The Perimeter (33 page)

Just as I was preparing to cross, a squad of warriors came jogging out of the road opposite. They were heading back toward the entrance. Back to the battle no doubt. I shrank back behind a tree trunk, my heart pounding. I may have worn their robes, but there was no way I would be mistaken for one of them close up. Finally, their figures receded and I dashed across the road, glancing wildly about as I ran. Not far now. I was almost home.

I turned the familiar corner, but it all looked different now. Alien and scary. It was like looking at my road through a distorted mirror. The houses lay in darkness and I stumbled into my driveway, excited to have made it this far, but terrified at what I might find. The crunch of the gravel under my boots made me wince. The sound seemed ten times magnified in the silent street.

I slipped off the dead man’s robe with a shudder and let it drop to the floor. My frozen fingers went to my jeans pocket to pull out my house key. Such a familiar action, but everything was changed now. My home no longer safe. The key turned with a click and I opened the door, stepping into the pitch black hallway.

As soon I set foot inside, the door closed behind me and a hand came over my mouth. I tried to scream and reach for my gun, but someone else’s hands pinned mine behind my back. Why hadn’t I had my finger on the trigger of my gun? I was a fool. I tried to scream again, but the hand was firm against my lips.

‘Sshhh, Riley it’s me, Uncle Tom.’ The hands let me go.

‘Tom?’ I hissed, almost weak with relief. ‘Oh my God, Tom.’ I flung my arms around him, as someone flicked on a torch, illuminating the faces of Liam and Denzil. ‘I’m so pleased to see you guys,’ I breathed.

‘What happened to your face?’ Denzil asked.

I remembered the sword cutting into my cheek. Had that only been a few minutes ago? It felt like weeks since I’d been in the thick of the battle. ‘It’s fine,’ I replied. ‘Where is everyone?’

‘Once the wall was breached we had to withdraw,’ Denzil said. ‘Too many of them. Thousands. We couldn’t have won with those odds, so we made the decision to get out. Everyone’s down in the stores.’

‘Everyone?’ I said ‘But there isn’t enough room . . .’

‘They’re crammed in,’ Denzil said. ‘Spread out along the secret corridor. Your Pa told Tom about the escape route.’

‘Where is Pa?’ I asked. ‘Downstairs with everyone?’

Silence.

I looked up at the men’s faces and my head began to swim, a cold sweat broke out on my forehead.

‘We don’t know where he is,’ Tom replied softly.

‘What!’ My voice rose to a screech and they all shushed me.

‘Your Pa, Rita, Luc and half-a-dozen others stayed on the wall to hold them off, so everyone could get away.’

I shook my head, trying to focus on the present and not think about worst case scenarios. Pa and Luc would be fine, I told myself, swallowing bile at the back of my throat. They were probably hiding out somewhere, hatching a plan.

‘Where’ve you been, Riley?’ Uncle Tom said. ‘Everyone’s been so worried about . .’

‘We have to get everyone back out there,’ I interrupted. ‘All our guards. All our men and women need to come out of the basement and fight.’

‘Riley, it would be suicide,’ Liam said. ‘There are thousands of warriors . . .’

‘Not any more,’ I replied. ‘I brought help. I went to The Walls and got the gypsies.’

‘What!’ Uncle Tom looked at me like I was from another planet.

I carried on explaining. ‘The gypsies have wiped out hundreds of FJ’s men. Caught them in a crossfire and just obliterated them. You should’ve seen it. If you all come now, we can finish this thing easily.’

 ‘But how did you . . .’

‘Not now,’ I said. ‘Come on, we need to get back out there. Are the weapons still down in the stores?’

Tom nodded.

‘Right,’ I said. ‘We arm everybody and we take back our perimeter.’

Our people filed out of the storerooms like a stream of avenging angels. Hope and fire in their eyes. Up the hidden staircase, into the hallway and out of the house into the cold night. They had thought they’d lost their home for good, but now they had a second chance to reclaim the perimeter. As I saw all the familiar faces I was overcome by a wave of love and wanted to wrap it around everyone to keep them safe. I realised it was Christmas Eve. A time for family and peace.

I hadn’t seen Ma or Liss and Annabelle yet, but Denzil said they were fine down below. Looking after the children and keeping everyone’s spirits up. Hundreds of us gathered along the street, quiet anticipation threading its way through each of us. We would fight and we would drive these intruders from our home. Make sure they never returned.

Chapter Thirty Eight

Things weren’t going as planned. Who were these gypsies and what did they want? They had forced their way inside the walls of the perimeter and didn’t seem to be giving an inch. Jamie had watched the carnage from within the guards’ building at the entrance. He, Matthew and the other disciples had locked themselves in. The building was secure for now, but they were pretty much trapped. The gypsies’ energy was astounding and Jamie wished their own warriors would put as much fervour into battle. But Grey’s people were controlled and competent. Skilled and focused. Tactics which usually worked well, but didn’t seem to have much effect against such a chaotic enemy.

In a cramped room at the back, Matthew’s patience was running out and Jamie felt the boy’s anger like a palpable thing around them. He hadn’t mentioned James Grey yet and Jamie was inclined to believe the prisoner’s statement that something terrible had befallen their leader. But he couldn’t voice his fears to Matthew. Not given the cold fury which already emanated from every pore.

One of the disciples in the room cleared his throat. ‘Sir,’ he said, approaching Matthew. ‘Do you think we should . . . withdraw?’

‘No. Do you?’

The disciple didn’t answer.                                                    

‘I asked you a question. Answer me.’ Matthew got to his feet and faced the man.

‘I think . . .’ the man stammered, ‘that if we stay here, there’s a chance those people out there will kill all our brothers.’

‘And you, Jacob?’ Matthew said, turning to Jamie. ‘What do you think?’

Jamie thought for a moment. He didn’t want to say the wrong thing, but the disciple was right. They couldn’t wait it out in this building, hoping that things would go their way. At the moment he guessed their chance of success was about fifty-fifty. Just then, a warrior burst into the room.

‘The perimeter guards have appeared from nowhere with hundreds of people. They’re all armed. I’m sorry. It looks like we’re outnumbered.’

‘Get out!’ Matthew shouted.

The warrior backed out of the room, shocked.

Jamie had never seen The Voice of the Father lose his cool before. He tried to think of a way to salvage the situation, but his mind kept coming up blank. It seemed hopeless. He needed to get Matthew focused once more.

‘Sir,’ Jamie said, daring to put a hand on Matthew’s shoulder in what he hoped was a gesture of comfort and solidarity. ‘What do you want to happen now?’

Matthew’s attention snapped back to Jamie. ‘What are you talking about?’

‘What would be the best outcome for you? Here. Now.’

‘The best outcome here, now, is the same as it’s always been – to find Our Father,’ Matthew said. ‘And then I want to bring this perimeter to its knees. But most of all, I wish to get hold of the girl who’s responsible for all of this and I want you, Jacob, to slice off her head with your sword.’

‘Right,’ Jamie said, getting to his feet and leaning forward on the table with the tips of his fingers. ‘I think we may have to face the fact that Our Father is gone from us. You are our leader now, Sir. You are Our Father.’

Matthew didn’t speak and nor did any of the other disciples in the room, so Jamie continued.

‘I don’t know if we will win this battle here today. Not now that we are outnumbered. But . . . there is one thing we can definitely do.’

‘And what is that?’ Matthew said.

‘I know a way to get the girl,’ Jamie replied. ‘As long as she’s still alive.’

 
‘Tell me,’ Matthew said, his eyes glittering.

* * *

‘Reece!’ I yelled, over the sound of a booming explosion. ‘Reece!’ I’d spotted him and some of the others crouched behind one of the guards’ vans. The vehicle was riddled with bullet holes and they were trapped, taking heavy fire. Denzil, Tom and I were only about a hundred yards from them, concealed by a couple of thick pine trees.

 
Eventually Reece looked behind and saw us. Tom fired at the enemy to give him a chance to get to us. Reece looked left and right before darting over and skidding to a halt in front of me, panting hard. He stood and pushed his fringe out of his eyes, his face smeared with grime and blood.

‘Reece,’ I said. ‘Thank you. You and your people have been incredible.’

He nodded in acknowledgement.

‘This is Denzil,’ I continued, ‘one of our perimeter guards. Can you brief him? Tell him what’s going on? What you need from us? More weapons? Ammo? Manpower?’

‘More ammo for a start,’ Reece said. ‘But we’re doing alright considering the numbers we were up against.’

Suddenly, a bank of lights glared on, throwing the dark chaos into relief. I squinted and shielded my eyes. We all looked to see what was happening. It took a couple of seconds for my eyes to adjust. From the trees, we had a clear line of sight straight through to the entrance of the guards’ house. Someone had switched on the floodlights outside, illuminating the paved area at the front of the building and beyond, as more exterior lights clicked on in turn. The fighting paused, everyone momentarily frozen by the illumination. The bloodshed around us now even plainer to see.

Seconds after the lights came on, the front door to the guards’ house was thrown wide, a figure in the doorway. Gagged. His hands bound behind his back. It was the head of our perimeter security – Roger Brennan.

A robed warrior stood behind, pointing a gun at his head and prodding him out of the doorway. Behind them, another guard, bound with a gun to his head. And another. They all stumbled out to stand beneath the lights, blinking and dazed. In a terrible state. Blood-soaked clothes and smoke blackened faces, barely able to walk. I clutched Tom’s arm.

And then I saw Rita, also gagged and bound. A look of shock and pain on her face. It looked as though her shoulder was dislocated. I’d never seen her so scared before. She was always so fearless. I wanted to run over and fling my arms around her, but she too had a weapon pointed at her head.

My heart was in my throat as I recognised the next face. Oh my God, it was Pa. But his expression was not one of defeat, it was one of pure anger. I crouched on the ground and hugged my knees, my legs unable to support my body. Tom crouched next to me and put his arms around my trembling shoulders. What was going to happen? We had to do something. Stop whatever was to come next. I didn’t want to know what this wicked boy had planned.

And then the next figure came through the doorway . . .

Luc.

I shoved my fist in my mouth to stop myself screaming his name. What could I do? What could I do? He shared my father’s angry expression and I felt so bad that I’d left him here to be captured. All for nothing.

Lastly, FJ and an entourage of robed figures exited the house. If only I could shoot that boy dead. But I couldn’t risk it. Not with guns at the heads of all the people I loved. What was this world about, where the only thing that mattered was a gun and who it was pointed at? I’d had enough of this. Enough. I wanted to do something, but there was nothing to be done.

The hostages were lined up in front of the building and forced down onto their knees. Behind each, stood a robed warrior with a gun aimed at each head. FJ stood to the side, his robes pristine, his face untouched by smoke, his body unharmed, his fair hair shining beneath the blinding lights. Like an angel from hell.

A hooded warrior stood by his side holding a gleaming sword. The scene was like something out of one of my worst nightmares.

The silence around had become oppressive. No shots, no yells or screams.

‘We have to do something,’ I whispered to Tom. He squeezed my shoulders tighter, but he didn’t reply. I turned to see pity on his face and so I looked away and glanced up at Denzil. More pity. I didn’t want to see pity, I wanted to see determination. A plan. Anything but pity.

‘You have a choice!’ FJ’s voice cut through the silence.

‘These people on the ground here can die. We can kill them one by one. And then we can continue fighting until the perimeter is destroyed along with everyone in it.’ He paused and cast his eyes around. ‘Or  . . .’

I knew what his alternative would be. I knew what he was about to say and I was ready for it. I attempted to brush the dried blood and dirt off my knees and tried to rise to my feet, but Tom’s arm was still around my shoulders and he tightened his grip. I shook his arm off and got up anyway. He did the same and Denzil stepped closer to my other side.

‘There is one person here who must atone for her sins,’ FJ cried. ‘If she gives herself up, we will leave.’

Pa’s eyes widened and if he hadn’t been gagged I knew he would’ve yelled for me to run away as fast as I could. But he
was
gagged and so he said nothing. No one said a word.

‘Riley Culpepper, show yourself,’ FJ called out.

Tom took my hand and held it tight. Denzil stood in front of me, his weapon pointed in FJ’s direction. Even though we were standing behind the trees, I felt exposed. My name ringing in my ears like a death knell.

‘Show yourself or I will execute every prisoner.’

I knew I had to do it and I tried to step forward, but Tom and Denzil wouldn’t let me pass, gripping my arms and pulling me back. I briefly caught Reece’s eye, as he watched me, impassive.

‘No!’ Tom hissed. ‘You’re not going.’

‘Here!’ I yelled. ‘I’m over here.’

Tom shoved his hand over my mouth to silence me, but he was too late, FJ had to have heard me. ‘What are you doing?’ Tom hissed. ‘That boy will kill you. You can’t give yourself up.’ He took his hand from my mouth, and he and Denzil tried to drag me back.

‘I should’ve given myself up in the first place,’ I said. ‘Stopped all of this from happening. Let me go, or I’ll never forgive you. You know I have to do this.’

I stopped struggling and Tom and Denzil briefly loosened their grip. But before they could say another word, I elbowed them hard in the ribs, slipped out of their grasp and made a break for it.

‘Riley, come back!’ Tom shouted.

Once I was clear of the trees, I slowed my pace and walked toward FJ, keeping my eyes locked on his triumphant face, unable to bear looking at the people on the ground. Pa would be heart-broken to see me, and Luc . . . I couldn’t think about him now.

The silence inside the perimeter was heavy with dread and anticipation, broken by the soft tread of my final footfalls.

‘As soon as you have me, you must let these people go,’ I said, my voice echoing across the space between us. ‘If you really are a man of God, you’ll keep to your word.’

I prayed he would do the honourable thing and act on his promise. But experience had shown me that FJ was not an honourable man.