Red Fever (7 page)

“Well, that would have driven them away from the gates for now, but they wouldn’t have connected stuff that came randomly flying through the air with you. Standing your ground and showing them that you weren’t frightened of them was a much better way of giving the message that this is your territory.”

“I hope you’re right, Jamie,” said Toby’s dad. “Come on, let’s lock up for the night, and go and get some tea.”

“I’ll come inside in a few minutes. I just need to let
Belle out and feed her,” yelled Jamie as he headed for Belle’s shed in the compound.

“What if they come back?” Toby asked his dad.

“We’ve checked the fencing — it’s strong. We’re safe here. They can’t get in, and why would they want to? We’ve no fresh food, and everything in tins and packets is well hidden, so they can’t have smelt that.”

“No, but they would have smelt the chickens, and …” Toby watched as Belle raced around the yard after a ball that Jamie had thrown for her. He pointed to the large white dog, “… Belle.”

I’ve a feeling those dogs will be back. And next time, shouting at them will be useless.

A summer storm got up that night and whipped the village with a frenzied wind. Toby lay in his bed listening to the wailing and moaning of the gusts swirling around the lighthouse. Far below he could hear the crashing of waves breaking on the shore and on the rocks of the promontory. Nearby, in the room below, he heard his dad singing his mum’s lullaby to Sylvie, in a sweet sing-song voice he only used with her.

Toby thought about the dogs. They had been so like the dogs in his nightmare, it was scary. What if he’d had some premonition? What if the nightmare was going to come true?

Go to sleep
, he told himself, turning over.
That’s mad. You’re supposed to be a logical thinker — an engineer. It’s just 
rubbish about dreams and that
…

He fell to sleep thinking about how great it would be to go to university and learn to be a real engineer, like his dad had been.

Woof!
A deep bark woke him from his sleep. Belle was standing next to his bed.
Woof, woof!
She placed her paw on the duvet and scratched it back and forwards.

Toby sat up. It couldn’t be that late; his candle was still sputtering in the night jar beside his bed.

“What are you doing here? You should be in your kennel,” he said, yawning. The storm was still raging outside. The wind was tearing at the wooden shutters at his window, banging them back and forth.

“Come on,” ordered Toby. “Let’s take you back to Jamie. Downstairs with you!” He pulled an old hoodie on over his jammies, and crept down the stairs.

There was no sign of Jamie. He should have been asleep on the sofa but it was empty. Toby raced back up the stairs to the lamp room. That was the only other place he could be. The lamp room was full of the noise of the howling wind but there was no sign of Jamie.

He’s not gone outside, surely? Not in this weather? And why did he leave Belle behind?

Toby craned his neck to look out of the window and down into the compound. But in the dark, with the rain lashing the glass, he couldn’t see anything.

He raced in his stocking feet back down the stairs to the kitchen on the first floor of the lighthouse. To get to the ground floor and outside, Jamie would have needed to lower the wooden steps leading from the hatch in the floor of the kitchen. Toby’s dad put them in as a safety measure so that they could be drawn up every night and locked. He felt safer knowing that even if someone or something got into the compound, they still couldn’t get into their living quarters in the lighthouse.

The hatch in the kitchen was closed, but when Toby opened it he found that the steps had been lowered. Jamie must have gone outside.

Why?
thought Toby.
Is he completely insane?

He pulled on his wellies and went down the stairs, calling Belle to go with him. Once outside in the dark, wet night, Toby couldn’t make out where Jamie had gone. He couldn’t have opened the compound gates; they were heavy and awkward. Besides, did he know where Toby’s dad kept the key? Toby thought not.

Suddenly Belle took off. She ran towards one of the older barns that wasn’t used very often. It was full of stuff they’d stored in case it might be useful one day: old engine parts, empty oil cans, buckets without handles, coils of climbing ropes and a pair of old skis. Toby followed Belle.

The barn door stood slightly ajar. Toby slid into the
dark room, trying to make out something in gloom. There appeared to be a light coming from the back of the building. It was a tiny round beam such as that from a torch, and it was moving towards him. Then it went out abruptly. Toby stood stock still in the dark.

Someone’s in here. I can feel them. I can hear them breathing.

“Jamie? Is that you?” he squeaked nervously.

Someone rammed into his side and Toby fell to the floor.

Whoever it was who had pushed him was now busy tying his hands behind his back, then his feet together. Toby felt groggy. He had hit the side of his head on the floor. It hadn’t been hard, but it was enough to make him lose his balance and his bearings.

“Jamie?” he repeated. “Jamie, what are you up to?”

A light came on under Toby’s chin. It lit up his face and that of the pale boy holding it.

“I’m sorry,” said Jamie. “I’m really sorry to have to do this to you but I must go and find my mum.”

“Yeah, well, feel free. I won’t stop you. Be glad to see the back of you quite honestly. Go! And take your dog with you. See if I care. Just let me go!”

“It’s not that simple,” whispered Jamie. “You see, I need the
Lucky Lady
.”

Toby kicked out and strained against the ropes holding him.

“You can’t do that! That’s the only means we have of getting away from here! We need that boat! How else are we going to get food and fuel and medicine?”

“I’ll leave you the dinghy. You’ll be fine. You’ll be able to sail back to Peterhead harbour and find another boat. There were loads there,” gabbled Jamie.

“Yeah. And loads of pirates too!” retorted Toby. “You’re mad! You can’t even sail that boat by yourself!”

“You don’t understand. I need to find my mum. I know she’s there! I know exactly where she’ll be!”

“You can’t know what’s happened to her — she might not even be there. What if she went back to Newburgh to look for you?”

“We had a plan — a contingency plan for if things went wrong. Maggie and I were to go to a certain place at a certain time, on the same day of every month. Mum said she’d keep going there on that day until we turn up. It’s simple. I need to get to Aberdeen in the next few days, or else I’ll have to wait another month. And she might not sur—”

“So, this plan, you’ve had it a while then?” interrupted Toby.

“Yes, we’ve always had it.”

“No, I mean this plan to steal the
Lucky Lady
and rush off on some mad rescue mission as if you’re James Bond.”

To Toby’s surprise Jamie collapsed into tears. He let out an almighty blub and dropped the torch.

“I knew I wasn’t brave enough to do this,” he snorted through his tears. “I wish I was like you! You’re always so brave and strong. Even when you had that septic hand, you still rescued me and Belle.”

“Me? Brave?” said Toby. “I’m not brave at all. I thought you were the brave one — you never seem to be affected by anything that’s going on.”

“Ah, that’s the influence of …”

“Oh, just stop blubbing and get these ropes off me now!” ordered Toby.

Jamie picked up the torch and untied the rough rope from Toby’s wrists and ankles.

“That’s better,” said Toby, scratching his legs. “Now, how were you going to get out of the compound anyway? D’you know where Dad keeps the key?”

“No, I don’t, but I found a hole in the wall at the back of this barn. Well, actually Belle found it,” said Jamie.

“What? You found a hole in the wall? Why didn’t you tell me? That changes everything!”

“What d’you mean, changes everything?” sniffed Jamie.

“You don’t understand; I’ll tell you sometime. I’ve got to find Dad.” Toby jumped up and snatched the torch from Jamie.

“No!” said Jamie, snatching it back. “I told you, I must go and meet my mum. If something’s happened to her, I’ll never forgive myself. She might be needing me right now. I’ve got to go!”

“Jamie! You can’t take the
Lucky Lady
. I won’t let you!”

“Well, how about the dinghy then? Can I have that?” pleaded Jamie.

“No! Do you realise how dangerous it is out there? Especially in Aberdeen, from what your mum’s told you. You wouldn’t last two shakes of a puppy dog’s tail.”

“Please. Please, Toby, you’ve got to help me. It’s my mum — I know she’s in trouble. Please help. And she might be able to help you,” he added. “She’s a doctor; think about it …”

“Stop crying and I’ll think about it,” replied Toby.

This could be it — my way of saving Sylvie — if Jamie’s mum is still alive …

“Let me think,” said Toby, “make a plan, that sort of thing. It takes a lot of planning does a rescue mission, y’know.”

“Yours didn’t when you rescued me and Belle. You just jumped in the dinghy and rowed.”

“Talking of Belle, where is she?” said Toby. His eyes had got used to the darkness and he couldn’t see the big white dog in the barn or out in the yard.

“Belle,” said Jamie anxiously. “Belle, come! Come!”

The boys heard a distant barking.

“That’s not Belle,” cried Jamie. “I know her bark, and that’s not it.”

The two boys raced out into the yard. There was no sign of Belle in the compound at all.

“Oh no!” screamed Jamie. “She’s gone through the hole!”

They raced back into the barn. There, right at the back, hidden by rubbish and rusting car parts, was a small hole in the stonework of the wall. It was only big enough for a dog or a small person to go through. Jamie pushed his way through easily, but Toby had difficulty getting his middle bit through. By the time he had wriggled out on to the sandy ground on the other side, Jamie had disappeared into the night.

“Jamie!” he yelled.

Woof!
A softer, sweeter bark than before, replied. Belle came running up from the direction of the jetty path.

“Where’s your dad?” Toby asked the dog.

She whined and licked his hand, then shot off back down the path.

Toby followed hesitantly. The path was slippery in places and he was having difficulty seeing where to put his feet.

“Toby!” came a small voice from beside the path.
“Toby, I’ve fallen and twisted my ankle. Can you help me up, please?”

“Ah, you big nana! What were you doing? Making a run for the boat? Didn’t you trust me?” Toby found where the voice was coming from and knelt beside Jamie’s crumpled legs.

“No, I didn’t.”

“Well, I meant it, OK? If I say I’ll do something, I mean it. My mum taught me that — she said it was integrity, or something,” said Toby. “Now, lean on me and we’ll get back quick before Dad wakes up.”

A deep throaty bark came from nearby.

Jamie pulled himself up, leaning on Toby, and flashed the torch out towards the sea.

“Sounded like it was coming from that direction,” he whispered nervously to Toby. The torchlight swept over the dancing waves. The wind was still thrashing the sea into a frenzy.

“There!” shouted Toby. “Look! Their eyes!” The light reflected back from the pale eyes of something in the water. “Quick!” he yelled. “It’s the dogs! They’ve swum around from the beach to get to the headland.”

The torch picked out three sets of gleaming eyes getting closer to the rocky shore that they stood on. Toby half carried, half dragged Jamie up the path.

“Come on! We’ve got to get back to the compound.”
They staggered up the path towards the back of the compound wall, where the hole and safety was. Belle was nowhere to be seen.

“Belle!” Jamie cried out frantically, but the words were whipped from his mouth and lost in the wind.

“She’ll have gone back,” gasped Toby through the pain. Most of Jamie’s weight was on his bandaged hand. They slipped and struggled across the sandy scrubland next to the compound.

“Toby, over there!” Jamie swung his torch around to face up towards the barn wall. There were three black dogs. This time, they weren’t wagging their tails at all. Their hackles stood up like giant ruffs around their necks and each was baring his teeth. Toby could see the drools of slobber flecking their dark coats.

The boys stopped and stared.

“What now?” asked Toby. “You’re the dog expert.”

“I don’t think shouting at them’s going to work this time, d’you?” sobbed Jamie.

“No, perhaps not,” Toby hissed.

We’re going to need a miracle to get out of this.

It seemed as if they stood there for hours, staring at each other. All Toby could hear was the intense low vibrating of the dogs’ growls. The wind and the rain had quietened into the background, and Jamie’s whisperings were inaudible to him. His legs were stuck to the floor, and his arms were glued to his sides. This was his nightmare come true — only instead of one dog, there were three.

I bet if I tried to scream, nothing would come out.

Gradually, as if in slow motion, he became aware of a growing pain in his hand. Then he realised that Jamie was gripping on to it very tightly. The pain brought him back to what was happening.

“Keep still,” he muttered under his breath. “I’ll run to
the left and distract them, while you go for the hole. It’s right behind them.”

“No,” hissed Jamie, “you’ll never outrun them. I’ll draw them away and you go and get help.”

“There’s no time. Are you ready? One — two — three!”

Toby pushed Jamie forward, and then made to run to the right, stopping in mid-flight to change direction and jumping to the left. But before he could complete his leap, something large and white leapt over the top of him and Jamie.

“Belle,” Jamie sobbed.

Belle was much bigger than the dogs in front of her, but there were three of them and only one of her. She wagged her tail at them and woofed loudly. They closed their gaping mouths and stopped growling. They seemed surprised, and backed up, whining and yelping at her. Belle leapt into the air and bounced away into the darkness. The three dogs stood still for a moment and then leapt after her.

“Come on, let’s get into that hole,” roared Toby into Jamie’s ear. Toby grabbed him, hauled him up to the wall and then shoved him through the hole. He quickly followed.

Once inside the barn again, Toby frantically searched for something to block the hole with. He passed Jamie a plank of wood.

“Here,” he told him, “anything comes through that hole and you bash it on the head. Right?”

“What if it’s Belle?” whined Jamie. But Toby didn’t think Belle would be coming back.

The two boys sat shivering in their wet clothes beside the hole. It was dark and cold in the barn and all they could hear was the occasional barking of dogs coming from outside the compound.

“Toby? Toby? Jamie?” It was Toby’s dad calling them from the yard.

“Here,” said Toby, taking the plank from Jamie. “You go and fetch my dad and I’ll guard the hole. You’ve done enough.”

Actually, I think you couldn’t knock the skin off a rice pudding!

“OK,” said Jamie, looking relieved. He limped out to find Toby’s dad. A few moments later they returned.

“What have you boys been up to?” demanded Toby’s father. “What’s going on?”

At that moment, a large white furry head burst through the hole.

“Ah!” screamed Toby with surprise.

“Belle!” shouted Jamie. “I didn’t think I was going to see you ever again!”

Belle struggled through the hole and licked Jamie’s face.

“Help me,” yelled Toby. He had found an old chest freezer and was busy trying to push it up against the hole in the wall. His dad set his shoulder to the corner of the freezer and heaved. The freezer slid into place.

“You boys go inside. I’ll finish off plugging this hole so nothing can get in,” said his dad. Toby and Jamie limped back to the lighthouse, Belle jumping at their sides, wagging her tail.

Later they sat in the kitchen, slurping hot chocolate and discussing their fate.

“He’s going to be mad with you,” said Toby. “Fancy trying to nick our boat! And after I said I would help you.”

“Don’t tell him, please, Toby,” begged Jamie. “It’ll make it all the harder to go next time.”

Even after their crazy night, Toby knew he was right. They had to go to Aberdeen — for Jamie’s mum and for Sylvie.

“Yeah, well, we’d better not tell my dad everything. Leave it to me.”

When his dad joined them, after a fumbled excuse for being outside in the first place, Toby told him all about Belle finding a hole in the wall of the barn.

“Don’t you see, Dad,” said Toby, “that it could have been there all the time? Monty could have got out through that hole. He was smaller than Belle.”

His dad stared deep into his mug of tea, his shoulders drooped and his hands were shaking.

“I can’t think at the moment, Toby, I’m tired,” he muttered. “We’ll talk about this in the morning. I must go back to bed and get some sleep. Sylvie’s been restless tonight.” He got up and walked slowly up the stairs to his room.

“I’m off to bed too,” said Toby. “I expect Dad won’t mind if you keep Belle in the kitchen with you tonight. She’s earned it after saving our skins.”

Jamie hugged Belle, who wagged her tail and grinned widely.

“She was brill, wasn’t she?” he beamed.

“Yeah, she certainly was.” Toby smiled at the pair of them.

He wearily climbed the stairs. His hand throbbed and his legs felt weak and watery. But he felt good. That hole had been there all the time. It hadn’t been his fault that Monty had got out. And so it wasn’t his fault that his mum had gone out to find him. Maybe his dad would forgive him now, see that he was trustworthy. He
had
put Monty in the barn that night, and he
had
checked him before going to bed. But he hadn’t known that hole was there. No one had known, except Monty.

As he climbed the stone steps past his dad’s bedroom, Toby heard a noise. He stopped and listened. It was a
low, quiet sobbing. Toby knew it was his dad. Should he go in and comfort him? No, he couldn’t bring his feet to walk to the door and push it open. He would leave his dad to his tears. He couldn’t face it. He went to his bed.

The next morning was bright and breezy. The storm had cleared the stuffy summer air and brought a freshness back. Toby was up early and whistled as he did his chores. He tried to sneak a look in the barn where the hole was, but his dad had boarded up the door and parked an old truck firmly up against the doors. Even if anyone or anything ever found that hole again, that’s as far as they were going.

Toby went in for his breakfast. He looked forward to his porridge, and if he was lucky there might be some jam or tinned fruit to have with it. His dad was sitting at the table with his head in his hands.

“How’s Sylvie this morning?” asked Toby.

“Not good,” mumbled his dad. “Her temperature is very high and she can barely speak for her sore throat.”

This didn’t seem a good time to have a talk with his dad about Monty and his mum’s accident.

“Dad, why don’t you let me go to Aberdeen and find some antibiotics?” he suggested. “Aren’t those what she needs right now?”

“Aberdeen? No way, Toby. We need to be thinking
about moving somewhere else, and hope that things will be better there.”

“Where? Where would we go?”

“I don’t know, Tobes,” replied his dad. “Now the dogs have learnt they can get to us by swimming across to the headland, everything is going to be even more difficult. Before, we were at least able to get to the boat safely enough, and go fishing, and look for fuel and food. Now, that’s going to be a nightmare.”

Toby nodded. He had enjoyed the fresh fish and crab they caught on their expeditions. They made a change from tinned stuff and the endless bowls of soup his dad made from the vegetables grown in a plot inside the compound walls.

“Moving isn’t going to help Sylvie right now, Dad,” said Toby. “She’s needs rest and medicine.”

“Maybe Jamie can help?” quavered his dad. “He helped you, didn’t he? Where is he?” The lack of sleep was weakening his dad. Toby could see that he was getting to a point where his responsibilities were all too much for him. And what then?

“He’s outside playing with Belle,” replied Toby. “I’ll call him.”

Jamie and Belle came bounding up the steps into the kitchen. Toby could see a change in Jamie. Toby’s decision to help him find his mum had really cheered him up.

“It’s a lovely day, Mr Tennant,” said Jamie. “You should see what the storm has washed up on the shore. There’s …”

“It’s too dangerous to go and get it now,” Toby’s dad said gloomily. “We can’t take the risk any more.”

“Dad would like you to have a look at Sylvie,” asked Toby. It no longer bothered him that his dad treated Jamie as an adult. Toby knew that Jamie was just as scared as he was, and perhaps not as brave.

Jamie and Toby went up to his dad’s room. Sylvie was lying on his bed, tossing and turning, soaked in sweat. Her breathing came in small wheezy gasps.

“Hi Sylvie,” said Toby gently, bending over her. Her breath smelt stale and unpleasant. She opened her eyes and stared at Toby as if she didn’t know him.

“My throat hurts, Mummy,” she whispered hoarsely.

“Sylvie? It’s Toby.”

“She’s confused, Toby,” said Jamie, placing a comforting hand on Toby’s shoulder. “She’s got such a high fever; it can fog people’s brains.”

No! No! Not Sylvie!

A cold hand of fear came over Toby. Was he going to lose Sylvie too? And with his dad in no state to think, it was up to him now.

“Can’t you help her?”

“I’m really sorry, Toby, I don’t know how. She’s too
weak. She needs proper medical care, and fast.”

“But you helped me!”

“You were fit and strong. I didn’t cure you. All I did was give you some herbal medicine to help you mend and relax. Your own body did the rest. Sylvie needs more than that now.”

“That’s it decided then. We’re going to Aberdeen, tonight!” declared Toby. “And don’t mention anything to my dad. He’ll only try to stop us.”

The two boys went back down to the kitchen. It had been decided that Jamie would spend the day secretly collecting provisions for the journey and hiding them in Belle’s shed. Toby’s dad would never look in there. They would need some food and fuel for the outboard motor of the dinghy. Toby had been adamant that they weren’t taking the
Lucky Lady
. She was too easy for the dogs to spot from the shore, and besides, if they didn’t make it back, his dad and Sylvie would need her to escape and make a new life somewhere else, without him.

I can do this!
thought Toby.
I can! I just need to be big and brave this one last time and then everything will be all right
.

He knew that this mission wouldn’t be the end of their problems. But if he could get help and medicine, maybe Sylvie would survive.

I’m going to think like mum did. She always said, take one problem at a time, and think about the others tomorrow.

Toby’s dad had fallen asleep with his head on his hands at the table. Toby quietly shook him.

“Dad, why don’t you go up and have a nap in my bedroom? I’ll keep an eye on Sylvie. I’ll wake you if there’s any change,” he whispered. His dad groggily nodded in a half-sleep.

“Come and get me if she gets any worse,” he grunted, and went upstairs.

Toby spent the rest of the morning sitting on the bed beside Sylvie, planning his next mission. This one seemed even madder and more desperate than his dad’s idea of searching the oil platform, hiding the
Lucky Lady
in Peterhead harbour or rescuing Jamie and Belle.

Occasionally Sylvie woke and looked at him as if he were a stranger. He kept a cold wet flannel pressed to her brow. He’d seen someone do that in an old film on the telly. Watching telly all seemed like a long time ago. Was it really only three years since the telly screens had gone blank?

“Toby!” Jamie was calling down the steps from the lamp room. He had gone up to watch for dog activity. “Toby!”

Toby carefully prised himself away from Sylvie, who was lying spread-eagled over his legs. He climbed up the steps and into the lamp room.

“What’s up?” he asked Jamie, who was studying the
hillside intently through the telescope.

“There’s something going on with the dogs in the village. I think the cavalry has arrived,” babbled Jamie.

“What you on about? Cavalry?” quizzed Toby.

“Y’know, the cavalry — reinforcements, back-up.”

“Oh no!” exclaimed Toby, racing to look out of the tall window.

There on the hillside, sitting in the kids’ playground, was a big pack of dogs. There were more than five this time. They were sitting sniffing the air and watching the main road into the village, as if they were waiting for something to happen.

“They’re waiting for Cerberus,” Jamie quietly stated.

“How d’you know that?” asked Toby.

“Watch, there’s something coming down the road now.” Jamie nervously polished the eyeglass to the telescope.

Toby peered into the distance. There, strutting down the middle of the road, came a massive black dog. Flanking him, as if they were his bodyguards, were two huge brown dogs with long pointy noses. The other dogs waiting by the swings all stood up and wagged their tails in greeting. The big black dog slowly sat down in the centre of them. Toby and Jamie saw each of the underling dogs, one at a time, greet him. Each dog approached him with its head lowered and its ears drooping down, its
muzzle turned sideways and its lip curled as if smiling. Then each dog rolled on its back, exposing the soft skin of its belly to the black dog, which sat immobile through the whole thing.

“They are showing that they accept his dominance,” said Jamie, as the two boys watched, fascinated. “It’s like bowing to a king. They are lower-ranking dogs, and they know their place.”

“What happens now?” said Toby.

“I don’t know. This is weird,” replied Jamie. “I wish my mum was here; she would know. That’s definitely Cerberus, though. I recognise him from my mum’s description.”

“Right,” said Toby, “we’re going
now
. As soon as we can get all the stuff into the boat, we’re off. If Cerberus is here, that means the dog pack in Aberdeen is without its leader. This is the best time to go. Come on!”

The two boys sped as quietly as they could down the steps and out of the lighthouse. Toby scribbled a quick note for his dad, before taking the key to the compound gates and closing the hatch door behind him. Jamie and Belle were waiting for him by the gates. Jamie was carrying a rucksack, the contents of which he showed to Toby: a map, some food, a torch and the telescope from the
Lucky Lady
.