Sand Glass (33 page)

‘Wake up
Milnes! We Bloody need you now!’

‘What?’

‘Send her
home.’ She indicated the terrified Ellen.

‘That’s what I
wanted you to do!’ Jared was furiously cross with Marcia.

‘Shut up
Arden.’ Oliver put his hand heavily on Jared’s arm. I saw him
deflate under the influence of Oliver’s hard expression, and then
rubbed his hand over his face. He didn’t speak but stared very hard
at Marcia. The soldiers prodded us, so we moved back against the
rocky wall. There was a tense silence while some more of them filed
in through the other entrance and stood with guns in their
hands.

‘Any ideas
folks?’ Janey sounded calm despite our predicament.

‘We could
try…..’ Jared looked at Janey, he seemed scared.

She shook her
head, ‘Not a chance Jay. You can’t do that with these others
here….we know it doesn’t work.’

‘Do what?’ I
said, and swallowed, my mouth dry. Her eyes swivelled to me. She
pursed her lips; ‘You and Marcia….are blocking the time separation.
We can’t become two people. We can’t try to trick them that way.
Perhaps something a little more basic may work though.’

‘What?’ Jared
spoke, he seemed freaked. The sight of what we supposed was the
real Rimmington glancing over at us with smug satisfaction, was
crippling any sense of self possession that he usually had. He
turned away. Oliver put his arm round Jared’s shoulders, and stared
calmly across the rocky terrace. Rimmington had finished giving his
orders. Two of the men left by the first entrance and closed and
locked the gate behind them. I knew objectively I was starting to
panic. My stomach was swirling and my knees seemed rubbery.
Suddenly I felt angry. Ellen was shaking and stared upwards, her
back to the enemy. I raised my eyes to see Elland seemingly
defeated, his head bowed and lolling. But then he turned his face
to the side, towards me and I saw the gleam of aggression and
focused mediation on his soon to be acted out vengeance.

‘So Michael?’
Rimmington’s voice bounced off the rocky walls and was lost in the
dimness above; ‘How do you want to end this? Or is that a stupid
question?’ Elland raised his head and I saw that he was not afraid
of this Man; this Rimmington, or Alexander with the larger than
life personality who reflected himself like a magician seen through
so many two-way mirrors. What was it like to experience this
multi-consciousness? Janey caught my eye for a second and I
remembered that day at her house. So many possible versions of the
same thing. So many refractions of the self; every angle of
opportunity covered in this broken open egg of time. And what of
the rest of the group? Marcia: very still but pale; Oliver
impassive; Janey: starting to look a little nervous; Ellen: perhaps
a little better, she was scanning the rest of the place avoiding
looking at the Rimmington character.; Jared: crouching lower down,
his head in his hands as if trying to shut something out. He was
failing to stay in control, and started to shiver. I slid to my
knees next to him, I put an arm on his shoulder.

‘Just distract
him….or something. Get his mind off…..get him to think about
something else….’ Jared turned to me with pleading eyes.

‘He’s not
immune to Alexander’s projections.’ said Marcia.

‘We are?’

‘Yes.’ She
stepped back, watching Elland’s every move. Elland was flexing his
hands, even though he was still cuffed. I saw that they -
Rimmington and the others; were waiting for the show to start as it
were. This was the ultimate thrill ride for the Man who wore a
thousand faces. What must we do to stop him? I saw Oliver tense and
then relax, as if he had just come to a decision. Ellen looked up
at me and then at Oliver. He nodded a fraction and she slid out
behind us and began to move round the group of Rimmington’s
men.

‘So we shall
let this be at the mercy of time and tide?’ Rimmington’s voice
seemed to be stronger, more guttural, ‘Does the traveller have
anything to say?’

I looked
towards Oliver, he shook his head. A gesture of negation or not
knowing? I realised that we would not all get out of this alive.
And that there had to be a way to stop him, or delay him.

The soldiers
seemed to bunch together. One of them undid Elland's wrists. He
reacted and had his knife out in an instant. They jumped back, not
wanting to be first on the list of things to cut, dice or trim.

‘You want me
don’t’ you?’ Rimmington goaded Elland, and then threw off his
jacket to reveal a surprisingly muscular body in a foppishly cut
shirt. That, combined with the rather close fit of the leg wear,
made for a somewhat Cavalier fashion statement. He drew out a long
knife from a sheath strapped on his back; almost as one might draw
an arrow from a quiver. I wondered at this. He needed to make a
show of things to the people he surrounded himself with. But what
to do? Janey nudged me; ‘Some help here.’ She said, ‘we need to get
everyone out of here. We don’t know the time the reality switch
will hit, unless we can get outside.’

‘Outside? Why
do we need to outside. Won’t it be snowing?’

‘No! listen….
Perhaps you can send Ellen back now.’

I looked to
Oliver. He nodded; or rather tipped his head a fraction.

The soldiers
still stood guarding the way out. Clearly ready to lock us on the
soon to be flooded area.

‘Ellen…’ I
caught her eye, the group huddled round her. I explained to her in
a few sentences about the silvery knife. I took it out to show her,
and told her that she could go home right now. And not to be
afraid. She nodded. She held out her arm.

I pressed the
tip into her skin but nothing happened. She looked at me. And then
quite without any sense of struggled she spoke: ‘You have my
permission.’ She said.

But at that
moment we were all pushed sideways by the marauding Elland.
Rimmington faced him, they both had a knife in their right
hands.

‘Shit!’ that
was Marcia, who ducked and pulled Janey out of the way. Jared
turned and looked up at what was happening, his eyes round and
horrified. This was altogether terrible. The soldiers bunched round
the remaining entrance way as a few drops of water tapped on the
dusty ground in front of us.

The two circled
round each other digging into the surface in clouds of dust and
grit. Rimmington lunged at Elland who dodged and then took a swipe.
He missed but walloped him in the shins when the butt on the
backswing. Rimmington stumbled, and bent on one knee then sprang
back up. Elland circled round him quickly, perhaps hoping to make
him loose balance. But Rimmington tracked him round and them sliced
through the air with the swiftness of a snake striking. He nicked
Elland’s arm; a little red line of shame. Elland grunted and took a
violent leap forward; Rimmington backed out of the way; while
Elland’s momentum nearly bowled him into the heart of our little
huddle. Marcia said; ‘Five minutes.’ to Elland and pushed him back
in. I saw that microsecond of understanding, then he was back in
the fray.

It was
visceral, terrifying, and in a horrible way, quite beautiful. The
raw power of these two fighting hand to hand.

They grappled
and fell apart again. I could see that Alexander had a certain
advantage. He was fresher, and more in control. he was almost
playing with his opponent. But for sheer power and determination
Elland outmatched him. But because of Alexander (Rimmington’s)
speed and energy reserves, I didn’t see how Elland could keep
going. Just as I thought this, Elland delivered a devastating blow
to the side of Alexander’s head. He fell back three full paces and
wiped blood from the side of his mouth with the sleeve of the
shirt. ‘You hope to free them?’ he said, and dabbed his sweating
forehead, ‘I will let you chose two. That is fair. Then you can say
that you won them. Your life and my defeat for two of these people.
Come now, that’s a good deal?’

‘No deal.’
muttered Elland. His voice was thick and bubbling and I saw that he
had suffered an injury to his side; but when this happened I did
not know. He took a run at Alexander who jumped out of the way; and
then turned to engage him again almost instantly. I could see that
Elland was beginning to tire. And a few more drops fell. We really
needed to get out of here!

Jared stood
back up. He seemed to have partially recovered his usual manner. If
that is what I am to call his distant and angry attitude.

Jared nudged
each of us in turn. We started to edge round towards the gates. The
soldiers were distracted by the fight.

Oliver
whispered to Ellen then. He gave her the multi-key. She slipped
behind them, and quietly locked the second gate. Oliver pointed
discretely. She quickly moved to the other, and unlocked it.

Suddenly, they
saw. A soldier grabbed her by the hair, but perhaps not realising
what she had done, threw her tumbling back towards us.

She was crying,
and crawled back to our group. Oliver palmed the multi-key.

‘Time’s nearly
up…’ Jared told us quietly, as the two warring men began to tire,
‘We need to get Rimmington…. Davey get near.’

I realised that
they all thought that I had some power with the special weapon I
carried. I felt like I was choking, but I knew we only had a few
minutes left. Somehow or another the soldiers were suddenly thrown
into confusion. They didn’t have a key. Or if they did it could not
be found. Above our heads a mist was gathering. Jared looked up and
smiled. This time we knew what was coming.

‘What have you
done?’ Alexander roared at us, ‘This it so foolish! Unlock the
gate.’

‘No!’ Jared
stepped forward. Elland seeing his opportunity tried to go for
Rimmington.

A hail of
gunfire rang out. He lay struggling in the sand. Oliver went
straight to him. ‘Do you want to go home?’ he asked Elland who
rolled his eyes up to see who spoke.

‘Go to
hell!’

‘It’s Reece! We
found the alchemy! Do you need it?’ Oliver laid his hand on the
man’s chest. And his eyes opened again.

‘No! Let this
one die. I’m old….. Let my young self live again. I don’t want this
old mind in that body… let me go…’

‘Get up Reece.’
Jared instructed him. One of the soldiers was pointing a gun at
Oliver's head.

‘Now. Which of
you comedians locked us in?’ Alexander demanded, ‘You know I’ll
just get you next time. Open it up, and I’ll not stop you.’

‘And we’re
supposed to take your word for it?’ Jared asked him in a mocking
tone.

‘No. You’re
supposed to think I mean it.’ He flicked a finger.

One of the
soldiers grabbed Janey, who was stood a little apart from the rest
of us. We all froze.

‘Don’t you hurt
her!’ Jared’s voice was chilling in its intensity.

‘Or what?’ said
Alexander, ‘we all come back and do this all over again?’

The rest of the
soldiers were all engaged in trying to get the second gate open. A
light misty rain began to fall. The soldier passed Janey to
Alexander, then backed away towards the gate. I could see in his
eyes a different agenda forming, that deeper need to survive.
Alexander stepped back pulling Janey with him. He pulled her hair,
so that her head bent back and her neck was exposed. Jared clenched
his fists and visibly tensed. I sensed a change in our little
group. Alexander seemed not to take notice of the water falling on
us getting a little heavier. I thought that somehow he had
miscalculated.

Oliver caught
my eye. He looked down. Three fingers resting on his leather bag.
Three minutes!

I crept up
behind Rimmington. Janey was arching her back ready to jump out of
his grip should the moment come where his concentration lulled for
a moment.

‘You have us,’
said Jared to Alexander, ‘so what more is there to prove? We are
all going to die here and then it will all be for nothing….’

‘You don’t
understand!’ Alexander began to laugh, ‘None of you ever saw what
we were trying to achieve here. Did you? You are so small.
So…..human; and full of compassion!’ he spat out that last word and
at the same time threw Janey to the ground.

‘So…..what
should we be?’ Jared’s voice faltered, and he backed away from him
again, and nearer to the edge of this place with that long
drop.

‘Ah……’
Alexander straightened and seemed to relent. He turned and moved
forward, holding out his hand to Jared. Jared obviously didn’t like
this arrangement and backed off as far as he could reasonably do.
But Alexander reached out and clasped his hand and would not let
go: ‘You are weak and stupid, and you have contaminated this part
of the trial, with your adherence to some outmoded idea of
morality.’ At each point of the argument he shook Jared by the arm
and then pushed him to his knees.

‘As you say.’
Jared replied.

Alexander
forced him backwards, so they were right on the edge. I barely
noticed that the others were starting to move towards the first
(secretly unlocked) door. Oliver prodded me firmly in the ribs.
‘There’s nothing else we can do.’ He sounded doom laden and
depressed, ‘We have to get out of here. It’s not far. Along that
corridor, but make a left at that little junction.’

‘But….?’ I
wasn’t about to just leave.

‘There’s no
time!’ Oliver shouted in my ear, the water was now splashing and
sloshing all around us.

‘No.’ I moved
forward.

Jared was doing
a good job of distracting him. He was talking softly and
persuasively about our failed mission. He stuttered in a way that
convinced me that his terror was not feigned. He tried to convince
Rimmington that we would comply with his wishes. Two of the
soldiers moved forward ready to finish Jared off when Alexander
gave them the signal. Suddenly, Alexander grabbed Jared by the
collar and lifted him bodily off the floor. The water that had now
become rain fell and started to spill over the edge. I was blinking
and beginning to feel the first wave of deep terror clutch my
heart. Alexander laughed and chortled to himself. He looked like a
red faced version of Ghengis Khan. At once he stopped laughing and
seemed suddenly disturbed by the water falling on him. He tossed
Jared across the floor. Oliver picked Jared up. He was winded and
coughing as he had slipped forward on the slick surface. Shakily
his stood to his feet. Jared met my gaze. Rimmington noticed this;
and so he turned and saw me. And then…..