“Perfect.” William nodded. “Myself and Eugene will spread the word about what’s happening. Get people ready for a battle.”
“I’ll go too,” Rose said. “You’ll need a bit of charm to convince some Townsfolk and I’m not sure either of you possess enough of that!”
“You might be right.” William smiled, a little red-faced. “Boy, tell Violet who’s good with the slingshot and she’ll come with us and round them up.”
Violet nodded, feeling just a little awkward as her friend remained quiet.
“I imagine we’ll need about ten people with good aim. The glass on the machine, as per the drawing, isn’t that thick, but they’ll still need to be firing heavyish stones at it. Tell them to get a few practices in! Madeleine, Anna and Merrill, stay here and make about ten boards, big enough to shield a decent amount of people behind!” William continued his instructions.
“Right.” Merrill nodded, looking around the shop. “I’m sure we’ll be able to cobble enough bits of wood together!”
“Oh I love hammering stuff!” Anna said excitedly. “Mam never lets me do it at home!”
“It’s just this once, pet,” Madeleine warned. “It won’t be a regular thing!”
“Perfect.” William looked around. “Is that it? Does everyone know what they’re doing?”
“I’m not doing anything,” Boy sulked.
“It’s safest this way – we don’t know what Powick and Arnold have planned. You can help Merrill make the boards.” William tried to sound enthusiastic. Then he addressed the room again: “Right, let’s go then. We’ll meet back here at midnight. That should give us enough time to finalize everything before tomorrow!”
Reluctantly, Boy filled Violet in on a group of orphans he knew who were great with slingshots. He barely looked at her as they spoke and she felt guilty about leaving him behind.
“It’s for the best, Boy,” she whispered, unsure what else to say.
“I’m not afraid of Powick or Arnold. I was an orphan, Violet, I never had anyone minding me and we beat the Watchers then and last time we beat Edward and Powick. I don’t need anyone to protect me! I’m fine on my own!” He looked over his shoulder, checking no one was watching him.
“But this time is different, Boy. Arnold is crazy – he killed his own best friend, and Powick has made a zombie army. Tom is even afraid of them, I know he is—”
“I’m not Tom!” Boy snapped.
“Please, just don’t do anything stupid. Stay here and by tomorrow night it’ll all be over!”
Her friend turned away and began picking up loose bits of wood to pass to Merrill and the others for their hoarding. Violet tried to get his attention again but he ignored her. She left the shop under a huge weight of guilt.
Night had settled in and the Market Yard had quietened when Violet stepped outside. Most people were asleep, huddled in small groups, some covered in blankets, whilst others walked laps of the area, trying to keep warm. There weren’t many Watchers around and the same handful of zombies stood sentry, guarding the laneways.
Violet’s earlier unease returned. Something felt off.
Lucy Lawn and her family were handing out hot drinks and bread to those awake. Her dad, Larry, had an outdoor clay cooker hidden round the back of their home and he’d been firing it up and feeding whoever was hungry.
Violet spotted William and her mam and dad stopping to speak to people before passing on slowly. They were being discreet as they shuffled from group to group – if the Watchers caught wind of a plan, everyone would be in trouble.
A bunch of kids sat huddled by the base of the Rag Tree – she recognized some as ex-orphans. Lowering her head, she walked towards them.
“Has anyone seen Billy Bobbins?” she asked. Before she left the shop Boy had told her that Billy had been the best in the orphanage with a slingshot and would be able to round up the other sharpshooters.
“I think he was over there with his family.” One of the boys pointed.
She was just walking away when a commotion broke out by the bottom of the first lane up to Forgotten Road. Somebody was pointing out her dad to one of the Watchers.
“And there’s Archer!” the same person shouted, pointing across the yard at William.
It was Vincent Crooked.
Her dad and William started to run just as someone screamed. Violet turned to see Madeleine and Merrill being dragged into the middle of the square, two Watchers holding them tightly.
People panicked, scattering back against the walls as William and Eugene were surrounded by a group of Watchers who had suddenly appeared from one of the laneways.
Violet spied a narrow track between two homes on the square and raced for it. The space was just wide enough to touch the stone walls either side with her fingers. Crammed with odds and ends, bins and a broken washing machine, Violet squeezed into hiding. From her position she could just see into the Market Yard.
It looked like the whole army of Watchers now trailed like ants out of the laneways encircling the yard. Some of them herded the terrified Townsfolk into the middle of the square, while others began to bang down doors and invade the homes of No-Man’s-Land.
Clinging onto each other, people watched in a petrified silence as their houses were ransacked and William, Eugene, Merrill and Madeleine were manhandled over to the Rag Tree.
Then Edward and George Archer strode out from the first lane, through the crowd, stopping right beside Violet’s dad.
George ordered Vincent Crooked to round up the rest of Town’s Committee members and the smartly dressed, greasy-haired man walked through the crowd, smiling as he pointed them out one by one. The Watchers dragged each person over to the Rag Tree, shoving them roughly beside the others. Some, still holding onto distraught family members, had to be forced apart.
“I’ve just about had enough of you lot!” Edward announced.
An anxious murmur passed through the crowd.
“You had it easy under our rule,” he snarled. “Most of you lived perfectly and those in No-Man’s-Land, well at least we kept you alive. But things are about to change. Tomorrow brings a new dawn, one where I cannot promise your safety, unless I’m shown some loyalty! Bet you regret fighting against us now!”
“Yes, loyalty,” George growled, echoing his brother as he prowled through the crowd.
“I need you to give me Boy Archer!” Edward roared, his face red to bursting.
Violet gulped. The Watchers had found Merrill and Madeleine, so they had to have been in the shop. But where was Boy? Had he gotten away somehow?
“You give him over to us and—”
“You’ll let us go, I suppose!” someone bravely sneered.
Violet couldn’t see where the voice came from.
“No, I won’t let you go, but I’ll let you live!” Edward spat. “I will make sure my father shows you mercy. You won’t become fodder for his army or, worse still, be turned into one of his creatures. You’ve met them – we have just a small selection of his beasts helping us out at the moment!”
The stout man walked back and forth in front of the crowd. “And, Boy – yes I’m talking to you directly now – all those you care about are coming with me. If you don’t show yourself before your birthday tomorrow, I promise that each of them will be turned into a member of Arnold’s army. You’ve seen Priscilla’s sewing skills! But if you do show, I will let them live too – so don’t miss the party!”
Another cry rang through the market and Violet’s mam was forced out of the crowd.
“This one’s not on the Committee but she’s as good as,” Vincent sneered, dragging her over to the others.
Violet tensed. She wanted to scream and charge; her anger boiled. She scanned the area again, desperately trying to see Boy. If he was watching this, she was sure he’d give himself up. But that was exactly what Edward wanted.
“I need an audience for tomorrow’s special event, so I’m taking your Committee,” the short man continued. “See how t
his little town functions without its leaders! Now if you’ll excuse us, we’ve work to do!”
“No, Mam!” someone shrieked.
A small child raced from the crowd and grabbed hold of one of the Committee members. A Watcher forced him back roughly, knocking the little boy to the ground.
The kid was screaming as Edward Archer clapped his hands. “Ah the sound of little children’s tears never fails to make me smile! Now everyone move out. We’ve a briefing for tomorrow’s activities up at the Town Hall. Our zombies will keep an eye on you lot until my Watchers get back. A warning though, put a foot out of line and I promise they’ll eat you!”
Then, together with his brother, Edward marched out of the Market Yard, followed by the Watchers and their newly acquired prisoners.
Violet leaned back against the washing machine, breathless. What were they going to do now? All their plans… Everyone was gone. And Boy… A lump rose in her throat. No matter what Edward said, he wasn’t a man of his word. Town would suffer whether they handed Boy over or not, but she was afraid others wouldn’t see it like that.
“They’ve taken Mam!” a voice trembled, as a small shadow moved towards her from the yard.
“Anna!” Violet exclaimed, leaping up. “How did you get away?”
“I was upstairs looking for bits of wood when the Watchers came. I hid. They dragged Mam outside. I’m scared. I should have done something.”
“There was nothing you could do, Anna. It’ll be fine. We’ll figure it out. What about Boy, where’s he?”
“I don’t know,” she sobbed. “He wasn’t there when I came down – the shop was empty. I was looking for my sister when I saw you in here. I thought maybe Boy was with you! They’re all gone, Violet. Everyone. What if he hurts them? What about our plans? You said Arnold had a huge army – what if he marches them all in tomorrow and there’s nothing we can do? What if he turns us all into zombies?”
Violet wrapped the little girl in her arms and led her back out into the market. “We’ll save them, Anna,” she soothed, unsure if she believed her own words. “Somehow we’ll save them!”
A huge group of people were congregated round the Rag Tree. They were angry. The pair stepped closer to listen.
“We will not give him up! Wherever he is,” a voice roared.
Violet could just see the scruff of brown hair above the gathered heads. Someone was standing on a chair addressing the crowd. Holding on to Anna’s hand, she pushed forward through the sea of bodies.
“William and Boy Archer gave me back my family,” a short-haired, pixie-faced girl said.
It was Pippa Moody, her teacher’s daughter. “They gave us all back our freedom, both Perfectionists and No-Man’s-Landers, so that no divisions existed any more. I won’t sacrifice them now!” she hollered.
“Me neither,” somebody else cried, stepping forward from those gathered. It was Billy Bobbins Senior, one of the first to get back his imagination after the Archer brothers’ reign.
“Nor me,” said Lucy, Billy’s sister. She’d helped persuade the No-Man’s-Landers to fight back during the battle of Perfect.
“I won’t stand for anyone going against William or his son. We will defend him just as he has defended us!” announced Larry Lawn, coming out of the crowd. He was joined by the rest of the Lawn family.
“I’ll butcher any zombie that tries to harm a hair on their heads,” announced Mr Hatchet.
“So will I!” said a smaller high-pitched voice.
Violet almost choked as Beatrice Prim came forward. Soon it seemed like everyone was on their side. Vincent Crooked tried to snake away at the back of the group, but he was surrounded by angry Townsfolk. Before he could do anything, he’d been bundled over to a nearby home and locked in to stop him making any more accusations.
Violet took Anna’s hand and squeezed. She looked at the crowd with a deep sense of pride. Someone grabbed her shoulder.
She whisked around.
“Boy! You’re okay,” she gasped, hugging him.
Violet was sure there were tears in his eyes as Anna threw herself around his waist.
“So what are we going to do?” Pippa Moody announced.
“Um…” Violet cleared her throat and stepped forward, her two friends on either side. “We could do with some help!”
Suddenly a huge whirring sound filled the air. The light around them flickered, then blinked, and the yard was plunged into total darkness.
“What’s happened, what’s going on?” Anna asked, grabbing Violet’s arm.
“The electricity,” Boy gasped, looking around. “Iris said Arnold would need a lot of power for his machine this time. I bet he’s taken it from Town’s supply!”
“Everyone stay calm,” Pippa Moody cried.
Violet could barely see her as she held her hands up, trying to quell the terrified crowd. People began to quieten but still shifted uneasily as they looked around the Market Yard. Anna squealed when a zombie lurched past in the darkness. Boy darted off and grabbed Pippa’s arm, whispering something in her ear before returning to Violet’s side.
“I’ve told Pippa to get word out that there’ll be a meeting at the orphanage in about twenty minutes. People are to come in ones and twos so as not to be obvious. We can’t talk here – the Watchers will be back soon!” he said.
“Oh, I’ve a key.” Anna said excitedly, pulling one from her pocket.
“I knew you would.” Boy winked.
The three passed word of the meeting around those gathered, then snuck through the darkness up the laneway to the orphanage. Anna reached on her tippy toes, opened the lock and they snuck inside, leaving the double doors slightly ajar.
They tried the light switch but nothing happened.
“I know where there’s candles and matches,” Boy whispered, crossing the large cold hallway.
Violet and Anna followed him to a cubbyhole tucked in under the ornate wooden staircase, the one he’d hidden in when Tom had pretended to be him. Boy opened the door and crawled inside, emerging a few moments later with a small tin box.
The threesome waited in the dark, sitting down underneath the wall of photographs that William had installed when the orphanage became a museum. The pictures were a visual history of all the things that had happened in their little town since the days of Perfect and served as a reminder to all, William said, never to repeat the same mistakes again.
As the minutes ticked by, people began to arrive, gathering in the cavernous main entrance hall. Anxious whispers rang round the space.
Then Boy lit the candles and Violet passed them out. The soft light warmed the cold and the uneasy voices started to settle.
“Violet, Boy, Anna,” Pippa Moody panted as she found them, having been one of the last to get there, “how can we help?”
Boy pushed Violet forward. She shot him a look but he was nervous, paler and quieter than normal. He was never good at public speaking, even in class.
Violet took in the sea of shadowed faces. Sweat prickled her brow. She blushed and racked her brain for something to say. She was never good at public speaking either but that didn’t seem to matter to her friend.
Something tickled her fingers – Anna had taken her hand and Violet’s nerves suddenly eased.
“We have a plan,” she announced. “Well, we had a plan, but now everyone is gone and it’s falling apart, so we need help. Lots of help!”
“We can do that!” Pippa Moody said to a swell of agreement.
Violet cleared her throat and started at the beginning. She told everyone about Arnold Archer and his history. Then she spoke about Nurse Powick and the zombies, the DeathDefier and their plans to raise the dead and take over Town. The only thing she didn’t mention was the Elixir of Life, because she still didn’t know where that fitted in yet.
The crowd sounded worried as the story unfolded and Violet had to wait for the mumbles to die down before continuing.
“You mean to say there’s a whole army of those creature
s…those zombies?” somebody cried.
Violet nodded.
“How many?”
“Ahem…” She wasn’t sure what she should tell them. An image of the rows and rows of the creatures filling the castle courtyard flashed through her mind. “Lots,” she replied.
“But then we’re doomed. We’ve taken on the Watchers before, but those creatures are strong and fast, I’m not sure we—”
“But we can beat them!” Anna stomped her foot on the tiled floor, determined. “We have a plan, just listen to Violet, please!”
The crowd went silent and Violet squeezed the little girl’s hand once more. Then she outlined their plan. She spoke about Arnold’s machine, and how they could turn it into a magnet if they had people to break the glass once the power was on.
“I thought Billy Bobbins could get some sling-shooters together,” Boy added after she’d finished.
“I’d love to,” a small figure announced from the back of the group. “How many do you need?”
“At least ten, with really good aim,” Boy confirmed.
“Sorted!” Billy smiled, waving his candle excitedly.
Violet was about to explain Iris’s invention, the silk that would shield them from sight, when suddenly she looked around the hall.
“What is it?” Boy whispered.
“Iris,” she hissed. “They’re not back. What if they’ve been caught like the others? Then we’ve no chance of finding her silk or hiding everyone on Edward Street.”
“Oh, don’t skip over our part,” a voice giggled from somewhere nearby. “We’re waiting here patiently!”
Violet jumped, looking around to see who had spoken.
Suddenly a picture flew off the wall behind her, smashing onto the floor – it was a framed photo of Edward and George. The crowd looked terrified. Violet, Boy, Anna and Pippa backed away, pulling each other close.
Then laughter echoed round the hallway and Iris, Joseph and Jack appeared from thin air.
The crowd erupted in gentle applause, their fear turning to relief. The three newcomers smiled widely, and grabbed each other’s hands to take a mock bow.
The Battle for Perfect Page 18