Twelve-year-old Carmen has a secret: she can talk to her cat Grim. But the powerful Brotherhood has banned pets, and the penalty is death.
Ward is the most wanted boy in the world. The only thing standing between him and the hangman's noose is maste...
Bunker dropped Mildew. An arm shot out like a piston and wrenched the dustbin lid from Ward's hands. He tossed it carelessly to the side and there was a shriek of pain. He seized Ward by the collar, drawing his right hand back, slowly curling it into a fist, smiling as blood trickled from the side of his mouth. Ward closed his eyes and waited for Bunker's huge fist to smash into his face.
Suddenly a voice rang out.
"REDS!"
Ward opened his eyes again. The Okies and Hectors had scattered. Bunker held his collar a moment longer, the fist turning into a finger that jabbed at his chest in time with the words: "You. Are. A. Dead. Man." Then he turned and walked calmly away.
Three men stood at the mouth of the lane. They wore crimson uniforms and had truncheons on their hips.
"Ward!" Mildew said. "Help me with this!"
He grabbed the suitcase and followed her deeper into the lane and around a corner. "Who're they?" he said.
"Shut up! Keep moving!"
They navigated a maze of backstreets, taking turns to haul the suitcase, catching up with stray Okies along the way. By the time they reached the abandoned building out of which they had first entered the city, they were a group of seven.
Ward put the suitcase down. The muscles of his left arm were burning, his knees stung, and his injured right hand was throbbing steadily. He could see the rest of the Okies huddled in the gloom.
"Reds," Mildew said, finally. "Guvment coppers. You hit Bunker."
A silence followed this.
"I coulda handled him myself you bloody twit," she said.
"Flip hit him too," Ward said.
"You're not Flip."
Ward was standing alone, facing the others, who were grouped around the Spectaculum. It didn't seem like a big deal that he'd hit Bunker, not when the entire Brotherhood thought he was a demon and wanted to kill him.
The Spectaculum spoke out of the darkness. "We don't need any trouble with Bunker. Mildew, tell this – boy, that he can try his luck elsewhere."
Mildew rounded on the Spectaculum. "I'm not telling him anythink of the sort." She backed out into the room until she stood beside Ward. "You should be shamed of yourselves. If it wasn't for Ward we wouldn't've got this back at all." She kicked the suitcase, which fell desultorily over.
There was an awkward silence. The Okies glanced guiltily at each other.
Then Wrinkler's voice came out of the dark. "A (unprintable word) dustbin lid."
It was like flicking a switch. Suddenly they were all laughing like burras, though Ward noticed the Spectaculum didn't join them. They began reminiscing about the battle, and several Okies came over and clapped Ward on the back.
"- I got Mung's shoe -"
"- got him right in the snout -"
"- they'll think twice before crossing the Okies again -"
And as Ward lay down in bed that night, deep beneath the city, he thought back to that moment, and realised he had never been so happy in his life.
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I hope you enjoyed this: it's about as happy as things are going to get.
