‘What’s happening, Blue? Why’ve you been so long?’

‘I’ll tell you what’s happening. We need to get round the back of the warehouse and bring the gear out through the loading doors.’

‘But what have you been doing?’

‘You reckon it’s all quiet out there now?’ said Blue, ignoring Brandon’s question.

‘I dunno. We only just woke up.’

‘I’ll go check.’

‘We’ll come with you.’

‘No,’ Blue snapped. ‘You wait here. Nobody bloody move, OK? Can you manage that? I’m going outside. Alone. I’m not risking anyone else getting hurt.’

Jackson watched Blue walk over to the doors, unlock them and pull them open, and then he walked outside as if there was nothing to fear. Like he was leaving all the bad stuff behind, a boy storming off after an argument. He looked quickly left and right then went along the windows to the left. In a moment he was out of sight.

She wondered about Blue. There was something cold and hard about him. He’d barely reacted at all when the two boys told him his friends were dead. Just got on with business. Maybe you needed to be like that to be a leader. To not have any feelings. Maybe you had to just worry about the group. If the group was safe then the individuals in it didn’t matter. That’s why she never wanted to be a leader. She’d let someone else carry that load.

She just hoped she never got on the wrong side of Blue.

Chapter 73

73

Blue walked away until he was sure he was out of sight of the others. There was a wide passage between the office block and the warehouse block. Several grown-ups lay dead and mangled on the ground. At least Mick had taken some with him.

Stupid sod. Stupid bloody stupid sod.

He kicked one of the bodies. A father. The body gurgled and split.

He kicked it again. He hadn’t come out here to check on anything. It was obvious the grown-ups had left when the sun came up. Although part of him had been hoping there might be one or two still hanging about. Something for him to take his fury out on.

No. He just needed to be alone, away from the group. His throat was tight, as if someone had their hands around it. His eyes were stinging. It was taking all his effort not to start crying. He turned his face up to the sky and that seemed to help. OK. Good. He had it under control.

He sniffed. Who was he kidding?

Don’t cry. Don’t let yourself cry. Mick wouldn’t want that.