‘You won’t?’ asked James in confusion. ‘Why?’
Sarah smiled. ‘Because you brought Mel home to me. You saved my sister. She trusts you, so I know I can trust you too.’ Was it really that simple? It sounded foolish to say it aloud. Childish even. But it was true nonetheless.
‘You trust me?’ said James in surprise. He had stopped crying and looked directly at her for the first time. ‘Even though you know I’m a werewolf?’
Sarah didn’t flinch or turn away. ‘After Mel told me what you’d done, I remembered that I’d seen your face before. Your photo was on the news after that priest was found dead. It was the first of the Ripper murders. I remember thinking that when I first saw your photo on the TV, I thought that the police had got it wrong. The boy in that photo could never have done something so horrible.’
‘I didn’t mean to do it,’ moaned James. ‘Something just snapped. I couldn’t help it. It was the wolf inside me.’
Sarah studied his face. The boy in that news photograph was hardly visible any more. That was why she hadn’t recognized him at first. James’s hair had grown longer and he now had a beard, but it was more than that. He seemed to have aged a lifetime. Yet underneath the surface changes, the look of stark innocence that had been so striking in the photograph was still there. ‘I understand,’ said Sarah gently. ‘But there’s something you still haven’t told me. Something you haven’t spoken about to anyone. I don’t know what it is, but something else has caused your suffering.’
James could no longer contain his tears, and they flowed across his cheeks in rivers. ‘Samuel,’ he said, in between great sobs. ‘Samuel’s dead.’
Sarah didn’t need to ask more. She had already guessed enough. Slowly, in short steps, she closed the distance between herself and the sobbing boy. She drew as close to him as she dared, as close as she’d been for years to anyone except for Melanie and Grandpa. When she reached her arms around him, he clung tightly to her and she didn’t pull back, just let him cry his grief away.
Sarah didn’t know how long she held him in her arms. Her shoulder was wet with tears by the time he eventually stopped crying.
‘I’m sorry,’ he said. ‘I’m sorry for everything.’
‘You have nothing to be sorry for,’ said Sarah. ‘You brought my sister home to me. That’s all that matters.’
She held his gaze steadily as he spoke to her. ‘You are all I have now,’ he said. ‘You and Melanie and Grandpa. I won’t ever hurt you, I promise. I won’t allow the wolf to do you any harm. I’ll protect you. I’ll keep you all safe.’
‘I know you will,’ said Sarah. ‘You’re part of the family now, James.’
Chapter Forty-Four
Holland Gardens, Kensington, London, crescent moon
‘Hey!’ shouted Adam. One of the Wolf Brothers had stuck out a foot as he walked down the stairs and he had almost gone flying. Only his lightning-fast reactions had prevented him from tumbling down the staircase. He grabbed the banister to stop himself falling, then spun around, furious.
Three of the Wolf Brothers stood on the landing, watching him coolly, their faces devoid of expression. He didn’t know which ones they were. The Wolf Brothers all looked the same to him, with their identical black leather jackets and stupid dark sunglasses. All of them bore wolf tattoos on their necks and they slouched around the house in groups, staring at him provocatively.
Adam glared at them. He wanted to fly at them and rip out their throats, but he’d never be able to take all three.
‘Oh, hey, man, did you hurt yourself?’ said one of the three. A short guy. He had a stupid name. Slasher, or Masher, or Basher, or something. They all had stupid names. The guy smirked. ‘Sorry, I guess you just tripped over my foot.’ He stuck a booted foot out and wiggled it about for Adam to see. One of the others pointed at the foot and made an exaggerated apologetic shrug. The three of them turned away from him and disappeared into one of the middle floor bedrooms. Adam heard them sniggering together as soon as they were out of sight.
He balled his hands into fists. He should go in there and fix this once and for all. How could he share this house with these jerks if they treated him like this? He had put up with enough already. If he took them by surprise, maybe he could take them down before they had a chance to react. No one moved faster than Adam Knight, not even another werewolf.
He bounded up the stairs two at a time, heading for the room, but when he reached the landing another leather-clad figure emerged. Snakebite. There was no mistaking the towering giant with the red hair, even though he dressed the same as the others.
Adam stopped, unable to get around the huge man’s bulk.
‘Hey, Adam,’ said Snakebite, resting a hand like a side of ham on his shoulder. ‘You look ruffled.’
Ruffled? Adam wasn’t ruffled. He was incandescent with rage.
He tried to push past, but Snakebite’s grip held him in place. ‘Chill, man, don’t go in there. That wouldn’t be cool. Anyway, it’s time for the War Council.’
Snakebite was right, and Adam felt the fury slowly leach away. He had been a fool to think he could take on three of the Wolf Brothers at once. It was the frustration of being cooped up in the house for days on end, unable to show his face in public. He had so much energy, and no way to release it. Snakebite had probably saved him from a bruising lesson. ‘Sure,’ he said. ‘I was just going to the War Council now.’
‘I’ll join you,’ said Snakebite.
They walked down the wide staircase to the ground floor, and then down to the conference room in the basement. The house was arranged over four levels, including the basement and its underground parking area. The ground floor was given over to communal space, as well as the private rooms that Leanna shared with Warg Daddy. The middle floor of the house had been taken over by the Wolf Brothers, and Adam had come to dread going there. But he had no choice. His own room was on the top floor, which he shared with the test subjects. Since he was no longer able to step outside the house, and because of his medical background, it had become his job to look after them.
Adam didn’t really mind. The work was easy and it kept him well away from Warg Daddy. The Brothers brought back their latest victims, all tied up and gagged, their faces filled with terror. Leanna would inject them with the virus, and then it was up to Adam to keep them alive during Stage One of the condition. If they survived the initial shock they didn’t need much care, just fluids from an intravenous drip once the fever began, and some anti-inflammatories if their temperature rose too high. After a couple of weeks they would move on to Stage Two and could be untied. Adam’s main complaint with his job was boredom.
‘You were right about us keeping a low profile,’ said Snakebite as they entered the meeting room. ‘Looks like the humans are doing all the devastation for us.’
Adam nodded, surprised to find Snakebite talking to him, even more shocked that Warg Daddy’s lieutenant seemed to be in agreement with him.
The big man with the flaming hair had seemed like an imbecile at first. He asked the dumbest questions imaginable. They seemed to spend half of each meeting explaining things to him. But over time, Adam had warmed to him. They had a lot in common, when he thought about it. Both were number two in their respective groups – Adam answerable to Leanna, and Snakebite always in Warg Daddy’s shadow. They were marginalized too by the sexual bond between Leanna and Warg Daddy that was an open secret, though never mentioned.
Snakebite wasn’t as stupid as he’d first appeared either, or else he had somehow grown smarter. His questions were naive rather than dumb. Adam was reminded of Professor Wiseman’s saying that the only stupid question was the one you didn’t ask.
‘You were right too,’ said Adam. ‘About spreading the condition as quickly as possible. On its own, the condition won’t spread. Nearly all the victims die. It’s harder than I thought it would be to keep them alive.’
‘You’re doing a good job up there on the top floor,’ said Snakebite.
‘I realize it must be hard for you being cooped up in the house with a bunch of strangers,’ said Snakebite. ‘Some of the boys like to tease. If you ever have any trouble with them, just let me know.’
‘Thanks, I will.’
‘You and me, I reckon we need to stick together,’ continued Snakebite. ‘Just in case Leanna and Warg Daddy decide to trick us in some way.’
‘Do you think they might?’ asked Adam. Even as he said it he saw how stupid he’d been. Leanna and Warg Daddy wouldn’t hesitate to stab them in the back. Neither could be trusted. Adam suddenly realized how vulnerable he was. But here was the solution. Snakebite. An ally, someone on equal terms. A man he could trust. ‘I misjudged you,’ he said to Snakebite.
‘No hassle,’ said Snakebite, grinning. ‘It’s hard to know who to trust sometimes. But I’m glad we had this little chat.’
Chapter Forty-Five
South Road, Peckham, South London, crescent moon
Ben finished loading the supplies into the back of the truck and slammed the door shut with a loud bang that reverberated around the cavernous interior of the warehouse. The three Serbian men who’d sold them the goods watched him with an air of contempt. One of them spat on the ground, while another chewed gum insolently. The third had his hand inside his jacket pocket, like he was about to pull out a gun. Ben’s heart was pounding in his chest, but he tried not to show his fear. He walked quickly to the front of the vehicle and jumped into the passenger seat next to Mr Kowalski and Mr Stewart. ‘Okay, let’s go,’ he said, relieved to be back in the relative safety of the truck unharmed. He locked the passenger door. ‘Come on! Let’s get out of here.’
Mr Kowalski started the truck and they drove out of the warehouse and back onto the main road. ‘Is good haul,’ said the Polish man. ‘Will keep shop supplied for few days at least.’
Ben nodded and breathed a sigh of relief. They’d done well, this time, following up a contact arranged by some shady character Mr Kowalski knew. Kevin, the man called himself. Ben didn’t know if that was his real name. He’d hardly believed a word the man had told him. The man had some young kid in tow, acting as a kind of henchman, handling the money. They seemed like a pair of characters out of some third world ghetto. Still, whatever the man’s name was, he had come up trumps. It was just as well, given the hefty “commission” he’d charged for arranging the deal.
‘Where do you think those guys in the warehouse got the food in the first place?’ he asked Mr Kowalski. ‘Do you think it was stolen?’ The three Serbians hadn’t given the impression that they were legitimate traders. They’d acted more like gangsters. Their gruff, surly manner had unnerved Ben, and he found himself touching the knife that Mr Kowalski had given him.
The shopkeeper shrugged. ‘Is not good idea to ask too many questions. Men like that do not like it so much. Best just to pay money and go home safe.’
‘We should be grateful that we got the food,’ said Mr Stewart. ‘Don’t go making trouble.’
Ben said nothing. Trouble was exactly what he hoped to avoid. But the more time he spent negotiating with people like Kevin and his dubious associates, the more he came to expect it. But at least Mr Kowalski was quite capable of taking care of himself, and he kept Mr Stewart on a tight leash too.
When they returned to the shop, Ben left them to unload the truck. ‘You two take care of this,’ he said. ‘I’ve got some people to call on.’
There were so many people and activities to coordinate, he’d been working almost around the clock. He’d thought that being a teacher was demanding, but his new role as Salma Ali’s deputy took even more of his time and energy. Still, for now he was just managing to keep on top of everything. At least his headaches had started to recede, and he hardly needed painkillers anymore. It was just as well. Supplies of even the most basic medicines were beginning to run out.
One of the jobs he had taken on was calling in to check on the most vulnerable members of the community – the elderly, the sick, families with young children, and so on. They were the ones who would suffer most if essential supplies ran out. He was grateful to Salma Ali for having the foresight to gather information on everyone who lived in the area. It had given him a good idea of where the greatest need lay.
The first door he knocked at was the home of the Hallibury family. Ben had got to know the family well in the past few days. Rose’s father, Richard, was a mechanical engineer, and he’d already proved useful fixing cars and broken machinery that the community needed. Rose seemed to have recovered well after all her ordeals, physically at least, although he suspected that she was still mentally traumatized by what had happened to her. Her younger brother, Oscar, had cystic fibrosis and was wheelchair-bound. Ben wanted to check how the family was coping.
Rose answered the door to him, her pale features looking even more wan in the gloomy January light. But she brightened when she saw him. ‘Mr Harvey, come on in.’
‘Thanks.’ He stepped inside and allowed her to show him into the family’s front lounge.
Oscar was sitting in front of the TV watching a cartoon, but he turned the volume down when he saw Ben. ‘Hey, Mr Harvey,’ he said excitedly. ‘How are you?’
‘Good,’ said Ben, smiling. The boy’s cheerfulness was infectious. ‘But really I came to find out how you were.’
‘I’m good,’ said Oscar. He coughed, covering his mouth with both hands. He lowered his hands and wiped them clean on a handkerchief. ‘Excuse me,’ he said. ‘Sorry about that.’
Ben studied the boy with concern. Oscar was small for his age, and obviously weakened by his condition. He wheezed steadily every time he took a breath. Cystic fibrosis was an inherited condition that caused a build-up of thick, sticky mucus in the respiratory and digestive systems. Oscar’s mother had explained to Ben that he was prone to lung infections and had to take as many as fifty antibiotics, anti-inflammatory drugs and other tablets every day to keep the condition under control.
‘Are your parents home?’ asked Ben.
‘They’re out, looking for medicine for Oscar,’ said Rose. Her brow wrinkled with worry. ‘We keep looking, but all the pharmacies are closed, or out of stock. The doctor’s surgery is only dealing with emergency cases, and anyway they don’t keep drugs at the surgery. Can you help us find medicine?’
‘I’ll try,’ said Ben. His contact Kevin was good at locating food, alcohol and cigarettes, but Ben doubted whether he’d be able to get his hands on medical supplies, especially the kind that Oscar needed. ‘I’ll ask around,’ he told Rose. ‘And I’ll flag it up to Salma Ali as a priority. If anyone can get help, I’m sure she can.’
‘Thanks.’
‘And how are you doing?’ he asked. ‘I mean, how are you feeling, after everything that’s happened to you?’
‘I’m okay,’ said Rose. ‘I guess. I mean, everyone’s struggling to cope right now, aren’t they?’
‘Sure,’ said Ben. ‘But you’ve been through more than most.’
‘I’m okay,’ said Rose. ‘Really I am.’ But the far-off look in her eyes didn’t reassure him.
Chapter Forty-Six
King’s College Hospital, Lambeth, South London, crescent moon
‘Over here, please,’ called Chris Crohn to the nurse. ‘Can I have some food, please? I’m starving.’ He had barely had anything to eat since the soldiers had dragged him and Seth from their car.
The nurse came over to his bed and regarded him with suspicion. ‘We don’t have any food to give to patients,’ she said. ‘You lot don’t usually accept food.’
‘But I’m not one of them,’ said Chris. ‘Nor is my friend.’ He pointed toward Seth sitting in the bed next to him. ‘We’re not even patients. We’re not ill at all. We shouldn’t be in a
hospital.’
The nurse frowned. ‘According to your notes, you tried to bite a soldier when you were arrested.’
‘No, that’s not true. The soldiers just took a dislike to us. They forced us out of our car, beat us, and took all our stuff. They threw us into prison and then eventually they brought us here. No one will listen to us.’
He and Seth had been passed from pillar to post since being captured by the soldiers. They had been held in individual cells, large secure holding centres containing hundreds of prisoners, and even spent one night on a train, locked inside a freezing cold passenger car. They had been taken to a military base near Aldershot, and then inexplicably returned to London. No one told them anything.
He had begged the commanding officer in the military base to release them, but it had been no use. The officer, a captain, had been indifferent to his pleas.
‘You can’t just detain us without trial,’ protested Chris. ‘We have rights.’
‘That’s where you’re wrong, son,’ said the captain. ‘You have no rights. Now that a state of emergency has been declared, your rights have all evaporated. I’m the one with the rights now. I have the right to detain you here for as long as I desire. And my desire is to lock you up and throw away the key.’ He spat on the floor next to Chris. ‘I saw what you lot did. If I had my way, you’d be up against a firing squad in the morning, not held here, wasting my time and the time of my men. So I suggest you keep your ideas about rights to yourself, if you want to make the best of your time under my care.’
There was nothing Chris could do. He and Seth had been stripped of all their possessions and left with just the clothes they wore. All the preparations Chris had made had been for nothing. They had even taken his map of the British Isles and Seth’s origami book. ‘Please don’t take them,’ Chris had begged, but the soldiers had seemed to delight in making him suffer.
The nurse, Chanita, was examining his medical notes. ‘You had a high temperature when you were first brought here, but it seems to be back to normal now.’
Lycanthropic (Book 2): Wolf Moon (The Rise of the Werewolves) Page 19