Escape Artist (End of the World Book 3)

by Thomas Hall

  None of us feels like talking while we eat and I catch Michelle studying the other people the way I have been. I know we need to talk about our plans, but doing so in front of Harriet and Cassie seems like a mistake.

  “I’m going to head back to the tent,” Cassie says.

  “I’ll come with you,” Harriet says. Then she turns to me. “If that’s okay?”

  I smile, tell her it’s fine, and then watch them get up and go.

  “Fancy taking a walk?” Michelle says when I turn back to her.

  We deposit our trays in the racks provided and then walk in silence until we are out of the tent.

  “What do you want to do?” I say to her once we are far enough away from the food tent that the noise is only a distant murmur.

  “I want to check out the military zone,” she says.

  “Me too,” I say. “You want to go now?”

  She shakes her head. “Later. When it’s dark. I don’t want them to see me.” Which tells me that she has more than a casual walk past in mind. I’m glad that I’m not the only one feeling paranoid about the situation.

  “What about now then?”

  She shrugs.

  “You want to go back to the tent?”

  “No.”

  “What then?”

  “Can we walk for a while? I need to clear my head.”

  I shrug. It’s not as if either of us has anything better to do.

  We walk in companionable silence. The life of the camp happens all around us but we aren’t part of it.

  A few people nod at us.

  An old couple out for an afternoon stroll stop us and ask questions about who we are and where we’ve come from. We answer them and then ask a few questions of our own. By all accounts they are very happy to be here which isn’t what we want to hear so we make our excuses and move on.

  When we reach the North Gate it dawns on me that Michelle is looking for proof that something is wrong.

  The place is too good to be true. The last few weeks have taught us both that when something appears too good to be true, it usually is. The only problem is that nothing seems out of place, nothing sets off any alarm bells. The only fault with the place is its lack of faults.

  “We should get back,” I say.

  “I suppose,” she says. She doesn’t move.

  “What is it?” I say.

  “Don’t you think it’s odd?” she says.

  “What is?”

  She looks around. “All this. How long has it been since the first outbreak?”

  I shake my head. I don’t know. “A few months?”

  “And they said they were wandering around for weeks before they found this place.”

  I say nothing, but that sounds about right

  “And now it’s this. Doesn’t that seem odd?”

  “I suppose,” I say.

  “Let’s get back to the tent,” she says. “We could find something in the military zone tonight.”

  I nod and we walk away from the gate. The guards in the watchtowers follow our progress.

  CHAPTER 17

  THE FOUR OF US SIT TOGETHER IN OUR tent without anything to do and not much to say to each other. If we are going to stay here, then we will need to find work.

  “I’m going out for a walk,” Michelle announces. “Are you coming Evan?”

  I look up, surprised to hear her speaking. It seems like hours have passed in silence. “Sure,” I stutter. “Now?”

  She nods. I struggle to see her in the failing light.

  “Will you be okay here?” I say to Cassie.

  “We’ll be fine,” she says. “Won’t we Harriet?”

  Harriet nods. On a whim, I lean over and kiss her goodbye. Then I lead Michelle out of the tent and into the night.

  A few lamps have been lit, but there is little to see except tents.

  Michelle reaches into her pocket and pulls out a small LED torch. She shines the light on the ground and we make out way through the scrummage of canvas and cable like two drunks.

  The military zone is lit up with high power spotlights atop poles that must be thirty feet high. I can see the dark shapes of trucks, jeeps and a helicopter. As we get closer I hear people shouting and engines revving.

  “Let’s get a closer look,” Michelle says.

  I nod and follow her.

  We duck down low and cross the gulf between the tents and the military zone as quick as we can.

  It isn’t possible to get very close. There is a fence with barbed wire spiralling over the top fifty metres from the nearest vehicle.

  We stop.

  I see people moving around. I hear them shouting, but can’t make out what they are shouting about.

  “There might be a way in,” I say.

  She looks at me and nods.

  I lead her along the length of the fence. Every few metres there is a metal post attached to it. We reach the end of the line without finding a gate.

  “The other way?” I say.

  She shrugs, turns and this time leads me.

  We reach the other end of the fence without finding a way in.

  “What are we going to do now?” I say.

  Michelle shakes her head.

  “We could volunteer to be in the army,” I say.

  “And how long would that take?” she shoots back. “I don’t want to sit around all day while they’re in there doing... god knows what.”

  “I don’t see that we’ve got any other choice,” I say. “It’s not like we can walk up to the door and ask them to let us in.”

  “What door?” she says.

  “Exactly.”

  She stops talking. We walk up and down the fence another couple of times, but with no greater luck. It looks as if we are going home empty handed.

  I am about to suggest that we stop at the cafeteria on our way, when a dark shadow falls over us.

  We both freeze, as if that will make us more difficult to see.

  “Have you got something you’d like to say to me?” says a man’s voice. I don’t need to turn around to know that he is some kind of giant. His shadow eclipses both mine and Michelle’s.

  We could run.

  We don’t stand a chance if we decide to fight.

  “Turn around so I can see you,” the man says.

  I do as he says and am not disappointed. He stands at least seven feet tall and is as broad as I am high.

  “Who are you?” he says.

  “Michelle,” Michelle says. “And Evan.”

  I wince as she says my name. I am not sure of much, but I am sure that I don’t want this man to know who I am, nor where he can find me.

  “What are you doing here?” the man says.

  Neither of us speaks.

  “Trying to see what we’re doing?” the man suggests.

  “That’s right,” Michelle says. She is trying to sound confident, but I can tell that she is as terrified by the army man as I am. Even if he wasn’t the size of a small mountain, our experience with soldiers has taught us both to be cautious.

  “Well that’s different,” the man says. “That’s very different.”

  I expect him to seize us. To lift us off our feet and carry us to so hellish prison. Instead he smiles. The expression seems at home on his face and makes me feel more comfortable in his presence.

  “The name’s Ray,” he says. He offers me a giant paw. When I shake it, he manages not to break my hand. “I hope I didn’t scare you?”

  “Not at all,” I lie.

  “If you want to take a look around it’s this way,” Ray says.

  I frown at him but he doesn’t react. Likely because he can’t see me in the dark.

  “Follow me,” he says.

  I look at Michelle and she shrugs. We both follow Ray along the length of the fence.

  The reason we couldn’t find a gate in the fence is because there isn’t one. The entrance to the military zone is through a door in the concrete building that stands at the side of the zone. Ray
enters eight digits on a mechanical keypad and the door clunks as it unlocks.

  The lights come on as we pass the sensors. We follow Ray along a narrow corridor. He has to sidestep most of the time, and we don’t see anyone until we reach the room at the end. Another password from Ray unlocks the door and we follow him through.

  The concrete room reminds me of the heliport. There is a metal detector in the middle and a man sitting to one side with his chair tilted back and his feet on a table. He looks at us as we walk into the room.

  “What’s going on Ray?” the man says.

  “Ben,” Ray says to us. Then he turns away. “They want a tour of the zone.”

  “Now?” Ben says.

  “Caught them sneaking around by the fence. Thought they might like to see that we aren’t hiding anything.”

  “Why all the security then?” Michelle says. She has that triumphant look on her face which tells me she thinks she has scored an unbeatable point.

  “There’s kids in the camp,” Ben said. He looks aghast at the idea that they wouldn’t seal up the military hardware. “You think we’re going to let them have the run of the place?”

  “From what I heard, it sounds like they’ve got as much right to it as you have.”

  “More,” Ben says. “They didn’t screw up this world, we did. Anything that’s left is their birthright. But that’s not the point.”

  “Well what is?” Michelle says.

  “I don’t know. Guess we don’t like the idea of kids running around with automatic weapons and grenades. That could get real ugly.”

  I don’t dissagree with him.

  “But you’re happy to let us take a look around?”

  “Be my guest,” Ben says. “Nothing to hide here.”

  Michelle mumbles something that I don’t quite catch.

  “Shall we?” Ray says.

  I look at Michelle. She doesn’t say anything.

  “Sure,” I say. “Lead the way.”

  We pass through the metal detector and get a pass on our second try. I set it off once with my belt buckle and Michelle with her torch. Then Ray opens the door on the far side and leads us through to the military zone.

  The noice is tremendous. It blocks out every thought in my head. Another good reason for keeping it away from the tents. I doubt anyone would be able to sleep with this racket.

  I feel a tap on my shoulder and turn. Ray is standing there holding out a pair of yellow ear defenders. I take them, put them on and then offer him a thumbs up. He waves for us to follow him and we set off across the zone.

  I sneak a glance at Michelle, but she is scowling at the back of Ray’s head.

  We walk past the trucks. Men and women are loading wooden boxes into the backs. I make a mental note to ask Ray what they contain later on. Then we pass the jeeps which are dark and deserted.

  The helicopter is further on. The blades are spinning – down or up, I can’t tell – and there are two soldiers sitting inside. One of them gives me a thumbs up as we pass and I can’t stop myself from giving it back.

  The tour is brief and un-narrated. Although for all I know, Ray has been giving a non-stop commentary, I wouldn’t be able to hear him if he had.

  It ends when we reach another concrete building, which I assume leads back out to the camp.

  Ray ushers us through the door. On the other side there is a set of stairs.

  “Up you go,” he says.

  “Why?” Michelle says. “What’s up there?”

  “Still think I’m trying to trick you?” Ray says.

  Michelle doesn’t answer.

  “The offices. I’m assuming you’re not satisfied with a brief tour. Thought you might like to speak to someone who could answer your questions.”

  I lead us up the stairs. Michelle follows behind and Ray brings up the rear.

  At the top there is another door. Ray leans past Michelle and me to enter his password. He doesn’t try to shield it from us. He pushes the door with his finger tips and nods for us to go through.

  The office on the other side is full of desks. The people sitting at them are scribbling down notes and running from one end of the room to the other. It looks like chaos.

  “This way,” Ray says.

  We follow him to an office with a name on the door.

  DR. SCOUT

  “A doctor?” I say.

  “Yes sir,” Ray says. He knocks on the door and we go back to waiting in silence.

  A moment later a voice calls out. “Who is it?”

  “Raymond Carter sir,” Ray says. “I have some visitors who would like to speak to you.”

  I hear a sigh. “Very well Raymond, show them in.”

  Ray opens the door and steps into the room, holding it open for us to follow. I look at Michelle and she no longer looks angry, but she doesn’t look pleased. I offer to let her go first but she shakes her head, so I lead the way.

  Dr. Scout is a man who is seventy years old if he’s a day.

  “Who do we have here?” Dr. Scout says.

  I step forward and offer him my hand. “Evan,” I say. “And this is Michelle.”

  Dr. Scout doesn’t shake either of our hands. He looks at us through milky blue eyes until we put our arms back by our sides.

  “Take a seat then,” Dr. Scout says.

  We sit down opposite him. Ray stays by the open door which suggests our visit is going to be a short one.

  “You are the new arrivals?” Dr. Scout says.

  I nod, although I know that we aren’t the most recent.

  “We went to a lot of trouble to find you. My men saved your life as I understand?”

  “Can I ask why?” I say.

  “Why?”

  “It would have been easier to let me die. You didn’t owe me anything.”

  “Correct. But that’s not how things work here. We are trying to build a community, and for that we need people. If we’d let you die we would have had fewer people.”

  “But your men might have died trying to rescue me and then you would have had fewer people.”

  “My soldiers know the risks of what they do. They are volunteers. One assumes that you did not volunteer to be where you were?”

  Michelle takes up the conversation. “If you don’t mind me saying. This all seems too good to be true. Why should we trust you?”

  Dr. Scout smiles. His skin wrinkles like tissue paper at the corners of his mouth and eyes. “You’ve had some experience with soldiers I take it?”

  Michelle nods.

  “Believe me, I understand. We’ve heard reports from far and wide that armies are dangerous.”

  “But you expect us to believe you’re different?”

  “We’re not the army dear,” Dr. Scout says. “We may have a few old soldiers in the ranks, but we’re only people who have taught ourselves what to do. I was a GP before I came here.”

  Michelle says nothing.

  “But of course, it’s your right to be cautious. I don’t blame you in the slightest. Ray here has shown you our military zone. You’ve been free to go wherever and speak to whomever you wish. I’m not sure that there’s anything I can say that will convince you to trust me.”

  “You can let us leave,” Michelle says.

  “Ah,” Dr. Scout says.

  I assume this is where the penny will drop. This is where where we will find out that we are prisoners here.

  “Raymond?” Dr. Scout says.

  I turn as Ray steps away from the door towards us.

  “Yes sir?”

  “Take these two to the gate. They want to leave.”

  “Yes sir,” Ray says. He turns to Michelle and I. “Come on then. Do you need to get anything before we go?”

  “Hold on,” I say. “You’re going to let us go?”

  Dr. Scout shrugs.

  “You’re not going to try and convince us to think about it?”

  “I can see that you’ve made up your mind,” Dr. Scout says. “If you want to go then ple
ase go.”

  I look at Michelle. I don’t know what to do next. We could go. Get Harriet and Cassie and go back. We wouldn’t be any worse off than we were before. But where would we go? I didn’t know then and I don’t know now. We’d be wandering through the remains of civilisation until what?

  Until we found somewhere secure where we could start a life together. Somewhere that we would be safe and bring other people to. A community.

  I look at Dr. Scout and wonder whether he can tell what I’m thinking. Is there anything better out there?

  “Would you like some time to think about it?” he says. “You don’t have to decide right now. But if you do decide that you would like to leave, you may ask at any time.”

  Ray leads us out of the office and back down the stairs. We don’t speak until he has let us out of the military zone and we are on our way back to the tent. It is still too dark to see but we take a more conventional route now that we are no longer concerned by who sees us.

  “There might not be anything better,” I say.

  Michelle doesn’t answer.

  “This is what we were looking for. This is what we wanted to build.”

  “I know,” she says. Her voice is so quiet that I almost don’t hear.

  “We could find work and it’s safe.”

  “You’re right,” she says. “I know you’re right. But please, let’s not talk about it.”

  I know her well enough not to ignore her request. We continue back to the tent in silence. How long will she be willing to stay here? If she leaves, will I go as well?

  CHAPTER 18

  I LOOK AROUND WHEN I HEAR THE TENT flap open. Michelle walks in and stops. She looks at me and I can tell by the look on her face that she has something to say. This might be it. We have been in the camp for two weeks and I’ve expected her to announce her departure every day. So far it hasn’t happened, but the likelihood hasn’t decreased.

  “How are you?” I say.

  “Fine,” she says. She doesn’t move.

  I stand up and walk towards her. Harriet is at school and Cassie is out with a friend she made. It is only the two of us here.

  I still don’t know what I will say when she tells me she wants to leave. We have only been here for a short time, but we are already building a life. Well, Harriet and Cassie are. I’m biding my time while I wait for her to decide what she’s going to do. I haven’t been able to settle.