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Chapters (60)
  1. Cover
  2. Dedication
  3. 1
  4. 2
  5. 3
  6. 4
  7. 5
  8. 6
  9. 7
  10. 8
  11. 9
  12. 10
  13. 11
  14. 12
  15. 13
  16. 14
  17. 15
  18. 16
  19. 17
  20. 18
  21. 19
  22. 20
  23. 21
  24. 22
  25. 23
  26. 24
  27. 25
  28. 26
  29. 27
  30. 28
  31. 29
  32. 30
  33. 31
  34. 32
  35. 33
  36. 34
  37. 35
  38. 36
  39. 37
  40. 38
  41. 39
  42. 40
  43. 41
  44. 42
  45. 43
  46. 44
  47. 45
  48. 46
  49. 47
  50. 48
  51. 49
  52. 50
  53. 51
  54. 52
  55. 53
  56. 54
  57. 55
  58. Acknowledgements
  59. About the author
  60. Copyright

The flash of synthetic blue up ahead burned his eyes, unnatural, but beautiful all the same.

‘Davie!’

The boy didn’t turn, frozen to the spot and staring at something in the bushes ahead. After all this time, all the kilometres trekked and as they were about to finally give up, they had found Martin. In the absolute depths of desperation they had found success.

As sure of this as of anything in his life, Chandler tore through the landscape with abandon. What he hoped to see – Martin alive – clashed with what he expected to see.

Closing in he found out it was neither what he hoped or believed – but also why the boy was so transfixed.

The hoof stuck out from the bushes, attached to the recently deceased body of a camel; a hulking mess of fur and flesh, its guts ripped out and partially eaten, maggots swarming through the putrid, pink mess. The stench that rose into the air was both natural and disgusting, off-putting and alluring, remnants of a life that was once there and was now gone.

50

Chandler visualized the animal rotting in the bushes and the boy transfixed by it. Davie then, Gabriel now.

He could picture the young boy clearly in his mind now. Forced to face the cold brutality of life and death at such a young age, the discovery of the animal carcass serving as confirmation that nothing could survive out there and nothing would be found of his brother.

‘Stop there!’

The voice rumbled from the darkness, nothing soft in its intonation. Chandler tried to make out a figure flanked by two smaller shapes but his eyes located nothing in the darkness.

A torch flickered into being, blinding Chandler but hopefully providing a target for Nick to aim at. He tried to shield his eyes from the beam, but his retinas were flooded with light they couldn’t expunge.

‘You’re alone,’ said the voice, a little softer now but lined with disappointment.

‘Yes. But—’

‘But what? You’re not fulfilling your end of the bargain, Sergeant.’

‘I want to talk to you first,’ said Chandler. ‘I have a few confessions to make.’

There was a slight pause, the torchlight wavering.

‘It seems to be in the blood,’ said Gabriel coldly. ‘Your oldest – Sarah –’ he almost spat the name out, ‘she’s been talking about confession too. Trying to calm her brother. It’s been making me very angry.’

Chandler released the breath that he had been holding in. Been making me. It suggested they were still alive.

Gabriel continued, ‘Tell me, Chandler, why does she want to join a religion that ultimately wants to control her? And why are you allowing her to? Maybe I’d be doing her a favour – ending her life before you ruin it.’