Read Online Breakdown by Sarah Mussi - Free Book Online

hand, drags the end of his jacket over it, grabs hold of the iron pole and starts turning the dog over the fire.
    â€˜The girl,’ Careem says.
    â€˜That’s you,’ whispers Lenny, giving me a little shove. ‘Don’t argue with him. Please don’t, Miss. Do what he says then he won’t hurt you.’
    I stumble forward. Kaylem and Nailey punch me to the ground near the swag. I slip, land on slime, kneel near the offal. I can’t take my eyes off it. The smell. The ground is slick with it.
    â€˜Wanna see what she’s paid already?’ says Careem.
    The crowd draw in tighter. Shouts of approval run through them. ‘Yeah,’ says one voice above the other, ‘and it better be good.’
    â€˜Oh, it’s good all right,’ says Careem.
    And with another nod he indicates that Kaylem and Nailey can show the people what they swapped their dinner for.
    Nailey steps forward, rips the end of the swag open. Out tumble the shoes.
    I can’t quite believe it. I can’t quite believe there’s that many. Those boat people must’ve been rolling in it. How on earth did Tarquin carry all that? But he must have – there they are just lying in front of me.
    The grumbling takes on a less threatening tone. Someone even whoops. I try to get my heart to subside a little, but it doesn’t listen to me. Hands reach forward.
    â€˜Don’t touch,’ says Careem very silkily.
    One of them makes a mistake. Either it’s that or he didn’t hear Careem or he doesn’t care and thinks it worth it. He jumps right forward, straight at a pair of lace-up trainers, and grabs them.
    Kaylem flicks up a hand. The blade arcs and sweeps down through the soft skin of the boy’s throat. The kid drops. Blood sprays out across the shoes.

12

    There’s a huge intake of breath. Nobody moves.
    I crouch there, my heart crashing against my ribs.
    â€˜Now look what you done,’ says Careem mildly. ‘You messed my haul.’ He stands up, steps forwards and prods the dying kid with his foot. The kid’s eyes roll up. He claws at his throat, jerks. A low gurgle.
    Careem shakes his head, sits back down. ‘What a waste,’ he says, nodding at his two guys. They step forward and pull the kid off the pile of shoes and away to one side. ‘Put him out for the dogs,’ says Careem. And as an afterthought, ‘Set some of Shukri’s boys to trap any that come. Put him to some use.’
    Kaylem hauls the dying boy off like he’s already dog bait. I kneel there. In shock. One of their own. It’s just like Nan said. ‘Kill or be killed. Think. Stay alive. Do whatever you must. Or you won’t stand a chance.’
    â€˜Make a line,’ shouts Nailey.
    People are scared. They’re scared to disobey. And they’re scared to come near the shoes. ‘Hurry up,’ yells Nailey. A few straggly lines start to form on the far side of the fire.
    Careem turns to the guys quietly waiting round him. ‘Each of you take a pair,’ he says. They don’t stop to match them up much, or check sizes. They just bend down and take whatever’s nearest.
    â€˜They’ll swap later,’ whispers Lenny. I glance over my shoulder. He’s crept up right behind me, all big eyes and scrawny neck. And suddenly I’m afraid for him. I want him to go back, stay away from those shoes. But he creeps up alongside me, puts his hand in mine. And I can see he’s looking at something in the pile.
    Near the centre is a little cache of kids’ shoes. They’re tied together by their laces. Nobody’s taken them yet. I look at them and think of the kids that once wore those shoes.
    The gangers are just taking the nearest ones. My heart’s still hammering. I look at Lenny’s feet, so raw and scarred. I look at the blood splattered over everything.
    After most of the gang’s chosen, Careem calls Tarquin