Trials in Walls of Ivy (Triskelion Trilogy Book 1) (15 page)

I didn’t want to stay in the house any longer. The thought of someone in my room, bugging it, made me feel sick. I hugged Jay in thanks and left the house without a second glance. I offered him a hollow invitation to join me, but Jay said he had gaming plans with Owen.

My mind was buzzing with panic and dread. Who would want to listen to me? How did someone get in to bug my room?

My feet stumbled through campus, lost for purpose. I had to solve the bombing mystery. I had to help Bree find who drugged her. I had to train. But, all I wanted to do right now was hide. I pulled my hood over my face against the wind and pouring rain. My jeans were already soaked. I turned onto the familiar path which led to the coffee shop, keeping my head down as I entered and ordered my latte. My feet took me instinctively toward a small table hidden in the corner. I took the one soft chair and curled my legs beneath me without lowering my dripping hood. The wet denim stung my skin, but I stayed still, unable to think of anything else but hiding.

“Leg seems tae be better.”

My eyes rolled in exasperation. Hesitantly, I looked up to see Mark stood by my table. I scolded myself for not considering Mark in my search for solitude.

“Hi,” I said, lowering my head back to my cup.

The chair beside me scraped as it was pulled out. “Everythin’ okay?” He sat beside me, leaning over and adopting my quiet tone.

I bit my lip in frustration. “I’m fine.”

“You didnae sound fine.”

I bit harder. It didn’t work. “No Mark, I’m sure I don’t sound fine. But you wouldn’t know that, would you?”

“What’d I do?”

“Nothing.” I held my breath, forcing my voice to quit shaking. “You took me out. We got almost blown up and you never even bothered to call again.” I blinked away the traitorous moisture building in my eyes.

“I told you I had tae work. It’s not like we agreed on anythin’ serious.” He laughed like I was behaving ridiculously.

“Your work stops you from calling? Even after what happened? I wasn’t expecting a second date, just a check in to see if I was still alive would’ve been nice,” I said, sarcastically. “Nice to know you weren’t bothered if I survived or not.”

He leaned forward. “I’m sorry. I did check you were alright before we left the hospital. But, like I said, I’m workin’ on somethin’ big. Time just got away from me.”

I shrugged, not wanting to let him off the hook.

“If it wasnae for havin’ to walk Mendel, I’d be livin’ in that lab. I cannae slack on my work.” I looked down to see the dog sprawled on the floor by the table. His fur was saturated, dripping onto the tiled floor.

“What can be so important?” I asked.

“It’s somethin’ I’ve been workin’ toward for a few years. I’m getting’ closer, so cannae take time away from it.”

“What is it?” I asked, forgetting my anger.

He smiled. “Like I said when we went oot, I’m trying to find a way of targetin’ genes for surgery.”

“That’s big project, even for a doctorate. Why did you choose it?”

He lowered his head and smiled to himself. “Call it family history. Ma sister, she had a condition.” He paused, stroking Mendel absentmindedly.

“A condition? One that needed genetic surgery?”

“If what I’m workin’ on existed then, it could’ve saved her life.”

I reached forward and put my hand on his shoulder. “I’m sorry, Mark. I didn’t mean to bring up anything personal. You don’t have to talk about it.”

He put his hand over mine and turned to smile. “It’s okay. Cannae hide from the truth. And that’s why I’m workin’ on it. If it takes ma whole life, I’m goin’ tae…” He stopped and leaped to his feet, looking toward the far window.

I watched my coffee cup spill over as the ground shook. My hands slammed over my ears as they began to ring with the shock of sudden sound. Without realising what I had done, I was huddled under the table beside Mark and Mendel. He had his hand over my head protectively. I yelped as a second low growl split the air. We cowered under the table as the café windows shattered. Glass flew in toward us, like it was riding on a shock wave. I put my arms around Mendel, stroking his thick fur as he whined. Screams blared around me as panic took the crowd. Mark knelt with a hand on both me and Mendel. We looked through the broken glass to see people running, all in one direction with heavy black smoke following.

“Another one? Mark, it can’t be another one, not here?” I shouted, over the cries of the surrounding café customers.

I pushed to my feet, with Mark gripping my arm so I didn’t get lost in the rush. We stepped through the empty window frame, Mark carrying Mendel over the glass. Hordes of students fled, pushing passed us as in escape.

“Where do you think it came from?” I asked.

He lowered Mendel to his feet but still held him close. “I don’t know. Over that way there’s only the…” his face drained of colour. “Hold him,” he shouted, as he thrust the dog lead into my hand.

He ran toward the smoke, pushing his way through the crowd. People tried to grab him as he ran. He shoved them away, ploughing his way through.

Sirens began to wail, making my teeth grate through my ears. The siren was familiar, but I knew I had never heard it first-hand before. It rose and fell in sound, just like the old air raid sirens. The hairs on the back of my neck tingled as the rising cat call of the warning bell swallowed the panic of the crowd. I stood like a rock as the waves of students ran passed me. They broke apart around me like water; some screaming, some crying, some with a sickening thrill of excitement. They began to slow as heads turned toward the man in a high visibility vest. He ran toward us, waving his arms above his head. I joined the crowd in walking toward him, pulling Mendel behind with the lead.

“You all need to get back to your dorms. If you live this way,” he gestured behind him, away from the smoke, “go straight there, close all windows and doors. If you live in the East flats,” he pointed toward the chaos, “you need to follow me to the shelter. No one is to leave shelter until we give the all clear.” He didn’t wait for a response. He turned and headed toward the centre of the campus. A trail of people followed.

I pulled Mendel gently as the crowd around me rushed and shoved passed. I looked up to see the thick black smoke had begun drifting overhead. It billowed up in self-consuming swirls. Growing bigger and bigger, it cast a shadow over the grass beneath me. I ducked as another blast ripped through the air. The ground shuddered. Splintering cracks rained from above as tree branches fell with the force of the vibration. Shattering glass sounded in every direction. I crammed my hands over my ears as the combined overwhelming sound of destruction possessed the air.

The crowd panicked. Pushing their way through harder, they shoved others to the floor as they ran from the second explosion. I was knocked to the side. Mendel yelped as a guy trod on his paw. I tried to hold him toward me as bodies flew past us in panic. I craned my neck to search the crowd. Mark wasn’t there. I shouted his name, again and again, but it was drowned out by the screams of the fleeing bodies. I didn’t want to think of him so close to that second explosion. But, I knew I couldn’t stay and wait.

I huffed, all air forced from my lungs as I was wrenched over to the ground. Feet thundered past my face. I clenched my eyes closed on the gravel path, waiting for the final blow. I wasn’t going to escape this time. It felt like the bombs were following me, searching for the victim who got away. I laid still, my senses overloaded.

Mendel barked. His piercing sharp snap, cut through the anchor of fear which was dragging me down. Cold wetness rubbed against my cheek. His whine, willing me to move, cried through every nerve ending I still possessed. His strangled whimper was what drove me to my feet against the wash of panic. Mendel was relying on me.

We had to move with the crowd, it was the only way to avoid the crush. With a gulp, I held my elbow out slightly and jarred my way into the wave. Mendel pounded beside me as we ran with the panicking wave of people. We ran as one through the campus. I twisted to see behind as we moved. The smoke was higher, spreading in every direction. It was like it was following us, hunting us from above. I edged my way to the side of the crowd as we approached my row of houses. People weren’t slowing. I got the impression some of them were planning on running through the ivy walls themselves.

My outstretched arms slammed open the door, where I found Owen and Bree waiting for me. I jumped as Warwick slammed the door shut behind me, only just missing Mendel.

“Oh, thank god you got back here. Where were you?” Bree shouted. She was handing plastic bags to Owen and Warwick. I looked behind to see they were placing them along the crack of the door and taping them in place.

“Bree! I was hoping you’d come back soon.” I pulled her away from the guys. “We need to talk about last night. We need to report whoever it was who drugged you. Never mind what Llamp thinks, we should go to the police.”

She shook her head and began to walk back to the door. “No Roz, this isn’t the time.”

“But, you can’t let them get away with it.”

“I won’t.” Her voice was stern, as if daring a challenge. I flinched back and she pulled me into a hug. “Look, I know I have to report it. And, I will. But Roz, I don’t remember what happened. So either way, it’s going to take time.”

“But.”

“Later. Thank you for caring so much. But, right now, we’re dealing with a bomb, okay?”

I watched her face, searching for a sense of doubt, a pause of hesitation. There was none.

“Okay. But as soon as this is over, we get the guy who drugged you.”

“Deal.” She leaned in and hugged me again.

How was it that I was the one needing comforting?

“Come on. They need our help.”

We stepped back into the hallway where Owen and Warwick were putting the finishing touches on their makeshift plastic seal.

“You guys did a great job,” I said, stepping back to give them room.

Warwick glared at me. “Dirty bombs? You knew they were dirty bombs, and you didn’t feel the need to tell people?” He forced down another bag while Owen taped over it.

“They’re not technically dirty bombs,” Owen said, “they’re biological.”

“Sound dirty enough to me. Why the fuck didn’t any of you tell me?”

“Hey, don’t shout at us,” Bree yelled, standing between Warwick and me.

I shrank back. “I’m sorry. We were just researching it for the task. The police hadn’t told everyone, so we didn’t think to either.”

“But you knew they were carrying something. You should have warned us,” Warwick shouted. He got to his feet and shoved passed me and Bree into the living room.

I unlocked Mendel’s lead and he loped off into the kitchen. I watched him stand on his back paws against the counter, stealing whatever had been left on a plate. Owen put his arm around my shoulders as we walked into the room behind Warwick.

“Look mate,” Owen said, “we don’t even know what the bombs are carrying. Roz here was at the last explosion, and she’s fine.”

I couldn’t hold back the shiver at the thought of being infected by something. So far, nothing had happened and I was too scared to look into it further.

“And you guys are investigating this?”

“Yes, but it’s not that easy,” I said.

Warwick pointed to Owen. “That guy is a hacking genius. He’s on your team. Are you seriously telling me that you haven’t asked him to hack into the investigation files to find out what the hell we might all be breathing in?”

“Of course he has, but it’s not in the police files.”

“Then where else have you looked?”

I looked to Owen, my mouth unable to form words. Warwick was right. Why hadn’t I asked Owen to hack into somewhere else? The military? MI5? The reports we had seen so far all stated there was a biological element. Why hadn’t I pushed to delve deeper? Why hadn’t I told him to break into every department to find the truth?

Owen left the room and headed for the stairs. We followed him. Silently.

In his room sang the familiar hum of computer engines. I sank into the corner of his bed without word. I knew why I hadn’t asked him, why I didn’t want to know what the bombs contained: I was too scared to find out. Mark and I had been too close to one of these bombs. Who knows what we could have been infected with? Although we got the all clear, there was still a lingering doubt in my mind. How could a person be so close to so much death and not be even slightly infected? I wrapped my arms around my legs and watched him work.

It took over an hour. Warwick paced the room; Bree gave herself a pedicure on the edge of the bed. We all tried to ignore the sounds of shouting and sirens outside. Each of us peeked through the window intermittently, checking the progress of the explosions. From where we were positioned, paths leading toward the East of the campus were barricaded off. In the darkness, I could just make out the silhouette of figures guarding the perimeter. Blue lights reflected off the landscape of houses which now doubled as bunkers. Smoke lingered in the air, hovering like a thick, smothering blanket.

“Think I’ve got it,” Owen said, not taking his eyes away from the screen. The three of us leaped to our feet and crowded behind him.