Underworld (16 page)

‘Are you daft!' Axel screamed out at Zesh. ‘I'm not giving you the inhaler at all if you stay here! What do you want to stay for?' He didn't wait for an answer. ‘The two of you are daft. I'm trying to help you here.'

He actually believes that, Liam was thinking, though at that moment coherent thought wasn't something Liam could do. He couldn't stop himself shaking. Hadn't stopped since Angie had – NO! He couldn't bear to think about that, he kept pushing the picture of her terrified face away from him.

Liam watched Axel, who looked as if he was ready to stamp his foot like a toddler who wasn't getting his way. Axel wanted to be in charge. He had been, until Angie fell. Now Fiona was going against him, and Zesh too. Why Zesh? Liam couldn't understand that. He could come on and get his inhaler or stay here, and Liam knew, and Zesh must know too that Axel wouldn't give
it to him now. He'd just have to suffer on, trying to breathe. It sounded sore. He would have felt sorry for anyone else, but not Zesh. So sure of himself. Didn't look so sure of himself now.

Axel ran at Zesh and tried to kick him. Zesh moved his legs away just in time. But he hardly glanced at Axel. He was too exhausted.

Liam tried to listen to the sounds in the caves, but all he could hear was Zesh's laboured breathing.

‘Right! Fine! Stay here then. But Liam and me, we're moving. Right, Liam.' He turned and scowled at him, daring him to refuse.

Liam nodded. ‘Right, big guy.'

Axel swung back at Fiona. ‘Are you coming or what?'

It was as if Fiona had forgotten he was there. Liam had never seen her like this. It frightened him. Too many things about all of them were changing.

Zesh wouldn't change his mind now, either. He would stay.

And him? Liam? If he stayed here with them what chance would he have? None. But with Axel – Axel would find a way out. His sense of direction was brilliant. He'd find the way out. And when we get out, he thought, I'll make sure we send someone back for the
rest. He even moved towards them and assured them he would. Zesh didn't answer. Fiona ignored him. Only Mr Marks, his face like wax, seemed to hear him. He murmured uneasily, as if he was having a bad dream.

You're lucky, pal, thought Liam. You're having the bad dream, we're living the nightmare.

‘Come on, Liam!' Axel called to him. Liam took one last look at Zesh. ‘I will send somebody back, I promise.'

Zesh didn't say anything. He saved his breath for Axel with one word, and one pleading look. ‘Please …'

Didn't he know that was the worst thing you could do with Axel? Plead with him. What better way of letting him know he has you in his power?

‘Get on with it, Zesh,' Axel snapped. ‘It's only asthma. It's not as if you're going to die or anything.'

Zesh watched as Axel and Liam were swallowed up by the darkness. He heard Axel stumble and swear, saw Liam look back and hover uncertainly before he moved after Axel.

Uncertainly. Still didn't know what to do. Still wasn't sure if the decision he was making was the one that would be the best for him. Zesh thought at that
moment he hated Liam more than he hated Axel.

But right then he had no energy to hate anyone. He was so scared. Axel at least didn't seem to be aware that you could die from asthma. People did. That was what was frightening Zesh so much. With every passing minute, closer to death. Shut up! He yelled it to himself. Don't think like that. He thought instead of his mother, the way she'd held tight on to his hand during his last attack, whispering softly to him, words of encouragement, soothing words. He closed his eyes and heard her voice again.

‘You will be fine, my son.' He could almost hear her breathing for him, and wished more than anything that she was with him now. Holding his hand, talking to him. Allah, help me, he prayed. But why should Allah listen to him? He'd never usually asked for his help.

Fiona stirred beside him. He heard her draw in a long sob. ‘Are we going to die, Zesh?' she asked. Then she tutted. ‘What am I asking you for? You know as much as I know. What did you stay for, stupid?'

Her insults made him feel better. That was more like the old Fiona – the one he couldn't stand. Goodness, he'd practically been feeling sorry for her for a while. Weeping for Angie, and he hated to admit this bit, but
he'd also admired her. Admired the way she'd gone down into that black hole after Angie – admired the way she'd refused to move on without her. Now, with her angry tone, he felt the old familiar rush of annoyance at her and he liked it.

She twisted herself round and stared at him. In this strange, uncanny light, her eyes were bright as buttons. Black buttons, piercing into him.

‘What are you playin' at, Zesh? You could have went on – I'd have stayed here wi' him.' She nodded at Mr Marks's limp body. ‘You're not doing anybody any good staying here.'

Zesh drew in as much breath as he could. ‘Don't … trust … Axel.'

Fiona got to her feet. ‘Tell me about it. I don't trust him either. But I'll get him back, you see if I don't.'

All this talk of getting back at people depressed Zesh. ‘You wouldn't have been …' he took another long breath, ‘scared here on your own?'

He was sure her eyes welled up with tears. ‘Do you think Angie's scared wherever she is? She's not got any company. She might be unconscious. She'll wake up and shout or use her whistle, and if I'm not here there won't be anybody to hear her.'

Zesh took a long time to answer that. ‘I thought … you didn't like her.'

Fiona drew her hand across her nose and didn't answer him. Instead, she bent down by Mr Marks. ‘Has anybody given him any water? Thought not.' Didn't wait for any response. Typical Fiona. ‘See you Mr Marks, as if you weren't in a bad enough state, they want to dehydrate you as well.'

Zesh smiled. ‘Ooh, big words,' he said weakly.

She spun round on him. ‘Aye, I do know big words. Know a lot of things. I might not read books, but I watch a lot of telly.' She turned back to Mr Marks, twisted open her bottle of water and held it against his lips. He choked a little, his eyelids flickered, then he was still again.

‘I think he's got concussion,' Fiona said wisely. She sat back on her heels. ‘It was Angie always made sure he had water,' she said. And though she didn't turn her head to look at Zesh, didn't make a sound, Zesh knew she was crying again.

‘See, this has got to be the right way. There's practically a path.' Axel was reassuring himself as much as Liam. Liam aimed his beam at the ground. A path? More like
broken rocks and boulders, sent hurtling down over eons, breaking up and coming to rest in this horrible place. It was black all around and sometimes in the darkness Liam could hear sounds, scuttling sounds, like tiny things running in and out of rocks. Ants. Spiders. Rats.

He shouted to Axel to stop himself thinking about it. ‘Do you really think you can't die of asthma?'

Axel still forged ahead, called back to him. ‘Don't be wet. You die of cancer. Or a heart attack. Zesh is a wimp. Can't get his breath, puts on a big act to get sympathy. Well, he's not getting any from me.'

‘An act? Do you think it was an act?'

‘Too right. How much do you bet that five minutes after he got that inhaler he'd be right as rain. Magic, eh?'

Liam wasn't so sure. Zesh really hadn't looked well. He wondered how they were doing back there.

He almost bumped into Axel, who'd come to a sudden halt. ‘What's wrong?'

‘Can't go any further,' Axel shrugged. ‘We'll have to go back. Find another way.' He sounded surprised, as if he'd been sure this had been the right way.

Liam swung his beam around the broken black rock of the tunnel.

‘Wait a minute, Axel.' He swung the beam again. ‘There. Look. There is an opening.' He stepped forwards. There was a gap on the ground, narrow, but definitely another narrow tunnel. Liam bent down so his light shone through. He gasped. It led to another chamber. A vast chamber.

‘No, you were right, Axel. This is the way. It's like a U-bend, but it goes up into another big cave.'

‘It's too wee. We would never get through there. Well, you would. You're anorexic. But not me.'

Liam remembered something Mr Marks had said about getting through small spaces. How it was usually possible. Put your arms above your head, as if you were going to dive through. He'd said that narrowed you right away. Liam pulled off his rucksack. He was going to try it. He wriggled himself inside. It would be tight for Axel, no doubt about that. But he would make it. In a flat-out crawl, like a worm himself, Liam slid through into the other chamber. It was vast, breathtaking, and best of all, dry. He stood up and called out. His voice echoed high up into the rocks and came rushing back at him again and again. ‘Come on, Axel!'

He waited but there was no sign of Axel coming through. He bent down and looked through. All he
could see was Axel's feet.

‘Axel,' he called, but Axel didn't answer him. He crouched down and laid himself flat and once again crawled back through the tunnel.

Axel's face was like paste. He was swallowing nervously. And a thought came to Liam. ‘You're not scared, are you, Axel?'

Axel took a deep breath. For a second Liam thought he was going to hit him. But he only yanked off his rucksack, and threw himself on the ground. He looked into the narrow opening. He said nothing for a moment, then finally, ‘Me? Scared of nothing!'

Captain Goldner kicks me hard, sending pain shooting up through my leg. ‘Get up. Do as you're told from now on. Next time it will be more than your ear I will shoot at.'

I stumble to my feet, pull a rag from my pocket and hold it to my ear. There is so much blood.

‘But, sir, where can we go?'

His answer is to swing a blow against my head, knocking me to the ground again. ‘I will find their arsenal. I will destroy it. Destroy them.'

He is losing his mind. He must be. If the enemy had weapons stored here, there would be guards, soldiers.

Then, as I trudge behind him, a terrifying thought comes into my mind.

Who needs soldiers when you have an even more fearsome guardian?

* * *

The only sound in the cave was Zesh's breathing. It rasped around the walls like the breath of an old dying man.

It was really getting on Fiona's nerves.

‘Can you not stop that for a minute?' she snapped at him. She was trying hard to listen for Angie's voice, sure every second she could hear her calling, and then Zesh's hoarse breathing would smother any other noise.

Zesh looked at her and smiled. ‘You're something else, Fiona.'

She watched him as the words struggled out of him. ‘Could you really die?'

Zesh didn't speak. He just nodded.

‘I kinda thought that,' she said. ‘I saw this programme about it on telly. Some film star died of it, you know.'

‘Thank you for that,' Zesh croaked.

Fiona turned her eyes on the teacher. ‘Do you think he'll die?' she asked.

Zesh rolled his eyes. ‘You're a … barrel of laughs, Fiona.'

That took so much out of him. He leaned back, exhausted. Fiona ignored him. She was thinking now of Angie. ‘I don't think she's dead. I really don't.' She was
almost talking to herself. Yet she was glad that Zesh, someone, was there in the dark listening. ‘I think she's somewhere, unconscious, and when she comes to she'll climb back up here.' Angie climbing anywhere seemed improbable. ‘Or she'll shout.' That sounded more likely. ‘Aye, she'll shout.'

Fiona felt her throat tighten. ‘I was so horrible to her. D'you know that? I called her fat and ugly. I thought she was a wimp. Always going on about being a Girl Guide, always that cheery, always looking on the bright side. She got right up my nose.' She looked at Zesh. ‘I'm a horrible person, so I am?'

Zesh said nothing, but she didn't need an answer. She knew what she was.

‘She wanted us both to jump Axel. Did you know that? She thought her and I could take him, force him to give you back the inhaler. And d'you know what I said? I said, Don't be so stupid, Angie. But she wasn't stupid, was she? She was brave. I think I'm so smart and she was the stupid one. But she was the one that was ready to jump Axel.'

She covered her face with her hands, blotting out the picture of Angie falling …

‘I'll never forgive myself for that, Zesh. See from
now on, I'm going to be a better person. For Angie's sake. I'm going to try harder for her sake as well. I'll even help Mr Marks, there ye are!'

Zesh still didn't say a word. Too breathless. But his eyes said he didn't believe her.

‘The leopard cannot change its spots, is that what you're thinking? Typical Zesh, never look on the good side of me. Well, I'll show you. Anyway, where do you get off criticising me! You were going to leave Marks here so you could get your inhaler. So you're every bit as bad as I am.'

She dared him to disagree with her, but still he said nothing. ‘OK, I know, you could die without that inhaler. I didn't know that before. And do you know what? I don't think Axel knows it either. I mean, he's thick. You should have told him. I don't think he's that bad. He wouldn't have kept your inhaler off you if he knew you might die.' Zesh stared at her.

‘Aye, you're right. He is that bad,' she said after a moment. She leaned back against the wall. ‘It's good having somebody to talk to, ain't it?' Zesh let out a long sigh. She was sure he was disagreeing with her. ‘Mind you, you're even annoying when you're quiet.'

* * *

‘I can't move,' Axel said again, and Liam answered again, ‘Sure you can.'

Liam sounded annoyed. Axel should be angry with him about that. He should be lashing out at him, so he knew who was the boss. But all he could think of was … he could not move. He wanted to try to sidle back. He was here in the middle of this black hole and he couldn't go back, go forwards, go anywhere.