We wait a few minutes. All I can hear is Tigger’s insistent purring, the breeze ruffling the leaves of the trees and a distant hammering sound of metal on metal. It’s a warm afternoon, still early and the sun’s high in the sky. Things aren’t quite back to normal between me and Luc. I don’t know if he’s still mad at me, but now’s not the time to have that discussion.
He stands up and walks around the small courtyard. It’s got a high wall and looks like it’s part of a private residence. If you didn’t know any better, you would never guess it belongs to the Cathedral Close. There’s a jumble of pots and troughs containing flowers and herbs. Ivy clings to the walls of the house and creeps around the dark blank windows. A couple of wasps buzz sleepily around us and a line of ants stream across the cracked terracotta flagstones.
Now that we’re inside the walls, there’s no going back. Luc stares up at the house, as if attempting to unravel its secrets and I try hard not to think about what we’re doing. Luc told me my only task is to locate Lissy and try to keep her close to me. He’s going to do the rest.
Chapter Twenty Three
Suddenly, the speed at which worldwide events unfolded was like someone had pressed a fast-forward button, spooling us crazily towards a too-scary ending. The attacks hadn’t stopped and no one knew if they were carried out by the same networks, or if new terror groups around the world were taking advantage of the confusion.
Three weeks later at four in the morning, an army convoy of trucks rolled through our sleepy village on their way to assist with all the border closures being put into effect. But not all the vehicles kept on rolling.
One camouflage truck stopped at the end of our lane and a small unit of soldiers silently jogged up the pavement towards our house. Samuel was among them.
Crisis point had been reached and so all traditional military protocol had been abandoned. NCOs and Privates had been automatically upgraded to make way for the newly enlisted. Nothing familiar could be relied upon and personal freedom was now a thing of the past.
The military unit came into our house. They told my parents they wanted Connor. My parents told the officer in charge that Connor wasn’t in the house, but they didn’t believe us and searched each room.
We remonstrated with the soldiers. Sleep was misting up my brain but outrage woke me up. I followed one of the soldiers into my room, asking him what he thought he was doing. I wanted to run to Connor’s camper van and warn him, but I knew that to do so would be to reveal his whereabouts. It was too late anyway. Connor had heard the commotion and had opened the shiny red door to his van.
I stared out of my bedroom window as he stood there in his boxer shorts, confused and sleepy. He pulled an old grey t shirt over his head. One of the soldiers outside shouted to the others. They poured out of the house. Connor looked small and alone, squinting downwards and he shielded his eyes with his arm, as they shone a torch over him. They took him away immediately, with no regard for his dignity or comfort.
‘What are you doing?’ I screamed from my bedroom window and ran, almost falling downstairs. My brothers shouted at them and my parents tried to calm us all down. ‘What’s going on? Why have they got you, Connor?’ I ran across the front lawn towards him in my bare feet. Two fresh-faced soldiers barred my way, unmoved by my tears.
I saw Samuel and my hopes soared. ‘Sam!’ I shouted. ‘Why have they got Connor? Tell them! Tell them they’ve got the wrong person!’
But he refused to catch my eye and didn’t say a word. It hit me then with a bitter punch. I couldn’t believe it, but I knew the truth.
‘You bastard!’ I wanted to bite and scratch and kick and hit him until there was nothing left. ‘You did this! Connor has done nothing! Nothing. Why would you do such an evil thing?’
It was clear to me then, that this was all Samuel’s doing. He had gotten Connor arrested under some false pretence. I could only pray and hope they would find no evidence to back it up. That Samuel was only trying to scare him and would release him soon. My father spoke to two of the soldiers, but they wouldn’t give him any reason for the arrest. They took Connor’s camper van and drove it away. My brothers picked me up off the dew-sodden lawn and carried me back into the house.
Chapter Twenty Four
About half an hour later, Rebecca returns.
‘You two alright?’ she asks.
I nod.
‘You’re brother and sister are you?’
‘Yeah. Our mum and dad were killed a few months back, by raiders.’ Luc feeds her the cover story we worked out earlier.
‘Oh, you poor things.’ She sits down and gives us a sympathetic smile. ‘Where are you staying?’
‘Well, we’re looking for a place. We’ve been on the road for a while.’
‘How old are you?’
‘Sixteen,’ Luc lies.
She turns to me.
‘Fourteen,’ I say, colouring. Obviously I’m not as good an actor as Luc.
We’re banking on the fact that as we’re roughly the same ages as Freddie and Lissy, we’ll be housed with or near them. We’re also assuming that accommodation will be according to gender and so we’re prepared to be split up. That’s the part I’m dreading – being alone without Luc to back me up.
I’m quickly becoming more and more in awe of Luc and his calm demeanour. He’s rational and practical, while I’m hot-headed and impulsive. He seems so focused and certain and I’m a pathetic quivering mass of nerves. My head is swimming with fear at what could happen to us.
‘You know,’ she says. ‘You’re very welcome to stay here for the night. We’ve plenty of room.’
‘Really?’
‘It’s no problem.’
‘Is this some kind of compound then?’ Luc asks. I marvel again at his composure.
‘Yes, in a way it is. We’ve rescued hundreds of people who have no place left to turn. We think of ourselves as an oasis in the wilderness, offering food, shelter and protection.’
‘Sounds amazing,’ I say.
‘Well, come on, you must be tired. Shall I show you to your quarters?’ She stands and gestures to the building behind her.
We follow her into the house, which is actually some kind of work room. Several women, maybe ten or twelve of them, all similar in appearance to Rebecca, sit at desks and tables. Some are writing and some are reading; the majority are sewing clothing. None of them talk, they’re all quietly engaged in their tasks, but most of them look up and smile as we thread our way through to the door on the far side of the room.
As we walk through the door, a young man in his late teens greets us. He’s unremarkable looking, dressed in unflattering beige trousers and a short-sleeved white cotton shirt. He asks Luc to follow him. I make to go after them, but Rebecca touches my arm.
‘I’m afraid the men and women’s quarters are in separate buildings. Don’t worry, you’ll see your brother later.’
Luc gives me a reassuring smile and a long penetrating stare that comforts me and makes my stomach do flips at the same time. This has to be the most ridiculous time for my feelings for Luc to come to the surface. Suddenly, all I can think about is us together, his lips on mine.
‘Don’t worry Riley,’ he smiles. ‘I’m sure Rebecca will look after you. I’ll see you later.’
I take a breath and have a proper look around, trying to make a careful note of my surroundings, as Luc told me to do. We’re in a gravel courtyard, much bigger than the one at the entrance. It’s rectangular, with a building on each side, mostly in shade, with just a few small squares of sunlight on the ground. A cloud blots the sun for an instant and I shiver and hug my goose-bumped arms. I’m only dressed in a t shirt and shorts, and wish I’d thought to bring a jumper or cardigan.