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Back The Dead Line Save as PDF
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

‘Careful.’ Ed grabbed her arm. The deck wasn’t wide here, and the railings had been stripped away. To her left was a sheer drop down to the beach, the deck tilting away as the Beauvallet sagged to one side. Casey felt dizzy, as if she might step into emptiness, almost on purpose.

‘This way,’ she whispered.

There were shouts behind them, as they edged out along the deck. The men were searching the lobbies, racing up the stairs, getting closer and closer. They were relentless. Confident. Killers.

‘Where are we going?’ Ed murmured.

‘Here.’ Casey stopped. They were next to one of the big orange lifeboats, hanging lazily between two steel davits. ‘Get in.’

‘Casey.’ He turned to her. ‘Are you mad?’

He stared up at the lifeboat. It looked like a solid orange bullet, the boat’s hard top-cover almost the same shape as its toughened keel. You could survive for days in one of these, out in the ocean.

The voices were getting closer. Any moment now, the men would burst through the steel door, and out onto the deck.

‘Quickly!’ Casey pushed Ed towards the lifeboat’s hatch. ‘Strap yourself in.’

‘How the hell do you know it will work?’

‘I don’t,’ she almost grinned at him. ‘Hurry.’

They threw themselves through the hatch, just as the door smashed open behind them.

‘Go!’ Casey yelled. She pulled some shoulder straps around herself, dragging them together, hitting buttons on a dashboard almost at random. Outside the lifeboat, there were shouts, and then the sudden, shattering blast of a gun.

‘Hang on,’ she screamed, and pulled a lever.

The lifeboat reacted at once, coming to life with an animal surge. Moving fluidly, the two cranes lifted the lifeboat sideways and out over the side of the Beauvallet. Casey’s stomach turned as the boat plunged over the edge of the deck like a runaway roller coaster, the cranes releasing, the wires screaming through pulleys.

It’s broken, thought Casey. They’ve stripped out everything important. It’s broken, and we’re going to die.

Ed was wrestling into straps as the lifeboat roared through the air.

‘Hold on,’ Casey screamed. ‘Hold on!’

A smash, and everything went dark.

50

50

Casey opened her eyes, slowly. There was blood in her mouth, she realised blearily.

Where am I?

She blinked carefully.

What happened?

There was a sort of light, trickling towards her. Straps were cutting into her chest.

What are those?

No answer.

I want to sleep. I want to . . .

A slow fade. And then, abruptly, from somewhere far below consciousness.

Don’t sleep. No. no. NO. Stay awake.

You must.

Staccato thoughts. Discordant as an orchestra tuning.

She could see her hands, she realised. She concentrated hard, and the fingers moved. That’s OK, then. Thoughts were settling, snow in a globe.