Hurst by Robin Crumby (i read books .TXT) 📕

deserved to collapse? Or maybe he was just born an evil bastard. Nature or nurture, he wasn’t sure which.

The man in black half turned towards Copper, but didn’t look directly at him.

“Take your squad and go set up a little surprise party for them. A roadblock on the main road. Don't bother bringing me prisoners. I want them all dead.”

“You got it.” Copper turned and left with a final dead-eyed glance at Will.

“Oh, he really likes you,” said the man in black. “I think he’s dreaming up a fitting demise. Something truly monstrous for you when your time comes.”

“And I’m saving something special for him too.” Will blew him a kiss, but it was too late. Copper didn’t look round and kept walking out the door and down the corridor, his rifle slung over the shoulder at his side.

“You’re not learning, are you? Didn’t we teach you some manners last time? I can forgive rudeness once, but if it’s repeated, well, then…” He wandered closer and caressed the back of Will’s head, lingering around the fresh dressing which was already stained a light brown. He pressed his fingers into the wound, enjoying Will’s discomfort. “We wouldn’t want those stitches opening up again, would we?”

He grabbed a fistful of Will’s hair and jerked his head backwards. Will looked up undaunted as the man in black sneered. “You people are pathetic, holed up in that big castle, cowering behind your high walls. You really think they’re going to stop my men from barging in there and taking it for ourselves? I’ve always fancied myself living in a castle. Perhaps I’ll choose a wife from your group, eh? Or maybe I’ll just slaughter the whole lot of them.” He pointed to the handcuffs and gestured to the other man. “Unlock him from the bed but keep the cuffs on. We’re going for a little drive.”

“If you’re going to try and make me talk about Hurst again, forget it.”

“No need. You told us everything we need to know, not that you’d remember. One of the doctors here injected you with a potent cocktail of drugs that would have made a condemned man sing like a canary. Let’s just say you were more than helpful. I’ll be sure to tell all your friends before I kill them that you were the one who gave up all of Hurst’s secrets.”

Will looked confused. He had absolutely no memory of what he’d said, but at the back of his mind, he was beginning to think he’d told them exactly what they’d wanted to know. He knew Hurst’s defences like the back of his hand, having repaired walls, fixed drains and leaking roofs, even fortified doorways over the last few weeks. There were a couple of places where, with a grappling hook and some climbing skills, you could get over the castle walls unseen. Once inside the main wall, a single person could get in and open the main gate to a larger force. There were only ever a couple of guards at night, a single patrol every hour. The castle would fall. There was no question. Unless. Unless he could get a message to them first and make sure they were ready to repel the attack.

“Whatever you think you found out, whatever you think I told you, you don’t stand a chance. Your plan will never work. Hurst has never fallen in more than five hundred years. It’s a fortress. Don’t go thinking you can just waltz in there and everyone will lay down their arms and surrender. They’ll fight to the death to protect what’s theirs. I can assure you, they’re heavily armed and the castle is well defended. Your men will die and you will lose. My life is unimportant.”

The man in black was puzzled by Will’s bravado. He studied the side of Will’s head, leaning closer. There was almost a tenderness to his voice. “I admire your spirit, Will, really I do. In fact, that’s exactly why you’ll be my personal guide. I want you to see the whole thing.”

They heard footsteps in the hall. A man in a white coat was running down the long hallway towards them. It was the same Indian doctor who had treated Will earlier. The guard stepped into his path, blocking the doorway and motioned for him to slow down. Raj skidded to a halt, bent over, hands on knees, just outside the door, trying to get his breath. Just then the alarm fell silent and a sense of normality returned. The guard glanced at the man in black, who nodded, and he stepped aside to allow the doctor to pass.

“The girls are gone,” said Raj, his voice trembling.

“What girls?” asked the man in black.

“The test subjects for the clinical trials. Adele and Stella.”

“Why weren’t they locked up like the rest of them?”

Raj looked uneasy, unsure how to respond. “Perhaps the guards were listening to your address, like the rest of us.”

“Amateurs,” he spat in disgust. “How many times have I told them?” He ran his fingers threw his hair, and scratched the back of his neck, lost in thought for a few seconds.

Will seized on this setback. “What’s so special about those girls? You have hundreds of prisoners here. Why them?” he asked provocatively.

The man whipped around in a flash. He drew a knife and held it to Will’s throat. The blade nicked the skin so that a tiny pinprick of blood trickled down his neck.

“Did you have something to do with this? We thought they were here for you, but perhaps you were the diversion all along.”

Will shook his head, breathing heavily, leaning his head away from the point of the blade. “I assure you, I had nothing to do with this,” he whispered.

The man in black slapped Will hard across the face with the back of his hand, knocking him backwards on to the bed. Turning back to face the guard and doctor, his face was red, his throat and chest blotchy with rage.

“Those girls are critical to our research. We’ve got to find them. Do whatever it takes!”

“Don’t worry, sir, we’ll get them back. We know where they’re heading at least,” said the henchmen, attempting to calm him.

“They can’t have any idea how important those girls are to our research,” added the doctor.

“Hurst will pay for this,” swore the man in black.

Chapter Twenty-six

It was Stella’s idea to head to New Milton. They couldn’t risk going back to Hurst that night. Chances were their pursuers would try to follow them, or worse, set an ambush. Now they all knew full well what “being a prisoner” really meant at the hospital, none of them wanted to see the place again. New Milton was as good a route as any. It was a longer way round, but the road through the forest would be deserted and safe.

Stella sat in the back seat of the Land Rover Defender with Mila’s head cradled in her lap. Mila was inconsolable at having left Sean behind. Every few minutes she repeated, “I can’t believe he’s gone.”

Stella’s own relief at escaping the clutches of her captors had given way to what Riley said was post-traumatic shock. As a precautionary measure, Stella’s mind seemed to have disconnected itself from the vivid memories of her ordeal. In a semi-catatonic state she mechanically stroked Mila’s hair, staring unblinking out of the passenger window. She gave no indication that she was listening as they replayed every moment of their escape and debated their options for the night. Staying out in the open was high-risk. They could break into a farmhouse off the main road and hope it was unoccupied, or drive through the night on unfamiliar roads to make it back for dawn.

“Chewton Glen.” Stella’s voice startled them and they all looked round.

“Do you mean the Chewton Glen?” asked Riley. “It’s a big country hotel not far from here. Is that the one you were staying at before you were caught?”

Stella nodded, avoiding eye contact, preferring to look out the window into the forest. “They’re good people. They know me. We’ll be safe there. They’ll take us all.”

Zed looked at Riley and Joe who both nodded. No one had a better plan.

“Works for me,” said Joe.

Zed drove in silence, hunched over the wheel trying to see where he was going in near darkness. He couldn’t risk headlights, but a crescent moon cast a pale light where it pierced the tree canopy. The Land Rover bumped along at a slow crawl, heading away from Lymington. He found his eyes adjusted quickly and if he took it really slow then driving in the dark was just about manageable. In a couple of places the road surface had been washed away or badly broken up by tree roots. Several fallen trees blocked their route, but they were able to go round them where the forest floor was dry and firm. In a few more years, this whole heavily wooded section might be completely impassable. Littered with fallen branches and storm debris, it already looked more like a farm track than a major highway.

It was past midnight and while the rest of them dozed in the back, Zed and Riley took it in turns to drive. Travelling at walking pace, it took them more than an hour to reach the outskirts of New Milton. They skirted the main town centre, sticking to smaller country lanes, completely deserted as they had hoped. Approaching New Milton from the west, Zed stopped the car in the middle of the road by a small bridge over a brook and switched off the engine. In the silence, they could hear the sounds of the stream and a light breeze that made the tall trees to their right sway gently. They were not far from the entrance to the hotel, and Zed put his hand on Stella’s shoulder to wake her. She startled, crying out in alarm before remembering where she was.

“Are we there already?” Stella looked around her in the darkness, but didn’t see anything she recognised.

“The Christchurch Road entrance is just up here on the left,” he said, pointing up the roadway.

“How do you want to play this, Stella? We don’t want to go surprising anyone.”

“Just turn your lights on and approach the gate so they know you’re coming,” said Stella naively as if it was the most normal thing in the world.

“Sure, that might work,” said Riley sarcastically.

Stella stared back at her, puzzled. “Why wouldn’t it? Isn’t that what normal people do?”

Riley shrugged and nodded at Zed.

“Okay, you know these people. Let’s do it your way and see what happens.” Zed sounded exhausted. He’d lost a lot of blood and was struggling to stay awake. The thought of a good meal and a bed for the night sounded worth the risk. “But if this doesn’t work, let’s make sure we’re ready to return fire and hightail it out of here, yeah?”

“These are my friends,” reassured Stella, who seemed to have perked up a bit, so close to home.

Zed powered up the spotlights mounted on the roof of the Land Rover to ensure even a half-blind person would see them coming. He revved the engine a couple of times, its diesel notes straining and insistent, just to make sure they could hear them too. Stella leaned forward in her seat, recognising the high brick wall that surrounded the stately grounds to her former home.

A large grey delivery truck was parked in front of the main gates, completely blocking the way in. Zed left the engine running and half opened his door peering out to see if there was anyone around. The entrance looked disused and he was about to suggest they try the other entrance when he got the distinct impression they were being watched. A powerful searchlight clicked on, nearly blinding everyone in the Land Rover. The passengers sat shielding their eyes with their hands.

A female voice on a megaphone cleared her throat and instructed them to get out of the car. The