by Hatchett
Their footsteps echoed along the High Street as they walked, the only light from the moon and their small torches. They didn’t speak, just kept their ears and eyes open for any movement. Mamba stupidly still half-expected to bump into the blond woman, but it wasn’t to be.
At the end of the High Street, the man who had been sitting and watching the Hunter’s Arms was still there. He turned as Mamba and Ahmed approached.
“Have a good evening?”
“Nah, it was shite,” Mamba replied. “Don’t they let ya get any sleep ‘round here?”
“Someone will come to relieve me soon,” the man said confidently, turning back to look at the front door of the Hunter’s Arms as if the conversation was over.
“Don’t ya go sleepin’ on the job,” Mamba warned. “Ya don’t want yer arse kicked if summat goes wrong.”
The man ignored him, so Mamba and Ahmed walked to the front door and entered.
They quickly made their way along the lit corridor to the lounge area, which was equally well-lit by their battery lamps. He was not surprised to see Basir and his men sitting and chatting about the night’s events.
Mamba looked around and spotted Faruk and Ismet a few seats away from the rest, and made a beeline for them, acknowledging Basir as he passed.
Mamba plonked himself into the nearest seat and put his feet on the low table in front of him. Ahmed sat down beside him.
“How’d it go?” Mamba asked.
Faruk: “Perfect.”
Ismet: “Piece of…”
Faruk: “Cake.”
“Any trouble?” Mamba asked.
Ismet: “Nah.”
Faruk: “Nothing.”
“Ya guys betta get some sleep. I think tomorrow is gonna be a busy day,” Mamba suggested.
Faruk and Ismet got up and left the room.
“Basir!” Mamba called, and Basir hurried over and sat where Faruk had been sitting.
“All OK?” Mamba asked.
“Yeah, everything’s fine.”
“I want this place guarded carefully tonight. Lock the doors. Don’t want any surprise visitors.”
“No Problem. I’ll tell Temel. He’s covering while I get some sleep.”
“Good lad,” Mamba commended him, “‘n good job tonight. Didn’t spot any of ya.”
Basir beamed.
Mamba rose and Ahmed followed suit.
“Time fer some shut-eye,” Mamba said, leading the way out of the lounge and towards the stairs.
“When d’ya think the shit’ll hit the fan?” Ahmed asked as they climbed the stairs.
“Who knows? Could be in five minutes or five hours. Whatever happens, nothin’ll be the same again.”
At the top of the stairs Mamba headed for the room he had used earlier that afternoon while Ahmed picked the one next door.
“Ya know, I never thought dwarfs were real,” Mamba mused.
“Ya kiddin’!” Ahmed said loudly, with a grin on his face.
“Nah. ‘Course I heard of that story…what the fuck is it…”
“Snow White...”
“’N the seven dwarfs! Yeah, that’s the one. But I thought it was jus’ a story.”
“What ‘bout all ‘em panto’s at Christmas?” Ahmed asked.
“What ‘bout ‘em?”
“Well, some do the Snow White ‘n the dwarfs thing.”
“Yeah, but I thought it was kids or short people on their knees,” Mamba said honestly.
Ahmed chuckled.
“Ya fuckin’ amaze me sometimes, bro,” Ahmed said. “Next yer’ll be tellin’ me ya don’t believe in fairies.”
“Funny!”
After saying goodnight, Mamba turned on his torch and entered his room. He moved across to his gear, pulled out a lamp and switched it on. He then undressed then walked to each of the windows in turn to close the curtains.
The spotter sitting outside the front of the hotel was still there, so Mamba gave him the bird as he closed the drapes.
He climbed into the large double bed, wishing he had some company. At this point, he couldn’t have cared less if it was Chrissy or the blond bird. Even Mollie seemed a half-decent option at the moment, and he hadn’t even had a beer!
He thought about the night’s events. In a way it was a shame the Rev had gone to meet his maker so soon. Mamba had enjoyed toying with the man and would’ve preferred to have killed the demented little shit himself. In public and very messily. Still, he was sure Faruk and Ismet had done a good job, knowing their penchant for the perverse. Also, there would be plenty more entertainment the following day, he was sure.
He started thinking about Chrissy and the blond woman again until he drifted off into a long and peaceful sleep.
21
Day 21 – 08:30
New Eden
Mamba awoke to heavy thumping on his bedroom door.
“Fuck off!” he shouted and pulled the cover over his head.
He’d been having a delightful dream which he really didn’t want to end.
“Ya betta get up!” Ahmed shouted back. “Shit is hittin’ the fan.”
Mamba swore to himself, threw off the cover and sat on the side of the bed, checking his watch for the time. Thankfully the curtains weren’t too thick and allowed some weak light through the material to enable him to see.
He stood up, stretched, then picked up the clothes he had strewn all across the floor the previous night and started to get dressed.
“How long ya gonna be?” Ahmed shouted through the door.
“As long as it fuckin’ takes!” Mamba shouted back.
“Well, get yer arse in gear!”
Mamba heard Ahmed stomping off down the corridor and had to smile. He loved that bastard. Clever but stupid at the same time. He finished dressing, made sure he had his weapons and made his way downstairs and into the lounge.
“What the fuck’s so urgent?” Mamba demanded as he walked into the room and saw Ahmed taking to Basir.
Ahmed looked over then pointed to a large figure sitting in one of the chairs.
Mamba looked and saw it was that Enforcer who he’d seen a couple of times. The one that took their pistols at the Rev’s place the previous night. Couldn’t remember his name and cared even less. Mamba looked around and saw that the man appeared to be on his own, although he knew that didn’t really mean anything.
He sauntered over and dropped into a chair facing the Enforcer and stared at him for a few seconds.
“Where’s ya mates?” Mamba asked.
The Enforcer looked around and shrugged sarcastically.
“Not here,” he confirmed.
“What d’ya want?” Mamba asked, knowing full well what this was about. “Ya ruined my beauty sleep so it betta be good.”
The man smirked.
“We’re having a town meeting in the square at nine and I thought you might like to be there.”
“Well…” Mamba searched his memory for the man’s name.
“Adam.”
“Yeah, Adam. Well, Adam, what’s it got ta do with us?”
“I think it may have a lot to do with you.”
“I don’t follow,” Mamba replied, trying to look confused.
“The Reverend was murdered last night,” Adam explained.
Mamba grinned and almost laughed aloud.
“Really? Well, can’t say I’m surprised or upset. Must’ve had a lotta enemies that nutty bastard.”
Adam stared hard at Mamba.
“Still, maybe we can get a beer or two now,” Mamba continued happily. “So, who killed him?”
“That’s what we’re trying to work out,” Adam replied. “Where were you when you left the house last night?”
“Came back here ‘n went ta bed. But ya already know that from the prick sittin’ outside.”
“He said it was at least an hour after you left the house.”
“So?”
“So, where did you go for an hour?”
“I went fer a walk wi
th my buddy, Ahmed. Anyways, what’s it got ta do with ya? Ya ain’t the po-lice or the boss ‘round here.”
“I am for now,” Adam replied.
“So, ya think I did it?” Mamba laughed.
“You’re the natural suspect, considering it’s the second murder since you got here.”
“So, ya found the other body then?” Mamba asked.
“Not yet, but we will.”
Mamba laughed again.
“So, it’s only one dead fer definite...until ya find another body. There’s a few on that lawn.”
“They weren’t murdered. They were punished,” Adam retorted.
“Well, maybe the Rev was punished.”
Adam gritted his teeth in frustration. He knew it would be a waste of time coming here, but he wanted to see this lot up close and personal to try and figure them out.
“Are you going to attend this meeting or not?” Adam asked.
“Mebbe.”
Adam nodded and rose to leave.
Mamba stayed where he was with an annoying grin on his face.
Adam took one last look at Mamba then headed for the exit. As soon as he was gone, Ahmed and Basir came over to find out what was going on. Mamba told them.
“So, we goin’?” Ahmed asked.
“Wouldn’t miss it fer the World!” Mamba replied, with a big grin.
22
Day 21 – 08:55
New Eden
Mamba and Ahmed left the Hunter’s Arms and strode towards the High Street, noting that there was a different man sitting on the seat watching them this morning. They ignored him and continued down the High Street.
At the same time, a number of Mamba’s men slipped fully armed and unobserved from the rear of the Hunter’s Arms, while the rest of the group made sure the watchers outside were aware that they were still in the hotel.
As Mamba and Ahmed approached the turning to the supermarket and the square, they could already hear the babble of a large number of people talking amongst themselves.
Mamba looked at his watch and saw that they were a few minutes early then turned the corner and headed towards the noise.
The square was packed with people, far more than they had expected to see. People were split into groups, chattering away, many of them with clearly no idea what was going on.
Mamba stood on one of the benches to take a look around over the heads of the crowd and saw that some sort of stage had been erected near the middle of the square. A number of chairs had been lined up on the stage and it was surrounded by Enforcers.
Mamba climbed back down and merged into the crowd, Ahmed following. He shouldered a few out of the way and bumped into a couple more people and received glares in return until those who had been nudged realised who had done it and quickly looked away again. Word had travelled fast.
The disruption drew the attention of others nearby and they quickly started moving out of the way so that Mamba and Ahmed could move more freely towards the stage. It seemed that no one wanted to attract their attention or eye contact.
When they got to within a few metres of the stage, Mamba saw old Ernie surrounded by half a dozen men and women that he had never seen before.
“Ernie!” Mamba called out, making his way to the old man.
Ernie looked up, a small grin playing on his face.
“Thought you might turn up,” Ernie said.
“Wouldn’t miss it fer the World,” Mamba replied. “’N anyway, I was invited.”
“Oh yeah? Who by?”
“That big fat twat, Adam.”
A couple of the women’s mouths dropped open at Mamba’ language.
“Did he ask you himself or did he send someone?”
“He did, why?”
“He normally sends someone. He must want you real bad.”
“Well, I ain’t goin’ anywhere.”
“Watch your back, son,” Ernie cautioned.
“Always. What exactly is goin’ on?”
“No one knows. Word went around that everyone needed to be here now.”
There was a tap and a screech from a microphone and Mamba looked towards the stage. He hadn’t noticed any microphone before and realised that Adam had just set it up and was testing it out.
“Testing, one…two,” came from some speakers around the square.
“Why does everyone say the same shit thing?” Mamba wondered aloud. “Testin’, testin’, one-two, one-two,” he mimicked. “They should jus’ ask everyone if the fuckin’ thing is workin’. If no one replies, then it clearly ain’t.”
Ahmed laughed.
The testing of the microphone had the desired effect as everyone quietened down and turned towards the stage.
A line of men and women approached a set of steps to the side of the stage. The men were all in black and the women were in all white and Mamba felt a sense of déjà vu and shivered involuntary.
“Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome our Disciples,” Adam’s voice came through the speakers.
There was a smattering of applause, but hardly a ringing endorsement of the new arrivals.
Once on the stage, the men each walked across to the chairs and took a seat each, with their women standing behind them. Mamba recognised the blond woman he’d seen the previous night and tried to will her to look in his direction.
“Overnight,” Adam began, “our beloved Reverend was murdered.”
There was an audible gasp from the crowd and shouts of ‘no!’ from some points around the square. A few people on the other side of Ernie started wailing and crying. Mamba looked in their direction thinking ‘are ya kiddin’ me?’ He caught sight of Evelyn in the background staring at him with a subtle smile on her face. Mamba returned the smile and turned back to the stage. Now it was going to get interesting.
“The murderers will be caught,” Adam continued, and a few in the crowd shouted, ‘string them up!’ but the majority just listened in calm silence.
“Our Disciples have chosen a new leader to continue the work started by our beloved Reverend. Thaddeus, please stand up.”
The man sitting in front of the blond woman stood up and faced the crowd solemnly.
Mamba couldn’t believe it and muttered ‘yer’ve gotta be fuckin’ kiddin’ me’, drawing a few hostile looks from some of the people nearby. He realised then and there that it was going to be difficult to differentiate between the bible bashers and the rest.
After a suitably long pause to look out over the crowd, Thaddeus turned and walked towards Adam. As he took the proffered microphone and turned to face the crowd once more someone shouted, ‘wait a minute!”
The crowd went quiet and everyone turned to look in the direction of the voice.
Some of the people around Evelyn stepped away from her, revealing Chrissy at her side and a couple of others who Mamba recognised from the barn the night before.
Thaddeus glared towards Evelyn and was about to speak, but she beat him to it.
“We didn’t elect you,” she said loudly. “We don’t recognise you.”
A few people around her nodded and a few others looked at her in shock and tried to slink away.
Thaddeus turned to Adam and nodded, and Adam quickly looked towards the edge of the stage and nodded himself. Two Enforcers swiftly moved towards Evelyn and were about to grab hold of her before they were suddenly hit hard from the side and slumped to the ground unconscious.
Mamba and Ahmed withdrew their knives and held them close to the unconscious men, Mamba staring towards Thaddeus.
“This woman has somethin’ ta say so y’all betta listen,” Mamba shouted. He could see the anger on Thaddeus and Adam’s face.
Adam ran across the stage towards Mamba and jumped down, withdrawing a knife of his own. The other Enforcers moved aside to allow Adam to pass.
Everyone except Ahmed moved away from Mamba, who slowly put his knife back in its sheaf and pulled out his Glock.
As Adam came barrelling towards him, Mamba raised the pistol and
shot Adam in the head.
Adam was thrown backwards and hit the floor with a thump. A trickle of blood seeped from the wound and ran down towards his ear.
There was a couple of seconds where it seemed like time had stood still. Then a number of the Enforcers near the stage charged towards Mamba and Ahmed, knowing that there was no way Mamba would be able to shoot them all.
Mamba didn’t even try to shoot them but stood there smiling.
Shots rang out and the Enforcers crumpled to the floor, all of them still alive and screaming in pain.
The remaining Enforcers stayed routed to their spots near the stage, now less inclined to make any heroic gestures.
All the Disciples had now stood up and were staring in horror towards the dead and injured people on the floor below them, some making the sign of the cross.
Mamba caught the eye of the blond woman on stage and saw that she seemed to be taking the turn of events in her stride. He winked at her and earned himself a slight smile before he turned his attention back to the Enforcers on the floor. He put his Glock away and retrieved his knife.
A quick glance and nod at Ahmed and they both moved forward, crouching to stab each of the wounded Enforcers in the head, drawing more gasps and screams from some in the crowd.
They then walked towards the stage, the other Enforcers moving quickly out of their way with their hands up as if they posed no further threat.
Mamba and Ahmed walked up the steps and approached Thaddeus, whose anger had completely disappeared. He was as white as a sheet and shaking as Mamba ripped the microphone from his hand.
Mamba turned towards the crowd, all eyes on him in rapt attention. There was total silence. Even those who had been crying and wailing earlier had stopped and were looking at him in fear. Someone in the crowd screamed ‘Devil!’ and the crowd around that person moved away, wanting no association with anyone who was daft enough to draw attention to themselves.
As the crowd parted, Mamba saw Mollie and her sidekick standing there glaring towards him. Mamba laughed, the microphone inadvertently picking up the sound and blasting it through the speakers around the square as if they were all in some sort of haunted house.
