He quickly explained his plan to the others and, after a great deal of arguing and persuasion, managed to get them all squeezed into the other vehicles. Once that was done, he reached into the back of the utility for his medical bag and went to attend to Millicent.

Delilah led the long convoy away. They were soon out of sight, swallowed by the smoke-laden gloom and, as the sound of the engines finally faded, the silence closed in.

Millicent might only be in her mid-twenties, but she was an old hand at giving birth, for this would be her fifth. The labour was quick, and she dealt with it without fuss, lying stoically along the front bench seat of the utility as she pushed her baby out. He was a healthy size, with a good set of lungs.

Hugh dealt with the cord and the afterbirth, which came moments later, as Millicent calmly suckled her newborn son. ‘I’m glad I’ve given William a boy at last,’ she murmured. ‘He feels a bit outnumbered with so many females about the place. I reckon William Hugh would be a fitting name. What do you think?’

‘I think we’d better get going,’ he replied as he tried to ignore the persistent band of pain in his chest and the ache in his jaw. ‘The smoke’s getting thicker, and I don’t want to risk the wind getting up and wiping out the trail.’

Millicent eyed him sharply. ‘Are you feeling crook, Hugh? Only you look the same colour as my mother-in-law’s tasteless porridge.’

‘Just got a touch of indigestion,’ he assured her as he finished cleaning up and climbed back behind the wheel. He rubbed his jaw and flexed his tingling fingers. ‘You settle down and rest. We’ll soon be in Morgan’s Reach.’

The track was clear enough in the headlights, but as Hugh pressed the utility to a greater speed, he was finding it increasingly difficult to keep focused. The tight band of pain in his chest was constant now, the ache in his arm numbing his hand and reaching up into his neck.

He knew what was happening to him and tried desperately to ward it off – it was imperative he caught up with the column so he could signal for help. He had absolutely no idea where he was or how far it might be to Morgan’s Reach.

13

Danny had decided he couldn’t rely on the off-chance that the mysterious soldier might find his way to the caves, so had set out to track him down. He felt bad about not telling Billy Blue where he was going, but knew that his best friend was hopeless at keeping secrets, and he didn’t want anyone to stop him. He’d filled a water-bag, made a couple of peanut-butter sandwiches to eat along the way, borrowed his grandfather’s binoculars and set off on his bicycle while no one was looking.