B00DW1DUQA EBOK (47 page)

‘If he is in love with her he won’t want to. Won’t want to put her through it. That may protect her.’

They were silent for a time, both lost in their thoughts. The light faded as, somewhere over the Directory walls, the sun sank behind the mountains. All colour, all detail leeched out of the room. Finn could hear nothing apart from the deep, ever-present hum of the machinery.

‘I think we should get out of here,’ said Diane.

‘Now?’

‘Now. If Shireen doesn’t come tonight then I think it means they’ve caught her. What do you think?’

‘I think you’re right,’ said Finn. ‘But where do we go? What do we do?’

‘Find this Director’s building. Try and get to Connor. I wonder though …’ she trailed off, lost in thought.

‘What?’

‘I wonder if she has tried to contact us but couldn’t. Maybe she knew someone was onto her and sent us a message.’

‘But we haven’t had a message. How could she?’

‘What would you do if you were her and you needed to tell us something?’

‘I don’t know. Write a note and hide it in one of our rooms I suppose.’

‘No good. Anyone could find it then.’

‘Then where?’

‘If I were her I’d leave a note at the top of that ladder. No-one else goes up there and only we know about it. If she had time she could have gone up before they came for her.’

‘If they did come for her.’

‘OK, yes. But it’s worth checking.’

‘We need to get out of our rooms then. They’re always locked.’

‘Not always,’ said Diane. ‘Haven’t you noticed? When the other woman – Matilda – brings us our sleeping medicine she opens your door, gives it to you, opens my door, gives it to me and then locks both doors.’

‘So if I sneak in behind her while she’s in your room…’

‘Exactly. Hit her over the head, knock her out and we can lock her in while we escape.’

Finn didn’t reply.

‘Can you do this, Finn?’

Could he? He wouldn’t have been able to, once. But his years in Engn had changed him.

‘Yes,’ he said. ‘I have to.’

‘Good. Try and get her before I drink. And try not to take yours, too. We don’t want to be falling asleep up there.’

‘OK.’

‘Get something ready to hit her with. She’ll be coming round soon.’

‘What?’

‘A chair leg,’ she said. ‘See if you can work one loose. It’s heavy enough.’

Finn turned one of his chairs upside down and tried each of the legs. Even as he worked he heard the jangle of keys, the clink of beakers. He leapt back onto his bed as his door swung open and lights flicked on. A cowled figure stood in his doorway. If it was Shireen everything would be well. Perhaps it would be her after all.

But it was Matilda’s dry, unfriendly voice that greeted him. ‘Here’s your draught. Now drink up.’

Finn, trying to remember what he normally did, sat up on his bed and waited while she poured the liquid into the little beaker. He threw back his head and gulped it down, put the cup back on the tray and nodded.

‘Very good,’ said Matilda.

Finn lay back on his bed as if preparing to sleep while she crossed back to his door. When she disappeared around the corner Finn leapt up and ran to his sink to spit out his medicine. He crept to the door, unlocked and slightly ajar, and peered out. Matilda was in Diane’s room. Picking up the entire chair, Finn stepped after her.

Peering through the open door, he could see Matilda with her back to him. Diane seemed to be stalling, complaining about something. He had to do it now. He stepped forward into the room, desperate not to make a single sound.

‘Come on now, drink up, there’s a good girl.’

‘But it smells funny tonight.’

Two more steps and he was there. Matilda had heard nothing. He lifted the wooden chair up over his shoulder to get in a good swing. His arms flinched, the start of a swing. Diane tried not to look at him. He swung for real, clattering the wooden chair against the back of Matilda’s skull.

He thought that was all he’d have to do. She would crumple neatly and silently to the ground. Instead she screamed and span around to face him. He hadn’t swung hard enough. He took a step backwards, raising the chair again. This time he would have to swing at her face. He was about to do it when there was a hollow
clunk
sound and Matilda’s eyes shut. She collapsed to the floor. Diane stood behind her, a chair-leg in her hand.

‘That’s how you do it,’ she said.

Finn smiled, mostly out of relief. ‘I weakened her. You just finished her off.’

‘The question is, what do we do with her now?’

‘Tie her up. Lock her in.’

‘You know what we should do.’

‘What?’ asked Finn.

‘Whatever we do she’ll get out sooner or later, make herself heard.’

‘You’re saying we should finish her off? Kill her so she can’t raise the alarm?’

‘It’s the sensible thing to do.’

They both looked at the prone body on the floor, a heap of red cloth with, comically, two white shins sticking out from one end.

‘How would we do it?’ said Finn.

‘Suffocate her I suppose. That’s the quietest way.’

‘I don’t think I can.’

Diane looked up at him, then back down at Matilda. The cut on the back of her head was clear, glistening blood in her matted hair.

‘No. OK then. Let’s just tie her up. Maybe no-one will hear her up here anyway.’

They took Matilda’s keys and bound her wrists together with the cord from her own cloak. She still breathed: shallow, almost peaceful.

‘Come on,’ he said. ‘We need to hurry.’

They ran from the room, locked both their doors and sped away, up the stairs, leaping three at a time to reach the top landing.

Finn, who was slightly taller, went first. He shook as he strained upwards with his fingertips to reach the hatch. Diane, anchoring herself against the banister, held him around the hips to stop him falling backwards.

‘I can’t reach,’ he called down.

‘Shireen managed it and you’re taller. Just do it.’

‘I’m trying.’

‘Stand on my shoulders.’

The extra height allowed him to haul himself up through the hatch. He marvelled at the fact Shireen had done it by herself. He lowered the rope down for Diane to climb up. When they were both inside they shut the hatch and began to climb the ladder.

‘Do you see anything?’ Diane called up when Finn, climbing first, reached the top. ‘Any note?’

‘Nothing. Wait. There’s something here, written on the wall. It’s very faint.’

‘Was it there before?’

‘I don’t remember it.’

‘What does it say?’

‘There’s an arrow pointing at the window below it. Something about the building with no doors.’

Diane arrived at the top of the ladder and knelt beside him to examine the hurried, scribbled writing. ‘The Director’s building, then. Can you see it?’

Finn peered through. He had to rest one cheek on the dusty floor. Down between two metal spires with wires criss-crossing between them he could see, in the middle of an open square, a single, low building, squat and square. ‘I think so. I still don’t see how we get inside if there are no doors.’

‘There’s more written here. I can’t quite make it out. Something about going underground.’

‘We knew we’d have to do that,’ said Finn.

‘Shh. Also something about clocks.
Fellow
, no,
Follow
the clock-winder
. What does that mean? There’s a time too.’

‘The clock-winder. Of course.’

‘Of course what?’ asked Diane.

‘I told you about him, remember? He goes everywhere in Engn setting all the clocks. He has keys for all the doors. He must have a key for the Director’s building too. If we can find him perhaps we can follow him inside.’

‘It must take him months to go all round Engn. The chances of coming across him now are tiny.

‘Shireen must have known that. Maybe she knew he’d be here soon and left us the note.’

‘Or maybe she expected us to come up yesterday and we’ve already missed him.’

Finn crouched next to Diane and examined the scribbled writing again.

’Does that time look like 34:00 to you?’

‘Yeah. I think so. But it doesn’t say which day. It could be tonight or tomorrow or yesterday. I don’t see how it helps us.’

‘I suppose she didn’t have time to complete the message. Still, it doesn’t matter. It’s our only chance. We can’t just go back to our rooms can we?’

‘Come on then.’

Back on the landing they peered over the banister at the stone staircase falling away beneath them. No-one was in sight. The Sanatorium was as deserted as ever.

‘We could go and take her cloak,’ said Diane as they descended.

‘Whose?’

‘Matilda’s. If one of us wears it we might not get stopped if anyone sees us.’

‘She might have woken up by now.’

‘I don’t hear her shouting.’

‘Perhaps she’s … you know.’

‘Let’s go and see. We should have thought to take it when we could.’

‘OK.’

Finn listened at Diane’s door but could hear nothing. Perhaps Matilda had gone; perhaps everyone was searching for them even now. He peered through the grille. The woman lay there in the middle of the room, just where they’d left her.

He slid the key into the lock, watching her all the time, expecting some trick, expecting her to leap up and grab him. Strange how their roles had reversed. But she didn’t move. They stepped quietly to her and knelt down. The blood on the floor was smeared, suggesting she had moved a little. He couldn’t tell if she was breathing in her baggy cloak. Holding his own breath he knelt down and put his ear to her mouth.

‘She’s alive. Let’s take her cloak off and get out of here,’ he said.

‘I’ll do it,’ said Diane. ‘You hold the chair-leg ready. In case she wakes up.’

‘OK.’

‘If she does, hit her properly this time.’

Finn nodded and stood at Matilda’s head, chair-leg held ready. But, apart from murmuring something inaudible, Matilda didn’t wake up. Diane pulled the red cloak up over her head, revealing a grey cotton shift underneath. Finn had to half-lift Matilda so they could wrestle the cloak over her shoulders.

‘You should wear it,’ he said. ‘She’s more your height.’

‘Walk ahead of me. If we meet anyone they might think I’m escorting you somewhere.’

‘OK.’

They backed out of the room, still wary of Matilda, still expecting her to leap to her feet. She didn’t stir. Finn clicked the door shut and locked it again, finally releasing his breath. He turned to look at Diane.

‘What are you doing?’ The sudden, loud voice from the corridor made Finn’s heart pound. Nathaniel stood in the corridor, blocking their way. Diane held Matilda’s cloak in her arms.

‘We’re … leaving,’ said Finn. ‘We’re going to leave Engn. Get outside.’ Perhaps if they played the role of the deluded patients Nathaniel wouldn’t be so suspicious. Perhaps, somehow, he hadn’t noticed Matilda’s cloak, didn’t realise what it meant.

‘She’s your sister isn’t she?’

‘Who?’ asked Finn, briefly, puzzled. ‘Matilda?’

‘Shireen. I checked into the records after they’d … after the questions were raised. I thought I knew all about her but there it was, clear as day. Brother, Finn Smithson, deceased. I’m not sure which I was more surprised about. The fact that you’re her brother or the fact that you’re dead.’ Nathaniel looked bemused, frightened even.

‘They’re wrong about me being dead,’ said Finn. ‘Perhaps they’re wrong about her being my sister, too.’

‘Well, are they? I can check your thumbprints if necessary.’

He had a point. ‘OK. She is my sister. Although it’s true we haven’t seen each other for a long time.’

Nathaniel said nothing for long moments. More than anything he looked confused. His duty to Engn was clear. He should press the button and summon guards to take them away. But so far he hadn’t done so.

‘You love her don’t you?’ said Diane.

Nathaniel looked startled. ‘What?’

‘Shireen. You’re in love with her.’

Nathaniel sagged a little, nodded his head. ‘I suppose I do, yes. From afar. But she’s always been distant with me. I don’t think she likes me. She’s made that quite clear.’

‘What have they done to her?’ asked Finn.

‘Nothing yet. They’re still asking questions. They’ll get answers from her one way or another.’

‘If you help us, we can protect her,’ said Diane.

Nathaniel shook his head. ‘No you can’t. More delusions.’

‘No,’ said Finn. ‘You’re wrong about that and you’re wrong about Shireen. She does love you. She explained. But she doesn’t want to lie to you. Doesn’t want to have to pretend there isn’t a world outside Engn when she knows there is. Because she thinks the same way we do.’

Nathaniel looked even more lost at Finn’s words. ‘If she believes that then I will never see her again.’

‘Unless we can save her.’

‘How could you possibly do that now? It’s hopeless.’

‘With the help of the Director’s apprentice.’

Nathaniel shook his head, refusing to accept such a crazy notion. ‘Him? Why would he help you?’

‘Because we’re old friends. You must have checked the records about me. You must know we’re connected.’

‘I know you knew him many years ago, outside the Directory. I don’t see how that helps you now.’

‘It might not,’ said Diane. ‘But it might. There’s a chance we can help Shireen, help a lot of people, if we can get to Connor.’

Nathaniel still stood there. He still hadn’t pressed the button. ‘But I can’t let you go. Not after this.’ He waved towards Matilda’s cloak.

‘We haven’t harmed her,’ said Finn. ‘I mean, she’s just unconscious. She’ll be OK.’

‘Even so. I couldn’t allow it.’ His words were clear but Finn could see a different story on his face. A part of Nathaniel wanted to believe them. Believe he might see Shireen again.

‘Unless you never saw us,’ said Diane.

‘What?’

‘If anyone asks you can say you weren’t here. We escaped by attacking Matilda. Stole her keys to get outside. No-one would blame you.’

Nathaniel’s eyes narrowed as he debated with himself. His hand flinched towards the button to summon the guards. Then he stopped.