Free The Queen of Sinister by Mark Chadbourn Page B

Caitlin. I'm a doctor.'
This piece of information reassured the girl enough for her to lower the knife, but it didn't remove the iciness from her face. 'Got here a bit late, didn't you?'
'Come on, let's get out of here,' Caitlin said gently. 'It's dangerous.'
'Everywhere's dangerous.' Hardness came to the girl's voice easily, but she still indicated for the boy to follow Caitlin out.
Crowther waited in the shade of a tall ash, watching the empty street cautiously. As Caitlin led the new arrivals up
to him, his face showed weary annoyance at another complication.
'I'm Caitlin and this is Professor Crowther.'
The girl made no attempt to venture her name in reply until the boy gave her a little shove. 'Mahalia,' she said. 'Jackson.'
Crowther raised an eyebrow. 'Like the singer.'
'Like me,' Mahalia replied.
Caitlin knelt before the boy, warmed by his open, honest features. 'And what's your name?' she said.
'He can't speak.' Mahalia's body language was defensive of her charge. 'Actually, I think he can speak - he just doesn't choose to. Don't ask me why.'
Caitlin looked into his face for confirmation, but all he gave was a broad, warm smile. His eyes, though, showed such depths they made Caitlin shiver.
'His name's Carlton Breen. He wrote it down for me.'
'Where are your parents?' Caitlin felt a jab of anxiety. Mahalia snorted and looked away. 'Is this your home?' Caitlin pressed.
'We're from Winchester. At least I am. I don't know where Carlton's from. Have you got any food?'
'No, but we can probably find something—'
'Why don't we go shopping for clothes while we're at it,' Crowther snapped.
'We can't leave them here alone,' Caitlin replied.
'We can't take them with us. Do you have any concept of what we're going into? Believe me, they'll be far safer here.'
A sharp pain stung Caitlin deep in her head; she felt as if she was falling back into a dark tunnel.
'If you don't take them with us, I'm not going!' Mahalia and Carlton's eyes widened at the petulant child's voice coming from Caitlin's mouth.
Crowther swore under his breath. 'All right. For a little while.' He marched down the drive. 'Though you do realise having a nursery tagging along is going to be the death of us.'
They found some vegetables the looters had missed and cooked a brief, bland stew before setting off again. Striding ahead, Crowther made no attempt to hide his aversion to spending any time with the others; he was already plotting ways to jettison Mahalia and Carlton when an opportunity arose.
Once it had been confirmed that the two children were coming with them, Amy allowed Caitlin to resurface. 'What happened to you back there?' Mahalia asked suspiciously as they trudged amongst the trees. 'With that creepy little-girl voice?'
Anxiety coiled inside Caitlin. 'I don't want to talk about
it.'
'Fine,' Mahalia said with a dismissive shrug. 'This should be an interesting journey. On the road with a grumpy old man and a crazy old woman.'
'Have you been on your own for long?' Caitlin asked.
Mahalia clearly wasn't used to small talk. Her suspicious eye suggested she was waiting for Caitlin to ask something of her. 'Since the Fall. Wandered across the south coast after skipping my school ... just trying to stay alive like everybody else.'
Caitlin could hear the intelligence in the girl's well- spoken voice. 'And there's nobody else to look after you? No family?'
'I can look after myself well enough.'
'You shouldn't have to try to survive on your own. Everyone needs somebody.'
For some reason this comment annoyed the girl. 'I've got Carlton and he's got me, and we've done all right so far. We don't need you. We're going along for the ride, for something to do. But we can walk away at any minute. Don't forget that.'
She marched ahead so she wouldn't have to talk to Caitlin any more.
They picked their way across patches of heath and through dense woodland for five miles, attempting to stay out of view as much as possible. The countryside had grown wild more quickly