Natalie beamed. Stupidest! That's just what they needed.
The warden opened the gate. ‘Here, take this map. It's a mite tatty but it'll get you to the sky boat, whatever it is. Main A259's best.’
Nail nodded. ‘Thanks. It's the A259 then.’
‘And your tax is out of date,’ the warden shouted after them.
3
Natalie was clapping and singing to herself. ‘We're off to the sea. We're off to the sea.’
Nail stayed silent.
He was thinking about X-Ray. No matter how much he tried to push them aside he couldn't forget his words. I've never told a lie before he'd said. His voice sounded so hollow. And the look of emptiness and sadness on his face. Wow, he didn't need that. So, what was one little lie? he told himself. Hardly a visible grain in the world's daily accumulation of deceit. And strictly speaking it wasn't really a lie. X-Ray was a kind of brother, now. And also it was more of a story than a lie. And they only said that stuff about family to get them to the Sky Boat and away from the Hyena Men. So what had the little kid to complain about? It wasn't like a cover-up because they'd nicked some stuff.
And so on and so on. But it didn't make X-Ray go away. Instead Nail had to drive with the accusation drumming in his head – I've never told a lie before, I've never told a lie before.
Then Natalie suggested they stop. Nail to check the map, she to check the kids.
He pulled into a rest area.
He opened the map and found Loch Inchie. He slid his finger along the track, round past the turning where the Hyena Men gate crashed and down to McKinnon Wood where a small image of a picnic table marked the site where they were parked.
They were closer to the sea than he thought.
Then Natalie reappeared. ‘You'd better come and look at this,’ she said.
Nail joined her at the back of the van. The doors were open. Chicken Angel and X-Ray were kneeling either side of Lights Out.
4
Lolo's heart is ticking faintly. She smiles.
We kneel next to her. I hold one hand, Chicken Angel holds the other. Maiden China is ticking too.
Lights Out morses Chicken Angel. Tell me a story she says. Tell me about how Jack the Cat caught the Sky Boat.
Chicken Angel smiles.
‘One day,’ she says, ‘Jack the Cat was out walking by the sea looking for fallen stars…’
Lights Out is already asleep.
I can see a lumpy on her neck now.
Nail boy and the girl are watching us.
‘What's that?’ Nail boy says.
Natalie girl leans in and gently rolls up Lolo's sleeve.
Nail boy does a dearly.
‘It's what they call a lumpy,’ says Natalie girl.
‘She's covered in them,’ says Nail boy. ‘What is it?’
Natalie girl draws him away. She turns to us and says to get some sleep. Soon we'll be at the sea.
She closes the door. Outside I can hear them talking.
5
‘Lumpy?’ said Nail. ‘What the hell is it?’
Natalie shrugged. ‘It's something that happens to them. They go lumpy and die.’
‘Die! You just pop out all over and then die? I don't believe how matter of fact you can be, Nats. You're like, tomorrow it's going to rain. This is IT we're talking about. Big D.’
‘They don't see it like that, Nail. They're off in the Sky Boat, star spray forever. Day trip to heaven. Single only. It's us down here have the hard time.’
‘That Sky Boat stuff is nothing but candy floss, Natalie. The last big lie. Nats, listen to me. They'll throw the book at us for this. This is abduction, assault, the lot. We'll be banged up for life.’
‘Like them you mean!’
Nail snorted
‘Now shush,’ said Natalie. ‘Or they'll hear us.’ She drew Nail away from the van and they sat at a nearby picnic table.
‘A kid dying,’ said Nail. ‘Look, now we really should try getting her to hospital. And the others too. They all look like they need some treatment. Wheezing and wheezing. Have you noticed that? How they wheeze and cough and spit now?’
Natalie nodded. She'd talked to the kids in the van while Nail drove to the loch. They weren't scared or anything. They just didn't want to be bagged up and dumped down an incinerator. They wanted to go on a ride instead.
‘So these lumpy things are just swellings?’ said Nail.
Natalie nodded. ‘They get them all over. That's what Chicken Angel says. They last about twenty-four, forty-eight hours maybe and then… it's takeaway. That's their word for…’
‘Yeah, yeah. I know. I know.’
‘Once, there were lots of these kids in the Bin,’ said Natalie. ‘They all got lumpy. These three are the last.’
‘They might have a chance in a hospital.’
‘Well, the Bin's a hospital. A specialist unit. They've got nurses and stuff. They still died.’
‘I say we take them to hospital. I don't want them on my conscience, Nats. Do you?’
Natalie sighed. Lolo might die but the other two didn't deserve to be back in moose-time dozied up to the eyeballs.
Neither of them spoke for a bit. Nail tried to imagine the look on X-Ray's face as they opened the door and he saw a siding of ambulances and trolleys instead of the Sky Boat. It didn't bear thinking about – those hurt eyes turned on him accusing, accusing. But what else could they do? They couldn't let them just… die without trying something.
‘OK, here's what we do,’ he said suddenly. ‘We get to the main road and we take the Garvie turn. The kids won't notice. They're asleep. We go straight to the hospital. The kids get treatment and we're off the hook. We'll work out some story about how they came to be in the back of a van. Then –’
‘No,’ said a voice behind.
They swung round.
Standing a few metres away was X-Ray and leaning on his shoulder was Chicken Angel.
Well, are they psychic or what, Nail was thinking.
Natalie stepped towards them.
X-Ray put his hand to his mouth.
‘It's for the best,’ she said. ‘We'd love to take you to the sea but –’
‘We're not going to hospital,’ Chicken Angel interrupted. ‘We don't need medication.’
‘We've got some pills,’ said X-Ray.
‘Why didn't you say?’ said Natalie.
He opened his hand. She could see he was holding dozens of small green capsules. ‘Cough Cough gave them to us,’ said Chicken Angel.
‘It's special dozie dozie,’ said X-Ray very slowly.
‘We could swallow them all,’ said Chicken Angel. ‘Easily.’
Nail and Natalie stared at the two kids. Slowly it dawned on them.
‘You mean, if we don't take you to the Sky Boat you'll…’
The two kids nodded.
‘Here's what we'll do,’ said X-Ray. ‘Chicken Angel goes in the front. Natalie girl with us in the back.’
‘Stupid noddies,’ muttered Nail. ‘They don't trust us. After all we've done.’
Natalie smiled ruefully. ‘So much for morality,’ she said.
‘Give me a good down-to-earth liar any day. At least you know where you are with them,’ said Nail. ‘Well, choice over, decision made. And when the police catch up with us just tell the truth – it wasn't us stopping you getting to hospital, right?’
‘Police?’ said Chicken Angel.
Nail waved his hands. ‘Don't ask. Just don't ask!’
Then he looked directly at X-Ray. ‘This is called blackmail.’
‘What's that?’ said Chicken Angel.
‘It's worse than lying, that's for sure. Now get in and let's go before any Hyenas find us.’
Some time later they had passed out of forest and into high moorland travelling along a narrow winding hilltop road.
From the back of the van Nail was aware of a quiet singing, sometimes it fell to a low humming, other times it rose into a gentle lullabying.
He
tried to catch the words. It was folky stuff.
Speed bonny boat
like a bird on the wing
over the sea to Skye…
Well, they'd got the wrong boat. It was the bonny east coast for them.
CHAPTER 25
No More Lies, Little Brother
1
The blonde girl at his side wasn't saying very much.
He'd tried to get her to follow the map but she hadn't got a clue.
‘Maps show you roads and how to get to where you want to go,’ explained Nail.
Was there a map to get you to the moon? asked Chicken Angel.
No said Nail.
A map to get you to the stars?
No.
How big was the Sky Boat?
Dunno.
Was it on the map?
Nail shook his head.
‘How will you find it then?’
Nail hadn't a clue. He left that sort of thing to dafties and people like Natalie. She could answer that one.
And when she asked him where the jungle was he gave up altogether. He just didn't have the geography for it.
‘This is Scotland, sweetie. Now get some sleep.’
‘We need dozie for that. We're saving them just in case.’
Nail raised his eyebrows. Just in case? he said to himself. He guessed what that meant.
‘How long have you been in the Bin?’ he asked.
‘We don't know. Mrs Murdoe said we used to be grubs and then we went wrong and then we went to the Bin.’
‘Went wrong?’ said Nail.
‘That's why the nurses used to call us spookies. We spooked them. Doctor Dearly said that was wrong. He didn't like that. He said we had to be called Geminis. Mrs Murdoe said that was because we came in twos. Somewhere she said there was another Chicken Angel. My sister.’ The girl took a deep breath. ‘Lights Out is my sister really.’
Nail said nothing.
‘There were lots of us in the Bin,’ Chicken Angel continued. ‘Lots till they all went takeaway.’ She turned to Nail. ‘Will you go takeaway?’
‘Yeah,’ said Nail slowly. ‘Everybody does, eventually.’
‘It's not just Geminis, then?’
‘No.’
‘And will you get the Sky Boat as well?’
Not if I can help it thought Nail. With a bit of luck, I'll get the free-booze ferry.
He nodded.
‘Then we'll meet again,’ said Chicken Angel brightening.
To Nail's relief she suddenly changed the conversation. ‘X-Ray says you're not as bad as you look.’
‘He's a one to talk. What's wrong with the way I look?’
‘You got spots on your face.’
‘Those spots are what we call freckles.’
‘Leopards have freckles. We thought you were a leopard at first. We thought you were going to eat us. We thought you were going to eat Natalie.’
Eat her? No, just having a nibble now thought Nail. Main course later.
The girl fell silent. She pulled at her tracksuit top. ‘It's getting cold.’ After a moment she said very quietly, ‘Will ou look after X-Ra after I've gone takeaway?’
‘You're not going takeaway,’ said Nail alarmed.
Chicken Angel smiled.
‘It doesn't squeal,’ she said. ‘It's not like having hypo and hard trank. We just lie in the Sky Boat and it takes us away.’
Nail breathed in hard.
‘Will you?’
‘Uhhmm?’
‘Look after X-Ray?’
Nail nodded. ‘But it won't come to…’
He stopped. Chicken Angel had her arm stretched out and was rolling up the sleeve of her grey top.
The skin was covered in lumpies.
Nail put his foot down.
2
As they entered the dunes down a sandy trail sprouting with marram grass Nail noticed a building with a sloping wooden roof a little way ahead.
They pulled up outside.
What stood before them was an all-wood circular structure with a conical roof thatched with fir branches and decorated all over with shells and cones.
‘What is it?’ said Nail. ‘A shelter?’
Natalie read the notice outside. ‘St Otald's Dune Chapel.’
‘Who's Otald?’
But Natalie was looking inside.
There was no door so she stepped through the opening into the gloomy interior. The others followed, Nail and X-Ray and Chicken Angel.
Wooden benches covered half the floor and in the far wall a small stained-glass window glowed faintly in the little light of the moon, displaying in greens and yellows the image of a woman with stars round her bowed head. She was holding a baby.
‘It's Mary, the Madonna,’ whispered Natalie. ‘There's one like that in our chapel. At school.’ She looked around. ‘We could all sleep in here for a while,’ she said. ‘It could be warmer than the van. Lights Out will be better in here too.’
They brought the blankets and made makeshift beds.
Natalie carried Lights Out.
Kneeling, she and Nail laid her down gently.
A slow smile lit up her face.
Holding Nail's arm she pulled herself upright and pointed at the stained-glass Madonna.
Then she began morsing on his palm.
‘It tickles,’ he said. ‘What's she saying?’
Chicken Angel took Lolo's hand. Lights Out started again.
‘It's Maiden China, she says. She says she's free at last. The witch is dead. Now she can fly away.’
‘That's daftie,’ whispered X-Ray. ‘It's not Maiden China. Can't be. She's got a pippi in her arms.’
Natalie put a finger on his lips to shush him.
Chicken Angel turned to Nail. ‘She says you saved Maiden China from the witch. You set her free. Now she's shining on us and saying thank you.’
Lights Out turned to Nail. She touched his face. Then slowly she raised herself and leant against him.
He stiffened.
She put her hands round his neck.
He could feel the dry papery cheek, the warty skin of her arms.
She kissed him.
Then she slid slowly down his chest.
No one spoke.
Natalie bent over her and lifted her like you would a sleeping child. She held her in her arms slowly rocking her. ‘Shussh,’ she crooned. ‘Shussh little baby.’
Then she laid her on one of the blankets.
Chicken Angel came over to where Nail was sitting and handed him a notebook.
Nail looked puzzled.
‘Her diary,’ explained Natalie, getting up. ‘She's letting you read it.’
‘She's never let anyone do that before,’ said X-Ray.
Chicken Angel shook her head. ‘I want you to have it.’
‘But it's your special book,’ said Natalie.
Chicken Angel hadn't taken her eye off Nail.
‘It's for you. You've got to have it. It's about the Bin. All of it. About the Geminis and everything. I won't be needing it now.’
Nail nodded.
Natalie nudged him.
‘Say thank you.’
‘Thanks.’
Chicken Angel and X-Ray went to lie on a blanket.
3
Nail looked over at the still huddle of Lights Out.
‘She…? You know what?’ said Nail as Natalie knelt beside him. He could see her hair hanging down silhouetted in the faint light of the chapel doorway.
Natalie said nothing. Instead she curled up against Nail.
He tucked the diary under the blanket.
Poor little kid!
Then he noticed X-Ray wasn't asleep. He was looking at him, his eyes large and bright. He was shivering.
Nail got up, lay down next to him, drew him to his chest and closed his arms round the thin body. Gradually the shiverin stopped.
‘Go to sleep, little brother,’ he whispered.
‘No more lies, Nail boy?’
‘No
more lies,’ said Nail.
‘Tomorrow we find the Sky Boat.’
‘Tomorrow we find the Sky Boat.’
‘For Lolo.’
‘For Lolo.’
Silence.
Now thought Nail, where the hell was he going to find a Sky Boat? Surely they weren't expecting to go out on the sea.
He could feel the little kid quietly wheezing and relaxing into sleep.
He got up carefully, took his blanket and draped it in a double layer over X-Ray.
Then he bent down and kissed the child's head.
It smelt of puke.
I just hope we find the freaky thing said Nail to himself.
4
Carefully Chicken Angel bends over Nail boy.
He's snoring a bit and has his arm round Natalie girl.
We wrap Lolo in a blanket. We don't want her to get cold in the sea.
Chicken Angel keeps stroking her hair.
I kiss her forehead.
Chicken Angel morses her. ‘Goodbye, little sister,’ she says.
We lift her together.
Carefully we edge out so we don't wake Nail boy and Natalie girl.
*
Chicken Angel says she knows where the Sky Boat is.
I know her secret.
When we did cosy cosy last night I felt things on her. Not her wings. I know how they feel, soft and squeezy. Not her mammaries either. These were hard and all over.
These were lumpies.
I know.
I've got them as well.
Just the two.
On my arm.
It won't be long now.
Not to worry said Mrs Murdoe, Jesus will be waiting for you.
As we leave Chicken Angel picks up a fir stick. It's fallen from the roof. She pulls off the side shoots.
‘For the pictures,’ she says.
5
The early sun strays through the doorway and stretches like bright gold cloth along the floor, over the sleeping forms of Natalie and Nail and up to the smooth wooden wall, where it hangs, a gleaming drapery.
Outside gulls wail and a breeze sings through the marram.
The tide is coming in. The sea is boisterous and even far out the waves are fringed with white.
The tide is coming in.
Over the unblemished sand it pushes irresistibly.
6
Angel Blood Page 21