Read Online The Dead by Charlie Higson - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Charlie Higson
Tags: General, Juvenile Fiction
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like a plan,’ said Ed.
When they got outside, they found the group of boys from Field House were throwing bricks at a glossy black Mercedes that had been left in the car park. They were trying to break the windscreen, but so far the bricks were just bouncing off.
‘Stand aside!’ said Bam, and he picked up a huge block of masonry.
He ran at the car and hefted his missile at it with a grunt.
This time the glass shattered and the boys cheered.
The bang had seemed startlingly loud, as did the wailing alarm that followed it. It shrieked for about thirty seconds then stopped.
The silence that followed was perhaps even more extreme. There were no angry shouts from adults, no sound of traffic, no aeroplanes overhead, no music …
The boys too were quiet. Thoughtful. They were in a world of silence now, something that none of them had ever really known before. The comforting hum and buzz of civilization had ceased.
‘Come on,’ Bam shouted. ‘Let’s hear some noise! What’s happened to the singing? We’re on the road, a band-of-brothers, team effort and all that! How about a group hug before we go?’
‘What?’ Ed looked at him as if he’d lost his mind.
‘Joke. OK?’ said Bam, laughing. ‘Don’t lose your sense of humour, Ed me old mate. Now ándale , ándale ! Let’s get motoring.’
As they marched off singing the car alarm started up again as if cheering them on.
12
Jack was trudging along in the opposite direction out of town, wondering if he’d made the right decision. Apart from Matt and Archie Bishop and their six young acolytes nobody else had come with him and he was beginning to feel very alone.
Matt wouldn’t shut up. He seemed to be able to talk tirelessly about his new religion. Spouting a non-stop stream of babble. To make it worse, if he ever paused, one of the acolytes would ask him a question and he’d be off again.
He was droning on now about what they could expect when they got to London.
‘… it will be changed by the Lamb to become a city of pure gold, as pure as glass, like transparent glass with twelve gates made of pearls, each gate made of a single pearl. You see? And there will be food, more food than we can eat, and clean water.’
‘But won’t it be hard to get there?’ asked Phil, the smallest acolyte.
‘The Lamb will test us,’ said Matt, and he scrabbled through his scorched pages for a couple of minutes before he found the passage he was looking for. ‘ The first angel sounded his trumpet, and there came hail and fire mixed with blood, and it was hurled down upon the earth. A third of the earth was burned up, a third of the trees were burned up, and all the green grass was burned up. The second angel sounded his trumpet, and a third of the sea turned into blood, and a third of the ships were destroyed . You see, we’ll have to go through fire, and rivers of blood.’
‘And a shipwreck?’ asked another acolyte.
‘Maybe.’
‘That sounds a bit scary,’ said Phil. ‘This is all a bit too real. It was all right in the chapel. I don’t like it out here. It’s like a ghost town.’
‘ Do not be afraid ,’ said Matt, quoting again. ‘ I am the First and the Last. I am the Living One. I was dead, and behold I am alive forever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades . You see? The Lamb will look after us.’
Jack sighed. He didn’t have an iPod he could plug into his ears. The battery had long ago died on him. He wasn’t sure he could put up with seven hours of this.
13
Ed was walking along with Malik and Bam. Bam as cheerful as ever. It seemed that not even the rain could spoil his good mood.
‘Don’t you ever get miserable, Bam?’ Ed asked.
‘Nope.’
‘Or scared?’
‘Nope.’
‘Why not? What’s your secret?’
‘I have no imagination,’ Bam said in a very matter-of-fact way. ‘Never have done. Never will. Works just fine for me.’
‘Do you think we’re doing the right thing?’ Ed said quietly. ‘Going to
When they got outside, they found the group of boys from Field House were throwing bricks at a glossy black Mercedes that had been left in the car park. They were trying to break the windscreen, but so far the bricks were just bouncing off.
‘Stand aside!’ said Bam, and he picked up a huge block of masonry.
He ran at the car and hefted his missile at it with a grunt.
This time the glass shattered and the boys cheered.
The bang had seemed startlingly loud, as did the wailing alarm that followed it. It shrieked for about thirty seconds then stopped.
The silence that followed was perhaps even more extreme. There were no angry shouts from adults, no sound of traffic, no aeroplanes overhead, no music …
The boys too were quiet. Thoughtful. They were in a world of silence now, something that none of them had ever really known before. The comforting hum and buzz of civilization had ceased.
‘Come on,’ Bam shouted. ‘Let’s hear some noise! What’s happened to the singing? We’re on the road, a band-of-brothers, team effort and all that! How about a group hug before we go?’
‘What?’ Ed looked at him as if he’d lost his mind.
‘Joke. OK?’ said Bam, laughing. ‘Don’t lose your sense of humour, Ed me old mate. Now ándale , ándale ! Let’s get motoring.’
As they marched off singing the car alarm started up again as if cheering them on.
12
Jack was trudging along in the opposite direction out of town, wondering if he’d made the right decision. Apart from Matt and Archie Bishop and their six young acolytes nobody else had come with him and he was beginning to feel very alone.
Matt wouldn’t shut up. He seemed to be able to talk tirelessly about his new religion. Spouting a non-stop stream of babble. To make it worse, if he ever paused, one of the acolytes would ask him a question and he’d be off again.
He was droning on now about what they could expect when they got to London.
‘… it will be changed by the Lamb to become a city of pure gold, as pure as glass, like transparent glass with twelve gates made of pearls, each gate made of a single pearl. You see? And there will be food, more food than we can eat, and clean water.’
‘But won’t it be hard to get there?’ asked Phil, the smallest acolyte.
‘The Lamb will test us,’ said Matt, and he scrabbled through his scorched pages for a couple of minutes before he found the passage he was looking for. ‘ The first angel sounded his trumpet, and there came hail and fire mixed with blood, and it was hurled down upon the earth. A third of the earth was burned up, a third of the trees were burned up, and all the green grass was burned up. The second angel sounded his trumpet, and a third of the sea turned into blood, and a third of the ships were destroyed . You see, we’ll have to go through fire, and rivers of blood.’
‘And a shipwreck?’ asked another acolyte.
‘Maybe.’
‘That sounds a bit scary,’ said Phil. ‘This is all a bit too real. It was all right in the chapel. I don’t like it out here. It’s like a ghost town.’
‘ Do not be afraid ,’ said Matt, quoting again. ‘ I am the First and the Last. I am the Living One. I was dead, and behold I am alive forever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades . You see? The Lamb will look after us.’
Jack sighed. He didn’t have an iPod he could plug into his ears. The battery had long ago died on him. He wasn’t sure he could put up with seven hours of this.
13
Ed was walking along with Malik and Bam. Bam as cheerful as ever. It seemed that not even the rain could spoil his good mood.
‘Don’t you ever get miserable, Bam?’ Ed asked.
‘Nope.’
‘Or scared?’
‘Nope.’
‘Why not? What’s your secret?’
‘I have no imagination,’ Bam said in a very matter-of-fact way. ‘Never have done. Never will. Works just fine for me.’
‘Do you think we’re doing the right thing?’ Ed said quietly. ‘Going to
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