by F. Habib
‘I can give you the money. Take all of it, there’s no need to hurt us. It’s all here,’ she gasped. Blood crawled down her nape from her hairline. The men ignored her and produced a roll of black tape.
They’re not here for the money. They’ve come for me, just as they came before. Confusion warred with panic about Galen. What will happen to him here alone? Where are they taking me? How to stop them this time?
‘Please, don’t do this. You could take my money. There’s a lot of it. Tell him… you couldn’t find me.’
The first man pushed his gun in her face.
‘Quiet.’
He handed the tape to the second man who strode towards her. He grabbed her arms and wrenched them behind her back so far that she fell forward onto the sofa with a screech of pain as her ligaments stretched and popped. The tape cut into her wrists and ankles.
‘How the hell did an amateur like you get into this team?’ The first man scratched his temple with the barrel of his gun. ‘If you cut off the circulation like that, she’s not going to have any hands or feet by the time we get her to base.’
A loud clatter from the kitchen froze everyone. They turned to see Galen trembling by the slatted pantry door, the wooden pieces scattered around him.
The first man turned a cocked head to his companion. ‘Seriously?’
‘I am gonna break your face kid.’ The second man sprang to his feet and stalked towards Galen. Beth screamed, then Galen screamed and it all happened at once.
The three attackers fell to their knees clutching their heads. The first yanked off his mask, his face twisted with such agony it quelled Beth’s yell. His gaping mouth a mute black hole, he turned to face Galen, but his eyes didn’t follow. They rolled into his head, which arched back at an odd angle before his face began to melt. Beth screamed again as his skin bumped and buckled. She scrunched her eyes then turned to Galen’s endless shriek. She couldn’t move but had to stop him.
‘Galen, stop it!’
Abrupt silence was broken only by Galen’s rasping breath. He still stood by the pantry, eyes fixed on the wall opposite.
I wish I could move.
She knew the men were dead. Galen’s stillness told her so.
‘Darling,’ she croaked, ‘you need to help free my hands. Can you come to me?’
Stiff legs faltering, he crossed the room like an automaton and pulled at the tough tape with small fingers. The blood rushed back into Beth’s hands, making her groan with fresh pain. She freed her ankles and clutched Galen to her chest. He didn’t move. After endless minutes of gentle rocking, his arms lifted to her neck. Beth let out a wrenching sob.
Tears washed her face as she braced herself to look at the men. I must make detailed observations. The two masked figures lay crumpled, revealing little. She turned to the single unmasked leader. Her mind shied away, then the scientist in her forced the appraisal. She didn’t look away until the melted plasticine effect of his puddled features was burned in her memory.
She then slotted it out of her mind, tried to lift Galen onto the sofa and promptly gagged as her stomach churned. Galen lifted his head and she saw his cheek bloodied by the cut on her scalp. He pulled back her hair and wiped the wound gently with the warm brush of his fingers.
‘It’s gone now, just like them,’ he whispered and laid his head back on her shoulder.
Beth sobbed for her good little boy.
‘Thank you,’ she whispered. She knew then it was over, this life amongst the fields. She had to leave. Now. Tonight. She understood for the first time, that Liam, like his son, had saved her from these men. More men would come and she had to keep Galen very far away from them. For all of their sakes.
Chapter Seven
Mumbai, India
Holy mother of God, how can it be this hot? Beth sat motionless as the tiniest movement brought a fresh wave of sweat gushing from every pore. She desperately wished she’d gone by car into the city, but cars were easy to track. Every time the train stopped, the thick air did its best to suffocate her.
She glanced down at Galen who sat opposite, soaked with sweat, but relaxed. She was amazed by his fortitude and progress over the last six weeks. She’d killed her email, mobile and bank card, bought loose diamonds in Rome with her winnings and traded them for cash as they moved east by train and road. It was easiest to carry the stones in a money pouch strapped to a slim cable round her hips.
Their run from the Masks had been mainly nocturnal and slow until Galen had marched her into a busy Athenian market one day. He’d sat on a low wall with eyes closed as Beth tried to look casual whenever a curious glance came their way. He’d practiced again and again his exposure to crowds as they made their way across Europe, until he could talk and smile at her over a treat in a jam-packed Istanbul cafe. Only occasionally did he abruptly get up and leave, sprinting from a particular individual or group.
Their journey had normalised till Limassol. After a seaside stroll, they’d returned to their hotel where the clerk, key in hand, wondered whether they’d caught up with their uncle. They’d fled to the airport and hadn’t stopped since.
She turned to look out of the door-less carriage where a few people stood, risking life and limb for a little extra air. Vashi, painted on a sign, marked the halfway point on their journey. There were few tourists on the train and none in their carriage. They could scarcely have been more conspicuous.
Thank goodness no one’s bothered us.
The train jerked and tugged out of the station. Beth released the grip on her small bag just as two Indian men jumped through the moving doorway and looked directly at her, no masks this time to hide their intent.
A jet of adrenaline hit her heart with a bang, defibrillating rage through her muscles. One stinking attacker squeezed next to her and the other leaned close to Galen. He allowed Beth to see a polished blade before pushing it into a pocket close to Galen’s torso.
No!
The scream filled her head but her lips didn’t move. Her breathing sharpened as red mist tinted her vision. Galen closed his eyes and the wrath came. It exploded out of nowhere and took her as much by surprise as it did everyone in the carriage. Her boot kicked high just missing Galen’s head. The knife-man reeled to one side, but her heel slammed his bicep.
In one move she grabbed Galen and ran for the open doorway. She pushed past bemused passengers as the men shouted close behind, knives flashed sunshine around the carriage. Beyond the doorway lay nothingness.
What the hell? Open ocean lay hundreds of feet below, the view broken only by steel girders flashing past.
A sea bridge…shit.
‘No use in it, mahilā. They are waiting for you at the next stop.’
She glanced back. Malicious grins fuelled the fire in her chest and darkened the strange red hue. She lifted Galen; his pale features were composed.
Please let this not be the mistake of my life, Beth begged. She kissed him hard on the lips and with every ounce of strength threw him off the train, over the railings and out into the open air.
Shrill screams filled the carriage and Beth realised hers were amongst them. The passengers pressed away from her, inadvertently knocking back the gaping attackers.
Her quaking heart flew out the door with Galen. She suddenly had every formula clear in her head, instantly calculating the probable velocity and impact force of his trajectory. She swallowed a wrenching sob back down and slashed at the thought that she could have miscalculated.
Gritting her teeth, she took three steps back and ran at the opening, flinging herself into the void to a fresh chorus of shrieks. A loud crack accompanied the snap in her left arm. No pain, just the rush of an endless plunge. The air was loud and twisty. Her clothes crackled in the icy wind as it blasted her skin. Long seconds stretched on. Her stomach writhed with the knowledge that death was imminent. Her body flailed uselessly.
What have I done?
Then quiet.
*
Beth drifted in the mur
ky water. She was about three meters away, and could see her t-shirt had been ripped off her body. It floated next to her naked torso. She watched a giant hook on a stick lower from a boat above. It caught her jean-clad leg.
Hey, be careful with that.
Beth noticed the broken arm, white bone protruded above her elbow, but she could see no gush of blood.
That can’t be good.
‘Mum, wake now… Mum!’
Galen’s yell cut through her head like a hot knife. Searing pain burned her arm. She cried out, but instead of sound came water. There was so much she couldn’t draw breath. She retched, then vomited again. Finally, her lungs sucked in a loud gulp. Confusion and the putrid stench of rotten fish filled her head.
‘Show your eyes.’
Beth groaned, and rolled onto her side. Her arm was consumed by fire. Is it still attached, or been wrenched off completely? No - amputating it with a blunt knife couldn’t hurt this much.
‘It’s going to be long to fix. I asked nicely to get better quick fast.’ Galen’s soft voice whispered close to her ear.
‘Not so quick,’ Beth said through clenched teeth.
There was a pause. Galen was clearly pondering her comment. Suddenly the heat began to fade; it cooled to a slow roast. A sob of relief pushed past her lips and tears dripped from her nose to the hot metal deck. There were voices now - male, loud and agitated.
I need to show I’m not actually dead; at least, not any more. The thought gave her pause. She remembered watching them hook her body from the water. The implications were too vast to contemplate; too weird.
I’ll review the experience later - before I decide what it means, if anything.
She rolled slowly onto her back and through narrowed eyes counted half a dozen men. Skin baked to cocoa, they stared at her, arguing in what she assumed was Hindi. Confusion receded. We have to get off this boat.
Galen was crouched close by and looked to be in rude health, though thoroughly soaked and barefoot. The nearest man, whom Beth took for the captain, was shaking his head violently. He started to shout and made wild gestures at the bridge high above; he didn't seem overly pleased that she was alive.
Beth gazed up in awe. Wow, that is one hell of a bridge. It looks a mile high from here. She shook as she reached for Galen with her good arm. She’d counted on his healing powers to kick in for them both, but the jump now seemed outlandishly stupid. She’d no right to risk his life or hers so recklessly. Guilt burgeoned up from her gut, but she pushed it back.
I don’t have the time for that now; I have to get us far away from here. There are too many witnesses. As she drooped against the hot metal side, she realised she was naked to the waist. She checked the cable was secure around her hips and hoped the money pouch was still attached. Beth looked around for some cover and the captain hurled a ragged t-shirt at her. It stank of fish and body odour.
‘Thank you,’ she pulled it on. ‘Lucky this boat was near, huh?’ she asked Galen, who was helping her injured arm through the t-shirt. She couldn’t seem to move it. There was a thick red and black crust encircling her bicep, but the burning sensation had eased further.
‘I nearly landed on top! The mans helped me find you. It was hard to feel...in the water. Mum, don’t you jump out of a train.’ Galen’s sweet clear face was serious. Beth couldn’t hold back a painful chuckle.
‘I promise never, ever, to do it again my darling. I’m sorry I did it. It wasn’t very clever and I shouldn’t have let those men scare me into it.’ Not that she’d had many options. She couldn’t risk Galen ever having to defend her directly again from their pursuers.
I never want him to be in that position. To use force against others isn’t in his nature, he’s just a baby.
‘Excuse me, sir. Will you take us to shore?’ Beth struggled to her feet and the crew stumbled away from her. She was glad they were wary.
‘Shore.’ She pointed to the distant riverbank. The bridge was fading into the distance, but they still had to get out of town.
How are those guys following us? What do I do now?
Their passports, change of clothes, everything had been left on the train. The thought of getting false identities, fake passports and goodness knew what else was daunting. She wouldn’t know where to begin.
The captain beat his head with his palms and slumped down on the gunwale. He peered off to the distant shore Beth had indicated.
He probably thinks he’s going to get into trouble, but seems to have calmed down.
‘Nhava Sheva,’ he said. He flapped his arms in resignation, gabbled at his crew and the boat turned.
‘Thank you,’ Beth bowed low and slipped back to the floor. The stench, pain and rocking motion made her retch. She lay down on the filthy deck and Galen placed a warm hand on her chest. She closed her eyes and felt his head press against hers. She woke when the boat bumped hard against a dock and she blinked in the bright sunshine.
What on earth? Looming over the fishing boat was a tower of steel. Her heart leapt. The solution surrounded her. Giant tankers lined up alongside enormous cranes, containers formed mini-mountains nearby.
Beth checked her pouch of gems was still on her.
With these I can buy safe passage to wherever these monsters are going. No passport, nothing traceable. I’ll have to be discreet; don’t want to go from the frying pan into the fire twice in one day.
She assessed the line up of vessels and grabbed Galen by the hand. With another low bow she thanked their rescuers and gingerly made her way onto the dock. A long walkway marked her path to the future; each ship would bring a different destiny and destination.
‘Sliding doors,’ she whispered. Wasn’t that the phrase?
Chapter Eight
East Coast, Mauritius - Five years later
‘Hurry mum, come on...we're going to be late.’ He couldn’t understand how it took his mum so long to get dressed. He’d even watched to see what the delay was and bizarrely, there was nothing fancy happening, even by his own loose standards. She didn’t wear makeup or even dry her long hair. She just ran a comb through it and tied it up. He couldn’t even fault her speed.
One day, with a straight face, she’d passed him a stopwatch. He’d stopped fussing then, but today was different.
He jumped up and down on the spot and wriggled his slim shoulders as though his expended energy would somehow speed her progress. He looked through the kitchen window, down the lush slope to the long strip of coral sand that held back the Indian Ocean from the road. He couldn't bear the thought of missing Rian's performance and they hadn't been to a Diwali celebration before. His toes tingled at the thought.
There’d be lots of people there; that wasn't great, but most of them would be quite happy, which helped. He didn't enjoy crowds, but this was a party and Rian would be there to show off and make him laugh. Rian was his best friend. He was also his only friend, but even if Galen had a thousand friends, he just knew Rian would still be top. That was because he was completely kind, which was rare in an eight year old. It smoothed fear like oil on water. Plus, he was quite funny. And he didn't mind at all that Galen could do magic.
Galen craned his neck to check his tiny wooden boat was still safely hooked up to the buoy. Tomorrow they’d go crab catching amongst the rock pools, or maybe push the boat into the bay. He looked out now to the reef where huge waves crashed to a shuddering halt, fall-down tired after their long journey across the ocean. He always imagined they were thankful to come to a rest.
‘Darling, have you locked up?’
Beth came out of her room and padded barefoot across the tiled floor, fiddling with her hair. She smiled at Galen's impatient frown.
‘Yes! Ages ago. We can't be late mum and it starts in ten minutes.’ Galen pointed to his watch with feeling. It was large and black with lots of dials and numbers and was totally waterproof. He’d gotten it for his birthday back in June and so far he still loved it very much.
‘When has anything in Maur
itius started bang on time? Give me a little leeway here my friend, you know I've been running around like a mad woman today.’ She gave him a tight squeeze, and then a stern look of enquiry.
‘So how come you're so handsome?’
He rolled his eyes and pulled at her hand, dragging her out the front door. She grabbed her flip-flops and locked the door as he scooted to the road that carried many people.
At least we’re not the only late ones. He skipped ahead of his too-slow mother, squirting between the family groups. A couple of dogs trailed at his heels for a while, and then ran off. He kept looking back to check she was still in view.
Rule Number One: never go out of sight in a public place.
He longed to run ahead to find Rian, but his mum's orders held him as firmly as an iron chain. Soon he heard music and the crowd grew thick. It forced him to slow further. He sensed Rian before he saw him; the familiar imprint rang loud and clear through the crowd. He was under the pine trees near the beach with his family; they were setting up camp. A battered minivan blasted out catchy Bollywood music and many people were readying tables and chairs, colourful decorations and tons of food.
‘Rian! I'm here,’ Galen called to the bright blue figure bent low over a bundle of baguettes. Rian turned and a huge grin caused the blue paint to crack and crinkle. He came loping over.
‘Well, what do you think, G?’ He did a twirl and struck a dance pose.
‘Trés cool, mon pote,’ laughed Galen. He’d never seen such a spectacular costume. Dark kohl encircled his eyes, his lips were deep red and a very fancy golden headdress sat low on his brow. His ears and arms bore bright jewels and round his waist sat an enormous intricate gold belt. Galen was glad he could feel Rian’s DNA as he'd never have spotted him otherwise.