must you! You don’t know who could be down here now it’s starting to get dark!’
Behind us, Max groans.
‘Is that Cade?’ Mrs Holloway says, squinting into the shadows as I try to keep the panic off my face. ‘I’ve not seen him today. What’s he doing on the ground?’
‘He’s been teaching me some self-defence,’ I say quickly. ‘You know, what with it being such a dodgy area, and all. Only it went a bit wrong and he’s hurt his back.’
Max groans again.
‘Oh dear,’ Mrs Holloway says. ‘I do sympathize – I have such trouble with my back. Let me help you get him inside.’
‘No!’ I say. ‘I mean, it’s OK. It’s just a spasm – it’s happened before. If he lies still for a bit it’ll pass, and he’ll be fine. Honestly, moving him right now will just make it worse.’
Mrs Holloway frowns, her chins quivering. ‘Well, if you’re sure . . .’
I glance back at Max, relieved it’s so gloomy down here that you can’t see his face, or the state his clothes are in. ‘I’m sure,’ I tell her, trying to smile.
‘I’d better get back, then,’ Mrs Holloway says. ‘I need to put a page up on the kommweb for Sammie, and organize the search party – you and Cade are welcome to join us!’
‘We will if his back’s all right!’ I promise with as much fake enthusiasm as I can muster. I watch as she trots back up the path, and turn back to Max. His arms are clenched round his body as if he’s trying to stop himself breaking into pieces.
‘Thanks,’ I tell him. ‘Now I’m really in the shit. If I leave you here and someone finds you, Mrs H’ll remember seeing me with you and report me to ACID. They’ll find out Cade’s gone and I’ll probably never see daylight again.’
Max moans. His face is so pale that, in the gathering dark, it’s almost luminous, and his teeth are rattling together harder than ever. With a wave of pity mixed with disgust, I realize what’s wrong. He’s a niner – a CloudNine addict. A few of the inmates at Mileway were hooked on the stuff, blue granules you take by dissolving them under your tongue. The first time you try it, apparently, it’s awful – a short high followed by such intense sickness and dizziness you think you’re going to die. But after that the effects are completely different: it ramps you up, making you feel as if you have super-human energy. The comedown is brutal, though, and by the looks of it, that’s what’s happening to Max now.
‘H-have you g-got any—’ he begins, the rest of the sentence lost to the shudders racking through him.
‘Gear?’ I say. ‘No. Do I look like a niner to you?’
I push my hands through my hair. What do I do? I could carry him a bit further along the path, find somewhere to hide him, but what if someone sees me or a spotter comes along? And even if I manage it and ACID never find him, what will happen to him after that? I might not have actually killed Alex Fisher, but it was because of me that he lost his life. Whenever I close my eyes, I see him lying face-down on the incarceration tower roof, the charge from the ACID agents’ pulse guns slowly fizzling out as his life ebbs away with it. I can’t let his son die too.
Anyway, if I go back to Anderson Court on my own, Mrs Holloway’s going to want to know where ‘Cade’ got to.
‘Get up,’ I tell Max. When he doesn’t move, I lean down , yank his hood back up and scoop him onto his feet so he’s propped up against me. ‘Walk,’ I hiss, wrinkling my nose at his stale, sour odour.
‘I can’t,’ he says.
‘You can, or I’m gonna leave you here for ACID.’
He starts to move, a jerky shamble, stumbling against me every few steps.
‘Walk properly,’ I say. ‘Otherwise you’re gonna get us both arrested.’
He tries to straighten up. The improvement is negligible.
Slowly, we make our way to Anderson Court. The foyer’s empty, so I drag Max into one of the lifts and jab the button for my floor. As soon as the
Behind us, Max groans.
‘Is that Cade?’ Mrs Holloway says, squinting into the shadows as I try to keep the panic off my face. ‘I’ve not seen him today. What’s he doing on the ground?’
‘He’s been teaching me some self-defence,’ I say quickly. ‘You know, what with it being such a dodgy area, and all. Only it went a bit wrong and he’s hurt his back.’
Max groans again.
‘Oh dear,’ Mrs Holloway says. ‘I do sympathize – I have such trouble with my back. Let me help you get him inside.’
‘No!’ I say. ‘I mean, it’s OK. It’s just a spasm – it’s happened before. If he lies still for a bit it’ll pass, and he’ll be fine. Honestly, moving him right now will just make it worse.’
Mrs Holloway frowns, her chins quivering. ‘Well, if you’re sure . . .’
I glance back at Max, relieved it’s so gloomy down here that you can’t see his face, or the state his clothes are in. ‘I’m sure,’ I tell her, trying to smile.
‘I’d better get back, then,’ Mrs Holloway says. ‘I need to put a page up on the kommweb for Sammie, and organize the search party – you and Cade are welcome to join us!’
‘We will if his back’s all right!’ I promise with as much fake enthusiasm as I can muster. I watch as she trots back up the path, and turn back to Max. His arms are clenched round his body as if he’s trying to stop himself breaking into pieces.
‘Thanks,’ I tell him. ‘Now I’m really in the shit. If I leave you here and someone finds you, Mrs H’ll remember seeing me with you and report me to ACID. They’ll find out Cade’s gone and I’ll probably never see daylight again.’
Max moans. His face is so pale that, in the gathering dark, it’s almost luminous, and his teeth are rattling together harder than ever. With a wave of pity mixed with disgust, I realize what’s wrong. He’s a niner – a CloudNine addict. A few of the inmates at Mileway were hooked on the stuff, blue granules you take by dissolving them under your tongue. The first time you try it, apparently, it’s awful – a short high followed by such intense sickness and dizziness you think you’re going to die. But after that the effects are completely different: it ramps you up, making you feel as if you have super-human energy. The comedown is brutal, though, and by the looks of it, that’s what’s happening to Max now.
‘H-have you g-got any—’ he begins, the rest of the sentence lost to the shudders racking through him.
‘Gear?’ I say. ‘No. Do I look like a niner to you?’
I push my hands through my hair. What do I do? I could carry him a bit further along the path, find somewhere to hide him, but what if someone sees me or a spotter comes along? And even if I manage it and ACID never find him, what will happen to him after that? I might not have actually killed Alex Fisher, but it was because of me that he lost his life. Whenever I close my eyes, I see him lying face-down on the incarceration tower roof, the charge from the ACID agents’ pulse guns slowly fizzling out as his life ebbs away with it. I can’t let his son die too.
Anyway, if I go back to Anderson Court on my own, Mrs Holloway’s going to want to know where ‘Cade’ got to.
‘Get up,’ I tell Max. When he doesn’t move, I lean down , yank his hood back up and scoop him onto his feet so he’s propped up against me. ‘Walk,’ I hiss, wrinkling my nose at his stale, sour odour.
‘I can’t,’ he says.
‘You can, or I’m gonna leave you here for ACID.’
He starts to move, a jerky shamble, stumbling against me every few steps.
‘Walk properly,’ I say. ‘Otherwise you’re gonna get us both arrested.’
He tries to straighten up. The improvement is negligible.
Slowly, we make our way to Anderson Court. The foyer’s empty, so I drag Max into one of the lifts and jab the button for my floor. As soon as the
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