Trash - Andy Mulligan [36]
Then the driver stopped by a huge set of gates and whistled to us.
People watched us getting down, and I said goodbye to them all, shaking hands for fun – them thinking I was a mad kid being taken out by a friend so smiling back. I was laughing when we hit the ground, and I took care that we moved on straight away, though I took a big look at the gatehouse – I wasn’t going to let Raphael keep still, because I knew he was scared of everything, and if I let anything happen, Gardo would probably just cut my head off with his hook.
Two guards by the gate looked right at us, and I felt him tense up, but we were gone, me first, him right behind, holding my hand. I saw a guard with a dog just inside, and there were two with machine guns. There was a big pole to stop traffic getting through up the drive, and spikes up off the road in case anyone tried it. The road stretched off into the distance, and all the trees and grass were like a park – like paradise, like Mr Vice-President had bought up paradise and got his boys on the door in case anyone came wanting a piece of it. We ran, me laughing like we were just kids out having fun – little kids that nobody gets suspicious of – and we kept going, following the walls. We came to another gatehouse soon, just as grand, with big metal gates tight shut – and we kept on going. I guessed there’d be cameras somewhere, but the only ones I’d seen so far were at those gates, so I was more hopeful. I was pretty sure we could get into the grounds if we wanted to, just by hopping up a tree. How close we’d get to the house was another thing.
And why would our souls be singing? Maybe it was on fire, and the fat man’s ass was roasting like a pig? That would be a thing to see. Anyway, that’s when Raphael stopped, out of breath and sick suddenly. He pulled me back and said: ‘Is this such a good idea?’
‘What?’ I just pretended not to understand, trying to get him on again.
‘Is this a good idea? Rat, if anyone sees me …’
I put my arm right round him and pushed him to the side. ‘Who’s going to see you?’ I said. ‘You’re asking this now? Spending my money, and all you want to do is go home?’
‘I’m just thinking …’ He was trying to be calm, but he was sweating bad. ‘What are we going to find out? All we’re gonna do is get ourselves chased and maybe even thrashed—’
‘We’ve been chased before, Raphael. They don’t catch us.’
‘This is someone big, though. You saw the size of that dog!’
‘They’re for show. They’re all lazy as hell—’
‘We’ve seen the place,’ he said. ‘We can see what kind of place it is!’
I trotted on to a tree. I felt I had to keep him moving, so I pulled him towards it.
‘Just follow,’ I said. ‘You’re braver than me. We can do this!’
I got up the trunk and hauled myself higher. Raphael followed, thank goodness, and soon we were up in the leaves looking way over the fence into the promised land – I did Bible study at the Mission School and it was helping me now: I felt like little Moses. We eased out onto the thinnest, longest stem that could take our weight, and dropped easily onto the grass, rolling up onto our feet. Then we were running again,