New Title 1

by Jeffrey, Shaun

  Out in the reception, he saw Miss Coombs gathering personal items from her desk and putting them in a cardboard box.

  “Don’t bother with those. Help me carry these.” He held out the folders and Miss Coombs took some from the top of the pile. He knew that she wouldn’t argue. It was hard to find good workers, but he’d come up trumps with Miss Coombs. She was reliable, discreet and diligent. He trusted her implicitly. They had been through a lot together in fifteen years, but she had never questioned her employer or his motives.

  “Did you make all of the necessary calls?” he asked as they made their way through the building.

  “Yes, Nigel. So is it really finished?”

  Knowing that she knew him well enough to see through a lie, Moon evaded the truth. “It’s finished here.”

  Miss Coombs nodded but didn’t ask any more. She was too discreet to pry for more information.

  Out in the main reception the guard stood to attention but didn’t salute. Most of the guards in the compound were ex-military, and while they still carried the bearing of military service, they didn’t salute someone who had not been or was not in the forces, as though they had not earned that honour. That privilege was only bestowed on the few visiting generals and field marshals that occasionally came to inspect the project. The military were always hovering around on the periphery of Moon’s work, looking for new weapons to add to their arsenal. Moon tolerated them, but it wasn’t what he wanted. But he had made some concessions. The dogs were one of them. It was a case of not biting the hand that feeds, especially when the hand was powerful enough to crush his dreams. Most of the money that was put into projects such as Moon’s had been tainted by military connections. Even the government didn’t know the true extent of military projects. There were shadow operations, wheels within wheels and siphoned expenses that ran into billions of pounds that never showed up on any records. The government was just the public face of corruption, puppets for higher powers.

  Outside it was dark and Moon was sure that he heard gunfire in the distance. He mentally shrugged it away and cast a look back at the building.

  “Fait accompli,” he whispered, turning and walking toward the waiting Land Rover.

  CHAPTER 32

  The dog growled, saliva dripping from its maw. Ratty took a step back and Izzy screamed.

  “Shoot it,” Ratty screamed at Adam.

  But Adam didn’t even look up. He mumbled something that Ratty didn’t quite catch, although it might have been ‘Nicola, forgive me’.

  “Shoot the bloody thing,” he cried again.

  “Adam,” Izzy screamed. “Shoot the bloody dog.”

  But Adam didn’t move.

  The dog took a growling step forward, its hackles raised. Its eyes reflected the moon like twin pools of silver, sinister. Ratty took another step back, almost losing his footing on a branch that snapped beneath his foot like bone. Then the dog stopped and sniffed the air, turning its head from side-to-side as though it could sense something. It stretched out its neck, its nostrils flared. But whatever it could smell didn’t stop it from advancing.

  Ratty looked across at Adam and the gun in his hands. Could he make it over to him before the dog leaped? And if he did, could he wrestle the gun from Adam and fire it successfully?

  A rustling sound emanated in the branches above but Ratty didn’t look up. He couldn’t take his eyes off the dog.

  “Izzy, run.”

  But Izzy didn’t move. He didn’t know whether she was paralysed with fear, but he couldn’t let the dog get to her. Perhaps he could lead it away. If he ran, perhaps it would follow him. But if it didn’t it would attack Izzy and she would think that he had run out on her like a coward. He wasn’t going to leave her. Not now. If he had to, he would lay down his life for her. And as the dog prepared to pounce, he thought that’s what he was going to have to do.

  With no time to lose, Ratty crouched down and picked up the branch he had stepped on. He straightened up with two, sharp, jagged spears in his hands. Giving a scream that shocked both himself and the dog, he rushed forward, not noticing the rabbit hole into which his foot disappeared, causing him to stumble, his chin hitting the ground and chipping a tooth.

  Without hesitating, the dog leaped at Ratty. It seemed to fly through the air in slow motion. Ratty rolled over; he could see its open jaw lined with teeth, its tongue far back in its throat like a bloated red slug, saliva dripping from its maw. He could see its sharp claws, clenched like a cats talons, its eyes glinting. He could even smell its fetid breath as it landed on top of him, knocking the wind from him, the salivating jaw inches from his face. Ratty closed his eyes, and his life didn’t so much flash before him as flicker like a flame before he felt the dog’s face on his. He steeled himself for the pain of those teeth biting into his flesh, but it never came and he felt something warm and sticky running down his hands. When he eventually opened his eyes he saw that the dog had been inadvertently impaled on the sticks he held. Blood ran down his hands and tears of relief filled his eyes. He rolled the dog off, stood up, his legs shaking uncontrollably.

  The next thing he felt were arms flung around his neck and Izzy sobbing into his ear.

  “I’m okay,” he said.

  Izzy silenced him with a kiss. It was as though a bolt of electricity passed between them and Ratty felt more tears welling in his eyes. As their lips separated, he heard more rustling in the bushes and for one terrifying moment he thought it was another dog, but then Chase and Jane appeared, their bewildered faces taking in the scene.

  “How did you kill it?” Chase stared down at the dog.

  “Luck,” Ratty replied.

  Izzy squeezed him tighter and Ratty gave a little cough, but she wouldn’t let go, and he was glad.

  “Why didn’t Adam shoot it?” Jane asked.

  Ratty shrugged. “He’s out of it. I don’t know whether he can understand what’s going on.”

  Jane shook her head as she gave Adam a disdainful look.

  “It’s not his fault,” Chase said.

  “He’s a man isn’t he, then it’s his fault. It’s always men that create the problems, sugar. He’s a part of all this, and he can’t even help when we need him.”

  “How’s Mandy?” Chase asked.

  With all the excitement, Ratty had forgotten all about her and he followed Chase to where she lay.

  Chase crouched down and frowned as she felt Mandy’s wrist, then she felt her neck before putting her ear next to her mouth, listening and feeling for an exhalation before she stood up and shook her head with tears in her eyes.

  “She’s gone.”

  Izzy started crying and Ratty hugged her.

  But before they had time to mourn, the sound of voices drifted through the trees.

  “It must be the guards searching for us,” Izzy squealed.

  “Right, let’s go,” Chase said, gritting her teeth.

  “We can’t just leave her,” Jane cried.

  “And we can’t take her with us.”

  “But it doesn’t seem right.”

  “I know ... I know.” Tears rolled down her cheeks. “Don’t you think I know? She helped save my life. All I can do for her now is make sure she didn’t die in vain. Come on, help me get Adam up and let’s get out of here.”

  ***

  Chase didn’t like to leave Mandy’s body lying out in the open, but there was nothing she could do. If they were to have any chance of escaping, they had to go now. She looked at the compass, bit her lip and helped Jane escort Adam through the trees and back down into the fog.

  It had been a welcome relief to get out of the fog, but now it wrapped its cold embrace round them as though welcoming back a long lost friend. Chase hoped never to see fog again in her life. She hated it. It was cold, wet and insidious. It was bloody everywhere, but it also seemed to be thinner. The rising wind also seemed to help scatter it.

  “I think the fog’s disappearing,” Ratty said, voicing what Chase had thought. “Per
haps my sabotage is working at last.”

  Behind them, Chase heard voices, barking out orders. They obviously didn’t think she and her companions were a real threat otherwise they would have been on silent manoeuvres. As it was they sounded like a bunch of kids on a fun day out. And perhaps they were having fun. Perhaps this was one big game to them.

  Progress was slow, mainly due to Adam who hardly seemed capable of putting one foot in front of the other.

  “Can’t we just leave him?” Jane said.

  “No, we can’t.”

  Jane tutted. “But we’d get out quicker without him. We could always send back help after we escape.”

  Chase shook her head. “If we leave him, they’ll probably kill him and he knows more about what’s gone on here than we do. If we want people to believe us, we need him.”

  Jane still didn’t seem to think leaving him was so bad, but Chase refused to listen to her. She didn’t want to feel responsible for anyone else’s death.

  After a while they began to climb steadily uphill through long grass with the fog becoming less and less substantial, allowing Chase to easily spot a road. She led the others toward it and checked her compass when she heard an engine approaching and a vehicle sped out of the fog about five hundred feet away, heading straight for them, headlights blazing and cutting a swath through the night. It was closely followed by another vehicle.

  “Quick, give me the gun.” She dropped Adam by the side of the road, took the gun from Jane and got them all to crouch down. “It’s too late to run as they’re bound to have spotted us. This is our last stand.” Chase stood her ground, levelling the barrel of the gun toward the lead vehicle. She held her breath as it skidded to a stop about fifty feet away. She could hear the engine ticking over, purring like a big cat before the driver floored the accelerator. With a squeal of tyres the vehicle headed straight at her and Chase pulled the trigger.

  Nothing happened.

  Forty feet away ...

  She looked at the gun, flicked the switch to another position and pulled the trigger again.

  Nothing.

  Twenty-five feet ...

  Gritting her teeth, she shook the gun, banged it but still nothing so she threw it at the vehicle before diving out of the way.

  The gun clattered harmlessly off the bonnet and the vehicle skidded to a stop less than ten feet away. The headlights blazed, forcing her to shield her eyes from the glare and a door opened and an armed man stepped out, using the door as a shield. The other vehicle drew alongside him, the vehicles combined headlights pinning her to the spot and sending her long shadow running away behind her.

  “Stand up so we can see you,” the soldier shouted as another guard stepped out of the other vehicle.

  Apart from Adam, everyone stood up.

  “And you,” the man said.

  “He’s in shock.” Chase covered her eyes from the glare.

  “He’ll be in more than shock if he doesn’t stand up. Now throw your weapons over there.” He indicated a spot away from them.

  “We haven’t got any.” Chase felt dejected at having come this far for nothing.

  “Then what’s that he’s got, a pea shooter. Hey, you, toss the weapon away.”

  Adam didn’t move.

  Another door on the lead vehicle opened and although the lights were stinging her eyes, she was surprised to make out the figure of Nigel Moon. He walked around the side of the vehicle, much to the guard’s annoyance. Moon shrugged aside the man’s protestations and stepped out into the open where she could see him better.

  “Adam, I would suggest that you relinquish your weapon before you get shot. I’m only saying this because you have been a great help to me, so I owe you that much. This is your last chance.”

  As though something had pricked him, Adam looked up. He had tears in his eyes as he caressed his wounded shoulder. Carefully, as though each movement caused him pain, he stood up and slowly unslung the gun and dropped it to the ground.

  “Now that wasn’t too hard, was it?” Moon smiled. He turned to the guard and nodded. “Now shoot them.”

  CHAPTER 33

  A shot rang out and Chase flinched and closed her eyes. She didn’t feel any pain. She didn’t even feel the bullet hit. Opening her eyes, she realised with great relief that she hadn’t been hit because it wasn’t the guard who had fired the shot. He stood looking away from her, across the field toward the fog.

  “Where did that shot come from?” Moon asked. He stood like a rock, unmoved.

  The guard shook his head and peered from around the door of the vehicle he had dived behind. “I don’t know, but you should get back inside the vehicle, sir.”

  Moon narrowed his eyes and looked around.

  “Sir, it’s for your own safety.”

  “I’ll be the judge of my own safety. Now find where that shot came from.”

  The guard motioned to the other vehicle and a door opened. Another guard jumped out to join the one still crouched behind the door, and then all three of them spread out and disappeared into the long grass.

  Chase didn’t know what was happening. She expected to be dead. Her confirmation that they were now expendable had been confirmed when Moon told the man to shoot them. Her heart hammered like a pneumatic drill and her fingers tingled; but if Moon’s man hadn’t fired the shot, then who had?

  Across the field, she could vaguely see the long grass swaying as the guards crawled through it.

  Looking back toward Moon, she noticed a movement in the grass close to where he was standing, but it couldn’t be one of the guards, because they were moving in the opposite direction. Confused, she watched the grass waving as though disturbed by a small breeze and she thought back to the snake. Intent on watching the progress of his men, Moon failed to notice the movement and a figure suddenly leaped out and grabbed him around the throat, holding a gun to his head.

  Chase couldn’t believe it.

  “Mat, is that you?”

  At the sound of her voice, the three guards appeared from the grass and turned to look back, their guns pointed at Moon and Mat.

  “You’ll never get away with this,” Moon spat.

  “And neither will you,” Mat hissed. “Now tell your men to throw their guns into the grass as far as they can.”

  Moon stood for a moment without saying or doing anything and then Mat prodded him in the head with the gun.

  “Do it or die. I’m the magic man, and I can make you disappear if I want.” Mat laughed

  “If you kill me, you’ve got no bargaining power. Without a hostage, you’re a dead man.”

  “I’m already dead, now tell them to throw the guns away.”

  Moon nodded. “Do as he says. But the first chance you get, kill him. Kill them all.”

  Chase started running toward Mat, tears of joy in her eyes. “Mat, I ... I thought I’d lost you again.” She couldn’t believe he was here.

  “All of you get in that vehicle and drive,” Mat said, indicating the Land Rover the two guards had exited.

  Jane quickly led Ratty and Izzy toward the vehicle. The engine ticked over as they clambered inside. Chase made no move to join them and neither did Adam.

  “I’m not going to lose you again,” Chase said with tears blurring her vision.

  “I’m giving you a chance to get away. I wished you here, now I’m wishing you gone. I’ll hold them off until you get away. They won’t do anything while I’ve got their boss.” He frowned, as though fighting an internal dilemma. “Besides, I’m not safe to be around. I ... I remember the vicar. I ... I didn’t mean...”

  “That doesn’t matter,” Chase said. “I’ll get you some help.”

  “I think I killed him, but I can’t remember why.” He choked back tears. “I’m not safe to be around.”

  “I can’t leave you here.” She took another step toward him. She wasn’t bothered what he had done, because she knew that it wasn’t Mat who had done it. Not the Mat that she knew anyway. She couldn’t run
out on him. She loved him.

  “Chase, come on, we’ve got to go.” Jane gunned the accelerator, sending a plume of smoke from the exhaust like a smoke signal.

  “Not without Mat.” She turned back to Mat and Moon. “I’m not losing you again. We can take Moon with us.”

  Mat shook his head. “They won’t let him go with you.” He indicated the guards. “This is my nightmare and he stays. Now go.”

  “Well, they won’t do anything if he’s with us.”

  “Your friend’s right.” Moon smiled. “The guards wouldn’t let you drive out of here with me.”