Read Online Armageddon Heights (a thriller) by D. M. Mitchell - Free Book Online
Authors: D. M. Mitchell
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into the far distance, the appearance one of a grey, frozen sea.
The older man and his wife joined the two men.
‘What’s going on,’ said the man. ‘This is a desert. How’d we end up in a bloody desert?’
‘But where are we?’ the woman asked. ‘You don’t get on a bus going to Northampton and end up in a desert miles from anywhere. I’ve got to be dreaming…’
‘Then we share the same dream, lady,’ said the businessman, reaching down and wiping dust off his immaculately polished black shoes. He saw his partner climbing down the steps of the coach. ‘Get back inside, Cheryl, I’ve got this covered.’ The woman turned meekly around and stepped back onto the coach.
‘So you’ve got it covered, have you?’ said the older man.
‘Sure. There has to be a rational explanation for all this.’ He turned to see Wade walking quietly to the front of the coach and followed him.
This didn’t make sense, thought Wade. The road they were on was little more than a dirt-track only just wide enough to accommodate the bus. It cut across the desert as straight as an arrow towards what looked like a range of purple-coloured mountains many miles away, a scarf of cloud wrapped around the tallest peaks. Turning to face the rear of the bus Wade saw that the road took an equally straight line, fading into the bubbling haze.
‘You knew how to open the door,’ said the businessman. ‘You know something about buses?’
‘I know something about a lot of vehicles,’ he replied distractedly, squinting.
‘Are you with the bus company?’
Wade shook his head. Bent down to the side of the road and scooped up a handful of sand that slowly dribbled though his fingertips.
‘I’ve got to get to Edinburgh…’ the businessman said.
‘So I heard. Look, this isn’t my stop either,’ he said. ‘I’d forget Edinburgh – we’ve got bigger problems.’
‘There has to be a logical explanation.’
‘Sure there has. When you come up with it let me know,’ Wade said, walking past him to the small crowd of people who were getting increasingly agitated. He could sense it coming off them like bad steam. They’d get themselves worked up into a panic next.
‘It’s a dream, man!’ said the young man, twiddling with his headphones. ‘I’m gonna wake up and find out I’ve been having a nightmare. I ate cheese and onion crisps before I went to sleep. Cheese always gives me nightmares.’
‘There’s no real cheese in cheese and onion crisps,’ said the older man.
‘Sure there is!’ the young man almost squealed. ‘Cheese gives you nightmares. This is a nightmare!’ He began to close up on himself like a flower at night, his arms folding around his body.
‘There’s cheese powder, I believe…’ the older woman interjected.
‘What?’ said her husband.
‘Cheese powder in cheese and onion crisps.’
‘What the fuck does that matter?’ the businessman blazed, throwing up his arms in frustration. ‘Your dream, my dream, what does it matter? We’re all in the same fucking dream if you haven’t noticed!’
‘Calm down,’ said Wade, noticing how the rest of the passengers were starting to get restless.
The young man who’d arrived late for the bus stepped up. ‘That’s easy to say, but this is weird. This can’t be happening. A bus can’t take a wrong turn and find itself in a desert, like the lady already said. We’re in the middle of nowhere in a place none of us recognise. And you tell us to calm down? Who the hell do you think you are?’
‘New Mexico,’ said the small balding man in his forties who had been sitting all alone on the bus. He was the last to vacate and was quietly watching proceedings.
‘Say again,’ said the businessman.
‘The man said it’s a place no one recognises. I do. It looks like parts of New Mexico. I went there five years ago.’
‘New Mexico!’ said the businessman. ‘I’ve got to get to Edinburgh! I don’t need to be in New Mexico.’
‘For
The older man and his wife joined the two men.
‘What’s going on,’ said the man. ‘This is a desert. How’d we end up in a bloody desert?’
‘But where are we?’ the woman asked. ‘You don’t get on a bus going to Northampton and end up in a desert miles from anywhere. I’ve got to be dreaming…’
‘Then we share the same dream, lady,’ said the businessman, reaching down and wiping dust off his immaculately polished black shoes. He saw his partner climbing down the steps of the coach. ‘Get back inside, Cheryl, I’ve got this covered.’ The woman turned meekly around and stepped back onto the coach.
‘So you’ve got it covered, have you?’ said the older man.
‘Sure. There has to be a rational explanation for all this.’ He turned to see Wade walking quietly to the front of the coach and followed him.
This didn’t make sense, thought Wade. The road they were on was little more than a dirt-track only just wide enough to accommodate the bus. It cut across the desert as straight as an arrow towards what looked like a range of purple-coloured mountains many miles away, a scarf of cloud wrapped around the tallest peaks. Turning to face the rear of the bus Wade saw that the road took an equally straight line, fading into the bubbling haze.
‘You knew how to open the door,’ said the businessman. ‘You know something about buses?’
‘I know something about a lot of vehicles,’ he replied distractedly, squinting.
‘Are you with the bus company?’
Wade shook his head. Bent down to the side of the road and scooped up a handful of sand that slowly dribbled though his fingertips.
‘I’ve got to get to Edinburgh…’ the businessman said.
‘So I heard. Look, this isn’t my stop either,’ he said. ‘I’d forget Edinburgh – we’ve got bigger problems.’
‘There has to be a logical explanation.’
‘Sure there has. When you come up with it let me know,’ Wade said, walking past him to the small crowd of people who were getting increasingly agitated. He could sense it coming off them like bad steam. They’d get themselves worked up into a panic next.
‘It’s a dream, man!’ said the young man, twiddling with his headphones. ‘I’m gonna wake up and find out I’ve been having a nightmare. I ate cheese and onion crisps before I went to sleep. Cheese always gives me nightmares.’
‘There’s no real cheese in cheese and onion crisps,’ said the older man.
‘Sure there is!’ the young man almost squealed. ‘Cheese gives you nightmares. This is a nightmare!’ He began to close up on himself like a flower at night, his arms folding around his body.
‘There’s cheese powder, I believe…’ the older woman interjected.
‘What?’ said her husband.
‘Cheese powder in cheese and onion crisps.’
‘What the fuck does that matter?’ the businessman blazed, throwing up his arms in frustration. ‘Your dream, my dream, what does it matter? We’re all in the same fucking dream if you haven’t noticed!’
‘Calm down,’ said Wade, noticing how the rest of the passengers were starting to get restless.
The young man who’d arrived late for the bus stepped up. ‘That’s easy to say, but this is weird. This can’t be happening. A bus can’t take a wrong turn and find itself in a desert, like the lady already said. We’re in the middle of nowhere in a place none of us recognise. And you tell us to calm down? Who the hell do you think you are?’
‘New Mexico,’ said the small balding man in his forties who had been sitting all alone on the bus. He was the last to vacate and was quietly watching proceedings.
‘Say again,’ said the businessman.
‘The man said it’s a place no one recognises. I do. It looks like parts of New Mexico. I went there five years ago.’
‘New Mexico!’ said the businessman. ‘I’ve got to get to Edinburgh! I don’t need to be in New Mexico.’
‘For
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