They took pathways that Lara instructed they take, walking past houses that towered above them and overlooked the ocean. Rain had fallen here. The floor was stained with water, and the salt in the air was strong.
They came to a stop, panting and out of breath, at white gates. They were high security, Winter noticed. They were locked with a passcode, and a camera was pointed directly at them. Winter also noticed a thumb print pad; so only those who had registered their fingers could get in.
“What are we doing here, Lara?” David asked.
“You know what we’re doing here.”
Winter looked from Lara to David. “What’s going on?”
The air was still around them. It seemed even the birds had deserted the area. Whilst this area wasn’t ruined, and many of the houses remained untouched, there was no sign of life. No cars parked up on the roads or out on drives, no bins overflowing with rubbish. There was nothing. It was as if everyone had deserted the area, and they were never coming back.
“Tell us,” Zach said, stood next to Connor. “How did you know to come here? You knew what route to take and everything.”
“What are you hiding from us?” Connor questioned. His skin was covered in goose bumps. He had two towels wrapped around his waist and his shoulders.
David ran a hand over his face. “I can’t believe you’ve done this.”
David stepped forwards and touched the thumb pad. It beeped, flashing green, and the gates began to open. Winter stared at the big house coming into view from behind the gates. It had modern architecture, oozing class, wealth and opulence. Two Bentleys were parked on the drive, glossy and black. If Winter hadn’t known about the apocalypse, she would have thought these cars had been freshly buffed. The door was made of glass, and one feature wall was covered in ivory.
“You live here?” Winter gasped, stepping forwards.
“Cedric arranged it for me,” David said. “Hurry up and get inside. We can’t stay out in the open.”
“There’s nobody around.” Connor exclaimed.
“The dead lurk.”
They hurried into David’s grounds and watched him secure the gates. The walls surrounding the house were tall. Nobody would be able to climb over, and if they did they would get stuck in barbed wires and cut themselves on metal spikes. David’s home overlooked all of the surrounding houses. Any other houses were a distance away, and a lot further up.
His house was secluded at the back by trees. The front was open to sunlight, which no doubt shone down on the home when it was up. In the still night air they heard water slap against stonewalls. It was extremely serene.
“Happy living,” Winter remarked. “Bet you loved getting hooked up with this.”
“It came at a price,” David muttered. He flipped open a switch and scanned his thumb again. The door opened. He let everyone go in first, the lights automatically coming on, before shutting the door behind him. “They’re sensors, energy saving. They go off when no one’s around, so it saves on money and energy.”
“Like you even need to save,” Connor said.
The house was vast, with marble tables littering the place casually, as if each one hadn’t cost three thousand euros each. The feature wall held an original fireplace. The floor was flat with white, glittering tiles. The lights had been built into the ceilings, ensuring no space was wasted, and scanning David’s thumb could only open each door. The stairs led up to bedrooms, and seemed to float in mid-air. Plants decorated windowsills and table tops, and a telephone sat next to a lamp. A fifty-inch television hung on another wall; a red light showing it was on standby. Outside, through tall glass doors, was a swimming pool.
“We’re safe in here for now. V doesn’t know anyone lives this far out. She’s looking for members of The Union in the wrong places.”
“You’re telling me V doesn’t keep tracks of Cannes?” Zach asked. “Monaco?”
“Oh, she does. You have to be wary, because Blitzers do drive by. It’s why my windows are double tinted, so nobody can see in. This place has remained relatively untouched, because V still wants to cash in on tourism eventually. She is also naïve enough to think nobody comes here.”
“But it won’t stay that way for long,” Lara said. “People are slowly beginning to realise houses stand empty, and there is less to fear here. Soon people will flock out here, and there will be danger just like everywhere else.”
Zach looked out at the window, at the sea. “There are yachts out there.”
“Can you blame them?” David asked. “Being out at sea is probably the safest place to be right now.”
“Then why haven’t you done it?”
“Because we have stuff to do. Please, take a seat. I need to tell you all something.”
They sat, taking seats in abstract chairs that were too pretentious for their own good. Winter’s seat was fashioned like a throne, and she felt ridiculous as she tried to get comfortable. David didn’t seem to notice. He looked sombre.
“Somebody is betraying The Union,” David said. “Behind the scenes, The Union have been planning ambushes on Blitzers as they change shift. We tell a few people involved of the plan, but every time it happens it gets thwarted. The amount of times Cedric and Maria have almost died…well, it doesn’t bear thinking about. We don’t know who it is, but The Union isn’t safe.”
Connor sighed, leaning back in his seat. “You’re telling me that the one thing we need to work, isn’t working?”
“I’m afraid so.” David looked at Lara. “I’ve been meeting with Lara, secretly, about what to do.”
“Why haven’t you told us about this?” Winter asked.
Lara looked sheepish, almost ashamed. “Because I didn’t want to overreact. David wasn’t even sure himself, but being a journalist he began to dig, and he’s unearthed some dangerous stuff. When he told me what was happening, I knew we needed to do something.”
“And what is it you’re doing?” Zach asked.
“We’re forming our own establishment,” Lara said. “It will take some time, but we are working together to find out who our betrayer is.”
David stood up and walked over to one of the marble tables. He lifted a thin piece of paper that Winter hadn’t noticed. He turned it over in his hands, and Winter saw the headline: ‘THE UNION FALLS’.
Winter blinked. A photograph had been sized up underneath of her own face.
“You think I’m the betrayer?”
David shook his head, a hint of a smirk on his face. “No. This is the photo we’re using for now until we can name and shame who betrayed us. You see, I know the printers. There are printers hiding out around here that I can contact. Cedric has gotten me in touch with them already. Cedric is doing most of the work, organising the downfall of V almost single-handed. He’s found a lot of valuable connections. But V seems to always be one step ahead of us. We’ve found some of our suppliers dead.
“I know you rescued Connor tonight because you thought The Union were just twiddling their thumbs. You could not be more wrong.”
“Lara forced us to get out tonight!” Winter said.
“You think I met you by chance?” David asked. “No, of course I didn’t. Lara told me what was going on tonight, and she forced me to accept it. Cedric knew, too, of course. He let it happen. You couldn’t get it past us undetected.”
“I honestly thought no one knew.” Zach gasped.
“I’m a journalist. I picked up something was going on. When I told Lara my suspicions, she outright told me what was happening. I respected it, so I told her exactly what we were doing and why The Union weren’t including you.”
“And why aren’t you including us?” Zach asked.
“Because there is a betrayer, and we want to get rid of them before we expand our team.”
“So you know none of us are the betrayers?” Connor asked.
David shrugged. “I know it’s not Lara, and I know it’s not Winter. Anyone else is fair game.”
“Well, I ca
n ensure you it isn’t me,” Zach said quickly.
“I’ve been locked up in a cell, if you hadn’t noticed.” Connor shook his head.
“Then we can let you off,” David said.
Lara leaned back. She indicated the headline of the newspaper David had been working on. Winter now realised why her article had been delayed. “We can’t trust anybody right now. People will do anything to get V’s ideas off the ground. She has spies everywhere, and it seems she has spies here, in the Union.”
“So how do you know you won’t be found here, David?” Zach asked.
“Because only Lara and Cedric know about this place,” David said. “No one else.”
“Except you guys, and you’re not going anywhere any time soon,” Lara said.
“We aren’t?” Connor asked.
“There’s enough room for everyone. V will know you broke in tonight. The good thing about you guys keeping it quiet is it couldn’t be betrayed. By doing what you did tonight, you’ve proved just how determined you are, and how valuable. It also proved to me that Lara isn’t the one betraying us, not that I thought you were anyway.” David smirked at Lara. “So, you’re going to stay here for a little while. You’re going to help me publish the newspaper. And you’re going to learn how to truly survive.”
“But what about Violet?” Zach asked. “Missy? Caroline? They’re still in the house back in Paris. We can’t leave them. They need to get here.”
“And they will. Cedric knew what you were up to tonight. He knew I would come with you, and he knew we would succeed and get you here. We’ve done that, and in a day or two he will also be here with the others. We’re moving The Union out of Paris. The key Union people, at least.”
And that was that. They found their rooms, which were surprisingly small compared to the rest of the house, and were built with walls that seemed to be paper-thin. Every sound could be heard, including Zach’s every move in bed and Lara’s tears.
Winter wondered how this had happened. She could never have known that she would be situated in Cannes right now, a place she had heard of but had never gone to. Before, she had pictured her first visit to Cannes to be on some promotional tour, maybe as a guest of the film festival. But life was different now. They were hiding out in the picturesque city from V and her cult, and the Blitzers that had driven past three times already tonight.
Winter stared at the ceiling, the moon shining in on her bed. She hoped Violet, Missy and everyone else knew they were safe, and did not do anything stupid. She really hoped things would resolve themselves soon.
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Violet stared at the doors in front of her, reminded of how she had arrived in France. Only this time, there would not be friends on the other side. The van she had been thrown in to had been driving for what felt like hours. She had definitely been locked up in here, with no sound other than the rushing road underneath her, for over two hours.
She stretched out, her toes touching the door. She knew her time was limited. She was in serious trouble, and there was nothing she could do about it.
The van came to a stop. There was silence now. There were no rushing cars outside. Nothing. Then the van swayed, ever so slightly, and the doors at the front slammed shut.
Crunching boots over gravel came from either side. Violet felt like an animal being transported to a zoo. Fear gripped her. She looked around her for a weapon, anything she could use to try and fight back, but there was nothing in the back of the van but her.
The doors opened, and Violet glimpsed a warehouse. Stood before her were two Blitzers, orange, not red. At least that was something good from this. If they were orange, they weren’t as bad. They were terrifying, yes, but not the worst.
They reached in and dragged her out. She didn’t even fight. Now was not the time. She had to conserve her energy. Besides, her hands were cuffed.
They turned her to face the warehouse, which was an overlarge car park for identical vans to the one she had been brought in: army print, with government feather logos plastered on the sides. The walls were lined with doors, different doors leading to different places.
“Where am I?” Violet asked. She looked at the other vans, whose engines were all turned off. Nobody was inside. “Where are the others? Where is Cedric? Missy? Caroline? If you’ve hurt them, you’re going to regret it. You’re going to regret it so much.”
The Blitzers said nothing. They marched her through the line of cars, and took her to a door that was plain white, with no handle. One of the Blitzers pushed it open and walked through.
There was a long hallway, straight and narrow, so they had to walk single file. Violet walked in the middle of the two Blitzers. She tried to think of her escape, but there wasn’t one. Not here. They had guns, and one was in front of her and the other was behind, and she couldn’t fight them. She would never be able to fight them.
They kept walking, in complete silence. Violet wondered if the Blitzers felt any remorse. What had led them to this role? Had they applied traditionally, like a normal person? Or had this been their hidden agenda and goal all along?
Finally, they came to another door, made of steel. The Blitzer in front gripped a metal lever and pulled down. The door clicked open, and he pushed it forwards, ignoring the shriek that came from the door. Violet wondered how often these tunnels were used.
They were descending, Violet could tell. Her ears were beginning to pressurise, heavier on her head, refusing to pop.
But the bright lights confused her. They told her it was still daytime, and they were indoors, and there was nothing to worry about, other than the Blitzers who were escorting her to god knows where.
“Where am I?”
Was she being transported to The Louvre? The Blitzers wouldn’t answer her. They kept silent, as if instructed to do so at all times by V when they were first recruited.
It didn’t surprise Violet to know that even in this situation, V had complete control. She didn’t need to be around to control her establishment, and that was scary.
They came to a chain-link fence, and the Blitzers stood aside. Someone from the other side came walking from the darkness, dressed in dark blue robes. They opened the fence and looked at the Blitzers.
Something about this person scared Violet.
“Another person,” the body said. An aroma of death wafted from them, and their hands, still holding the fence, were rotting. But the person was speaking, which told Violet they weren’t dead. At least, they couldn’t possibly be dead. “We’re starting to run a hotel! Any more to be expected?”
“When we find others, we will let you know,” the Blitzer said. “For now, this is the only one we have for you.”
“We’ve just had an arrival. A friend, perhaps?”
“Perhaps,” the Blitzer said. And Violet sensed fear from the Blitzers themselves.
Behind the robed body, the walls were cast in flickering orange shadows. Skulls, arranged into the walls, jutted out at painful angles. The floors were littered with bones of humans long gone. This was the Paris catacombs.
The robed body let go of the chain-link fence, and pulled back the hood. Violet screamed out when she was what was staring back at her. The man was dead; there was no doubt about that. His scalp was peeling, revealing bone. His skin was black and purple, where blood vessels had raised and popped. His neck hung open, revealing muscle that remained intact.
The man grinned at her, revealing black teeth and a tongue that was purple.
“I suppose this is her first time seeing a Martyr.”
Chapter Thirty-Nine
“David,” Zach said, standing in the doorway of David’s messy study. Newspapers were strewn all over the place, whilst past editions of The Herald News were stacked in a corner. A bookcase was piled high with leather bound books. David sat in the middle of the organised chaos, software on an Apple computer open and in mid-design of a new edition of a different kind of newspaper.
David looked up, seemingly stu
nned that somebody was in his creative bubble. He blinked. It was quarter past four in the morning. “What are you doing here?”
Zach sighed. “I just can’t sleep. Not after everything that’s happened tonight. Not knowing that we’ve left Paris behind, but we’re still not safe. Not after what I’ve seen. I have too many questions.”
“I’ve answered everything I can,” David said, mildly irritated. “So don’t ask me anything else.”
“No, I wasn’t going to. Although, there is something I would like to…uh, bring to your attention.”
David glanced at the newspaper he had been designing, wanting nothing more than to go back to the story he had. He had been in full swing. “What’s that?”
Zach took this as an invitation to move further into the room. He left the door open and stood a few inches away from David’s desk. He looked at the monitor. “How close are you to finishing the first edition of this newspaper?”
David leaned back in his chair, realising now that he wouldn’t be getting back to work any time soon. Kids were annoying. “I’m about seventy five per cent through. Why?”
“Because I’ve got a story that I would like published, and I want answers if you have any. Zombies…there are different kinds, aren’t there?”
David was impressed. “Yes. Although they’re just known as zombies, for now, until science names them otherwise. What we’ve picked up, observed or analysed ourselves has been sent to the labs in Amsterdam.”
“Right, that’s great, cool,” Zach said. Right now he didn’t care about the labs in Amsterdam. Right now, he needed David to know what he had seen. “The dead that I’ve seen tonight keep playing in my mind. I’m wondering if it was the same kind that bit William…”
“The one that vomited in the tunnel?” David recalled.
Zach nodded. “I know you saw it, but I need you to write up what I saw. I need you to write the story and expose the layers behind the dead. People need to be aware that they can get infected by more than just a bite.”
Winter Smith (Book 2): The Secrets of France Page 23