The Beneath (21 page)

“He’s not my boyfriend,” I mumbled. “I still can’t see why you have to be so difficult. Why would I not come back?”

“We’re already wasting time. The Farmer is the only one who has the key to send the lift up and summon it back down again. If we miss his schedule we’ll be punished. It’s how he manages us. And if we miss it today, we won’t get the medicine to Will fast enough.”

As he spoke he had been pulling back the bolts, then he clicked the latch before throwing the door open. I had lost track of time and had hoped it might be dark, but bright sunlight streamed into the room. I cursed under my breath. Sneaking about in the darkness would have been much easier.

I stepped out into the sunshine, squinting at the brightness. Without another word Dane slammed the door shut behind us, and the entrance to the Community was instantly anonymous again. Deliveries were being made at the restaurant next door, and shoppers passed by the end of the cul-de-sac. I could hear mobile phones ringing, and somewhere an old Queen song was drifting
out of an open window. Standing on the little cobbled street, listening to the world I knew go about its daily business, it was hard to believe that I’d been deep below for – how long? I must have been gone for over twenty-four hours.

“We have to be back in the lift in exactly an hour,” said Dane, pointing to the church clock tower. It was just finishing chiming for a quarter past twelve.

“Come on then, this way,” I called as I set off.

We jogged through the streets, past all the delivery drivers and mothers with their pushchairs, and within ten minutes we were at the end of my road. My heart sank as I turned the corner and saw the police car parked outside. I caught Dane’s arm and hauled him to a stop.

“We’re in trouble. That’s the police. If you don’t want to answer a pile of difficult questions you’ll have to make yourself scarce.”

“What are we doing here anyway? This is your house. We’re supposed to be getting the medicine.”

“And I need something from in there to do that! You’re going to have to let me sneak in there somehow.”

“And have you expose us to the police?”

“Look,” I said as patiently as I could. “I’m not going to do that, but I have to get in there. Alone I can probably convince them that I’m OK. With you we’re doomed. You have no identity, no address, nothing. They’ll arrest you for kidnapping me and then everything could unravel. Let me do this and I’ll see you at the warehouse. I promise I’ll
be back in time. I want to save Will more than you know.”

He lifted up his hands in protest but then the door of our house was wrenched open. I could see the familiar figure of Nan moving surprisingly quickly down the front steps.

“Lily Blackthorne, you get in here this minute!” she shouted as I ran up the road. “Where have you been? And who’s he? Do you have any idea at all of what I’ve been through?”

When I reached her she grabbed hold of my arm tightly, and then, as she ran out of breath, she pulled me into a bear hug. For someone who looked so frail she had quite a squeeze on her.

“Don’t you ever do that to me again. I thought you’d gone, that I’d lost you…”

I realised with horror that she was actually crying. Nan never cried, ever, not even at
Titanic
. Over her shoulder I could see a policewoman speaking into her radio.

“It looks as if she’s home, Sarge. Yes. I’ll do the necessary.” She snapped the radio off and looked at me sternly. “I take it you’re Lily? Care to share with us where you’ve been all night? You’ve frightened Mrs Wakefield half to death.”

She stood in the hallway with her arms folded, wearing her sensible police-issue shoes, and for the first time I really didn’t know what to do. I had to tell them about the Community, about the wild animals living just under the Tube network. It wasn’t safe to keep it all secret. But
if I did I was going to be hours, and the longer it took, the less chance I had of saving Will. Thinking about it like that made the decision easy.

I patted Nan on the back and faced the policewoman, letting Nan compose herself before she turned round. I knew she wouldn’t want me to see her crying.

“I’m sorry, Nan – Officer,” I added, nodding at her. “I guess I didn’t really notice the time. I’ve been out with some friends.”

“So not on the choir trip then?” The policewoman picked up the note I had scribbled so hurriedly. “And it’s Constable Clark.”

“No,” I whispered, hanging my head.

“When the school rang this morning to see where you were, your poor Nan was frantic and called us. Do you not think a call home might have been in order? I assume you have your mobile?”

“I know, and I’m sorry. There wasn’t any phone reception where we were and I fell asleep.”

The policewoman reached for her little notebook.

“So who are the friends you’ve been with? Do we need to go and tell their parents too?”

“It was just one friend actually. We lost track of time, that’s all.”

“And the name of this friend?” She had her pencil poised over her book.

“It was Will from up the road. Will Dempsey.”

“What have you been doing, Lily?” Nan said, shaking
her head. “Why have you been lying to me?”

“I haven’t…” I started before remembering about the note.

Constable Clark stepped towards me, hands up in a calming gesture.

“It’s OK, Lily, you’re home now. Why don’t you come and sit down and you can tell us exactly where you’ve been.”

“Oh, Nan, I’m so sorry!” I wailed, grabbing her close again.

I felt her stiffen in surprise. We really weren’t into overt displays of affection. I hugged her tighter, making sure my mouth was close to her ear.

“Please get rid of her. I’ll tell you everything but I have to be quick.”

She gave a barely perceptible nod, then patted me on the back.

“Now now, dear, don’t fret. You’re home safely now, that’s what matters.”

“All I really want to do right now is to go to the bathroom and then get a bit of toast,” I announced as I relaxed my grip.

“But—” started the policewoman.

Nan interrupted her.

“I think I can take it from here, Constable. Thank you for coming round so promptly, and I can assure you that I’ll be having a word with her.”

The policewoman looked uncertain.

“All right, I’m just pleased that we have you back safe and sound, Lily. Please think of others the next time you want to stay out all night. Your antics have caused a lot of grief and you’ve wasted a lot of police time. Are you sure there’s nothing else you’d like to tell me?”

I remembered the phone call I’d made to the emergency services. Had they put two and two together? If so I had no chance.

“No, nothing. I just made a mistake, that’s all.”

I held my breath, looking down at my scuffed Converse and the jeans splattered with Will’s blood. Luckily it looked more like mud.

“Honestly,” said Nan before the policewoman could say anything. “I think I’m OK to deal with her now. But thank you again for coming to see me. Next time I’ll leave it a little longer before I call you – I don’t like to waste police time.”

Nan looked at me with her eyebrows raised and I looked back at the floor again.

The policewoman turned to Nan and handed her a card.

“I’m glad she’s home safely, Mrs Wakefield. Here are my details – please call me if you want me to have a chat with her, OK?”

Nan was backing her up to the door.

“That sounds very sensible, Constable Clark, thank you. And I’ll be sure to talk to her now.”

The rest of the conversation was lost to me as I shot
down the corridor into the bathroom. I shut the door behind me and turned to open the cupboard.

I had no idea why Nan kept all those medicines, but I was grateful that she did. All I had to do was to work my way through the boxes and find the amoxycillin. I was standing on my toes trying to see to the back of the shelf when she started pounding on the door.

“Right, she’s gone. I want you out of there NOW. And I want some proper answers.”

What was I going to say? I had no idea, and even without a watch I knew I was running out of time. I could hear her standing outside the door, fingers drumming impatiently. I was going to have to tell her something, and the truth was probably easiest. I turned the key and stepped back. She pushed the door wide and saw the open cupboard.

“What are you looking for?” she asked sharply. “What have you done?”

I took a deep breath. “I need amoxycillin, as much as you have.”

Will is fading fast, his breathing slow and shallow. We can’t keep his temperature down, and he’s been unconscious now for ages. The walls of the little room seem to be closing in on us and I long to take him up into the open air. I remember the park where he walked with his dog, and wish for the same cooling breeze for his face. Every so often I hear Mason walk up and down
outside. Sometimes there are voices, but no one is allowed in but Carita.

I’m holding his fingers tightly, willing him not to go. I realise that I’m rocking and rocking, as if my movement could pump the life back into him. My friend is dying and I have no more tears.

We wait.

Nan put the cup of coffee down on the table in front of me, next to the various packets of amoxycillin, and then turned back to the toaster. The clock on the cooker said 12:53.

“Really, Nan, I don’t have the time. I just mentioned the toast to get rid of the policewoman.”

“I’ve already told you, young lady, you’re not going anywhere, particularly not with those,” she pointed at the boxes of drugs, “until you tell me what’s going on.”

“I want to but there’s no time. All I can say is that someone’s life depends on me getting those medicines to where they need to go, and in getting them there quickly.”

I took a sip of the coffee and shut my eyes briefly, enjoying the fleeting moment of normality.

“And is ‘Amox-i-cillin’ really the same as ‘Amox-y-cillin’?” I asked. “It’s important that I get it right.”

“They’re the same,” she said. “The one with the ‘Y’ is an old spelling, that’s all. But that’s irrelevant. These are strong medicines, and there are a lot of them.
You have to tell me who they’re for. They might not be the right ones for the infection, and anyway, the person really must see a doctor. Can’t you take them to casualty?”

I shook my head. “I’m sorry, Nan, that’s just not possible. I’ve tried.”

“Can you bring them to me?”

I looked up from my mug and into her eyes, eyes that were old but still missed nothing. There was something else there too, something I couldn’t place.

“It’s a good idea,” I said, “and I’ll mention it, but right now I have to go back.”

“What if I say no?”

She was only asking all these questions because she loved me, I knew that. The effects of not sleeping for twenty-four hours were catching up with me, and I felt almost too exhausted to speak. I took another mouthful of the coffee, finally feeling the caffeine starting to mop up the cotton wool that seemed to be stuffed in my brain.

“You know you’ve always told me to do what’s right? Well, that’s what I’m doing. And I have to go now.”

Nan opened one of the kitchen drawers. Pulling out a carrier bag, she put the medicines inside.

I took a final swig of coffee as I stood up. “Can you please do me a favour? Can you call Will’s mum and tell her that he’s with me? I don’t want her worrying too.”

She nodded, holding out the bag towards me. “You’ll
get in trouble if someone sees you carrying all that. Here.”

“Thanks, Nan. Oh, do we have any Calpol too? That’s what Mum used to give the twins, wasn’t it?”

As I reached for the bag she grabbed my wrist in a vice-like grip. “Are these for the babies? Is it still going on?”

“What? What do you mean?”

“Who is this really for? I’m not letting you go until you tell me.”

Her grip tightened around my wrist. I knew that I could get away, but it would mean pushing her hard and I couldn’t bring myself to do that. She knew it too, and we stood there for a second, nose to nose, waiting for the next move.

“Nan, I don’t have time to argue – it’s an emergency. I really need this stuff. What else have you been stockpiling it for if it wasn’t for an emergency?”

“I’ve been keeping it in case it was needed,” she said, dropping my arm and turning away. “In case the immunity wore off.”

“What? What do you mean?”

“There are things you need to know before you go. I’m going to call—”

She stopped as the doorbell rang, and seconds later rang again, much more insistently.

“You sit there. Let me just get rid of whoever that is. I’ll be quick.”

She made her way to the front door and I heard her conversation. It was Will’s mum, who had obviously just had a visit from the policewoman. There was no way I could look her in the eye and say that Will was fine. Grabbing the bag, I ran towards the back door, and before they arrived in the kitchen I was gone.

I ran through the street, searching for clockfaces as I went. Everything had taken so much longer than I thought, and it was taking more long minutes to get all the way back to the warehouse. I clutched my precious cargo close to me, determined not to drop anything. There seemed to be a huge number of people on the streets, office workers milling about getting their sandwiches, couriers whizzing around on their bikes delivering parcels, and packs of pensioners, walking slowly along the pavement chatting. I swore under my breath as I dodged one particularly leisurely group, and ended up sprinting down the road itself.

I thought that I knew how long the trip back would take me, but as I ran past the church I could see the hand move on to the three. I was cutting it fine – too fine. As I sprinted towards the last corner I heard the bells begin to strike the quarter hour. I ran so fast that I felt as though my heart was going to jump out of my chest. I had to get back to Dane before the lift went down without me – I couldn’t possibly fail when I had got so close. Looking up I saw the door of the warehouse closing.

“Noooo!” I yelled. “Dane, let me in!”