Doctor Who_ Warchild - Andrew Cartmel [39]
‘On our way, Redmond,’ she announced into the helmet mike. She was moving quickly, anxious to be past the danger zone of the alley. Once she had nothing but open space between her and the armoured car she would be happier.
Still no response from Redmond. Roz felt a stab of alarm. She remembered the open hatch on the armoured car.
What if he hadn’t sealed it again? What if something had slipped inside? She started running towards the alley.
‘Redmond, are you there?’
‘It’s too late, Roz.’ His voice was a tired sigh in her ear.
‘What?’
‘They’ve cut you off.’
‘They? Who? I don’t see any of them.’
‘They’re all around you. Get back into the house again.’
No, we can make it to the vehicle.’
‘You can’t. They’re closing in, Roz. Better collect the old lady and get all three of you back inside.’
Roz stopped running and stood frozen on the pavement.
Ahead of her she could see Mrs Woodcott standing in the mouth of the alley. She was waving at Roz.
‘I’ll drive around the front and pick you up,’ said Redmond in her ear.
‘OK,’ said Roz. She beckoned impatiently for Mrs Woodcott to come and join her. As the woman began to move out of the alley Roz heard the engine of the armoured car start up. ‘By the way,’ she said into the helmet mike,
‘don’t forget to secure the hatch, Redmond.’ Then she turned around to intercept Jessica.
Jessica was coming from the direction of the house, jogging shakily towards Roz. Roz tried to imagine what the stewardess had been through this evening and her mind flinched away from the thought. She held up her hand, gesturing for the girl to stop. She realized she wasn’t getting any response from the vehicle. ‘Redmond,’ she said into the helmet mike.
Back up the pavement Jessica had duly stopped. But Roz had the strangest feeling that it had nothing to do with her. Jessica stood on the pavement, the small framed picture in her hand. She looked like someone who had stopped because she’d seen something. Something so startling that it rooted her to the spot.
‘Redmond,’ said Roz into the mike again. All she was getting on the helmet headphones was static. She shook her head furiously as though that would clear the static. Too many things were happening at once.
Mrs Woodcott was trotting from the alley to join her. But what about Jessica?
Roz turned to check on her. Jessica was still standing motionless on the pavement, staring up at a cluster of dark branches hanging above a nearby garden wall. From beyond the wall Roz could hear the distant grumble of the approaching armoured car.
For some reason the engine didn’t sound right.
Roz activated the microphone on her helmet. ‘Redmond!’
As if in reply to her call, the static on Roz’s headphones suddenly gave way to a blast of sound. Roz hit the cut-off button and killed the headphone before it deafened her. Her brain slowly compensated for the extreme volume and she gradually identified the sound.
A huge, booming snarl.
As if a fanged muzzle had been at point-blank range, almost engulfing the microphone.
Then a movement caught her eye and Roz saw what Jessica was staring at on the garden wall.
Roz raised and fired the Styer AUG on full automatic.
She blasted away as the dark shapes came off the wall.
They were moving with frightening speed. The shadows separated and Roz realized there were three of them. She sprayed the air with bullets but she only hit two. She just had time to see the third slam into Jessica, smashing her to the ground.
Then Roz had to spin and look the other way because there was gunfire behind her.
As she turned she saw Mrs Woodcott coming towards her. The old woman was holding a silver revolver she’d evidently fished out of her capacious handbag.
She was backing towards Roz, keeping her face towards the alley. Roz could see why.
A flood of angular dark shapes were emerging from the alley, moving low along the