The Enemy

‘How you doing?’ she asked.

‘Better,’ said Blue. ‘Couldn’t stop being sick for ages. Kept falling asleep. But when I woke up this evening I felt almost normal. Mother of all headaches, though. How you doing?’

‘I’ll leave you to it,’ said Jester and he slipped out.

Maxie sat down by the bed and told Blue everything that had happened since the battle at the camp. Rose and the nurse fussed about the room, trying to keep busy and giving them the space to talk.

When she’d finished Blue was silent for a long while.

‘I’m sorry about Freak,’ he said at last.

‘Yeah,’ said Maxie. ‘To have got all the way here from Holloway and then die in a stupid squabble with some other kids.’

Blue took her hand and squeezed it. Maxie frowned. Taken by surprise. She didn’t pull away, though. It felt comforting.

Presently there was a knock and Ollie came in. Blue let go of Maxie’s hand.

‘Have I missed anything?’ Ollie asked, sitting on the other side of the bed.

‘Maxie’s told me everything,’ said Blue.

‘You should have seen her,’ said Ollie. ‘A proper wartime leader.’

‘I’d rather be a peacetime leader,’ said Maxie.

‘It’s all sorted out now,’ said Ollie. ‘We won.’

Maxie shook her head. ‘You must admit that it sucked, what went down back there. A fight to the bloody death.’

‘No one died,’ said Ollie. ‘And the squatters are on our side now. I don’t see how we could have done that without some kind of fight.’

‘It wasn’t our fight, though,’ said Maxie.

‘If we’re going to stay here then, yes, it was our fight.’ ‘If we’re going to stay.’

‘What are you saying?’

‘I’m saying I think we should all leave.’

‘Wait a minute, Max,’ said Ollie. ‘David’s –’

‘Oh, shut up about David!’ Maxie interrupted. ‘I know how pally you two are, but I want nothing more to do with him.’

‘Listen,’ said Blue. ‘Before you two start getting into a fight. While I been lying here I been thinking. About me and David. On the way to the palace I talked to Jester, asked him who was go

‘It’s not about who’s in charge,’ said Maxie. ‘It’s about what David represents.’

‘That’s too deep for me, girl. Far as I’m concerned it comes down to the fact that we’ve got too many bosses.’

‘He’s never going to let you take charge, Blue.’

‘Then what are we talking about? We either fight David for top job or we get out.’

‘That’s one way of looking at it…’

‘It’s the only way I know, girl.’

‘Well, we’re not fighting,’ said Maxie. ‘Whatever I think of David, I don’t want to fight him and the other kids here.’

‘So we go then?’ said Blue.

‘Hold on a minute,’ said Ollie. ‘We need to talk about this properly.’

‘Whose side you on, man?’ said Blue.

‘I’m not on anybody’s side.’

‘Then you ain’t on our side.’

‘There doesn’t need to be sides.’

‘Well there are,’ said Blue. ‘You gotta choose.’

‘No, no, no,’ said Ollie, standing up and pacing the room. ‘David’s got a good thing going on here. I don’t much like him. But I respect him. He’s our best bet in all the chaos of London.’

‘That’s your opinion,’ said Maxie. ‘My opinion is that we’d all be a lot happier if we got out of this place.’

They watched Rose take her candle to the window and stand there looking out at the night. She blew the candle out and went over to straighten the sheets for the girl with the bandaged face, who lay there unmoving, though she appeared to be awake.

Ollie sat back down again and leant towards Maxie and Blue, speaking more quietly now.

‘Listen, Maxie,’ he said. ‘The little kids aren’t going to want to leave. They’re happier and safer than they have been for months. This is crazy.’

‘We can’t lose all we believe in. Our sense of right and wrong,’ said Maxie. ‘Just to survive.’

‘Just to survive? There’s no just about it. Survival is everything.’

‘Me and Blue both want to go,’ said Maxie. ‘So there’s nothing more to talk about. I’ll go down and tell the others. They’ll do what I say. Me and Blue are in charge. That’s what you wanted.’

Ollie sighed and sank his head in his hands. He could think of nothing more to say.

Maxie walked over to the door and opened it.

She paused.

David was standing outside. His two guards on either side of him.

‘What’s this?’ said Maxie.

‘I can’t let you leave, I’m afraid,’ said David. ‘I need your fighters. I was hoping Blue would talk sense to you, but it seems he’s a problem as well.’

‘How do you know what we’ve been talking about? You got spies in here?’

David’s eyes flicked towards Rose. She looked down at the carpet.

The candle. At the window. It had been a signal.

Maxie laughed without any humour.

‘So what? You’re going to take me and Blue hostage?’

‘If that’s what it takes. I reckon if we lock away the ringleaders the others will do as they’re told.’

‘Don’t be ridiculous, David. You can’t hold us here. We’re leaving.’

‘You are not leaving,’ said David, and the two guards levelled their rifles at her.

Blue jumped out of bed, shouting angrily, and took a couple of paces towards David, but he was still weak. He faltered, clutching his head and moaning. Maxie had to catch him before he fell.

David now looked at Ollie, challenging him.

‘I’m with you, mate,’ Ollie said wearily. ‘I never wanted to leave in the first place.’

David looked over to Rose and she nodded that Ollie was telling the truth.

‘Maxie’s a fool,’ said Ollie, ‘and Blue’s just hacked off that he’s not in charge.’

Ollie walked over to the door, pushing past Maxie and Blue, and went out.

‘It looks like you two are alone then,’ said David.

‘The others won’t go for this,’ said Maxie.

‘Who’s going to help you? Achilleus? I think not. He’s with me now. He knows a good thing when he sees it.’

Rose and the nurse left now, looking rather sheepish. Not catching anyone’s eye.

Maxie and Blue were alone in the room with the silent bandaged girl.

‘You can stay up here as long as you like,’ said David. ‘When you see sense you can join the others. In the meantime, I’m taking charge of all your kids. Goodnight.’

60

Sam didn’t think he could walk another step. He was leaning against The Kid, not sure exactly which of them was holding the other up. They hadn’t spoken for ages, they were too tired and hungry and scared. The steady thin drizzle was making them cold, sapping their spirits. They’d been wandering aimlessly, trying to find food and avoid the marauding gangs of grown-ups who seemed to be very thick on the ground. The Kid’s lighter had eventually run out of fuel and in the dark they were even more confused. They’d passed among the towers of the City and got lost in the tangle of streets that clustered at their feet, backtracking, ru

The river had to be close, and once they hit it they’d know where they were and could get away, but they were losing hope of ever finding it. They knew that if they didn’t stumble across it soon they’d have to find somewhere to spend the night, but the thought of that frightened them. This was an alien place. There were no proper houses, only offices and bars and shops. They wanted to get away from these gigantic glass-faced blocks that hid nameless secrets.