Boy 23

by Jim Carrington

  I say nothing because I don’t know what I should say. Instead I stroke my hands gently against the side of her head.

  Slowly her eyes open. She tilts her head to look at me.

  My heart thumps. ‘Mum.’

  A smile so small it almost isn’t there forms on her face. ‘Carina,’ she whispers.

  I smile back, thinking maybe this means she’s beaten the fever. It’s the first time she’s spoken in days.

  ‘How are you, my beautiful flower?’

  I gulp. ‘OK. How are you feeling?’

  She reaches her hand shakily towards mine. We hold hands. ‘I have something to say to you, Carina.’

  I nod.

  ‘You’ve always been strong. Now you need to be even stronger for me.’

  I nod. My stomach is tying itself in knots.

  ‘You must take care of your father and Greta for me. Can you do that?’

  ‘Yes.’

  She smiles again. ‘I can rely on you, Carina. You always do what you think is right.’

  There’s silence in the room. A breeze disturbs the candle, making the light flicker.

  ‘Promise me you’ll continue to do what you think is right.’

  I nod, even though I don’t really understand what she means. ‘I promise.’

  She smiles. Slowly she turns her head back. Her eyes close. I watch her breathe, slow shallow breaths.

  The gaps between each breath seem to stretch.

  She’s fading.

  I wait for the next breath. I wait and I wait.

  But the next breath doesn’t come.

  I close my eyes, feel tears spring up and course down my cheeks.

  She’s gone.

  And I need to be strong for her.

  I open my eyes, wipe away my tears. I kiss her hand and lay it across her chest, just as I hear the front door rattle and Dad and Greta rush into the room.

  My eyes open with a start and for a second I don’t know where I am. I look around me, feeling the thud of my heartbeat in my chest, and I see the dark dormitory.

  And rather than close my eyes again, rather than remember any more, I get out of bed and I walk, past Sabine’s empty, stripped bed, out into the corridor.

  Jesper

  I stand near Father Frei as he talks to New Dawn members. In my hand I have a plate of delicious-looking food. It’s untouched though. At this moment I don’t feel hungry.

  Standing here, I’ve been thinking about running away. Cos this is a place where there don’t seem to be any locks on the doors. I’ve decided that I’ll wait for a moment when no one’s looking at me and then just yomp straight through the room and out of the door and into the night. I’d be in the forest in minutes. Alone and free. Only finding a moment when no one’s looking isn’t as easy as it sounds. There are people prying and gawping at me the whole time, squizzing and pointing.

  And I’ve just about given up on the idea, when all of a sudden something happens – another man in a uniform comes over and whispers in Father Frei’s ear. And after Frei’s nodded and muttered a reply, he turns to me and says, ‘I’ll just be a few minutes, Jesper. Wait for me here.’ And then he yomps across the room with the man in New Dawn uniform.

  And I’m alone for the first time.

  This is my chance. I can get away. I can yomp straight outta here.

  So I start walking through the crowds, rushing, eyes fixed on the doors, blood pumping. I’m gonna do this.

  Only, right then, something blocks my way. Two men. Both of them wearing black suits and white shirts, but it isn’t the uniform of New Dawn. I try to step around them, but they just move into my way again, gawping straight at me.

  And then one of them speaks. ‘Jesper. It’s good to see you again.’ As he speaks, the scar that runs down the side of his face stretches.

  The other man – a tall, skinny man – clears his throat to speak. ‘We’ve come all the way from My Place to find you, Jesper.’

  And his words almost knock me over. Did I hear him right? ‘My Place?’

  Both men nod. ‘The Huber Corporation,’ the man with the scar says.

  And I’m too stunned and shocked and scared to speak. I remember the words The Voice spoke to me when he left me in the woods. He said the Huber Corporation would come looking for me, didn’t he?

  He said they wanted me dead.

  And here they are.

  Carina

  I creep along corridors, past rows of closed doors, sleep sounds drifting from each one. I cross the building and walk the boys’ corridor. And as I pass, I wonder which of these doors Jesper’s being kept behind.

  I walk along both sides of the corridor, listening, turning handles and opening doors so I can peer into the gloom. But the only doors that aren’t locked are the dorms, and I’m sure he’s not in one of those. He has his own room. He’s behind one of the locked doors. Alone, away from everyone else.

  The best chance I have is to knock on the doors, to whisper his name and see if he answers.

  So that’s what I do.

  Jesper

  Both of them gawp at me. And I don’t know what to do. I look for Father Frei, but he’s nowhere to be seen.

  ‘Jesper, it’s so good to see you. We’ve come to take you home with us,’ the taller of the two men says. ‘We’d like to take you back to My Place.’ He holds his hand out like he expects me to take it.

  But I don’t. Cos The Voice’s words buzz around my mind. I shake my head and start backing away from them.

  ‘Jesper, you’re not safe out here. We know about you being pushed down the steps at St Jerome’s. People are out to get you. We can protect you.’

  That takes me by surprise. How do they know about Markus pushing me down the stairs?

  ‘We can take you back to My Place where you’ll be safe.’

  And I find myself shaking my head again, even though a large part of me wishes I could go back to My Place.

  ‘I think it will be in your best interests to do as we ask, Jesper,’ says the other man. He’s shorter. The one with the scar down the side of his face that distorts as he speaks.

  And again I’m shaking my head. Because The Voice’s advice, his words when he left me in the forest, keep returning. I don’t trust these two men.

  ‘Come on, Jesper,’ the shorter man says. ‘You must have missed Feathers. I know he’s missed you. We can take you to see him.’

  The mention of Feathers makes me squizz up at them. But I shake my head, keep backing away. They’re trying to trick me, aren’t they?

  And now the expressions on their faces are angry, impatient. ‘Don’t make this difficult,’ says the tall man.

  ‘You’ll come with us whatever,’ the other man says, stepping slowly and menacingly in my direction. His cold eyes glint under the bright lights. ‘But it’ll be better for you if you do as we ask . . .’

  I continue backing away, shaking my head. I want them to go away. I squizz around me, wondering where Father Frei’s gone.

  And all the time the two men are stalking after me, prying, talking.

  ‘Come on, Jesper,’ the tall man says. ‘Come quietly.’

  But I don’t. I back away, bumping into people, spilling their drinks. I can’t back away forever though, can I?

  The taller man makes a lunge for me. I see him coming and dodge out of the way, knocking into a lady who squeals and then says some German words at me.

  And then I notice Father Frei and Commander Brune walking through the crowds, heading this way.

  The tall man notices them too and he lets go of my shoulders. The questions stop. And as Frei and Brune get close, the two men from My Place disappear into the crowd.

  For a moment I’m alone and shaking.

  But only for a moment, cos Father Frei and Commander Brune stop beside me, speaking to each other in German words. Father Frei squizzes at me and says, ‘Jesper, are you OK?’

  I nod my head.

  ‘You look pale.’

  Commander
Brune clears his throat and then speaks to Father Frei in German. And as he speaks, he points at me.

  I watch Father Frei’s face. He nods. He listens to Commander Brune.

  And the next thing I know, Commander Brune’s large hand is on my shoulder. ‘Jesper, you come with me,’ he says.

  Brune and Father Frei take me across the room to a small door. Two other uniformed men come with us. We go through the door, into a smaller empty room.

  And when we’re inside, I realise everyone’s gawping at me – Brune and Father Frei and the two men in uniform. For a second nothing happens, and I wonder why we’ve come in here, what this is about.

  But then Commander Brune takes a step forward, smoothing his moustache with one hand before speaking. ‘Jesper, I intend to see your miracle for myself. To check it’s real.’

  I say nothing. But the panicky feeling’s starting to get worse – my head and my heart pound, my stomach turns.

  Commander Brune nods to the two men in uniform, saying some German words that I don’t quite pick up.

  And before I know what’s happening, the two men step forward and grab my arms. I try to wrench myself free, but that just makes them grip me more firmly. I’m trapped. One of them pulls something from the belt of his uniform – a long black stick. He holds it up and then brings it down on my arm with a . . .

  CRACK.

  And immediately I feel the bone break.

  ‘AAARRRRGGGGGHHHHHH!’

  The pain’s immense.

  And when I squizz down at my arm, it’s bent and blood is leaking out, my hand hanging limply.

  And all four men are just prying at me, aren’t they?

  Why?

  Why are they doing this?

  Only I don’t think about that for long, because the pain’s intense and I feel like I’m going to be sick.

  I grit my teeth. I try to breathe deeply.

  From the corner of my eye, I see Father Frei make the sign of the cross in front of himself, muttering words. Praying or something. He’s gonna pretend he’s healing me again, isn’t he?

  And it isn’t long before I get the feeling. My body needs to mend. There’s a CRICK sound as the bone starts to fix itself, the two broken ends searching each other out and binding together. The blood which had leaked out begins to seep back inside my arm and my skin mends.

  The room is hushed. And when I squizz up, I see all the men’s faces, their eyes gawping at me, mouths open, like they’re shocked by what they’ve seen.

  ‘Amazing,’ Commander Brune booms to everyone in the room, and he starts clapping. The others do the same, filling the room with applause.

  Then Commander Brune steps forward and grips my recently mended arm in his strong hands. And it makes me panic. I try to pull it away, but his grip is solid. ‘Let me examine your arm,’ he says.

  They’re all looking at me, gawping. Commander Brune doesn’t let go. And I can’t handle it. I’m finding it difficult to breathe. It’s too much for me. I feel my body starting to shake.

  ‘Jesper,’ I hear Brune say, ‘I want to examine your arm.’

  Only the world’s starting to close in around me. Pain pulses around my head.

  And still they’re prying.

  So I do the only thing I can. I open my mouth, and what comes out of it is like the sound of a terrified animal. A roar.

  RRRRRR-AAAAA-RRRRRRGGGGGGGHHHHHHHH.

  Cos that’s exactly what I am. A terrified animal.

  Right away Commander Brune lets go of my arm and the others take a step back.

  And when the roar stops, when I close my mouth again, there’s total silence in the room. No talking or clapping.

  I drop to the floor, curl into a ball, hoping if I screw my eyes closed tight enough that everyone else will go, that it’ll just be me.

  We travel back in the car, and even though it’s just me and Father Frei and the driver and the only sound’s the quiet roar of the engine, I’m still shaking and my heart’s still thumping. I gawp out of the window, trying to calm myself. The streets outside are empty; the street lights are off.

  ‘I’m sorry, Jesper,’ Father Frei says, breaking the silence. ‘I should have warned you what was about to happen.’

  I don’t say a word.

  ‘Commander Brune’s intentions were good, even if his methods were a little brutal.’

  But I say nothing. For a while Father Frei’s silent too. The car cruises through dark, empty streets.

  ‘Now he’s seen your miracle for himself, he seems interested in your story,’ Father Frei says eventually. ‘This could be a fantastic opportunity for St Jerome’s. Commander Brune is bound to be generous towards us if . . .’

  But I’ve given up listening. I curl up in a ball on the seat, hiding my head. I think about the men from My Place. I think about The Voice, and Feathers.

  After a while I realise Father Frei’s stopped talking. I feel his hand on my back and flinch.

  ‘I’m sorry,’ he says. ‘I think you’ll need to get used to other people.’

  I say nothing.

  ‘The first step will be to teach you to speak and understand German better.’

  I’m silent. The car engine roars.

  ‘We’ll start tomorrow.’

  Blake

  I see Huber’s car heading along the deserted main road, watch it approach the side street where I’m parked and pull up alongside me. The driver’s window lowers, revealing Henwood’s face and, behind him, Huber. I lower my window.

  Henwood nods at me. ‘Any movement this evening?’

  ‘I saw Markus.’

  ‘Did you make the deal with him?’ Henwood asks.

  ‘Of course. He bit my hand off. For that amount of money he’d kill his own grandmother. If he had one.’

  From the shadows of Huber’s car, I see Huber nod his head. ‘Very good. Have you seen anyone else?’

  ‘A militia car came to the orphanage not long after you went and then left again soon afterwards. Other than that, nothing.’

  Huber nods, thinking. ‘That might have been Boy 23. He was at the town hall this evening.’

  ‘He was? Did you speak to him?’

  ‘We tried to get him out of there,’ Henwood says. ‘But it wasn’t easy. He was taken away from us before we could manage.’

  I wonder what they know, what Jesper might have said. ‘Was he well?’

  ‘He looked healthy enough.’

  ‘Listen, Blake,’ Huber says, ‘I think we need to talk over what happens next. Get in with us and we’ll go for a drive.’

  Carina

  I knock gently at another door. I hear no answer but I try again.

  ‘Jesper,’ I hiss, ‘are you there?’

  Still there’s no answer, and with only one more door to try on this corridor I’m giving up hope I’ll find him.

  I move to the last door and knock gently – once, twice, three times. Yet again there’s nothing. So I whisper again, ‘Jesper, are you in there?’

  But just then I hear something and I freeze – footsteps, from somewhere behind me. I turn my head.

  Markus walks towards me, smirking.

  ‘Carina,’ he hisses. ‘What are you doing out of your dorm?’

  ‘Couldn’t sleep, not that it’s any of your business.’

  I can tell from the look on his face that he doesn’t believe me, that he thinks he already knows why I’m here. ‘You came to find Jesper Hausmann, didn’t you? You’ve been thinking about my deal.’

  I shake my head, wondering whether he’s been watching, whether he’s heard me calling out to Jesper.

  ‘Then why were you knocking at his door?’

  I shrug. ‘This isn’t his door. I told you earlier, I don’t know where he is any more than you do.’

  Markus raises an eyebrow, but I’m telling the truth. ‘I don’t have time for this,’ I say. ‘I’m tired.’ And I start walking back along the corridor, towards my room, leaving Markus behind.

  Before I’ve
walked more than five paces, I hear a voice. A deep voice that sounds like Father Frei, speaking in English. I hear footsteps too.

  If he catches me here, out of bed, I’ll be punished, so I race along the corridor, round a corner. Behind me, Markus does the same.

  From the shadows we peek out, watching and listening as the voice and the footsteps get closer. Then two figures appear at the other end of the corridor. Father Frei carries a flickering candle. Jesper walks beside him, all dressed up in a black woollen suit and a white shirt. They stop outside a room.

  ‘Tomorrow, Jesper, you begin German lessons.’

  Jesper doesn’t reply. He stares awkwardly at his feet.

  Father Frei unlocks the door.

  ‘Goodnight, Jesper,’ he says, handing the candle to Jesper before locking him in. With that, Father Frei turns and walks back the way he came and I listen to his footsteps disappearing.

  Beside me, Markus pats me on the shoulder. ‘Thanks, Carina,’ he whispers. ‘I knew you’d lead me to him.’ And then he runs off down the corridor.

  Blake

  We drive out of the town and into the countryside, dark fields and forest surrounding us. No one speaks. There isn’t another soul around. I’m beginning to think Jesper must have said something. This won’t end well.

  ‘Pull over here,’ Huber instructs.

  Henwood slows the car and then stops by the side of the road. I put my hand inside my jacket and carefully take my gun from its holster.

  ‘Things have taken a turn for the worse,’ Huber says, turning in his seat. ‘It seems New Dawn are now well aware of Boy 23. At the moment all they know is he’s Jesper Hausmann, a wild boy found in the forest. But Father Frei and Commander Brune took him into a side room this evening. We’re not sure what happened in there.’

  ‘Oh,’ I say. I don’t loosen my grip on my gun.

  ‘They think he’s some sort of miracle boy. Or at least the priest does,’ Henwood says. ‘We don’t think they have any idea of who he really is or where he comes from, or that he is linked to the outbreak of Marsh Flu.’