I nodded my head and shifted along the van, keeping my back pressed tight about it. There was a small gap between the wall and the back of the van and I squeezed through. Checking that I couldn’t be seen, I slid along to the door of the last van. I jumped. Sylvia had followed me. She stood against the wall, her hair sprayed up like waves hitting a cliff. Her expression was dead, yet her eyes had something in them. She knew more than she let on. I was sure of it. A blast of wind woke me from my thoughts and I looked away from her. I didn’t have time to keep my eyes on what she was up to. I fumbled with the keys. This had to be the van and I rushed as fast as I could with each key. “Come on… come on,” I mumbled, pushing the last key into the lock. “No!” I yelled out, not believing that it wouldn’t turn. I pulled it out and shoved it back in again. It had to work… it was the last van. I glanced over my shoulder. There was no sign of Cropper, yet. But a few more minutes and all hell would break out. I stared at the keys. Had there been one that I’d missed? I glanced to my left and nearly dropped the keys again. Sylvia was standing beside me. Her mouth was turned up into a grin. Not a happy one but an evil one. She started to laugh. I stepped away. Sylvia slowly lifted up her arms. The handcuffs rattled as she pointed a finger across the yard. Almost too afraid to look away, I slowly turned my head. I squinted against the onslaught of rain as it pelted my face in angry waves. What was she pointing at? The yard was so dark and what with the stormy weather, it was hard to see. “What? What is it?”
The handcuffs rattled again and I could hear Sylvia slowly chuckle.
“I don’t have time for this…” I snapped, my eyes suddenly catching sight of something white, hidden beneath a low set of hanging branches, towards the back of the yard. I felt my heart leap. It was another van. I swung round and stared at Sylvia in surprise. Was she trying to help me? Or was she just laughing at my incompetence? Had she known all along that there was another van? There wasn’t time to figure it out. I called to the others, “Max, Raven… Jude!”
“Is this it?” asked Raven, looking like a drowned rat as they appeared from the back of the van. She stared at the vehicle beside me.
I shook my head, “No… it must be that one.” I pointed across the yard. “Come on, we have to try.”
“Wait,” called Jude. “Make sure it’s all clear first.” He peered around the front of the van. “Clear… let’s go!” He darted across the yard sending up sprays of rain water. Raven followed and disappeared into the dark.
I looked at Max and then my eyes met Sylvia’s. It suddenly dawned on me that I would have to get her across the yard, but how? She didn’t move too fast.
“Max, you’re gonna have to help me,” I called, stumbling to my right as the wind forced its way down between the two vans. “You take one side and I’ll take the other.” I gripped hold of Sylvia’s arm. Max looked unsure but he did it.
“You ready?” I asked stepping out of our hiding place and into the open of the yard.
Max nodded his head. We didn’t run. It was more like a trot. Sylvia dragged her feet through the puddles. Every so often, she would snigger to herself. I glanced over my shoulder every few seconds, expecting to see Cropper appear. I let out a sigh of relief as we reached the other side of the yard. The branches swayed about, smacking into the roof of the van, sending a shower of wet leaves tumbling down. I took hold of the first key and pushed it into the lock. It didn’t turn. I tried the next one, lowering my head as a large branch swooped down. The van wobbled as another large gust of wind slapped into the side of it.
“Keep watch,” I ordered, fumbling with the keys. If only my hands weren’t so cold. My fingers had stiffened up like a corpse’s.
The third key slid into the lock and I heard a gasp of relief from my friends as it turned, releasing the locks.
I yanked open the driver’s door and climbed in, slamming it behind me. A cold chill hit me as the passenger door flew open. Max and Raven climbed in. My hand trembled as I turned the ignition. The engine stuttered and died.
“Hurry up!” cried Raven.
“Shut up, I’m concentrating!” I yelled, turning the key again. The hatch behind me slid open and Jude poked his head through.
“Are you sure you can drive?” His eyes met mine. I glared at him.
“Fuck off,” I snapped, pressing my foot down on the accelerator as the engine rumbled into life. “You just worry about keeping Sylvia calm.” I pushed the gear into first and slowly released the clutch. It had been a while since I had been behind the wheel of a car, and never had I driven a van, especially with bare feet. The vehicle pulled away slowly, rocking slightly from the strength of the wind. As I turned it round, the shadowy figure of Cropper came running out of the door to the police station, followed by another officer.
“Cropper’s seen us!” shouted Max. He leant across Raven and pushed down on the lock.
“How the hell do we get out of here?” I yelled, staring at the heavy iron gates. They were shut, blocking off our escape. I looked into my side mirror. Cropper was running across the yard. His bulbous eyes almost seemed to glow as the floodlights switched back on. My heart thumped heavy. I yanked on the gearstick, pulling it into reverse. My foot pressed down hard on the accelerator. I knew I didn’t have any other choice but to try to break through the gates.
CHAPTER THIRTY ONE
As Inspector Cropper reached the back of the van, his fists hitting the back door, my foot was almost touching the floor. The wheels screamed over the roar of the engine. The windscreen was covered in sheets of rain and I flicked on the wipers.
“Put your seatbelts on!” I yelled. The van shot forward. “Hold on!”
“Shit!” screamed Max, bringing up his legs into the foetal position.
The iron gates came rushing at us. I gripped the steering wheel tightly and tensed in my seat waiting for impact. With one eye shut and my heart stuck in my throat, the bonnet smashed into the gates. The sound was deafening. The gates almost seemed to crumple outwards, as they were wrenched from their hinges. The van shot through and out onto the empty street. I smiled as I watched Cropper in the mirror get left behind. I turned to the right, the wheels screeching. The smell of burning rubber filled the van.
“I don’t know which way to go,” I snapped, fearful that I could mess up our escape if I took a wrong turn.
“Just keep on this main road,” shouted Jude, his head still poking through the hatch.
I looked at Max. His hands gripped the dashboard tightly, his face white.
“We did it… we fucking did it!” squealed Raven, bouncing up and down in her seat. Her wet hair slapped around the sides of her face. It was the first time I had ever seen her look so happy.
“Don’t get too excited,” I said, keeping my eyes on the road. I looked down and checked my speed. I was doing 50 in a 30 zone. The shops of Carden whizzed by in a blur. “I won’t feel excited until we find Doctor Langstone’s. I don’t even know what the hospital is called. Does it share the same name as Cruor Pharma?”
“I have no idea,” answered Max, leaning back in his seat. He rubbed his arms with his hands.
“Put the heater on,” I suggested. “We could all do with warming up.” I noticed the goose bumps over my arms. The skin looked wrinkled from all the rain.
“I think I remember Nurse Jones mentioning the sister company,” said Jude. “She called it Cruor Pharma.”
I shifted in my seat. Of course, Jude would know what it was called. He had probably been there before. My mind started racing with thoughts about how we were going to ditch him – get rid of Doshia. But was there even a way?
A car horn suddenly blasted. I had shot through red lights and nearly hit a car turning across the road ahead of me.
“Shit!” I muttered. I didn’t want to be involved in a crash – not now. Not when we were so close. I checked in my mirrors. We didn’t seem to have anyone following us. I had half expected this escape to turn into one of those car chase programmes.
I w
as relieved to see that we were leaving the town of Carden. The shops had thinned out and as I stared through the wet windscreen, I could see dark, mountainous shadows on the horizon. I eased up on the accelerator. The roads had become narrow with tight bends to the left and right. Were we even heading in the right direction?
“Is Sylvia all right?” I asked, suddenly remembering that she was in the back with Jude.
“She’s just sitting… zoned-out,” answered Jude.
Raven leant forward and turned the radio on. She twiddled with the tuner until she found a song that she was happy with. The van filled with, Faith in Love by CSS. We sat quietly, lost in the song. My eyes stayed fixed to the road, fearful that I may miss a road sign. The wipers worked fiercely to clear the rain, and as I started to relax a little, I saw something that had me sit bolt upright. Across the empty fields, I could just make out the first signs of fog.
“We’ll have company soon,” I said, my heart beginning to race again. Would the Cleaners ever give up?
“Who?” asked Jude.
“The Cleaners… look over to the left… across the field,” I muttered, suddenly slamming my foot on the brake. The van skidded to a stop.
“What the hell are you doing?” hissed Raven. “I nearly smashed my face into the dashboard.”
“Wouldn’t make much difference,” said Jude.
“Piss off!” Raven fumed.
“That road sign,” I said, pointing across the narrow road and trying to see through the rain. “It says: Cruor Pharma one mile.”
“That’s it then,” said Max. “We’ve found it… we’ve finally got here.” He leant back in his seat and ran his fingers through his hair. I could see the anticipation in his eyes – the hope.
I started the van again, slowly taking the bends. My stomach was knotted up – head confused with conflicting feelings. I was relieved that we had got this far but scared at what we would find. Would Max finally be able to see his brother? Would he be alive and if so, was he like Sylvia? Would we be able to get rid of Doshia? Shouldn’t we do it before we get into Cruor Pharma? And what about Ben? Was he still alive and would I see him again? But more importantly, would Doctor Langstone help us or would he take us, now that we were altogether? As I turned the van on a right bend, a small lane led off from the road. Another sign with Cruor Pharma printed across it pointed down the lane. I turned in. My head was full of questions – too many. Would I finally get some answers?
The van lurched over the bumps in the lane. We seemed to be heading downhill. Trees on either side of us swept across the windscreen. It was pitch-black, only the lights from the van seemed to exist out here. I peered through the window, half expecting something to come running out from the cover of the trees.
“I don’t like it down here,” whispered Raven. “It’s like we’re driving into the very pit of hell.”
I didn’t comment. No one did. But I think we all felt the same. As if out of nowhere, two large iron gates appeared. I slammed on the brakes.
“What does that say?” asked Max, squinting his eyes and staring ahead.
I leant forward in my seat. The iron lettering which formed part of the gates read, Cruor Pharma. There was a large iron chain which weaved through the bars. It was fixed together with a huge padlock.
“No one’s home,” Jude whispered.
“What do we do now?” I asked. I stared through the gaps in the bars, trying to see past it. It was too dark.
“We wait,” answered Jude. “As soon as it gets light, we’ll be able to see if anyone’s about.”
I looked at the others. I felt deflated. We had come so far and now we were here, we couldn’t get in. As I peered out at the tall iron gates, the van lights illuminated the padlock. It looked ancient and rusty, like it hadn’t been touched by human hands for a hundred years or more.
“This wasn’t what I expected,” I whispered, slumping back into my seat.
“What was you expecting?” asked Jude, his eyes peered at me from the mirror inside the van.
“For someone to be fucking home!” snapped Raven. “That would be a start.”
“I don’t know. I suppose I thought it would be more like the Cruor Pharma on Strangers Hill. You know – a night shift, a day shift, and cameras. At least more modern. But this!” I pointed at the gates. “This place looks deserted.”
“It looks fucking dead!” sneered Raven.
“Could there be another entrance?” suggested Max, his eyes downcast.
“Don’t think so,” said Jude. “This is where the sign pointed us to. Why would there be another entrance?”
“We’ll have to wait here until the morning,” said Raven, her arms folded across her chest.
“We don’t have time to wait.” I leant forward so I could see Raven. “The fog will reach us by then.”
Max shuddered as he peered out through the windscreen. “And do we really want to wait in the middle of nowhere… in the dark… Sylvia in the back?”
Jude looked over his shoulder into the back of the van. “She’s handcuffed, she can’t hurt us.”
I wasn’t so sure, and besides, I had no intention of trusting Jude’s assurances. Shouldn’t we be more concerned about being in the middle of nowhere with him? I tapped my fingers over the steering wheel.
Slapping his hand down onto my leg and making me jump, Max, eyes wide, gasped, “Look! What’s that?”
My stare fell upon a flickering light someway off in the distance, behind the gates. I sat up straight. My stomach started to knot.
“What is it?” whispered Max.
As I peered through the windscreen, a dark shadowy shape seemed to float towards the gate. All my senses were telling me to leave – slam the van into first gear and pull away. But this is what we had come for – wasn’t it? We needed help. Whatever was behind those gates was our only hope.
“Perhaps this place isn’t as deserted as we first thought,” I said under my breath. “It looks like someone or something is at home.”
Damned (The Kassidy Bell Series) Book 4
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