He had some weaponry left over from the deceased security forces and so they all took up arms and prepared to receive their first influx of residents. Each visitor was grilled thoroughly on arrival and, if they were worthy, they were housed within the walls and given a role to fill, be it gardener, farmer, cook, child carer or tradesman.
The one common factor required was the willingness to embrace Grey’s new religion. Few people refused to stay, as his way of life promised an easier existence than the one they faced outside the walls. He planned to disregard all previous incarnations of Christianity and devise a new, all-encompassing faith, to unite every denomination. And in true Grey style, he named it ‘Grey’s Church of the Epiphany’.
His Church grew quickly and soon the eighty acre Close became overcrowded. So Grey expanded his new empire. Before five years had elapsed, his walls enclosed almost the whole of Salisbury and beyond.
He’s as strict about letting people out, as he is about letting them in. The army lets him get on with it, as long as he doesn’t cut off their transport routes and he often pays them to turn a blind eye.
This is the gospel according to Rufus. But he still knows very little about what actually goes on behind the Close walls. Maybe it’s all peace and harmony. But Luc’s uncle is a good judge of character and he thinks we haven’t heard the last of James Grey, not by a long way. He’s a man out for glory and he’ll get it by any means necessary.
Chapter Twenty One
Luc has just finished telling Fred and Jessie about Salisbury’s recent history. He left out the bit about his Uncle Rufus’ weapons production, just giving them the bare facts about James Grey and Salisbury. I see him pause as he thinks about how to tell them the next bit.
‘So what has all this got to do with our Lissy and Freddie?’ asks Jessie. ‘Unless you think they may be with this Grey character.’
‘We only know about him though rumours,’ I interject. ‘My Pa always put the fear of God into us about Grey. He said if we ever set foot outside the Perimeter we could be snatched. He’s like the bogeyman, or something.’
Luc continues. ‘My uncle saw someone when he was in there. It was a girl, who’d gone missing from a local compound. She just disappeared, like your children. And then, a month later, my uncle recognised her in Grey’s courtyard. He managed to smuggle her out and I’m not sure of all the details, but she had definitely been abducted. She said there were hundreds of other children who’d been taken or lured in, now trapped or brainwashed. And anyway, over the past few years, there have been too many unexplained disappearances of children.
‘I don’t know what to think,’ says Jessie slowly. ‘It’s a possibility, but then again, it could just as likely be raiders that took them, or…’ She starts to cry again.
‘Jess, darlin’, don’t cry.’ Fred wipes her tears.
‘I know we don’t have any concrete evidence, but it makes more sense that it’s Grey,’ I say. ‘Raiders want food, weapons or valuables, not more mouths to feed. Grey isn’t trusting; he turns people away from his gates. But he’s got hundreds of followers and they’re mostly children or young adults. Children are easier to brainwash and train up to be loyal to him and his religion.’
‘Anyway,’ Luc interjects gently, ‘we’ve told you what we know about Grey and I don’t know if we’ve made you feel better or worse, but maybe there’s some hope for you that…’
‘That what?’ Fred interrupts. ‘That we can march up to Grey’s house and say, ‘excuse me, Sir, but have you got our kids? We think you might have took ’em without asking and we’d like ’em back’.’
‘I don’t know,’ says Luc. ‘I’m sorry.’
‘Oh Go-o-od!’ says Jessie, exhaling loudly. ‘This is just too much. I can’t deal with this now. I can’t think anymore. Thank you Luc, Riley, for what you’ve told us, but I can’t listen to any more.’ She trembles as she stands up and makes a move to clear the table.
‘Just leave them dinner things, Jess.’ Fred gives us a hard look. ‘No offence, kids, but would you mind going upstairs and leaving me and Jess to talk. We’ll see yer in the morning.’
We stand up awkwardly and say goodnight, not really knowing if we should say anything more to ease the situation. But Fred wants us gone. As we walk up the stairs, Luc gives me a look I can’t decipher, but I know he’s not happy with me.
‘You shouldn’t have mentioned Grey,’ he whispers. ‘You’ve put us in a difficult position and we’ve just given them false hope. Even if Grey has got their kids, there’s nothing they can do about it.’
‘I’m sorry,’ I retort. ‘But they do have a right to know all the possibilities.’
His jaw clenches tight and he goes into his room, closing the door without saying goodnight. I knew he was annoyed with me, but I hadn’t realised just how much. To make matters worse, the rooms we’re going to sleep in tonight are Lissy and Freddie’s bedrooms. When Jessie showed us to our rooms earlier, we hadn’t known their children were missing. We just assumed they had moved out or were with friends. Now I know the truth, I’m horrified that we have to sleep in their bedrooms.
My room is immaculate, but looks exactly as it must have been nine years ago. It’s a seven-year-old girl’s bedroom, with cuddly toys, dolls and pretty things. A pink and mauve delight that makes me sad. I look out of the window into the black night, the darkness relieved by starry pinpricks and a sliver of moon. I close the fairy curtains and lie on top of the covers, thinking of Luc in the next room, of Fred and Jessie’s lost daughter and of my Skye.
We spend the following morning helping Fred and Jessie with their chores around the house and farm. I get stuck in, pleased for the distraction the physical work provides.
‘There’s always too much to do,’ says Jessie. ‘It’s amazing how much more we can get done with you here. Thank you.’
They haven’t mentioned last night’s conversation at all and I don’t feel it’s my place to bring it up. An awkward feeling hovers in the air between Luc and me and between us and our hosts. Luc and I agree we should probably head off soon. In the cold light of morning, I feel as if I’ve made a huge error in judgement by telling this sweet couple what we know. Luc was right, we shouldn’t have said anything, but me and my big mouth just had to have the last word.
Jessie looks pale and tired and Fred is cordial, but tight lipped. I know I’ve opened old wounds. Did I genuinely think I was doing something good? Or was I just excited at the thought of giving them the news that could lead to a dramatic reunion with their children?
They ask us to join them for a sandwich in the kitchen and we politely follow them in. The easy good humour from yesterday has completely gone. We all sit down around the Formica table, not knowing what to say. After a long minute of silent chewing, Fred clears his throat.
‘Jess and I didn’t get much sleep last night, as you can imagine.’
‘We’re so sorry,’ Luc apologises. ‘We were insensitive and thoughtless.’
I take this as a direct insult, as it was me who had wanted to tell them.
Fred raises his hand to quiet Luc. ‘Let me finish, lad.’
Luc and I cast our eyes downward while Fred continues.
‘We’re grateful you told us about Grey. It’s a lot to take in for us. We really never expected to hear anything about our children again. We’d sorta said goodbye to them a few years ago, you know, in our heads. Your revelation has changed everything. We had no leads before, nothing to go on, no help; they could have been anywhere. But now, well. We can’t go on as before, not if there’s the smallest possibility they could be alive; if there’s a chance they’re there. We have to try. We have to.’