tear-streaked face. She had a graze swelling purple and bloody on her forehead. She tightened her grip on my arm. ‘The Breken took Sol.Jono hit one of them but they hit him with a gun and they stomped on Dash’s leg and knocked me down and they took … they took Sol and we have to go after them.’
‘Ah!’ The man in the rubbish waved a stick of wood. ‘Splint.’ He knelt beside Dash who was breathing real deep and shaky. The man took out a knife and started to cut through her jeans at the knee. ‘Hold on to something, this is going to hurt.’
‘Wait!’ said Dash. ‘I have to talk to Nik.’
Jono looked up, seriously groggy, groaned, and put his head back on his knees.
The other soldier, much older, came back down the alley. ‘Lucky for you we were around.’
I was struggling to get a grip. ‘You’re the army. We can – can’t we go after them? We can get reinforcements and go looking. Where are the others?’ I looked around, half expecting a combat team to leap into existence, weapons at the ready.
‘The others?’
‘The rest of the army,’ I said.
‘What army would that be, son? If you mean the great and glorious Army of the People, the Righteous Army, the Army of God and the General – or should that be the General and God? – well now, that army’s broken, isn’t it? Split clean open last summer. Half of ’em scarpered up north, or Oversea, even over the fucking river. And the other half – here’s the joke – the other half wassent to bring ’em back. And that left a skeleton crew,’ he bowed, ‘to hold the line here. So what happens? The South gets wind of this, and takes its chance. And here we are. Screwed.’
‘But, no, but, the General …’ I stammered.
‘Dead. In the mutiny. Don’t go pinning your hopes on any General. This place is finished. By month’s end it’ll be running with hostiles.’
‘No! This makes no sense. What about ISIS?’
‘ISIS? They’re not gonna help the likes of us. No way. We’re on our own.’ He patted his gun. ‘We’re gonna have a Breken-hunt before we head north.’
‘Nik!’ Dash was staring at me hard. ‘You have to go after Sol.’
The older man shook his head. ‘You’d be a fool to do that. A dead one.’
I looked at Dash. ‘What about you?’
The guy waiting to splint her leg said, ‘We can look after them.’
Dash looked at me, bleary-eyed. ‘You have to –’
‘Yes,’ I said. ‘Course. I’ll … Jesus.’ I looked up at the older man. ‘They’ll have gone back over Mol Bridge, yeah?’
‘I’d say.’
Jono stirred again. ‘I’m coming.’
‘No,’ I said. ‘You’re not.’
The one with the splint shook his head. ‘You’re crazy.If they catch you, d’you know what they do to people, our kind, over there?’
Not what I needed to hear. ‘Where will you take these three?’
He squinted up at me and shook his head again. ‘If you’re going over there, I’m not telling you.’
‘Why?’
‘Aren’t you listening? This place is going to be overrun. I don’t want hostiles dragging information out of you about where we are.’
Great. That boded well for my future. I crouched by Dash and kissed her. ‘I’ll find Sol. And then I’ll find you. I promise.’
I stood up. So did Fyffe. She was shaky on her feet, and tears shone on her cheeks. She wiped her face with her sleeve, then fished a dirty yellow scarf out of her bag and tied it round her head, tucking her hair into it and covering the bruise on her forehead. She pulled on Jono’s big denim jacket, which made her look tiny. ‘What are you doing?’ I asked.
‘Going with you.’
Over the general outcry I said, ‘No way are you coming with me. No. Way.’
‘He’s
my
brother! Don’t argue. Anyway, you don’t know what they look like, the ones that took him.’
‘So tell me.’
‘Not the same.’
‘Fyffe. Look at you – you won’t last two minutes over there.’
‘We don’t have time to argue. I’m not
‘Ah!’ The man in the rubbish waved a stick of wood. ‘Splint.’ He knelt beside Dash who was breathing real deep and shaky. The man took out a knife and started to cut through her jeans at the knee. ‘Hold on to something, this is going to hurt.’
‘Wait!’ said Dash. ‘I have to talk to Nik.’
Jono looked up, seriously groggy, groaned, and put his head back on his knees.
The other soldier, much older, came back down the alley. ‘Lucky for you we were around.’
I was struggling to get a grip. ‘You’re the army. We can – can’t we go after them? We can get reinforcements and go looking. Where are the others?’ I looked around, half expecting a combat team to leap into existence, weapons at the ready.
‘The others?’
‘The rest of the army,’ I said.
‘What army would that be, son? If you mean the great and glorious Army of the People, the Righteous Army, the Army of God and the General – or should that be the General and God? – well now, that army’s broken, isn’t it? Split clean open last summer. Half of ’em scarpered up north, or Oversea, even over the fucking river. And the other half – here’s the joke – the other half wassent to bring ’em back. And that left a skeleton crew,’ he bowed, ‘to hold the line here. So what happens? The South gets wind of this, and takes its chance. And here we are. Screwed.’
‘But, no, but, the General …’ I stammered.
‘Dead. In the mutiny. Don’t go pinning your hopes on any General. This place is finished. By month’s end it’ll be running with hostiles.’
‘No! This makes no sense. What about ISIS?’
‘ISIS? They’re not gonna help the likes of us. No way. We’re on our own.’ He patted his gun. ‘We’re gonna have a Breken-hunt before we head north.’
‘Nik!’ Dash was staring at me hard. ‘You have to go after Sol.’
The older man shook his head. ‘You’d be a fool to do that. A dead one.’
I looked at Dash. ‘What about you?’
The guy waiting to splint her leg said, ‘We can look after them.’
Dash looked at me, bleary-eyed. ‘You have to –’
‘Yes,’ I said. ‘Course. I’ll … Jesus.’ I looked up at the older man. ‘They’ll have gone back over Mol Bridge, yeah?’
‘I’d say.’
Jono stirred again. ‘I’m coming.’
‘No,’ I said. ‘You’re not.’
The one with the splint shook his head. ‘You’re crazy.If they catch you, d’you know what they do to people, our kind, over there?’
Not what I needed to hear. ‘Where will you take these three?’
He squinted up at me and shook his head again. ‘If you’re going over there, I’m not telling you.’
‘Why?’
‘Aren’t you listening? This place is going to be overrun. I don’t want hostiles dragging information out of you about where we are.’
Great. That boded well for my future. I crouched by Dash and kissed her. ‘I’ll find Sol. And then I’ll find you. I promise.’
I stood up. So did Fyffe. She was shaky on her feet, and tears shone on her cheeks. She wiped her face with her sleeve, then fished a dirty yellow scarf out of her bag and tied it round her head, tucking her hair into it and covering the bruise on her forehead. She pulled on Jono’s big denim jacket, which made her look tiny. ‘What are you doing?’ I asked.
‘Going with you.’
Over the general outcry I said, ‘No way are you coming with me. No. Way.’
‘He’s
my
brother! Don’t argue. Anyway, you don’t know what they look like, the ones that took him.’
‘So tell me.’
‘Not the same.’
‘Fyffe. Look at you – you won’t last two minutes over there.’
‘We don’t have time to argue. I’m not
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