Threshold Shift (29 page)

“Keep going,” Keith shouted.

Sam turned her head to see her father confronting two of the rioters.

“Dad!” she called.

Her mother took a fierce grip of her forearm, preventing any thought
of going back. “Keep going!”

She didn't see what happened next, her eyes forced forward as she
followed her mother through an intricate maze of narrow alleyways.
She wondered how her mother could possibly know where they were
going, and then realised, with a lurch, that she didn't. They were
just running; destination unknown.

When they stopped, it was because her mother had to, winded and
struggling to breathe while Sam listened closely for pursuit. There
was none, the rioters had given up.

“Dad,” she said quietly. Her father was gone, probably
beaten or worse.

Anna hugged her close, and Sam listened as her mother’s
breathing slowly returned to normal.

“We have to keep going, Sam,” Anna said. “Get to
your Uncle Roger.”

Sam felt a strange numbness spreading through her body. This was
worse than the aftershock of her beating. The world had never felt so
unreal or alien to her.

“Do you think they...?” She couldn't finish the sentence.

“Shush,” Anna said softly as if Sam were still a child.
She felt tears welling in her eyes. What a time to become a baby.

“Take a minute,” Anna said, furtively checking the alley.
“Then we go.”

“Do you know where we are?” Sam asked.

Her mother squinted into the distance. “I'll work it out,”
she said.

Sam wiped her face with her sleeve and then gritted her teeth. “I'm
ready.”

“Good,” Anna said, and began to walk again, her pace not
as frenetic as Sam’s father, but fast enough.

For an hour the two of them stumbled around lost in the darkness.
During that time Sam heard shouting and explosions all around them,
sometimes so close she expected to be pursued again, or so distant,
they might have been in another quarter of the city. If she
concentrated on her hearing she could direct them both away from
danger. The first time she did this her mother arched her eyebrows in
surprise. On each successive occasion Anna merely nodded, as if she
had been reminded of a long forgotten fact.

If only she had thought to use her enhanced hearing before, and save
her father. Sam punished herself with that knowledge, and as time
passed, her teeth chattered incessantly. She was frightened, more
frightened than she had ever been before. Her mother saw this and
held her hand, but it wasn't enough, she wanted her dad.

Eventually they found themselves within hearing distance of the
ocean, the sound of the waves beating against the sea wall as regular
as breathing. Concentrating on that soothing rhythm she let herself
calm down.

“You've been very brave, Sam,” her mother said, stroking
her cheek with a cold hand. “But I need you to be just a little
bit braver.”

“What do you mean?”

“The dock will be a target,” Anna explained. “I
need to check if it's safe, but I can’t do that if you’re
with me.”

“No,” Sam protested.

“I won’t be long,” Anna said, leading Sam into a
recess that housed a heavy iron door. For a brief instant Sam saw the
exhaustion etched into her mother’s face. Then Anna reached up
and unscrewed the doorway’s overhead light, shrouding the
alcove in darkness.

“I’ll come with you,” Sam said, reaching out. Her
mother pulled away.

“Wait here for me. I'll be back in five minutes.”

“What if something happens to you?” Sam asked, horrified
at the prospect.

“Nothing will happen to me,” her mother insisted. Sam
didn’t believe her, but her tone didn’t brook argument.

“Wait for me,” Anna said, kissing Sam on the cheek with a
numbing finality.

“Mum,” she pleaded, but her mother was already running
into the shadows. Sam collapsed into a hopeless and awkward crouch
against the metal door.

She was alone.

Listening to her own breathing becoming faster and faster she tried
to distract herself by reaching beyond it, letting her hearing
explore the deeper layers of sound resonating all around her. The
faintest vibrations resolved themselves into footsteps, breaking
glass and angry shouting. There were at least three different groups
within her range, the closest less than five hundred metres away. She
kept a close ear on that one, until five hundred metres became six
and then seven. She was safe.

More than five minutes had passed, she was sure of that, maybe a lot
more than five minutes. Time had become broken somehow, had she
fallen asleep? Surely her heart was beating too fast for that? The
sound of the surf hitting land was nothing next to the blood beating
in her ears. She struggled to hold back the panic, letting the world
retreat around her.

It was the echo of a gunshot that brought it back, the shouting and
cries of pain that followed dragging her to her feet. The clatter of
hurried footsteps almost made her run except for the fact her legs
refused to obey. Instead she watched as six figures passed by with
more than one gunshot in pursuit. They hadn't seen her, she was sure
of that. They hadn't even registered her existence. But what about
the people with guns? They were coming, she knew it.

Cowering in the alcove, her breathing seemed absurdly loud. They
would hear her! How long since her mother had left her here? She
couldn't tell, hours perhaps.

Inhaling sharply, she peered beyond the confines of her hiding place
and saw three figures emerge at the end of the street. Two of them
were holding what must have been the rifles she heard. Between them
stood a slightly shorter figure, unarmed, an outstretched finger
pointing in her direction. Sam recognised the silhouette at once. It
was her mother.

Sam stepped out to meet them.

“Thank God you're still here,” Anna said, her arms
enclosing Samantha in a damp embrace. “I'm sorry I took so
long. I had to swim to Roger’s boat. There was no other way.”

Sam couldn’t speak; instead she looked past her mother to the
two men with rifles. They were turning their heads nervously in all
directions.

“Come on, Anna,” Roger said, the firm gruff voice making
him easy to recognise in the darkness. “We have to get back to
the dock before they regroup. It won't take long.”

With her back to her brother, Anna nodded, and then took Sam by the
hand and squeezed. “Almost there,” she said. “You
just have to keep going a little bit longer.”

Sam took a breath as her mother pulled her along. Ahead of them her
uncle led the way as the other man covered their rear.

Their rapid footsteps clattered loudly upon the cobbles that led to
the quayside, but no one followed. Sam made out the dock, lit by a
phalanx of overhead lights. A crowd was standing before a closed iron
gate, many of them holding bundles in their arms that Sam recognised
as young children. As she watched, three men turned and saw them.
Roger paused and motioned to his companion.

“Fire over their heads,” he ordered.

“What are you doing?” Sam asked.

“They would sink us,” her uncle said with chilling
finality and turned back to his companion. “Skylar?”

The man shrugged and raised his rifle. In the floodlights Sam could
make out that he was much younger than her uncle, probably not much
older than herself, his long black hair glistening. What he lacked in
girth he made up in height, easily standing a good few inches taller
than her.

“You can’t,” Sam protested.

Her mother pulled her close. “Close your eyes Sam, you
shouldn’t have to see this.”

Both men aimed their rifles and fired, causing Sam to shudder as she
heard the weapons boom. In front of her the children screamed in
fear.

“Steady, Skylar,” Roger commanded, his rifle aimed high.

Sam opened her mouth.

“Fire again,” Roger ordered.

Sam couldn't look, even as her mother hurried her forward.

“Offworlder,” someone spat. Strong fingers closed around
Sam’s arm.

“Keep your hands to yourself,” Roger barked, and Sam
heard the crack of the butt of a rifle connecting with bone. She
opened her eyes to see that all but a few of the crowd had dispersed.
Her uncle and his companion were beating three men away with the heft
of their rifles.

Another shot sounded, but this time it was from beyond the gate.
“Halt!”

“It's us, James,” Roger shouted as his assailant ran
away. “We found her.”

“Open the gate!”

Sam heard intricate mechanisms turn as the gate was unlocked and one
side of it opened just enough to allow them in. Her uncle paused,
peering down the side road where the majority of the people had fled.

“They're starting to come back,” he announced. “We’d
best be gone as soon as we can.”

Sam's mother nodded obediently as she led Sam into the dock, flanked
by Roger and his armed companion.

“What about Dad?” Sam asked, straining to look back.

The man beside her uncle peered down at her. In the full light of the
dock, Sam saw that it wasn’t a man at all; it was a girl only a
few years older than herself.

“He'll have to take his chances,” she said quietly. “We
have to go.”

“No!” Sam protested.

The girl shook her head, although her pained expression was
sympathetic.

Roger squeezed his niece’s shoulder as the gate was locked
behind them. “Sam, we have to. These men,” he motioned to
the three armed figures standing by the gate, “were only
waiting for us to come back. They're going now, and me and Skylar
can't defend that gate on our own. There are just too many damned
people who want to leave and more coming that want to stop us
leaving.”

“Mum?” Sam gazed up at Anna hopefully.

Her mother inhaled sharply. “I'm sorry, Sam, Roger is right.
I'm sure your father will find us eventually.”

Sam shook her head as her uncle ran down the pier to where the
The
Kanton Dream
was moored. It was as she remembered; almost fifteen
metres long, the bow curving gently inward, the lines of its white
plexifibre hull speckled with dirty black and grey discolouration
that stood out even in the shadows of the dock. The result of three
decades of sea faring that no amount of love and care could prevent.
Sam knew
The Kanton Dream
was older than she was, and while
the old boat was aging respectfully, it was not a graceful process.

“Come along, Sam,” Anna said, beckoning her to follow.

“No!”

“Don't be so silly,” Skylar said, standing behind her. “I
didn't risk my life finding you just so you could get us all killed.”

“Skylar!” Anna gasped.

“I’m sorry, aunt,” Skylar answered. “But we
don't have time for this. Dad!”

Roger heard the cry and turned around. “Come on, come on. What
are you waiting for?”

Skylar motioned to Sam. “She wants to be carried.”

Roger jumped back onto the pier and rushed back.

“What is all this?”

Skylar grabbed both of Sam’s arms. “She doesn’t
want to go.”

Roger grimaced. “Oh really?” He reached down for her
legs.

“Stop it,” Sam protested. “We can’t just
leave him.”

“We can and we are,” Roger said. “He’s not
important.”

“Mum”

“Hold it!” A sailor called from the gate. More gunshots
rang out as Sam tried to free herself.

Anna glanced back furtively. “I’m going to have a look.
Get my daughter aboard.”

Skylar nodded as Anna rushed to the gate. Sam managed to wriggle one
arm free, Skylar grabbed it again.

“Keith!” Anna cried. “It’s Keith, let him
in.”

“Dad!” Sam called.

Skylar and Roger exchanged glances and then let her go. She regained
her footing in time to see a man in black limp through the open gate,
his clothes torn and bloody. Anna caught him as he almost fell over
and then hefted his arm over her shoulder.

“He looks like a girl,” a sailor commented.

Anna stared him down.

“Not that there’s anything wrong with that.”

Sam ran to them.

“Hello,” Keith said drowsily. “I was hoping you'd
be here.”

Sam smiled.

“Help me,” Anna said.

Between them mother and daughter took Keith’s weight and
dragged him towards
The Kanton Dream
.

Skylar beckoned them across the gangplank. “Welcome aboard,
uncle.”

Sam glared at her cousin as she helped her father sit down upon the
deck.

“Stay with him,” Anna said. “I need to find a
medikit.”

Her mother pulled away, leaving Sam to support Keith’s hunched
and broken body. He was smiling and patting her hand.

“What a good little miracle you are.”

Skylar was busy pulling anchor. “Go, go, go,” She shouted
at last.

Roger waved at the men on the dock and then disappeared into the
wheelhouse. Moments later the engine hummed into life.
The Kanton
Dream
was moving.

“Away at last,” Keith said.

Anna returned with a green medikit in her hands and crouched down
beside him. “Keith Marriot,” she whispered. “You
stupid, stupid man.”

Sam's father allowed a crooked smile to spread across his beaten
face.

“If you ever do this to me again,” Anna said. “I’ll
kill you myself.”

Sam pulled away, leaving them alone as her mother dabbed antiseptic
onto her father’s wounds. She was beginning to shake. Settling
down at the aft end of the boat she let the night breeze prickle her
skin, her heart still beating too fast. Skylar came across and sat
down beside her.

“What do you want?” Sam asked, irritated by her cousin’s
arrival.

“Here,” Skylar said, offering a mug of something hot and
steaming. Sam took it and lifted it to her lips. Chicken soup. It
tasted good.

Skylar waited in silence while she drank. Sam tried to ignore her,
casting her eyes back towards the city to be confronted by an orange
knot of flames rising behind the low buildings that thronged the
coast. Were they spreading inland or had they already come from
there? She didn’t know.