immediately followed by a grunt and the thud of a limp body hitting the ground.
‘Julius,’ hissed Mr Flynn.
Julius stepped three paces towards his voice. He found Mr Flynn crouched over Baines and extracting a meat cleaver from the fallen man’s hand. Baines’s face was splattered with blood.
‘Over here,’ called out Baines weakly, before Mr Flynn hit him with another bare-knuckle blow.
Julius grabbed Mr Flynn’s coat and they hurried into the darkest corner of the foggy night.
‘Mr Baines? Are you there,’ called out Rapple’s rasping voice.
‘Over here,’ came the muffled sound of Baines trying to speak through broken teeth.
Another light ignited almost directly in front of Julius and Mr Flynn. They froze. Mr Tock stood smiling at them, his blue eyes glowing. He held a giant Lucifer in his hand, apparently unconcerned about the meat cleaver in Mr Flynn’s.
‘How nice.’ he said. ‘Have you come to call? Have you? Have you?’
A sound behind Julius made him start.
Where’s Abigail, Higgins?
Baines groaned out in the fog somewhere.
Mr Flynn held the cleaver ready.
‘Why? It’s our young friend from the bookshop,’ said Tock. ‘Mr Rapple, are you there? Are you? Are you?’
‘Yes, Mr Tock, sir. I’m right here, sir,’ said Rapple.
Rapple emerged from the fog, wielding a machetein one hand and a giant Lucifer in the other. Julius heard the metallic sound of Abigail moving closer.
‘Step aside and let us pass,’ said Mr Flynn, in a voice that would normally have produced obedience from even the most hardened bruiser. It only made Tock smile wider.
‘We can’t do that,’ said Tock. ‘Can we, Mr Rapple?’
‘No, we can’t, Mr Tock, sir,’ came the reply.
Julius saw the red light of Abigail’s remaining eye through the fog.
Mr Flynn swung around so that he had both Tock and Rapple in his sight. Rapple was as tall as him, but Tock barely came up to his watch chain. ‘I’ll not say it again,’ said Mr Flynn. ‘Step aside or I’ll be the one who’s chopping limbs off.’
Tock chuckled.
Julius prepared to duck behind Mr Flynn.
‘Did you like my gift? Did you? Did you?’ said Tock to Julius.
‘Your what?’ said Julius.
‘The orchid,’ said Tock. ‘Did you give it away? Did you? Did you?’
How does he know, Higgins?
The red spot of light was coming closer.
‘Why are you spying on me?’ said Tock. ‘Tell me. Tell me.’
‘I’m not,’ said Julius. ‘I just—’
‘That’s enough,’ said Mr Flynn.
Julius tightened his grip on Mr Flynn’s coat tail. He instinctively knew Mr Flynn’s plan—go for Rapple, floor him, then run across the wasteground to Bermondsey.
‘Kill them,’ said Tock.
Rapple threw the light at Mr Flynn, and lunged at him with the machete raised.
Mr Flynn was too quick. He dodged the light and sidestepped his attacker. Julius leapt out of the way. Rapple checked himself and turned back to strike. But Mr Flynn was quicker still. He swung the meat cleaver and the blunt side caught Rapple squarely on the cheekbone. Rapple’s legs buckled, and the machete fell.
Mr Flynn jumped aside as Abigail came towards them. Julius fell and rolled over, colliding with Rapple who reached out to grab him. But Julius kicked out madly, and his foot connected with Rapple’s chin. The man cried in pain. Mr Flynn grabbed one of Abigail’s claws and smashed the sharp edge of the meat cleaver into the side of her head, shattering what remained of her broken eye and leaving a deep gash in the razor scales.
Abigail let out a screech of metal grinding against metal and fell back.
Julius scrambled to his feet and searched for the machete.
‘Come on,’ said Mr Flynn, reaching past the fallenRapple and grabbing Julius by his shoulder.
‘Do call again,’ called out Tock, as they ran through the cold fog, using the faint lights still burning about the wasteground to find their way.
At the Bermondsey rookery Mr Flynn tossed the meat cleaver over a
‘Julius,’ hissed Mr Flynn.
Julius stepped three paces towards his voice. He found Mr Flynn crouched over Baines and extracting a meat cleaver from the fallen man’s hand. Baines’s face was splattered with blood.
‘Over here,’ called out Baines weakly, before Mr Flynn hit him with another bare-knuckle blow.
Julius grabbed Mr Flynn’s coat and they hurried into the darkest corner of the foggy night.
‘Mr Baines? Are you there,’ called out Rapple’s rasping voice.
‘Over here,’ came the muffled sound of Baines trying to speak through broken teeth.
Another light ignited almost directly in front of Julius and Mr Flynn. They froze. Mr Tock stood smiling at them, his blue eyes glowing. He held a giant Lucifer in his hand, apparently unconcerned about the meat cleaver in Mr Flynn’s.
‘How nice.’ he said. ‘Have you come to call? Have you? Have you?’
A sound behind Julius made him start.
Where’s Abigail, Higgins?
Baines groaned out in the fog somewhere.
Mr Flynn held the cleaver ready.
‘Why? It’s our young friend from the bookshop,’ said Tock. ‘Mr Rapple, are you there? Are you? Are you?’
‘Yes, Mr Tock, sir. I’m right here, sir,’ said Rapple.
Rapple emerged from the fog, wielding a machetein one hand and a giant Lucifer in the other. Julius heard the metallic sound of Abigail moving closer.
‘Step aside and let us pass,’ said Mr Flynn, in a voice that would normally have produced obedience from even the most hardened bruiser. It only made Tock smile wider.
‘We can’t do that,’ said Tock. ‘Can we, Mr Rapple?’
‘No, we can’t, Mr Tock, sir,’ came the reply.
Julius saw the red light of Abigail’s remaining eye through the fog.
Mr Flynn swung around so that he had both Tock and Rapple in his sight. Rapple was as tall as him, but Tock barely came up to his watch chain. ‘I’ll not say it again,’ said Mr Flynn. ‘Step aside or I’ll be the one who’s chopping limbs off.’
Tock chuckled.
Julius prepared to duck behind Mr Flynn.
‘Did you like my gift? Did you? Did you?’ said Tock to Julius.
‘Your what?’ said Julius.
‘The orchid,’ said Tock. ‘Did you give it away? Did you? Did you?’
How does he know, Higgins?
The red spot of light was coming closer.
‘Why are you spying on me?’ said Tock. ‘Tell me. Tell me.’
‘I’m not,’ said Julius. ‘I just—’
‘That’s enough,’ said Mr Flynn.
Julius tightened his grip on Mr Flynn’s coat tail. He instinctively knew Mr Flynn’s plan—go for Rapple, floor him, then run across the wasteground to Bermondsey.
‘Kill them,’ said Tock.
Rapple threw the light at Mr Flynn, and lunged at him with the machete raised.
Mr Flynn was too quick. He dodged the light and sidestepped his attacker. Julius leapt out of the way. Rapple checked himself and turned back to strike. But Mr Flynn was quicker still. He swung the meat cleaver and the blunt side caught Rapple squarely on the cheekbone. Rapple’s legs buckled, and the machete fell.
Mr Flynn jumped aside as Abigail came towards them. Julius fell and rolled over, colliding with Rapple who reached out to grab him. But Julius kicked out madly, and his foot connected with Rapple’s chin. The man cried in pain. Mr Flynn grabbed one of Abigail’s claws and smashed the sharp edge of the meat cleaver into the side of her head, shattering what remained of her broken eye and leaving a deep gash in the razor scales.
Abigail let out a screech of metal grinding against metal and fell back.
Julius scrambled to his feet and searched for the machete.
‘Come on,’ said Mr Flynn, reaching past the fallenRapple and grabbing Julius by his shoulder.
‘Do call again,’ called out Tock, as they ran through the cold fog, using the faint lights still burning about the wasteground to find their way.
At the Bermondsey rookery Mr Flynn tossed the meat cleaver over a
Similar Books
