide, but I had to leave. I knew the police weren’t here for me – but I was scared they might think I was one of the protesters – or worse, Charlie might want to press charges for assaulting him, and if that happened then I would fall back into the hands of Doctor Middleton. I couldn’t wait for the others. I couldn’t let myself be arrested. The sound of tyres braking cut through the chanting. I looked toward the road. Four police vans and one police car had stopped. The vehicle doors swung open. The blue lights continued to flash. The police came charging out. I was swamped by the sudden onslaught of protesters running from all directions – avoiding arrest. I struggled through the running bodies – frantically seeking a way out. I didn’t know which way to run. The police had formed a human chain. They were herding the protesters back toward the fence, their shields held high. I had to get past them or risk being held along with the protesters. Shoving my way through the crowd, I saw an open space. The police hadn’t quite shut the gap in the chain. I ran. My eyes fixed on that gap. Nothing else mattered. I smashed through the crowd – not caring who I knocked over. Everything seemed a blur. I was running a race. I had to be first. I hit the open space. If I was going to get caught it would be now. I ran alone. Standing out from the crowd of protesters – breaking my cover. That feeling of being chased spurred me on. The angry shouts and cries of the police and protesters blasting through my ears forced me to move. I kept going. My bare feet oblivious to the sharp stones and cold road they now pummelled against. Two bright lights suddenly came out from the fog toward me. A bus. It narrowly missed me as I swerved off the road and veered among the fir trees that crowded the top of Strangers Hill. I ran blindly – zipping past trees – avoiding low branches. Patches of fog swirled around me as I rushed on. I kept going – unsure if I were being chased – too scared to look over my shoulder. I felt myself fall. My foot slipped on a loose lump of rock. I tumbled over – my ankle twisting to the side. Landing face-first on a bed of fallen pine needles, I rolled onto my back. Tilting my head forward, I quickly checked the area, hoping that no one had been coming after me. Strangers Hill seemed void of all life. If it hadn’t have been for the distant noise of police sirens, I would have believed I was in the middle of nowhere. I sat up. My breathing heavy, I rubbed my chest. My heart beat so hard it hurt. I glanced about nervously. The hill was compacted with dense fir trees. The sky couldn’t be seen through the fog, and even on a clear day you would struggle to see sunlight through the tall trees. I rubbed my ankle. It felt stiff. I knew it was going to hurt as soon as I stood on it. I cursed. This was all I needed. It would slow me down. Grabbing on to a tree trunk, I pulled myself up. Leaning my weight on my good leg, I checked around me. I had no idea of my exact whereabouts on Strangers Hi
ll. I didn’t even know if I were on the right side of the hill to get down to Holly Tree. I was completely disorientated. The fog didn’t help. All I could see was dark, murky shapes hiding in the mist. At least if I followed the hill down I would eventually come to the road which twisted its way around the hill. That was my best bet. Maybe I would get my bearings when I reached the road.
I cautiously placed my foot down – preparing for the pain. It hurt, but I wasn’t going let it stop me from getting off this godforsaken hill. I may have escaped from Cruor Pharma, but I wasn’t safe. Not yet. I staggered forward, gripping onto tree trunks, slipping every so often on the damp pine needles. It was eerily silent. I shuddered and checked over my shoulder. All clear as far as I could see. I carried on. My good leg had started to hurt. It ached from putting all of my weight on it. I was exhausted. I thought of my bed back in my flat. If only I’d stayed tucked up in there yesterday morning none of this would have happened. But it was too late to think about ifs and buts. I was trapped in this nightmare. I didn’t even know what I was going to do. The plan to get to Jude’s car seemed pointless now. The car was useless without Jude. Should I even be bothering with heading to Holly Tree? What would I do when I got there? Where would I go? Had the others even escaped from Cruor Pharma? I had to believe they had. I didn’t want to think about being left on my own, on the run – looking like this. I stopped for a moment. My right hand still scarred with thick, black veins filled with VA20. My nails a cloudy-grey, long and curled. I could cover them with black nail varnish easily enough, but my hand? I couldn’t live with gloves on permanently. I staggered on. I would go to Holly Tree, head for The Fallen Star where Jude had left his car. Hope that the others were heading there if they had managed to escape and hadn’t been arrested. And then what? We would need to find out what VA20 was. What it was doing to us and if we could remove it from our veins. We would have to stay low, keep out of sight from the police and Doctor Middleton. We needed answers. But who would give them to us? Who could we trust? I thought of Father William and his journal. Demons. That’s what he thought Middleton and Ben were. Yesterday morning I would have laughed at the very thought, but after everything that had happened, after everything I had seen, the idea seemed more real.
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