Elijah is nothing
special. He’s just a skinny kid doing his best to stay one step ahead of
starvation and the people who would have him locked away in a labour camp -
just another Runner. But what he stumbles upon in a forest in Hampshire will
show him that the harsh world he knows will become an even more sinister place,
unless he can stop it. As past and present and parallel
dimensions collide, freedom becomes the last thing on his mind as he is
suddenly faced with a battle to save his world from extinction. But before Elijah can find the courage to be
the hero the world needs, he must banish his own demons and learn to trust his
friends. And all the while, the sinister figure of Maxwell Braithwaite looms,
his path inextricably bound to Elijah’s by a long dead physicist, and hell bent
on stopping Elijah, whatever the cost.
Elijah finally opened his eyes, but lacked the strength to
move. Darkness, heavy and insidious, held him.
He wasn’t sure if it was night.
Perhaps he had gone blind. With
this last terrifying thought he began to gulp shallow breaths, desperately
trying to swallow the hard knot of panic in his throat. And in the midst of
this, from somewhere close by, he gradually became aware of whispering.
‘Bet he’s got tokens.’
‘Bet he had tokens.’
‘Have a look while he’s still
out.’
‘Don’t you dare!’
‘Alright, there’s no need to get
stressy.’
‘Those kids looked pleased with
themselves. If he had any, he hasn’t got
them now.’
‘He’s been out a long time. You don’t reckon he’s…’
‘Nah. Give him another half hour, if he doesn’t
come round we’ll have to clear off.’
‘Leave him?’
‘Don’t whinge at me! It’s not my
fault. We’ll leave a few clues or something so he gets found, if it makes you
happy.’
‘Xavier, you can’t. He’s a Runner!’
‘He might not be.’
‘He is. Look at him.’
‘Even if he is… so what?’
‘The CMO
will pick him up.’
‘Do you want them to pick you
up?’
‘No… but…’
‘Right then. Half an hour.’
The conversation faltered. They
sounded like young voices, but he couldn’t be sure.
A Runner. The word crashed into Elijah’s consciousness. It hadn’t
occurred to him before but, he supposed, that was what he was now.
With an almighty effort, his arm
responded, propping him up to sit. But
even that small exertion had been too much.
He leaned over to his side and vomited.
Shivering, his head spinning and icy sweat erupting from every pore, he
passed out again.
Xavier leaned against the wall of the alleyway and folded
his arms.
‘We’re not taking him with us.’
‘But, Xavier –’
‘There’s enough of us as it is.’
He cast an appraising eye over the unconscious boy. ‘I don’t trust him.’
‘How can you say that? You don’t even know him.’ The speaker was a girl with long, blonde
hair.
‘I don’t need to know him. He’s a Runner.’
‘We’re Runners!’
‘That’s different.’
‘How?’
‘It just is.’
The boy on the floor
groaned.
‘He does look in a bad way,’ said
a second boy. ‘He might die if we leave him here.’
‘Not my problem,’ Xavier said.
‘Jimmy’s right,’ the girl cut
in. ‘What if you had said that about
Rowan? Think of all the ways he’s helped
us out since we met up with him. Maybe
this kid could do the same, maybe he’d be good for us.’
Xavier nudged the boy with his
foot, but he didn’t stir. ‘I doubt it.
He looks as though he’d just eat everything we have and then scarper.’
The girl looked down at the
injured boy with a pained expression.
‘Please, let’s just take him back to the cottage. I couldn’t bear it if I found out something
had happened to him and we could have helped.’
Xavier sighed. ‘Alright then. But don’t blame me if he
steals everything you own once he wakes up.’
‘I don’t own anything,’ the girl
smiled.
‘You two can carry him if you’re
so desperate to get him back.’ Xavier threw a last glance at the figure on the
floor and then turned to leave.
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