BooksBarbecue
Back Time for the Dead Save as PDF
Chapters (94)
  1. Cover
  2. Time for the Dead
  3. Dedication page
  4. Map
  5. Epigraph page
  6. Prologue
  7. 1
  8. 2
  9. 3
  10. 4
  11. 5
  12. 6
  13. 7
  14. 8
  15. 9
  16. 10
  17. 11
  18. 12
  19. 13
  20. 14
  21. 15
  22. 16
  23. 17
  24. 18
  25. 19
  26. 20
  27. 21
  28. 22
  29. 23
  30. 24
  31. 25
  32. 26
  33. 27
  34. 28
  35. 29
  36. 30
  37. 31
  38. 32
  39. 33
  40. 34
  41. 35
  42. 36
  43. 37
  44. 38
  45. 39
  46. 40
  47. 41
  48. 42
  49. 43
  50. 44
  51. 45
  52. 46
  53. 47
  54. 48
  55. 49
  56. 50
  57. 51
  58. 52
  59. 53
  60. 54
  61. 55
  62. 56
  63. 57
  64. 58
  65. 59
  66. 60
  67. 61
  68. 62
  69. 63
  70. 64
  71. 65
  72. 66
  73. 67
  74. 68
  75. 69
  76. 70
  77. 71
  78. 72
  79. 73
  80. 74
  81. 75
  82. 76
  83. 77
  84. 78
  85. 79
  86. 80
  87. 81
  88. 82
  89. 83
  90. 84
  91. Epilogue
  92. Acknowledgements
  93. About the Author
  94. By Lin Anderson

‘You okay to go?’ Alvis’s voice came from above.

Rhona shouted in the affirmative, then instead of turning back towards the rock, she decided instead to ease her way down by the seat of her pants. That way if she slipped surely she would just slide on down.

‘Rhona. I think you should turn and keep looking up at me. I’ve got you, so you don’t need to worry about falling.’

The ground had been getting wetter. Her walking trousers were supposedly waterproof but there was only so much wet they could cope with, and a sudden spring appearing from the rock wasn’t helping.

As Rhona turned to follow Alvis’s orders, she began to slide. It happened so quickly that she could do nothing to prevent it, despite grabbing at the nearby tufts of grass.

Her sudden and rapid descent had also caught Alvis off guard and literally pulled the rope from his grasp. Then her boot met a rock, which momentarily halted her descent, before momentum propelled her over it head first and she rolled the rest of the way to land on soft wet sand that sunk beneath her weight like a cushion.

Winded but essentially unhurt, Rhona called up to a no-doubt horrified Alvis, ‘I’m okay, Alvis, and I’m on the beach.’

Alvis mouthed words in Norwegian that Rhona interpreted as ‘Thank God’.

As she detached the rope, the dancing ladies ended their display and deserted her, leaving Rhona only the light of the moon and the stars.

74

‘We can talk about this, Seven.’

‘My name isn’t Seven,’ she said just loud enough for him to hear.

There was a moment’s silence while he considered how to deal with this aspect of her rebellion. Eventually he decided not to even acknowledge it.

‘We have the stash. Watson and his mates are dead. Ben and Charlie saw to that. The war’s over.’

‘My name isn’t Seven,’ she repeated.

He tried a different tack. ‘That was Sugarboy’s name for you.’ He laughed. ‘A tidy Seven, he used to say after he came back from his visits. You served us all well in that hellhole. Kept us alive.’

She knew what he was doing. She knew to ignore the words. But yet still they wormed their way into her brain. Just as they had always done, even before the attack on the camp. He knew how to play her. He knew how to play them all. He was the voice of reason, of common sense, or that’s what he had persuaded them to believe.

But there was one weakness and she had to remember that. His lies were always believable as long as he didn’t go too far.