Strange Ways

by Gray Williams

  Just when she thought it was all over, he released and stepped back, laughing as she gasped and rolled, trying to find herself again, the blood rushing back into her head, so hard that it hurt.

  ‘…should have seen it,’ Zoe was still talking. ‘Walked through those trees like she was expected.’

  ‘Like they were friends?’ said Bohdan. ‘They know each other?’

  ‘No. You’re so fucking dumb sometimes. Everything Harry has told you about her. Everything she told me. She doesn’t do things for friends. Someone’s paying her. She got sent here to get close to her,’ she pointed again at Karina, ‘so she could reach the girl. These two have never met, I’d have seen it in her dreams. She’s here to beat us to the punch to deliver the girl. It’s obvious.’

  The men all blinked, looking to one another to see who would agree with her first.

  ‘Doesn’t matter,’ said Harry, lifting Amanda off the ground. ‘We got everything else to finish. It’s not going to be long until—’

  ‘What’s going on here?’

  The voice was louder than humanly possible – magically amplified so that it sounded as though it came from every direction at once, like the voice of God.

  Within moments, the gang was surrounded by island guards, batons and spells at the ready. Fitzackley strode through the trees, Drummond at his side.

  ‘Jesus, Harry, I can’t leave for three hours without having to come back to a complete shitshow. The magic use is off the charts, I could feel it coming through the curse. What the hell is going on?’

  ‘You wanted us doing our jobs,’ said Harry. ‘Well, we’re doing them.’

  Karina’s defiant expression was betrayed by her whole body trembling.

  Fitzackley laughed. ‘Now you deliver. I’m afraid it’s too late.’

  The crew looked to one another.

  ‘Fuck you talking about?’ asked Harry.

  ‘I’ve spoken to the shareholders. They have talked to the Prime Minister and they all agree: this experiment is over. As of today, the island is officially shutting down. Karina Khurana has officially proven that Abra incarceration is impossible. I’ll be moving up while you and the rest of these thugs will be passing on. Executions start within the week.

  ‘I’d say it was a miracle you hadn’t met this end sooner, but it was me. I was what kept your miserable lives from the noose. And what I’ve given, I’m taking away. Enjoy the drop. James, see them all back to their quarters. Make sure the guard is substantial. Remove all contraband from their cells. If they resist, kill them.’

  But Drummond didn’t move. He only looked to Harry, who smiled a long slow smile, arms folding over his chest.

  ‘Always had friends in high places, Fitz. But they don’t mean shit down here in the dirt.’

  A pair of guards had closed in either side of the warden. The baton of the one on the right came down with a solid ‘thwap’ across the back of the man’s head.

  Fitzackley went limp between them. Dragging him forward, they dropped him at Harry’s feet. Drummond accepted a pair of Abra cuffs from one of his men. Fitzackley was too dazed to fight back as they pulled his hands behind his back, pushing them on.

  ‘You even think of doing one of your fancy fingerless spells,’ warned Harry, ‘it had better be a good one, because any one of us will kill you the moment you try.’ Harry turned to look at Amanda, smirking at her confusion. ‘Get it now? You were never going to win this. Get her beside him. The other one too.’

  Bohdan and Zoe complied, lifting both Amanda and Karina and depositing them beside the bleeding man, the three on their knees. A few more moments and they too were wearing the anti-magic cuffs.

  Grimacing, Harry’s knees crunched as he knelt down in front of Amanda.

  ‘I don’t care why you’re here. Whoever you’re working for, as far as I’m concerned, they just delivered you like the cherry on top of this whole enterprise. Now I got all this,’ he spread his arms, ‘and the satisfaction of paying you back. And you get to sit here and watch me take what’s left of your life from you. Now,’ grabbing the warden’s hair, he jerked the man’s head up to face him, ‘here’s how it went, Fitz, we did all this to fuck with you. We knew if we pissed you off enough, you’d shut down the island. And what else would you do when you shut it down?’

  Fitz groaned.

  ‘That’s right. You’d head to the mainland, have your little meeting, and when you came back to gloat, rub our noses in it, you’d bring back…’

  He tore the man’s jacket open, the buttons splitting and falling into the leaves. Fitzackley offered no resistance as Harry went through his pockets.

  ‘Just the thing we were looking for.’ Standing up, Harry grinned as he showed off his prize, sunlight glinting off a polished key.

  Even from a distance, Amanda could taste the magic coming off it. The teeth were strange geometric shapes, engraved with runes too small to make out. She’d seen them before, keys near impossible to duplicate without the right combination of enchantments and an infinitesimal attention to detail. And Amanda knew right where it belonged.

  ‘That’s for the safe,’ she said. ‘In his office.’

  ‘Caught up are you, Coleman?’ Harry smiled. ‘Even you couldn’t have pulled this off. Can’t break into a warded safe when the key isn’t even on the island. The only time he’d bring it is if he was shutting the place down. So we made that happen. The names of every bigwig he’s had us work for, every shred of evidence he had us collect. All ours. The keys to the fucking kingdom for a man who knows how to use it. A fresh start.’

  Zoe cleared her throat, prompting Harry.

  ‘Don’t worry,’ he said. ‘I’ve not forgotten. You still here, Fitz?’ The man tapped the warden on the top of the head with the tips of his fingers. ‘How about you tell us the passwords?’

  ‘Fuck you,’ slurred Fitzackley, his voice thick. The inside of his mouth was a rich red, must have bitten his tongue when Drummond hit him. ‘You won’t even get past the wards. Those disks will be wiped before you even—’

  ‘Mallory was hoping you’d say that. Thought you were a smart man. We already know our way past the protection wards. Runes on those disks won’t even register. All we need from you are the passwords and you’ve seen Mallory work. Well, we’ve seen how you turn your head away when Mallory’s working, haven’t we lads?’

  ‘Looks like he’s going to puke,’ said Bohdan. ‘Every time. Got no stomach for it.’

  ‘Imagine how he’s going to feel when it’s him,’ said Harry. ‘When it’s his fingers snapping. When it’s his blood. His teeth. His eyes.’

  ‘No eyes,’ said Mallory, quietly. ‘I want him to see.’

  ‘Hear that? Mallory’s been planning this for months. He’s been begging for a crack at you ever since we first met. Now I’d say the smart man knows his limitations. You’re not going to see this through. Why pretend? Why not skip right to the talking?’

  ‘You can still let me go,’ mumbled Fitzackley. ‘We can come to some arrangement.’

  ‘Too late for that. Much too late. See, I promised every one of the people here a cut of what we make out of that safe. Enough to see them all happy and me and my crew back in business on the mainland. What fucking deal do you think is going to happen that’s better than that?’

  ‘Don’t tell him,’ said Amanda. ‘He’ll kill you as soon as you—’

  She saw the blow coming, she just hadn’t expected it to come from Zoe. The woman smacked her across the face, catching her above the eye.

  ‘All right,’ said Harry, ‘we’re wasting time. Bohdan, see to the boat. James, lock down the prisoners. Get them all in the town hall. Andre, go look after the safe. Mallory, take this piece of shit back to his residence and work him there. Think he’d appreciate that.’

  The crew were bursting into action, Bohdan hurrying off towards the pier, the guards heading to the town.

  Mallory’s bat was gone, back to wherever it disappeared to when he no longer nee
ded it. He pulled Fitzackley to his feet. ‘Let’s have some fun.’

  Harry was already heading to the coast.

  ‘Where are you going?’ Zoe called after him.

  ‘Where do you think? Got that last thing.’

  ‘What about these two?’ Zoe pointed to Amanda and Karina.

  ‘Put them somewhere, then join Andre. The cells in the White House. That’ll do them. All ends the same, anyway. See how you like it, Coleman. Your turn to watch me sail away. I’d say goodbye but…’

  Amanda and Zoe stared at one another as Harry disappeared among the trees.

  ‘It’s never enough, is it?’ said Karina, bitterly, glaring down into the leaves at her knees. ‘You all just take and take and you never look back.’

  ‘On your feet,’ said Zoe, brushing herself down. ‘Let’s go.’

  ‘Thought we had an understanding,’ said Amanda, wincing as she straightened.

  ‘What, because I let you talk? All that “Harry’s going to get us killed” stuff? Harry’s my ticket out of here. What did you think you were going to say that beats that? I was playing you the moment I met you. Why do you think I’m even on this crew? Because I’m pretty? Ask your friend, she’ll tell you. Either of you try and run, I’ll kill the other. Don’t think I won’t. Don’t even look at each other.’

  A push in the right direction and they were both on their way, hands bound and Zoe keeping far enough behind so that she could watch them.

  Amanda cursed herself at how poorly she’d called it. She was getting old, hardly seeing past Zoe’s age and thinking she had something to teach her. But Zoe had been playing her all this time.

  The village was in disarray. Through the trees, Amanda could see the guards swarming the streets. They were gathering around the town hall, Drummond pointing them here and there, bellowing orders. The wind carried the sound of the prison siren and she thought that she could see the first of the inmates being marched down the road.

  Drummond’s was the only voice to be heard, the guards speaking on the helmet-to-helmet intercom. Despite the mirrored visors, Amanda could feel their eyes as they were led down the street towards the White House.

  Watching for opportunities to escape, Amanda saw none as she was led inside. There were two rooms, each of them with thick sturdy doors: holding cells.

  ‘Don’t worry,’ said Zoe, ‘you’re just as unsafe here as the one outside.’ She pulled one of the doors open and pointed them inside. ‘Look at the positives,’ she said to Karina as she passed. ‘At least you’ve got time for one last pleasant sleep. If it’s worth anything, I’m impressed how long you lasted.’

  ‘You’ll never catch her,’ Karina replied.

  ‘Won’t have to. Once you’re dead, she’s going to come looking for us. And we’ll be ready.’

  The door slammed shut a moment before Karina reached it, the woman screaming through the small hatch until she ran out of breath.

  There was a flare of magic, sigils up and down the door brightening with power and then disappearing back into the paintwork.

  ‘It’s been a pleasure,’ Zoe’s words came across a small speaker set into the wall. Turning, the woman didn’t give them a second glance as she strode off down the corridor.

  ‘Fuck.’ There was nothing but a slim bench to sit on. Amanda had already slumped onto it and Karina joined her, unable to wipe her tears with her bound hands.

  ‘We’re still in this,’ said Amanda, saying the words though she didn’t feel it. ‘They haven’t killed us yet.’

  ‘Haven’t you figured it out?’ said Karina, red-eyed. ‘Harry’s about to kill everyone on the island.’

  Chapter Fifteen

  The blow made Michaela wince. Blood misted under the dull old bulbs. Teeth scattered over the rough, sweat-limed concrete. The audience roared their approval.

  A small group to the left screwed up their fists, shaking their heads and spitting their disappointment.

  Head down, Michaela adjusted the plates, making sure their dismay didn’t sour the product.

  The winner was pressing his advantage, closing in with body blows. The contenders were both skinny, shaven-headed, the kind of muscle that was all sinew and wire.

  The only thing different between them was their painted tattoos. They were runes Michaela hadn’t seen before, but she could guess their purpose – prolonged endurance, dulled pain, faster reflexes, reinforced bones. These men had been enhanced to fight harder for longer. Overseas, this would be seen as normal, but here – a spectacle.

  The difference in their abilities had been clear the moment the referee had dropped his hand. The two fighters had torn into one another. One landed a chest blow so hard that his opponent had been thrown clear across the ring. It should have killed him, but instead the stricken man had managed to twist his body in the air so that he landed on his feet to come charging back. For the first several minutes, the men had been a blur, moving faster than the eye could follow.

  The cheers, shouts and thuds echoed off the bare concrete walls, but there was no one to hear. The fight had been organised in a small factory workshop, positioned at the end of a row of identical-looking buildings in a secluded industrial estate outside of London. Not twenty feet away from the chalked ring, the rest of the shop was given over to rows of shelves. Little boxes were identified by handwritten labels – screws, nails and numerous machine parts.

  ‘What’s your name, darling?’

  The man smiled at the way she startled, his breath a melange of beer and crisps.

  ‘Fuck off,’ she replied. ‘I’m working.’

  ‘Sure your boss wouldn’t mind you taking a quick break.’

  ‘Don’t think so, he’s right there.’ She nodded upwards.

  A jagged, steel staircase led up to more boxes, more machine parts. Davey had been watching from the gantry at one point. Just before the fight had begun, a pair of expensive-looking cars had arrived. Davey had been there to greet the men who climbed out, shaking hands and leading them up.

  Now he was coming back down, the two men behind him.

  When Michaela turned back to the man who had propositioned her, he was nowhere to be seen. Davey’s name alone was a magic word, and she couldn’t help but feel some thrill at using it. And then be disgusted at herself.

  But where was the harm? So she knew someone. So she worked for someone. Was the challenge any different? Was any of this different, except she was safer? Right here, right now, she was someone no one dared fuck with, and she was done being fucked with.

  She knew the street value of what she was making here and it was more than the bootleg music-venue feelings she had been bottling last month. Less risk as well. Everyone in the room knew what she was doing and why and not one of them batted an eyelid.

  ‘Looks like we’re almost done here,’ Davey observed, eyes on the fight.

  Blinking through his pain, spitting out more blood, the loser only just managed to get his forearms between himself and a few of the blows. Those who had bet on the fitter man screamed their encouragement as his opponent retreated around the circle.

  ‘Almost.’ Michaela adjusted the plates again and checked the bottles. What she was catching was pure, unadulterated blood lust, that animal scream of victory, just as Davey had ordered.

  She was already exhausted. Had worked herself to the bone to finish early for Pearce so she could be here in the late afternoon. Now she was feeling stretched out, ready to collapse, held aloft on muscle memory alone. Anything beyond that was a fog.

  The fight was almost over. In fact, from what Michaela could see, the fight had been decided before it had begun. The winner had been fighting strangely the moment he’d stepped into the ring, throwing punches more like swipes than proper blows. He’d been aiming for the sigils, smearing them from his opponent’s body, and now it was beginning to show. The small advantages grew as he took away the other man’s enhancements, dismantling him a piece at a time. By the time the loser had realised what was hap
pening, it was too late.

  ‘All the filled bottles are here,’ she nodded down at her feet. ‘It’s good quality, managed to filter the feelings of the losers out of the mix as we produced. Those negging plates you gave me did the trick.’

  Davey smiled, turning to the men behind him. ‘You see? What’d I tell you?’

  ‘We’re still going to check it first,’ said the shorter man.

  ‘Be my guest. You can try it now, you can try it at the harbour, then you can check it at home. Just keep it out of the sunlight. Weakens it no end and it’ll just be water again, won’t want to find that out when the bullets start flying. Once it’s processed, it’ll be even better and once this new equipment I have on the way comes in, it’ll be better still. Not going to be a better product on the market.’

  The winner was hotdogging for the crowd now, egging them on. The loser could only watch, unsteady on his feet, reduced to a mere mortal. Sweat and blood dripped from his face, his mouth hanging open as he gulped for air.

  The fight was a foregone conclusion, but the emotion from the audience was still coming strong, every man baying for blood.

  ‘Finish him,’ Michaela shouted, thinking only of packing up and going home. ‘Finish him!’

  A final punch sent the man to the ground, where he lay blinking at the floor, wondering what had happened.

  The crowd groaned and cheered and immediately began to disperse. Money changed hands, and they all began to file out into the early-evening air, nowhere to go but home or deeper into the bag – drinks and drugs until morning.

  ‘In fact,’ Davey grinned towards the doorway, ‘here comes the new equipment now.’

  Finishing with sealing off the valves, Michaela turned to look and felt her blood run cold. Two men were pushing their way through the departing crowd, lugging a chair between them – Pearce’s chair. The panels were tucked away, the tubing tied in knots and thrown into the seat, but it was unmistakable.

  ‘Have a look,’ Davey invited his business partners, ‘the panels, not a thing like them on the market, and I have the best distiller right here.’ He clapped a hand on Michaela’s shoulder, though she barely felt it.