Deadly Games (5 page)

“Do you think Mrs Garland is going to get us down there?” asked David.

“Maybe she needs us,” said Jenny unexpectedly. “Maybe she
should
contact us again.”

“What for?”

“However May and Leslie died, they're still around, aren't they? We can see them – and so can Sid. Do you think they're trying to tell us something? Show us something? Do you think Mrs Garland wants it too?”

David shrugged. “It's no good playing these guessing games. We just need to take a look.” Trying to be assertive, he clambered over the barrier, Jenny following close behind.

The twins walked cautiously down the silent escalator.

“There's a light at the bottom,” said Jenny. “A very faint one. What can it be?”

“It looks like one of those Tilley lamps that fishermen use.” David's voice was halting and Jenny could feel the fear licking at her too.

Then the escalator began to move.

The twins were almost thrown off the steps, so great was the sudden movement. Something was happening inside them, too. They felt a chill and a flickering distortion of their surroundings. For a few seconds the tunnel walls resembled melting plastic and then they suddenly returned to normal. With a snap, neon lights lit the shaft, the posters were brighter and intact, a young man played the guitar at the bottom and there were passengers on the escalator opposite.

Their clothes were old-fashioned, with most of the men wearing long, shapeless macs, while some of the women wore very short skirts and others coats that almost brushed the stairs as they slowly climbed up. An occasional younger man wore a duffel coat and there were a few young people in kaftans and long Eastern dresses. The twins were gazing at them in amazement when a familiar black-haired figure emerged. Mrs Garland was riding up the escalator now, her head thrown
back. She looked powerful, efficient and utterly single-minded.

She mustn't see us, Jenny tried to say, but no sound came from her lips. When she looked back at her brother, she could see he was swallowing, trying to say something, but, like her, he couldn't speak.

Mrs Garland's dark eyes gleamed and she half raised a gaunt hand in greeting. Her fingers were long and bony and gave the impression of being as strong as steel.

“She's seen us,” whispered David, his voice breaking through the blockage in his throat.

There was another snapping sound. The lights paled, the walls dissolved momentarily, and straightened again with posters that were grey and peeling. Then the escalator came to an abrupt halt, throwing the twins off balance again.

“She's seen us,” David repeated. “She knows we're on her trail.”

“She knows that,” said Jenny. “And she wasn't unfriendly. She even waved.”

“I didn't like that wave.” David sounded uneasy. “I didn't like it at all.”

The Tilley lamp glowed comfortingly as David and Jenny clambered off the escalator. The tunnel had various directional signs, a list of stations on the same line and another lamp flickering a little further on. They hurried towards the welcome light, descending gently all the time, the acrid smell becoming stronger. A mountain of cardboard only half concealed a sleeping woman and the twins crept past her, not wanting to attract attention to themselves before reaching Sid.

But no matter how careful they were, and how sharp David's torch beam, the twins tripped over the feet of a newspaper-wrapped figure who sat up, alarmed and cursing.

“We're sorry,” gasped David as his beam played on the stubbled face.

The man was quite young but he looked haggard and thin.

“What are you kids doing here?”

“Looking for Sid Lennox,” said Jenny.

“You shouldn't be mixed up with the likes of him.”

“Why not?” asked David aggressively.

“Because he's crazy, that's why. Always on about missions and kids and – ” He paused. “What are you doing, following him around? The Roxy was bad enough, but down here …” The young man stared at them in concern. “Do your parents know you're associating with him?”

“Yes,” said David. “Sort of. ”

“You mean they
don't
know.” The young man looked at the twins discerningly. “Come on, you can tell me. I used to be a teacher before I went on the road.”

“Why
did
you
go
on the road?” asked David boldly, hoping to distract him.

“Because I bust up with my girlfriend and I couldn't bear to go on without her. I loved her so much …” David and Jenny exchanged glances, startled by his frankness, temporarily forgetting their fears. “I didn't have the guts to top myself so I drifted. Always moving on – to nowhere at all. I s'pose I'll go down the coast next week. I like the sea in winter.”

Jenny's eyes were full of tears and David had a large lump in his throat.

“I'm so sorry,” whispered Jenny.

“Don't be sorry for me,” said the young man abruptly. “There's no need.”

“It's just that – ” Jenny laid a hand on his shoulder and he didn't flinch away. “There isn't anything to say,” she finished.

“We
have
to help Sid,” said David shakily. “He needs us and … ” He paused, knowing the explanation was impossible. “We're worried he might die.”

“Him?” The young man laughed a cracked laugh. “He'd survive the crack of doom.”

“Is he around?” persisted David.

“He's down on the platform – with his rat.”

“Rat?”

“He's got a pet one. Always comes to him down here. Filthy thing called Gumbo.”

“That's all we need,” muttered Jenny.

“Why the name?” asked David curiously.

“He found it with its mouth all swollen up – been trying to gnaw its way through something or other. I'll say this for him, Sid worked on that rat all night, massaging its lips, holding it down – ”

“Yuk!” said David.

“And he managed to save it. The weird thing is that the rat seems to have remembered Sid. It comes to him every night he's down here. Can't understand it.”

“And you don't believe in missions?” said Jenny, half to herself.

When the twins eventually found him, Sid was tucked up in a blanket and covered in newspapers, wheezing, with his back to the wall. There were another couple of Tilley lamps on the platform,
but it had still been hard to find him in the darkness, with the old track yawning below them if they made a single false step.

“I saw her last night,” he said before Jenny or David had time to say anything. “I saw that woman. Garland.”

“Where?” asked Jenny uneasily.

“Walking beside the track.”

“Did you see May or Leslie?”

“No. I never seen them down here – not since I gave up the trains. Only on the screen of the Roxy.”

“So it's the first time you've actually seen Mrs Garland since the day she disappeared?” asked David.

“I seen her,” he repeated.

“Did she see you?”

“She gave me a kind of wave. She looked pretty fierce, like – as if I was interfering with some business of hers. Nasty business.”

“We've seen her too,” said David.

“Where?” asked Sid, looking even more afraid.

“Up on the escalator. She waved at us as well.”

“Things are speeding up,” wheezed Sid. “Happening too quick for me.”

“We'll help you,” said Jenny comfortingly. “We don't think Mrs Garland is an enemy. At least, I hope she isn't. We saw her up on the screen too – and then she was standing outside our
house.” The words rushed out almost like a confession, for she knew Sid was far more prejudiced against Mrs Garland than they were.

“What did she say?” demanded Sid.

“Not a lot,” replied David. “But she was suspicious – and she said it was dangerous.”

“Did you mention me?” Sid was beginning to look afraid.

“No,” said David firmly. “But we've got to go down the tunnel,” he added. “Right now.”

“Not with Sid in this state,” Jenny snapped. “He's not fit to go anywhere – except back to hospital.”

“I'm not going there,” he muttered. “No chance. Dave's right – we ought to get up that tunnel.”

“She could be setting us a trap, of course,” said David uneasily.

“We've got to stop seeing her as an enemy.” Jenny tried to be more optimistic. “We've got to get Mrs Garland to trust us.”

“I'm coming with you.” Sid completely ignored her. “I'm not giving up until we find them kids.”

Jenny sighed. Then she saw the chance of a bargain. “Sid?” she began.

“Yeah?”

“Suppose this
is
the right time. That there can be some kind of solution at last. That we'll find
out what really happened – what they need from us now.”

“Yeah?” said Sid again, looking impatient.

“Well, if we're to help you, you've got to do something for us. Otherwise neither of us'll go with you.” Jenny gazed at David threateningly, willing him not to disagree with her.

“You've
got
to come.” Sid was immediately agitated. “You've got the sight,” He paused uncertainly, knowing Jenny was in a strong bargaining position. “What do you want me to do?” he asked, suddenly looking helpless.

“When all this is over, you've got to promise to go to the hospital and get better.”

“Yeah.”

“Well?”

“Is there more?” he asked sullenly.

“And that you'll stop living in awful places and go into a hostel.”

“I couldn't ever do that,” replied Sid slowly. “I'm a man of the road. I need my freedom.”

“He's right,” said David. “Can't you see?” he appealed to his twin.

Suddenly she did. Jenny realised that the old habits were too ingrained for Sid to give them up, but she was determined to hold out for the hospital.

“All right,” she said reluctantly. “But you've got
to go back to the hospital and give yourself a chance.”

“OK.” Sid reluctantly agreed to the compromise. “You win.”

But Jenny wasn't paying attention any longer. Instead, she was staring down at something that wriggled horribly among the newspapers. When David flashed his torch down, there was a tearing, ripping sound and the head of a huge, bewhiskered rat poked through.

They gazed at the thing in silence, too horrified to move, and the rat stared back at them with narrow, hostile eyes and bared its broken, yellowed teeth.

Sid smiled. He stroked the rat's head comfortingly and it seemed to relax a little. “These are mates,” he said softly. “Nothing to worry yourself about.” He looked up at the twins. “No need for you to worry either.”

“Worry?” said David, his voice trembling slightly. “I'm not worried.”

“I am,” admitted Jenny. She gazed at him in distress, unable to describe in words how terrifying and disgusting she found the rat.

Sid was quite unmoved. “This is Gumbo,” he wheezed. “She's not only my best mate but what's the betting she'll give us safe passage through the tunnel?”

David and Jenny privately thought that sounded extremely unlikely.

Gumbo buried its head in Sid's many layers of pullovers and appeared to go to sleep. It doesn't look much of a guide, thought David and shuddered at the very idea of touching the rat's grey fur. It must be diseased, thought Jenny, watching Sid askance as he gently picked up Gumbo and put it in the large pocket of his overcoat.

“Once we get in the tunnel, I'll set her loose,” he said and the twins trembled at the thought, imagining the rat brushing against them, maybe sinking its yellowed stumps of teeth into their ankles.

“Don't mind her,” said Sid, seeing their fear and revulsion. “Gumbo's a mate.”

But the twins weren't sure they wanted to be mates.

“How far have we got to go?” asked David.

“'Bout a mile, through just one other station, and then we're at the end of the line.” Sid seemed more confident now. “Hockley and Hockley Creek were closed down a few years ago now.”

“How long will it take us?” Jenny was still thinking about Gumbo.

“Half an hour, maybe a bit more.”

“I don't know if my torch will hold out,” said David.

“I'll take the Tilley,” said Sid. “That'll last us.”

Jenny knew they should phone their parents before they set off on this dark journey, but it was too late now. And besides – what could they possibly say to reassure them?

Slowly and cautiously, stepping over several sleeping figures, David, Jenny and Sid, with Gumbo in his pocket, stumbled towards the tunnel. Then they clambered down to the old track that was rusting away beside them and began to walk into the greater darkness of the tunnel, which seemed to have a physical density, as if they were pushing their way through an immense build-up of dank air.

Jenny took the Tilley lamp from Sid and began to lead the way, shuddering as she heard a squealing noise behind her and biting back a scream as the warm, furry body brushed past her legs.

“Just released Gumbo,” said Sid. “Now we got us a guide.”

“Do we need one?” asked David bleakly. “All we have to do is to follow the tunnel.”

“But who knows what's ahead?” Sid replied vaguely. “Whatever the danger – Gumbo will suss it out for us.”

After about five minutes, the journey began to seem endless. The clammy weight of the darkness, the sudden scampering and squeakings around their feet, the soft brushing of other furry bodies, all combined to make their progress daunting.

But Sid didn't seem to share the twins' revulsion; he walked along behind them, wheezing but also whistling under his breath in an, irritatingly tuneless way.