Doctor Who_ Halflife - Mark Michalowski [2]
man down, he’ll always be up,’ and Maia had shrieked and hooted, but Joshua didn’t quite understand why they were laughing.
Joshua glanced up from his homework to see Pa tugging on his boots at the back door. By rights Joshua should have done his homework hours ago, but Ma had wanted a hand packing savas, so she’d let him stay up late so’s he wouldn’t get into trouble at school the next day. The holidays were drawing near, and Joshua knew that both Ma and Pa were looking forward to his being able to help them around the house and on the laughable bit of scrubland they called a farm. Joshua didn’t mind; he hated school, hated all the stuff that the rich kids kept going on about – the vidfeeds from other colony worlds that their mas and pas had bought for them, trips to Advent (it sounded a dump, but that didn’t stop him from wanting to go) and Semane – and couldn’t wait until he was old enough to leave.
‘Get back to your homework, Joshua,’ warned his mother, pushing up non-existent sleeves and getting to her feet. Joshua watched her stride over to where Pa was unlocking the gun cabinet.
‘Something’s come down,’ Pa said quietly, checking the rifle and filling his pockets with shells. Ma grabbed at the barrel of the gun, but he swung it away from her and fixed her with a stare. Joshua knew that stare: Pa didn’t use it often, but when he did, Ma usually backed down. One of those unspoken grown-up things.
‘Where? What’s come down?’ Ma asked.
Pa whispered, but Joshua pretended not to be listening, and Pa spoke a bit louder than he ought to have done. He was meeting his brother, Uncle Ake.
‘Ake saw it come down near Wendacre’s Fields.’
‘So why d’you need that, then?’ asked Ma. Joshua guessed that she meant the gun.
‘Hell, woman, you want me to go out there bare-handed? We don’t know what it is. And there might be more of those night beast things out there.’
‘All the more reason to call the city police, then,’ said Ma. Pa must have shaken his head. ‘Why not?’ asked Ma. ‘What d’you think you’re gonna find there? What good’s it gonna do us?’
‘There might be a reward or something. Maybe it’s landed off course.
What’s it doing out here instead of at the port, then?’ Pa paused and Joshua heard the sound of the door being unlocked. ‘Ake reckons it’s an invasion!’ Pa said mock-menacingly, and he heard Ma tut loudly. There was a long pause, Ma muttered something bad about Uncle Ake, and then there was another pause. Joshua stared unseeing at the words on his comp screen, trying hard to make out what Ma and Pa were whispering.
Eventually, she said softly: ‘Don’t do anything stupid, Keef,’ her voice suddenly gentle, like it used to be. Pa said something and was gone, and Ma 3
locked the door behind him.
Moments later, Joshua finished his homework and closed down his comp.
Ma was instantly suspicious, but was none too good at using comps so she gave him one of her looks and said he ought to be off to bed then. Joshua gave her a big, tight hug and ran off upstairs. In his room, he made all the right noises: he clattered about, went to the bathroom, peed, flushed, came back, clattered about some more and got into bed. Of course, he still had all his clothes on. He’d need them if he was going to follow Pa.
Joshua turned out his light – after stuffing some clothes under his sheets in case Ma peeked in – and pushed back the fly screen on the window. As quietly as he could, he clambered out, on to the flat roof of the utility room, slid it back, and jumped down into the fragrant night. A thick clot of midges danced madly around the outside lamp, breaking up as he passed. With a glance back at the house, Joshua raced into the night, following the dim light of Pa’s light.
Joshua hung back: if Pa saw him too soon, he’d send him back home with a sore ear. He heard a tuneless whistle from up ahead, and knew that Pa must still be a bit drunk from his evening ‘social’ with Uncle Ake. Saiarossa city was a good three-quarter-hour’s walk, but Pa still managed to get over there for a few pints every