The Enemy (3 page)

Achil eus leaned in and looked around.

“We’l need the flashlights.”

They al carried hand-powered LED dynamo flashlights that didn’t need batteries. They quickly fired them up by pumping the triggers that spun the flywheels inside. After thirty seconds the flashlights were charged enough to give a good three minutes of light.

They stepped into the entrance lobby and shone their beams across the dirty floor and wal s. Ahead of them was the reception desk. To the right, past a turnstile and low barrier, was a smal seating area that opened out on to the pool. A wide passage led the other way to the changing rooms.

The reception desk was covered with cobwebs, and the faded, peeling posters on the wal s were from a different world. They showed smiling, happy children and talked of health and fitness and community activities. There were a few animal trails in the dust, and debris on the floor, but no sign of any recent human activity.

“Vending machines used to be through there,” said Freak, nodding toward the fixed tables and chairs in the seating area.

“We’l take a quick look,” said Arran, and without having to be told, Achil eus led the way. He climbed over the turnstile and dropped into a crouch on the other side, spear at the ready.

“Al clear.”

One by one the others fol owed, Ol ie bringing up the rear, flashlight in one hand, slingshot in the other.

They walked cautiously forward. As they moved closer to the pool, they noticed a smel . The choking, rotten stink of stagnant water.

“Aw, who farted?” said Deke, holding his nose. Freak sniggered, but nobody else laughed. The pair of them liked to joke around to keep the fear away, but the others had their own ways of dealing with their nerves.

Achil eus was tensed and alert, ready for action, almost wil ing a grown-up to jump out at him. Arran tried to stand tal and appear unafraid, imagining he was casting a protective shield around his little group. Ol ie kept glancing back over his shoulder. He was so used to watching the rear that he almost found it easier walking backward.

“That is an evil smel ,” said Freak.

“Keep it down,” said Achil eus.

“Come off it, Akkie,” said Deke. “If there was anyone here, I think they just might have heard that bloody big bang as I took out the door.”

“Shut up so’s we can listen, Deke.”

“Okay, okay.”

They shone their flashlights around the seating area where the vending machines had once stood.

Nothing. Empty.

“They’re gone,” said Arran.

“What a surprise,” said Achil eus.

“Told you this was a waste of time,” said Ol ie. “Now can we go?”

Arran carried on toward the pool. A dim light was glowing green through the windows around the high ceiling. The air felt hot and moist. He used to come here nearly every week in the summer. There was a waterslide that snaked out of the building and back again. It had always been noisy here, busy with kids. There had been a wave machine and al sorts of fountains, waterfal s, and jets. Now it was absolutely quiet and stil and stank like a sewer.

Stringy weeds hung from the waterslide that stood on rusting supports.

Arran was aware of his heart thumping against his ribs. He didn’t like being here.

“We should take a proper look around,” said Freak, joining him by the pool and shining his flashlight around the cavernous space.

There was stil water in the pool, but it was a soupy greenish-brown color. Clumps of algae and weed floated on the surface, and odd pieces of furniture had been dumped in it. Arran could see chairs and tables, a filing cabinet, and what looked like a treadmil , probably from the gym upstairs.

More algae and mold made its way up the wal s, covering the windows—this was what was turning the light that weird ghostly green.

The others came through.

“We should go,” said Ol ie, nervously glancing back toward the entrance.

“Scared, are you?” said Deke.

“’Course I’m scared,” said Ol ie simply. “I’m always scared when we go somewhere we’ve never been before. It’s good to be scared. Keeps you alive.”

“Check this out,” Freak hissed, interrupting them. He was shining his flashlight across the pool.

A vending machine stood there, half submerged in the water, but they could see that it was stil stocked with chocolate bars and candy and chips.

“We’ve struck the jackpot,” Deke whispered.

They moved closer to the water’s edge, marveling at the treasure trove in the stagnant pool. The side of the pool sloped gradual y into the water, giving the effect of a beach. The smel was appal ing, and the floor was slippery beneath their feet.

“What’s it doing in the water?” said Achil eus.

“Who cares?” Freak and Deke said in unison.

Arran shone his flashlight on a sign; it was stil just about readable beneath the fungal growth on its surface. no running. no diving.

“See that?” he said. “No diving.”

The others sniggered. The thought of diving into the dark, stinking water was disgusting, but nevertheless somebody was going to have to wade in if they wanted to get to the vending machine.

“I don’t like it,” said Ol ie. “It’s not right.”

Once again he glanced back toward the entrance, making sure that their way out was clear.

“There’s nothing here, man,” said Deke. “No one. The place is deserted. Look at al that crap in the water. The vending machine must have been dumped there ages ago, and forgotten about.”

“Come on,” said Ol ie. “I’m leaving.”

He jumped as Freak suddenly shouted, his voice startlingly loud. “HELLO? ANYBODY HOME?”

The sound echoed off the hard wal s.

“See? Nothing.”

“You’re an idiot,” said Achil eus.

“Yeah? And who are you, then—Brainiac, the world’s brainiest kid?”

“Don’t start arguing,” said Arran wearily.

“Look,” said Deke, “we’ve been here long enough. If anything was going to happen it would’ve happened by now. This place is dead, like the rest of London. Like the rest of the world, for al we know. Dead.”

“We’re not dead,” said Arran, “and I want to keep it that way.”

“Then let’s get the stuff from the machine,” said Deke. “Food, yeah? To eat? You remember food, don’t you?”

“I’m not sure about this.”

“Oh, for God’s sake, this is a waste of time.” Freak walked to the water’s edge, holding his nose. Deke groaned as he watched his friend wade in.

Soon the slime was up to Freak’s knees, then his thighs. He kept going until he reached the machine. Turned to wave, then peered inside.

“Sick!” he said, grinning. “You should see this.”

“Freak! No!” Deke screamed.

The whole surface of the water around Freak had come alive, as if some huge beast were rising from the depths.

Deke splashed into the pool, yel ing.

“Idiot,” said Achil eus.

There were shapes emerging everywhere now, seemingly made from the same green slime as the water itself. They pushed up out of the bubbling pool.

People. Men and women. Blanket weed hanging off them and tangled between their outstretched fingers like webs.

“GROWN-UPS!” Arran shouted.

Ol ie grabbed a steel bal , slipped it into the pouch of his slingshot, and pul ed back the rubber band. . . .

There were too many of them. In his panic he wasn’t sure where to aim.

Freak was swinging his ax around wildly at the weed-covered grown-ups nearest to him. He got one in the forearm, shattering it, and on his return swing took another in the side of the head, but their numbers quickly overwhelmed him, and as the grown-ups closed in on him, there was no longer room to use his weapon effectively. On his next strike the ax head sunk deep into a big father’s ribs and stuck there. The father twisted and writhed, churning the water and tearing the ax from Freak’s grasp. Freak was defenseless. Wet, slimy hands closed around his neck. He struggled to throw them off, swearing at the grown-ups.

Ol ie couldn’t risk a shot that might hit Freak, so instead he aimed at one of the grown-ups on the edge of the attacking group. A mother. He loosed a shot and struck her in the temple. She toppled over and was swal owed by the water. Then a noise made Ol ie turn—more grown-ups had moved into the seating area to block their exit.

“We’re surrounded!” he shouted, swinging his slingshot around toward them.

Arran could do nothing to help. Grown-ups were swarming to the edge of the pool and slithering onto the tiles. He gripped his pickax handle and lashed out at them two-handed. A fat little father with useless legs hobbled out in a crouch, like some horrible, ungainly frog. Arran caught him under his chin with an uppercut, and he somersaulted backward into the water.

Deke had been trying to get to his friend, but the water was thick with wal owing grown-ups. He was forcing his way onward, using the tip of the sledgehammer’s handle as a butt. Driving it into anybody that got too close.

Achil eus was waiting on the edge. He knew that he wouldn’t be able to fight effectively in the water. He darted backward and forward, picking off stray grown-ups and watching Deke’s progress.

“Go on!” he urged him.

It looked like Deke was going to make it to Freak, but just before he got there, three big grown-ups pul ed Freak over, and he sank beneath the surface.

“Hold on, Freak!”

Deke powered the last few feet and dived in after his friend.

“Idiot,” Achil eus said again. There was nothing for it. He was going to have to go and help. He gave a war cry and surged in, high-stepping, spear flashing in quick hard thrusts, teeth bared.

The grown-ups seemed to sense that he was dangerous, and fel back. There was no sign of Freak and Deke, though.

Over by the seating area, Ol ie was ducked down onto one knee to steady his aim, and was launching a barrage of shots toward the grown-ups blocking the way out. He couldn’t take his eyes off them for even a split second, so he had no idea what was going on behind him. He prayed that the others would join him soon, because he couldn’t keep the grown-ups at bay forever.

“Help me, someone!”

Arran looked over and saw what was happening.

“Achil eus!” he shouted. “You get Freak and Deke. I need to help Ol ie.”

He had no idea if Achil eus had heard him, and he couldn’t wait to make sure. A group of grown-ups was rushing Ol ie, who couldn’t reload fast enough to hold them back. Arran raced over and plowed in, his club flying. The wood cracked against a father’s skul . He howled and toppled sideways.

Arran was finding it difficult to fight with the dog slung across his shoulders, but he swung again, this time aiming for a grown-up’s knee. There was a snap of breaking bone, and the grown-up was out of action.

“Got to push them back!” he yel ed, and surged forward, driving the grown-ups over the seats and tables.

Achil eus reached the vending machine. Oblivious to the stink and the slime, he plunged a hand under the water roughly where he had last seen Deke. He grabbed hold of sodden material and tugged hard. It was a grown-up. He stuck his spear into it, twisted, and pul ed it out. The next moment the water boiled and erupted as Deke broke the surface, bringing Freak up with him. Freak looked confused and limp.

“Got him,” Deke spluttered. His face was glowing white in the gloom so that it looked almost luminous.

“Come on,” said Achil eus. “Let’s go.”

But the attack wasn’t over. An enraged father bundled into them, knocking Deke hard into the vending machine and smashing the glass. Deke grunted, winded.

Achil eus dealt swiftly with the father, striking him in the mouth, and with that the remaining grown-ups gave up. They fel back as Achil eus and the other two waded toward the edge. Achil eus started taunting them, cursing and swearing and cal ing them al the names he could think of, daring them to attack.

“Come on, you lazy sods! Attack me, you cowards, come on!”

But the grown-ups were melting away, slipping back under the murky surface of the pool. Achil eus felt a surge of relief; his bravado had been al show. He was exhausted, Freak and Deke had lost their weapons, and if the grown-ups did mount a ful -scale attack, the boys would stand little chance.

He looked back. The other two were stil stumbling through the water. Deke looked like he was on his last legs. Achil eus went to him, grabbed hold of Freak around the waist, and pul ed the two of them along until, spluttering and slipping and stumbling, they staggered to the poolside.

“What kept you?” said Arran as they joined him and Ol ie, who had secured the seating area.

“I had to rescue the Chuckle Brothers,” said Achil eus.

“We couldn’t leave without having a swim,” said Deke, his voice hoarse and cracked. He coughed and doubled up in pain.

“Is he al right?” Arran asked Achil eus.

“Think so. Come on, what’s the holdup? Let’s get out of here.”

“Easier said than done.” Ol ie loosed a shot at a black silhouette in the reception area. “They’re blocking the exit.”

Achil eus swore. “I’ve never seen anything like this before. These are some clever bastards. They set a trap for us.”

“These guys are getting scary,” said Ol ie.

“We’l get our breath back and take them,” said Achil eus. “They don’t scare me.”

Deke was coughing again and shivering. He moaned. He looked whiter than ever. Freak seemed to be coming out of his daze, though. He shook his head and rubbed his temple with the heel of one hand.

“My ax?” he said.

“It’s gone, Superman,” said Achil eus. “Forget it. We’l find you another one. For now we’ve just got to get clear of this dump. You reckon you can walk now?”

“I’m fine,” said Freak.

“Deke don’t look so hot.”

Freak turned to his friend.

“Thanks for getting me out of that, bro,” he said.

Deke nodded. “No probs.” But his breathing was fast and shal ow, and there was a bubble of blood on his lips.

“You hurt?”

Deke forced a feeble grin. “I think I’m poisoned.”

“You was under the water for a long time, man, a long time,” said Achil eus.

“I feel sick.” Deke swayed to one side, and Freak caught him.

“You’re bleeding,” said Freak, putting a hand to Deke’s side. His clothes were stained black by blood. Achil eus lifted his arm; a large shard of jagged glass was sticking out of his side.