Cassie and Liam roused the other three. Moments later, they were huddled on the other side of the room.
“Everyone got their packs?” Ed asked in a whisper.
There were nods from each of them.
“There’s another way out. As long as they don’t know about it, we’ll get out of this without a need for casualties. Follow me.”
Cassie jumped as there was a bang on the door. “Nous savons que vous êtes là.”
“They know we’re here,” translated Ed as he ducked into the bathroom. “Come on, then, hurry yourselves.”
Cassie went in next, the rest of them men squeezing in behind her.
“Not a lot of room left in here.” John came in last.
“Pull the door closed and bolt it,” Ed ordered.
With all of them in here, there was virtually no room to move. “Breathe in everybody.” John somehow shut them in.
Cassie hadn’t noticed the bolts earlier when she’d used the toilet, but then she’d almost been asleep on her feet. There were six enormous bolts, three on either side of the door.
Under the sink was a large cabinet. Ed got on his hands and knees, and started chucking loo rolls and soap bars over his shoulder. Then there was a sliding sound.
“Hurry up, folks.” He reversed out of the cabinet for his pack, wearing it on his front rather than his back, and disappeared inside. They all looked at each other for a moment, then John dropped onto his knees to see inside. “There’s a tunnel,” he yelled back over his shoulder. Then he was gone.
There was an enormous smashing sound from the other room.
“I’d say they’re through.” Liam ran his hands through his hair nervously. “Dan, go next.”
Dan didn’t hesitate, and crawled straight through. The bathroom was suddenly a little less cramped.
“You’re up, Liam.” Dillon pushed him down to the floor. Liam glanced at Cassie, almost apologetically. Then he was in the cabinet.
“Nous savons que vous êtes là!” someone shouted from the main room. Then there was an enormous bang and a hole appeared in the middle of the door. Splinters of wood rained down on them. Cassie and Dillon tried to throw themselves out of the way of the blast. There wasn’t really anywhere to go, and Cassie ended up against the wall, eyes wide as the shoulder of one of the French people rammed against the hole.
“Bloody hell, they’ve got explosives!” Dillon jumped back up from where he’d fallen.
A face poked through the hole. “Faites-leur! Obtenez leurs sacs!”
Then hands grabbed at the edges of the ruined door and started pulling. The wood was rapidly disintegrating.
“Get in there!” Dillon shoved her down and into the cabinet. She banged her knee, but ignored the scream of pain. She was stuck. The tunnel entrance was just ahead of her, she could see a light at the other end, and Liam’s face.
“Hurry up!” Dillon yelled behind her.
“I can’t! I can’t move!” The insane French people would get them. She and Dillon were going to die here, in a bathroom. Cassie tried to push forward again. “I’ve caught on something,” she said and backed up a bit. She shoved forward and stuck fast again.
“It’s your backpack!” Dillon screamed behind her. “They’re almost through the door!”
“Shit!” Her pack! Cassie backed out and swung her pack onto her front. Dillon stood waiting behind her, his eyes wide.
“Hurry the fuck up,” he shouted. “They’re almost through!”
Behind him, the door was coming to pieces. Someone was trying to crawl though. Their bulging eyes focussed in on Dillon. The man shouted something in French, they were all babbling away, all shouting, the noise deafening her. Someone shoved a metal pole through the hole. The man stuck halfway through the door drew the pole through the gap like it was a sword. He wasted no time and swung.
“Duck! Cassie screamed.
Dillon feinted to the left. The pole caught the small of his back rather that the back of his head. With her pack on her front, Cassie dove into the tunnel and crawled as fast as she could. “Come on Dillon!” she yelled.
There was a second sickening thud behind her. Her heart all but stopped. They’d got Dillon. Because of her and her stupid bag, they’d killed Dillon. Desperately, she tried to turn in the small space and see what was going on in the bathroom. “Please, please, please, don’t be dead,” she whispered.
“Move!” Dillon was right behind her, suddenly pressed up against her legs. “They’re swarming through!”
Cassie moved. The tunnel surface was rough. The skin on her hands was being scraped away with each movement forward, but there was no time to stop or care. Dillon was shoved right up against her, getting on her feet, actually slowing her down. The end of the tunnel wasn’t getting any closer, like a nightmare, it seemed to move further away each time she crawled forward. Then she was out the other end. Liam grabbed her by the underarms and yanked her out. She was in a secret room. Dan and John were by a door, Ed to the side of the tunnel entrance.
“Where’s Dillon?” Liam yelled at her.
“What?” Cassie dropped back down and stared into the tunnel. “He was right behind me.” She turned to the others. “He was right behind me, the whole way!” Cassie stared back into the tunnel.
A scream echoed out of the duct.
“Oh my God, no!” Cassie screamed and fell to her knees. She tried to dive back into the tunnel, but Liam dug his fingers into her shoulders and heaved her back.
“That’s suicide!” he yelled.
“But Dillon, I’ve got to get Dillon.” She’d done it again, it was her fault. He’d made her go first, she’d got stuck, if she hadn’t he’d have got out. It was all because of her. “I’m so sorry!” she cried. “I’ve got to go get him!” Cassie escaped Liam’s grasp and lunged back towards the tunnel a second time.
She was almost all the way into the tunnel when a face appeared – a gaunt skeletal face wearing a wide sneer. Something dripped from his mouth, something red.
“No!” Cassie backed out. She tripped over the edge of the tunnel and tumbled onto the floor of the secret room. Someone grabbed at her, and in her panic, she slapped at them before looking up. It was Liam.
“Come on, get moving!” Liam took her hand and tugged her onto her feet.
Ed marched over to the door. He grabbed hold of the handle and ripped the door open. “It’s too late for Dillon. Follow me if you want to live.” Quickly, briefly he outlined a plan.
Chapter 23
The Frenchman stuck his head out of the tunnel. There really was blood dribbling from his mouth. Had he taken a bite out of Dillon? Would a human being really do that? The man crawled further from the tunnel. There was a light in his eyes as he saw them there, immobile. Was it shock? None of them moved as the Frenchman started laughing. All his front teeth had been kicked in. An odd, misplaced sensation of relief came to Cassie as she realised Dillon must have kicked this madman in the mouth, before they all got him.
The quiet in the secret room broke as Dan marched over and bashed the Frenchman in the face. “You murdered one of mine!” He kicked him again. Blood gushed from the side of the man’s head. “Die, murderer!” Dan attacked again. The man in the tunnel collapsed. Cassie couldn’t stop staring. Nausea rose as she saw blood flooding away from the man. Dan pulled back to kick again, but John put a hand on his shoulder.
“It’s too late, mate. Let him go.”
Cassie stared. The man in the tunnel twitched, but she felt sure he was dead. No one could survive having their head caved in. Someone was behind the dead man, backed up in the tunnel. The body shunted forward a few inches.
“There’re more coming, we need to leave,” John said.
Dan turned towards the exit, Cassie could see on his face that he only realised now Ed had gone. Their guide’s words echoed in her head, if they lingered they’d be left behind. She glanced back at Dan, watching as tears ran down his face.
“Mourn later. We need to go. Or we all die,�
�� she said and grabbed his hand. With John pulling at the other, they dragged him out.
Ed was at the end of the alley. She knew what the plan was, but it still shocked her to see him stood there, yelling for the natives’ attention. No one ran at Ed. They lumbered, slowed by the advances of their starvation. In one hand, Ed held out a nutrient bar, in the other his taser.
All attention was on him, and the safe room was emptying. More were approaching, some from behind. Cassie wanted to yell out a warning, but that wasn’t the plan. Ed had been perfectly clear.
The four of them inched along the wall. Ed led the French people away, holding the prize high. They stumbled after him, hands held out for the food. Some cried. Most moaned. One held a baby to her chest. Cassie caught a good look as the woman staggered past. She was certain the infant was dead, and had been for a long time.
They couldn’t let this happen to England.
Dan stole a look inside the room, and then waved a hand at the rest of them. There were a couple of people left inside. Dan took one of them out, landing a punch that downed the other fellow in one. As the first man collapsed to the floor, John strode up to the other and gave a knockout swing.
Dan dropped onto his knees, straddling the man he’d hit, landing more punches. John grabbed him. “Enough! We’re only here for the bikes.”
Dan looked up, his eyes glazed. He didn’t look right anymore. Cassie wondered what would happen if he turned that expression on her. It was her fault Dillon died in that tunnel, how long before Dan realised that? She gulped down the fear in her belly and grabbed her bike.
John took two bicycles, the rest of them wheeled their own out. One bike remained. Cassie glanced at it for a moment, saying a silent goodbye to Dillon. A sudden urge came over her to check the bathroom, make sure he really was dead. What if those Frenchmen only knocked him unconscious? What if he was in there right now, listening to them, unable to make a loud enough sound? Then she noticed the puddle of blood leaking out from under the bathroom door. She shook her head sadly and quickly followed the others.
Ed was across the road now. The crowd surrounding him had thickened to at least a dozen deep. The moans and groans of the suffering natives filled the air. A body lay inert on the ground. Footprints on his back and on the side of his face suggested he’d been trampled on.
Dan waved a hand in the air – the signal for Ed. Suddenly an electrical zing filled the air and several people screamed. The crowd stepped back, almost in unison.
“Laissez-moi sortir, et je vais vous donner plus de nourriture,” Ed shouted. But the crowd pressed back in.
He should be telling them to get back or something, that if they let him out he’d give them more. Something was wrong. Cassie glanced at the men, to see how they were going to rescue him. It was obvious the natives knew what he had in his pack, and they aimed to get it.
“We’ve got to help him,” Cassie said. She thought John would take command of them, but the glazed look in Dan’s eyes had cleared a little.
He took a small step forwards and said, “I know the way to the laboratory.” Dan stared over as more people increased the size of the crowd. “That’s why I wanted to look in his bag. I got the maps, the codes, the schematics, everything.”
“We can’t leave him.” Cassie handed her bike to John. “Well I plan on helping him, even if you lot don’t want to.”
“Go ahead, it’s your suicide.” Dan mounted his bike but didn’t start pedalling. John and Liam simply stared amazed at the exchange between Dan and her.
“Fine. You run away. But one death today is enough for me. Besides, someone’s got to help.” Cassie marched off towards the crowd. There was another discharge and a thud as a body presumably hit the ground. This time the group hardly flinched.
“I’ve got something for you.” Cassie called out. She held a bar in each hand. “Come and get them.” She threw one bar at the mob. Suddenly half a dozen folk pounced on it, and Ed finally came back into view. He was backed up against a wall, entirely surrounded.
“Throw your bar,” Cassie ordered.
Ed considered her suggestion for only a moment, then lobbed a bar into the throng. More people fell to the ground. There was a fight starting over the one she’d thrown. After a second’s consideration, she lobbed another. This time, they cleared enough to give Ed a way through them. He sprinted out, leaping over one of the fights, even as more people arrived. Maybe the noise drew them. Maybe they were so hungry they’d developed a sixth sense for food. Cassie didn’t know, but it was definitely time to go.
The others were mounted and ready to go. Liam held her bike, beckoning her urgently with one hand. John handed over Ed’s bike as he ran over.
“You did the right thing,” Liam said under his breath, and handed her the bicycle.
Ed jumped on his and started peddling.
Then, out of nowhere, the remains of the crowd surged their way and a man leapt onto Cassie. She slammed into the ground, her bike flying out of her hands.
“He’s got me!” she screamed.
Ed turned around, digging for his taser. But Dan got there first. He grabbed the man by the scruff and threw him off her. He landed a kick in the man’s guts, and the Frenchman went down gasping for air.
“Get on your bike, now!” Dan said as he stood panting behind her.
Cassie glanced over her shoulder. People were coming for them, lumbering into a run.
Cassie grabbed her bicycle, and rode hard.
Chapter 24
Dark clouds gathered in the early morning sky. The mob was miles behind them now. She wondered if any of them had fought to the death over those nutrient bars. To be that hungry, for an entire country to be so starved, a mob forms to rob strangers of a few days of food… Cassie tried to forget them, watching the sky instead, how the clouds seemed to grow darker with each passing minute – spreading like a bruise across the sky.
Cassie cycled beside Ed for a long time before she spoke. “Thank you for saving us.”
“Feeling’s mutual.”
Cassie gave him a broad smile. “Glad to hear it.”
“I only saved your skanky asses because I wanted my bike,” he said after a while.
Cassie almost stopped pedalling. She stared at him, unsure of what to do or say.
Then she noticed a ghost of a smile on his face. “I’m not always serious,” he said.
“Huh.” She let out a small laugh. “Certainly fooled me.”
“Time for a break,” Ed called back to the others, and pulled into an alley. “We’ve got another safe room here.”
“Safe? You sure about that?” she said as she followed him in. She climbed off her bike, her legs wobbling for a moment as she searched for signs of locals.
John pedalled in next. He’d cried for a while. He’d tried to hide it from her, or maybe even from Ed, but she’d spotted the tears. Dillon was a good guy. He’d warned her, tried to help her. Now he was dead, and Ed wanted them to go into another possible death trap?
Ed sighed. “Look, no one got enough sleep last night. You could fall off your bikes and injure yourselves or you could take the risk and sleep. Just for an hour.”
Cassie shook her head. “What if they know about this room? What if we get attacked again?” She looked up in surprise as Liam wrapped an arm around her.
“Cassie’s right,” Liam said. “How do we know we’ll not get ambushed again?”
Dan stood to the side, arms crossed, not saying a word. He remained near the head of the alley, keeping watch.
“I’m not going to sleep,” Ed said. “I’m used to all the exercise. This is a far tamer journey than I usually make. You lot sleep, I’ll keep watch.” He opened the door and went in.
There didn’t seem to be a choice, and Dan wasn’t in an arguing mood. Maybe he was glad to climb down from his role as leader. Their lives were Ed’s responsibility, not his for once.
Cassie followed their guide, dragging her bike into a small room. Reminiscent
of the last place, Cassie grabbed a roll and set herself up in a corner. There was a musty smell like the first safe room, no one had been here in a very long time. Cassie suppressed a sneeze and put her head down. Late morning was not a normal hour for her to sleep, but then again it had been days since she had a normal night’s rest. All the biking and strange hours she’d been keeping had confused her head enough. She thought she might be able to sleep anywhere at any time when this was all over.
Dan was fidgeting with his bag, glancing at Ed as their guide locked the door, and took up his post. He sighed and went over. “Ed, these are yours.” He took a map and notebook and handed them over.
Ed didn’t appear as surprised as Cassie thought he should be. Maybe he already knew. He simply nodded and accepted them without a word.
“I shouldn’t have taken them,” Dan said.
“Now I’ve got them back, can I talk you lot through some things?” Ed opened up blueprints for a building. “Liam, see the route in red?”
Liam had his mouth full of food, but he nodded.
“Memorise it. Be sure you remember which door the virus is behind.” He turned to John, flicking through the pages of his notebook at the same time. “These are for you. They’re the codes of the doors. First is the outer door, the other is for the lab.” Ed took out a container. “Dan and Cassie, sit with me a moment, and I’ll show you what to do.” He told them how to handle the virus, how to store it. “We’ll go through this again before it’s time,” he said. “Now get some rest.”
Ed returned to the door.
Cassie’s sat back down on her mat. Her legs ached, the place the rat had bitten had started throbbing again. Probably infected, she thought. Or maybe it was the bump she got trying to escape the tunnel. She’d have to pull down her trousers to look, and she was too exhausted to even raise a hand right now. Later, when she woke, she’d have a look. If she needed help she’d ask Ed. Did these safe rooms have medical kits? He might even have one in his pack. She was about to raise her head and ask Ed when the veil of sleep fell.
The Ultimate Choice Page 18