He missed.
43
“Daniel!” I screamed. I ran harder. I couldn’t see him, not even in the water. “Daniel? Where are you?”
“I’m here,” he said faintly.
I dropped to my knees. His fingers were just visible in the dark, clinging to the canal bed. I took hold of his arm and pulled him up, his bulk hard to move. Daniel collapsed on top of me as he finally made it over the edge. I clutched his face.
“I thought you fell in,” I said. “I thought––”
“I’m fine,” he breathed. Something caught his eye on my neckline. In the struggle my necklace had come free from under my tunic. “You wear it?”
Heat prickled my cheeks. “I always wear it.”
His eyes searched my face but I heard the familiar sound of metal against stone. The Enforcer had rammed his boat next to the canal wall but he was struggling to keep the boat steady enough to jump.
“Come on, we have to catch Angela up,” I said.
Daniel scrabbled to his feet, and held out a hand to help me up. I took it and he yanked me hard. We turned without looking back, running towards the footpath. I still didn’t feel at full strength due to my injuries and Daniel curbed his pace next to me, making sure he didn’t leave me behind. I bit my lip and tried to speed up.
The footpath was narrow and slippery with mud. Daniel ran beside me, our arms bumping each other. I hopped over stones. My tunic, still soaked, dragging me down. I knew the Enforcer wouldn’t give up the chase. We reached the industrial estate filled with abandoned factories and warehouses, disused roads connecting them.
“Which way do you think Angela went?” I said, not slowing my pace.
“We go straight ahead ‘til we find her,” Daniel said between gritted teeth. He held onto his rib cage as we ran.
“Did you hurt yourself?” I asked.
“Just bruises.”
There was an almighty crash and bang behind us and I heard shouting.
Daniel smiled crookedly. “Sounds like the boat crashed.” He slowed for a moment to turn and look behind us. There was smoke in the sky.
“Come on, we should get moving,” I said.
I shuddered at the sight of the smoke. People could be injured. As we moved something else caught my attention, coming out of the footpath was a man dressed in black, bleeding from the head and soaked in water. The Enforcer.
“Quick,” I whispered.
Daniel saw him too. He hadn’t seen us. We sprinted silently through the industrial estate. I looked out for Angela but she was nowhere to be seen. With horror I realised that the Enforcer could find her at any moment.
We ducked between two large buildings and hid. The Enforcer had slowed to a walk. He stalked the estate, listening. I saw him take out his Plan-It and tap something on the screen.
“He’s calling for back-up,” I whispered to Daniel.
We walked silently through the two buildings. There was an open space leading to a road which spiralled out of the estate towards the GEM district. On the other side of this road lay an expanse of forest – a great place to hide and on our way towards the farm. We walked quietly towards the road, with our backs against a warehouse, staying amongst the shadows.
“We have to get out of here,” Daniel said, talking so quietly it barely made a sound.
“Angela,” I mouthed.
He nodded. We couldn’t leave without her. In the distance I heard a squeal and my heart sank. She’d been caught.
I was running before I had time to think. Daniel followed, close at my heels. I had no idea how many had captured her or if they were armed but I didn’t care. I just ran towards the noise. She stopped screaming. I faced a warehouse. On the right of it lay the road and on the left another narrow path between two buildings. I wasn’t sure which direction she was.
“This way,” Daniel said, taking my hand. “I think I heard her.”
He took me to the right. We walked quietly now, surprise being our only advantage. I hoped that it was just our pursuer who had found Angela. If there were more Enforcers we would be in trouble.
“How are we going to do this?” I said to Daniel. “We don’t have weapons…” I trailed off. Out from the side of the building stepped the Enforcer with Angela.
We flattened ourselves against the warehouse. He didn’t see us and he stayed close to the side of the building. He was alone and unarmed.
“I have your friend,” he shouted. “I have a gun to her head. If you do not surrender I will shoot her.”
He shifted back into the shadows but the damage was done. We knew he was bluffing. There were two of us and one of him. He was injured. He looked tired and pale in the moonlight. We had the advantage again. I nodded to Daniel and we knew what to do. We ran straight for them, ready for a fight.
If the Enforcer was surprised or frightened at the sight of us pelting round the corner he hid it well. He pulled Angela between us like a human shield but Daniel was tall and he easily punched the Enforcer in the face, well above Angela’s head. In the shock, the Enforcer let go of Angela and I sat her down by the warehouse. Daniel punched the Enforcer in the stomach. The Enforcer retaliated with two quick punches. I reached into the pack for rope I had taken from the ghettos. Daniel kicked the Enforcer between the legs and punched him again in the nose. My fingers finally clasped the rope.
“Pin him down,” I said.
Daniel tackled the Enforcer, knocking him to the ground. I moved swiftly, getting hold of the Enforcer’s wrists and binding them with the rope. I knotted it and then let out some length, enough to bind his feet. Then I reached into his pocket for his Plan-It.
“You can’t use that without the lenses,” the Enforcer said sternly. “And they are custom made for the wearer.”
I didn’t like the thought of pulling plastic out of someone’s eye. “How do you send a message to your team?”
The Enforcer looked away.
Daniel punched him. “Tell her.”
“I was not instructed to tell her,” the Enforcer said. “I was instructed to capture you,” he looked at Daniel, “and you.” He looked at me.
His gaze chilled me to the bone. His face was slack – emotionless. Looking at him make me want to get as far away as possible. There was something inhuman about him.
“It’s useless,” I said. “He will never tell us. We could torture him and he would never tell. We need to get out of here before the others come.”
Daniel punched the Enforcer one more time. I dropped the tiny piece of plastic to the floor and stomped on it. Angela passed us our packs. We sprinted through the open area towards the road. I turned back to look at the Enforcer one last time. He sat perfectly still, staring into space.
“He’s like a robot,” Daniel said. “A robot programmed to capture us. I’ve never seen an Enforcer like it. Do you think they have more like him?”
“Maybe,” I said. “They could have an army.”
If I had ever had any doubt that the Ministry could mess with our heads it was eradicated. Now I knew that the Operation caused all those women to lose their minds. I thought of all the women who gave up and committed suicide. The Ministry didn’t just murder people who broke the law. They murdered Blemished women simply for existing.
“Now I know that we have to get to The Clans,” I said.
Daniel turned to me. “Why is that?”
“Because one day we have to stop all this. We have to stop the Ministry,” I said firmly.
“You’re crazy,” he said. He sighed. “But I’m in. Wherever you go – I go.” He sighed again, heavier this time. “Even if it kills me.”
I frowned at him. Daniel sprinted ahead, crossing the road to the forest in just a few steps. I didn’t understand why he would say that.
44
The woods stretched for miles. It was dark and I had no idea where we were. I described the map to Daniel and he set off with purpose. I followed. According to him, the forest curved around the outskirts of Area 14
and if we followed the curve we would find the farm.
We had to keep moving. I swallowed more painkillers and matched Daniel’s pace. There was no time for breaks. We were exhausted, dirty, wet, but I still loved it; the smell of the pine and the sound of owls. My eyes adjusted to the darkness and I enjoyed feeling the leaves underfoot.
There was no talking, only us moving swiftly and silently. Daniel cocked his head to one side, listening out for followers. Angela breathed heavily beside me. Our clothes were still sodden and we all shivered our way through the trees. My ankle was hot, and I knew that was a bad sign. We walked for hours until the sun started to rise and the owls stopped calling.
Daniel looked up at the sky. “We’ve gone east but we need to get high up to see if we’re heading in the right direction.”
“How are we going to do that?” Angela said. “We can’t see above the trees.”
Daniel strode over to an oak with a couple of low branches. It climbed high up into the sky.
“Oh no you don’t,” I called after him, keeping my voice low. “You’re not climbing that tree!”
Angela placed a hand on my arm. “Let him be. We used to go walking in the woods all the time. He’s really good at this.”
Daniel ignored me and swung himself up on the branch like a monkey. He stood up and my breathing stopped as he wobbled. But then he was under control and he reached for the next branch. Daniel kept on going, moving from branch to branch, his bulky body surprisingly flexible, until he disappeared up into the sky. I held my breath, waiting for him to come back into view. I wanted to shout to him, to check he was all right but I had no way of knowing if the Enforcers were following us.
“You know, you can’t have them both,” said Angela.
Her words took me by surprise. I tore my eyes from the tree. “What do you mean?”
“You can’t love both of them – Daniel and Sebastian. You’ll have to choose.” Her face was stern.
“I don’t… They are just friends, Angela,” I said tentatively. My hand drifted to the necklace under my tunic. “Daniel and I are just friends.”
“Not to him,” she said curtly.
I turned to her. “I’d never do anything to hurt you. You do know that? Don’t you?”
Her eyes narrowed. “Then answer me one thing. Have you and Daniel kissed?”
My mouth tightened and I thought back to the shed; Daniel’s salty lips on mine; the warmth and the softness. It was the briefest of kisses. I hadn’t even kissed him back, not really.
“Only for a second.”
She turned her back on me and shook her head. She still wore her headscarf but I’d shoved mine in my backpack. Her arms folded.
“He kissed me, Angela. Look, I don’t even want a boyfriend. I don’t want anything except my dad back and you and Daniel as my friends.” I hesitated. “I don’t want to lose you.”
“I love him, Mina,” she said meekly.
“I know,” I said. “I’ve always known.”
“Do you think it’s weird? He’s like my brother.”
“Not if you don’t think of him as a brother.”
She paused. “Does he think of me as a sister?”
I swallowed. “I don’t know, Angela. That’s something only he knows.”
There was a thud behind us and I turned to see a grinning Daniel. His crooked smile set my body tingling. His eyes glistened in the early morning sun. I wanted to kick myself in frustration. What was the point in wanting something you could never have? I looked at my feet instead.
“I saw it!” he said, breathy and excited. “I saw the farm. We just need to head deeper into the woods and it peters out into a clearing surrounded by fields. It’s a good few miles. Might take all day. We should get there by night-fall.”
He took a deep breath and let out a small laugh. Angela stepped forward and hugged him.
“What are we waiting for?” she said. “Let’s go!”
We set off. Daniel hung back for a moment to talk to me.
“I thought you would be more excited?” he said.
I forced a smile. “I am excited. I’m just tired.”
How could I tell him that my heart had just been torn open?
*
The day continued. We walked like zombies, legs moving but our minds elsewhere. Daniel and Angela talked quietly to each other but I didn’t join the conversation. Occasionally he looked across at me, frowning slightly. I fiddled with my necklace when he wasn’t looking. Morning sun turned to midday sun turned to afternoon drizzle and our food ran out. We poked out our tongues for water. The evening came and the sun set. The trees began to thin. My muscles tensed as I thought of Daniel and Sebastian meeting each other. Perhaps Sebastian’s father would turn us away? And then we would be back where were started.
“We’re nearly there, I can feel it!” Angela said. She was full of excitement and optimism. She skipped along.
I nodded. “Yeah.”
“Are you okay?” Daniel asked. “You’re not worried they won’t let us in are you?”
Angela’s face fell. I couldn’t let her lose hope.
“Of course not.” I forced a smile. “Everything is going to be fine.”
Daniel knew me better than that. He spotted my glance to Angela and he frowned.
“You’re worried,” he said quietly to me while Angela picked flowers. “What’s wrong?”
“I turned him down,” I said. “What if he turns us away?”
Daniel’s face set. “He won’t.”
“How do you know?”
“Because I know that I wouldn’t.” He sighed. “Just trust me. I know he won’t turn us away.”
Daniel picked up the pace to leave me behind, confused again. I jogged to catch up. I’d taken more painkillers from our pack which took the sting out of my ankle, but the heat was travelling up my leg. It felt wrong but I’d been ignoring it for hours. Our wet clothes had dried out hours ago and the smattering of rain had hardly been enough to wet us through yet my tunic was damp with sweat. It was me. I was burning up.
“Look!” Angela called.
I jogged a little faster, her enthusiasm finally infecting me. Just like Daniel said the forest petered out onto a field which dipped into a steep bank. At the bottom of a patchwork of fields was the farmhouse.
“We’re here,” she said.
I laughed. “We really are.”
I took a moment to think about how far we had come – the Enforcers, losing Matthew, Billie helping us, the speed boat chase and the fight at the industrial estate. We had a taste of freedom now. Angela took my hand and on her left she took Daniel’s. Together we ran down the bank. Finally we reached the field fence and came to a stop with smiles on our faces, out of breath but happy. We took turns to climb the stile in the limestone wall.
It was a clear night and the light from the moon trickled over the grass. I’d lost track of the time but it felt like late evening. My stomach growled with hunger. The next field was vast and descended slowly into the valley. We marched forward like a tiny army. Three soldiers, orphaned but tough.
Angela grasped my arm. “Look.”
I followed her gaze to a large shadow moving in the right side of the field.
“What is that?” I said.
We froze, exposed in the centre of a large clearing. We had nowhere to run.
“It’s too large to be human,” Daniel said.
I breathed a sigh of relief. At least it wasn’t an Enforcer. But that didn’t mean it wasn’t dangerous. The blob moved towards us in a slow curve, as though circling us.
“Is it a horse?” said Angela.
“It could be,” I breathed. “I guess it’s the right shape.”
“Or a cow,” Daniel offered.
“Whatever it is, it’s huge,” I whispered.
The beast came closer and I saw the slow bob of its head as it walked. Grass rustled eerily beneath its hooves and through flared nostrils came a snort. It sounded like the funny machine i
n the Café Sebastian had taken me to in the town. Angela moved forward with her hand outstretched.
“What are you doing?” I hissed.
“I’m making friends with it,” she replied.
“Come back!” Daniel whispered. He moved closer to me and grabbed my arm but I pulled it away. He frowned at me.
The beast snorted again, softer this time, as though sussing us out. Angela moved closer, cooing, her hand outstretched. It stepped forward into the moonlight and I gasped. I had never seen anything so beautiful. The pale gaze of the moon revealed the wide black and white forehead of a cow. It had kind, dark eyes and a black nose glistening with spit. A large pink tongue flicked out to clean a nostril and all three of us jumped back. The cow snorted and jerked its head but then settled. It assessed us curiously with its blinking eyes.
Angela walked forward confidently and stroked the cow right between the eyes. It bowed its head and nuzzled against her side. She giggled.
“You have to feel this, it’s so weird!”
Daniel and I approached cautiously. I pressed my hand against the soft, furry skin of the cow and stroked its surprisingly silky coat.
The cow moved its head and the pink tongue flicked out. Before I could move it licked the length of my face with its raspy tongue.
The Blemished (Blemished Series) Page 21