Free Blackout by Chris Ryan Page B

night: the yard was in shadow, with only some moonlight throwing a few pale beams across the pathway.
    'What shall I do?'
    'Hide, quick,' said Kate. 'There's a place under the floorboards.' Josh got to his feet, using his crutch to walk across the yard to the kitchen. He could see two police cars turning the corner, driving along J;he narrow strip of road that led up to the house. 'Quick,' said Kate at his side.
    Marshall was waiting in the kitchen. He was holding up a layer of lino, pointing to a patch of exposed floor. 'Down there,' he snapped, pushing aside two planks to reveal a trapdoor. 'There's a space just big enough to hold a man.'
    Josh looked into the darkness. He could see almost nothing. Next to him, Marshall switched on a flashlight. The
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    beam illuminated a set of six steps that led down to a curved space. Josh started to step downwards, leaving his crutch behind. His leg still throbbed painfully as his weight rested upon it. Using his hands, he levered himself into position.
    The rectangular trench measured ten feet by ten. It was five feet deep. The space had been cut into the earth below the foundations of the bungalow, with strips of wood used to prop up its sides. Josh lay down on his back. 'I'm going to switch the flashlight off now,' said Marshall. 'I'll get you out when they've gone.'
    The flashlight flicked off, and suddenly Josh was plunged into blackness. He could see nothing, only hear footsteps moving above him. The air down in the trench was hot -- at least forty degrees -- and stale. Josh could feel the sweat starting to form on his skin. He could sense the cracked earth all around him, and a few feet away he could Smell the pipe that led down from the bathroom towards the septic tank.
    Why do they have a one-man hiding place beneath their house? thought Josh. Who the hell are these people?
    He heard a knock on the door. One set of footsteps, then another. Two men. Josh was certain they were men. The steps were heavy and deliberate, walking slowly through the house as if they were searching for something.
    Voices. They were too muffled for him to make out at first. He strained his ears, struggling to catch the words being spoken just a few yards above him.
    'An Englishman,' he heard a voj*:e saying. 'We're looking for a man with a British accent. He's in the area somewhere.'
    Josh could hear Kate speaking, but he couldn't catch what she was saying. A whisper was all that filtered down, the words indistinct.
    'He might be dangerous,' he heard the man saying. 'Only might be, mind. We just want to bring him in for questioning.'
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    They think I did it. They think I shot somebody. And -- who knows? -- maybe I did, thought Josh to himself. What kind of man am I? What might I be capable of?
    Another pause. Kate was speaking again but still Josh couldn't catch the words.
    'You haven't seen anything suspicious in the area?' asked the man. 'We think he might be pretty badly hurt too, so he couldn't have gone far.'
    Josh could hear Kate now. 'We haven't seen anybody,' she said. 'And, as you know, it's pretty isolated up here. If there was anyone, we'd've seen them.'
    'Mind if we look around?'
    Now Josh could hear Marshall walking across the floor. 'Feel free,' the older man said.
    Josh lay completely still. He could hear the footsteps tramping across the floor above him. And he could hear the sounds of cupboards being opened and beds being moved.
    Suddenly he felt something moving across his skin. The thing's touch felt dry and coarse, with the texture of an old belt. A snake. Josh could feel his flesh starting to creep. Goose bumps were rising on every inch of his skin, and a shiver of cold fear started to run down his spine. His hand was trembling, and he had to focus his mind to try and steady it.
    I'm learning new things about myself all the time. I have a fear of snakes.
    Stay still, he told himself. Stay perfectly still and you'll be okay.
    The snake moved further across his torso. Josh caught a