“They’re going to destroy the town,” Deckard says after a moment. “Based on what I heard yesterday as well, I think Harold and his two friends are agents who work to destroy any communities that form on the island. Or clusters, as they call them. For some reason, the government really doesn’t want people to set up towns out here. They want the place to remain completely lawless and wild.”
“But they weren’t supposed to interfere,” I reply, still shocked by what I heard just now.
“And you trusted them to stick to their word?”
I turn to him. “The whole basis of the island is that this is the one place on the planet where they leave everyone alone! That’s how it’s set up, that’s what it’s for!”
“And they decided to change the rules,” he replies. “Obviously at some point, they realized they couldn’t keep their fingers out of the pie. If you ask me, it’s most likely some form of fear. They’re worried that the island could actually become something important, something that could cause them trouble. So they’ve sent these three assholes to keep the place in check. Steadfall clearly isn’t the first town they’ve attacked like this.”
“Maybe Iris was right, then,” I mutter. “She believed the stories about another town on the island. I thought she was losing her mind, but she was actually onto something.”
“I doubt that other town is still standing,” he points out, getting to his feet. “Right now, we have to work out how to deal with Harold and his friends. We can’t just go storming back to town and start telling everyone what we overheard. We’ll be ridiculed and driven out, maybe even killed.”
“Not if we take the device as proof,” I reply.
“It still might not be enough. We have to be smart about this.”
Stepping around the ridge, I make my way over to the spot where Ben was using the device. It takes a moment, but I manage to pull the damn thing out from the gap in a nearby tree-root, and sure enough I find that it’s some kind of long-range satellite-based system. Taking care not to accidentally turn it on, I examine the box for a few seconds before turning to Deckard as he comes closer.
“This shouldn’t be here,” I say firmly. “There should be no means of communicating with the outside world.”
“If you destroy it,” he replies, “they’ll quickly realize that it’s been discovered. Just put it back for now while we work out what to do.”
Staring at the device, I feel an overwhelming urge to turn it on and tell those assholes on the mainland exactly what I think of their tricks. At the same time, I know I’d just be shouting into the wind, that the person on the other end of the line would simply make a note of my comments and then pass that note through the chains of command. Even though it pains me, I reach down and slip the device back into place so that Ben’ll never know it was moved. I swear, though, I’ll come back and smash the damn thing to pieces when all of this is over.
“Now what?” I ask, turning to Deckard. “Is it time to go drag Harold and the others out of town and make them pay for what they’ve done?”
“You heard what Ben said,” he replies. “It’ll be another few days before they’re finished, and they’re already expecting you to show up. Fortunately, I think I’ve got a plan that’ll help us regain control.”
Chapter Thirty-four
“What the—”
Stopping suddenly, Carly seems shocked to see Deckard stepping out from behind a tree.
“I thought…” She pauses. “I thought you’d left! I thought you were going away!”
“I still am,” he tells her. “When I’ve sorted out the mess here.”
“Deckard—”
“Look behind you,” he adds.
She turns, startled, and her eyes widen with shock as soon as she sees me. She takes a step back, then another, until she bumps into Deckard.
“I’m not allowed to talk to you,” she stammers, as if the mere sight of me is filling her with panic. “Asher, please—”
“How many people are sick now?” I ask.
“Asher—”
“How many?”
She pauses for a moment. “Eight,” she admits finally. “It’s spreading slowly, but it is spreading. We can’t work out how or why, or where it came from, but Harold used to be a doctor. He says he’ll figure something out. For now he’s just put more people on a shift to re-fit the canopies, so we have something to protect against the cold weather.”
“That won’t do anything to help,” I reply, before realizing that maybe that’s the point. “The canopies are causing the problem in the first place.”
She frowns. “Huh?”
“I just worked it out,” I continue, turning to Deckard. “Think about it, what happened when Harold and the others arrived in town? I asked them to hand over their canopies, the same as I ask every new arrival. And those canopies went straight to Emma and Mary so they could be re-used.”
“Emma and Mary were the first to get sick,” he points out.
“Exactly,” I reply, turning back to Carly. “I don’t know how, but Harold knew about the canopy rule. They must have been watching us for a while, doing their homework. They must have made sure their canopies were infected somehow. Maybe he and the others took something to make themselves immune and—”
“You’re wrong,” Carly says suddenly, interrupting me. “Harold’s the best thing that ever happened to Steadfall. I don’t mean that in a bad way, Asher, but he’s really taking control. He’s reorganizing things, and he makes the kind of tough decisions that you always screwed up.” She hesitates, as if she’s on the verge of turning and running. “He also told us that we should kill you on sight if you try to interfere. Asher, please don’t try to come back to town, you won’t survive. Just go!”
“The sickness is part of a plan,” I tell her. “They’re trying to destroy Steadfall.”
She shakes her head.
“It’s so obvious!” I hiss. “Why can’t you see it?”
“Harold told us you might start making crazy accusations,” she replies. “I shouldn’t say this, Asher, but he suggested you might be losing your mind.”
“I bet he did,” I mutter darkly.
“We’ve all heard the way you talk in your sleep,” she continues. “Your dreams and nightmares…”
“I don’t have dreams or nightmares!” I spit back at her. “You don’t know what you’re talking about!”
“Then who’s Phillips?” she asks. “Who’s Mads?”
I open my mouth to reply, but I don’t understand where she could have heard those names.
“Everyone knows how you are,” she continues. “At night, you talk almost constantly while you’re asleep. Sometimes one of us goes to the door to your hut and listens, but most of what you say doesn’t make sense. You talk about places and people from your old life.”
“That’s not true,” I reply, turning to Deckard. “Is it?”
He hesitates, and I can immediately see the answer in his eyes.
“Why did no-one tell me?” I ask.
“What good would that have done?” he replies. “Sorry, Asher, but she’s right about that. You might not remember them, but you clearly have nightmares almost every night.”
“That doesn’t have anything to do with the situation right now,” I stammer, even though I feel as if I’m on the back foot. “Harold is part of a group that’s planning to destroy Steadfall,” I continue, turning back to Carly. “He, Ben and Leanne are in contact with the mainland and—”