Outside

Chapter Nineteen

With thousands of people either dead or missing, we gave thanks, hourly that our loved ones were still beside us. My emotions fluctuated between a blissful euphoria that Connor and I were so consumed with each other, and the growing worry that world events were about to catch us up.

The centre to everybody’s lives had shifted. Priorities changed. The tainted summer air held a mixture of urgency and recklessness. Samuel decided to join up. The military had issued a public announcement for more people to defend our besieged country and the TV advert gave a list of recruitment offices where you could just turn up to enlist.

Samuel was sold on it, and Abi was all at once, proud and distraught. She’d taken to calling him, My Samuel. They accepted him on the spot, pending his security checks and, all being well, he would go through fast-track basic training and then start serving.

He took to his new career like a cockerel to a five-barred gate, crowing loudly to Abi and me about his new responsibilities. I suppose at the time, I thought he was basically a loyal, good-hearted bloke – just not a very bright one. And he was easily seduced by power and beauty. He wanted to be at the heart of the action, the first to know everything and he craved the status and power newly up for grabs. It became harder for me to like him, however, as he openly hated Connor.

One afternoon, Connor and I were walking back from the corner shop to my parents’ house. It was quite chilly and we were looking forward to getting in out of the gusting wind. He had his arm around me and I leant into his body, revelling in our closeness.

‘Still in your civvies, Connor. Not gonna help out your country then?’

We both turned around and saw Samuel with a couple of his army buddies. Connor ignored him and we carried on walking. A thousand and one retorts hovered on my tongue, but I couldn’t spit any of them out.

‘Talking to you, mate,’ Samuel called out. I heard him say something to his buddies and they all laughed.

I prayed Samuel would leave it alone. We carried on walking, but I felt Connor’s stride slow down. We could hear them close behind. The road was quiet and I had a stomach-lurching feeling this wouldn’t end well.

‘Connor! Mate! Is it because you’re a coward? Is that it?’

Connor looked at me and gave me a reassuring smile. He didn’t appear at all worried. He seemed calm and unbothered.

‘I said. Is it because you’re a coward?’ This time, Samuel’s voice was right behind us.

‘Ellie,’ Connor spoke to me quietly. ‘You go on home. I’ll be there in a bit.’

‘No way,’ I replied and turned around to face the three soldiers. The wind whipped my hair around my face and I pushed it behind my ears. ‘Samuel Bletchley, you’re being a twat. Why don’t you just shut your ignorant mouth.’

This provoked laughter and jeers from him and his mates.

‘Hey, Connor! Guess that proves it then. You really are a coward. Gotta get your woman to fight your battles.’

‘Is that what this is then?’ Connor asked. ‘A battle?’ He dropped his arm from around my shoulders, stood in the middle of the pavement facing the three of them and took a long swig from his can of lemonade.

Samuel and his mates didn’t reply, they just smiled and nudged each other like the immature idiots they were.

‘So. You think I’m a coward, yeah? That’s what this is about?’

‘Pretty much,’ Samuel replied.

‘That’s an easy issue to sort out, Sam.’

‘Only my mates call me Sam.’

‘And what are your two mates called?’ Connor asked.

Samuel looked confused for a second. ‘Them?’ He gestured to his mates.

Connor nodded.

‘Mark and Rich. What’s that gotta do with anything?’

‘Mark, Rich,’ Connor looked at the beefy soldiers. ‘Why don’t you two do one so I can prove to Samuel I’m not the coward he thinks I am. But if all three of you stay, I think that would prove you are the cowards. We can settle this one on one or you can all three start laying into me and we’ll know for a fact I’m right.’ Connor stared hard at Samuel, not breaking eye contact for a second.

Samuel looked away first. He smiled and shook his head.

‘You wanna fight me, Connor? Nah, you don’t wanna do that mate. You might get hurt.’

He patted Connor on the shoulder and then all three of them barged past us and carried on down the road.

I looked at Connor and saw a brief flicker of cold hate in his eyes, but then he instantly softened and winked at me. He draped his arm back around my shoulders.

I was still really unnerved though. I knew Samuel still thought Johnny had been wronged and Connor was to blame. He wouldn’t accept it had been my decision to end the relationship, and Johnny was too dignified to pursue the matter. As a loyal friend to Johnny, Sam still wanted his revenge and, as we were soon to find out, his new career put him in the perfect position to exact it. Samuel just couldn’t help himself.