by Bali Rai
‘Huh?’
‘She’s pregnant,’ Faith explained.
‘Oh – that,’ said Mace.
‘Yeah, that,’ she replied.
‘You’ve a tremendous pair of breasts, by the way.’
Faith gave Mace a filthy look before breaking into a grin. ‘You’re such a little boy,’ she teased, turning her back and walking away.
‘Not so little,’ boasted Mace.
Faith stopped and looked back over her shoulder. ‘So I hear,’ she replied.
Mace watched her leave, scratching his head as he did so, and wondering exactly whom she’d been talking to . . .
22
AUNT MAY HAD given Jonah some more herbal tonic – made from ginger and rosemary – before leaving us alone. She insisted that he should rest too, and gave me a funny look on her way out of the room. I glared at her but she just smiled and I began to get paranoid. Did she know? Was I that obvious?
‘If I catch you disobeying me,’ she’d told him, ‘I won’t be happy.
Jonah had grunted his assent but was on his feet the moment she’d gone.
‘You heard what she told you,’ I said with a warm smile. ‘Lie down.’
I was standing by a makeshift bed – an old door that had been placed on two crates and covered with a thin and mouldering mattress. Dark stains dotted the fabric and I felt thankful that I didn’t know their exact origin. May, Faith and the others must have treated hundreds of people in these rooms, many of them seriously wounded. How many had died right there on that bed? How many bodies had been taken to the boiler room and cremated in the furnace?
‘I’m fine,’ Jonah replied, stretching his arms. ‘Haven’t you got anything else to do?’
I sat down on the edge of the bed, his scent filling my senses. I still couldn’t put my finger on what it was, but something in his smell was unavoidable and enticing. I felt my heart begin to race.
‘I’ve got loads to do,’ I told him. ‘But I’m more interested in you and what happened with Mias.’
Jonah pretended to study himself in a mirror which ran the length of one wall, only his eyes were fixed on mine in the reflection. I tried to look away but it was no use. Instead, I found myself studying his almost too-perfect features and his lean, muscled physique. I wondered what it would be like to be held by him, to be kissed by those bow-shaped lips . . .
‘What was this room used for?’ he asked.
‘Same as the others,’ I replied, snapping out of my reverie. ‘They were mostly changing rooms. Make-up, clothing . . . for the theatre.’
‘I don’t understand,’ he admitted.
‘People would act out stories, up above us, when the theatre was still standing. My mother used to go every week. She used to sing me the songs and tell me the tales.’
‘Why would people act out stories?’ he asked, causing me to smile.
‘Entertainment,’ I explained. ‘Surely you’ve heard about the world before this one?’
He nodded, but something in his expression told me that he was unsure.
‘I’ve heard many things,’ he said. ‘Mostly from people in the north. We discovered a room full of books up there, in the wastelands around the citadel.’
‘I love books!’
‘Don’t you have them here?’
I shook my head. ‘Only a few. The Mayor has some at his mansion, but he won’t let anyone near them. They were my mother’s.’
‘Why did your mother live with him?’ he asked.
‘He’s my stepfather,’ I said, confused by his question. ‘But you know all of this. When I was little, my mother married him.’
‘But why?’ he repeated. The look of disgust on his face set off an alarm in my heart. I thought quickly, hoping to make myself clearer. Hoping to defend my mother and to stop him thinking badly of me.
‘She wasn’t like him,’ I insisted. ‘She was one of us.’
Jonah looked unconvinced and, despite my feelings for him, I found myself getting annoyed.
‘How was she one of us?’ he asked me. ‘She was living with one of their puppets. I hate collaborators almost as much as—’
‘I do too!’ I said, interrupting him. ‘And so did my mother. She made a mistake. She was young with a baby and she was scared. She wanted better . . .’
‘Marrying a traitor was better?’ he said. ‘I’d rather die.’
I stood and approached him, my temper rising. ‘You don’t have kids to feed!’ I snapped. ‘You know nothing about being a woman in this shitty world!’
Jonah must have seen that he’d upset me. He held up his hands, shook his head. ‘I’m sorry,’ he told me.
‘You’d better be,’ I replied as I felt my eyes begin to water and grew annoyed that I was crying in front of him. ‘My mother gave her life for the Resistance . . .’
Jonah returned to the bed and sat down. A thoughtful look passed across his face and he began to finger the amulet round his neck. ‘What happened to her?’ he asked. ‘Your mother?’
I wiped away my tears and took a deep breath. I found it hard to talk about my mother without showing the strong emotions that came with it. Yet there was something about Jonah that made me want to confide in him – a softness in his eyes that made me trust him. I wanted him to reciprocate too – I wanted to know everything about him.
‘I don’t really know,’ I admitted. ‘Prior told me that she was caught helping the Resistance. She worked at the bar, same as me, performed the same role. My mum was a healer. She helped to run the Haven with May and the others.’
‘Who caught her?’
I shuddered at my vague memories of her death and the aftermath and looked away for a moment.
‘Mias,’ I revealed, pretending to be interested in the far wall. I wiped away more tears. ‘From the little I was told, she was taken to Valefor, who executed her. My stepfather didn’t help her, no one did . . .’
‘What could the Mayor have done?’ asked Jonah. ‘He exudes spinelessness from every pore – every turncoat does. That’s why they join forces with the demons – because they’re cowardly.’
‘A real man would have done something,’ I replied, looking back at him.
‘Is there any such thing?’ he asked. ‘Really? Seems to me that human beings have become animals. Look at how they live.’
‘They,’ I said, wondering what he meant. ‘You said they . . .’
Jonah shrugged. ‘You know what I meant,’ he replied.
Only I didn’t. Suddenly I flashed back to the look in his eyes, the way he’d fought with Mias. The almost superhuman speed and agility he’d shown. Was there something inhuman about Jonah – something to be wary of? And if there was, how would I stop myself from being drawn to him?
‘What are you?’ I blurted, determined to find out.
Jonah looked back towards the mirror and fiddled with his amulet some more. ‘I’m tired,’ he deflected. ‘Maybe your aunt was right.’
‘Jonah – I saw your eyes after you fought Mias. They were on fire.’
‘You were mistaken,’ he told me, as though I was stupid. As though I hadn’t seen his eyes. ‘How could they burn? I’d have gone blind.’
I told him that he wasn’t listening properly. ‘They weren’t literally on fire,’ I explained. ‘The flame colour circled your irises and your pupils were huge . . .’
This time Jonah smiled and made me feel like a little girl. A silly little girl. I wanted to be angry with him but I couldn’t. Even though we were talking about other things, in my heart I just wanted to kiss him. His eyes, his mouth, the pale skin of his face, and the heat from his body – all of it entranced me.
‘The entire street was ablaze,’ he said. ‘All you saw was a reflection, Martha. Do you think I’m a demon? I’m no less human than you – remember?’
I blushed at the recollection of his naked form, but I refused to be beaten. He was trying to change the subject and I wasn’t going to let him, no matter how attractive he was.
&
nbsp; ‘That’s another thing,’ I added. ‘You hurt Mias, yet when I found you he’d disappeared – where did he go? And what about the fancy somersaults? No ordinary person can do those things.’
‘I told you before,’ he said, looking annoyed and making my heart sink a little. ‘It’s just training, that’s all.’
‘What sort of training, Jonah? I’ve never heard of such a thing.’
‘I was trained by the northern Resistance,’ he explained. ‘The uprising is stronger there. They have weapons and a structure. They taught me combat skills and martial arts. That’s where the somersaults and all those things come from. It’s nothing weird.’
He watched me as I digested his words, and I thought I saw a tiny flicker of guilt in his eyes. I guessed that I might be pushing him too far, making him reveal things he’d rather keep hidden. I cursed myself silently for being such a freak. So what if he had secrets – everyone else had them. I nodded to show that I was satisfied with his explanation, and he seemed relieved. Yet there was still the issue of where Mias had gone after the fight.
‘What about Mias?’ I asked.
‘I don’t know what happened to him,’ he told me. ‘We were fighting and I used my spear, and then he vanished. The ground started to burn all around me, like the earth was on fire. I was stunned and I couldn’t think properly . . .’
‘I’m not convinced,’ I told him, ‘but I can’t believe you’d lie to me either. You don’t seem to feel the need.’
Jonah nodded in agreement. ‘Most of my skills can be taught to anyone young enough,’ he said. ‘They just require practice and dedication. The weapons I’ve got are better too. They are more powerful than yours.’
‘Which is why I’m pleased you’re here,’ I admitted, although I knew it wasn’t the only reason. ‘You can teach us, maybe share your weapons.’
Jonah looked away again. ‘There’s a cache of arms out in the wastelands,’ he revealed. ‘I’ve spoken to Mace and we can go and get some. We’ve come up with a strategy to take the demons on – but Mace will tell you when the time is right. Thing is, after that, I won’t be staying. I have my own business to take care of.’
‘What business?’ I asked, although I wasn’t really listening; I was feeling sick. My stomach had somersaulted at the mention of his going away. And the scent that clung to him – that aroma that made me feel dizzy with a lust that I couldn’t understand – seemed to grow more intense. Something in that earthy, spicy, almost animal odour touched me at the basest level, no matter how hard I tried to fight it. I wanted to kiss him more than I’d ever wanted to kiss anyone.
‘My siblings,’ said Jonah, giving me a strange look.
‘You want to find them?’ I said, snapping out of it. Again I felt my face take on colour and I wished that I hadn’t made my desire so obvious. Only I couldn’t help it.
Jonah nodded in reply. ‘Yes,’ he said. ‘They’re in the Southern Citadel, like I told you.’
‘But if they’re living down there, you know where to go,’ I pointed out. ‘You could help us first and still find them.’
‘I can’t do that,’ he told me as a wave of tiredness seemed to overcome him. He yawned and his eyes began to narrow.
‘I think you should nap,’ I said. ‘You look shattered.’
Jonah lay back and closed his eyes. Despite myself, I leaned in and kissed him gently on the cheek. The musky scent overpowered my senses and I felt something in my belly. I pulled back before I had the chance to make a fool of myself.
‘Thank you,’ I whispered. ‘For saving Tyrell and the others from Mias.’
Jonah turned to his side, opened his eyes and smiled weakly. I waited a moment, wiped his brow with a rag and left him to his slumber.
23
WHEN MACE EMERGED from the Haven a day later, the streets were deserted. The smell of burning carried on the breeze, and everywhere already decrepit buildings smouldered. Dead bodies, all human, littered the pavements, rodents and wild dogs feasting on their flesh. The demons had obviously run amok and the innocent had paid a heavy price.
Mace shook his head in sorrow as he recognized the corpse of a young woman he’d known as Sara. She was on her back, her mouth frozen in terror and bloody sockets where her blue eyes had once been. Her chest had been slashed open and the insides exposed. Mace kicked out, sending a rat scurrying, but not before it had taken another mouthful of Sara’s guts with it.
‘I’m gonna puke,’ said Faith, covering her mouth and fighting the urge.
Mace, wary that they might be attacked at any time, pulled her towards him. ‘There’s nothing to be done, Faith.’
Behind them, Prior coughed into his hands before wiping them on his trousers. ‘Damn bastards!’ he spat, raging at his own impotence.
The three elders had formed an advance party, making sure that the killing was over and the city calm before allowing the others to leave the Haven. Each had had no idea of the death toll or the destruction that awaited them.
‘This is insane,’ whispered Faith as she saw a man slumped against the remains of a car, his lower jaw torn off, blackened tongue hanging to one side. ‘How can they justify this?’
‘They won’t,’ said Mace. ‘They’ll just say they were teaching us a lesson. Revenge for what Jonah did.’
‘So many bodies,’ she continued as they rounded a corner towards the centre of the protected zone. About one hundred metres ahead of them, a flatbed truck pulled up and four human mercenaries jumped out. Faith watched in horror as they picked up the discarded bodies and threw them into the back as though they were nothing. She started forward, only for Prior to hold her back.
‘Don’t,’ he said in a soft voice. ‘There’s no point in causing more trouble.’
‘They don’t scare me,’ she said defiantly.
Mace agreed with Prior. ‘Nothing to do with being scared,’ he told her. ‘We’ll have our revenge for this, Faith. Just not here and not now.’
‘Revenge?’ she questioned. ‘How can we take revenge without this happening again?’
Prior told them he had to stop. His lungs ached and his chest felt tight. ‘I’m dying,’ he panted, leaning forward, hands on his knees.
‘Stop being so negative,’ replied Mace. ‘May’s herbs will sort you out.’
Prior looked at him and smiled warmly. ‘Not this time, my friend,’ he said. ‘I’m done for, and to be honest I’m happy about it. Gotta go sometime, big man.’
‘But—’ began Faith.
Prior shook his head. ‘No, Faith,’ he added. ‘It’s my time and you all know it too. And before I go, I’m taking some of these godforsaken monsters with me.’
Mace was wondering if he should tell his closest friends the plans in his mind. He’d discussed his ideas with Jonah when he’d shown him around the city. Down by the riverside they’d talked about linking up with the Resistance from the north. But was it too soon to tell the others? The last thing they’d need would be false hope. No hope at all was preferable. At least that way you weren’t kidding yourself. You just faced reality and dealt with it. With hope, your judgement was clouded by something over which you had no control. You made yourself weak, and susceptible to attack even.
Yet Mace also knew he had no choice. He’d known for a long time that they’d been losing their fight against the demons, and this latest outrage just made things clearer. What good was a Resistance that couldn’t protect the people from a massacre? A Resistance that didn’t, as a minimum, make the human collaborators pay? From everything Jonah had said, it seemed that the northern uprising was growing in strength. Surely it was better to join forces with other fighters than take on the demons alone?
‘There’s a plan,’ he eventually said, decision made. ‘A strategy I’ve developed.’
Faith was looking into a supply store, its meagre stocks ruined, the walls black with soot. Corey Williams had run this particular place, ordered by the government to do so. Now he lay dead on the counter, his arms hanging l
imply and his neck twisted at an unnatural angle. His fuzzy, copper-coloured hair had gone, burned off his scalp, and his face was one giant blister, oozing beige pus.
‘What did you say?’ she asked absentmindedly as she recalled the way Corey’s fingers had felt as they’d brushed away the hair from her teenage face, many years earlier.
‘I’m going to make contact with the north,’ Mace revealed. ‘Jonah tells me that the opposition up there is getting stronger. They’ve plans to move south, and I think we should get involved.’
Faith turned away from the remains of her former lover and crossed herself, mimicking something her own mother had often done. ‘You remember Corey?’ she asked.
‘Yeah,’ said Prior, who was now sitting at the kerb. ‘He owes me a drink . . .’
‘He’s in there,’ she told him. ‘He’s dead.’
‘Like every other poor sod out here,’ Prior replied.
Mace sighed and put an arm round Faith’s waist, thinking of all the people he’d lost too. He pulled her to him. She didn’t resist, burying her head into the giant’s chest and wailing. They stood that way for a good few minutes until Faith ran out of tears.
‘I was completely besotted with him,’ she said, wiping her nose on Mace’s hooded top. ‘He was my first. My dad hated him because he wasn’t white, so my mum used to let me sneak him into the house. He had these amazing eyes – green and sparkling. I thought we would last for ever.’
Mace ignored the saliva and snot on his clothing and told Faith to take heart. ‘We’re going to lose many more loved ones before we die,’ he reminded her. ‘We can’t let it stop us, Faith. We can’t give up.’
Faith stepped back and ran her fingers across Mace’s face. ‘Thank you,’ she whispered, before regaining her composure.
‘What’s this plan, then?’ Prior asked after another cough.
‘It’s about rebalancing the odds,’ explained Mace. ‘In our favour. Jonah knows about a cache of arms, buried about two days northwest of here. He says that there are others living out there, hiding in the wastelands – people who might join us. They can also take a message to the fighters around the Northern Citadel.’