hard.
‘What the hell was that? I mean what the hell!’ she says to me.
Johnson bangs on the side of the train. ‘Get these doors open, GG!’
Carrie must have discarded her impractical shoes on the way to the station and the soles of her feet are bleeding. ‘You’re kidding me!’ Carrie is staring back towards the car
park. I spin around and spot the Moth heading straight towards us.
Except of course it can’t be the Moth because he’s sitting in his wheelchair right beside me.
‘That’s me,’ says the Moth, as Moth Two heads our way. Strong and sinewy and upright. ‘That’s me with proper legs.’
‘The doors, GG!’ Johnson bellows.
‘Oh my God!’ Carrie starts jabbing hard at the buttons to try and open the train doors but they remain stubbornly closed.
‘GG!’ Johnson bellows again and Carrie and Billie join him, yelling as loud as they can.
Moth Two is getting closer and we don’t have a single weapon between us. Not that it would do much good after seeing the Ape fall to the Lucas-thing.
The others look terrified so I step forward, bracing myself. ‘I’ve got this,’ I say, echoing the Ape.
‘Rev, no,’ Billie says.
‘I can talk to him, explain.’
‘Not if he’s like the other one you can’t,’ she says.
‘The Ape’s not around to ruin everything this time.’ The words catch in my throat as I think of the Ape and his desperate, hopeless fight.
‘What if he doesn’t want to talk?’ asks Carrie.
‘Then he’s going to have to come through me.’
‘Rev!’ Billie is tugging on my arm now, but I shake her free.
‘Soon as the doors open, get on the train.’ I take up what I hope looks like a come-and-get-me stance. I don’t know where this strength – or is it madness? – is
coming from. I’m thinking about the Ape, about the sacrifice he made, and it’s somehow filling me with a newfound sense of determination.
Moth Two arrives at the entrance to the station. He stops and then smiles at me and I can see he has the same pointed teeth as the non-Lucas.
‘Rev.’ He looks relieved. ‘Been looking all over for a sign of life.’
Moth Two stops as his eyes settle on the Moth sitting beside me. I can almost see his brain working overtime to process what he is seeing.
‘I know this looks a bit awkward,’ I say, trying to keep as calm as I possibly can.
‘GG, c’mon!’ Billie is still urging him to get the carriage doors open.
‘There’s two of me?’
‘Trust me, we’re as confused as you are,’ I tell him.
The train doors open behind me with a shrill beep. GG’s panicky voice echoes over the train tannoy. ‘Sorry, the stupid thing wouldn’t start.’
‘Rev, come on,’ Johnson says, helping Billie drag the Moth and his wheelchair onto the train.
‘You should try the high street,’ I tell Moth Two. ‘Lucas is there.’
‘He is?’ Moth Two brightens.
‘Shut the doors! Shut the doors!’ Carrie urges behind me.
‘Rev!’ Johnson calls.
There’s something in their panicked tones that stirs Moth Two on a deeper level. Chances are he’s probably going to be smart like our Moth is, and his brain is making connections and
calculations, taking in all he knows and measuring it against whatever he has just learned. He rapidly comes to pretty much the same damning conclusion that the Lucas-thing came to.
‘You’re not you, are you?’
‘It’s you that’s not you,’ I tell him.
‘What are you running from?’
‘We’re not running,’ I lie.
‘Have you done something to Lucas?’
Even though we haven’t done anything I avert my eyes from Moth Two’s gaze. I look away and it’s the one thing I really shouldn’t have done.
‘That’ll be a yes then.’
‘He sort of started it,’ I say weakly.
‘I don’t know what’s going on, or even who you all are, but I will tell you this. No one touches my best friend.’ Moth Two coils and then springs forward. He has the same
talons, the same deadly stare as the
‘What the hell was that? I mean what the hell!’ she says to me.
Johnson bangs on the side of the train. ‘Get these doors open, GG!’
Carrie must have discarded her impractical shoes on the way to the station and the soles of her feet are bleeding. ‘You’re kidding me!’ Carrie is staring back towards the car
park. I spin around and spot the Moth heading straight towards us.
Except of course it can’t be the Moth because he’s sitting in his wheelchair right beside me.
‘That’s me,’ says the Moth, as Moth Two heads our way. Strong and sinewy and upright. ‘That’s me with proper legs.’
‘The doors, GG!’ Johnson bellows.
‘Oh my God!’ Carrie starts jabbing hard at the buttons to try and open the train doors but they remain stubbornly closed.
‘GG!’ Johnson bellows again and Carrie and Billie join him, yelling as loud as they can.
Moth Two is getting closer and we don’t have a single weapon between us. Not that it would do much good after seeing the Ape fall to the Lucas-thing.
The others look terrified so I step forward, bracing myself. ‘I’ve got this,’ I say, echoing the Ape.
‘Rev, no,’ Billie says.
‘I can talk to him, explain.’
‘Not if he’s like the other one you can’t,’ she says.
‘The Ape’s not around to ruin everything this time.’ The words catch in my throat as I think of the Ape and his desperate, hopeless fight.
‘What if he doesn’t want to talk?’ asks Carrie.
‘Then he’s going to have to come through me.’
‘Rev!’ Billie is tugging on my arm now, but I shake her free.
‘Soon as the doors open, get on the train.’ I take up what I hope looks like a come-and-get-me stance. I don’t know where this strength – or is it madness? – is
coming from. I’m thinking about the Ape, about the sacrifice he made, and it’s somehow filling me with a newfound sense of determination.
Moth Two arrives at the entrance to the station. He stops and then smiles at me and I can see he has the same pointed teeth as the non-Lucas.
‘Rev.’ He looks relieved. ‘Been looking all over for a sign of life.’
Moth Two stops as his eyes settle on the Moth sitting beside me. I can almost see his brain working overtime to process what he is seeing.
‘I know this looks a bit awkward,’ I say, trying to keep as calm as I possibly can.
‘GG, c’mon!’ Billie is still urging him to get the carriage doors open.
‘There’s two of me?’
‘Trust me, we’re as confused as you are,’ I tell him.
The train doors open behind me with a shrill beep. GG’s panicky voice echoes over the train tannoy. ‘Sorry, the stupid thing wouldn’t start.’
‘Rev, come on,’ Johnson says, helping Billie drag the Moth and his wheelchair onto the train.
‘You should try the high street,’ I tell Moth Two. ‘Lucas is there.’
‘He is?’ Moth Two brightens.
‘Shut the doors! Shut the doors!’ Carrie urges behind me.
‘Rev!’ Johnson calls.
There’s something in their panicked tones that stirs Moth Two on a deeper level. Chances are he’s probably going to be smart like our Moth is, and his brain is making connections and
calculations, taking in all he knows and measuring it against whatever he has just learned. He rapidly comes to pretty much the same damning conclusion that the Lucas-thing came to.
‘You’re not you, are you?’
‘It’s you that’s not you,’ I tell him.
‘What are you running from?’
‘We’re not running,’ I lie.
‘Have you done something to Lucas?’
Even though we haven’t done anything I avert my eyes from Moth Two’s gaze. I look away and it’s the one thing I really shouldn’t have done.
‘That’ll be a yes then.’
‘He sort of started it,’ I say weakly.
‘I don’t know what’s going on, or even who you all are, but I will tell you this. No one touches my best friend.’ Moth Two coils and then springs forward. He has the same
talons, the same deadly stare as the
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