Night School: Resistance (Night School 4)

As they ran Allie looked back at Lucinda, still on the ground with Nathaniel hunched over her. Then fighters stormed in between them.

She saw a flash of dark blonde hair and realised it was Isabelle, fighting a man much bigger than her. The headmistress whirled and kicked, blocking his blows, then leaped into the air to aim a flying kick at his jaw that struck clean and true. The man crumpled like a toy.

Isabelle can really fight, Allie thought, dazed. But then another man came up behind the headmistress, aiming a blow at her head. The headmistress dodged at the last minute and turned to take him on.

Allie and Carter were nearing the trees now, and she dug in her heels.

‘We should stay and fight,’ she protested. ‘They need our help.’

‘We can’t stay,’ he said, pulling her hand. ‘We promised.’

Before Allie could reply, a thick, muscular arm wrapped around her throat from behind, yanking her off her feet.

Her hand slipped free of Carter’s.

‘Allie!’ Carter spun towards her but then someone else grabbed him and pulled him down to the ground with a heavy thud.

Helpless, Allie was dragged up the hill, towards the melee.

She yanked at the arm, clawed at it. But it was like iron. Nothing she did mattered. She could feel the hard muscles of the man’s chest against her back and it made her skin crawl.

Suddenly her blood ran cold. Gabe had grabbed her like this that night in the woods with Sylvain. Was this Gabe?

She squirmed in his grip, trying to see who held her. This turned out to be a bad idea. He tightened his grip across her throat.

‘I like it when you fight,’ a voice hissed in her ear. ‘Fight some more.’

Now she couldn’t breathe. Couldn’t move. Her heart hammered against her ribs as she gasped futilely for air.

Bright flashes of light began to dance in her vision like fireflies.

It’s over, she thought in a cold haze of surprise. He’s killing me.

Then, with no warning, the man shook. His arm released and she fell to the ground, gasping for breath.

When she looked up, Gabe lay on the ground next to her, blood streaming from his head. Christopher stood over him, holding a truncheon.

Allie stared at him in disbelief.

He reached out his hand to pull her up. ‘You OK?’

Too stunned to argue, she nodded. ‘Lucinda. Grandmother. Someone shot her.’

His lips tightened. ‘I saw.’

‘You get the hell away from her.’ Out of the darkness, Carter hurtled at Christopher. He was drenched in sweat, fists clenched.

Christopher adopted a defensive stance with the truncheon ready in one hand.

‘No!’ Allie stepped between them. ‘Carter. This is my brother. This is Christopher.’

‘Oh?’ Carter, who knew everything Christopher had done, kept coming until only Allie’s body separated them. ‘Then you really need to get the hell away from her.’

‘He just saved my life, Carter.’ Allie raised her voice. ‘Stop this.’

With clear reluctance, Carter backed off. He turned his attention to Allie. ‘We have to go, now.’ Allie’s gaze darted to her brother. She didn’t want to leave him with Gabe who lay groaning on the ground.

‘He’s right,’ Christopher said. ‘Get out of here. I’ll cover your back.’

‘Will you be OK?’ Allie asked, hesitantly.

‘I’ll be fine,’ he promised. ‘Go as fast as you can.’

Carter started to pull her with him but she turned back.

‘I want …’ Allie hesitated. She didn’t know what she wanted. ‘Thanks, Chris.’

His responding smile was bittersweet. ‘You’re welcome, Allie Cat. Now go.’

Turning, she and Carter ran side by side, weaving their way through clusters of fighters. As they ran, she scanned the heath for familiar faces.

She saw Zelazny shove his elbow into someone’s back and then bring his fist down on the arch of a neck with brutal force. At his side, Eloise was a whirling dervish, kicking and punching.

In the distance, she thought she saw Zoe swoop across the grass like a bird of prey. At least, she hoped it was her.

Then they’d reached the edge of the woods and they were safe. They rushed into the darkness with relief.

But they’d only gone a few steps when a voice called out to them: ‘Stop right there.’

A black-clad man stepped out from a cluster of trees. ‘Where do you think you’re going?’

Allie squinted at him in the dimness. She didn’t think she’d ever seen him before.

One of theirs.

‘Look –’ Carter raised his hands – ‘we don’t want trouble. We’re just leaving.’

The man walked towards them, his gaze steady on Allie’s face. She’d come to know that look of recognition well. He knew exactly who she was.

‘You can go,’ the man said. ‘The girl stays with me.’

Carter walked right up to him. ‘The hell she does.’

He punched the man in the stomach in a move so quick, to Allie it was a blur. Just one minute the man was standing there staring at her, and the next he was doubled over, vomiting.

Carter walked back to her side. ‘Let’s go,’ he said.

This time she didn’t argue.