“Oh. Well, what the hell, right? Two weeks for two grand ain’t bad. They can stick me on camera all they want for that.”
Hayden turned away, sorry and at the same time extremely angry for the girl. Defeated by life, this is where she’d ended up. Exploited. Used. Essentially taken from the face of the world. How many men and women, boys and girls, disappeared daily this way? How many desperate souls lost just because they hadn’t found their place in life?
Others watched them as they passed by. Hayden studied their faces. None looked particularly unhappy, but then none were grinning either. Most got about their business of sleeping, reading, chatting quietly or just staring up beyond the bank of cameras at the roof. Toward the far side of the cave a row of shower stalls and toilets were set up, none of them private, nothing but functional.
“Guess I’ll skip the shower tonight,” Hayden whispered, hoping to make Fay laugh, as an older man stepped out, hairy and bare from head to toe.
The young girl stared at her. “Who are you?”
“I told you.”
“No. Like I said, I’ve been basically alone since I was nine. My kind of people — we know each other. We’re the same. You see that guy…” She pointed at a youth sat staring into space. “I can share shit with him. I never met him but I can see. That woman…” A platinum blonde with old scars running down her face. “Her — I can sit next to. Pass a day. Talk shit. Never see her again. That’s a good day, you see, ’cause we ain’t being owned by some bastard who thinks he’s in charge. Big man always tells you what to do.”
“And you tell him to go to hell.”
“No, bitch. Not if you wanna walk away you don’t.”
Fay stared at Hayden now, and for the first time a hardness tougher than raw diamond shone out of her eyes. A lifetime of misery, of regret, of hardship and long-lost chances had turned to stone. Once, even up to the age of eight, Fay had been like every other girl her age — a living firecracker of emotion, fun and spirit, as mighty as a God in her own world, doted over by parents and looking forward to the rest of her life. But how quickly, how insanely fast, everything could change. You lose that security too young, Hayden thought. You lose.
“You don’t know me.” Hayden knew the only way through this was to return the challenge. “You don’t know my choices. So what if I grew up different to you? So what if think and talk different to you? Don’t mean I ain’t got problems.”
Fay dropped her gaze toward her own feet. “I guess.”
A flurry of chatter rushed through the room, bringing heads up and emptying the shower stalls faster than an arctic blast. Hayden watched as the people she’d come to think of as recruits rose to stand beside their makeshift beds along rough, rocky walls, or just froze where they stood. She sent an enquiring look toward the nearest figure.
“Dantanion.” Fear crackled through the word like lightning within a storm cloud.
Hayden followed Fay’s lead this time, and studied the ground. She expected the man would check over the new recruits, and wasn’t disappointed. Within five minutes he was swishing up to her side. She saw the surprisingly boot-shod feet, a pair of shoes worth ten grand if ever she’d seen them, and the bottom half of a black robe. Unsure, she waited. Presently, she felt a finger under her chin, raising her face to his.
“We give thanks to the offering,” he said cryptically. “All the offerings. You are welcome in our community. All of you.”
Hayden allowed a slight smile, fighting hard to remain pliant. Dantanion was a tall individual, and thin, wiry, built like a rake. His black hair was lustrous, his eyes pools of mystery, his skin swarthy, giving him an enigmatic air she was immediately drawn to. When he stared hard at her like he was doing now she felt like he might be able to see right into her soul.
And she felt a little weak.
Crap, what are you doing?
Hayden hardened her face before it gave her away. Dantanion moved on to Fay and then the other new recruits, welcoming them all. It was a moment before he then turned to address the entire room.
“Maybe you know by now, but we call each step of your journey an initiation.” He smiled, a tanned and inexplicable figure wearing a stretched white T-shirt under the half-open robe, showing muscles worthy of a top athlete. Hayden dragged her eyes back up to his face.
“And you will all be glad to know,” he continued, “that the first initiations start right now.”
All of a sudden, his physical appearance vanished completely from her mind.
CHAPTER THIRTY FIVE
Drake saw the first of the half-dozen flickering torches descending from the mountains and knew their inexorable destiny approached. The villagers were prepared, the team well-placed. The shadow of inevitability approached, driven by some twisted desire, a ravenous, unstoppable fate.
Alicia crouched at his side; the two alone for the briefest of moments in the steady passage of time. “It’s good to be together again,” Drake said. “I miss you when you bog off, gold hunting.”
“Aw, you’re such a silver tongued old bastard.”
“Old? Thanks. Now I’m wondering why I missed you.”
Alicia snuggled in for just one second. “Because I’m the love of your life?”
He felt her pull away, then looked askance. She studied the hills, the flippant comment now a concrete moment in an unsteady past. If they meant so much to each other why were they still fighting for others, with others? Shouldn’t they be off somewhere together, living life?
In the greatest way, the change in Alicia Myles was what brought them together again. Perhaps life and circumstance helped, but Alicia herself was the catalyst.
“How do you rate our chances, Drakey?” She didn’t turn her head, just waited, as if weighing a lot on his words.
Over on the other side of the roof, he saw one of the village youths starting to get antsy and knew they didn’t have time for this discussion right now. “All depends on how you brush up on your car knowledge, love. There’ll be tests next week.”
“Really? Want me to join you in petrolhead heaven? I forget, is the Sprite a car geek too?”
Drake saw the danger in any reply and let it drop, which was probably what Alicia intended. The youth stared straight at him as he approached.
“It’ll be okay, mate,” Drake said. “You’ll do great.”
“Should I be scared?”
“Only of me,” Alicia said as she approached. “If you don’t buck up, I’ll kick your ass harder than any of ’em.”
She ruffled the lad’s hair and took a casual look over the side of the roof. Signals were passing between several knots of villagers. Drake looked to the spot where Smyth lay and then to the others’ positions. He sought out Curtis and Desiree, Anica and Marco, but could not be certain he saw them among the shadows. His heart went out to them, defending their home.
“Once more to the arena,” he said. “Once more, we risk tomorrow.”
“Where’d you hear that?” Alicia asked.
“I just made it up.”
“Fuck off.” She chortled. “Thick bastard like you couldn’t make up a bed.”
At least it made the youth laugh.
Drake finally saw the shadows moving as the creatures made their final approach to the village. He saw the oncoming wave, still chilling, the joint movements enough to set his skin to crawling.
“This time,” Dahl said over the comms, “we’re gonna catch one alive.”
“Don’t think we haven’t tried,” Drake said.
“But this is me speaking now,” Dahl came back. “Maybe I’ve been away too long and you forgot my voice.”
“Nope. I’d recognize the Swedish chef almost anywhere.”