said.
The Chinook was coming back in their direction, this time without a container. Brandon looked out across the golf course. On one of the greens near the road there were five of the large containers lined up in a row.
‘The heli is picking up the barricade containers and deploying them around the city,’ Brandon said. ‘I’ve got a crazy idea!’
Kat jumped out of the car straight away when she realised what Brandon was planning. ‘Come on then!’ she urged them. ‘We’d better be quick!’
‘You’re mad!’ Jason said. He was still driving, trying to keep pace with the traffic, when Brandon also disembarked.
Eventually he applied the brakes. ‘Damn it!’ he exclaimed, thumping the dashboard of the MG. ‘I liked this car … it was my first one!’ Then he got out and followed Brandon and Kat, abandoning the car to a chorus of horns and shouts from the other drivers on the road.
They raced across the fairway and threw themselves down in a bunker. Kat wriggled up the sand to the edge and peered out. ‘All clear!’ she reported. ‘The soldiers have gone round the other side.’
They scrambled out and made it to the containers over on the cropped grass of the green. The container doors were locked by four thick metal rods, their release levers secured by padlocks. Jason took a quick look at the set-up, then went over to the hole in the green and pulled out the flag.
‘No door is safe,’ Kat said proudly.
Jason fixed the pointed end of the metal flag-pole into the padlock’s loop and then pulled it down sharply. The lock broke open and Jason quickly released the lever and opened the container door.
The space inside was packed with the collapsible barricades. They appeared to be made out of steel wire mesh, so Brandon and Kat found that they could push them back just far enough to make some space. Once they were in, Jason pulled the door shut.
It was pitch black. Kat turned on the Maglite that they had got from the lab. ‘I hope there’s not one of those aliens in here with us,’ she teased.
‘Kat, stop it,’ Jason said. He turned to Brandon. ‘I don’t suppose you also have a plan for leaving town when we’re done here?’
Brandon hadn’t even thought about it. ‘Boat?’ he hazarded.
Jason seemed to like the idea though. ‘Could do. We’ve not done boat yet.’
They could hear the rotors of the helicopter getting closer. There was a loud clang as the hooks hit the roof of the container. Soldiers were moving about outside making sure that everything was secure. Luckily they didn’t check the doors again.
The container shook and swung as it lifted off the ground. Jason gripped the inside lip of the door tight to stop it swinging open mid-flight. Brandon twisted his fingers around the wire mesh behind him just in case. Kat was safely wedged behind the other door that was still bolted shut.
Thankfully the flight was short, and there weren’t any aliens hiding in the container. As soon as they hit the ground, they prepared to move out. Jason opened the door a crack and looked around.
‘Dual carriageway. Bushy bank to the right. Go go go!’
They made it to the bushes without being seen. Once they were concealed, Brandon looked back. The container had been set down on the back of a truck, which was preparing to extend the barricade along the length of the dual carriageway, which he guessed was the main ring road around Brighton.
‘I hope after all that, that we’re inside the barricade,’ Brandon said. Keeping low under the cover of the bushes, they climbed to the top of the bank to get a view of the surrounding area.
It turned out that they were on the edge of a housing estate, a few kilometres from the city centre and the coast. Across the houses, they could see a few high-rise hotels and glimpses of blue sea.
There was also a hazy cloud of smoke in the air over the city centre, still rising from where a meteor had struck: the one that had hit Brighton at the same
The Chinook was coming back in their direction, this time without a container. Brandon looked out across the golf course. On one of the greens near the road there were five of the large containers lined up in a row.
‘The heli is picking up the barricade containers and deploying them around the city,’ Brandon said. ‘I’ve got a crazy idea!’
Kat jumped out of the car straight away when she realised what Brandon was planning. ‘Come on then!’ she urged them. ‘We’d better be quick!’
‘You’re mad!’ Jason said. He was still driving, trying to keep pace with the traffic, when Brandon also disembarked.
Eventually he applied the brakes. ‘Damn it!’ he exclaimed, thumping the dashboard of the MG. ‘I liked this car … it was my first one!’ Then he got out and followed Brandon and Kat, abandoning the car to a chorus of horns and shouts from the other drivers on the road.
They raced across the fairway and threw themselves down in a bunker. Kat wriggled up the sand to the edge and peered out. ‘All clear!’ she reported. ‘The soldiers have gone round the other side.’
They scrambled out and made it to the containers over on the cropped grass of the green. The container doors were locked by four thick metal rods, their release levers secured by padlocks. Jason took a quick look at the set-up, then went over to the hole in the green and pulled out the flag.
‘No door is safe,’ Kat said proudly.
Jason fixed the pointed end of the metal flag-pole into the padlock’s loop and then pulled it down sharply. The lock broke open and Jason quickly released the lever and opened the container door.
The space inside was packed with the collapsible barricades. They appeared to be made out of steel wire mesh, so Brandon and Kat found that they could push them back just far enough to make some space. Once they were in, Jason pulled the door shut.
It was pitch black. Kat turned on the Maglite that they had got from the lab. ‘I hope there’s not one of those aliens in here with us,’ she teased.
‘Kat, stop it,’ Jason said. He turned to Brandon. ‘I don’t suppose you also have a plan for leaving town when we’re done here?’
Brandon hadn’t even thought about it. ‘Boat?’ he hazarded.
Jason seemed to like the idea though. ‘Could do. We’ve not done boat yet.’
They could hear the rotors of the helicopter getting closer. There was a loud clang as the hooks hit the roof of the container. Soldiers were moving about outside making sure that everything was secure. Luckily they didn’t check the doors again.
The container shook and swung as it lifted off the ground. Jason gripped the inside lip of the door tight to stop it swinging open mid-flight. Brandon twisted his fingers around the wire mesh behind him just in case. Kat was safely wedged behind the other door that was still bolted shut.
Thankfully the flight was short, and there weren’t any aliens hiding in the container. As soon as they hit the ground, they prepared to move out. Jason opened the door a crack and looked around.
‘Dual carriageway. Bushy bank to the right. Go go go!’
They made it to the bushes without being seen. Once they were concealed, Brandon looked back. The container had been set down on the back of a truck, which was preparing to extend the barricade along the length of the dual carriageway, which he guessed was the main ring road around Brighton.
‘I hope after all that, that we’re inside the barricade,’ Brandon said. Keeping low under the cover of the bushes, they climbed to the top of the bank to get a view of the surrounding area.
It turned out that they were on the edge of a housing estate, a few kilometres from the city centre and the coast. Across the houses, they could see a few high-rise hotels and glimpses of blue sea.
There was also a hazy cloud of smoke in the air over the city centre, still rising from where a meteor had struck: the one that had hit Brighton at the same
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