The Chieftain had been too close, though, and it smashed into the back of the Mini, slewing the car round, mercifully pushing rather than crushing. The screaming of tearing metal and shattered glass filled their ears as the girl fought to control the car’s spin. It slid across the road and spun into a tree, almost facing the way they had just come.
Again it was Steadman’s side which took the brunt of the crash, but he had steadied himself by pushing one hand against the dashboard and the other around the back of the driver’s seat. His head snapped back with the impact, but the car’s buckled metal failed to touch him.
He reached for the girl whose head hung low on her chest. She still clutched the steering-wheel, her seat-belt preventing her from being tossed around. He took her chin and her head came up and turned towards him. With relief, he saw she had not been hurt, but was stunned by the impact. Her eyes were wide and looked questioningly at him.
‘Bloody fools!’ Steadman shouted, the anger in him now rising over the shock. He looked through the windscreen at the green Goliath completely blocking the road in front of them. ‘Why didn’t they check to see if the road was clear before they tried to cross!’ He was about to push the passenger door of the Mini open when the tank began moving backwards, the pin-jointed links of its tracks spitting up gravel from the roadway. The movement puzzled Steadman into immobility for a moment, then he saw the tank stop. Its far-side track gripped the road and began to go forward once again, the near-side track rotating at a slower pace. The Chieftain was turning towards them.
‘Holly, I think . . .’ he began to say, but the tank’s objective became frighteningly clear. ‘He’s going to ram us again!’
The girl’s face was horror-struck and Steadman knew he would never have time to release her from the seat-belt and get her out of the car before the tank crushed it to pieces.
‘Drive!’ he screamed at her. ‘Into the trees!’
Fortunately, the engine was still running, for she had dipped the clutch as she had braked, and her feet still had both pedals pressed to the floor. Her eyes suddenly seemed to focus as she realized the further danger, and she reacted to Steadman’s command. Pushing the gear-lever into first, she gunned the engine and the car leaped forward. Steadman prayed the back wheel hadn’t been damaged in the crash, then once again clenched his teeth as the tank loomed up ahead of them.
It seemed there would be no escaping the mountain of metal this time as it rushed towards them, completely blocking their path, but Holly wrenched the wheel hard to her left and the Mini passed beneath the long 120mm gun of the Chieftain, scraping its side against the front of the tank’s right-hand tracks. Metal clanged and buckled once more as the car was knocked to one side, but Holly managed to control the sideways deflection and the car skidded into the trees, its wheels tearing at the damp earth and leaves to maintain a grip. She turned the wheel to the right to avoid a tree which was directly in their path, but it was too late, and again Steadman’s side of the car took a vicious blow against its metalwork.
The Mini stopped and Holly declutched to prevent the engine stalling. Steadman glanced back through the rear window and saw that the Chieftain was swiftly turning towards them.
‘For Christ’s sake, move it!’ Steadman knew that even if the girl got clear, his door was jammed up against the side of the tree which would mean he’d have to try and scramble out on her side. The odds weren’t promising.
The girl must have realized the same, and he was thankful for her courage in staying with him. The car moved forward a few inches, then sank back into the grooves it had dug for itself. Once again, the tank completely filled Steadman’s view from the rear window and seemed poised to overwhelm them.
Then the car lurched forward, the wheels spinning but gaining a small grip, enough to draw them from the crushing belly of the Chieftain. It gathered speed as the wheels found firmer ground and Steadman saw the tank hit the tree they had skidded into, tilting it as though it were on a swivel, then coming on, chasing them as an armadillo would chase a millipede.
The car’s speed was limited, for Holly had to steer a careful path through the trees and undergrowth, whereas the tank had only to avoid the stoutest trees, the other less firm trees and undergrowth easily succumbing to its massive weight. Steadman urged the girl on, his eyes constantly switching from the path ahead to the tank behind. He was shocked at the audacity of the attack, at Gant’s – it had to be Gant behind it – arrogant confidence that he could get away with two outrageous murders within just a few days. First Maggie, now him. And the girl. Three murders.
Holly’s eyes were narrowed in concentration as she struggled to keep the car under control on the slippery surface of leaves, and he saw that although there was fear in her there was no panic.
The Mini suddenly bumped over a fallen branch hidden by leaves and it rose into the air, throwing the passengers forward and up. Holly’s seat-belt and her grip on the wheel checked her movement, but Steadman was tossed towards the windscreen. His arm struck the window first and fortunately the glass held. His head hit the roof of the car and he was thrown back into his seat, dazed but still conscious.
The car spun round as it landed and this time Holly lost control completely. It bounced off a tree and came to rest sideways on to the advancing tank. Steadman saw that the ground sloped down into a dip on his side of the car. The engine had stalled and for a few valuable seconds, Holly was too numbed by the sudden jolt to move. Steadman shook the haze from his head and looked at the girl. Beyond her profile, he saw the Chieftain looming larger and larger. Holly quickly looked to her right and saw that the tank was only a few yards from them and she desperately reached forward for the keys in the ignition. She twisted them viciously and depressed the accelerator to the floor. The engine roared and the car lurched forward and stalled again; in her haste she had left it still in gear. The tank was only a yard away.
Steadman knew they wouldn’t make it and was reaching for the release on the girl’s seat-belt in a vain attempt to pull her from the car on his side, when the Chieftain tank ploughed into them.
The noise of crunching metal, the rumbling of the tank’s engines, and Holly’s scream combined into a terrifying sound. The car on her side rose into the air and Steadman was thrown back against the passenger door. The world outside the small windows spun round crazily as the car was pushed completely over, first on to its side, then on to its back. The trees and the sky began to spin even faster as the Mini rolled over the brink of the dip it had come to rest on. Steadman threw one arm around the back of his seat and pushed the other against the dashboard in an attempt to wedge himself as the car rolled over and over down the slope. The dip had saved their lives for that moment, for if the car hadn’t plunged into it, then it would have been crushed completely under the massive bulk of the tank.
For those few nauseating seconds as the car rolled down, Steadman lost his senses. He still managed to keep his grip on the seat and the dashboard through sheer reaction, only losing that hold when the car crashed to a halt on its back. He found himself lying bundled on the upturned roof of the car when he opened his eyes. He wasn’t sure if he had blacked out or his mind had just gone blank for a few moments, but instinct told him he had no time to lose. From his curled-up position inside the overturned Mini, he could see back up the slope, and the tank poised at the top, a huge metallic predator making ready to plunge for the kill.
He pulled himself around on the buckled metal and saw Holly hanging upside down, her head and shoulders against the roof, her lower body still trapped by the seat-belt. Her eyes were closed, but when he called her name, they opened and looked towards him.
‘Jesus Christ!’ she said.
He scrambled into a better position to reach her, barely registering the fact that no sudden pain bespoke broken bones. He pressed the button to release her, taking her weight with his arm. She slid to the roof which was now the floor.
‘We’ve got to get out!’ he told her urgently. ?
??The tank’ll be coming down after us.’ He reached past her and tried to push open the driver’s door. It opened two inches then jammed solidly into the hard earth.
He quickly turned around and tried the door on his side and it opened easily. He pushed it wide and to his horror saw the Chieftain had begun its descent. This time, the Mini would be squashed flat under the impact. Steadman reached back for the girl and yanked her towards him, heedless of any harm she might have suffered in the crash. She gasped at his roughness, but threw herself forward, realizing their danger. They scrambled from the car together and the tank towered above them, its speed increased by the angle of the slope.
Holly tried to scramble to one side, but Steadman knew it was already too late. The sheer width of the tank allowed them no room for escape – they would be crushed by either of its two-foot-wide set of tracks. He grabbed her arm and threw her upwards towards the onrushing monster. She screamed in fright, not understanding his motives. He pushed her down hard into the earth, throwing a protective arm over her head, holding her there, trying to make them both as flat as possible.
Everything went black as the Chieftain rumbled over them, and Steadman pressed his face close to Holly’s exerting pressure on her with his arm to make sure she didn’t try to rise in panic. The underbelly of the tank was only inches from their bodies and the smell of diesel fumes and oil was overpowering. The investigator prayed that the angle of the slope would not alter before the vehicle had passed completely over them, for if it did, the tank’s rear end would become lower as the main body righted its angle, and their bodies would be scraped into the earth.
They felt the tank shudder as it ploughed into the Mini, and the screech of grinding metal threw fresh terror into them.
‘Try to move upwards!’ he screamed at her over the noise. ‘Keep moving up, but keep low!’
They inched forward as the tank sped over them, for any distance they gained could save their lives. He saw the rectangle of daylight ahead and realized the angle was narrowing; the juddering tank was beginning to level. He closed his eyes and stopped moving foward, knowing there was nothing they could do to save themselves now. He pressed himself close to Holly, holding her head against his, his lips against her cheek.
The noise of the car being crushed rose to a crescendo and suddenly he felt all movement around them judder to a halt. The tank’s engine still roared on, but the clanking links of its tracks had ceased to move. The small car’s tough little body had halted the tank’s progress momentarily and Steadman realized they had been granted a few seconds’ grace.
‘Quick, move!’ he yelled at the girl, and began to pull her up with him. With relief, he felt her body begin to worm its way up; she hadn’t frozen.
The Chieftain’s engines began to whine and suddenly it lurched forward again, demolishing the yellow car completely. But they were clear. Steadman reached safety first, then dragged the girl after him just as the tank’s rear dropped and almost brushed the soil of the slope.
Holly fell against him and they stood drawing in deep breaths, their bodies heaving. Steadman looked back at the tank and could see nothing of the flattened Mini. The Chieftain was motionless and, irrationally, Steadman had the feeling the battle vehicle was a living thing, a mechanical beast that had somehow come to life to destroy them. It seemed to be watching them.
The tracks began to clank into life once again, but this time they had changed direction. The tank was coming back for them.
‘Run!’ he shouted, pushing the girl forward but keeping a grip on her arm in case she should fall. The slope would have been too treacherous to have attempted to climb, so they ran along the side of it, stumbling once and rolling down into the gully created by the dip. Steadman pulled the girl to her feet and looked into her face anxiously and again he felt an understanding pass between them. The Chieftan had turned its huge bulk towards them and now it made its destructive way along the gully, picking up speed as it came. They fled from it.
Leafless branches tore at their clothes and skin as they stumbled through the undergrowth, their throats raw with the effort of breathing. The gully took on a gentle slope and soon they were free of the dip, running towards an area of dense bracken and bramble. Steadman glanced back over his shoulder and saw they were out of the tank’s vision.
‘In there,’ he gasped, pointing at the thick canopy, and they plunged into the bracken, wading deep, ignoring the stings of resisting bramble. They heard the rumbling of the tank behind them as it cleared the rise, and Steadman pulled the girl to the ground, the foliage closing around them. He lost sight of the tank but could still hear its engine. They tried to control their breathing as though the mechanical dinosaur might hear and seek them out.
‘Why?’ Holly whispered, desperation in her voice. ‘Why are they trying to kill us?’
Steadman put a finger to her lips and shook his head. The Chieftan’s engine seemed to be getting louder and they could hear the crashing of broken undergrowth. The investigator raised his head slightly to catch sight of the approaching vehicle and nearly cried out when he saw it was heading straight towards them. It was as if it could sense their presence.
They ran again, away from their relentless pursuer, lost in the woodland, not knowing in which direction lay the road. Bursting free of the bracken they discovered the ground was rising slightly, but they couldn’t see what lay beyond the incline. Their muscles were aching now, their bodes bruised. Steadman dragged the girl forward, knowing she could not carry on much further. Her legs were dragging and she leaned heavily against him. They heard a muffled explosion and something vaguely registered in Steadman’s head.
He put one arm around Holly’s waist and helped her up, pulling her towards the incline. The tank, now relatively unimpeded by trees, was gaining on them. They staggered on and finally reached the top of the gentle slope. The ground dropped away dramatically into a vast quarry.
‘It’s the explosives testing ground,’ said Steadman. Realizing now why the muffled explosion moments earlier had registered in his mind. Deep below, they could see the long slabs of concrete, shelters for observers in the man-made valley, as they witnessed the damage caused by rockets, mortars and shellfire. Battered skeletal frames of army vehicles lay scattered around the grey plain, victims of weapons turned against them to demonstrate their destroyers’ deadliness. As they watched, they saw a rocket leave the muzzle of a launcher held on a soldier’s shoulder, and strike what must have been a sheet of Chobham armour three hundred yards away; the rocket exploded on impact but the metal sheet appeared to remain undented.
‘We’re trapped!’ the girl cried and seemed to be about to sink to her knees in despair.
Steadman held her steady and pointed towards a clump of gorse that ran along the rim of the huge pit. ‘In there!’ he yelled at her. ‘We may be able to hide from them!’
They stumbled towards the gorse patch and threw themselves into it, keeping as far away from the cliff edge as possible. They buried themselves in the waist-high spiky bushes, but Steadman forced them on, crawling on hands and knees until they were in the centre of the patch. They lay there panting and the investigator put an arm around the frightened girl’s shoulders, pulling her towards him. He felt her trembling against his chest and tightened his grip on her. Her confusion was adding to her fear.
He decided he had to risk seeing if the men – or man – in the tank had observed their desperate run for cover. The rumble of the Chieftain was close and their position too vulnerable if the location was known.
He raised his head above the gorse and was dismayed when he saw the close proximity of the armoured vehicle. And it was headed straight towards them, increasing speed as it came, knowing where they were as if by instinct. He dragged the girl up and she screamed when she saw the approaching tank. She began to move away but he held her tight, to prevent her from backing towards the quarry’s edge. He pulled her through the gorse, running to their left in a desperate attempt to dodge their uncan
ny and unerring pursuer; but a stout root, hidden from his view, tripped him and they both went down in a heap, the winter foliage cruelly ripping at their faces and hands. Holly lay slumped against him, unwilling or unable to move any more, giving in to their relentless hunter, too exhausted, too despairing to go on.
The tank was above them, the long phallic muzzle of its gun barrel passing over their heads like an antenna sensing their presence. In one last hopeless gesture of defiance, Steadman picked up the girl bodily, and with all the strength he could gather, leaped to one side, afraid to go under the tank again in case it stopped above them to grind its tracks backwards and forwards until their bodies had been crushed into the ground.
He almost made it, but the right-hand track caught his shoulder and he went down. The girl was clear, thrown forward by his rush, and she saw his body fall beneath the tank’s wheels. Fortunately for Steadman, he had fallen into the angled space between the upper and lower wheels of the Chieftain, and it was enough to save the investigator from being dragged beneath the vehicle: he kept rolling, pushing himself away from the deadly moving links. He was inches clear, then suddenly found his movement checked. The back of his jacket was caught beneath the grinding track. He tried desperately to prevent his weight being pulled back under and his hands reached out to clutch roots – anything to hold on to.
Holly clamped her hands around his wrists and pulled with all her strength, her eyes tightly closed against the effort. Steadman felt his jacket tear, then suddenly he was free and moving forward into her arms. They clutched at each other as the tank lumbered by.
Steadman twisted his head, ready to pull the girl up and begin running again.
His eyes widened when he saw the Chieftain had not decreased its speed, but was trundling onwards towards the quarry’s edge only feet away. The tracks spun in free air and screeched when the huge vehicle tilted forward, the edge of the cliff breaking away under its weight. The tank gave Steadman a view of its metal underbelly before sliding forward, the bare tracks now spinning in the air. Then it was gone, careering down towards the grey plain two hundred feet below.