by Casey, Ryan
He’d seen things like this before. In the Middle East, military groups rose to power based on guerrilla tactics and instilling fear in the citizens of the towns they took over.
And they managed to run a pretty good operation, in all truth. They managed to begin a new society.
But it never lasted. Because the might of military power from elsewhere always won over in the end.
Mike knew they couldn’t rely on that might anymore.
So all they had left was using the same tactics that Graham’s people had used themselves.
It wasn’t going to be easy. It was going to be damned messy.
But it was going to work.
It had to work.
Or everything Vincent had dedicated the latter years of his life towards was going to die in vain.
But Gina had a point.
Kelsie.
Alison.
The rest of their people; their friends.
“I don’t know where they are,” Mike said. “We can’t pretend to know where they are. But… but we have to believe we’ll find them. That when we start to rise, start to step up, we’ll come across them again.”
“And if we don’t?”
Mike took a deep breath. “I have full faith that wherever they are, they’ll be safe. They’re survivors. Just like us.”
“I killed my mum, you know?”
Mike stopped, then. He looked around at Gina. She hadn’t spoken much about what’d happened with her mum all those years ago. Alison had told him what happened, but it wasn’t the same hearing it from her.
Gina had repressed what had happened to her mum. What had gone down between them before they’d got to Richard’s extraction point all that time ago.
And he knew a thing like that had the power to haunt anyone.
“Sometimes… sometimes I wonder if I’d made a different choice, where I’d be right now. Because—because as hard as it is to accept… I was close, Mike. I was close to choosing my mum. Even though—even though I knew it wasn’t the right route to take. Even though I knew it’d send me spiralling back into a cocoon of defencelessness. I nearly did it. I nearly did what—what she wanted me to do. I nearly killed Alison. And it haunts me to this day.”
Mike felt sourness fill his body when Gina said those words. Especially when she admitted what she’d almost done to Alison. Someone she was so close to. Someone she’d spent so much time with.
But then he gritted his teeth, and he reached out and put a hand on Gina’s shoulder. “We’ve all been challenged,” Mike said. “We’ve all done things we don’t want to do. Things we didn’t think we were capable of. But… but the fact is, we’re still here. We’re still here, and we’re still on the right side. Aren’t we?”
Gina was crying now. “I just… I tried to convince myself my mum wasn’t right. That she couldn’t be right. About Richard’s place. About any of it. I tried—I tried to tell myself I could escape her shadow. But I couldn’t. I still haven’t. She’s still… she’s still pulling the strings. And whenever I get close to someone, they always…”
She stopped then. Fell into a full downpour of tears.
And Mike felt like this was it.
This was the moment.
The moment that had been building for some time.
“I’m sorry for what happened to Harrison,” Mike said. “I should never have taken him with me. I should never have let him get into the water. I should never—”
“You did the right thing,” Gina said. “Like you always do. He—he idolised you. He respected you so much. Saw you as a leader figure. And… and I know that if he died when he was with you, he died trying to help this place. He died doing the right thing. And I—I can’t hate you for that. As much as I want to, I just can’t.”
Mike gulped. Turned away. Hearing that forgiveness from Gina—hearing what it meant to her, and what he meant to Harrison—it all made everything all the more tough to take.
But hearing her forgiveness was what he needed.
“We’ll keep on fighting,” Mike said. “For Vincent. For Harrison. For… for everyone we’ve lost.”
She looked up at Mike, and she smiled.
For the first time in so, so long, she looked right into his eyes with warmth, and she smiled.
And then the lid to the garbage container opened up.
“Out you get,” a voice said. “Looks like your luck’s run out, eh?”
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Alison and Romesh made sure Arya and the kids were far out of the confines of the hospital grounds before they began their next step.
Because she knew the next step could get violent.
She crouched opposite Kelsie. Held her hands. They were a good mile or two out of the hospital grounds, in the woods. They’d managed to sneak out.
But they were going to find their way back in there.
Because they weren’t running away.
They were going to fight back.
Fight for their home.
But at the same time… she knew there was a very real risk they weren’t going to win this battle.
That she wasn’t going to come back from it.
Siobhan was by Kelsie’s side. Leaning against a tree. She looked like she hadn’t slept much, and that she’d been crying a lot. Arya was cuddling up to her, whining, like she sensed something was wrong.
She hoped Kelsie would look out for Siobhan, despite all that had happened between them, despite all that had gone down. She’d heard about it on her way back here. Sarah. Her deception. Siobhan being caught in the middle of it all.
And the pair of them weren’t speaking much.
Alison just had to hope that time would heal.
After all, they’d all done things they weren’t proud of.
Besides. Kelsie was stronger than Siobhan. She could put that strength to such good use.
“You’re going to be okay,” Alison said. “Make sure you look after Siobhan. She’s going to need it. Until me and Romesh get back—”
“Don’t lie, Alison.”
Alison frowned when she said those words. “What do you mean by that?”
Kelsie half-smiled, a look of acceptance on her face. “Let’s face it. You might not be coming back. So don’t pretend you definitely will be. Don’t—don’t pretend everything’s going to be okay when it probably isn’t. You don’t have to treat me like I’m a kid. Not anymore.”
Alison looked away, over at Romesh. He was holding a long knife that they’d grabbed from one of the flats on their way out. It wasn’t much. It was hardly going to win a war.
But it was something.
If they could take out Graham, they could cut the head off the snake, just like Graham had done to Vincent.
And at that point, it was just a case of waiting for people to fall in line again.
She knew it wasn’t easy. It went against democracy. And there were no doubt going to be more uprisings.
But the order had been unsettled.
It was going to take some time to restore it.
She put a hand on Kelsie’s shoulder. Wanted to give her some of those empty platitudes again; those promises that things were going to be okay, that everything was going to sort itself out.
But she couldn’t.
She just couldn’t pretend anymore.
“You’re right,” Alison said. “There’s a good chance we aren’t coming back. And that’s where you come in. If… if we don’t come back, I want you to be strong. I want you to make sure that… that Graham doesn’t live to keep this place going. I know it’s a lot to ask. I know it’d be safer to tell you to run away. But there’s times when you can’t run away, Kelsie. There’re times when running away isn’t enough. I need you to stand up. To be strong. Because you are strong. Okay?”
Kelsie looked up at her, and she smiled. “Do you think Mike’s going to be okay?”
Again, Alison wanted to lie to Kelsie. She wanted to tell her that sure, things were going to be okay
, and everything was going to work out.
But again… it didn’t feel honest.
It didn’t feel right.
Kelsie was old enough to hear the truth, now.
“I hope so,” Alison said. “But I don’t know. I can’t say for certain. But I do know one thing. He’s a fighter. He—he’s a leader. Even if he doesn’t see it himself yet, that’s just who he is. And he’ll keep fighting, no matter what. No matter how hard it is. No matter how far he has to go. He’ll keep fighting because he believes in what Vincent was doing. And he believes in this place. The future of this place. You.”
Kelsie nodded, then. But Alison could tell she was worried. She could tell she was concerned. That too much was falling on her shoulders.
“I’m just a girl,” Kelsie said.
“You said you wanted treating like an adult? Then you can’t have it both ways. Not anymore. So tell me, Kelsie. Are you a child? Or are you a woman? Which is it?”
Kelsie looked at the ring around her neck. The ring that Mike had given her. The one belonging to Holly.
Then she looked back at Alison, and she half-smiled.
“I’m a woman,” she said.
“Good,” Alison said. “I know you are. And you’re strong. You’re so, so strong.”
She leaned towards Kelsie, then. Kissed her on the cheek.
Then as she went to pull away, she felt Kelsie holding on to her tight, not wanting her to let go.
“It’s okay,” Alison said, smiling. “It’s okay.”
She held Kelsie a little longer.
Then, she moved away.
She didn’t want to let go of Kelsie’s hand.
She didn’t want to let her slip away.
But she fought back the tears and stepped away, then went to Romesh’s side.
“Look after Siobhan,” Alison said. “Look after her, no matter what it takes.”
Kelsie looked at Siobhan. A look of resistance. Of reluctance.
Then, a nod.
Alison turned away. Walked to Romesh’s side.
“You ready?” she said.
Romesh nodded. He looked lost. Caught up with grief and confusion.
But he was here.
“Ready,” he said.
Alison looked back at Kelsie once more, over to where she was.
Then, she started to walk back towards the hospital.
It was time to make a stand.
It was time to fight.
It was time to defend Vincent’s legacy, once and for all.
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Mike felt the knife pressing against his back, and he knew he was in big trouble.
The brightness of the morning had rapidly transformed into something darker. There was a chill to the air. Specks of rain fell down.
And Mike and Gina were being led towards something.
A fate he wasn’t sure he wanted to face up to.
A reality that he wanted to escape.
He felt the knife dig deeper into his back as he walked further and further through the grounds. As he walked, he passed by people he recognised. People he thought he liked.
But they weren’t doing a thing, as him and Gina were pushed by.
They were just standing.
Watching.
Fear in their eyes.
The fear of standing up to Graham’s rule already ingrained onto their psyche.
He looked around at Gina. Saw the fear on her face and knew he probably looked the same. Because there was something about this. A sticking point, in a sense.
And that sticking point was the fact that they were still alive.
He’d heard Graham’s orders.
But this was different.
They were being taken somewhere.
Which meant that something had changed.
He dreaded to think what it might be.
He looked over his shoulder and felt the knife against his back again.
“Keep walking.”
“Luke, you don’t have to—”
“Don’t even try snaking your way out of this. Not now.”
But Mike wasn’t for giving up. He couldn’t. “Don’t you see what’s happening? Graham has orchestrated this. He’s orchestrated every bit of it so it falls in his favour.”
“I told you to be quiet.”
“He’s made out like there’s problems with the newcomers, and inside the grounds. And sure. There are issues. Everywhere has its issues. But not like he says. Not as extreme as he makes out. Not as—”
He felt a hand to his back, pushing right against him.
The next thing he knew, he was on the ground.
He turned. Looked up at Luke. Looked into his deep brown eyes.
“Listen,” he said. “You’re lucky you’re still alive. Truth is, you won’t be for much longer. But Graham… well. He’s changed things. And he’s got something for you. Something he wants you to see.”
Mike felt a hardening in his gut. He felt like those words were teasing something. Something he was dreading.
Why would Graham want Mike alive?
What would he want to witness before he died?
There were only a few things Mike could think of.
And none of them were good.
Luke held out a hand, then. “Now get back on your feet. We don’t have much time.”
Mike looked at that hand.
Then over at Gina.
Then, reluctantly, he took Luke’s hand and got back to his feet.
They walked further. Further through the grounds. Further towards that podium where Graham had given his speech.
And as they walked, the more the dread built up.
The more Mike sensed he was going to have to do something. Fast.
Because he still had a chance.
He was alive, so he still had a chance.
He looked at Gina and went to say something to her when something caught his eye.
The podium.
The place where Graham had stood so recently when he’d ushered in his new order.
He was standing there again.
A crowd still around.
Only Graham wasn’t alone this time.
Mike went to lunge forward when he saw her.
Then the arms grabbed him.
Pulled him back.
“No.”
“Don’t move.”
But he wasn’t stopping. Wasn’t giving up. “No!”
Graham looked at him, then. A smile to his face.
Then he looked at the person by his side.
On their knees.
Staring at Mike.
Resignation in her eyes.
Alison.
Romesh by her side.
“Mike,” Graham said. “Pleasure of you to join us. You’re a lucky man. You get to witness something. Something special. A final treat before we finish you off and end your treachery once and for all.”
“No!” Mike screamed, struggling trying to shake free, knowing what was next, knowing what was coming.
But then Graham lifted a long knife. Lifted it, pressed it to Alison’s neck.
“You get to witness the end of someone you love.”
“Please!”
“You get to witness a real changing of the guard.”
“Alison. No. No!”
He felt the hands pulling him back.
“Mike,” Gina said. Her voice trying to calm him. Trying to reassure him.
But it wasn’t.
It couldn’t.
He looked at Alison, blade to her neck, and he kept on kicking out, kept on trying to fight free. Romesh looked beaten and bruised, too. He wasn’t in a good way.
But all Mike could do was look into Alison’s eyes.
And then as Graham lifted his knife, he kicked free of Luke and went hurtling towards Alison.
“Alison!” He shouted. “No. No!”
He ran as fast as he could.
Everything going silent around him.
Everything in
his peripheral vision fading away.
The only one, her.
She looked at him. Looked into his eyes as he raced towards her.
And as he stared into them, he saw something in them.
Not a look of fear.
But a look of love.
A look of pride.
“Alison!”
He saw her smile.
Then he saw her whisper the words. The words that he could still see from all this distance away.
“I love you, Mike. I’ll get you in those cuffs in another life.”
“Alison!”
But then he heard it.
He saw it.
The shock.
The moment he hadn’t imagined he’d ever see.
But the moment he’d feared for so, so long.
And he could only freeze and watch.
He wasn’t sure what happened next.
He wasn’t sure of anything as everything blurred around him.
As he fought past the people flying to him, trying to restrain him.
As he threw himself towards the alleyway to his right.
He raced away. Mind spinning. Chest tight. Everything around him crumbling.
And as people chased after him, as they pursued him, he could only think of one thing.
The last thing he’d seen.
The last thing he’d watched.
Alison.
The blade.
Then everything falling apart right before his eyes.
“Mike!”
He looked around. Saw Gina there in front of a bunch of people chasing them both. He saw the pain in her eyes. The tears in her eyes.
“Wait,” Gina said. “Please.”
But Mike could only look back at her.
He could only look at the oncoming people.
And he could only replay what he’d seen happen to Alison—what he’d watched—over and over again.
He took a deep breath and felt the sickness creeping up his throat.
“I’m sorry,” he said.
And then he turned around, and he ran.
He didn’t stop running.
Chapter Thirty-Nine
The snow started to fall.
Mike looked up at the cloudy sky. He watched the flakes of snow as they hit the ground. There was something so serene about the snow. Something so silent about it as it poured down, but without the chaos of rain.
