The Sacrifice (47 page)

‘I don’t know,’ said Will.
‘All I know is that people can’t change what they are. It’s not
scientifically possible. But if something got into them … ’

‘Something like what?’

‘As I say, I don’t know.
Something from outside. Something else that could communicate like that.’

‘Like a parasite?’

‘Yeah, maybe.’

Ed sighed.

‘Man, that’s too much to think
about right now,’ he said. ‘When my brain doesn’t hurt so much,
we’re going to have to have a proper talk with Wormwood. See what he can tell
us.’

‘It’s going to be difficult
dragging him around with you, though,’ said Dylan.

‘Yeah. I don’t suppose every
other kid in London’s going to be as understanding as you.’

‘No. I don’t suppose they
are.’

‘Ed?’ Ed looked up to see Sam
and The Kid standing by his chair. Sam looked anxious.

‘You all right, small
stuff?’

‘Are we staying here
tonight?’

‘If that’s OK with Dylan. I
don’t think I could walk another step and
you
look like one of the
walking dead if you really want to know.’

It was true. Sam’s eyes were sunk in
black pools, his lips cracked and dry.

‘It’s just that I want to find
my sister.’

Ed pulled Sam close.

‘We’ll find her, mate. We will.
We’ve come this far,
haven’t we? The hard part’s
over. But I’m not wandering around out there any more tonight. I’ll go with
Kyle in the morning. We’ll see how safe it is. When we’re sure it’s
OK, we’ll head over to the Natural History Museum. That’s where we reckon
Ella is.’

‘We can’t go out in the midday
sun,’ said The Kid. ‘Not with all the mad dogs and Englishmen.’

‘What do you mean?’

The Kid nodded at Wormwood. ‘He
don’t like the bright light and the big city. We can only move him under cover of
darkness.’

‘Jesus, Kid, everything’s ten
times more dangerous at night.’

‘I know.’

‘And besides, we can’t just tip
up somewhere with a great green sicko. “Hiya, guys, meet Shrek.” We’ve
got to be careful about this.’

‘That’s why we need to spend
tomorrow planning,’ said Kyle and he let rip with a beery belch. He went over to
Wormwood. He’d only downed two bottles, but he looked drunk.

‘Oi, sickbag,’ he said.
‘You gonna play the game?’

Wormwood just stared at him. Hadn’t
said a word since they’d arrived.

‘Or are you gonna be
trouble?’

‘He won’t give you any
trouble,’ said The Kid.

‘He better not. But listen to me,
Green Man. If we have to move you in daylight we will, you get me? No argument. You can
keep that blanket over your head if you want, but you do as we say.’

‘I’m not a fan of the
sunlight,’ said Wormwood. ‘But I will behave.’

Kyle leant close to him. ‘You
ain’t gonna try and eat any of us in the night?’

‘We’ll take it in turns to keep
watch,’ Ed said. ‘Two of us at a time.’

‘Ed … ?’

Ed cut Sam off, trying not to get angry.

‘Listen, Sam. We’ve gone out on
one for you, OK? All this is for you. We’ll find your sister. Don’t fret.
We’ll find her. One more night won’t make any difference.’

Sam’s face crumpled and he began to
cry.

‘What if she’s dead?’

Ed held him.

‘Everything’s going to be all
right, little man,’ he said. ‘This is all going to be over soon.’

Dylan stood up. Ed could see the pain in his
face as he put weight on his bad leg.

‘You know what,’ he said,
‘I think I’ve got some sweets somewhere. Let me see if I can find
them.’

‘Yeah,’ said Kyle, shoving his
beer bottle into Wormwood’s hands and his bowler hat on to his head.
‘Let’s have a party!’

Sam began to laugh. Wormwood looked so
ridiculous and surprised.

The Kid joined in, then Ed and Dylan, and
soon they were all laughing. And, just for that moment, everything did seem to be all
right.

St George finished the piece of meat
he’d been chewing on. Seemed like he’d been chewing on it all his life. He
swallowed the lump. Felt it struggle down his throat into his burning stomach. The meat
had tasted good. Always did. Filled him up with light.

All around was his army. They’d come
to him. So many now, their strength flowed into him. They were one beating heart. And
each thump shook the darkness from his brain. Let more light in.

They were all him and he was all them. One
single mind, spreading out all around. He was spreading, eating the world. It was all
his. He was making some sense of it. Chewing it over, like the meat.

It was like this.

There was him. There were two of him and
there were thousands of him, millions … 

Did that make sense?

He’d been here a long time. He
understood that now. He was a sort of god, wasn’t he? Fallen from the stars.
Fallen into all that green. He’d lived for all time in the jungle. Why had he
forgotten that? The memories were all there inside him.

He’d been king of that world and now
he would be king
of this one. All he had to do was destroy the last of
them. The young ones. They were the only thing that could stop him. With them gone, the
world would be his.

Oh, but they tasted good. Nothing tasted
better. When he’d been a butcher … 

When was that then? Was that before or after
he’d lived in the jungle? It was confusing. He remembered his boy. His Liam. Some
other boys had done something to him. Taken him away.

Something like that.

Something.

It was confusing all right.

He’d been a butcher and he’d
loved his Liam. Liam had been different. Wouldn’t never have done anything to hurt
Liam. The other ones, they were just … meat. And he knew all about meat. He
was a butcher.

He snarled and pressed his hands tightly on
either side of his head. Felt an itch. His eye throbbed. He rubbed it. Something came
out. He felt with his fat fingertips. There was a tiny lump, trapped under his lower
eyelid. He picked at it. Looked at his finger, at the thing wriggling there, grey and
shiny, like a maggot. He squeezed his eye and more wrigglers came out from the corner.
He licked his fingers.

Where was he?

He wanted to get this straight.

Take it slowly
. It was painful. All
these thoughts and memories coming back to him after so long. Like bubbles rising in a
pint of beer. He had to get strong, and clever, so that he could do what had to be done.
He could sense them there, the young ones, warm and soft. He would march on them when he
was ready.

Far, far away he could hear his brothers
singing. A great
many of them. They were getting closer. At times in
the night he’d hear it very strong. One voice louder than all the others. One
clear voice. Calling out.

Wasn’t sure about that one. Might need
to have words.

Because he was the boss, wasn’t he?
And his people … They were a swarm of flies. That was it. Insects. With angel
wings. They were locusts. And they would swarm. Like before.

When they were ready.

When all was ready.

When he was too strong to be beaten.

He smiled and in the darkness three hundred
other grown-ups smiled with him.

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First published 2012

Copyright © Charlie Higson, 2012

The moral right of the author has been
asserted

Typeset by Palimpsest Book Production Ltd,
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Cover design
the-parish.com
; zombie illustration by Paul
Collicut

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ISBN: 978-0-141-96796-7

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