‘I don’t seem to have that ability in Earth,’ she said. ‘I think it has been replaced with my wings.’
Before Zach could say anything else, Neanna was swooping up into
the air. ‘I’ll draw their fire. Now get out of here!’ she shouted over her shoulder.
Clack! Clack! Clack!
The gunfire started the moment Neanna soared up into the shadows of the stations high ceiling. Across the concourse, Zach could see a gated exit which led out into the street.
Pointing at it, Zach said to William, ‘look over there. Head for that gateway.’ Together, they darted from the shadows of the shop doorway and headed for the exit.
Clack! Clack! Clack!
Gunfire sizzled all around them as a volley of bullets ricochet off the tiled floor.
Zooming up into the roof of the station, Neanna spied the police marksmen hiding on the upper gantries. Seeing them take aim, Neanna swooped down – knocking them from their perches like gargoyles on top of a cathedral. The officers made a ‘garwfing’ sound as they were struck from behind and went pin-wheeling through the air.
Some of the other police officers saw their colleagues flying towards the ground and began to spray a hail of bullets up into the darkness. Pressing herself flat against the metal beams of the roof, Neanna smiled. Peering from the safety of the shadows, she sought out her new target and screaming like an eagle, Neanna plunged down and kicked the police officer from his hiding place. The last thing the police officer would recall before writing his report later that night, was a pair of drooling fangs racing towards him.
Zach and William dodged the bullets that rained down on them. Bounding in huge leaps across the concourse, William snarled, bearing his ferocious teeth for all to see. One of the police marksmen peered around the corner of Marks and Spencer’s and William raced towards him. The officer’s eyes grew wide with fear and he froze on the spot like a waxwork. Seeing his chance, William stood on his hind legs and towered over the police officer. Standing like this, William was at least eight foot tall and rippled with muscle. With one powerful arm, he swiped at the officer and sent him flying through the glass windows of the store, where he landed face down in the middle of the sandwich counter.
Throwing his arms out on either side, William rolled his head back and howled. The noise was so loud that windows began to shatter from the roof above and the store fronts that lined the concourse. Shards of broken glass showered down like hailstones and the remaining officers ran for cover.
‘Leave us alone!’ William howled. ‘We haven’t done anything wrong!’
Dropping to all fours, William snarled once more in warning as he headed back to Zach, who ran in circles in the middle of the station concourse.
‘Run Zach! Run!’ William barked.
Seizing her chance, Neanna dived towards the ground, her wings rippling behind her.
The three of them ran towards the gated exit. William bounded into it and the metal bars rattled in its frame.
‘It’s locked!’ Zach screamed, looking back over his shoulder.
‘Not for long!’ William growled, wheeling round and taking a run at it.
Throwing his full force against the gate it broke free from its hinges and flew into the street. Without hesitating, William bounded out into the street and the sound of drivers blasting on their car horns soon followed. Neanna swooped from the station and soared into the night.
Taking one last look over his shoulder, Zach turned towards the gate. Everything happened so fast, Zach didn’t even have a chance to react. The gloved hand shot from the darkness and wrapped itself around Zach’s neck. Spinning round and backwards, Zach went sprawling onto the concourse floor, smashing his head against the concrete with a sickening thud. Staring up into the face that looked over him, Zach’s eyes lost their focus and everything went black.
‘I’ve got one of ‘um,’ the police officer shouted into his radio.
Police sirens wailed in the distance as more units raced towards the railway station. Stooping closer to his prize, the police officer said, ‘well I’ll be dammed. I was only reading about you this afternoon on the briefing system. You’re that kid who’s run away from home.’
Chapter 20
Fandel’s’ head throbbed and the constant squeaks of the windscreen wipers were doing little to ease the pain. He raced down the M5 towards London, the tyres of his car hissing on the wet tarmac. It was almost midnight and he had received the call from the police an hour ago.
‘Mr Black?’ the voice had said on the other end of the phone.
‘Yes!’ Fandel had snapped. He had given Anna her evening dose of medicine and he had settled into his favorite seat before the fire, picturing his doorway to Endra when the phone had started to ring.
‘Hello Mr Black. My name is Superintendent Declan Tanner from the Terrorism Investigations Unit at New Scotland Yard.’
‘Oh?’ Fandel said.
‘You reported your nephew Zach Black missing.’
‘Yes, that’s right?’
‘We’ll, I’m pleased to tell you that we have found him,’ Tanner said.
‘Okay?’ Fandel said, flummoxed by this news. ‘What did you say your name was again?’
‘Superintendent Tanner from the terrorism investigations…’ Tanner started to repeat again.
‘Is it common place for such a high ranking officer from the terrorism unit to get involved in a missing person’s enquiry?’ Fandel asked, his eyes forming into two narrow slits.
‘Well no, not normally but this doesn’t seem to be a simple missing person’s enquiry.’
Hearing this, Fandel’s lips went dry and the hairs prickled at the base of his neck. ‘How come superintendent?’
‘Your nephew was discovered on an in-bound flight into the UK from the United States of America.’
A difficult silence followed as Fandel’s brain started to jiggle about in his skull. ‘I’m really not sure what to say, superintendent – I’m lost for words. Was he with anyone else?’ Fandel asked.
‘Look Mr. Black, it would be much easier to go over this at the station. Would it be possible for you to come down to the Yard tomorrow? I understand that you’re in Cornwall. Perhaps you could make it by lunch time.’ The last part of Tanner’s sentence was given more as an order than a suggestion.
Fandel’s skin crawled at the thought of going back into a police station, and this wasn’t any ordinary police station; this was New Scotland Yard he was being summoned to.
‘Yes. Yes, that will be fine,’ Fandel replied, beads of sweat beginning to dribble off his brow.
Fandel was just about to say goodbye and slam down the phone – he was desperate to end this conversation just in case he was asked any difficult questions – when Tanner said:
‘Apart from the bump on your nephew’s head, he’s doing okay.’
‘Sorry?’ Fandel said flustered. Why wouldn’t this cop just piss-off?
‘It’s just that your nephew has run away from home and you haven’t once asked if he was okay,’ Tanner said.
Fandel detected a certain cunning about this officer. He wasn’t lazy and incompetent like Police Constable Moody had been. This one was sly, loved his job and was clever.
‘How silly of me,’ Fandel said, ‘this has come as a bit of a shock and I’m not thinking straight.’
‘I understand,’ Tanner replied.
‘Is he in custody?’
‘No. Zach is in St Thomas’ Hospital nursing a sore head, that’s all. He should be discharged tomorrow.’
Why couldn’t he be dead? Fandel thought to himself and then said down the telephone, ‘that’s such a relief. I will leave for London first thing tomorrow morning,’ and then grimacing as if he had a foul taste in his mouth, he added, ‘I look forward to meeting you then superintendent.’
He then placed the receiver back into its cradle. Throwing on his coat and grabbing his car keys from above the fireplace, Fandel slipped from the house and raced towards London.
Rubbing his temples with his gnarled fingers, Fandel peered through the rain that hammered against the car windshield. He then glanced at the clock that glowed green above the dashboard in the dark. It was 01:45.
Wanting to be in London before dawn, he pressed his foot against the accelerator and sped faster down the motorway. Fandel had already decided that he had no intention of going to meet with this Superintendent from the Yard. No sir-ree. He was going to go straight to the hospital, collect his meddling nephew and take him back into Endra.
Throat would know what to do with him, Fandel thought to himself and grinned. But what would his reflection say?
It wasn’t Fandel’s fault that Zach had managed to come back. Throat was meant to be taking care of that. That was his department! Fandel’s headache began to ease a little as he began to proportion the blame.
But what about that interfering cop? Wouldn’t he come sniffing around? There’d be questions to answer? Like how had his nephew ended up on an international flight? And that cop knew more than he was letting on. That’s why he wanted a meeting in London. There was more going on and that cop just wanted to watch him squirm under a bright light in some filthy interrogation room. Well it wasn’t going to happen. He would flee to Endra earlier than planned.
But what about Anna? He would have to take her too. But could she go over? Hadn’t Throat forbid it as it could cause complications?
Fandel’s head began to pound again.
‘Throat will know what to do,’ he whispered, trying to sound as confident as possible. ‘He’ll know what to do.’
Fandel pressed harder on the accelerator.
Chapter 21
Zach opened his eyes. He was lying on a bed in a room with white painted walls. The smell of disinfectant was so overpowering that it made his eyes and nose sting. Zach tried to lift his head off the pillows, but lowered it again as a bolt of pain skewered its way into his brain.
‘Ouch!’ he murmured, and the pain made him feel sick.