one of the cast-iron channels in the foundry where her father worked that fuelled her punch. It connected with Alex's nose with a solid, satisfying crunch that hurt her knuckles and sent him reeling backwards spraying blood.
He yelped and clamped a hand over his injury. “Oo've dwoke me duckin dose, ooh ditch!” he cried in shock.
"I'll break your fucking neck, you—you bastard!” Mary launched herself at Alex, wanting to smash him into a bloody pulp. Carl's arm hooked around her waist and swept her gently off her feet and swung her around him in an arc.
"You'd better get out of here while you still can, Alex,” Carl chuckled, “and take Julie with you. Go on, get out of here."
Without waiting for Alex's response, Carl ushered Mary into the kitchen and over to the sink. He turned on the cold tap and held her right hand in the flow of the water. “Hold your hand under there while I make a cold compress. Otherwise your knuckles are going to be badly bruised in a few minutes. Let's hope you didn't break any fingers busting Alex's nose."
"It would be worth it,” Mary muttered, as Carl placed a neatly rolled up napkin under the cold water. “I'll have to ring Jay in a minute and warn her."
Chapter 8
Twenty-seven years earlier. England 1985
Seven-year-old Adam lay on his back in the darkness of the room he shared with eight-year-old Ben, and Eve who was also eight. Something had woken him, but he wasn't sure what. So he listened, and waited trying to work out what it was that had drawn him out of his dream.
"Hey, Adam, are you awake?” He looked to his left and saw Eve sitting up in her bed looking at him.
"Yes, something woke me up,” he whispered back, because Janine, their keeper, would be cross if their talking woke her. She slept in a small room just outside the locked door of their room, the key of which was fastened to her belt.
"Me too,” Eve whispered, “and Ben."
"We thought you were still asleep,” Ben hissed from Adam's right. His bed creaked slightly and then he was padding over to Adam's bed and sitting down on the end. “I thought I heard someone calling me from inside my head."
"That's what it sounded like to me too,” Eve said. “What about you, Adam?"
"I can't remember, but how can anyone call you from inside your head? And we don't know anyone except, Janine, the doctor and those men who come to see us sometimes, but they haven't been to see us for ages."
"Not since the doctor finished giving us those injections a couple of years ago,” Ben agreed. “That's when he told us there wouldn't be anymore, because his experiments hadn't worked."
"I hated it when he used to cut bits off us with his knife to see if we bled or could re-grow the missing bits,” Eve complained. “It was stupid and used to hurt like shit!"
"Eve!” Adam didn't like to hear her swear.
But Eve wasn't listening. She was staring open mouthed at the barred window and so was Ben.
Lights were dancing over the window. Tiny spheres of brilliant red, green, blue, white and yellow lights, hundreds of them were swirling and spiralling across the window. Adam thought they were amazing and even when they stopped dancing and formed into words, he couldn't stop smiling. The lights made him feel good.
Hello Adam-Ben-Eve , the lights spelled out and then swirled around to spell out more words. Come outside we're waiting .
"We can't,” Eve said. “We're locked in."
Close your eyes and we will open the window .
Adam looked at the others and they both grinned at him and screwed their eyes shut, so he did the same. Even with his eyes shut he could see the lights glowing far brighter than before, so bright it almost hurt. Then they dimmed and when he opened his eyes, he saw that the iron bars on the window had melted and he felt the night air blowing through the window. The glass was gone too.
The lights were about three feet away and Adam stared in surprise at the figures standing smiling at him. There were seven of
He yelped and clamped a hand over his injury. “Oo've dwoke me duckin dose, ooh ditch!” he cried in shock.
"I'll break your fucking neck, you—you bastard!” Mary launched herself at Alex, wanting to smash him into a bloody pulp. Carl's arm hooked around her waist and swept her gently off her feet and swung her around him in an arc.
"You'd better get out of here while you still can, Alex,” Carl chuckled, “and take Julie with you. Go on, get out of here."
Without waiting for Alex's response, Carl ushered Mary into the kitchen and over to the sink. He turned on the cold tap and held her right hand in the flow of the water. “Hold your hand under there while I make a cold compress. Otherwise your knuckles are going to be badly bruised in a few minutes. Let's hope you didn't break any fingers busting Alex's nose."
"It would be worth it,” Mary muttered, as Carl placed a neatly rolled up napkin under the cold water. “I'll have to ring Jay in a minute and warn her."
Chapter 8
Twenty-seven years earlier. England 1985
Seven-year-old Adam lay on his back in the darkness of the room he shared with eight-year-old Ben, and Eve who was also eight. Something had woken him, but he wasn't sure what. So he listened, and waited trying to work out what it was that had drawn him out of his dream.
"Hey, Adam, are you awake?” He looked to his left and saw Eve sitting up in her bed looking at him.
"Yes, something woke me up,” he whispered back, because Janine, their keeper, would be cross if their talking woke her. She slept in a small room just outside the locked door of their room, the key of which was fastened to her belt.
"Me too,” Eve whispered, “and Ben."
"We thought you were still asleep,” Ben hissed from Adam's right. His bed creaked slightly and then he was padding over to Adam's bed and sitting down on the end. “I thought I heard someone calling me from inside my head."
"That's what it sounded like to me too,” Eve said. “What about you, Adam?"
"I can't remember, but how can anyone call you from inside your head? And we don't know anyone except, Janine, the doctor and those men who come to see us sometimes, but they haven't been to see us for ages."
"Not since the doctor finished giving us those injections a couple of years ago,” Ben agreed. “That's when he told us there wouldn't be anymore, because his experiments hadn't worked."
"I hated it when he used to cut bits off us with his knife to see if we bled or could re-grow the missing bits,” Eve complained. “It was stupid and used to hurt like shit!"
"Eve!” Adam didn't like to hear her swear.
But Eve wasn't listening. She was staring open mouthed at the barred window and so was Ben.
Lights were dancing over the window. Tiny spheres of brilliant red, green, blue, white and yellow lights, hundreds of them were swirling and spiralling across the window. Adam thought they were amazing and even when they stopped dancing and formed into words, he couldn't stop smiling. The lights made him feel good.
Hello Adam-Ben-Eve , the lights spelled out and then swirled around to spell out more words. Come outside we're waiting .
"We can't,” Eve said. “We're locked in."
Close your eyes and we will open the window .
Adam looked at the others and they both grinned at him and screwed their eyes shut, so he did the same. Even with his eyes shut he could see the lights glowing far brighter than before, so bright it almost hurt. Then they dimmed and when he opened his eyes, he saw that the iron bars on the window had melted and he felt the night air blowing through the window. The glass was gone too.
The lights were about three feet away and Adam stared in surprise at the figures standing smiling at him. There were seven of
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