Read Online The Disappearances by Gemma Malley - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Gemma Malley
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‘Horrible things. Thousands of them. Coming from over there. Something’s up.’
Lucas turned to look in the direction that Rab was pointing. Sure enough, away in the distance, there was a small black cloud. They were several hundred metres away but still he could make out a faint buzzing, a focused army preparing for battle. He thought for a moment, then made a decision.
‘This is Clara,’ he said. ‘She’s working with me at the moment. So, the flies. How long have they been there?’ Lucas asked abruptly, walking towards the swamp, towards the path that led to the gate, motioning for Clara to follow. ‘I was here just last week. They weren’t here then.’
Rab shrugged. ‘Few days,’ he said. ‘I told the Brother. He said he’d send someone. Never did. I’d have checked it out myself only you took away my key, didn’t you?’
Lucas counted to three in his head. ‘You told the Brother? Not me? Even though I told you explicitly to run all your communications past me?’
Rab shrugged. ‘You’re here now,’ he said.
Lucas opened his mouth then closed it again; there was no point arguing. Not now. Instead he started to walk towards the cloud; Rab followed. ‘Tell me about the Informers,’ he said.
Rab gave him a long look. ‘Don’t know nothing about any Informers,’ he grunted. ‘It’s not a good sign, flies.’
‘No,’ Lucas agreed. Then he stopped walking, looked Rab in the eye. ‘You know nothing about the Informers? Are you sure?’
Rab looked at him for a moment, then shrugged. ‘You sort out the flies, maybe I’ll see if I remember anything,’ he said.
Lucas felt himself getting impatient, but then calmed himself. He didn’t want to alarm Clara. And anyway, they didn’t have much time and they needed information. That meant playing along with Rab. That meant not losing his temper.
They walked in silence around the back of Rab’s small house, onto the raised path that led through the swamps to the East Gate. Rab went in front, Lucas behind with Clara running behind. Lucas was surprised that even with his height advantage he still had to march quickly to keep up with Rab. The closer they got, the louder the buzzing was. As they approached the gate it was almost unbearable, the flies buzzing around their heads, the noise almost deafening. There was a stench in the air that made it hard to breathe, a stench that made the hair on the back of his neck stand up on end. Whatever had brought the flies here wasn’t good.
As they approached the gate, their pace slowed down; Rab fell back so that he was next to Lucas. ‘Ready?’ Rab asked.
Lucas looked down at Clara, then scanned the horizon. ‘You wait here,’ he said.
‘Here?’ Clara looked at him in alarm. ‘No. I’m coming with you. You promised. You can’t leave me on my own …’
Lucas shot her a look. ‘All right,’ he relented. ‘But when I tell you to turn around, you do it? Okay?’
Clara agreed reluctantly. Then Lucas nodded and took the key from around his neck, where he had kept each of the gate keys since confiscating them. He put the key in the lock and turned it, then pulled the heavy gate. There was a loud clanking sound and the gate began to open; Lucas gave it another pull to help it open before stepping through it to the other side.
The stench became unbearable as they walked towards the flies; Clara fell back, her eyes wide and he nodded for her to stay where she was, as he and Rab continued forwards until they were in the midst of the swarm. Then, as he approached the centre, Lucas bent over involuntarily, dropped to his knees as his stomach clenched, and he threw up. Rab stood beside him, then held out his hand to pull him up. ‘Had a feeling it would be something like this,’ he said gruffly. And as Lucas stood, his eyes turned in the direction Rab was looking, through the swarm of flies, and that’s when he saw her. A body. A girl. Decomposing.
He rushed towards her; could still make out
Lucas turned to look in the direction that Rab was pointing. Sure enough, away in the distance, there was a small black cloud. They were several hundred metres away but still he could make out a faint buzzing, a focused army preparing for battle. He thought for a moment, then made a decision.
‘This is Clara,’ he said. ‘She’s working with me at the moment. So, the flies. How long have they been there?’ Lucas asked abruptly, walking towards the swamp, towards the path that led to the gate, motioning for Clara to follow. ‘I was here just last week. They weren’t here then.’
Rab shrugged. ‘Few days,’ he said. ‘I told the Brother. He said he’d send someone. Never did. I’d have checked it out myself only you took away my key, didn’t you?’
Lucas counted to three in his head. ‘You told the Brother? Not me? Even though I told you explicitly to run all your communications past me?’
Rab shrugged. ‘You’re here now,’ he said.
Lucas opened his mouth then closed it again; there was no point arguing. Not now. Instead he started to walk towards the cloud; Rab followed. ‘Tell me about the Informers,’ he said.
Rab gave him a long look. ‘Don’t know nothing about any Informers,’ he grunted. ‘It’s not a good sign, flies.’
‘No,’ Lucas agreed. Then he stopped walking, looked Rab in the eye. ‘You know nothing about the Informers? Are you sure?’
Rab looked at him for a moment, then shrugged. ‘You sort out the flies, maybe I’ll see if I remember anything,’ he said.
Lucas felt himself getting impatient, but then calmed himself. He didn’t want to alarm Clara. And anyway, they didn’t have much time and they needed information. That meant playing along with Rab. That meant not losing his temper.
They walked in silence around the back of Rab’s small house, onto the raised path that led through the swamps to the East Gate. Rab went in front, Lucas behind with Clara running behind. Lucas was surprised that even with his height advantage he still had to march quickly to keep up with Rab. The closer they got, the louder the buzzing was. As they approached the gate it was almost unbearable, the flies buzzing around their heads, the noise almost deafening. There was a stench in the air that made it hard to breathe, a stench that made the hair on the back of his neck stand up on end. Whatever had brought the flies here wasn’t good.
As they approached the gate, their pace slowed down; Rab fell back so that he was next to Lucas. ‘Ready?’ Rab asked.
Lucas looked down at Clara, then scanned the horizon. ‘You wait here,’ he said.
‘Here?’ Clara looked at him in alarm. ‘No. I’m coming with you. You promised. You can’t leave me on my own …’
Lucas shot her a look. ‘All right,’ he relented. ‘But when I tell you to turn around, you do it? Okay?’
Clara agreed reluctantly. Then Lucas nodded and took the key from around his neck, where he had kept each of the gate keys since confiscating them. He put the key in the lock and turned it, then pulled the heavy gate. There was a loud clanking sound and the gate began to open; Lucas gave it another pull to help it open before stepping through it to the other side.
The stench became unbearable as they walked towards the flies; Clara fell back, her eyes wide and he nodded for her to stay where she was, as he and Rab continued forwards until they were in the midst of the swarm. Then, as he approached the centre, Lucas bent over involuntarily, dropped to his knees as his stomach clenched, and he threw up. Rab stood beside him, then held out his hand to pull him up. ‘Had a feeling it would be something like this,’ he said gruffly. And as Lucas stood, his eyes turned in the direction Rab was looking, through the swarm of flies, and that’s when he saw her. A body. A girl. Decomposing.
He rushed towards her; could still make out
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