Read Online The Black Crow Conspiracy by Christopher Edge - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Christopher Edge
Ads: Link
said, the darkness hiding his blushes. “I’m starving.”
“I’m not talking about your stomach,” Penny replied, pressing her ear against the wall. “Listen.”
Alfie strained his ears, slowly nodding his head as he heard the same high-pitched whine.
“What is it?” he asked.
“I don’t know,” Penny said, keeping her voice low. “But it’s coming from inside.”
The two of them stood silent in the gloom, listening intently to try and discern what on earth was making this sound, when suddenly it ceased.
Alfie glanced towards Penny, her face still hidden in the shadows.
“If there’s somebody working in there, perhaps we should knock on the door again.”
He took half a step forward, but then Penny grabbed hold of his arm.
“Wait,” she hissed, her eyes fixed on the door. “Look.”
Following her gaze, Alfie froze in fear. In thedarkness, the shadows were moving. The door was still closed, but Penelope watched spellbound as a figure dressed in a long dark coat slowly emerged from the gloom. His face was swathed in a muffling scarf, a broad black cap pulled low over his eyes. But between the brim of his cap and the dark material of his scarf, Penny could just see the thin strip of skin around his eyes. It glowed.
She shrank back into the shadows, her hand clinging to Alfie’s arm as her friend held his breath. With a swift glance around him, the radiant boy began to climb the steps that led to the street above, his footsteps silent against the stone.
“Shall we follow him?” Alfie whispered, his initial sense of alarm replaced with an eagerness to finally escape from their hiding space.
Penny was just about to agree to her friend’s suggestion, when another movement in the shadows stilled her lips. From the darkness of the closed door, yet more figures were emerging. They seemed more like shadows than men; black greatcoats trailing through the gloom as each figure climbed towards the darkness of the street. Every face was masked by the same swathes of dark material, the scarves covering their features almost completely. As her heart thumped in her chest, Penny prayed that none of these radiant boys would glance towards the place wherethey were hiding. She felt Alfie’s hand steal into her own, although whether he was seeking reassurance or trying to give it, she wasn’t quite sure.
“How many of them are there?” he said, the murmur of his words almost too low to hear.
As the last of the black-coated figures began to climb the steps, Penelope shook her head in reply. She must have seen more than a dozen of these so-called radiant boys emerge from the darkness, but as she turned again to stare at the door, she saw that it was still firmly shut. Had they just walked straight through it? There was only one way to find out if these were men or ghosts.
“Come on,” she muttered, squeezing Alfie’s hand. “We have to follow them.”
The two of them scurried up the steps, Alfie casting a nervous glance back over his shoulder in case any more of these radiant boys emerged from the shadows. As she climbed, Penny’s mind ran through the impossibility of what she had just seen. She had thought that the newspaper reports she had read described the movements of a single man, but this army of ghosts gave a much better explanation for the sightings criss-crossing the city.
Reaching the pavement, Penny glanced left and then right, her gaze searching the gloom of the street for any sign of the black-coated figures. Along the grand terrace, most of the houses layin darkness, their shutters drawn against the evening chill, but beneath the shadow of the Duke of York’s statue Penny caught a glimpse of two scurrying figures, their dark coats flapping as they turned to descend the stone steps that led to the Mall.
“This way,” she whispered, tugging at Alfie’s arm as she followed them in swift pursuit. Reaching the top of the broad stone steps, Penny saw that the shadowy duo were already
“I’m not talking about your stomach,” Penny replied, pressing her ear against the wall. “Listen.”
Alfie strained his ears, slowly nodding his head as he heard the same high-pitched whine.
“What is it?” he asked.
“I don’t know,” Penny said, keeping her voice low. “But it’s coming from inside.”
The two of them stood silent in the gloom, listening intently to try and discern what on earth was making this sound, when suddenly it ceased.
Alfie glanced towards Penny, her face still hidden in the shadows.
“If there’s somebody working in there, perhaps we should knock on the door again.”
He took half a step forward, but then Penny grabbed hold of his arm.
“Wait,” she hissed, her eyes fixed on the door. “Look.”
Following her gaze, Alfie froze in fear. In thedarkness, the shadows were moving. The door was still closed, but Penelope watched spellbound as a figure dressed in a long dark coat slowly emerged from the gloom. His face was swathed in a muffling scarf, a broad black cap pulled low over his eyes. But between the brim of his cap and the dark material of his scarf, Penny could just see the thin strip of skin around his eyes. It glowed.
She shrank back into the shadows, her hand clinging to Alfie’s arm as her friend held his breath. With a swift glance around him, the radiant boy began to climb the steps that led to the street above, his footsteps silent against the stone.
“Shall we follow him?” Alfie whispered, his initial sense of alarm replaced with an eagerness to finally escape from their hiding space.
Penny was just about to agree to her friend’s suggestion, when another movement in the shadows stilled her lips. From the darkness of the closed door, yet more figures were emerging. They seemed more like shadows than men; black greatcoats trailing through the gloom as each figure climbed towards the darkness of the street. Every face was masked by the same swathes of dark material, the scarves covering their features almost completely. As her heart thumped in her chest, Penny prayed that none of these radiant boys would glance towards the place wherethey were hiding. She felt Alfie’s hand steal into her own, although whether he was seeking reassurance or trying to give it, she wasn’t quite sure.
“How many of them are there?” he said, the murmur of his words almost too low to hear.
As the last of the black-coated figures began to climb the steps, Penelope shook her head in reply. She must have seen more than a dozen of these so-called radiant boys emerge from the darkness, but as she turned again to stare at the door, she saw that it was still firmly shut. Had they just walked straight through it? There was only one way to find out if these were men or ghosts.
“Come on,” she muttered, squeezing Alfie’s hand. “We have to follow them.”
The two of them scurried up the steps, Alfie casting a nervous glance back over his shoulder in case any more of these radiant boys emerged from the shadows. As she climbed, Penny’s mind ran through the impossibility of what she had just seen. She had thought that the newspaper reports she had read described the movements of a single man, but this army of ghosts gave a much better explanation for the sightings criss-crossing the city.
Reaching the pavement, Penny glanced left and then right, her gaze searching the gloom of the street for any sign of the black-coated figures. Along the grand terrace, most of the houses layin darkness, their shutters drawn against the evening chill, but beneath the shadow of the Duke of York’s statue Penny caught a glimpse of two scurrying figures, their dark coats flapping as they turned to descend the stone steps that led to the Mall.
“This way,” she whispered, tugging at Alfie’s arm as she followed them in swift pursuit. Reaching the top of the broad stone steps, Penny saw that the shadowy duo were already
Similar Books
