BooksBarbecue
Back The Dead Line
Chapters (87)
  1. Cover
  2. By the Same Author
  3. Dedication Page
  4. 1
  5. 2
  6. 3
  7. 4
  8. 5
  9. 6
  10. 7
  11. 8
  12. 9
  13. 10
  14. 11
  15. 12
  16. 13
  17. 14
  18. 15
  19. 16
  20. 17
  21. 18
  22. 19
  23. 20
  24. 21
  25. 22
  26. 23
  27. 24
  28. 25
  29. 26
  30. 27
  31. 28
  32. 29
  33. 30
  34. 31
  35. 32
  36. 33
  37. 34
  38. 35
  39. 36
  40. 37
  41. 38
  42. 39
  43. 40
  44. 41
  45. 42
  46. 43
  47. 44
  48. 45
  49. 46
  50. 47
  51. 48
  52. 49
  53. 50
  54. 51
  55. 52
  56. 53
  57. 54
  58. 55
  59. 56
  60. 57
  61. 58
  62. 59
  63. 60
  64. 61
  65. 62
  66. 63
  67. 64
  68. 65
  69. 66
  70. 67
  71. 68
  72. 69
  73. 70
  74. 71
  75. 72
  76. 73
  77. 74
  78. 75
  79. 76
  80. 77
  81. 78
  82. 79
  83. 80
  84. 81
  85. Acknowledgements
  86. Also Available by Holly Watt
  87. The Hunt and the Kill

‘Qui êtes-vous? ’ she shouted down the stairs again. Then she sprinted across the lobby to the staircase that Hessa had scurried down. On this side of the ship, the Beauvallet’s hull had been hacked away as the workers operated to some unknown schedule. Casey could peer out into the night air, fresh after the stench inside, and peer down the beach. Her heart skipped.

Far below, in the half-light of the moon, she could just make out a figure scrambling through the mud towards the little fishing boat. Another girl was behind her, scurrying along. Hessa was last, racing across the beach.

‘Ed,’ Casey gasped. ‘They’re getting away! Look. They’re escaping!’

For the briefest second, joy surged through Casey.

‘Now,’ she said to Ed. ‘Now we run.’

He looked at her, bewildered. ‘How?’

49

49

They leaped down the stairs, following in Hessa’s footsteps.

‘This way,’ Casey hissed.

No one was shouting now. They were all moving with a grim determination.

Above Casey and Ed, the moon was gleaming through the gap in the hull, sending a hint of light down the staircase. On each floor, a door opened out to an identical lobby. These doors were solid, with no glass panels, and no way of knowing what lay beyond. They crept down, step by step, until at last they ran out of stairs. This must be the lowest floor.

Casey hesitated. Open the door and run? Into who knew what?

Just as she was about to throw her weight at the door, there was a rush of words from the other side: Dylan. She couldn’t understand the Bengali, but the tone was enough.

‘Quick,’ Casey whispered to Ed. ‘Back up the stairs. Hurry!’

They fled up the stairs, diving through a door a few floors up.

‘Shit,’ Casey leaned against the wall. ‘They must have realised the girls escaped. They’re at the bottom of the stairs now. We’re trapped.’

It was pitch-black on this floor, and she couldn’t see Ed’s face. He didn’t say a word.

‘Do you think they’ll search the whole ship?’ Casey felt as if she was speaking to herself.

There was a pause.

‘Probably,’ said Ed quietly. ‘They’ll have the workers coming out today anyway, so it’ll be impossible for us to hide for long.’

They stood there in silence, as a shout from below echoed up the lift shaft.

‘Let’s get out of here,’ Casey decided. ‘They’ll see us as soon as they come up the stairs.’

Carefully, she felt her way to a set of double doors. They led to one of the corridors that would once have run down the ship. As the double doors creaked open, Casey held her breath.

A cool breeze reached down the passage towards her, and she inched her way down, running her fingers along a panelled wall.