He’d tried to get the hell away from Thomas’ group when they got to Danny’s with their truck. Fuck. He should never have gone back to Danny’s. Should’ve stayed well away. Away from the past. Away from everyone. Because digging up demons just created new ones.
He saw that now. Saw it clearly.
Pity it was already too late.
“I’m gonna count to five. If you haven’t given me that weapon of yours, I’ll shoot you. We can say it’s self-defence. Nobody’ll bat an eyelid. One.”
“I swear, I took it because—”
“Two.”
Hayden’s heart raced.
“Three.”
He didn’t have a choice. He didn’t have a fucking choice.
“Four.”
“Okay! Okay.” Hayden lifted the sharpened piece of tile from his pocket. He lifted his hand. The object felt alien between his fingers.
Tim nodded. “Now slide it across the floor.”
Hayden gulped. “I’m telling you, this isn’t what it—”
“Slide it across the fucking floor!”
Tim’s booming voice rattled Hayden’s body.
He had no choice.
He lowered down. Slid the tile across the floor. And as it drifted away, he saw all hope disappearing. All hope of ever getting out of this place. All hope of surviving. Hell. Maybe that wasn’t such a bad thing. Miriam had set him up for whatever reason, so there obviously was no North-South divide. It was all bullshit.
Still a world of nothing.
A world of imprisonment, whether you were outside or in.
No point fighting. Not anymore.
He looked up at Tim. His gun was lowered now. Hayden saw him smiling as he lifted the tile.
“Good,” Tim said.
He raised his gun again.
Pointed it at Hayden.
“We can still call it self-defence.”
Hayden squeezed his eyes shut.
Waited for the bullet to split his skull.
It didn’t.
He heard a thud. Heard some struggling.
A thud? Why would there be a thud? What was the noise?
He opened his eyes.
Peeked at where Tim stood.
Tim was on his knees.
Blood rolled down his face from a crack in his skull.
He fell face flat in a pool of his own blood.
Hayden stared at Tim. Mouth open. Unable to speak.
“Sorry how that had to play out,” someone said.
Hayden glanced over the top of Tim’s fallen body. He’d been so stunned that he didn’t even clock anyone else was here with them.
He saw a woman. Chocolate brown hair. Short, probably little over five foot. Bright blue eyes. Plump lips.
She was holding a fire axe.
“Pleasure to meet you, ‘Hayden’,” she said. “Now come on. I don’t have long.”
She ran past Hayden in the opposite direction to the canteen. Disappeared into one of the old offices before Hayden could even ask who she was.
But he knew who she was.
He recognised her voice clearly.
Miriam.
Hayden followed her through into the old office. Saw her rushing around the place, kicking up dust with every step.
“Must be around here somewhere,” she said.
“What… How did you—”
“Sorry you had to do that. Again. Really. I knew Tim was coming. Needed to get him out the way fast somehow. That’ll teach him to lean back against the cell doors with his master key handy. Well, it won’t. But it’s a shame. He was a decent guy. I really believe that. Shit. It’s here.”
She reached a panel on the wall. Flipped it open, smile on her face.
“You killed him,” Hayden said.
Miriam turned. Pinched expression on her face. “Seriously. Don’t give me that crap. Like you’ve never killed anyone to make it this far. Anyway, go back to your cell if it’s what you really want. You’ve played your part. Nobody’ll be bothered about you when me and my people disappear. Seriously.”
Hayden watched Miriam turn the key. “The… the wall. In the south. Is that…”
“Real? Course it’s real. Everything I told you is real. Except for your little distraction mission. But that kind of worked out for the best in the end, right?”
“Depends what you mean by ‘best’.”
Miriam walked away from the panel on the wall. Outside the cells,
He saw that now. Saw it clearly.
Pity it was already too late.
“I’m gonna count to five. If you haven’t given me that weapon of yours, I’ll shoot you. We can say it’s self-defence. Nobody’ll bat an eyelid. One.”
“I swear, I took it because—”
“Two.”
Hayden’s heart raced.
“Three.”
He didn’t have a choice. He didn’t have a fucking choice.
“Four.”
“Okay! Okay.” Hayden lifted the sharpened piece of tile from his pocket. He lifted his hand. The object felt alien between his fingers.
Tim nodded. “Now slide it across the floor.”
Hayden gulped. “I’m telling you, this isn’t what it—”
“Slide it across the fucking floor!”
Tim’s booming voice rattled Hayden’s body.
He had no choice.
He lowered down. Slid the tile across the floor. And as it drifted away, he saw all hope disappearing. All hope of ever getting out of this place. All hope of surviving. Hell. Maybe that wasn’t such a bad thing. Miriam had set him up for whatever reason, so there obviously was no North-South divide. It was all bullshit.
Still a world of nothing.
A world of imprisonment, whether you were outside or in.
No point fighting. Not anymore.
He looked up at Tim. His gun was lowered now. Hayden saw him smiling as he lifted the tile.
“Good,” Tim said.
He raised his gun again.
Pointed it at Hayden.
“We can still call it self-defence.”
Hayden squeezed his eyes shut.
Waited for the bullet to split his skull.
It didn’t.
He heard a thud. Heard some struggling.
A thud? Why would there be a thud? What was the noise?
He opened his eyes.
Peeked at where Tim stood.
Tim was on his knees.
Blood rolled down his face from a crack in his skull.
He fell face flat in a pool of his own blood.
Hayden stared at Tim. Mouth open. Unable to speak.
“Sorry how that had to play out,” someone said.
Hayden glanced over the top of Tim’s fallen body. He’d been so stunned that he didn’t even clock anyone else was here with them.
He saw a woman. Chocolate brown hair. Short, probably little over five foot. Bright blue eyes. Plump lips.
She was holding a fire axe.
“Pleasure to meet you, ‘Hayden’,” she said. “Now come on. I don’t have long.”
She ran past Hayden in the opposite direction to the canteen. Disappeared into one of the old offices before Hayden could even ask who she was.
But he knew who she was.
He recognised her voice clearly.
Miriam.
Hayden followed her through into the old office. Saw her rushing around the place, kicking up dust with every step.
“Must be around here somewhere,” she said.
“What… How did you—”
“Sorry you had to do that. Again. Really. I knew Tim was coming. Needed to get him out the way fast somehow. That’ll teach him to lean back against the cell doors with his master key handy. Well, it won’t. But it’s a shame. He was a decent guy. I really believe that. Shit. It’s here.”
She reached a panel on the wall. Flipped it open, smile on her face.
“You killed him,” Hayden said.
Miriam turned. Pinched expression on her face. “Seriously. Don’t give me that crap. Like you’ve never killed anyone to make it this far. Anyway, go back to your cell if it’s what you really want. You’ve played your part. Nobody’ll be bothered about you when me and my people disappear. Seriously.”
Hayden watched Miriam turn the key. “The… the wall. In the south. Is that…”
“Real? Course it’s real. Everything I told you is real. Except for your little distraction mission. But that kind of worked out for the best in the end, right?”
“Depends what you mean by ‘best’.”
Miriam walked away from the panel on the wall. Outside the cells,
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