Hooded Man (109 page)

He squinted, trying to see beyond the goggles and masks. One pulled off his headgear to reveal a face he recognised. “Saxton!”

The others came inside and Robert saw there were more Rangers dressed like the Widow’s men, but bringing up the rear and shouting for them to let him past was a voice he recognised all too well. “Come on, move aside. Let the dog see the...” Bill paused when he saw Robert. “Well, I didn’t really want to see
that
much!” he exclaimed, nodding at his friend’s nakedness. Mary stood in front of her husband, at least until she could find something to cover him with.

“Bill, you came for us,” said Robert, giving him a weary smile.

“Aye lad, in the Black Shark. Didn’t ye hear me?” Bill laughed, until he caught the glare Robert was giving him. “Ahem, but look who I found in the Widow’s dungeons,” the ex-farmer said, changing the subject. He stepped back to reveal Azhar, Annie Reid and some of the other Rangers from Robert’s original strike force.

Robert’s smile widened. “What’s happening outside now?”

“The battle’s still going on, but we’re holding our own, with the help of the traders I brought with us. Won’t take long to settle now we’re all back together again. It’s the Widow we’re really after, mind. Fix her and you fix the probl –” Bill suddenly stopped, as if only now seeing the blackened thing between them on the ground. “What’s that?”

“Consider the problem fixed,” Mary told him, putting her wedding ring back on now that it had cooled.

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

S
HE’D BEEN ON
the move for hours. Her legs ached, her feet had blisters, but she marched on. She didn’t need the torch anymore, since the sun had started to rise.
Nearly there
, she kept telling herself.
Reach the outskirts and you’ll be spotted. They’ll take you to the castle and you can explain everything. You can do your bit.

Walking through the woodland at night had been the hardest part – all those strange sounds and movements in the undergrowth. After finding the dirt track to the main road, it was just a matter of following the map to the city. It reminded her a little of the walks her parents would insist on taking when she was younger, out every weekend into the country, boots and backpacks on, striding out over hill and dale. If nothing else, that had prepared her for a hike like this. And she’d kept herself fit during her adult years, going to the gym three nights a week, keeping her alcohol consumption down.
Yeah, only because you never used to go out anywhere at the weekend; even the walks with your folks were better than the marathon weepie sessions with a chick flick and a box of Kleenex
.

Approaching thirty and still a virgin, stuck in a dead-end job as a receptionist with a boss she hated, fancying male employees but never having the courage to ask any of them out. Karen Shipley, hopeless romantic with no-one to lavish her affections on. It had taken most of the population of the planet being wiped out before she stood even the remotest chance with a guy.

Karen hadn’t really wept for anyone during those early stages of the virus, because she didn’t have anyone she loved as such – her parents had died in a car accident long before that. Perhaps they’d been the lucky ones? Neville from Human Resources didn’t count because he was creepy, and she’d only snogged him under the mistletoe that Christmas because she had given in to the booze at the office party. It had taken her so long to stop him from trailing her around the place that she was almost grateful for the virus... No, that was terrible. Poor Neville. Poor
everyone
. She didn’t like to think the only reason it had happened was so she could actually get herself a man.

Yet it was looking like that might be a happy by-product. The one ray of sunshine in this whole, stinking mess. It wasn’t her fault the virus killed all those people who didn’t have O-Neg blood like hers. The more she thought about it, the more it made a kind of sense; it was the duty of those left behind to hook up and try and repopulate the planet, wasn’t it? Karen knew exactly who she wanted to start her own particular repopulation with, as well.

She’d known from the minute she set foot in the village, after being picked up by a scout party from New Hope. Karen had convinced them she had skills they’d find useful – typing counted, right? By the time they discovered she didn’t have anything to offer, she’d already made herself indispensable fetching and carrying, working hard on whatever needed to be done. Like the wall and the tunnel, for example; both his ideas. The man she planned to marry someday: Darryl.

Karen had spotted him as the jeep drew up, younger than her definitely, but extremely hot – especially with his shirt round his waist like that, sweat covering his muscles. He’d noticed the jeep arriving, breaking off from his labours working on the first few sections of the wall, and trotted across to greet the new arrivals. As usual, she’d made a complete arse of herself and tripped over her words. But she’d smiled at him and he’d thrown her one of his casual smiles back. The kind of smile she’d walk a million miles – never mind this piddling distance – for.

That’s why you’re doing this
, she reminded herself every time she felt her feet hurting, or her legs aching.
For Darryl.
Because he’d volunteered again to do this, but you wouldn’t let him. And to keep him safe. To fetch help, making sure those Germans didn’t get to him and kill him.

It had been Gwen who’d come up with the notion, who’d wanted to go herself – trusting only Darryl to look after her son, Clive Jr. Karen didn’t care much for the bond between Gwen and Darryl, but they had known each other a long time. Besides, Karen didn’t see her as too much of a threat; she was always banging on about that dead father of her child, the guy who’d founded Hope and got himself killed for his trouble. Gwen wanted to slip out again using the tunnel, this time to fetch help from Nottingham Castle even though there was some kind of stupid feud going on between her and the Hood. “They’ll help once I’ve explained,” Gwen had assured everyone. “It’s what they do. It’s
all
they do.” But Darryl had played the hero again, putting himself forward.

“You can’t, Gwen. We need you here,” Darryl had said. “
I
need you.”

Karen winced inwardly at that one, but chose to read it as him needing her leadership. Dammit, even after the hug when he climbed back up through that hole, he still didn’t seem to get it. Which was why, when Darryl said that he was going instead, Karen had piped up, volunteering herself.

He’d looked at her oddly, then, like he was seeing her for the first time. “You?”

“Yes,” she said. “Why not? I’m a lot more resourceful than I look, matey. I’m quick and used to walking long distances, have been since I was a kid.” The fact she hadn’t walked more than a couple of miles in one go during the past ten years was irrelevant.

Darryl smiled, but wasn’t there a tinge of concern there too? Did he realise, just a little bit, that she was doing it for
him
? Yes, Karen thought that he did. “If you’re sure, then?”

Karen nodded emphatically. “But when I get back, I’ll expect another hug,” she told him. Probably the boldest thing she’d said or done in her life; even bolder than Neville, and she’d been drunk then.

Darryl had smiled again, a little awkwardly, but she’d take it. He’d also exchanged glances with Gwen, probably to see whether she was okay with Karen taking this on. Gwen had looked concerned as well, but shrugged. “If you’re sure that’s what you want. Thanks, Karen.”

So she’d set off, armed with a pistol, carrying a map and torch. Gwen had issued orders and instructions, especially about not being seen as she emerged from the tunnel on the other side of the wall. Karen had nodded, not really taking any of it in; she was too busy watching Darryl in the crowd of people who’d come to see her off. “But most of all, hurry,” Gwen said. “We don’t know how much longer we can hold them off now Tanek’s here. And Graham and Andy aren’t getting any better.” Andy had been badly injured by Tanek’s crossbows on the last attack, and now resided with Graham in the surgery. Both were growing weaker by the hour. Karen had nodded, taking at least that much in.

“Hurry. Got it.”

She’d left amidst the ‘thank yous’ and ‘good lucks,’ a bit disappointed that Darryl hadn’t come across personally to say goodbye. But she knew he’d see her in a different light if she pulled this off. All she had to do was bring back help and
she’d
be the hero of the hour. Then she’d get that hug, and more besides.

Karen had listened at the trap-door for a good while before opening it, and then only a crack. Once she was certain nobody was about, she’d come up and covered the door back over again. Keeping low, she’d moved what she thought had been stealthily. She’d had one scary moment when it looked as if a German soldier had spotted her, but she’d carried on away from the area – away from New Hope – undetected; unscathed. And she
had
hurried, to begin with. But her lack of fitness soon began to tell on her.

Nevertheless, she’d trudged on to the main road – then followed it along, keenly aware of what might be coming along it from either direction at any given time. Thankfully tanks and armoured jeeps were quite easy to spot and hide from. Hardly surprising it was on the last leg of the journey that she’d flagged, having to stop every few yards at one point.

It was then, as she’d stumbled along one of the smaller roads on the way to Nottingham, that she’d been seen. She hadn’t spotted anyone herself – but then, that was what these Rangers were good at, concealing themselves. All of a sudden she was confronted by three of Hood’s people, all pointing bows and arrows at her.

“Lose the gun,” one told her, and she’d cautiously taken her pistol out of her jeans, tossing it on the floor.

“I need to see Robert,” she’d told the Ranger who’d spoken. “Or Reverend Tate. It’s about New Hope – the place is under siege.”

The Rangers exchanged glances, and one detached a walkie-talkie from his belt to radio in. The next thing she knew she was being marched up into the city. When she’d complained about how far she’d tramped already, arrangements had been made for a horse to be brought. Karen had never ridden before, and it was a strange experience to do it for the first time through the empty streets of Nottingham. It took an age, and just when she thought they’d never get there, she was led up one final street and the castle was in front of them.

She’d never visited it before, having opted to remain at home when the Winter Festival had been going on here, probably because Darryl had stayed behind, too. Karen had no idea whether this was the norm, but there didn’t appear to be many Rangers in evidence as she was taken through the gates. She was greeted by a portly man she hadn’t seen before, walking with a stick. But she knew immediately who he was from his dog collar. The man who used to live at New Hope, but who Gwen threw out for his actions. The holy man who’d left her at the castle during De Falaise’s reign; who’d coaxed her back and almost got her killed during the Tsar’s invasion.

“Welcome, my child,” said the bald fellow. “Welcome to Nottingham Castle. I’m Reverend Tate.”

Karen was helped down off the horse and shook his hand. “Karen Shipley. I’m from New Hope.”

“So I gather. The men here mentioned something about a siege?”

“Germans are shooting up the place. Gwen told me to tell you Tanek is with them.”

“Tanek? She’s certain?”

“There are injured people, too. Look, I need to see him. Robin... Robert... whatever he prefers to call himself.”

The Reverend sighed, then rubbed his chin.

“Is he here?”

There was another pause. “He
is
, just got back after we managed to get hold of him. But you couldn’t have picked a worse moment.”

It was then that Karen noticed the bruises on the holy man’s chin and cheek; he’d recently been in a fight, and looked like he’d come off worse. Still, Karen had a mission. “
Please
, I need to see him.”

Tate nodded and took her up the long path towards the castle. They ascended a set of steps, the Reverend appearing to have trouble with them. Karen took his arm and he thanked her. He led her inside the castle itself through a set of double doors, then up some more stairs and along a corridor. She could hear raised voices even before they reached the room Tate was zeroing in on.

“...even if you do go,” Karen heard someone say, a woman’s voice.

“You read the note.” A man’s voice. “He wants
me
, Mary. Alone.”

Tate knocked on the door, which was ajar, then pushed on it when he heard: “Who is it?” The woman – Mary, Karen assumed.

Tate entered first, leaving Karen waiting in the doorway of the small room. “Someone to see Robert.”

Karen could see the pair now, the woman with her dark hair tied back; the man in his trademark greens, that famous hood hanging down his back. His face was stubbled, as if he’d been away from home for a while. “Can’t it wait?” This was Mary once more, looking past Tate. Directly at Karen.

“I’m afraid not.”