While the Storm Rages, page 21
‘If Esther was right, then the Duchess’ place must be around here soon. We just need to keep looking!’ Clem enthused.
‘Do you really think you can get us all the way there?’ Noah asked Dennis. He needed the answer to be yes.
Dennis nodded. ‘Absolutely. I was in the school rowing team. I can row for miles.’
Noah sat for a few moments, but he still had questions. He always had questions.
‘Did you go to school round here, then?’
‘Oh no, miles away.’
‘So... you move around all the time?’
‘I have done. Been all over the south this last few months.’
‘And you always travel by boat?’
‘No. What makes you ask that?’
‘Dunno. Was just wondering how you afforded to buy this if you can’t even afford food and would rather eat nettles?’
Dennis looked at him dubiously. ‘Oh the boat’s not mine, is it? Clearly.’
‘So you’ve nicked it?’
‘Nicked it!? You didn’t tell us that before we got in.’ Clem suddenly looked uncomfortable.
‘Would it have made any difference?’
Noah knew he should act all indignant, and could feel Clem’s eyes boring into him already, the shoplifting dredged up in her mind.
‘It’s just another reason for the police to chase us, isn’t it?’
‘We can take it back if you like?’ said Dennis.
Noah didn’t want to think about that option. ‘Or we leave it exactly where we found it, once we’ve reached the Duchess. I mean, it’s night-time, no one’s going to miss it now.’
Noah looked to Clem, who wriggled uncomfortably on her bench before nodding.
‘We’ll have it back by dawn,’ Dennis added, ‘no bother,’ and he rowed on, easing the boat round the bend as the children looked eagle-eyed for a sign. It was hard to believe now that they were still on the same river, and that the water that stretched out behind them led all the way back to their fretting mothers.
Noah shook the thought from his head, and stroked a dozing Winn.
‘What do you know about this duchess then?’ asked Dennis.
‘Not a lot,’ Noah shrugged.
‘It’s just,’ Dennis paused as if working out how best to put it. ‘Well, folk with money, ’specially royals, well, they’re more known for hunting animals than saving them.’
‘That right?’
‘Oh yeah, estates like the ones we’re looking for, well they’re full of dogs and horses and that, though they use ’em to either chase the foxes up and down the fields or hoover up the grouse they’ve just shot out the sky.’
Noah felt himself tense, and for the first time wondered if their plan was pure folly. What if this Duchess wasn’t all that they hoped?
Fortunately for Noah, he had Clem beside him. And if he didn’t know what to think, she did.
‘Not this Duchess apparently,’ she chipped in. ‘She’s campaigned for years against vivisection and animal cruelty.
‘Well, all I can say is she’s a first,’ said Dennis. ‘Never met a posh person yet who doesn’t see animals as something to own.’ Esme chose that moment to jump from his shoulder to the top of his head, as if illustrating the point that she was the one in charge of their friendship. ‘What you going to say to her then, when you stroll up and knock on her door?’
‘Same thing as everyone else I suppose,’ said Noah, who hadn’t really thought about it. ‘Can you look after our pets till the war’s over?’
‘You might want to add a please on to that,’ said Dennis. ‘Cos if what you say is true, then every Tom, Dick and Harry with a rabbit is going to be at her door in the next few days.’
‘You don’t think she’ll say no though, do you?’
‘Not if she’s the person you say she is. The big question is, what will you do? You know, when you have to finally leave the dogs behind?’
This was another thing Noah hadn’t really thought about. For days his mind had simply been on getting there without being stopped. He hadn’t given a second’s thought to what he’d do when it came to actually saying goodbye. So he didn’t know what to say. And he couldn’t think about it without getting emotional.
‘I suppose I’ll have to try and say it quickly, won’t I? We both will. But it’s not like we’re deserting them, or letting them down. Standing in that vet’s queue till they felt the needle, that’d be letting them down. What we’re doing is different. We’re giving them a chance, same chance we have when they evacuate us. They deserve that just as much as we do.’
Dennis nodded. ‘So that’s what’ll happen to you then? Evacuation?’
‘Suppose so,’ Noah sighed. ‘The rest of our school’s been shipped off to Cornwall.’
‘Maybe you should have a word with the Duchess? See if she can put you up as well. She’ll have loads of spare rooms, won’t she?’
Noah’s face lit up. ‘Do you think we should ask her?’ he gabbled. ‘Do you think we could be evacuated there?’
Dennis waited a beat. ‘Not a chance,’ he said. ‘Even if she does love animals, she won’t have time for riff raff like you. So get that out of your head, quick smart. I was only joking.’
His words were a pin, and Noah would’ve deflated quickly if circumstances hadn’t changed around him.
‘Look!’ said Clem, shoving a pointing finger under his nose. ‘Through the trees there, can you see it?’
Noah squinted into the night. ‘What?’
‘That house there. To the right. Look at the size of it. It’s huge. And it’s far enough back from the river for us to know there has to be a big garden too.’
Noah couldn’t take his eyes off it. ‘Do you think that’s it?’ he said, excitedly. ‘Do you think we’ve found her?’
‘I think it has to be,’ Clem replied, her eyes now poring over the map. ‘There’s a cemetery on the map here look, and if you look behind us, you can clearly see the graves.’
Noah looked at the map then the riverbank then back again, nodding, as Clem pointed to a box next to the cemetery. ‘So that has to mean there’s a house, and it must be a big one. I just think it has to belong to her, Noah. I think Esther was right. We’re going to make it, Noah, we’re almost there.’ Her excitement was tangible.
But Noah wasn’t as excited. He should’ve been, but he couldn’t allow himself to be.
Because his eyes weren’t on the map, they were peering over Dennis’ shoulder, to a series of lanterns being shone in their direction. They may have been a few hundred yards in front of them, but Noah knew who they belonged to.
The police. They were being chased.
He was so so close, but in that instant, he felt a million miles away.
57
‘What do we do?’ gasped Noah, leaping to his feet, the rowing boat almost capsizing beneath them.
‘We sit down, for starters,’ replied Dennis, pulling him back into his seat.
‘That’s not a plan!’ said Noah.
‘We don’t panic then, and we don’t get caught. How about that?’
Dennis had stopped rowing, and they could now see that the lanterns belonged to bobbies who were on a boat of their own. A bigger boat, the sort of boat that came with a motor.
‘Stay where you are!’ a voice shouted through the gloom. ‘There’s no need to be scared. We just want to take you home. Your pets too.’
Noah though, knew what this really meant. And there was no way he was letting that happen. And neither was Dennis, who dipped the left oar into the river and began to row furiously, steering towards the bank. Noah did the same with his hand, as did Clem.
‘Go, go, GO!’ shouted Noah once the boat was pointed correctly, but Dennis didn’t need telling, arms pumping as the boat dragged its way towards land.
‘Soon as we hit the riverbank you need to run, hear me?’ said Dennis between gasps. ‘If the map is right, then the estate is close. I’ll do all I can to create a diversion that gets you there.’
‘You’re not coming? What if we need your help?’ Noah said.
‘Don’t you worry. You’re getting my help,’ he replied. ‘But if we stick together, chances are they’ll catch us.’
And with that, he started unbuttoning his shirt, to reveal a grubby vest.
‘Now remember,’ he gasped. ‘The second you’re on land, go right. Do it quickly and as quietly as you can. I know it’s hard, but try to keep the dogs quiet too. All right?’
‘What about you?’ Clem asked, worriedly.
‘Don’t give me a second thought. I’ve been evading people for a long time. I might make the world’s worst soldier, but I’m fantastic at hiding.’
Whatever he had planned, he wasn’t giving it away, not even when the nose of the boat bumped against the bank, with Winn the first to jump ship.
Quickly, the others followed, Dennis at the rear, dragging an oar with him, as well as his shirt. Without hesitating, he dashed past them, until he reached the nearest tree. What happened next was unexpected. Gripping the oar like a club, he swung it again and again at the trunk until the paddle splintered and snapped, leaving a short, jagged shard.
Noah knew they should be running, but he couldn’t take his eyes off the man as he wound the shirt tightly around the club, before reaching into his pocket and retrieving a box of matches. Holding the club between his knees, he flicked a match into life and set fire to the material, rearing back as it caught and spat angrily. Holding the torch aloft, he turned to face them.
‘What did I tell you,’ he hissed, as he saw the other boat edge closer to the bank, ‘RUN. NOW!’
And without a goodbye or a backward look, he tore to the left, waving the torch wildly in the air, with Esme following him.
Noah watched him go, hearing him yell as he ran. He seemed to be making as much noise as he possibly could, shouting again and again, calling all of their names in turn. Even the dogs’.
Smiling, Noah turned on his heels. ‘He’s setting a decoy,’ he half-whispered. ‘Let’s go,’ and with Winn at his heels, he ran, lifting his knees as high as he could without slowing himself down. He couldn’t afford to trip and fall, not now. If he banged his burns he’d be sick, he knew it.
Clem and Frank followed, trying hard to strike a balance between speed and silence. Well, Clem did, Frank just struggled, lagging so far behind that before long Clem could no longer hear the rasping in his chest. No one spoke, the only noise the sound of twigs breaking beneath their feet. It was lucky they weren’t running in the heart of autumn, or the fallen leaves would have betrayed them in seconds.
The only problem, as they soon discovered, was the growing dark into which they were venturing. As Dennis knew, a torch would be a giveaway, but with the moon hidden by the trees, the blackness soon became both impenetrable and scary. It felt reckless and stupid to run like this, but they had to keep going, reminding themselves that the dangers behind were far worse for Winn and Frank than the ones in front. The shouts and yells in the distance confirmed it. They were louder now, angrier and more persistent, though Noah couldn’t tell if they were getting closer or not. It felt like a cruel trick that the trees were playing on them.
What he did know was that he could no longer hear Dennis’s decoy calls, nor make out even the faintest glimmer of his torch. What if the bobbies had seen through it straightaway? Or merely caught up with Dennis and shaken the truth out of him? Noah couldn’t help but imagine the man being marched off to war against his will.
But Noah immediately had bigger things to fret over. A noise, some way behind him, a high-pitched yelp of fear and pain that he knew had come from an animal. It wasn’t Winn, she was by his side as always. Which could only mean Frank. He ran back, instantly, recovering land he only had time for once.
Had the bobbies caught him? Noah powered on, retracing steps, the darkness intensifying as well as Frank’s cries.
‘Don’t be caught, don’t be caught,’ he repeated to himself, but as both the dog and Clem hoved into view, he realised the situation was far graver then he could have imagined.
There were no bobbies holding them against their will, only Clem on the floor, cradling Frank in her arms as he yelped in pain.
‘What is it?’ Noah gasped. ‘What’s wrong?’
‘It’s his leg, look, Noah. Look.’ She was distraught, so much so that Noah almost didn’t want to look.
For Frank hadn’t been caught by the police, but by a jagged length of barbed wire that had ensnared his back left leg. His eyes seemed to warn Noah not to touch or try to free him, that it would only cause him the most unbearable pain. And whilst Noah knew this to be true, he also couldn’t leave Frank to suffer. They needed him free, but they also needed him free quickly.
‘What’s it doing there?’ Clem cried. ‘Who would leave barbed wire just lying around like that?’
‘Maybe it’s a trap or a snare, I don’t know. But we need to get him free, Clem. We haven’t much time.’
‘I know. But we can’t hurt him, Noah. Listen to him. He’s in agony.’
Frank’s chest rose and fell rapidly. He kept trying to raise his head, to move it towards his leg to lick it, but every time he did so, the pain was too overwhelming. Clem held him closer.
‘It’s all right, darling,’ she whispered, though it was anything but. ‘What have they done to you?’ The wire’s presence made no sense to either of them. It wasn’t attached to a fence. Was it a trap or just sheer carelessness? But that was unimportant. All that mattered was getting Frank free with as little pain or distress as possible.
‘What do we do now, Noah?’ Clem wept.
Noah felt overwhelmed. He knew how close they were, and he knew what he had to do, but he had no idea if he could possibly do it. Pressure built, tears too. He was so weak now, so hot and achy, his burns on fire. He felt like he had hit his limits: like their mission had finally failed.
58
If the chaos in Noah’s head wasn’t enough, he now heard the sound of voices again, louder, closer. Unless Dennis had taken the wrong path and led the bobbies here inadvertently, his plan must have failed. They were on to them.
Noah didn’t know how long it would take them to catch up, but he knew they had minutes at most.
‘We need to get Frank free,’ he told Clem. ‘Quickly.’
‘There isn’t time,’ she replied. ‘They’re nearly here. Go on. Go on without us. Save Winn!’
‘No!’ Noah spat back. ‘We’re doing this together. No matter what.’ And he crouched over Frank, fingers readied. But as he moved closer, he found himself hindered by the darkness. He could make out the wire’s outline, but not how to remove it. He cocked his head to one side, trying to let the moon’s rays through, but they weren’t enough, and as his thumb and index finger made contact with the wire, Frank lost all control, muzzle snapping viciously at his hand. It took every bit of strength Clem had to hold her beloved pet down.
‘It’s all right, pal, it’s all right. It’ll be over quickly if you just let me help.’
But whichever way he tried, from whatever angle, Frank couldn’t cope with the pain. He bared his teeth, he howled at the sky, his body went rigid with shock and overwhelming agony and then he began to convulse uncontrollably.
‘Noah!’ screamed Clem. ‘Do something.’
‘It’s cut in really deep,’ Noah said. ‘I don’t know how to get him free.’
‘Please,’ said Clem. ‘Think of something. Help him!’
Frank continued to shake and twitch.
‘Clem, listen to me. I need you to hold his head tight. Keep him calm. And STILL. The stiller he is, the quicker I can free him.’
‘What are you going to do?’
But Noah never told her. For as he reached out once more, his fingers making contact with Frank’s leg, he felt the poor dog go rigid with shock. And as he did so, his eyes closed, his chest fell, and it did not rise again.
‘Frank?’ Clem said, face awash with tears. ‘FRANK!’ She lifted the dog’s head tenderly to hers, seeing his eyes sealed shut, feeling the stillness of his chest. ‘Wake up, Frank, wake up. We’re nearly there, darling, so very nearly there.’ But it didn’t matter how long or loudly she begged, Frank had gone. And there was nothing either of them could do to bring him back.
‘I’m sorry, Clem,’ Noah sobbed. ‘I’m so so sorry. What have I done?’ He could feel nothing but sorrow and guilt and regret and shame. So much so that he was oblivious to the noises growing ever closer.
Clem however, was not. ‘Noah,’ she called to him through her tears. ‘NOAH. You need to listen to me, and you need to listen now. You’ve got to go. Do you hear me? Now!’
But Noah refused to leave or take his eyes off Frank. ‘I can’t. Not without you and Frank.’
‘Frank’s gone, Noah, he’s gone. And he was old. But Winn isn’t, she’s young, and you can still get her to safety if you just, for once, do as you’re told. So for God’s sake, listen to me now... and GO!’ She shoved at him with her one free hand, which threw him backwards and shocked him out of his reverie.
‘But what about you?’ he cried.
‘What about me? You don’t need me. I need to be here with Frank.’
‘No, I’m not leaving either of you.’
But Clem could be just as stubborn as he could. ‘You are, because when they get here, I’ll delay them. Or send them in the wrong direction. You just have to trust me. Just like I’ve trusted you these last few days. So go on, go. Save Winn.’
Noah didn’t want to. He didn’t want to move an inch. He was exhausted, and he was tired of running and hiding, tired of trying to work out what to do for the best.
‘Please, Noah. Don’t let her down,’ Clem said, quietly. ‘Winn needs you, Noah. Finish what we started. For her.’
Noah moved. Clem had buried her face deep in Frank’s fur, out of reach. It felt like he was intruding, like he shouldn’t trespass on her grief. So he put one foot in front of the other, and he moved. You could hardly call it running. He’d seen drunkards move quicker. He barely even knew where he was moving to, all he could do was stagger down the path after Winn: hoping that her instinct or judgment was taking them in the right direction.
