Night School: Resistance (Night School 4)

When she’d lived in London, Allie had never really noticed how many of them there were. This was just … home. Her life.

Now she saw it differently. The people packed on pavements, in cars and in the double-decker buses that swayed past. The tall buildings filled with office workers even at this late hour. The teeming pubs beginning to empty. The throngs outside kebab stands and fast-food joints, and lingering in the shadows around bus stops and tube stations. The complaint of horns and blinding bright lights.

They were a long way from Cimmeria Academy’s green fields and quiet forests now.

A siren shrieked very close by and they both jumped. Twisting around in her seat, Allie looked through the rear window. She inhaled sharply. Carter turned to see.

A police car pulled up behind them, its warning lights flashing in an angry swirl. The driver motioned sternly for them to pull over.

Adrenaline flooded into Allie’s system. Her heart thudded in her ears.

Come on, Allie. Think.

What should they do? They didn’t have a plan for if they got stopped on the way into town. That was stupid of them. Nathaniel had a firm grip on the police right now. Could he have this much control?

It didn’t seem possible.

Anything was possible.

In the front seat, the driver and the guard in the passenger seat were arguing but the screech of the siren was too loud and close for Allie to make out what they were saying.

Glancing to her right, she saw Carter studying the guards with calm alertness, as if looking for clues about how bad the situation might be. One of his hands had come to rest casually on the door handle.

Allie followed his example. She placed her fingers on the cool metal of the door handle. Her other hand lay on the catch of her seat belt.

But as the moments went by it was clear the guards were more irritated than nervous. After a moment, the road ahead cleared and the driver pulled the Land Rover up on to the kerb.

As the police car sped by it was so close Allie could see the officers inside clearly. They were both looking straight ahead, utterly uninterested in the Land Rover they were passing.

The wail of the siren bent and twisted before fading away in the distance.

Gradually Allie’s heart rate returned to normal.

Carter exhaled audibly. ‘Bloody hell.’

After a second, traffic began to move again. They bumped down off the kerb and turned to the north.



‘This is it,’ the driver said as he pulled the Land Rover to the side of the road and cut the engine.

Turning her head, Allie could see the street sign attached to the decorative wrought-iron fencing that edged the pavement.

Tanza Road was a short street on a hill that tilted gently up, as if something heavy sat on one end of it. Elegant terraced houses made of beautifully carved Victorian stone and brick lined the lane on both sides.

Now that they were here, she felt strangely calm. Focused. As they waited, she was acutely aware of everything around her. The engine ticking as it cooled. The guards talking into their phones. Carter’s observant stillness next to her.

Her heartbeat was steady and even.

A sudden thunk echoed in the quiet as the doors all unlocked through some central system.

The guard in the passenger seat turned to face them. ‘Now.’

Allie turned to Carter. She could see the readiness in his face. The determination. It reflected the way she felt.

We can do this.

She took a steadying breath. Then she popped open the seatbelt with a decisive click and metallic rattle. Carter did the same.

Holding her gaze, he reached for the door handle. She grabbed hers. His eyes asked if she was ready and she nodded her reply.

Their doors opened at the same time.

Allie jumped down out of the tall SUV on to the dark street. She closed the door without looking back.

It was time to be brave.





37





Thirty-seven





On the street, the night was alive with sounds. The noise of television programmes floated softly through windows left open to the warm summer breeze. Voices could be heard in the distance – talking, laughing. From farther away came the faint song of sirens, the growl of a plane.

A normal big city on a normal Friday night. Nothing to see here.

Some of Allie’s tension evaporated as soon as they started walking. Despite everything, it felt strangely good to be back in a city. In the countryside she was always the outsider. London was her territory.

The elegant buildings around them spoke of money and power. Light poured from tall windows, golden and silky, as if everything inside was gilded.

Walking side by side, like two Hampstead kids out for a stroll, Carter and Allie made their way to the top of the street. Their eyes constantly scanned the right side of the lane, peering between houses.

Allie saw it first.

‘There.’ She nudged Carter, tilting her head at the short, paved path running between two houses. It was unmarked, almost hidden.

They turned into it.

Instantly, they were plunged into darkness. The pavement beneath their feet soon ran out and the path turned to dirt.