The Enemy (27 page)

T
hey put something in the soup to make you sleep.”

“What do you mean? Why would they do that?”

“Why do you think? They needed to chain you up. They’re keeping us prisoner.”

Sam had woken up in a different train car. There was no fancy furniture in here, no curtains or carpets. There was straw on the floor, a bucket at one end to use as a toilet, and the doors were jammed shut. Otherwise it was a normal car.

There were handcuffs around his wrists. A thin chain led from them up to the ceiling, where it was attached to the handrail. He had room to move around, but not far.

There were three other kids in here. Two were asleep. Twins. A boy and a girl, about Sam’s age. They looked clean and wel fed, but a little feeble, and their skin was very pale. The third kid was a girl, older than Sam, quite fat, but with withered, skinny legs. She sat on one of the seats and seemed to have some trouble breathing. Maybe it was asthma?

Her name was Rhiannon. She said she’d been here about three weeks. As far as she could tel .

“Why would they keep us prisoner?” said Sam. “They seemed nice.”

“When I first came here,” said Rhiannon, “there was another boy. His name was Mark Watkins. He’d been here a long time. He could hardly stand up.

His muscles was al wasted away. They’d been feeding him canned vegetables and dog biscuits. Then one morning he wasn’t here. I never saw him again. But I saw Rachel and Nick. They was stuffing their faces with meat. I saw them taking away garbage bags after. They’re keeping us like cattle.”

“They can’t,” Sam protested. “They’re not like the other grown-ups. They’re not diseased. They’re not crazy.”

“They stil need to eat.”

“They can scavenge . . .”

“They want meat,” said Rhiannon. “I’ve asked them about it. They deny it. But why else would we be here? People wil do anything to survive. I’ve read stories. People stranded at sea, or in plane crashes. They end up eating each other. Just to live.”

“You’re wrong,” said Sam. “You’ve got no proof.”

Rhiannon nodded at his handcuffs. “Ain’t that proof enough for you?”

“But Nick saved my life,” said Sam, close to tears.

“If a wolf attacks his sheep, the shepherd kil s the wolf,” said Rhiannon. “But he stil eats the sheep when he’s hungry.”

“I’m not a sheep,” said Sam. “I’m a boy.”

“To them you’re a sheep. Or a pig,” said Rhiannon. “They feed us. They give us water. They check we’re not sick. They won’t eat us if we’re sick.

That’s why I’m stil alive, I reckon. They’re waiting to see if my chest infection is serious. There was another kid, a girl, never even got to know her name.

She kept throwing up. Was too il even to speak. They took her out. Don’t know what they did to her. Maybe they fed her to the rats or to their horrible fat cat. I cal them Spiderman and Spiderwoman. It’s like we’re bugs caught in their web. They’l keep us here until we’re ready to be eaten.”

“We’ve got to escape,” said Sam, jumping up and pul ing at his chain.

Rhiannon snorted.

“I did it before,” said Sam. “I escaped from a nest of grown-ups at Arsenal stadium. I’m Sam the Giant Slayer. I’ve come al the way here from Hol oway by myself. I’m not going to let these buggers hurt me. We’l al get out.”

“Don’t you think I’ve tried?” said Rhiannon, shaking her head. “I’ve thought and I’ve thought, I’ve looked and looked, but there’s no way out of here.”

Sam sat down miserably. To have come al this way and end up like this was terrible, just terrible.

But he was Sam the Giant Slayer.

And he wasn’t going to give up without a fight.

T
his is ridiculous.”

“Let’s just go with the flow, yeah? We’re their guests at the moment. If we want to live here permanently, we’re going to have to learn to get along.”

It was ten in the morning. The most senior kids from the Hol oway crew had been brought to somewhere cal ed the Green Drawing Room and were standing around on the plush carpet, waiting. It was a ridiculously ornate room with patterned green wal paper and a huge crystal chandelier dangling from the middle of the over-decorated ceiling. Apparently the palace kids were organizing some kind of ceremony for them. But it was taking forever.

The newcomers had spent the night in their sleeping bags on cots in the bal room, which had been made up as a huge dormitory. Most had slept wel .

Feeling secure and safe for the first time in a long while. They’d woken feeling excited, and eager to explore more of their new home.

Freak had announced that he was organizing a soccer match. He’d found a silver cup in a trophy cabinet and had renamed it the “Arran Memorial Cup.” Now most of the kids were outside playing, but not this six. From Waitrose there were Maxie, Ol ie, and Achil eus. From Morrisons, Blue, Whitney, and Lewis. They were alone except for two of the uniformed boys, who were standing guard on either side of the door through to the next room.

Blue was itchy about the whole thing. Convinced that David was trying to keep him down. He’d been wanting to talk to Jester about it since dinner last night, but hadn’t seen anything of him. Now the six of them had been left standing around like fools for the better part of an hour. There had been rain in the night, but the day was fine and bright, and the thought of just sitting out in the sun unwinding was very enticing.

The Hol oway kids were bored and restless and didn’t like being made to feel second best, but Ol ie was urging them to be cautious, and tried to calm them down, even though he knew al too wel that David wasn’t tel ing them the whole truth. Ol ie wanted David to play al his cards before he played any of his own. He’d long ago learned that it was best to work behind the scenes. A quiet word here, a suggestion there, was always better than blundering in with al guns blazing. He recognized Jester as someone very similar to himself. Which was probably why he’d never trusted him.

“If nothing happens in the next five minutes, I’m outta here,” said Blue. “They’re pul ing our chains.”

“Yeah,” drawled Lewis. “We don’t want them to think we’l do whatever they say. We don’t want to look like wusses.”

“Al the same,” said Ol ie, “don’t you want to see what this is al about?”

“I’l tel you what it’s al about,” said Blue. “Respect.”

“Blue’s right,” said Maxie. “I’ve had enough of this. Let’s go.”

“Remember, we’re guests here,” said Ol ie. “They can kick us al out if they want.”

“Why go to al the trouble of sending Jester to find other kids if they’re just going to kick us out?” said Achil eus. “They want something from us. That’s for sure.”

“There’s a couple of sweet-looking girls who want my body,” said Lewis sleepily.

“Who’d want your scraggly body?” said Whitney. “There’s some buff guys here. Guys that don’t reek.”

Some of the kids had had baths last night, but there hadn’t been enough hot water for everyone, so they were using the bathroom on a rotating basis.

They’d made up a schedule and the girls were going first.

“Come on,” said Achil eus. “Nothing’s happening here. Let’s go.”

“Yeah.”

Just as they were turning to leave, the doors to the next room opened a crack and a boy came through.

“I’m real y sorry, guys,” he said. “Didn’t mean to leave you hanging around so long. I’m Pod, by the way.”

Pod was big and handsome with a thick thatch of fair hair streaked with blond highlights. He wore jeans with a rugby shirt, the col ar turned up. He seemed like the type who went skiing and played rugby and met up with his friends in Cornwal every year to party and go surfing.

The others grumbled hel os, making sure he noticed how pissed off they al were.

“We wanted everything to be ready for you, yeah,” said Pod. “It’s taken us a smidgen longer than we thought. Our fault. Sorry, guys. Now, I didn’t get the chance to say hel o last night. I was out on patrol with the lads. I’m sort of in charge of security. Though I gather from my friend Jester that you lot could show me a thing or two about fighting. I’m real y looking forward to working with you.”

“What exactly are you getting ready in there?” Whitney asked. “You baking a cake or something?”

“You’l see. We wanted it to be a surprise.”

“I don’t like surprises,” said Blue.

“It’l be worth it,” said Pod. “Trust me.”

“Don’t know you,” said Blue. “So don’t trust you.”

“Fair enough,” said Pod. “Yeah, good philosophy, I like it. Now, listen, I know you’ve al been through a lot. But just remember—we’re the good guys, yeah?”

The door opened again. This time it was Jester.

“Do you want to come on through?” he said, standing aside to clear the way.

“Why not?” said Achil eus.

None of them had known what to expect, but it certainly wasn’t this.

The next room was long and red, with several massive chandeliers, though the only light was coming through floor-to-ceiling windows down one side.

At the far end was a row of thrones set out on a dais beneath a long plush red drape that hung from a gold canopy.

Seated on the thrones were seven people in various stages of decay. The youngest looked to be about sixteen, the oldest at least sixty. They were dressed in formal clothing that included robes and sashes, tiaras and medals. Diamond jewelry sparkled on the women, while the men feebly held on to ceremonial swords. They looked like they didn’t have a clue what was going on, and were very sick indeed. Their clothes hung loosely on them, and their scrawny necks poked out of their tops like vultures. They had sunken cheeks and waxy, sweaty skin marred by spreading sores and boils. But they were quiet; just sitting, staring with big blank, uncomprehending eyes.

Four boys in uniform stood near the thrones, rifles at their sides. David was standing off to one side with Franny and another girl in a white nurse’s uniform. Maxie assumed this must be the Rose Maeve had told her about. Two more girls in nurse’s uniforms stood a little behind her. Jester and Pod went over to join them.

“Welcome to the Throne Room,” said David.

Maxie was staring at the grown-ups. “Who are they?” she said, her voice barely louder than a whisper.

“They’re al that’s left of the Royal Family,” said Jester. “We found them here when we arrived. Hiding. None of the big names. Not the Queen or anything. But they’re stil royal.”

“They’re a mess,” said Lewis.

“Wel , they’re sick, but not too sick,” said David. “Who knows, maybe it’s their royal blood, their blue blood. Maybe it’s protected them from the worst.”

An old lady lifted her hand; on it was a grubby white glove. She seemed to be trying to say something. She gave up.

“At first they weren’t so bad,” said Jester. “They could talk and move about. I must admit they’ve gotten worse, though. Now they just sit there, slowly rotting. Two of them have died. I guess this bunch won’t live much longer.”

“That’s why we need to move quickly,” said David. “We need to set ourselves up in London before it’s too late. If I can say I’m putting the Royal Family back on the throne, it’l make everything easier.”

“Whoa, hang on,” said Maxie. “What are you talking about?”

“I’m talking about sorting London out. Putting everything right. We need to take control, and people wil be much more likely to look up to us, to fol ow us, if we have some sort of authority.”

“What people?” said Maxie. “I stil don’t get you.”

“Ordinary people. They need things like this, things from the past, to reassure them.”

“This lot wouldn’t reassure anyone,” said Whitney.

“This is the Royal Family,” said David importantly. “Legitimate rulers of England.”

“No way, man,” said Blue. “It’s a joke.”

“The kids out there don’t have to know how bad off they are.”

“They’re grown-ups,” said Lewis. “Everyone knows how bad grown-ups are.”

“We’l lie. Say they’re special. Show them on the balcony now and then. From a distance they’l look fine.”

A man flopped to the floor and started to crawl off the dais toward the kids, saliva dripping from his open mouth. Two of the guards picked him up and put him back on his throne.

“Don’t worry, they’re completely harmless,” said David. “But in the right hands they could be a powerful weapon. Other children out there wil —”

“Wait a minute,” said Achil eus. “You keep talking about other kids. What other kids? I thought this was it.”

“There are children al over the place,” said David. “Children like you. We just have to find them. That’s what Jester was trying to do. Our plan is to organize the whole of London.”

“By organize, you mean rule?” said Blue.

“Cal it what you like,” said David. “But if we’re to stand any chance of creating a secure and prosperous new world to live in, we al have to work together. And for that we need a figurehead.”

“That lot of zombies?” said Blue scornful y, pointing to the grown-ups on the dais. “They’re gonna look great on the stamps.”

“They’re a symbol,” said David. “That’s al . Before, when we had a queen on the throne, she had no real power.”

“At least she could walk and talk,” said Blue.

“As I say,” David went on, “nobody needs to know just how sick they are.”