Bite Risk, page 9
‘Hey, kids,’ he says now. ‘What you planning to get up to tonight?’
‘Oh, you know. Catch up with homework. Chores. Clean the toilet, the usual,’ I say.
Elena smiles in agreement. ‘Yeah, I’ve got some explosives revision I’m really looking forward to.’
His mirrored sunglasses give nothing away. I watch the gum stick to the roof of his mouth, drop, stick, drop as his jaw moves. There’s a bubble of laughter building in my chest; I can’t stop picturing the video.
Finally, he nods slowly. ‘Sounds good. I’m sure you’ve learned from your mistake, Sel. But not everyone treats Confinement with respect. You hear about anyone behaving… badly, it’s your duty to let me know, yeah?’
It’s hard to tell whether he’s referring to our video of Pedro, or the Righteous Rippers one of him. Somehow, Justin has persuaded Hale it wasn’t him who shot the footage. That it was someone unknown who picked the lock on the front door, broke in, made the video and left again, locking it behind him.
Like I said, Hale is not much of a detective.
‘What kind of bad behaviour do you mean?’ Elena blinks at him, her face upturned and innocent.
The gum squeezes, sticks, drops, squeezes, sticks, drops, faster. A one-shouldered shrug. ‘Just… doing stuff. Disrespectful things.’
‘We would never be disrespectful,’ I tell him. ‘Protect your future, right?’ I add, quoting our school motto.
‘Yeah, we take it serious- serious- seriously,’ Elena tells him as he starts to move on to another group. That does it – a totally audible snort-laugh escapes my throat. I turn it into a hacking cough so dramatic that people look round to see who’s dying.
There’s the tiniest hesitation in Hale’s step, and I swear his ears go pink, but he walks away like he didn’t hear it.
I’m not sure he’s entirely out of range before we collapse into helpless sniggers. Elena stops laughing long enough to take a sip of punch, but then catches my eye again and snorts it out through her nose. Then her face goes from amusement to horror as she stares over my shoulder. ‘Oh no. Dad.’
I follow where she’s staring. Lucas is marching into the square. As he reaches the crowd, he starts to bellow.
‘Warren? Where are you, you filthy toerag?’
Silence falls. Mayor Warren looks around, as though Lucas must be talking to a different filthy toerag called Warren.
‘You won’t get away with it,’ Lucas thunders as he shoves his way through the crowd, until he reaches the mayor. ‘You! It’s got to be you. You lying—’ Then a bunch of curse words.
‘Dad, no.’ Elena’s mortified voice is too quiet to be heard by anyone but me.
Mayor Warren backs off slightly. ‘H… Howdy, Lucas. What seems to be the problem?’
‘Don’t howdy me. Why are you doing this to me?’
Finally I spot Pedro, making his way to his father’s side, panting heavily like he’s run to catch up. He puts a restraining hand on Lucas’s arm. ‘Dad, don’t.’
But his father doesn’t even seem to notice. He pokes a finger right in the mayor’s chest. ‘You ruined my chances. You’ve been telling them all not to hire me, haven’t you? This whole year. Every time. Every job. You made sure I didn’t get any of them.’
Mayor Warren is too shocked to even stroke his moustache, leaving it twitching convulsively. ‘Lucas, why would I do that?’
‘Beats me. But you’re in charge of this stinking place. It’s you pulling the strings, isn’t it?’
Pedro is tugging at his dad’s arm. His normally placid face is strained with panic. ‘Dad, stop, please. Not here.’
At that moment someone inserts themselves between Lucas and Warren. Harold’s head barely reaches Lucas’s chest and I don’t think Lucas even notices he’s there until Harold speaks.
‘You need to calm down. You’re embarrassing your children.’
Lucas looks down at the older man and some of the fight drains out of him.
Mayor Warren grasps the moment.
‘Yes, go home. You need to take better care of yourself. I don’t mean to be rude, but it’s no wonder you’re failing video interviews…’ He gestures in Lucas’s general direction. ‘Get yourself locked up early, sleep it off.’
‘You’d like that, wouldn’t you?’ But Lucas finally seems to realize he’s not getting anywhere. He eyes Warren up and down with disgust, then starts walking away. He calls over his shoulder, ‘I fancy a change. Maybe I’ll stay out tonight and have some fun. Might as well, since I’m stuck here. Whaddaya say?’
He doesn’t wait for an answer, which is just as well, because everyone’s too shocked to reply to that one.
It takes a few seconds, and then the first couple of hushed voices become a hubbub of gossip. The mayor stalks off in a huff.
Harold checks on Elena. ‘Do you need help Confining your dad this evening? It sounded like he might…’
She shakes her head. ‘He wouldn’t be that stupid. He’s just mouthing off. You mustn’t drag yourself all the way across town. Sel can help me if there’s a problem.’ Elena notices her brother staring off into the distance. ‘You look like you’ve seen a ghost, bro. What happened?’ She glances around then lowers her voice. ‘It can’t be true, can it? Dad’s being paranoid, right?’
Pedro doesn’t answer at first. He seems shell-shocked.
‘Hey.’ Elena snaps her fingers in front of his face. ‘You’re scaring me. What’s going on?’
‘I don’t…’ He trails off, looking around him like he’s just that moment landed in an alien spaceship. ‘There’s something wrong with the internet.’
Elena makes a confused face. ‘What’s that got to do with it?’
I check my phone. ‘Tremorgossip is still down. But I’ve been on Righteous Rippers about ten times today and that’s fine.’
‘Might just be yours. Do you think they’re into your phone again?’ Elena whispers to her brother. ‘You sure you completely reset it?’
But Pedro isn’t listening.
‘Here.’ Harold pours Pedro a glass of punch, which he downs in one. ‘I think Elena and Sel should stay home tonight. Tranqs ready. Just in case.’
We nod.
‘You’re still going to put those headphones on before you head for the litter tray tonight, right?’ I ask Pedro, pointing at the kit slung round his neck. They’re his only pair and he’s carrying them with him everywhere now. It’s highly likely they’ll be destroyed – we’re guessing the headphones will ping right off when his head balloons and stretches. But it’s worth a try. We don’t want to risk last month’s fun and games again.
He nods distractedly and lifts the glass to his lips again to take a sip. He doesn’t even notice it’s empty. His friends glance over but none of them come to chat. Now I think of it, I rarely see him with them anymore. I hope all this stuff isn’t messing with his social life.
The crowd has largely dispersed. Ingrid stands awkwardly by herself, casting furtive looks in our direction, but I’m certain she’s too far away to listen to our conversation. It strikes me again how she’s always alone these days. I guess she’s too much even for Fee and Loretta.
Just then Pedro’s phone buzzes. He checks the screen and sighs in agitation.
‘What’s up?’ Harold asks, taking his empty glass.
‘I’ve got to go. I’ll see you for locking in, Elena. We need to talk.’
We watch him head through the crowd. As he passes Ingrid, she catches his arm and says something to him. They exchange a few words and then he trots off down the road. Ingrid’s gaze follows him until he’s out of sight.
Elena screws up her face. ‘What’s she up to?’
‘I hope she’s not trying to sweet-talk your brother,’ I say. ‘He shouldn’t let her get under his skin.’
‘He won’t,’ she says loyally. ‘He eats people like her for breakfast.’
* * *
Mum goes into the cage early again, huddled in a blanket.
I click the sturdy new padlock while she watches, and then slot the crossbar down into place. It’s definitely making her feel safer. ‘There you go. You’re not getting out tonight. Promise.’
My phone buzzes. It’s Elena.
Need yr help urgent
My adrenaline spikes. Is her dad refusing Confinement like he threatened?
‘Everything all right, Ansel?’
I swear Mum can sense a change in my mood by scent or something.
‘Yeah, all good. Um, Mum, if you’re okay I’m just going to check in with Elena for a sec. You know we go over each other’s security now, just to be sure. But I’ll come back right away, and I’ll be just upstairs all night.’
She gives a nod and the faintest of smiles. ‘Okay. See you in the morning.’
I grab my tranq at the top of the stairs and sling the strap over my shoulder. The tripwires look good and taut as I skip over them, neon warning flags fluttering in the summer breeze.
I call out as I go straight in, not waiting for Elena’s reply. I push open the door of her dad’s room as I pass, fearing that I’d find her standing next to an unoccupied cage. But she’s not there. Her dad is, though. He’s lying on a bench next to the wall inside his cage, staring at the ceiling, under a threadbare blanket. He glances over at me balefully, eyes unfocused.
‘Oh,’ I say, half in surprise, half in relief. ‘It’s… it’s good to see you.’
He doesn’t bother to reply, returning his attention to the ceiling.
I surreptitiously check the locks – all secured – and back out into the hallway, stumbling into Elena.
‘He’s there,’ I point back into the room, unnecessarily.
Elena’s face is grim. ‘No, it’s Pedro. He hasn’t come back.’
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
There’s half an hour until dusk. Half an hour to find him.
He might still turn up, of course. But there’s protocol to follow. Reluctantly, Elena buzzes the amber alert on her bracelet to get everyone watching out, and we grab our X50s, double-checking the syringes are full.
As we run down the front steps, Lucas’s voice drifts out. ‘Where are you going?’ Elena hasn’t told him Pedro’s missing but he’s obviously picked up on our panic, roused out of his stupor. We don’t stop to reply. It’s not as though he can help, anyway.
We have no idea where Pedro’s gone. He doesn’t answer his phone, though Elena keeps ringing it. None of his friends have seen him. So we split up – I go north-west, and Elena begins a sweep heading north-east. Harold will already know what’s happened from the alert but he’ll stay at Shady Oaks with Dora – no doubt Ingrid has cut and run, as usual.
The sun is low and getting lower. Kids are mostly out on the streets now; they nod at me as I pass, looking relaxed despite the amber alert. I suppose nobody really thinks they’re in danger – Pedro’s cut it a bit fine, that’s all.
Except, he wouldn’t.
Ahead of me a dark bank of clouds is approaching – the promised rain. It’s so peaceful, it feels impossible that anything’s wrong.
I check my watch. Twenty minutes to dusk. It’s close – that moment between breaths, when the air has been expelled from human lungs, and is about to be drawn into Ripper ones. Even out in the streets, you can feel it. The change in the atmosphere, the rearrangement of particles. Transformation.
Pedro wouldn’t hide from us, so he’s got to be stuck somewhere. Or hurt. I just wish he’d told someone where he was going.
The thought hits me – he spoke to Ingrid just before he left the Howler party. He might have said something to her.
Of course, neither of us have Ingrid’s number. Why would we?
Cursing myself for not thinking of it earlier, I break into a run, towards Juniper House.
A couple of Juniper kids I recognize – a skinny, red-haired boy called Davide and his twin brother Philippe – are standing around on the porch as I jump over the marked wire at the edge of the property. They Caretake Bernice and Amy and tend to stick around like they’re supposed to. Ingrid, on the other hand, will have finished with Dora as quickly as possible and won’t have much to do tonight if she’s alienated Fee and Loretta. I’m banking on her being at home.
‘Ingrid?’ I gasp as I take the steps up to the house two at a time, breathing hard.
‘In her room,’ Davide replies, lifting his chin to indicate the first floor.
I almost knock her over halfway up the stairs.
‘Where did Pedro go?’ I yell.
She looks taken aback, her hand gripping the banister tight. ‘What? How would I know?’
‘He spoke to you at the Howler party. Did he say where he was going?’
She shakes her head, brows furrowed. ‘Why, what’s…’ Then her eyes widen. ‘He hasn’t come back? He’s… out?’
I stare at her in disgust. Every kid in town knows by now. But then I check her wrist and see she isn’t wearing her alert bracelet, despite it being mandatory. She won’t have heard, sitting up there alone in her room. It’s like she decided to opt out. Harold said he wasn’t even sure she was going to bother to Caretake Dora anymore. That’s why he’s taken to checking on her himself, unofficially.
There’s a familiar two-tone beep on my own watch and my stomach drops. That’s dusk. Ingrid blinks at it like she doesn’t know what it means.
‘Yes, he’s out,’ I snap. ‘You must know something. I saw him talking to you. Where did he go after the Howler party?’
Unpleasant noises filter up through the floorboards: Amy and Bernice on the Turn downstairs, safely behind bars. They’re good people. Bernice was so moved by news of the last tornado out in the northern valleys that she’s getting together food and clothing donations and she’s planning to take them out there herself, once she can find a van to borrow for a few weeks. They’d do anything for anyone. But right now, they’re no use to me.
Ingrid seems to gather herself. ‘I… don’t know. It must have been one of his computer jobs – he said there was a problem with the internet.’
‘Yes, but where?’ It’s like talking to a toddler.
She reacts to the anger in my voice with her own. ‘I said I don’t know. If I knew, I would tell you.’
‘What did you say to him? You grabbed him as he was leaving.’
Her mouth sets in a hard line, her eyes flinty and stubborn. Frustration surges inside me.
‘If he hurts someone, it’s going to be your fault. I swear, if you don’t tell me…’
My phone vibrates. It’s Harold. I snatch it up, my eyes not leaving Ingrid’s face. Harold’s voice is quiet, like he doesn’t want to make too much noise. Fear shakes every syllable.
‘Sel, I can’t get hold of Elena, but I’ve sent an alert. Pedro’s here. He’s right outside.’
I leave Ingrid frozen halfway up the stairs and sprint, the first few spots of rain cool on my skin, my X50 banging against my back, urging me faster.
* * *
There’s a steady drizzle by the time I reach Shady Oaks, a couple of minutes later. Scudding clouds hide and reveal the full moon, so that its white glow ebbs and flows, a pulsing lunar heartbeat. The grounds here are lit by LED lampposts. A few lights are on inside the building. Nothing is obviously amiss. Except… I was expecting a bunch of twitchy-looking kids with X50s to be standing around. Anyone who can be spared is meant to come and help in a situation like this. That’s what the alerts are for.
Then I realize. My bracelet never went off, except to announce dusk. I check it now, wiping the rain from its plastic face, and I’m right – I didn’t notice before because I was there with Elena when she sent it. And there was no alert that Pedro was at Shady Oaks… I only know because Harold phoned to tell me. There’s nothing on my bracelet to say there’s a problem at all. No wonder everyone seemed so relaxed. No wonder Ingrid was clueless. I press the alert from my own device now, but just get the loading symbol, going round and round. Pedro’s comment about the internet comes back to me. Is the whole network glitching?
Moving slowly across the lawn towards the entrance, I don’t see any smashed windows or broken-down doors. My trainer slips on something soft, and I lift it warily to check the underside. A dark glob of goo slides from the rubber sole onto the grass, re-joining a pile of what looks like scrapings from a butcher’s-shop floor: blood, fur, a coil of intestines that glisten wetly, still warm. What’s left of a fox, maybe, or a squirrel. Or part of something bigger. Hard to tell. Either way, it’s likely the gruesome signature of a Ripper on the loose.
I curse quietly. The wind breathes across my neck, raindrops rustling the thick bushes all round Shady Oaks.
My phone vibrates – Harold again. ‘Sel, he’s in the bushes somewhere.’ His voice cracks. ‘I’m sorry. I’m out of shots. I thought I’d got him but I must’ve missed because he just kept going.’
‘Are you safe? Are you inside?’
‘Yes, yes, I’m right here. Behind you.’
Harold is at his window, gesturing madly at me. I spin to scan the foliage, trying to hold my phone to my ear and lift my tranq at the same time. I hate the feeling of the hands-free headset on my ear so rarely use it, but I wish I had it now. My phone slips through my sweaty fingers and lands in the fleshy remains on the grass. I bend to pick it up, causing the butt of my X50 to swing round and hit me hard across the cheekbone. I avoid looking back at the window to see Harold’s reaction and shift my attention to the bushes dotted around the gardens instead. There are a lot of leaves and they’re all moving in the wind and the rain, which is driving harder by the minute. For some reason, my last target test score flashes into my brain. It doesn’t fill me with confidence.
Harold reads my mind. ‘Want to swap? I’m coming out. I’ll use yours.’
‘No, no, I can do it.’ Shame courses through me. Harold’s white face looms behind the glass. His mouth is an O of horror and I give him a reassuring thumbs up before realizing that he’s trying to draw my attention to something behind me. Through the drumming of rain, I can hear movement, close.
