Free Point Blanc by Anthony Horowitz Page A

balance."
    She'd
been trying to keep up with him! She almost sounded as if she were blaming
him--as if she had forgotten that she was the one who had whipped his
horse on in the first place.
    "Can
you get up?" Alex asked.
    "I
don't think so."
    Alex sighed.
Keeping a tight hold on the reins, he slid off his horse. Fiona had fallen
right in the middle of the tunnel. He forced himself not to panic. If what she
had told him was true, the next train must still be at least ten minutes away.
    He reached down
to help her up. His foot came to rest on one of the rails ...
    ... and
he felt something. Under his foot. Shivering up his leg. The track was
vibrating.
    The train was
on its way.
    "You've
got to stand up," he said, trying to keep the fear out of his voice. He
could already see the train in his imagination, thundering along the line. When
it plunged into the tunnel, it would be a five-hundred-ton torpedo that would
smash them to pieces. He could hear the grinding of the wheels, the roar of the
engines. Blood and darkness. It would be a horrible way to die.
    But he still
had time.
    "Can
you move your toes?" he asked.
    "I
think so." Fiona was clutching him.
    "Then
your ankle's probably sprained, not broken. Come on."
    He dragged
her up, wondering if it would be possible to stay inside the tunnel, on the
edge of the track. If they hugged the wall, the train might simply go past
them. But Alex knew there wouldn't be enough space. And even if the train
missed them, it would still hit the horse. Suppose it derailed? Dozens of
people could be killed.
    "What
train comes this way?" he asked. "Does it carry passengers?"
    "Yes."
Fiona was sounding tearful. "It's a Virgin train. Heading up to
Glasgow."
    Alex sighed. It
was just his luck to get the only Virgin train ever to arrive on time.
    Fiona froze.
"What's that?" she asked.
    She had heard
the clanging of a bell. The gate crossing! It was signaling the approach of the
train, the barrier lowering itself over the road.
    And then Alex
heard a second sound that made his blood run cold. For a moment he
couldn't breathe. It was extraordinary. His breath was stuck in his lungs
and refused to get up to his mouth. His whole body was paralyzed as if some
switch had been thrown in his brain. He was simply terrified.
    The screech
of a train whistle. It was still a mile or more away, but the tunnel was acting
as a sound conductor and he could feel it cutting into him. And then another
sound: the rolling thunder of the diesel engine. It was moving fast toward
them. Underneath his foot, the rail vibrated more violently.
    Alex gulped
for air and forced his legs to obey him. "Get on the horse," he
shouted. "I'll help you."
    Not caring
how much pain he caused her, he dragged Fiona next to the horse and forced her
up onto the saddle. The noise grew louder with every second that passed. The
rail was humming softly, like a giant tuning fork. The very air inside the
tunnel seemed to be in motion, spinning left and right as if trying to get out of
the way.
    Fiona
squealed and Alex felt her weight leave his arms as she fell onto the saddle.
The horse whinnied and took a half step sideways, and for a dreadful moment
Alex thought she was going to ride off without him. There was just enough light
to make out the shapes of both the animal and its rider.
    He saw Fiona
grabbing the reins. She brought it back under control. Alex reached up and
caught hold of the horse's mane. He used the thick hair to pull himself
onto the saddle, in front of Fiona. The noise of the train was getting louder
and louder. Soot and loose concrete were trickling out of the curving walls.
The wind currents were twisting faster, the rails singing. For a moment the two
of them were tangled together, but then he had the reins and she was clinging
on to him, her arms around his chest.
    "Go!"
he shouted and kicked the horse.
    The horse
needed no encouragement. It raced for the light, galloping up the railway line,
throwing Alex and Fiona back and