Days Like This (11 page)

The boy swung the rope in ever-increasing circles before letting it fly like a lasso. He was obviously trying to snag the silver hook across the top of the Wall. He missed once, then twice. A shiver of anxiety passed across the group. As the boy swung his rope, the others were busy tying together their lengths of pale material into one long piece.

The boy whistled tensely through his teeth as the hook slipped again, flying back down towards the street so they all had to dodge it.

‘Hurry, Kieran,’ one of the girls said.

‘Shut up, he’s doing his best, Petra,’ said the other girl, who had flaming-red hair.

‘There.’ The boy called Kieran leaned hard on the rope and it stuck. ‘Up you go.’ He held it out to the tiniest girl in the group who sprang onto it, winding her feet around it and pulling herself up.

‘It’s difficult for any of us to do that with the thinness of the rope,’ Petra said, ‘but Ingie’s like a monkey. She can pull herself up with just the strength of her arms.’

Ingie reached the top, swivelled and held out a hand while still clinging to the rope. She seemed to be taking care not to touch the Wall. Kieran flung the material up to her in a bundle. She caught it easily and unfolded it, flipping it’s end over the top of the Wall, tucking it under the tethered rope and then hopping onto it. The material flapped down, hanging flat against the Wall with the rope draped over the top of the material.

‘The Wall’s too slippery to climb without the material. If you use the rope only, your feet just slide off the Wall. You need the material to help your feet grip while you climb,’ Kieran explained to Lily. ‘Once you reach the top, there’ll be no time to pull the rope over to climb down the other side. We’ll have to leave it behind. Just jump. it’s a long way so take care, okay?’

Kieran stayed with Lily while the others skilfully climbed the rope hand-over-hand, scaling it almost as easily as Ingie had. Within minutes, they were all perched on top of the Wall, looking down at Kieran and Lily.

Then Lily heard the sound she’d been dreading – the low rumble of approaching vehicles.

‘Up you go,’ Kieran said to Lily, ignoring the noise. ‘Hold the rope and walk up the material. Like I said, don’t put your feet directly against the Wall. You’ll slip if you do.’ Kieran knelt down and took hold of the end of the rope. ‘I’ll steady it for you. Go on, go,’ he said.

Lily grasped the rope and tried to haul herself up, but immediately started to spin.

‘Do what I told you. Use the material,’ Kieran said. ‘Put your feet against it for traction. Walk your way up.’

Lily gritted her teeth, trying to do as he said, but even using the material, the rope kept spinning, throwing her off balance. She smashed against the Wall, jarring her shoulder and only narrowly avoiding cracking her head.

The shock almost made her lose her hold, but what drove her up, pain or no pain, was the sound of the Blacktroopers closing in. This might be her only chance of making it over the Wall and getting help to find Daniel. And if she couldn’t get over Kieran would be captured, too. She didn’t want to be responsible for that.

Lily concentrated on hauling herself hand-over-hand and keeping her feet creeping up the Wall. Kieran scrambled behind her. ‘Hurry,’ he rasped.

Near the top, someone hooked her under her armpit’s and heaved her up. Lily didn’t have time to steady herself before she slithered over, tumbling and falling. Kieran was right. It was a long way down and the fall knocked the air out of her lungs. The rest of them thudded down around her.

‘Run!’ they yelled and took off. Terrified of losing them or being caught by the Blacktroopers, whose shouts now echoed from the city side of the Wall, Lily scrambled to her feet and followed. As she ran, she took in the harsh landscape. Everything was dusty brown, dry and desolate. Dotted across the bleak terrain were the crumbling remains of houses – jagged piles of brick, with gaping holes for windows, smashed down walls and roofs.

Driven by fear, Lily moved more quickly than she’d thought possible. Her spine tingled as she glanced back and saw that a black crane had appeared above the other side of the Wall. Dodging between the piles of bricks and rubble, Lily was gaining on the other kids when suddenly the girl in front and slightly to Lily’s left went down like a small tree struck by lightning.

‘Stop!’ Lily screamed to the others. ‘Someone’s fallen.’

Kieran twisted around, still running. ‘No use stopping,’ he yelled, ‘they’ll get you too. Just keep going.’

But how could she leave this girl lying in the dirt? Lily already felt responsible for Meredith’s death, she couldn’t bear another. She slowed and as she did so she felt unimaginable pain slice through her left shoulder, pain even beyond what she’d experienced when the bracelet had cut into her. Her arm immediately went numb and she couldn’t move it.

‘Run!’ Kieran yelled again, shifting and weaving on the spot. ‘They’re shooting at us, look. If they get you again, we won’t be able to save you. You have to leave her, there’s nothing we can do.’

Behind them, the shining metal neck of the crane was swaying. it’s snake-like head was trained on them and bullets flew through the air, pinging off the derelict buildings around them. Lily followed Kieran, instinctively stepping from side to side like the others up ahead, putting the broken-down houses between her and the Wall as often as she could. But Lily knew the crane could pick them off one by one and that they could end up as a trail of bodies like stepping stones in the dust.

Lily retched as she ran, her arm swinging uselessly at her side. Was the girl dead? Lily hoped they could go back for her later. She hated the idea of the girl lying there under the sun until she dissolved into dust.

She looked back, relieved to see there were now enough old buildings between them and the Wall to protect them from the machine. She scrambled to join the group. They slumped, sucking in air, behind the meagre barrier of a tumbledown wall and a clump of straggly bushes.

One of the boys sat sobbing with his head between his knees.

‘We had to leave her, Ric, you know that.’ Kieran said, squatting next to the boy.

Tears rolled down Ric’s dust-streaked face. He scrubbed at them and Lily saw that he only had one hand. Where the other had been was now a grotesque stump of skin, streaked purple and white. The others crowded around, trying to comfort him.

Lily held her arm and rocked to reduce the pain.

‘The girl was his sister,’ Ingie said to Lily. ‘Her name was Shannon.’ Ingie’s tone was matter-of-fact.

‘Can’t we go back for her?’ Lily said, thinking of Daniel.

Ingie shook her head. ‘They’re coming over the Wall. They’ll take her or …’ She shrugged and looked away.

With one last squeeze of Ric’s shoulder, Kieran got to his feet. ‘Sorry, Ric, but we have to go. it’s not safe here.’

He gave the boy another sympathetic look before moving off. One by one, the others got to their feet and followed.

Then Lily did a stupid thing. She turned back. No one followed her, and she didn’t expect them to. She used the buildings for protection and made her way back towards the Wall. When she saw the girl, Lily stepped out from behind a ruined building into the open. After that Lily didn’t remember anything at all.

Lily opened her eyes and immediately felt a pain shooting up her arm into her neck and head. Her arm was heavily bandaged above the elbow. She felt sluggish, as if someone had placed a lead blanket on top of her. There was a needle in her wrist attached to a tube which was feeding a greenish-brown liquid into her. Lily looked up at the bag of fluid hanging on a stand above her.

She felt sick, but it wasn’t because of the green liquid. It was the fact that she was back in her parents’ house. Her efforts to escape had come to nothing.

She hoped Kieran and the others had got away. They’d endangered themselves trying to rescue her.

Lily twisted her head and saw that her bedroom door was open. She tried to reach for the drip to rip it out, but she couldn’t even lift her arm. She willed herself to raise her head off the pillow and swing her legs over the side, but she could only make tiny movements that intensified the pain.

‘Alice,’ she tried calling. Only a whisper came out. ‘Alice.’

The house was silent and strangely cold. Lily couldn’t reach down to pull up the covers. Tears of frustration puddled at the corners of her eyes.

‘Alice,’ she called, a little louder now.

Lily knew her sister was out there. She could hear her breathing; jerky, scared breaths. Finally Alice appeared in the doorway, both hands on the doorjambs as if she wanted to come in, but was too frightened. She looked as if she’d been crying hard.

‘I’m not meant to see you. I’m supposed to stay in my room,’ Alice said. ‘What’s that stuff?’ She looked with horror at the bag of greenish liquid.

‘I don’t know, Alice. I can’t move properly and my arm hurts,’ Lily said.

Alice threw herself onto her knees by the bed. ‘It’s all red and black,’ she said, gently putting her finger on Lily’s arm below the bandage. ‘And swollen.’

‘Can you get me something for the pain, please, Alice? And pull up the covers. I’m freezing.’

Alice used the hem of her dress to wipe the tears from Lily’s face.

‘What happened, Lilla?’

‘The pain first, Alice. I need something now.’

But it was too late.

‘Alice.’ Their father’s sharp voice made the little girl spring up. ‘I told you not to come here. Go to your room and get ready for Max – you look a mess,’ Pym said.

‘But she’s hurt, Dad,’ Alice said. ‘And what’s that stuff going into her arm?’

‘That’s not your concern, Alice,’ Megan said, appearing behind Pym.

Lily kept her eyes fixed on Alice so she didn’t have to look at her mother or father.

‘I won’t go until you help her,’ Alice said, her fists balled up and her face crimson.

‘Well, you should have thought about that when
you
helped her, shouldn’t you, Alice?’ Pym answered.

Lily was dismayed to hear that Pym was using the same nasty tone on Alice that he’d used on Lily and Daniel.

‘Leave her alone,’ Lily whispered, her voice cracking with the effort.

‘You be quiet,’ Pym said, looking at Lily with hatred. ‘Alice,’ he said. ‘I won’t tell you again. Get out of this room immediately and go and put on something decent. Wash your face and get back downstairs. Max is joining us for dinner and he wants you there, no excuses.’

‘Why are we talking about Max when Lily’s here and she’s hurt? Why can’t she move properly? Her arm is all red and black and she’s cold.’ Alice pulled up Lily’s covers as she spoke.

Yes, why are they talking about Max? Everything is always about Max
, Lily thought.

‘I don’t want to see Max, he’s a creep,’ Alice added.

‘You speak to me respectfully, Alice,’ Pym said.

‘Why are you being so horrible? I’m allowed to choose the people I like and I don’t like him and I never have. I want to stay here with Lily and help her because she’s hurt,’ Alice stormed.

Pym grabbed her by the arm and bundled her out of the room. Megan followed, without even looking at Lily. A door slammed somewhere in the house and then there was silence. Lily strained to see if she could hear anything. She needed to know what they were doing with Alice. She felt so helpless.

Lily couldn’t work out why Max coming always seemed to be so important. Max’s power, possibly his Committee status, must have something to do with it.

Her thoughts turned back to Kieran and the others. She felt responsible for what had happened. She had struggled to climb the Wall and it had slowed them all down. Lily was furious with herself. First Meredith, then Shannon. And it was all so pointless. She was right back where she’d started, except things were even worse than before.

‘Alice, are you ready?’ their father called up the stairs. ‘Get down here, now.’

Alice was obviously pretending not to hear because there was an obstinate silence. He called again, sounding even more enraged.

Eventually, Alice made her way downstairs, dragging her feet by the sound of it and kicking at the staircase for good measure. After that, Lily couldn’t hear anything at all.

With a superhuman effort, Lily lifted her arm. She reached across, made her fist close over the tube with it’s greenish fluid, and pulled it out. She felt a sharp pain and blood seeped onto the sheets, but at least she was free.

Lily wriggled her body head-first off the bed and hit the floor like a sack of cement. She lay panting. She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to ignore the pain, before dragging herself across the floor.

Thankfully her parents had left the bedroom door open and Lily pulled herself out onto the landing. Her heart was thumping so hard she thought she was having a heart attack. From where she lay on the floor, it looked like a long drop down the stairs. Lily grabbed the top step and wrenched her body forward. She crumpled and slid, ending up halfway down the stairs with her head sideways against the wall and her feet caught between two banisters. At least from here she could listen to what was going on downstairs. Their voices were muted, but she could just make out the conversation.

‘Where’s Mum?’ Alice said. Lily thought she could hear a slight edge of pain in her little sister’s voice.

‘She isn’t feeling well, Alice,’ their father answered.

‘I want her here,’ Alice said.

‘Yes, but that’s not possible tonight, Alice. I’m here, though. And so is Max, who, as I’ve already reminded you, is our guest.’

‘Hello, Alice.’

Lily scowled at Max’s familiar, unpleasant voice.

‘Can I be excused?’ Alice said quickly, ignoring Max. ‘I don’t feel well either. I want to go and lie down in my room and I want to see Lily. She needs something for her arm.’

‘No, Alice. Max wants to talk to you,’ Pym said, his voice impatient.

‘What about?’

‘About you, Alice.’ There was some kind of scuffling and their father said angrily, ‘Be nice, Alice.’

‘Why?’

‘She’s not very accommodating, is she?’ Max said in his greasy voice.