Chapter 45

45

The kids by the gate were a mixed bunch. All ages. There were a few very small, grubby-faced ones, a larger group of eleven- and twelve-year-olds, and also some older, tougher-looking ones.

None of them was smiling. All of them were armed.

‘Where you from?’ a little girl shouted at Ed as he got close.

‘London.’

‘What you doing here then? You get lost or something?’

‘I’m looking for someone.’

‘Who?’

‘Girl called Ella.’

‘Never heard of her.’

‘She was with some other kids. Maeve, Robbie …’

‘Never heard of them. What you really doing here?’

‘Who’s in charge? Not you, I imagine.’

Another voice cut in … ‘No, I am. At least until Josa gets back.’

Ed looked over to where a tall boy with a shaved head was approaching the gates. He was carrying a shotgun and had a sleeveless denim jacket and badly done home-made tattoos up his arms and over his face.

‘Why don’t you drive inside the gates where it’s safe?’ he said, trying to appear friendly, which was difficult with his tattooed face. ‘Then we can talk properly. I can tell you everything that’s going on around here if you in’t local.’

‘You sure?’

‘Wouldn’t say it if I wasn’t. If you want some help we can give it you, but I ain’t shouting through the gate, and you’ll be a lot safer on this side.’ The boy sounded reasonable, even if he didn’t look it. Ed returned to the car.

‘Not sure we’re in luck with Ella,’ he said through Lewis’s open window. ‘But they said we should drive in at least. What d’you reckon?’ He aimed this last question at Lewis who, along with Brooke, seemed the most sensible of the kids.

‘Gotta be better than staying out on the street,’ said Lewis.

Ed switched his attention to Brooke. ‘You OK with that?’

‘Guess so. Even if Ella’s not here,’ said Brooke, ‘we can find out more about where to look. They got to be more clued up than Amelia and her lot. The crinklies ain’t had no dealings with the outside world for months.’

‘Good point.’ Ed got back in the car and Lewis eased it forward as the local kids opened the gates.

‘Go careful, driver,’ said Kyle, with a smirk. ‘We wouldn’t want to run any of them over when they been so nice and friendly.’