Outside

Chapter Twenty Seven

The black robed figures are flocking towards us. We realise, too late, that some parts of the wall are hollow in the middle. Now that the sun has risen higher, casting a stronger light, I can see odd bricks are missing here and there. Enough for the guards inside to look out and see what’s going on, while remaining undetected. They can probably see through to the outside in the same way.

‘Holy crap,’ says Luc.

‘Holy, is right,’ I reply.

As they glide closer, I can see their guns. There is absolutely no point in us running. There must be at least twenty of them, all with heavy metal crucifixes swinging over the top of their homespun cloaks. They surround us and the AV. Deep overhanging hoods conceal their features, giving the impression we’re being looked upon by a black sea of faceless creatures.

It is the most chilling sight I have ever seen in my life and to add to the terror, they are chanting in some unknown language. They don’t raise their weapons, but their chanting’s getting louder and more insistent, almost deafening. Suddenly they stop and the silence that ensues sounds worse than the eerie voices.

Two of them step forward and put us, unresisting, into arm and leg shackles which clink and rattle. They lead us away and we stumble across the courtyard, along pathways and across gardens, through corridors and into a huge echoing hall. I’m too shocked and afraid to think about exactly where we are headed.

They shepherd us through a bare ante chamber into a large, austere room. The walls and floor are of grey stone and the ceiling is high with a central circular metal pendant light. Small high windows stud the walls. It feels like a large cell. Morning has barely dawned, but Grey looks very much awake, sitting alone at the head of a large wooden refectory table set for breakfast. I know it’s him. Who else would it be?

‘Well.’ The man smiles at us down his patrician nose. He would be aristocratically handsome if it weren’t for his cold, dead blue eyes. ‘My new children,’ he smirks. ‘What? You don’t like my hospitality? Were your quarters not satisfactory?’ He laughs.

Luc looks down at his feet, his fists still clenched and his ears red with anger and humiliation. But I can’t take my eyes off this man. This bogeyman we have heard tales of for most of our sheltered lives. James Grey. How have we ended up here? Shackled and alone.

‘Were you looking for this?’ He picks up the AV keycard from the table and waves it in front of us. ‘You can’t have thought we’d have left this in its hiding place. That would have been remiss of us, wouldn’t it? And that’s quite a cache of weapons you have in there. I wonder what two such young ones are doing with such a fine vehicle and so much valuable cargo. Stolen I imagine.

‘I very much look forward to hearing your stories. They did very well, sending two such lost souls to me.’ He pauses. ‘I am sorry about our little deception, but you really will thank us in the end. I promise it. And I did enjoy your early morning shenanigans. Climbing out of bathroom windows, shinning up and down drainpipes. Very enterprising. Must have been cold in that bathroom, Riley.’

My skin crawls with the knowledge that he’s been watching us, that he knew all our plans in detail. That he is, in fact, laughing at us. I feel humiliated and stupid, which I suppose is his intention. Luc must be livid. I can feel the anger radiating off him. The whole episode of our escape has been documented by Grey and here he is gloating. Revelling in our helplessness.

In front of him sits a large plate of food – toast, eggs, bacon, sausages, beans and tomatoes. Somewhat different to the thin, grey, salty porridge that we call breakfast in this place. He loads up his fork and eats noisily. A thin line of runny egg yolk travels down from the corner of his mouth to his chin. I’ve got a direct view of the disgusting mashed up contents of his mouth as he continues to speak.

‘Come closer, children, I wish to talk to you.’

His affected way of speaking would be laughable if we weren’t in so much danger. The two guards at our shoulders push us forward and force us to shuffle up until we’re close enough to smell his scent. A repugnant odour of soap and something else, something sour and rank which rises up above the smell of fried food. I lean back a little.

‘Leave us please.’ He waves the guards back and I hear them softly swoosh away. ‘I see you looking at my breakfast. Are you hungry? We can remedy that in a moment, but first I need you to understand something.’ He pauses and stares hard at each of us. ‘My disciples want to be here. I am their saviour. You run from me now, but soon you will run towards me. You think I am taking you against your will, but you are young and you have no idea what you want from life.

‘It’s an evil world out there and I can save you from it. In a few weeks you won’t want to be anywhere else, I guarantee it. Just one month, that’s all I ask. Embrace my way willingly for thirty days and if you still want to leave after that time, you will be free to go.’

‘A month so you can brainwash us, I don’t think so,’ Luc spits out the words. I silently cheer his defiance, but it also scares me. I don’t want to see this man turn angry.

Grey holds up another forkful to his mouth, unfazed by Luc’s outburst. He closes his eyes, anticipating the flavours. He’s enjoying our discomfort and revelling in his power. I can tell there is something really wrong with him. Not just the obvious power trip, but something more. It’s like he’s a totally different species to us, as if his brain is wired in another way. It is paralysing and terrifying to be in his presence. The one word replaying in my mind is evil. This man is evil.

The room remains silent, apart from Grey’s hypnotic voice and the occasional clink of our shackles. Grey is unhurried in his sermon. He takes long pauses to savour his breakfast, his fork held to his lips, his eyes closed again.

Luc glances at me and I have the nervous feeling he’s about to do something.

I’m right.

As Grey holds his fork aloft, Luc lunges forwards with his shackled hands stretched out in front of him. He shoves as hard as he can and sends his whole body weight forward, towards the fork poised in front of Grey’s open mouth. Luc rams the loaded fork down Grey’s throat with what can only be described as gruesome consequences. Grey gurgles and chokes, grasping at the fork and at his neck.

I scream. I can’t help myself. But that wasn’t the smartest thing to do in the circumstances, as it instantly alerts the two guards who come running in.

Before they can grab us or check on Grey, Luc seizes one of the heavy pewter candlesticks from the table. He has to hold it in both hands because of the shackles. He spins around, swings it upwards and catches one of the guards under the chin with it. The man instantly goes down.

At the same time, the other guard grasps me around the neck and tries to pull his gun out from his robe, but Luc is too quick. He shoves the end of the candlestick into the guard’s stomach and the man doubles up. Luc then brings the metal cuffs down onto his head with a dull thud.

The guards are both out cold in under thirty seconds. I can’t believe it. I know that, as a trained guard, Luc knows some stuff, but I’m shocked to witness it first hand. I stand here uselessly, my mouth open, but Luc doesn’t stop. He reaches down to the first guard’s waist, trying to get the keys off his belt.

‘Come here, Riley, quick,’ Luc calls.

I shake myself out of my shocked stupor and shuffle over to him. I hold my shackled hands out, next to the guard’s waist as Luc goes through the keys. At the sixth attempt we hear a beautiful click and my hands are free. We soon unchain our hands and feet. Luc swiftly disrobes both guards and tosses me one of the cloaks. I put it on and try to block out the sickening sounds coming from Grey, who is writhing on his back on the floor, his hands still clutching at the fork. Luc throws me the guard’s pistol and picks up the machine gun. We hide the weapons under our cloaks.

‘Mustn’t forget this,’ says Luc, picking up the AV keycard from the table. ‘Let’s go.’

We hurry back through the empty ante chamber and across the echoing hall, through the maze of buildings we hope will lead us back to the AV. Luc seems to know exactly where he’s going and only pauses briefly, before resuming his confident navigation. Then I hear the inevitable – hurried footsteps and loud, gruff voices behind us.