Night School: Resistance (Night School 4)

They were in the Heath.

Aware that they were still visible through the windows of the houses behind them, they kept their pace languid. But they were both assessing the terrain around them.

To the left, Allie could see a scattering of trees and then thicker forests beyond. That was where they were headed.

Once the light of the houses faded, they broke into a jog. The ground was uneven, the grass high, but they were both used to that.

The route they’d chosen required them to circle the base of Parliament Hill – its widest point – and then climb to the top.

As Raj had warned them, what seemed simple on a map was more complicated at night. Once they were in the trees, it was hard to keep a sense of direction. At least in the city there was more ambient light. Once their eyes adjusted they could see where they were going without the use of flashlights.

‘I’m sure I’ve seen this tree before,’ Allie whispered, glaring at a memorable tilting pine.

‘Trees all look like trees,’ Carter pointed out, pulling a GPS reader from his pocket. ‘We should be going north-west.’ He turned his body and the device slowly until he had a reading that satisfied him. He glanced back at Allie. ‘That way.’

Once they’d turned, though, the brush grew thicker. Soon they were fighting their way through thorny brambles and stinging nettles that left Allie with bleeding cuts on both arms.

‘Bloody evil pissing things.’ Allie swore as a thorny bramble branch slashed the skin of her right hand.

‘I think it thins out ahead.’ Carter pointed to a clearing they could just make out through the trees.

Clutching her wounded hand, she hurried after him. They jumped over a fallen log that blocked the path, landing on the edge of a slow-moving stream. They forded the water as quietly as they could, scrambling up the bank on the far side with their boots squelching unpleasantly in the mud.

They were just entering the clearing when Allie saw it. A flicker of movement that shouldn’t be there.

At first she thought it was just a shadow. Then it moved again. And it did so with far too much intent and purpose.

Someone was there.

Silently, she grabbed Carter’s arm, pulling him back into the protection of the trees. His eyes met hers, questioningly. Raising her hand, she pointed into the glade.

At first his eyes searched the area aimlessly, seeing nothing. Then his gaze sharpened.

The shadow seemed to glide across the glade – its movements soundless. Lethal.

One of ours? Allie wondered. Or theirs?

There was no way to know. In the dark, both sides looked the same.

They crouched down low, watching the shadow.

If his strength is superior, evade him.

Up here, the noises of the city faded away. Allie could hear only her own heartbeat and Carter’s even breathing. There was almost no breeze and the trees stood still, as if they were waiting, too.

When the shadow finally disappeared, they waited for several long minutes to be certain it was gone. Then Carter caught her arm and gestured ahead. She nodded.

Rising in unison they slipped through the glade, as silently as the shadow before them.

By unspoken agreement they cut across the path it had taken and headed to the base of the hill on a diagonal trajectory. Their training told them this was the best direction to avoid running into the shadow again.

One thing was clear: this was real. These woods were full of people.

After ten minutes of cautious progress the trees thinned and they found themselves heading up a steep slope towards open ground. Raj had warned them about this section – there was no way to hide here.

His solution to this problem had been simple: move fast.

Crouching low, they burst from the woods, accelerating their pace until they were pounding up the hill. Although they kept the requisite distance apart, Allie was always conscious of where Carter was, how quickly he was moving.

In fact, she was so focused on him that it took her a moment to realise they’d crested the hill. She skidded to a stop as the view took her breath away: all of London sprawled out below them. Like a galaxy of low stars, stretching to infinity.

Overlooking it, all alone, was one woman.

Her hands were laced behind her back as she gazed out over the city. A neat shock of platinum-white hair caught the glimmer of the city lights and shimmered. She stood very upright.

It struck Allie that she would have recognised her grandmother anywhere by her posture alone.

She wore expensive trousers and an expensive trench coat. Any passer-by would have taken her for a Hampstead doyenne out for a late-night stroll.

Allie ran to her side. Carter dropped back, staying a respectful distance away.

‘Lucinda … Grandmother …’

At the sound of her voice, Lucinda turned serenely.