before him, jumping with the gun in her hands. The drop was a bit more than her height. He landed easily and started immediately to sprint across the short open space to the lab block. But halfway across he realised she hadn’t followed. He doubled back into the shadow at the base of the house wall. She was leaning against it, vomiting. He put a hand on her shoulder and asked her if she was OK, at the same time glancing back across the open space behind the house, watching for movement. She was sobbing between retches, sobbing and gasping for breath. ‘I killed him,’ she hissed. ‘I shot him.’
He kept his head moving, watching. They were too exposed. He turned her face up towards his. ‘Look. You had no choice,’ he said, not looking at her, watching instead the gap over by the summerhouse. They would come from there, he thought. Any minute now. ‘He would have killed us both,’ he said. ‘He was armed …’
‘I killed him …’
‘You did. But now’s not the time to fucking worry about it. We have to get into cover.’ He pulled her away from the wall and dragged her into the open. They ran together across the space between the house and the lab. He still had hold of her arm. He took her round the back of the building. The jungle was right there, breathing on them. He thought they should bolt into it, keep running, get some distance between themselves and the house. Then he could talk to her, find out how they could get off the island, or where the emergency button was, or whatever it was they must have had planned for this kind of thing. But she pulled him back as he stepped towards the bushes. ‘I can’t,’ she said.
‘Can’t what?’
‘I can’t just run.’
‘If you don’t they’ll kill you.’
‘I don’t think so. I’m valuable alive. You should run, though. You should get away from me …’ She stopped. He saw in her eyes that she was terrified he would actually leave her. ‘Get away from me,’ she said again, her lips twisting. ‘You’ll get killed if you’re with me. Leave me.’
‘No fucking way,’ he said. ‘I haven’t a clue where I am. And we both need to run. I can’t just leave you. It doesn’t work like that.’
‘I have to help Janine,’ she said. ‘She’s my friend.’
He caught himself. Friendship was one thing, but this was extremity. It was everyone for themselves now. Besides, Janine had probably already been caught. God knew what had happened to her if this really was some kind of pirate attack. He held his tongue, went down into a crouch, listening intently to see if anyone was following. Still no noise. ‘OK,’ he said, gritting his teeth. ‘Where is she?’
‘In the house. Where we’ve come from. Ground floor.’
‘We can’t go back in there. There were …’ He stopped abruptly. They had both heard something. Footsteps coming from the area between the house and the lab. ‘Down here,’ she hissed. Before he could stop her she was flat on her belly and crawling fast through the undergrowth, back towards the lab wall. He went down but kept completely still, too nervous to move. Within seconds she was ahead of him, up by the concrete lab wall. He couldn’t see her but she was making too much noise. He wanted to shout at her to shut up, keep still. If someone came round the side now they would hear her at once. Then all they would have to do was fire at the noise. He could hear more shouting now, but from much farther away.
Then a shot. It sounded close. He flinched, covering his head with his hands. He held his breath, waiting. He was in shadow and half covered by the undergrowth. He kept his eyes screwed tightly shut, in a kind of instinctive flinch, certain there was someone standing there, at the very end of the lab block, looking down the line of the building, staring right at him, about to shoot. He started to count.
Nothing happened. He kept counting, reached eighty and exhaled slowly. He held his breath again, all his
He kept his head moving, watching. They were too exposed. He turned her face up towards his. ‘Look. You had no choice,’ he said, not looking at her, watching instead the gap over by the summerhouse. They would come from there, he thought. Any minute now. ‘He would have killed us both,’ he said. ‘He was armed …’
‘I killed him …’
‘You did. But now’s not the time to fucking worry about it. We have to get into cover.’ He pulled her away from the wall and dragged her into the open. They ran together across the space between the house and the lab. He still had hold of her arm. He took her round the back of the building. The jungle was right there, breathing on them. He thought they should bolt into it, keep running, get some distance between themselves and the house. Then he could talk to her, find out how they could get off the island, or where the emergency button was, or whatever it was they must have had planned for this kind of thing. But she pulled him back as he stepped towards the bushes. ‘I can’t,’ she said.
‘Can’t what?’
‘I can’t just run.’
‘If you don’t they’ll kill you.’
‘I don’t think so. I’m valuable alive. You should run, though. You should get away from me …’ She stopped. He saw in her eyes that she was terrified he would actually leave her. ‘Get away from me,’ she said again, her lips twisting. ‘You’ll get killed if you’re with me. Leave me.’
‘No fucking way,’ he said. ‘I haven’t a clue where I am. And we both need to run. I can’t just leave you. It doesn’t work like that.’
‘I have to help Janine,’ she said. ‘She’s my friend.’
He caught himself. Friendship was one thing, but this was extremity. It was everyone for themselves now. Besides, Janine had probably already been caught. God knew what had happened to her if this really was some kind of pirate attack. He held his tongue, went down into a crouch, listening intently to see if anyone was following. Still no noise. ‘OK,’ he said, gritting his teeth. ‘Where is she?’
‘In the house. Where we’ve come from. Ground floor.’
‘We can’t go back in there. There were …’ He stopped abruptly. They had both heard something. Footsteps coming from the area between the house and the lab. ‘Down here,’ she hissed. Before he could stop her she was flat on her belly and crawling fast through the undergrowth, back towards the lab wall. He went down but kept completely still, too nervous to move. Within seconds she was ahead of him, up by the concrete lab wall. He couldn’t see her but she was making too much noise. He wanted to shout at her to shut up, keep still. If someone came round the side now they would hear her at once. Then all they would have to do was fire at the noise. He could hear more shouting now, but from much farther away.
Then a shot. It sounded close. He flinched, covering his head with his hands. He held his breath, waiting. He was in shadow and half covered by the undergrowth. He kept his eyes screwed tightly shut, in a kind of instinctive flinch, certain there was someone standing there, at the very end of the lab block, looking down the line of the building, staring right at him, about to shoot. He started to count.
Nothing happened. He kept counting, reached eighty and exhaled slowly. He held his breath again, all his
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