Free Hurricane Gold by Charlie Higson Page B

bloody, but it wasn’t his own blood. He realised that Precious’s hand was bleeding.
    ‘Are you all right?’ he asked, nodding towards the wound. She hadn’t even noticed the cut before, but now that she did she let out a sob and went very white. James looked at himself and saw that he was also covered in small nicks and cuts, probably from climbing down the palm. He had scratches all down his front and he felt truly battered.
    ‘I think I’m hurt too,’ said JJ in a small, quiet voice. Sure enough, there was a nasty gash in the little boy’s thigh.
    ‘Have you got anything in here we can clean that with?’ James asked.
    ‘Like what?’ said Precious.
    ‘I don’t know,’ said James. ‘Antiseptic, alcohol, clean water…’
    ‘There’s nothing,’ said JJ, sadly shaking his head.
    ‘Never mind,’ said James. ‘The rain should be clean enough. Once the storm passes we’ll sort you out, but we should bandage it at least. We don’t want to get any dirt in the cut. Precious, tear a strip off your dress.’
    ‘I will do no such thing,’ she protested.
    ‘You said yourself it was ruined,’ said James. ‘He’s your brother, help him.’
    ‘Turn away.’
    ‘Oh don’t be so silly,’ said James and he stepped forward, snatched up the hem of her dress and tore off a long strip where it was already frayed.
    Precious said nothing, but James felt that if he hadn’t been attending to her brother she might have hit him again.
    He soon had JJ bandaged and Precious tore off another strip to put round her own hand.
    JJ sat quietly on a pile of cushions with his back to the wall, looking very young and very small. He was obviously terrified and the shock was just starting to show. James felt sorry for him, and knew how lonely he must be right now. He put a blanket around him and the boy looked pathetically grateful.
    It was cold in here, but the lamp gave off a feeble heat and the three of them huddled round it, lost in their own thoughts. Outside, muffled by several feet of earth, the storm was a distant rumble and clatter.
    James eventually fell into a fitful, feverish sleep. When he awoke some time later he was coughing and his whole body ached. He got up and stamped about the place to try to force some life into his muscles. It was only after a while that he noticed that he couldn’t hear anything.
    There was a tiny glimmer of light coming down the ventilation shaft. He hobbled over, his stiff joints creaking.
    He looked up. Sunlight.
    He climbed the rungs and gingerly pushed the door open.
    Bright sunlight.
    Warm sunlight.
    He crawled out.
    The storm had passed. He had never been more pleased to see a clear blue sky. He fought his way through the wreckage of the shrubbery and stumbled out on to the lawn.
    He turned his face up to the sun and let its energy fill him as he breathed in fresh, clean air.
    It was good to be alive.
    He went back to the shaft and called down to the others. Soon they emerged, blinking, into the daylight, and Precious even managed a smile.
    Her smile soon died, however, when she saw what the storm had done. There was hardly a tree left standing, the garden looked like a battlefield and the house was badly damaged.
    Inside it was worse; water and debris had got in everywhere and there was a fetid, damp smell.
    Apart from three frogs and a lizard in the hallway, there were no signs of life. The staff seemed to have all left, as had the five intruders, leaving a large ragged hole in the study wall where the safe had been.
    Precious sat down on the stairs and wept.
    ‘What are we going to do?’ she said.
    ‘We’re not going to sit around here feeling sorry for ourselves,’ said James. ‘That’s for sure. We’re going to go down into the town. Somebody there will be able to help us.’
    ‘Will Dad come for us?’ said JJ.
    ‘If he can,’ said James. ‘If he can find somewhere to land. If he didn’t get caught up in the storm.’
    ‘If, if, if…’ said Precious. ‘You