The Future of London Box Set

by Mark Gillespie

  “I’m glad,” Walker said. “I’m glad you made it.”

  “Thought you were dead for sure,” Sumo Dave said. “You and Hatchet.”

  “I don’t think Hatchet’s dead,” Walker said.

  Sumo Dave lowered his sword. A little distance opened up between the blade and Charlie’s throat. They’d reached the other aisle by now. They were standing directly opposite Walker, who was still on the other side of the pews. Barboza was in the same aisle as Sumo Dave and Charlie, standing about ten or fifteen feet away at most.

  “Do you know where he is?” Sumo Dave asked Walker.

  “Not yet,” Walker said.

  “Were you with him when it happened?” he said.

  Walker nodded. “Sort of,” he said. “Look, there’s something you need to know about Hatchet.”

  “What?”

  Walker hesitated. This was a conversation he thought he’d never have. Why did it feel like all the dark secrets of the city were his burden?

  “Hatchet killed Chester George,” Walker said.

  Sumo Dave’s face creased up into puzzled smile. “What?” he said.

  “Hatchet killed him,” Walker said. “I saw him do it. He got past the bodyguards and he was sitting on the steps of that fountain. Do you remember the gun? The one he used to always carry around with him?”

  Sumo Dave nodded. “Yeah.”

  “He took it to Piccadilly,” Walker said. “And he used it to shoot Chester George.”

  “No way,” Sumo Dave said. “Why would Hatchet want to kill Chester George? Chester George was the man who was going to save us from our shitty lives.”

  “Phase Two,” Walker said. “Do you remember that? The riots were Phase One. After the riots came civil disobedience – Phase Two. Chester George was trying to calm things down. He encouraged civil disobedience over looting and running wild. Hatchet hated that – I think he felt betrayed by Chester George. Hatchet wanted the chaos to last forever. And look what happened. He got his wish.”

  “I can’t believe that,” Sumo Dave said. “I won’t.”

  “It’s true,” Walker said. “Everything that’s happened since, it’s all Hatchet’s fault.”

  “Walker!”

  Barboza was yelling at him from the other side of the chapel. “What the hell is going on here?” she said. “You know him?”

  “Aye,” Walker said, nodding. “I do.”

  He turned back to Sumo Dave, pointing a finger at Charlie.

  “Will you let him go Sumo?” Walker said. “I don’t know what the fuck happened to you man. I’m sure as hell not judging you, but Charlie, he’s just a little boy. He doesn’t deserve what you’ve got waiting for him down there in the Hole.”

  “Please,” Barboza said, pleading with Sumo Dave. “Let him go.”

  Sumo Dave glanced down the aisle at Barboza. Walker didn’t like what he saw in that brief exchange – in the dark eyes of his old friend. He watched as Sumo Dave brought the sword back up to Charlie’s throat. The boy let out a quiet shriek as the cold steel pressed up against his neck.

  “I’m sorry Mack,” Sumo Dave said. “But that’s not how it works. Not tonight.”

  Walker squeezed down on the axe handle. It felt like the knuckles on his right hand were about to burst through the skin. Was this really going to happen? Was he supposed to kill or be killed by Sumo Dave here tonight?

  What other cruel tricks did the city have waiting for him?

  Walker heard Charlie sobbing on the other side of the chapel, as if on cue. And to think, Charlie didn’t know the worst of it – he didn’t know what the bad men did to the people they threw into the back of their vans.

  People like Carol.

  Walker had the germ of an idea forming in his head. But for it to have any chance of working, he needed Charlie to be frightened.

  Even more frightened.

  “Sumo,” Walker said, raising his voice. He pointed a finger at Charlie as he spoke. “Are you really going to do it? You’re going to cut that little boy open and eat him?”

  Charlie’s eyes opened wide. The boy’s mouth hung open, like he couldn’t believe what Walker had just said.

  “Walker,” Barboza said, calling out to him. “Don’t.”

  But Walker shook his head. “I’m sorry Charlie,” he said, looking at the boy. “But you need to know what happens. This is what the bad men do – they take people away down to the Hole and they cut them open and eat them. Ain’t that right Sumo?”

  Sumo Dave glared at Walker. “You don’t know much about it do you Mack?” he said.

  “No?” Walker said. “You’re not going to eat them? All those people you’re putting in the back of the vans tonight?”

  “Some of them will be used that way,” Sumo Dave said. “You see we value our independence Mack. We don’t kneel to our captors outside the walls like Michael King and his Bedlamites. Better to be ruthless than relying on the once a week scraps that you call Drop Parcels. Do you like being locked up mate? Do you like being somebody’s pet dog? The Ghosts of London are as free as anyone in this shithole can hope to be. We take nothing that we can’t take ourselves.”

  “What the fuck Sumo?” Walker said. “I saw you grab that woman and her little girl earlier. I saw you tying them up and throwing them into the back of your car. You’re going to eat them? Because you’re so free?”

  “Don’t mistake us for rogues,” Sumo Dave said. “Not everyone ends up that way.”

  “What do you mean?” Walker said. “What do you do with the rest of them if you don’t eat them all?”

  “We build things,” Sumo Dave said.

  “You build things?” Walker said. “Like what?”

  “Power,” Sumo Dave said. “To put it simply, we build power. We establish control.”

  “What are you talking about?” Walker asked.

  “There’s no money in this city anymore Mack,” Sumo Dave said. “But some form of currency is still required in order to buy and sell things. ”

  “Buy and sell what?” Barboza said, taking a step towards Sumo Dave and Charlie.

  “Loyalty,” Sumo Dave said. “Respect. Fear. The Ghosts are the most powerful gang in this city for a good reason. You know Mack, when I hid in that office building during Piccadilly – I met someone. There was this man, this great man, and he had a vision. It was like he knew what was going to happen to this city. He was already building the future in his mind. After we got out, I stuck with him and so did a lot of other people who recognised his genius. We didn’t just wait around, hoping for the best. We didn’t go begging for scraps or asking for our freedom at the M25. We knew that once the walls went up they wouldn’t come back down. For us, it was all about moving forward. So we started to build.”

  “What are you talking about?” Walker said.

  “We’ve built many relationships over the years,” Sumo Dave said. “But it took a few years to realise that we needed some form of currency to properly take a hold of this city. And unfortunately, people are the only currency we have. People are food – yeah we don’t deny it. The Ghosts can provide the rest of the gangs in the Hole with enough meat to keep them healthy and fed. We take care of all the dirty work – the hunting, the preparation, and they pay us with loyalty. And if they stay loyal, we can provide them with other things too – servants, women, men – whatever it is they want. You understand Mack? People are money. People are power.”

  “Slaves,” Walker said. “You’re talking about slaves.”

  “There are hard rules to surviving in this city Mack,” Sumo Dave. “The rules are even harder if you want to thrive.”

  Walker pointed his axe at Sumo Dave. “Enough of this empire-building bullshit,” he said.

  He squeezed his way through the pews, walking towards the other aisle. Towards Sumo Dave and Charlie.

  “Give me the boy Sumo,” he said. “You think I’m okay with him being given to some gang in the Hole? Even if you don’t turn him into meat, you think I’m ok
ay with letting him become a slave or some twisted pervert’s sex toy?”

  “You’re too soft Mack,” Sumo Dave said. “It’s a wonder you’re still alive.”

  Sumo Dave pulled Charlie’s head back, exposing the boy’s pale white neck. He pushed harder with the sword – so hard that Walker expected to see a trickle of blood running down the boy’s neck.

  “Don’t!” Barboza yelled at him. “Leave him alone.”

  “Don’t make me kill him,” Sumo Dave said, looking at Walker and Barboza. He kept one hand pinned over Charlie’s chest while the other one gripped the handle of the sword. “I don’t want to do it Mack, but I will. I didn’t become a Captain in the Ghosts by having a weak stomach.”

  Walker stopped. He was standing in the middle of the pews.

  As he stood there, Walker noticed where Sumo Dave’s hand was positioned – the one without the sword. It was high up on the boy’s chest, keeping Charlie locked in a tight grip. Walker thought about the plan that had come to him earlier. It was still a long shot, but it was all he had.

  And it all depended on Charlie. Was he frightened? Was he brave enough?

  Walker looked at the boy, trying to make eye contact with him. Charlie was opening and closing his eyes intermittently, like he was drifting in and out of consciousness.

  “Charlie,” Walker said.

  At last, the boy looked at him. It was now or never.

  “Remember what I told you in the graveyard?” Walker said.

  Charlie didn’t answer.

  “Do what you have to do,” Walker said.

  There was a blank expression on Charlie’s face.

  “Charlie,” Walker said. He barked out the boy’s name like he was a Sergeant Major bawling at a hapless new recruit. “Remember what I said in the graveyard about the bad men. Do what you have to do.”

  Walker opened and closed his mouth in a snapping motion.

  At last there was a glimmer of understanding in Charlie’s eyes. He nodded briefly, then leaned forward, pushing back the tip of the sword with his neck.

  It left just enough room.

  Charlie bit down on the fingers of Sumo Dave’s hand.

  Sumo Dave didn’t see it coming, not until it was too late. It was probably the surprise, rather than the pain itself, that forced him to release his grip on Charlie. And this time, Charlie wasn’t hanging around. He took off, hurrying back down the aisle towards an ecstatic looking Barboza.

  Walker was already racing towards the aisle where Sumo Dave was standing, shaking the pain out of his hand. When he was close enough, Walker swung his axe at the samurai sword. The axe came down upon the centre of the blade, making a loud clanging noise as it knocked the weapon out of Sumo Dave’s hand for a second time.

  Sumo Dave’s face was a mask of incandescent rage. He was about to say something but Walker wasn’t in the mood to talk. He charged forwards and kicked at Sumo Dave’s midsection with the flat of his shoe. The kick landed on Sumo Dave’s waist with enough force to knock him off his feet. He doubled over as he landed on the hard floor with a booming thud.

  Walker didn’t stop there. He hurried over to where Sumo Dave was still rolling about on the ground. The Ghost was grounded, possibly winded. He was helpless, and now Walker stood over him with his axe raised high, ready to finish the job. Sumo Dave looked up at Walker, knowing it was too late to fight back. Walker saw the humiliation and anger in the other man’s eyes. But there was no plea for mercy.

  Walker stood over him, the axe held aloft.

  The two men stared into one another’s eyes, communicating without words.

  Walker took a step back and dropped the axe. Again, it was like someone or something bigger had taken over, stopping him from doing what had to be done. The axe fell to the ground with a thud and it sounded like the walls of the chapel were coming down.

  Walker screamed with rage. He leapt at Sumo Dave, landing on top of the Ghost. He threw a volley of hard punches down on the man’s head. Sumo Dave, still dazed from the fall, covered up at first. But it didn’t take long before he began to fight back. He threw a series of long punches from the bottom. After that, he thrust his hips upwards, throwing Walker off him.

  Walker fell backwards. From the ground, he heard Sumo Dave coming after him.

  “Walker!” Barboza yelled. “Look out!”

  He looked up and saw Sumo Dave rushing towards him. Walker jumped back to his feet. Immediately he felt a battering ram of a right hand slamming into his face.

  Next thing he knew, he was the ground.

  Something inside told him to get back to his feet again. To fight back. Walker got up and he charged at Sumo Dave, trying to wrap his arms around the bigger man’s waist and wrestle him to the floor. But Sumo Dave was too big and strong and Walker realised too late that he wasn’t going to have much success grappling with the bigger man. Sumo Dave stuffed the attempted takedown with ease and to make matters worse, he threw a barrage of slashing elbows to the top of Walker’s head while Walker was doubled over and trying to tip him off balance. After several hard elbows, Walker dropped to the floor, his legs folding underneath him.

  For a moment, the chapel was spinning around. It felt like the building had been lifted into the air by a violent tornado.

  Walker was sitting on the ground. He looked up.

  There was a blurry giant standing over him. Someone was breathing heavily, like they were about to die. Was it the giant? Or was it him?

  “Had enough?” Sumo Dave said.

  But Walker wasn’t done yet. He lunged at the bigger man, swinging with a whirlwind of wild punches, aiming at the blurry shape in front of him. The three blurry shapes in front of him. But he couldn’t seem to hit the giant – not once. Still, Walker came forwards and continued to punch, connecting with nothing but air.

  Sumo Dave countered with punches of his own, one to the head and one to the body. Walker felt like a wrecking ball was having its way with him.

  “Walker!” Barboza yelled.

  Her voice sounded distant.

  Walker dropped onto one knee, like a prizefighter taking a ten-count. A voice in his head urged him back onto his feet, but he couldn’t do it. His head was throbbing. His body felt broken. And damn it, he was thirsty.

  “Why’d you give up the axe?” Sumo Dave said, standing over him. “To give me a chance? That’s weakness Mack. Weakness is what will get you killed in London. A wise man once said that to me.”

  Walker heard someone rushing over beside him. He looked up and saw Barboza standing in front of him, her arms spread out, blocking Sumo Dave from getting any nearer.

  “Get out the way Barboza,” Walker said. “I’m going to break this lanky cannibal fucker’s jaw if it’s the last thing I do. It probably will be, but I’m going to do it anyway.”

  Barboza didn’t move.

  “Barboza,” Walker said. “I said get out the…”

  A noise outside the chapel cut Walker off in mid-sentence.

  He turned his head towards the door. He listened to the noise and his heart sank as he realised what was happening.

  There were cars on City Road. Several of them, and at that moment they were pulling up somewhere close to the chapel.

  “Oh fuck,” Barboza said, looking towards the door. She sounded like someone defeated. “Oh God, no.”

  Walker tried to get back to his feet, but his body was shutting down. Telling him to give it a break. There was no way around it – he wasn’t going to be able to stop the Ghosts coming in. Neither was Barboza, neither was Charlie.

  Why’d you give up the axe?

  He heard voices on the street outside. Loud footsteps, making their way towards the chapel.

  “Captain!” somebody yelled. “You in there Captain?”

  Walker looked up. Sumo Dave was standing over him, staring down at Walker, like a giant standing over a mortal man.

  Walker saw nothing comforting in those dark brown eyes.

  “You shouldn’t have come ou
t tonight Mack,” Sumo Dave said. “You should have gone to Station.”

  Outside, the Ghosts were getting closer.

  Sumo Dave sighed. Then he glanced over his shoulder towards the door. After a long pause, he turned back to Walker. With a smile on his lips, he shook his head, much like a disapproving adult scolding a naughty child.

  “Stay here,” he said. “All of you. Don’t go back out until the sun comes up.”

  Sumo Dave walked away without another word. He hurried over to where his sword was lying on the floor and picked it up, putting it back into the brown leather scabbard that hung from the belt around his waist.

  After that, he hurried back down the aisle of the chapel, his Doc Martens slamming off the floor. Sumo Dave sidestepped along a row of wooden pews, stopping to pick up the mask and judges’ wig on the floor of the other aisle. He put the mask on quickly, burying his face underneath the disguise.

  Then he grabbed the dead rogue by the hair and dragged the fresh corpse behind him like it was a suitcase on wheels.

  He walked towards the chapel exit.

  “Sumo!” Walker called out to him.

  Sumo Dave stopped and turned around. He tilted his head, like a confused dog.

  But Walker didn’t know what to say. He only knew that he should say something, but no words came out.

  “Stay here,” the Ghost Captain said. “Don’t move. Don’t talk until we’ve gone.”

  Sumo Dave disappeared out of sight, still dragging the dead rogue behind him, leaving a trail of smeared blood on the floor.

  Walker heard the Ghosts gathering on the cobbled courtyard outside. It sounded like there was an entire platoon of them.

  “Captain!” someone said. “Everything alright? We saw your car outside the graveyard but we couldn’t find you anywhere. Thought something might have happened when you didn’t show up at the next stop. Did you find the boy? Is he in there?”