While the Storm Rages, page 20
But there was nothing to see, just tree after tree, punctuated by the occasional bush or thicket.
‘Here! Now,’ the man hollered abruptly, as he pulled on the brakes, yanking at a bush that sat flush against a tree trunk. Except it wasn’t a bush at all, it was a door of sorts made from an old piece of plywood but camouflaged with thick, dense foliage.
‘Quickly now!’ whispered the man and he pushed them inside. His palms felt rough and calloused as he shoved them into the dark, and he treated Winn the same way, not that the dog seemed to mind. As long as she was with her master, the world was all right with her.
With a quick, furtive look behind him, the man ducked inside too, pulling the lean-to behind him, leaving them all in darkness.
Noah opened his eyes as wide as he could, trying to make sense of where they found themselves, and whether they were actually safer inside than out. But although it remained dark, he felt a sense of space that he didn’t expect.
‘What is this place?’ he hissed, only to be told to pipe down.
From outside, the crack and rustle of twigs and leaves grew louder, until they could hear not just the words of the bobbies, but their panting as well.
‘Which way now?’ one gasped.
‘I don’t ruddy know,’ another replied, and they felt something shake above them, like the door was being rested on.
‘Well, they can’t have just evaporated. Try calling the dogs? See if you can get ’em to bark.’
‘What do you think I am, a bloomin’ vet?’
Noah felt Winn push her flank into his, and he stroked her tenderly, imploring her not to give the game away. As always, the dog didn’t let him down, not even when the immediate danger passed and the footsteps slowly crunched into the distance.
‘Have they g—’ Noah whispered, only to be hushed by the man again. For once, Noah did as he was told, not saying a word even when the door was wedged slightly ajar, allowing the light to creep inside.
Noah took it all in. This wasn’t a tent, though it had the same triangular shape to it. It was certainly smelly and damp, and although he didn’t want to look nosy, Noah couldn’t help but make a note of everything that littered the floor. There were a couple of threadbare blankets thrown into a bed shape, and a canvas rucksack that seemed to serve as a pillow of sorts, though there was no sign of any other clothes. What there were a lot of, were books. Old tattered, clothbound books that should have been on a shelf rather than the forest floor. If their appearance was anything to go by, it looked like they had been read a thousand times apiece. It didn’t surprise Noah in the slightest to see Clem’s eyes widening, and fingers twitching as she gazed at them.
‘Are these all yours?’ she asked. The man didn’t answer straightaway, choosing instead to snake his upper body into the daylight, only returning when he was convinced the coast was clear.
‘So,’ he said, ignoring Clem’s question. ‘Who you been robbing then?’
‘No one,’ said Noah.
‘Well, that didn’t look like nothing to me. Spitfire’s crashed, man killed in his cockpit, but half the bobbies want to chase you. Doesn’t exactly make sense, does it?’
‘Show me something these days that does make sense?’ Noah said. It was a response that sent the man deep into thought again.
‘Is it true? What you said, about being at war with Germany?’
They both nodded.
‘Then this is not good. Not good at all. I can’t be staying round here. Not now.’ The man crawled on to his knees and started pulling at his blankets, upending poor Frank from his slumber.
‘Looks to me,’ said Noah, ‘like we’re not the only ones with a secret. So here’s an idea,’ he looked the man in the eye. ‘We’ll tell you ours, if you tell us yours.’
The man sighed. Then stuck out a grubby, rough hand and shook Noah’s firmly.
‘Done,’ he said. ‘I’m Dennis. And if them bobbies catch me, then I’m only one step behind that pilot. Dead before you know it.’
54
‘The police can’t kill you,’ Noah stammered.
‘Not directly,’ Dennis said, ‘But if we’re at war, then it’s only a matter of time before they come looking for people like me.’
It still didn’t make any sense to Noah. ‘People like what?’
‘Does the word conscription mean anything to you?’ Dennis said. Clem nodded. So did Noah, but without conviction. He didn’t want to lose face by admitting that it didn’t.
‘People have been talking about it for months,’ Dennis went on. ‘I mean, if the government is stupid enough to make us fight Hitler, then they’re going to need every single person they can to fight him. And it’s no secret they’re going to come after people like me first, because of my age and because I don’t have a wife or children. And the second I agree, I don’t just sign up to the army, I sign my own death certificate too.’
‘I don’t understand,’ said Noah. And he didn’t. He also didn’t like the thought that his own dad might have already done the same thing. Not when he’d promised he’d come back safe and sound. ‘That’s not true. I know some soldiers will die,’ he didn’t even like admitting that much, ‘but my dad, he’s coming home the second the war is done.’
‘And maybe he will,’ said Dennis, there was kindness in his voice. ‘If he’s lucky. But I know that won’t happen to me. They send me to fight? Then I’ll die there. Fact.’
‘But you don’t know that. How can you know that?’
Dennis sighed, like he was seeing his own demise play out in front of him.
‘Because I will never pull the trigger of a gun,’ he said. ‘I can’t and I won’t.’
‘Not if a Nazi soldier was standing in front of you with a rifle of his own?’ Noah interrupted.
‘Not even if Hitler himself was standing where you are now.’
‘But... but... but...’ Noah stammered, ‘That man is evil. He’s killing people all over Europe.’
‘He is and it’s horrific, all of it.’
‘Which is why it needs to be stopped!’ Noah couldn’t understand what Dennis was saying. His dad, Matthew’s brother, men all over the country were joining up. ‘So what makes you so special?’
‘I’m not,’ Dennis sighed. ‘I’m far from special, I’m ordinary, and that’s why I can’t do it. Other people may be able to take a life and live with themselves. But I can’t, I know I can’t. German? Russian? It doesn’t matter where they’re from, I know I’d see their faces for the rest of my life. When I’m awake or asleep. They’d haunt me for what I did. And I’d deserve it.’
They sat, silent for a while. Noah hadn’t a clue what to say. It had never even dawned on him that it was possible to say no. That you could refuse to fight.
‘So what would happen?’ Clem asked. ‘If they told you to fight and you refused?’
‘They’d put me in jail,’ Dennis replied. ‘Which is why I’ve been living out here because I saw it coming. And because I don’t deserve to be locked up just for being peaceful.’
‘You live here? Seriously?’ Noah asked the question, though from the blankets and books, he already knew the answer.
‘Since June.’
‘But aren’t your family worried about you?’
‘Only family I’ve got is Esme here, and the bird strutted again on his right shoulder.
‘But she’s your pet!’
‘She’s no such thing!’ The cross look returned to Dennis’s face. ‘I don’t own her or anyone else. She found me, that’s all. I haven’t asked her to stay, but she hasn’t left either, and the day she does? Well, I’ll be sad certainly, but I can hardly stop her, can I?’
‘But what’ll you do in winter? Two months from now and it’ll be freezing. You can’t live out here. What’ll you eat?’
‘Same thing I eat now. The forest will provide. There’s berries, fruit and nettles.’
‘Nettles?’ Noah’s face crumpled.
‘Well, they’re not exactly roast potatoes, but if you mash ’em down into a broth, well they’re not too bad.’
‘But you can’t survive all winter on nettle soup?’
‘Don’t you worry about me. I’ve eaten worse before and probably will again. Anyway, I’ll move around, like I always do. Maybe head north, see if I can find a farmer desperate enough for a shepherd to turn a blind eye. ‘Anyway, you haven’t told me why you’re running yet. Something about animals?’
‘It’s not our fault.’
‘Never is, is it?’
Dennis may have been talking playfully, but Noah was serious.
‘It isn’t this time. We haven’t done anything. It’s the stupid government’s fault.’
‘It always is.’
‘You won’t have heard about it, but they’ve told everyone, EVERYONE, to have their pets put to sleep because of the war.’
Dennis burst out laughing, but soon stopped when he saw their faces.
‘You’re not serious, are you?’
‘Deadly. You should’ve seen the queues back in London. Hundreds there were. Thousands, maybe more. Everyone was doing it...’
‘Apart from you?’
‘Apart from us.’
‘Good for you. So what’s your plan? You do have one, don’t you? I mean, you think I won’t survive out here, but what about you? This little fella looks beaten.’ He pointed at Frank.
‘We’ve got a plan. Had one since we first started out.’ Noah tried to sound confident, which drew a cough from Clem.
‘What? We have. All right, so it might not have always gone smoothly. But we know where we’re heading and why!’ And he told Dennis all about the Duchess and her animal refuge, as well as the Queen Maudie and the kittens and Delilah and Col and the fire and the thugs and the shoplifting. And of course about poor, dear Samson.
When he stopped and drew breath, Noah looked at Dennis and their surroundings. Late afternoon was upon them: the shadows would soon be lengthening, but that wasn’t the only thing. Dennis’s smile was also growing.
‘That,’ he said, firmly, ‘is the kind of battle I can get behind.’
‘Really?’ replied Noah.
‘Really. And this Duchess’ house? Do you know where it is?’
They shared a glance. ‘We know it’s down river. Just before Windsor. It backs on to the Thames, we’ve heard.’
‘Well, I think I can get you there then. Though we’ll have to be clever about it. Step outside now and there’s a good chance the bobbies will nab you. We need to wait a while.’
‘How long?’
‘A couple of hours or so, I think. Till dusk. There’s a boat down river that we can use. Think you can wait that long?’
‘I think so,’ Noah replied. His burns were really stinging now, making him feel light-headed and dreadfully queasy but he didn’t want to tell the others or admit weakness. ‘Do you think the river levels will be all right then, Clem?’
Clem nodded with certainty, though Noah could see that she would have no problem passing time in Dennis’ den. Her hand was already moving towards the first of his books.
55
Dusk hugged them close, as did the trees, though the forest floor did little to keep them a secret: there were too many pairs of legs to move anywhere quietly.
‘Keep it down,’ whispered Dennis. ‘You can bet your life those bobbies are still here somewhere.’
‘Can you really get us there? To the Duchess?’ asked Noah. He wanted to believe it, but daren’t.
‘Absolutely. There’s going to be enough deaths round here without adding your dogs to the list. And besides, it’s not their fault, is it? They didn’t ask for any of this.’
There was nothing to argue about there, though it made Noah think more about what Dennis was doing, and about his attitude to the war. Made Noah realise there were different kinds of fighting. Dennis might not want to go into combat with a Nazi, but he was happy to sprint towards the fallen Spitfire: more than happy to scrap on behalf of Winn and Frank.
‘Not far now,’ said Dennis. ‘We’re nearly at the river.’ Though as the words came out there was an almighty crash behind him as Noah lay sprawled on the floor, upended by a tree root.
He was none too pleased about it. ‘For goodness’ sake!’ he yelled. ‘Could we not have ten flipping minutes without something trying to kill me!’
‘Keep your voice down,’ hissed Clem.
‘That’s easy for you to say. You’ve not been rugby tackled by a tree.’
‘SHHHHHHH!’ added Dennis.
‘Not you as well. Can you not have a tiny bit of sympathy?’
But there wasn’t time, as Dennis’s warnings quickly came true.
‘Up here!’ yelled a voice. ‘I can hear them. They’re here. Quick!’
That was all they needed to have them away on their toes. Clem swept Frank up from the floor, and Winn was called quickly to heel as their feet pounded the forest floor.
‘Don’t look back, only forward,’ gasped Dennis. ‘The river’s not far now.’
‘How far is far!’ gasped Clem.
But Dennis didn’t reply. The nearest they got was a rallying squawk from Esme as she dived and dipped above their heads, chivvying them along.
‘They’re gaining!’ shouted Clem. She was floundering at the back of the group now. Frank might have been small, but the days of carrying him were taking their toll, and she couldn’t possibly put him down without slowing them all further.
‘Then don’t let them!’ called Dennis from the front. ‘Run harder. Catch you and they catch us all.’
That was all Clem needed to hear. She wasn’t going to be the weak link in the group. She never had been since the mission started, so she certainly wasn’t going to start now. Holding Frank tight by the collar she powered on, lifting her knees, taking Noah by surprise as she gained on him, making him work harder too. The group sped on, leaping logs and sidestepping brambles, until finally, with their lungs burning, they burst through the treeline to find themselves back at the Thames, a small jetty dangling its legs into the still, black water.
‘There!’ shouted Dennis, relieved. ‘Look.’
They spotted a rowing boat tethered at the far end, that looked just about big enough for all of them.
Dennis reached it first, wrestling with the mooring rope as well as trying to hold it steady. ‘Get in, quick!’ he yelled, Clem and Frank needed no encouragement. Noah leaped in behind them.
But they weren’t going to escape without a fight, as the officers had reached the bank now: four of them, sweaty and gasping, and intent on finishing the job.
‘Oi!’ one yelled. ‘Stop. We know who you are.’
That was hardly going to have the runaways surrendering, but as Dennis jumped aboard and pushed them from the jetty, they realised that one of their party had remained on dry land.
Instead of joining the others, Winn had remained on the jetty, and was snarling and growling at the officers for even daring to intervene.
The bobbies drew their truncheons.
‘Winn!!’ Noah yelled. ‘What are you doing? Come on, girl, now!’
But Winn was deaf to his pleas. She had the enemy in her sights and stalked forward, her bared teeth enough to stop a couple of the officers, but not all. One moved left and forward, the other peeled right, truncheons swishing from either side as they tried to negate Winn’s threat. The dog wasn’t worried, far from it, but Noah was: all he could hear was the noise the truncheons would make if they made contact with her skull. They’d already lost Samson, and he couldn’t bear the prospect of Winn being struck down too.
‘WINN!’ he yelled, with a ferocity he didn’t know he owned. He was tired. Oh so tired, and with every second he felt worse, like a fever was sweeping up behind him. But at that moment, Winn was the only thing that mattered. His tone was new to her too, which saw her turn to the boat and lock eyes with her master. As soon as she did that, and heard him call her once more, there was only one thing in her mind. To join him on the river. So with legs a blur, Winn tore down the jetty. She didn’t pause or hesitate when her paws hit the end, and she flew, almost as majestically as Esme above her, until gravity pulled her into the river.
She broke the surface with the same momentum, paddling furiously until she was within arm’s reach of Noah, who pulled her onboard.
The officers gaped, hands on knees, their final calls to stop and give themselves up a pitiful echo of their earlier demands.
Onboard the rowing boat, the mood was buoyant. Dennis rowed, the children cheered and the dogs barked a farewell.
They were back on the river, with the Duchess’ estate within reach.
Nothing was going to stop them now.
56
Night brought a calmness that neither of them had felt for some time. Or perhaps it wasn’t night-time at all but the return to the river, or even (though Noah and Clem wouldn’t want to admit it) the presence of an adult, even if he were only a little older than them.
Whatever it was, it was working, and it eased the nausea that Noah felt continue to rise. His burns were so very sore now, with an itch that was almost impossible to ignore. All he could do was cool them in the water, which was calm and serene, the moonlight hitting the surface at such an angle that it felt like they were sailing through dark, luxurious ink
Travelling with Dennis added a calmness that Noah needed in his weakened state. He might not have been that much older than them, but his presence made things that would have seemed like obstacles on their own, seem blissfully straightforward. They hit locks again, first at Bell Weir and then Old Windsor, but no one batted an eyelid in their direction, despite the lateness of the hour.
The sound of their breathing gave way to the noise of the oars on water, and soon, the low hum of Winn’s gentle snoring as she dozed. The only thing that broke the silence was the sight of something that got Noah’s pulse racing.
‘Look, look, there!’ he yelled suddenly. Even the dogs stirred. ‘That’s got to be Windsor Castle, hasn’t it?’
They all stared into the distance and smiled. It had to be, there were too many grand turrets, it stood too proudly on the skyline, for it not to be the King’s castle.
