Num8ers - By Rachel Ward Page 0,44
sat up and rummaged around next to him, then stood up and launched something into the trees above us. I could hear it clipping the leaves and branches. A few seconds later the screeching set up again, but grew fainter and fainter as the owl went off looking for somewhere less dangerous to perch.
“You’re a true countryman, aren’t you? Chucking stones at an owl.”
“Too right, they’re always shooting something or setting their dogs on it, ripping something to shreds. I reckon I’d fit right in.”
The owl was still protesting, but a long way away now. Its voice seemed to emphasize how alone we were, the dark space all around us. As we listened, I felt the cold taking hold of me. We might manage one night out here, but we’d have to find something else tomorrow.
I was so awake now that sleep was out of the question. All I could do was lie there and listen and try not to think too much.
I thought Spider was asleep, but after a while I felt his hand inching over my blanket until he found mine. And we lay there, hand in hand, waiting for the light to creep back into the sky. And we were both awake when we heard a new sound thudding through the heavy night air — a helicopter.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
“Can you hear that?” I asked. Stupid question.
“Mm.”
“Do you think it’s just a helicopter?”
He knew what I meant. Just a helicopter taking someone somewhere, going from A to B. “I dunno.”
He moved away from me, crawling through the undergrowth. It was still dark, but there was a hint of blueness in the sky when we looked back the way we’d come yesterday. It was over there that the noise was coming from.
“It’s just hovering there, Jem. Shining a light down. There’s other lights, too.” I could hear him worming his way back to me, then he was there, right beside me, rolling up his blankets. “Come on, Jem. We’ve got to get a move on. Looks like they’re onto us.”
“Spider, it’s dark. We haven’t got a flashlight, remember?”
“We’ll just have to do our best. Better to move in the dark, anyway.”
“Yes, but…” I was going to point out the mud, the fences, the barbed wire, but another noise cut in then. The sound of a dog barking. It was coming from behind us, too. Lights, helicopters, dogs. I had a sick feeling in my stomach. This was a proper manhunt. I shut up and started bundling up my belongings.
We blundered out of the copse and set off down the hill. You couldn’t see where you were putting your feet, and the ground was so rough we both kept stumbling and tripping. I put my right foot into a dip and staggered forward. I dropped my bags and flailed my arms blindly, trying to rescue my balance. My right hand found something to grab on to, but it dug into me as it moved under my grip, and I still fell forward. Something ripped across my face as I sank down onto the ground and let out a string of curses.
“Where are you?” Spider’s voice came through the dark.
“I’m here! I don’t know where I fucking am!”
“Don’t move. I’m coming.”
He found his way back to me, at first nothing more than a dark shape against the darkness. As he came close, I could see his face was furrowed with concern. “Jesus, Jem, you’ve fell in some barbed wire. Here…” He gave me his hands and pulled me up onto my feet.
I gasped and cursed again as he squeezed the wound on my right hand.
“Have you got a hankie or something?” he asked. I reached into my pocket and found an old tissue. He took it and gently wiped my face. It hurt like hell. My hand was screaming, too. Spider ferreted about in a bag, pulled out one of his T-shirts, and ripped a strip of it off. He wound it ’round my hand and tied it in a knot. He was taking charge again, doing his best, but even as he did it, my confidence was slipping away.
“We’re stuffed, Spider, aren’t we?”
“What do you mean?”
“They’re gonna get us today. Worse now, the dogs will pick up the smell of the blood, won’t they?”
“I dunno about that. I think that’s sharks, the blood thing. Anyway, we’ve got a head start and we’re on the other side of the river. We should just keep going, find somewhere to hide out. I think