Scorched Earth - Robert Muchamore Page 0,6
remaining shells went off in a deafening chain reaction. White-hot chunks of shell case were flung several hundred metres in the air, slicing through the canopy of leaves and igniting smoky fires in the damp hillside.
Michel looked terrified as Luc led him up the hillside. Less than 20 metres ahead a red-hot train wheel smashed through the canopy, shattering a trunk and forcing the pair to dive and hope for the best.
When Luc looked up, he saw a huge, smouldering chunk of tree balanced precariously in branches overhead.
‘Move!’
This time Michel didn’t need any pulling and he charged off ahead of Luc. They both had sweat dripping into their eyes as they reached a path that crossed the hill, back to the spot where they’d split from Paul and Daniel ninety minutes earlier.
‘We bloody did it,’ Michel shouted, grinning as he picked out a wax plug that had been softened by the intense heat.
Luc could only nod as his heart slammed under his shirt. The rumbling had become more subdued but there were still shells exploding and metal grinding as the carriages that had derailed outside the tunnel continued shedding their cargoes.
‘There might be survivors at the back,’ Luc said. ‘We need to—’
Before Luc could say keep moving, the ground shifted again and he looked up, half expecting to see a tree coming down on top of him. But the sounds that played out were like the easy-listening version of what had happened a moment earlier, and they echoed from the other side of the hill.
‘Is that another train?’ Michel asked.
Rather than answer, Luc started running. At first he thought he was hearing an echo, or perhaps some part of the train that had broken its coupling and rolled clean out of the tunnel, but it was soon clear that the noise was too much for that.
He ran for several minutes, with Michel gradually falling behind. When Luc reached a broader path, he caught a reflection 30 metres further uphill. It was like two little discs of light. Shouting was a risk, but he’d rambled around this area two days earlier without seeing a soul.
‘Paul?’
Luc saw the reflections again, this time pointing his way, and he was certain he was seeing the low sun hitting his binoculars. He didn’t want to lose his companion, but as soon as Michel came into sight Luc started charging uphill.
‘Michel?’ Daniel shouted down anxiously.
Luc reached Paul and snatched the binoculars. ‘What happened?’
‘I sent your signal before Daniel spotted the train coming the other way,’ Paul explained, as he noticed that Luc’s cheek and forehead had reddened in the blast. ‘The driver slammed the brakes on when he saw the explosion, but he didn’t have time to stop completely.’
Luc adjusted the focus and looked down into the valley. A locomotive and two passenger coaches had entered the tunnel and been annihilated by the inferno. The two carriages nearest the tunnel mouth were twisted out of recognition and scorched by the blast, but by slowing down, the driver had saved many lives in the rear four coaches. All the coaches had derailed, but remained upright after scraping along the chalkstone embankments leading towards the tunnel mouth.
‘I’m seeing mostly Germans down there,’ Luc said, looking at a man throwing up on the tracks while others staggered about in shock. Most seemed to be nursing minor injuries, while the more seriously hurt were being brought out of the carriages by survivors.
When Michel arrived, Daniel gave his big brother a hug.
‘You did good,’ Michel said, rubbing his brother’s clammy back.
Daniel shook his head and tried to say something, but he was overwhelmed and only managed to sob.
‘Hey,’ Michel said softly, as he scooped Daniel off his feet. ‘Don’t cry.’
Luc lowered his binoculars and shook his head contemptuously as Michel tried to soothe his little brother.
‘Daniel, mate, there’s nothing you could have done,’ Paul said. ‘Think of how many soldiers those tanks could have killed.’
‘I know,’ Daniel said, rubbing his eye. ‘But all those poor people …’
‘If there’s a couple of officers and a few fit soldiers down on the tracks, the first thing they’ll do is send out search parties,’ Luc warned. ‘So let’s cut all the boo-hoos and get moving.’
Paul scowled at Luc, but didn’t say anything.
‘Big baby,’ Luc sneered as he started walking. ‘I’m out of here. Stick around and let the Nazis catch you, then you’ll have something worth crying about.’
Michel was angry at Luc’s attitude, but he was right about not sticking around.
‘Come on,’ Paul said,