Free Teeth by Michael Robertson Page A

have been bolted to it had been smashed off. A few lopsided signs hung from the Styrofoam roof tiles saying things like ‘Two T-Shirts for £22’.
    “Should we be here, Archie?” Josh asked, his voice echoing in the sparse room.
    Archie frowned. “What?”
    “This shop doesn’t look like somewhere we’re meant to be.” Pointing first at the stainless steel rails, then at the empty display tables, Josh said, “It’s private property.”
    “Shops don’t exist anymore, Josh.”
    “What do you mean?”
    “Money doesn’t work. Without money, why would there be shops? When there’s no profit to be made, no one gives a fuck about anything.”
    Keeping his mouth shut because he didn’t really know anything about business, Josh cleared his throat. “I’m cold, Archie.”
    “So am I. We just have to deal with it.”
    Heat suddenly stung Josh’s eyes and his world blurred.
    When Archie looked at him, he tutted. His face then softened and he put his arm around his younger brother. “Don’t worry, mate. This is just a stopover on the way to Nana’s. It’s only for one night. I want to make sure we’re off the streets while it’s dark. The city isn’t safe.”
    After looking around again, the empty space lit up by the moon shining in through the windows on the other side of the building, Josh shrugged. “Where are we going to sleep? There are no beds or sheets.”
    “We’ll have to sleep on the floor; it’ll only be for a night.”
    A shiver ran down the length of Josh’s body. “But it’s cold, Archie.” When he saw Archie ball his fists, he flinched, but the expected punch didn’t come.
    “Look, Josh. Everything’s shit at the moment. It’s not all corn flakes and Saturday morning cartoons anymore, okay? Things have changed. We just have to deal with what’s going on the best we can.”
    Staring at the grubby floor, Josh didn’t reply.
    “Okay?”
    Swallowing the lump in his throat, Josh finally nodded. “Okay, Archie.” Speaking more quietly, he added, “Sorry.”
    Walking over to the window, Josh glanced out at the moonlit street. “It’s strange to see Oxford Street without any lights, don’t you think?”
    Frowning as he continued to look around, Archie didn’t reply. Instead, he walked over to the middle of the shop.
    Following his brother, Josh asked, “Do you think Mum and Dad will be there?”
    “Where?”
    “Nana’s. Do you think Mum and Dad will be at Nana’s?”
    Looking at his brother for a second, his frown softening, Archie shrugged. “Who knows?”
    “What will we do if they’re not?”
    “We’ll think of something else. Everything’s changing, and we have to learn to adapt if we’re going to stay alive.”
    Josh’s reply caught in his throat when he heard footsteps downstairs—a lot of footsteps.
    Archie’s eyes were wide as he looked at the broken escalator. He’d heard them too.
    When Josh heard the sound of men’s voices, he started to shake. There were other voices, but they sounded younger, a similar age to Josh.
    The heavy footsteps clattered on the metal stairs, and Josh jumped when Archie hooked his arm around him. They both stared. Waiting. There was nowhere to run.
    When the first of the gang reached the top, Josh saw that he was no older than about seventeen. When the rest of the gang appeared, filthy and dressed like savages, Josh guessed that he was the leader because of his age. He was clearly the oldest in the group of about twenty boys.
    When he saw them, the older boy stopped dead and put his arm out to prevent the others from passing him. “Who the fuck are you?”
    “We’re—”
    “It doesn’t matter who we are,” Archie said, pushing Josh behind him.
    Looking at his gang, the leader laughed and turned back to the pair. “Of course it fucking matters. You’re in my shop, you mugs.”
    With a pounding heart, Josh watched his brother clench his fists again. If it came to it, Archie would smash the shit out of this boy. Archie was