The Silent Invasion: The Change Trilogy Book 1

Part 5

Dusk was gathering as I slipped out the back door of William and Lizzie's house, the sky fading toward dark. Their backyard was as temporary as the inside, a pair of bikes leaning against the building, a disused barbecue by the wall, a few boxes piled under the eaves.

Standing there it was difficult not to be struck by how quiet it was. Normally at this time of night you would hear some of the kids in the street shouting, sometimes the sound of music or a screen, but tonight there was nothing. Keeping low, I headed down the side of the house toward the street, relieved to see that William and Lizzie and the others were gone, no doubt looking for whoever had broken into the Hamers'.

I didn't really have a plan, all I knew was that I had to get Gracie somewhere safe before Quarantine arrived. I looked up at the sky: overhead a few stars were already visible against the high cloud, and a point of light moved quickly, a satellite, or perhaps the old space station Janus. There was still too much light for me to risk the street, so, moving quickly and quietly, I went back up the side and ran down the path by the back fences.

When I reached the back fence I leaned against it and took a breath, attempting to prepare myself for what was to come. Images of what might go wrong kept going through my mind. What if Tim caught me and tried to stop me? What if Quarantine turned up as I was trying to get away? The whole idea was crazy, I knew that.

I slipped quietly past the back of the garage and over to the doors that opened onto the patio. Inside I could see Vanessa seated at the table, Tim beside her. Although her face was turned away from me, I could tell she was weeping, that he was comforting her; as I watched he said something and her shoulders convulsed. I willed myself to breathe, to be calm, then, hoping neither of them happened to glance around, I shot past the sliding doors to the far side of the house and the laundry door.

There wasn't much up here: the spare water tank, a hose, and a space for drying clothes. During the daytime, when Vanessa was in and out all the time with washing for Caspar, the door was usually unlocked, and as I turned the handle I was relieved to find it was unlocked now.

The house was quiet save for the sound of Caspar humming to himself out the back. Did any of this mean anything to him, I wondered. Would he even remember Gracie and me? Probably not, probably we'd just be a story, an absence he accepted as he grew older. He yipped suddenly; I felt tears well up and fought them down.

Taking a deep breath to steady myself I headed up the stairs, careful to step over the step that squeaked. The bedroom door was closed; I turned the handle slowly and pushed it open.

I don't know what I expected to find. I think perhaps I thought it would have been pulled apart or stripped in some way, but other than the fact the light was off, it looked pretty much as it had when I'd left this morning, except that Gracie was lying on my bed.

Gracie didn't move as I entered, so at first I thought she was asleep. But as I closed the door behind me she sat up and I felt something twist inside.

She was still wearing the same dress, and here in the halflight I could see the phosphor of the Change on the skin of her arms and neck, shimmering like the luminescence of plankton in the summer ocean. But it was her eyes that made me fall still, because as she looked at me I saw motes of light flare inside them, the colours deep and shifting, like the flash of opal. I stood, staring, frozen to the spot until she said my name, and kneeling down in front of her I put my finger to my lips.

'We have to go,' I said in a whisper. 'Quickly.'

'Where?'

'Away,' I said. 'Somewhere you'll be safe.' I stood up and grabbed my rucksack, started stuffing a few bits of clothing into it.

'What about Mummy?'

I dropped onto my bed and, reaching behind it, pulled out the tin in which I kept the odd bits of cash I had managed to save. Trying not to think about how little there was, I pushed the notes and coins into the pocket of my jeans. 'Not Mummy. Just us.'

'But you'll get in trouble,' she said.

I knelt down and pulled on her shoes. 'That doesn't matter. All that matters is that I get you somewhere safe.' Seeing Bunny on the bed next to her I picked him up and stuffed him in the bag as well. Gracie began to protest but I shook my head. 'No. You can have him when we get there. Now come on. We have to get out of here.'

Opening the door I looked out into the hall. Downstairs I could hear Caspar howling. I ushered Gracie out and closed the door behind us as quietly as I could, then motioned to her to follow me.

We made it down the stairs easily enough, but as we reached the bottom I heard Vanessa say something and glimpsed her with her back to us in the kitchen. For now she couldn't see us, but if she turned she had a clear line of vision to the laundry door. Tim was nowhere to be seen.

Lifting a hand I gestured to Gracie to stay silent. Vanessa was bouncing Caspar in her arms, trying to settle him, and although she was occupied I knew she could turn around at any second. And then an even worse thought occurred to me. What if she decided to go upstairs? Taking a breath I told myself we couldn't wait any longer, and grabbing Gracie's hand I pulled her down the hall toward the laundry door and dropped back against the wall beside it, just out of view of the kitchen.

For a moment or two I just stood there, my breath coming in long juddering gulps. Next to me Gracie was silent; glancing down I squeezed her hand then shifted forward slightly to look back down the hall. In the kitchen Vanessa still had her back to us; so, keeping my eyes fixed on her, I leaned past Gracie and, opening the door, motioned for her to go ahead.

Gracie slipped past me and out, but as I moved to follow, Vanessa turned. I froze, terrified she had seen me, but she was still distracted by Caspar, so, frightened even to breathe, I backed slowly out and drew the door closed behind me.

It was dark outside, the only light that from the windows. From somewhere further down the street I could hear voices, the sound of engines, but they were too far away to tell what anybody was saying.

I knelt down and touched Gracie's face. 'Now,' I said, 'I need you to be a brave girl for me and do exactly as I say.'

Gracie nodded, and I looked over my shoulder toward the street, trying to think what to do next. If we went out the back way we ran the risk of being seen by Vanessa or Tim, but if we went out into the street we might encounter one of the neighbours, or worse, Quarantine. But if we were quick we might also be able to make it to the bush at the end of the street. I knew I was taking a chance but I decided the street was a better option.

'Come on,' I said, and moving Gracie ahead of me I hurried toward the front of the house and then stopped and looked around. At the end of the street, where the bush began, it was dark over by the park, but there was a couple of hundred metres between us and that sanctuary. Placing a hand on Gracie's shoulder I told her to run for the park.

'But what about you?'

'I'll be right behind you,' I said, but as I spoke I heard a noise behind us. I turned in time to see Tim appear around the corner from the backyard ...