Tremor: If your world was falling apart, how far would you go to save it? (The Tremor Cycle) (15 page)

Where the woman had sat lies a small object. She looks closer, squinting. A ring. It seems familiar, but how? She scoops up the ring, and crawls to the prison bars. She looks to the woman, who’s been thrown to the floor just outside her cell as the guard locks the door. Through the dim light, the woman manages a smile, and a nod towards the ring clasped in her hands. ‘The guard dropped it days ago,’ she whispers. ‘Keep it for comfort.’

The guard finishes locking the cell and starts to drag the woman off.

She looks away, tears dropping onto the ring’s engraved surface. She reads the words, and as each one hits, her heart beats faster.

Realisation dawns.

Closely followed by anger.

She clenches the ring, hard.

Chapter 13

Twists and Turns

The chase was on, accompanied by William’s thudding heart. A rusted pickup truck and two motorcycles had smashed through the trees and were tailing them. He closed his eyes and began to pray… he stopped himself. Was there actually anyone to pray to? Did it make sense? He shook his head.

‘I can get some space between us, but they’ll still be able to follow our tracks,’ said Ichabod, cranking the engine even harder. The bus screamed along, engine objecting to being so thoroughly ill-treated.

‘Then we have no choice but to stop and lead them away from Igraine and the children,’ said Branimir, turning to face Igraine. ‘You must take the children to the rendezvous point. We will try and shake these maniacs and meet you there. Even if we don’t make it, the others might, and the mission still has a chance.’

Igraine stumbled up the aisle, holding onto each seat for stability, and placed a hand on Branimir’s broad shoulder. ‘The Hollow will prevail.’

‘No, no. We can’t split up,’ said William anxiously. ‘We can’t.’

The kindly woman looked over at William. ‘This isn’t over yet. We Havenites don’t give up so easily, you know.’

‘B–but why can’t we stick together?’ stammered William, his lower jaw shaking.

‘You want us to stop Terrafall don’t you?’ Branimir said. William nodded.

‘So, you have to go on and meet with the others. They may even come across you if you manage to stay strong and go now!’

‘But is Blake going to be alright, shouldn’t he come with us too?’ William’s gaze shot from Branimir to Blake, who’d been so upset earlier and on the edge of cracking up.

‘I’ll be fine, don’t you worry. You just look after yourself,’ Blake replied, patting William’s back. He seemed to have returned to normal; the nervous wreck from before had disappeared under a newfound courage.

The bus lurched forward, sending them off their chairs. ‘Sorry guys, but it’s going to get bumpy,’ said Ichabod. ‘Once we gain enough distance I’ll stop and that’ll be your cue to get moving.’

Blake pulled out a one handed silver crossbow, his hands shaking a little. ‘And I’ll cover you if it’s needed.’

‘I–I don’t like this Alfie,’ said Ori, curled into her side.

‘I won’t let anyone hurt you, I promise,’ she replied, looking desperately at William.

William didn’t know how to take that look. He knew of no way he could comfort her, because he really didn’t know how this was going to pan out. Badly, he suspected.

The bus stopped, spinning tyres sending ash and stones into the air. ‘Go, go, go,’ screamed Ichabod.

Igraine grabbed Althea’s hand and pulled her and Ori off the bus. William stopped and looked at Ichabod, heart drumming under his ribs. Ichabod reached over and shook his hand. ‘Keep off the roads, stay in shadows,’ he said. ‘You can do this, and I promise we will see each other again.’

William’s cheeks became damp. ‘I know we will, and then we’ll all save everyone.’

Ichabod nodded. ‘Go son, before it’s too late.’

A screech of tyres and shouts filled the air. William was sure he heard an arrow soaring, the impact as it dug into someone and the scream that followed. He compressed the noises into one sound by humming loudly. He really didn’t want to know if the bus had been captured.

He raced through the trees, dead branches lashing his face, not knowing if he was being chased. He’d lost Althea, Ori and Igraine, but carried on regardless. Did he actually know where he was going? No, he really didn’t. Only running away from the bus made sense. But, if he couldn’t find them, would he survive alone? He doubted it.

The topography changed, and damp forest debris was causing him to slip as his pounding feet sought to gain traction. He fought to keep his footing. The snagging undergrowth grabbed for him, like thin, gnarled hands working for the bandits. The smell of musky earth provoked a brief autumnal memory, but it was soon pushed out by the urgency of his mission, and the pain in his chest.

After a while William stopped. He had to catch his breath, only to discover his throat was horribly dry from the harsh air. Before he could move again, the ground began to tremble beneath his feet, so he grabbed hold of a tree, its slimy bark uncomfortable on his palms. The tremor increased in intensity. Maybe this was the big one? This could be the end of him? He’d die right where he stood. It might be easier than the alternative.

‘Don’t stop,’ he whispered to himself. He couldn’t think like that. He had to continue.

Suddenly, a hand reached around the tree and grabbed his mouth before he could step away. In desperation William clawed at the hand, unable to breathe and thinking the worst. The grip loosened. He managed to pull away and swung around, but his wrists became caught in an even tighter grip. He pulled away again, ready to launch himself, but stopped when the person spoke.

‘Shhh, it’s me, dear, Igraine.’ He almost fainted with relief, arms falling to his sides, her low voice drifting into his ears like an angelic symphony. He let his shoulders relax and hugged her tightly.

‘Where’s Althea and Ori?’ he asked, face pressed into her shoulder.

‘They’re close, don’t worry. Come on, I think it’s safe now,’ said Igraine, grabbing his hand.

Althea and Ori were crouched in the trunk of an ancient oak, its massive branches bowing down to the Earth, surrounded by its dead brethren. Althea stood and ran to William.

‘I thought I’d… I mean, we’d lost you,’ she said, hugging him hard.

‘Don’t give up on me that easily,’ William replied, holding on for dear life.

‘I… we can’t lose you,’ whispered Althea, not letting him go.

William laughed softly. ‘You’d better let me go then, before I suffocate.’

‘Oh, sorry,’ she said, finally letting go and straightening his jacket for him.

Ori punched William’s shoulder. ‘I think that’s what mates do when they see each other again, isn’t it?’

‘Ouch! Yeah,’ said William, rubbing his shoulder, ‘but not as hard next time, mate.’

They all hugged again. Althea wiped away a wayward tear. ‘We made it. I really thought we weren’t going to.’

‘We’re not out of the woods yet, dear,’ cut in Igraine, head pivoting from side to side, like a meerkat alert for predators. ‘We must keep moving.’

‘Which direction then?’ asked William.

‘Towards the rendezvous point, of course,’ replied Igraine. ‘Do you have the map?’

William pulled out the map Branimir had given him earlier in the Hollow. She pulled the map right up to her eyes but quickly passed it back to William. ‘Fiddlesticks, I can’t read this without my glasses and I lost them during our little run. You’ll have to follow it, William.’

William sighed. He preferred reading maps with arrows on them that led you straight to the goal, like the one Ichabod had given him of the power plant, but following one in the dark when they were being chased by bandits and Terrafall was another thing entirely. Still, he wasn’t about to reveal his concerns to the others.

‘Sure, s–so what am I looking for?’

‘Stone Cross,’ said Igraine. ‘The hotel there is an old building built close to the Graven Burials. The HD has been using it as a covert outpost, a means to keep an eye on Terrafall. It was from there that we deduced they were mining for coal at Gravenshard. Obviously, we were wrong.’

‘You definitely were,’ said William, shivering at the thought of the sacrifices. ‘It’s quite faded, and there isn’t much light?’

‘Hang on.’ Althea pulled out a lighter. ‘Try this. I found it at the fort. A tourist probably lost it years ago.’

‘Wow, nice one. This’ll come in handy,’ said William, taking the lighter and flicking it alight.

He smoothed out the map on his knee and used the flame to light the small area where he guessed they’d started from, close to the area marked Haven. He ran his finger down the squiggly line of Hardknott Pass and through the valley.

From the bus journey he knew bits had changed, that some settlements and rivers didn’t exist anymore, but as he looked around, the basic layout seemed to be the same. The largest natural features were still there, unmovable objects that stood the test of time.

‘There, we’re near a village called Shoe – well, that’s if it’s still there.’ He tapped the small grey splodge, smiling. ‘This map malarkey is a piece of cake.’

‘A village, that’s good isn’t it? There might be food and stuff,’ said Ori, rubbing his stomach. ‘We should take a look.’

‘Could be dangerous,’ said William, still looking at the map. ‘And it might not even be there anymore…’

‘What other choice do we have?’ Althea crouched next to him, took hold of the lighter and looked at the map. ‘Stone Cross is quite a trek. We’re going to need to find some water, at least. We left everything on the bus.’

William looked at Igraine. ‘She’s right, isn’t she?’

‘Yes.’ Igraine paused. ‘But we have to be so careful now. It could be home to you-know-what…’

‘Bandits?’ said Ori. ‘You might as well use the real word. I know they’re out there now.’

Igraine blushed and took his hand. ‘And so we head to Shoe.’

It took them a good twenty minutes to get through the cluster of trees. They headed in a south-westerly direction, keeping low. There was a time when William would’ve hated crawling on his hands and knees through dense wood, but now he was grateful for the protection the trees offered, and figured he could cope if all he had to worry about was the odd sharp object threatening to rip a hole in his trousers.

Soon enough, the first dilapidated building could be seen, its roof lost years ago. From what William could see, there were no signs of life in the old farmhouse. ‘Do we take the chance?’ he whispered.

‘It doesn’t look like there’ll be much left in there,’ said Ori, scratching his matted hair.

‘There could be something hidden in a cupboard, you never know,’ Althea said, sneaking towards it. ‘Let’s check it out.’

They slunk down a stone path full of weeds, quickly arriving at a decaying veranda. Stepping over the rotten floorboards, William pushed the remains of the door and it fell with a dull thud into the hallway. The sound seemed deafening.

He spun around, eyes searching for bandits, but no one appeared in the distance.

‘Quick, in you go!’ said Igraine, pushing them through the debris-filled entrance.

They entered the farmhouse, eyes adjusting to the dark interior. William looked around. Ori had been right, there was nothing left – well, nothing they could use. Smashed-up furniture and a grubby mattress littered the floor. Most of the walls had been stripped back, with large planks of wood missing in places. He knew it had been raided a long time ago, left to fester in the grey landscape.

‘So, now what?’ asked Althea.

‘Collect some of that wood on the floor and fill up the fireplace,’ said Igraine, picking up the planks of the door.

Ori rubbed his hands. ‘Good idea, it’s freezing.’

‘We should keep moving. I don’t feel safe,’ William said. ‘What if there are others living here? And anyway, a fire might attract attention.’

Althea threw a broken table leg into the blackened hearth. ‘It’s getting dark, and cold. If we carry on now we’ll probably freeze to death, or get caught by bandits.’

‘We can use some old carpet to block up the window, so the fire can’t be seen from outside,’ added Igraine, piling on some crumbling newspaper.

Outvoted, William sat down against a wall at the back of the room, deciding the girls and Ori had the fire in hand. He leant against the wall and ran his hand across the faded floral wallpaper, feeling the bubbles that had formed from years of rising damp. The wall beneath still seemed firm, but as he ran his hand up and down, he felt something.

‘What’s this?’ He knocked on the surface. It sounded hollow, but just in one small area of the wall. ‘I think I’ve found something.’ Rising to his knees, William could see a faint square outline, and ran his fingers around the almost invisible shape.

Althea came over, followed by Ori. ‘What? All I see is manky old wallpaper.’

‘Feel it.’ William grabbed her hand and ran it along the wall. ‘This part’s not made of brick.’

‘You’re right, there’s something behind there…’ Althea braced herself and rammed the suspect section with her shoulder. The wall swung inwards, sending her stumbling towards a metallic hatch hidden behind it.

‘What is it?’ Ori asked excitedly. ‘Treasure?’

‘Some sort of bunker, I think,’ said William.

‘And it seems the wall hiding this was a door,’ said Igraine, joining them in the small, gloomy space. ‘Look, there’s a handle and deadbolt on this side.’ She grabbed hold of the handle attached to the inside of the wall. ‘It looks as though the deadbolt was locked too.’

‘It might’ve been locked, but the wood’s completely rotten so it didn’t stand a chance.’ Althea rubbed her shoulder and went to grab the top of the hatch. ‘Should we?’

‘Hang on for a second. Someone’s probably down there if the door was locked from the inside.’ He pulled her back. ‘We’ve got to be careful.’

Althea shrugged off his hand. ‘Well, let’s just take a look.’ She grabbed the hatch and pulled. On the third try it opened, dislodging a ton of dust.

They all peered in, but could see only black.

‘Try the lighter?’ Igraine suggested.

Pulling it from her pocket, Althea shone it over the open gap. William looked down. ‘Still can’t see anything, except a steel ladder.’

‘I’ll go down,’ said Althea, still holding the lighter.

‘No, let me,’ said William, but Althea shook him off and began to descend into the gloom. He followed as soon as he could see she’d reached the bottom.

‘There’s a candle down here. I’ll light it,’ she called, just as William reached the midsection of the ladder.

A flickering light filtered upwards, making William’s descent slightly easier. ‘Cheers, Alfie.’

Her response was unexpected. ‘William, don’t let Ori come down here. I don’t want him to see this.’

‘Are you OK?’ William asked, eyes wide. What did that mean? What had she found?

‘Just tell him to stay put.’

He looked back up at Igraine. ‘She says to keep Ori up there.’