Angry Moon

Chapter 26b

     Samantha then searched the house for food. As expected, the Becks had taken everything perishable, but they found a packet of breakfast cereal and a tin of biscuits in the kitchen. Then she wrote a note of apology to the family, explaining the reason for the damage they'd done and leaving a contact telephone number. Not her own number but Neil Arndale's number. Her own phone had either been taken by her rapists or was currently melting in the house fire, along with her tablet and all her bank cards. She could get new cards, she told herself. She’d memorized all her bank passwords which, along with an iris scan, would allow her to identify herself at any computer terminal, and once she had some new cards she could buy food and clothes for herself and Lily. Then, it would just be a matter of finding someone to take them in. She had no relatives in this country, but she had friends she could ask. One of them would have a spare room or something.

     She nodded to herself. Yes, that was the plan. New bank cards, new phone, start calling friends. “Come on, Lily,” she said. “Time to go.”

     “Where are we going?”

     “To find a bank terminal. There's a couple in the high street.” If they're working, she told herself. The phone lines and the internet had been clogged to uselessness. Maybe the bank terminals used dedicated lines that remained unaffected. She wouldn’t know until she tried.

     They packed their food into a rucksack, and then they put on heavy overcoats and woolly hats. Then, after slinging the rucksack onto her back, they left. They couldn't find the key to the front door so they returned to the broken window in the front room. She felt guilty for what they’d done. She imagined Andrew Beck raging with fury at her, but they'd had no choice. He would understand. And if he didn't, too bad. She lifted Lily carefully through the broken window, avoiding the shards of broken glass around the edges, then climbed through after her. Finally, she reached back in and closed the curtains after herself. Maybe it would do something to keep the rain out.

     Their house was well ablaze now. Lily stared at it, horror stricken, and Samantha took her by the shoulders to turn her away from it. “Come on, Sweetie,” she said, leading her away down the street. “There's nothing here for us any more.”

     They'd left her to burn! she thought as they walked along the pavement, away from the burning house. They'd left her daughter to burn alive! Rage flared up inside her again. Her own rape was forgotten. What they had done to her daughter, the fate they’d left her to suffer, filled her with a fire of fury as great as the fire that was consuming their house. She realised she was holding Lily's hand too tightly and made herself relax a little.

     “This is an exciting adventure, isn’t it?” she made herself say.

     “No!” Lily replied angrily. “I want to go home!”

     “I know, but we'll find a new home, and it'll be even better than the old one.”

     She looked down at her daughter, and saw her looking doubtfully back up at her. She's a smart girl, she thought to herself. She'd not going to be taken in by any bullshitting. “We're going to be okay,” she told her. “I promise.” Lily nodded and turned to look ahead, in the direction they were walking.

     Samantha looked back just once more before they reached the end of the street and passed out of sight of the burning house. All the clever plans I made! she thought, feeling sick despair threatening to sweep her away. Our fortress, in which we were going to ride out the nightmare. Everyone else in the street had been smart enough to get out. She'd stayed because of her pride, because she’d thought having advance warning gave her an advantage. The clever moon scientist whose job had allowed her to see what was coming ahead of everyone else. This was her fault, and now Lily was paying for it.