The Weapon Within: A Paranormal Dystopian Adventure (The Unexplainables Book 1) (19 page)

Deciding that it wasn
’t a good idea to spend too much time on my own, I dressed and walked across to the main building. The warmth of the dining room was welcoming but the atmosphere was not.

‘
What’s going on?’ I turned to Linda who had appeared next to me. She looked worried as she pulled me to one side.

‘
They’re angry about being locked in. Some of them noticed and they’re saying that we’re turning the commune into a prison. I didn’t know what to say to them to make it better.’

‘
Ok, I’ll handle this.
QUIET
!’

Climbing
on to a nearby chair, I waited until they’d all stopped talking.

‘
I made the decision to secure your accommodation last night because yesterday we received Intel that some of the Nexes were planning an attack on Paradise.’

Shock registered on several faces and murmurs rippled through the group in front of me.

‘Now, we are confident that we’ve isolated those who were plotting the attack, but to be on the safe side, we sealed the pods. I can assure you that this is a temporary measure and ask that you trust my judgement.’

‘
You must be seriously worried about it if you’re going to lock us in every night,’ someone shouted.

‘
My only concern is your safety,’ I replied. ‘I’m not concerned about the threat of attack, because believe me, I can do a lot more damage to them than they can to us. It just makes it easier for me to protect you if I know where you all are.’

‘
This isn’t paradise, it’s a dictatorship.’ someone else shouted. ‘You’re just making us sitting ducks.’ There was a surge of movement as three guards launched themselves into the crowd. They located the man who’d spoken and dragged him out of the room. I tried to keep the shock from registering on my face. Some of the crowd were now eyeing me nervously.

‘
Paradise is the future,’ I said with as much enthusiasm as I could muster.

‘
Paradise is the future,’ they repeated robotically. A shiver ran up and down my spine.

‘
Ok, I’m going to have breakfast now and I suggest you do the same. We must try and continue our normal lives. If we let them break down our community then they’ve won and we may as well give up now. Please, try not to worry, and enjoy the rest of your day.’

As I stepped down from the chair, Linda began to clap loudly and the rest followed. Nodding at her, I walked to the service area, grabbed a mug of tea and a croissant and made for the door.

*

After spending the entire day with Jamie and the guards,
I excused myself and returned to my pod. I’d barely had chance to make myself a drink when the alarms went off again. Swearing loudly, I poured my cup of tea down the sink and set off at a run, back to the security room.

‘
What’s happened?’

‘
There’s been a breach of our boundaries,’ Jamie called out without looking at me. ‘The camera images are a bit grainy but it looks like a person.’

I peered at a screen next to me and studied the picture.

‘How is that possible? There’s a wire fence there, surely?’

‘
Patrol 6 has just been to look. There’s a hole in the fence and some wire cutters on the floor but no sign of anyone around.’

‘
Do we know how many?’

‘
Just one by the looks of things. We’re setting up extra patrols as we speak. A lot of the guys have only just come back from their shifts but they’re going to have to go straight back out I’m afraid.’

‘
We have the extras that Nicholas sent though, they can help.’

‘
Yeah, but they don’t know the territory. We can narrow the search down to the area between the hole in the fence and the commune, but there’s the quarry in between and some pretty tricky ground around there too. If we send the newbies out by themselves we’ll end up with broken legs all over the place.’

‘
I’ll go too.’

‘
Are you sure?’

‘
Of course. Does Simeon know?’

‘
He’s already outside rallying the troops. You’d better grab a torch and here’s a radio headset that you can just slip into your ear. It’s set to two-way so you can hear everything that’s going on and just speak into it when you want to and we’ll all hear you too. I’m just going to get sorted out in here and I’ll meet you in a couple of minutes.’

*

Outside, the rain was torrential and the wind bitterly cold. Our guards were standing with their shoulders hunched; their collars turned up and their hats rammed down on their heads. Simeon rushed over to me.

‘
They’re ready for you.’ He gestured me forward.

‘
Haven’t you briefed them?’

‘
No, I thought it best to wait for you.’

Sighing with frustration, I turned to the guards.

‘We have an unknown person somewhere in Paradise. We know where they came in and the sensors went off a good ten minutes ago. The key here is to locate the person and detain them. Force should only be used if you need to defend yourselves. You are to keep in regular radio contact, advising us of your location and the status of your group. If you locate the unknown person you must update us immediately so that we can back you up. Once the person has been detained, I’ll question them. Is that clear?’

‘
Yes, ma’am,’ they shouted in response.

‘
Good. Ok, let’s go.’

The groups split up and set off in every direction. Simeon, Jamie and three of our regular guards joined me an
d we set off towards the quarry. Within minutes the other patrols were out of sight. We’d been walking for about twenty minutes when a quiet voice spoke in my ear.

‘
Patrol 17 approaching the quarry, over.’

‘
Affirmative Patrol 17,’ the controller replied, ‘go carefully.’

We continued on but then my entire group froze as the same voice from
Patrol 17 came back on the radio. ‘There’s someone here. Patrol 16, are you close?’

‘
Affirmative.’

Crackling followed and then
shouts.

‘
That’s not on the radio,’ Jamie breathed. ‘Come on!’

Running in big boots when the ground was slippery was not easy
, but I still easily outran the others. It was only thanks to Jamie’s warning in my earpiece that I skidded to a halt, teetering at the edge of a sharp drop. Catching up with me, Jamie grabbed the back of my jacket and pulled me backwards. Gasping for breath, we surveyed the scene at the bottom of the quarry. Several torch beams were being held high in the air so that the group of guards were standing in a small pool of light. In front of them a small figure was kneeling on the ground. One guard was holding the person by the front of their clothing and as I watched, he raised his fist and slammed it hard against the kneeling figure’s face.

Shaking Jamie
’s arm away from me, I took a running jump over the edge of the quarry. Turning in a graceful arc, I plummeted quickly, landing lightly on my feet at the bottom, right next to the group.

‘Your orders were to detain the unknown, using minimal force!’

Th
e one who had thrown the punch stared down at me expressionless. ‘It attacked me.’ He let go of the figure and let it drop to the floor at my feet. ‘It was self-defence.’

I looked d
own and gasped. ‘How did he attack you? He’s just a boy.’

‘
Doesn’t make any difference with these Nexes, does it?’ he sneered at me. ‘It still attacked me.’

‘
What’s his power?’

‘
I dunno, do I? All I know is that he hit me with some sort of force field and it hurt. I may have lost my temper but he attacked me first.’

The rest of his group watched me with narrowed
eyes but said nothing. Footsteps sounded behind me and the radio crackled in my ear.

‘
Would someone like to tell me what the hell is going on?’ the controller demanded. I ripped the earpiece out and squared up to the guard.

‘
What’s happening?’ Jamie panted.

‘
He’s saying that the boy attacked him with some sort of force field,’ I explained curtly, ‘yet I know this boy and his power is not aggressive.’

Silence spread across the quarry as the rain continued to pour down on us. Finally, Simeon spoke from behind me, his voice quiet yet forceful.
‘Explain yourself.’

The guard eyed him and I was pleased t
o see that he looked alarmed. ‘We got carried away, that’s all. No harm done.’

‘
Return to the commune immediately. Go to my office and wait for me. I’ll deal with you on my return.’

‘
Yes sir.’ He slouched off without saluting, followed by the rest of his group.

‘
Ava?’ the figure at my feet stirred. Kneeling down in the mud next to him, I reached out and gently touched his face. He let out an almighty sob and flung himself into my arms.

‘
What are you doing here, Hugo?’

‘
I c-came to find you.’ His teeth were chattering so much I could barely hear him.

‘
Why? What’s happened?’

‘
Don’t you know? It’s awful, Ava. Everyone’s gone.’

‘
Gone where?’

‘
I don’t know,’ he sobbed again, ‘they took them away.’

‘
Well, if they’ve been fighting against the guards then there’s really not much I can do.’

He shook his head furiously.
‘It’s not like that. The guards have been attacking
us
. They raided our homes and trashed them. They set fire to Gran’s shop and they’re threatening to do the same to the farm because that’s where everyone’s come to. We’re all so scared and we don’t know what to do. I had to find you, Ava. You’re the only one who can stop them.’

‘
But that’s not right, Hugo. The guards are trying to separate the Nexes from the Duds, that’s all. It’s for your own safety.’

‘
No!’ he yelled at me, making me jump. ‘You’re wrong! There’s something weird going on. Some of the guards are ok, they treat us with respect – I can hear their thoughts and they’re just doing their jobs. But the other ones are different. They want to hurt us. And Ava, there’s a body over there.’ He pointed behind him.

‘
What? Like an animal or something?’ I asked.

‘
No,’ he replied, shaking his head, ‘I mean a person. That’s how they found me. I was trying to creep away from them and I felt something under my hand.’ He shuddered and began to cry again.

‘
The boy is obviously deeply distressed,’ Simeon murmured in my ear. ‘We should maybe get him back to the commune.’

‘
What about the body he says he found?’

‘
It’s dark and he’s frightened. The mind plays tricks on us in such circumstances.’

‘
Still, we should probably take a look,’ I insisted.

‘
Ok, well, let me take the boy back. He’s had quite a shock.’

‘
Yes, ok.’ I turned back to Hugo and placed my arm around his shoulder, ‘Simeon is going to take you up to the main building.’ Hugo’s eyes widened as he looked up at Simeon. ‘It’s ok,’ I reassured him, ‘he’s one of the good guys. He’ll look after you until I get back, ok?’

‘
Come along, young man.’ Simeon’s teeth glistened in the torchlight. ‘We’ll see you shortly, Ava.’ He nodded at me and turned away.

It only took us a couple of minutes to locate the body and discover that it was indeed a person. It had been there a while and had started to decompose but even so, the face was unmistakable.

‘I know her. She worked at the hospital. There was an article in the paper that said she’d gone missing.’

‘
You do know that Nicholas owns the hospital, don’t you?’ Jamie asked gently. I looked up into his face. His eyes were wary but he held my gaze. Then he took his earpiece out and covered it with his hand. I mimicked him and buried my own earpiece in my fist.

‘
There’s something very strange going on. I know you see it too.’

‘
I don’t know what to think any more,’ I whispered.

‘
Well, whatever you decide I’ll back you up. I’d follow you to the ends of the earth.’

‘
Really?’

H
e let out a bellow of a laugh.

‘
Not like that, I’m married with two kids!’

‘
Oh, right.’

‘
I just mean that I trust you.’

‘
I appreciate that and you’re right, there is something very strange going on. Did you know any of those guards – the group that found Hugo?’

‘
Nope, not one of them.’

‘
Me neither. I want to go back and speak to him again but we’ll need to sort out this body first.’

‘
Just a sec.’ He jogged over to a couple of the remaining guards and spoke quickly to them. ‘Ok, they’re going to sort it out. Come on, let’s head back.’

*

We quite literally bumped into Simeon as we walked through the security room door. He was moving so fast that he rebounded off Jamie and went flying backwards, ending up sprawled on the floor. In the blink of an eye he’d sprung back to his feet and pushed Jamie back against the wall, his hand around Jamie’s throat.

‘
Simeon, stop!’ I screamed, watching as the colour of Jamie’s face turned from pink to purple in a matter of seconds. ‘
Stop
!’ Grabbing hold of the back of Simeon’s jacket I hauled him backwards, breaking the contact between the two men.

Some of the guards sprang to their feet but none of them moved towards us. Simeon lean
ed against the wall, breathing heavily.

‘
What on earth’s going on?’ I fumed, still standing protectively in front of Jamie.

‘
I’m sorry, I don’t know what came over me,’ Simeon gasped. ‘It’s been such a tiring day. Please forgive me, Jamie.’

‘
No harm done,’ Jamie replied politely.

‘
We want to speak to Hugo – the boy from the quarry,’ I informed Simeon.

‘
That’s not possible, I’m afraid. He’s gone to the hospital.’

‘
When did this happen?’

He loo
ked at his watch. ‘About five minutes ago. He was extremely distressed so I sent him off with one of the patrols. They were under strict instructions to take him straight to the emergency room.’

‘
That was not your decision to make. Hugo was my responsibility.’

‘
I’m sorry if I made a mistake.’ His eyes bored into mine. ‘I thought I was doing the right thing.’

‘
Well I’ll just go and speak to him at the hospital.’ I turned to the door. Simeon cleared his throat nervously and shifted from foot to foot. ‘Actually, they called just a moment ago to say he’s been sedated and they’re letting him sleep it off. He’s under observation though, and they’ll let us know the minute there’s any change.’

‘
Maybe I’ll go and sit by his bedside then,’ I replied petulantly, ‘and wait until he’s awake.’

‘
Of course you have every right to do so, however I suggest there are better uses of your time. It’s been an eventful evening and I’m sure that you’re feeling exhausted, as am I. Perhaps some rest would do you good?’

‘
What about the troops who are patrolling?’

‘
Ava, relax. Everything’s under control.’

‘
That’s not what Hugo said.’

Simeon shifted his weight and stood up straight, his voice taking on a bored tone.
‘Are you really going to take the word of an emotional adolescent boy over mine? Our guards are doing their best in very difficult circumstances. Has it occurred to you that this may have been a trap? That the boy was sent in to draw you out?’

‘
He couldn’t have been. They wouldn’t do that.’

‘Wouldn’t they?
Perhaps it would be safer if the guards kept an eye on you. After all, we’d hate for anything to happen.’

T
here wasn’t really any choice. To argue with him wouldn’t help my situation one bit. And of course he was right – I
was
tired.

‘
Ok.’ I raised my hands in defeat. ‘I’m going back to my pod. Let me know if I’m needed though, won’t you?’

‘
Of course.’ Simeon flashed his grin at me and gestured for me to leave the room first. ‘Sleep well.’

*

Despite feeling tired, my mind refused to stop racing. There were so many questions I wanted to ask Hugo. How had he got so far out of town on his own? Why wasn’t anyone looking for him and, if he had been sent in to find me, where were the others now? Pulling on one of my old beige outfits, I decided to go and find Jamie to see what he thought. Three steps out of my doorway I was met by a guard.

‘
Can I help you with something, ma’am?’ he asked.

‘
No thank you.’ I took a step forwards but he blocked me. ‘What’s the meaning of this?’

‘
Our instructions are that no one is to leave their pod until morning. Not even you.’

‘
Who gave you these instructions?’

‘
They came from Simeon, ma’am.’

‘
Well, I outrank Simeon and I want to get past. Move out of my way.’

‘
Of course, ma’am. May we escort you to wherever it is you are going?’

‘
No, you may not,’ I replied over my shoulder, stalking away into the darkness. He followed anyway. Jamie wasn’t in the control room – the guard on duty told me he had turned in for the night. I stormed back to my pod with my silent escort keeping pace, and slammed the door shut behind me.

*

About ten minutes later there was a frantic hammering at my door and someone came rushing into the bedroom. I barely had time to sit up in bed before a hand clamped over my mouth.

‘
Shhhhh! It’s me.’

‘
Jeez, Jamie!’

‘
I’m sorry,’ he whispered, ‘but I had to talk to you. I’ll make it quick because they’re right outside the door.’

‘
Who are?’

‘
Guards. The other guards that is, not our lot.’

‘
I saw one earlier on. Why are they outside my pod?’

‘
I don’t know, but they’re everywhere, not just here. I told the ones outside that I’ve got an urgent update for you.’

‘
And have you?’

‘
Not an official one.’

‘
I’m listening.’

‘
Ok, well my wife’s brother lives in the town. He’s a nurse at the hospital. I had her check with him and he said no young boys have been brought in this evening.’

‘
What
?’

‘
Shhhh!’

‘
Sorry.’ I lowered my voice. ‘Are you serious? Why would they say he was there?’

‘
They lied. That’s the only explanation.’

‘
We need to speak to Simeon and find out who Hugo went with.’

‘
He’s gone into town. Apparently more fighting broke out a little while ago.’

‘
Why didn’t they come for me?’

‘
They didn’t come for me either. I’m not sure whether that’s significant or not, but either way, we’re going to have to be very careful how we play this.’