Two (Countdown Book 5)

Chapter 2

I banged loudly on the door again, yelling. Still, there wasn't any response. I kicked the door in frustration, then went and sat down next to Jess.

She had fallen asleep just a few hours ago, and now West was awake. He looked up at my with big, brown eyes, and gargled a bit. I looked around for something for him to play with, but found nothing.

Just then, the door opened and a Hunter carrying a tray of food came in. Wordlessly, he set it down on one of the tables and walked back out again. I walked over to the tray, and the slop on the plates looked exactly like what they used to sell at my school canteen.

I picked up the bottle of milk and took it back over to West. He babbled gratefully as I gave it to him, then picked him up and sat down on the sofa with him, so Jess could sleep.

I put the TV on on some kids Channel, and sat him in my lap, facing the screen. He babbled a bit more, then settled down to watch Thomas the Tank Engine.

I must've fallen asleep at some point, because when I awoke, Jess was sat up in bed, cradling West.

She smiled at me. "Morning." I glanced out of the window.

"It's still evening." I said. Judging by the light, I figured it was probably around seven pm.

"Yes, it is." she said. There was a long silence between us. "Why is Boston taking so long with Wyatt?"

"I think they're making a deal of some kind." I said, pulling a face. I knew that Wyatt would never have given us over to Boston a year or two ago, but... but now he had a family to think about. What if he was in with Boston right now, bargaining for his and his family's freedom? To be honest, I couldn't blame him.

I wandered around my room, to stretch my legs a bit. I was just peering through the clothes littering the floor, when I noticed a raggid brown jacket. My heart thumping, I reached under the jeans and pulled it out. It was Scarlett's old leather jacket.

"We managed to bring it back from Iceland." Jess said. "It's in a bit of a state, though."

"I haven't seen this in ages." I muttered sadly, running my fingers across the fabric. "I thought I'd lost it." Jess didn't reply.

Hours later, the door opened again. Three armed guards stood at the door, their guns pointed at us. "Come with us." one of them said. I didn't see that I had much of a choice, so me and Jess got up and headed for the door. One of them shook his head. "Just him." he said, pointing to me. I felt an icy feeling spread in my stomach. Jess looked at me, unsure.

"It's fine." I said, trying to hide my fear. "I'll be fine." Jess backed up, still looking worried. Then, I was ushered out of the door and she disappeared behind me.

I was lead down the stairs, and down the corridor. Eventually, we stopped outside the hall again, and one of the guards knocked loudly on the door. Someone called 'Come in', and we walked in. As soon as I saw the three people there, I felt anger ripping through my guts.

"Richard Stien." I sneered. Next to him stood Boston, and on Boston's left was Wyatt, leaning back against a table, his face tight and his jaw clenched.

"Nice to see you again, lad." Stien said, grinning at me. I started forward, eager to wrap my hands around the murderer's neck, but two of the guards grabbed me, one by each arm and hoisted me into the air.

"Get off me!" I yelled angrily, kicking out.

"Calm down, Eli." Wyatt said quietly.

"W-what?" I snapped. "How can I calm down? That man murdered one of my best friends!"