Missing Me

by Sophie McKenzie

  Jam moaned from the mattress. ‘Lauren?’ he rasped.

  Lauren went over to him as Wolf disappeared through the hole.

  ‘What can you see?’ I said, torn between wanting to help Wolf explore and concern for Jam.

  ‘I was right,’ Wolf said. ‘This is a storage area. Come and have a look.’

  I glanced over at Lauren and Jam. Jam was raised on his elbows now, his face pale, intent on what Lauren was telling him. A look of terrible pain twisted across his face. He reached out and held Lauren in a hug.

  I decided to leave them to their private moment, and crawled through the gap in the wall after Wolf. Enough light shone through from the other room for me to make out that we were in an empty space roughly three metres square. The air smelled damp and fusty.

  ‘If nothing else, this will buy us a little more time to breathe,’ Wolf said.

  ‘Why would anyone wall this area up?’ I said.

  ‘Maybe it’s unsafe,’ he suggested.

  ‘Great,’ I said. ‘So we’re now choosing death by suffocation or death by wall collapse.’

  Wolf gave me a wry smile. ‘I love how you always look on the bright side, Madison.’

  In spite of everything, I smiled back. ‘You can call me Mo, if you like.’ As soon as the words were out of my mouth, I felt scared. It was a big thing, letting Wolf use my nickname. Only Jam and Lauren were allowed to call me Mo.

  I busied myself exploring the far corner of the empty room.

  ‘Thanks, Mo.’ Wolf sounded sincere – pleased, but not over the top with it.

  I relaxed slightly. Maybe it was OK admitting to myself I liked him.

  Maybe it wasn’t something to be so frightened of after all.

  I felt my way across the wall. It was rougher here – and damp. My fingers hit a ridge. It was cold and metallic. I traced the outline as my eyes grew accustomed to the darkness. I’d found some sort of rusting metal flap. It was about a metre wide by half a metre high. I felt for the bottom edge and prised it up. A metal rail slid into place at the side, holding the flap open. I felt inside. It was a kind of chute – made of earth and sloping upwards.

  ‘I found something,’ I whispered.

  Seconds later, Wolf was at my side.

  ‘I’ll climb up,’ he said. ‘Take a look.’

  ‘Me first,’ I said. ‘I’m smaller.’ I clambered into the chute. The earth was tightly packed under me, the darkness ahead deeply unnerving. I remembered Wolf’s warning that the area might be unsafe and tried to push the thought to the back of my mind.

  I kept going, clawing my way through the earth. Dirt fell on my hair and my face. I forced myself on.

  ‘Are you OK?’ Wolf’s voice sounded much nearer than I expected. It felt like I’d moved miles, but I had only come a couple of metres through the chute so far.

  ‘Fine,’ I said. I clawed more earth under my fingers. Two fingernails broke as more dirt fell on my face. I spluttered, trying to blow the flecks off my mouth.

  ‘Is it getting any lighter?’ Wolf said.

  ‘No.’ My heart sank. The absence of light meant there was surely no access to the outside up ahead. Still, I had to know for sure.

  ‘I think the chute must be for pouring coal, or maybe wood, down,’ Wolf said.

  ‘Right.’ The ground ahead of me opened and flattened slightly. I reached out gingerly with my hand. A sloping sheet of iron met my touch, similar to the one I’d climbed through before. I felt around the rusty edges. It appeared to be a similar size. I gave it a push. It was stuck.

  ‘There’s an iron flap at the top,’ I explained to Wolf, ‘. . . like the one at the bottom.’

  ‘Can you open it?’ Wolf said. I could hear the urgency in his voice.

  I pushed again at the iron sheet, this time using both hands. Nothing happened. I gave it another shove. But it didn’t budge.

  We were as stuck as ever.

  31

  The Betrayal

  ‘I can’t get out,’ I sobbed. ‘I can’t get us out.’ Terrified misery soaked through me. I lay against the earthy wall of the tunnel in the pitch black, damp and dirty. Tears trickled down my face. When I’d found the chute, I’d really thought I’d found a way to free us all. And now I had to face the fact that we were going to die here. That Lauren and Jam’s baby had been taken from them and that we were all going to lose our lives – it was just a matter of time.

  ‘Mo!’ I suddenly realised Wolf was talking to me. Something was tapping against my foot. ‘Try this,’ Wolf said. ‘It’s the hammer.’

  I wiped my tears into the grime already on my face, then reached down with my hand. By flexing my foot and bending my knee through the few centimetres that the space allowed, I could just bring the hammer far enough up to touch my fingers. I edged it higher until I could hold it properly in my hand.

  ‘Try freeing the earth around the metal flap,’ Wolf urged.

  I did as he suggested. Dirt fell on my head and my hands. I spat it out of my mouth, the earth mingling with the tears and snot already on my face. I felt the metal ridge of the flap. The rusty edge was definitely more prominent, which meant it was getting freer.

  ‘D’you want me to have a go?’ Wolf asked from below, in the bunker.

  ‘No.’ A new hope surged through me. ‘It’s working.’ I hacked at the earth all around the metal, then pushed at the flap. It gave slightly. More hammer blows, dull thuds against the soil. More dirt fell, this time into my eyes. I brushed it away, ignoring how it stung.

  I pushed the flap again. With a creak, it opened slowly, onto sweet, damp fresh air. Yes. I reached my hand through. A light drizzle was falling. I had no idea what time it was, but the fading light suggested early evening. Could so much time really have passed? I hauled myself half out of the hole. I was still in the woods, but closer to the house. The flap was set into a crumbling brick wall we hadn’t noticed as we’d passed through the trees. A path led away, towards the back gate of the house. I couldn’t see or hear anyone.

  ‘I’m through,’ I called softly down the chute.

  ‘Awesome, well done,’ Wolf called back. ‘I’ll fetch the others.’

  I wriggled properly out of the flap onto the ground and stood up. The woods were silent – just the pattering rain and the soft breath of the wind in the trees. The house still looked dark and unoccupied. Still, I couldn’t be totally sure I wasn’t being watched. After all, someone must have seen us – and Jam – arrive earlier. That was how we’d been trapped in the first place. And I still had no idea how they’d known that Lauren had gone into labour.

  As I looked around, my phone rang. The sound echoed through the trees. I jumped and delved into my pocket, desperate to shut the thing up.

  Allan calling.

  I put the phone to my ear in a panic. ‘Hello?’ I whispered.

  ‘Madison, thank God. Please don’t hang up.’ Allan sounded desperate.

  I looked around me again. The woods were still silent; the rain was drying up. No-one was coming running. No-one had heard the mobile ringing. It was OK.

  ‘Listen, Madison,’ Allan went on urgently. ‘Baxter knows you’re onto him. I’ve been making some calls and—’

  ‘I know. He had my sister trapped underground,’ I hissed. ‘We’re just getting away now.’

  ‘What? Are you OK? Are you safe?’ He sounded really concerned.

  I looked around. Still no sign of Baxter or his men. I peered into the chute. I could hear Wolf and Jam talking in the distance, but not what they were saying. Hurry up.

  ‘We’re almost out,’ I whispered. ‘Why are you calling me?’

  ‘To warn you. And careful what you say. Baxter’s known for using hidden mikes to entrap people. He could have one planted on you right now.’

  I gasped. A microphone on me?

  ‘How do you know?’ I said.

  ‘I’ve been investigating – honestly. Look, it doesn’t matter how I know. Just trust me on this. Baxter uses hidden mikes.’

/>   My head spun. Was Allan right? Could I trust him? A hidden mike certainly explained how Baxter had known so speedily that Jam was coming and that Ellie was being born. I gazed down at my top and jeans. I was covered in dirt. Could Baxter really hear what I was saying right now? ‘So if I was carrying a hidden mike,’ I whispered into my mobile, ‘what would it look like?’

  ‘It could be tiny, like the size of a pinhead,’ Allan said. ‘Probably on something near your face – a strap or a collar.’

  I felt the straps of my vest top. Nothing. I’d been wearing a long-sleeved top until just after Ellie was born, but I’d used that as a pillow for Jam so it was still inside with him.

  ‘You need to get away from there, fast,’ Allan urged.

  I glanced back down the chute. I’d left the metal flap open, to make it easier for Wolf to get the others through. Their voices sounded closer, but there was still no sign of them. I gulped. I couldn’t see either Jam or Lauren making it out of the bunker all that quickly. Lauren had just given birth and would only just fit through the chute while Jam had only recently regained consciousness.

  ‘Madison? Are you there? I’m so sorry for getting you into this. Please get going . . . get to safety.’

  ‘OK,’ I said. ‘I’m just waiting for the others.’

  ‘Others? You mean your sister?’

  ‘Yes, er . . .’ I stopped, not wanting to reveal that Jam and Wolf were here too – or to tell Allan about the baby.

  Allan drew in his breath. ‘I understand you not trusting me,’ he went on, ‘but nothing I’ve ever done was about hurting you. I’m devastated that Baxter has come after you and your sister. I’m trying to help. And right now you really need to leave.’

  I looked at the chute. Now I could hear Wolf’s voice clearly at the other end, helping Jam push his way through. Were either Jam or Lauren in a state to manage this?

  ‘Hurry!’ I hissed down the chute.

  ‘On our way!’ Wolf’s whisper echoed up the tunnel towards me.

  ‘There’s something else,’ Allan said. ‘I’ve been investigating Baxter. He has various properties in the south-east of England which he could be using to keep pregnant girls in.’

  ‘I think we’re in one of his old places now – at Appleton Cross.’ I hesitated, worrying I’d said too much.

  ‘Let me take a look . . .’ I could hear Allan tapping away at his keyboard. ‘Have you got the others yet? Are you on the move?’

  As he spoke, Jam’s head appeared through the metal flap in the crumbling brick wall. He looked exhausted. His face was covered in earth, but his mouth was set in a determined line. He hauled himself through the hole, then reached back inside.

  ‘Lauren?’ Jam said. ‘Feel for my hands.’

  ‘OK, I’ve found the Appleton Cross place,’ Allan said down the phone line. ‘Baxter sold the house two months ago. The new owner is an Alexander Yates. He was at Baxter’s party the other day. He’s a businessman, a friend of Baxter. He owns lots of properties too. Must be in on the whole thing. Er . . .’ I could hear him tapping away. ‘I can’t find a picture, but his Bizznet profile says he’s forty-seven, lives in north London, married with an only son about your age: Wolfgang William Yates.’

  I froze. That was Wolf.

  ‘You really need to be leaving, Madison,’ Allan said. ‘Find the mike. Destroy it. And dump your phones too. Baxter can track you through those as easy as anything. Just get out of there and get to the nearest police station. I’ll meet you there.’

  My head was spinning. Wolf ’s father owned Appleton Cross?

  ‘OK, Madison?’

  ‘Yes,’ I said. ‘Find mike. Dump phones. Get to nearest police station.’

  ‘Good, I’m calling the police for you now.’ Allan rang off.

  Trying to pull myself together, I switched off my phone and turned to the chute opening. Jam was helping Lauren out. As soon as she was through, she collapsed onto the ground, holding her belly.

  Jam squinted anxiously down at her.

  ‘Are you all right?’ I asked.

  ‘I can’t see properly,’ Jam said, rubbing his eyes.

  Wolf’s hands clutched at the side of the chute opening. He’d be out in a few seconds.

  ‘We need to dump our phones,’ I said.

  ‘Mine was taken earlier,’ Jam said.

  I nodded. I already knew Leather Jacket had removed Lauren’s mobile. I chucked my own phone into the trees. It landed with a faint thud on the grass.

  ‘Here.’ Unsteadily, Jam untied my top from around his waist. He held it out to me. ‘Thought you might want this back.’

  I took the top. If Allan had been right about Baxter using mikes, maybe one was planted on this. I lifted the collar and ran my finger along the seam. Straight away I felt the bump of the hidden microphone. With shaking hands, I took it out and held it in my palm – it was tiny, no bigger than a pinhead, just like Allan had said.

  This explained how Baxter and his men had found me – and known that Jam was coming and that Lauren was having her baby. But how did it get on my top? After leaving home earlier, I’d gone to Lauren’s flat where I’d found the clue to Appleton Cross. The only person I’d seen since who’d been close enough to plant this on my clothing was Wolf . . . who had chosen to visit me just after I found out about Lauren. And whose father also owned the place where we’d been locked up and left for dead. Unless Allan had lied about that? Was him calling me part of some elaborate trick I didn’t understand?

  Confusion whirled like a tornado inside my head. I threw the tiny microphone onto the ground and stamped on it, then looked up to see Wolf emerging at last from the chute.

  Jam was still busy, trying to get Lauren onto her feet. I strode over to Wolf. My feelings tumbled out of me.

  ‘Why didn’t you tell me your dad owns this house?’ I said furiously.

  Wolf blinked rapidly. ‘What are you talking about?’

  I stared into the bewildered blue-grey of his eyes. Was he faking that innocence? How could I be sure?

  ‘I just spoke to Allan,’ I said. ‘He says your father bought this house from Baxter two months ago.’

  A look of recognition crossed Wolf’s face.

  ‘You knew.’ I backed away from him. ‘How could you, Wolf? I thought you were my friend.’

  32

  Running and Driving

  ‘I am your f . . . friend.’ Wolf’s face burned red – was that guilt or confusion? ‘I told you when we got here that the house looked f . . . familiar. My dad buys and sells lots of properties. I must have seen a picture of it. Remember, I said?’

  It was true. He had said that. Still . . . I pointed to the fragments of microphone on the ground. ‘Someone put that on my top so Baxter could hear everything I said,’ I hissed. ‘It must have been you.’

  ‘What’s going on?’ Jam stumbled over, rubbing his eyes. ‘Lauren’s ready to walk now.’

  ‘It wasn’t me.’ Wolf took a step away from me. ‘Please, Madison.’

  I shook my head. ‘But your dad owns this house. He must be involved in what Baxter is doing – the girls, the babies . . . taking Lauren and Jam’s baby.’ My guts twisted with misery. ‘I can’t believe you’d help him do any of that.’

  ‘I didn’t,’ Wolf insisted. ‘And I don’t believe my dad’s involved, either.’

  I turned away. I didn’t know what to think. It was hard to mistrust Wolf, but something in Allan’s voice had made me feel sure Allan himself wasn’t lying. Anyway, the hidden mike was surely proof.

  ‘Madison?’ Jam caught my arm. ‘We should get out of here.’

  ‘Yes,’ I said.

  Lauren staggered over, still clutching her belly. She looked beyond exhausted. Jam and I put our arms round her – one on each side – and led her towards the edge of the woodland. Wolf walked behind us. I didn’t look at him directly.

  ‘Could you go any faster, Lauren?’ I said, trying to keep my voice light and encouraging. But the truth was, I was scared.
Jam was as unsteady on his feet – thanks to his blurred vision – as Lauren was slow. Panic rose up inside me. The mike had been on my top, so even if Jam lying on it in the underground room had muffled the noise of us breaking down the wall, the device would have definitely picked up Wolf, Jam and Lauren crawling out through the chute. I reckoned Baxter had been aware of our escape for about ten minutes, which was roughly as long as it had taken him to realise Ellie had been born and snatch her out of our hands.

  ‘Guys, we really need to hurry,’ I urged.

  Both Jam and Lauren tried to walk faster. Would we get out in time? The far edge of the woodland and the gate out of the house were still several metres away.

  Wolf strode up beside us. ‘Please, think about it, Madison. What you’re saying doesn’t make sense. If I wanted to spy on you, why not wear a mike myself? I’ve been with you the whole time – why take the risk of you finding something I could hide more easily on my own clothes? And remember I was going to die in that bunker just the same as you. Why would Baxter let that happen if I was secretly working for him?’

  The low rumble of a car engine sounded up ahead. We all froze as the car stopped somewhere beyond the trees. Two doors opened, then slammed shut. A moment later, low male voices filled the air.

  Wolf grabbed my arm. ‘I’ll distract them,’ he whispered. ‘You get Jam and Lauren out of here. Go!’ He ran off.

  ‘Come on, Mo,’ Jam whispered.

  A million conflicting emotions were swirling about my head, but there was no time to unravel any of them. Jam, Lauren and I crept on, to the edge of the trees. The car we’d heard was parked several metres along to our right – a large black estate. It was empty. Were the men who’d been inside now chasing after Wolf?

  The gate leading out of the house – just a few metres across the grass to our left – was closing slowly.

  ‘We can get out there,’ I whispered.

  I put my arm round Lauren again, helping her and Jam on to the gate. It was still shutting, the two sides just a couple of metres apart from each other. I had to get Jam and Lauren through that gap. There was no way either of them were in any fit state to climb over the gate.