The Boy with Two Heads

  ‘No!’ cried Richard. ‘Absolutely not!’

  ‘And you still think I did?’

  ‘Yes!’

  ‘No loyalty, you see? Even now.’

  ‘I don’t know when you did it – or how. But . . . who else uses that swearword? And who else has a big thing against Aparna? Nobody.’

  ‘Why do you have a thing against Aparna?’ said Eric.

  Rikki sighed. ‘I don’t know,’ he said. ‘I suppose she fascinates me. I just want her attention.’

  ‘Eric,’ said Richard, ‘did you smash up Aparna’s picture?’

  ‘No way,’ said Eric. ‘Maybe it was Mr Barlow.’

  ‘Well, it wasn’t me,’ said Rikki. ‘It could have been anyone. People do weird things. Oh, and by the way – Mr Barlow.’

  ‘Yes?’

  ‘Thank you for catching us.’

  ‘Salome caught you.’

  ‘Really?’

  ‘She was there first.’

  Rikki looked away.

  ‘She said you were light as a feather,’ said Mr Barlow. ‘And your mother was there too, don’t forget.’

  ‘That’s true,’ said Richard. ‘She came running.’

  A silence fell, and Rikki stirred the beans.

  ‘They’re going to be worried,’ said Eric. ‘Your parents are so nice. You should have texted them.’

  ‘What about yours?’ said Rikki.

  Eric laughed. ‘Mum won’t even notice I’m gone. Your parents love you.’

  ‘They let Doctor Warren knock Rikki out!’ said Richard. ‘They were considering cutting his head off.’

  ‘Oh, come on,’ said Rikki. ‘Did they have a choice?’

  ‘Yes!’

  ‘I never made things easy for them. I’m not surprised they . . . thought about it. Especially if Warren told them it was the only way to save you. Dammit! It’s so much easier when people are villains. Now you’re making me feel bad about them. Why is it easier to hate people?’

  Mr Barlow fed the fire carefully. ‘Since we’re all asking questions,’ he said, ‘can I ask one?’

  The boys nodded.

  ‘It’s a bit personal. Are you sure I won’t offend you?’

  Richard looked at him and swallowed. ‘You’re going to ask the unaskable again, aren’t you?’

  ‘What’s that?’ said Eric.

  ‘He’s going to ask about Danda.’

  ‘Grandad,’ said Rikki. ‘Grandad.’

  ‘How did you guess that?’ said Eric. ‘And why shouldn’t he ask about your grandad? He was ace – why don’t you talk about him?’

  ‘I only ask,’ said Mr Barlow, ‘because he must have been one of the ones who trained down here. They train commandos in the hills, but out at sea . . .’

  Richard was shaking his head. ‘Don’t tell me. I don’t want to know.’

  ‘Out at sea, they trained the pilots for the aircraft-carrier runs. He was a great man, Richard. All I was—’

  ‘No,’ said Rikki. He was holding up his hand, and looking at Mr Barlow. ‘We like you a lot, sir, we really do. And we will tell you anything you want to know about sex, drugs, rock-and-roll. I will even tell you that horror story about the psycho who nails his wife to the car roof. But please don’t ask Richard about Grandad.’

  Richard had his eyes down.

  ‘Why?’ said Eric.

  ‘Because it makes him blub,’ said Rikki.

  ‘Why?’

  ‘I don’t know. Richard thinks he could have done something. I don’t know what, but that’s what he’s always thinking, and it’s a pain in the arse because people die sometimes. What’s the mystery? Leave it.’

  It was at that moment that the tripwire Eric had laid sounded the alarm, and everyone looked up. It was a basic Nailhead failsafe, designed to protect the camp against intruders. What Eric hadn’t mentioned was that he’d also constructed three man-traps on the main approaches, and one of them had been sprung.

  There was a swish of branches. The scream that filled the night air was louder than any bird. It filled the whole valley.

  CHAPTER FOUR

  Eric had got carried away – even he admitted that.

  He’d put a loop of cord around two forked sticks, and jammed them into the soil. The sticks were connected to a sapling that had been bent almost horizontal. Some of its limbs had been lopped to ensure swift and immediate straightening, should the trigger be released. It was a deadly mechanism.

  Mr Barlow was on his feet before anyone, reaching for his torch. When he switched it on, the beam revealed an upside-down figure, squirming like a fish on a line. It was dangling from one ankle, and they soon saw that it was Salome, and she was the one howling. Around her stood Aparna, Jeff and Mark, flapping and dithering, blinded by the light.

  ‘Jeff!’ cried Richard.

  ‘Mark!’ shouted Eric.

  Salome continued to scream. In a moment, Mr Barlow was among them and had the weight of the victim. Eric clambered up the sapling, untying his knots, and the party was then helped into the camp, whimpering with fear and shock. Soon everyone was under the tent roof, seated around the fire-hole. The newcomers were wet and frozen, and they were all in tears.

  ‘It is so good to see you,’ whispered a shivering Aparna. ‘We have been so silly, Mr Barlow! Thank goodness you’re here . . .’

  ‘Eric, we got lost,’ said Mark. ‘We didn’t even bring a tent!’

  ‘We were getting really cold as well,’ said Jeff, taking a mug of hot chocolate in shaking hands. ‘We forgot food too, because we left in such a hurry! I borrowed this cardigan, but half our kit’s been lost – my mum’s going to kill me. So we just kept going, hoping—’

  ‘We thought we’d die!’ said Mark.

  ‘Thank God we found you,’ muttered Salome.

  The newcomers blinked at their friends in disbelief, and gazed at Mr Barlow as if he had to be an illusion.

  This is too . . . amazing,’ said Jeff. He paused. ‘Rikki. Richard.’ He put out his hand. ‘You guys have just saved our lives, because we would have been walking in circles all through the night and we would have frozen to death. I am really pleased to see you. I’m sorry we had a falling-out.’

  Richard and Rikki shook his hand warmly. ‘I think it was me who caused the problems,’ said Rikki.

  ‘No,’ said Jeff. ‘It was me.’

  ‘I just thought you were a boring little suck-up,’ said Rikki.

  ‘He is,’ said Eric.

  ‘Well,’ said Jeff, ‘I know I over-react to things.’

  ‘We provoked you,’ said Richard. ‘We were pretty insulting—’

  ‘I should have sat down and discussed the situation. I got far too emotional.’

  ‘You took a stand,’ said Richard. ‘I admired you for that. You were protecting Aparna, and—’

  ‘I didn’t want protection,’ said Aparna. ‘He was embarrassing me, and he is a suck-up. You bore me to death, sometimes, Jeff.’

  ‘Do I?’

  ‘You always play it so safe.’

  ‘I just do what I’m told. I can change, though.’

  ‘Eric,’ said Mark suddenly. He had been distracted by his friend’s whittling of a stick, and was staring at the blade.

  ‘What?’

  ‘Is that a, er . . . sorry, buddy, but . . . isn’t that my Lockerman knife you’re using, huh?’

  ‘Yup. I want to have a few sharp sticks ready, in case we have to do more snares.’

  ‘Right.’

  ‘We’re going to need meat tomorrow.’

  ‘It’s just that it was in my bag. The knife, I mean.’

  Eric smiled. ‘Oh! I see what you’re saying. Yes, I was going to tell you about that,’ he said. ‘We were in a situation and we just didn’t have too many choices. We stole a lot of stuff – we had to.’

  ‘This is your coat, Jeff,’ said Rikki. ‘Totally weatherproof – you chose well.’

  ‘And isn’t that my tent?’ said Aparna. ‘I remember you saying it was too big, M
r Barlow. But, well . . . it’s the perfect size.’

  There was a long silence. Salome spoke first. ‘My God,’ she said. She grinned a wide, joyful grin. ‘They were on the roof of the bus. Miss Maycock was going on and on about it, but nobody would listen! These guys stowed away to join the residential, and robbed all our kit!’

  Richard nodded. ‘We were running for our lives,’ he said. ‘We’d better tell you the whole story . . .’

  By the time the tale was told the group was welded together in hurt and fury. They sat closer than ever, as Mr Barlow tended the fire, and Richard and Rikki felt arms around their shoulders.

  ‘I feel sick to think about it,’ said Jeff.

  ‘It’s disgusting,’ said Aparna. ‘Well done for saving the monkeys.’

  Mark high-fived his friend. ‘That was a neat job, Eric,’ he said. ‘You are amazing.’

  ‘Those doctors,’ said Jeff. ‘They’re out of control.’

  Salome was nodding. ‘Too right,’ she said. ‘I know Rikki’s a pain. But that doesn’t mean they can take his brain out. I mean, we’ve all got bad bits. You can’t just go cutting them out!’

  ‘Just what I said,’ said Richard.

  ‘They showed you actual photos?’ said Jeff. ‘Photos of a kid who’d had it done?’

  Richard and Rikki winced. ‘That was the closest I came to screaming,’ said Richard. ‘I’m not kidding – there was this little head . . . it had kind of . . .’

  ‘Don’t!’ said Mark. ‘I don’t want to think about it.’

  ‘Well, we’d better keep well hidden,’ said Rikki. ‘I don’t want to end up in a jar being poked about by Warren. He’s still after us, don’t forget. We’ve got to be smarter than ever.’

  ‘You’re dead right,’ said Jeff. ‘You say the police know you’re in this area. They’re going to be looking for us now, as well.’

  ‘What do we do?’ cried Rikki.

  Salome hugged him harder. ‘We’ll protect you, boy,’ she said. ‘We’ll keep you safe.’

  ‘Then let’s work on a plan,’ said Eric seriously. ‘We can’t just sit here saying how angry we feel. Chapter Four: The hunted man has to be practical. That is probably the ultimate test of his manhood.’

  ‘I say climb the mountain,’ said Aparna.

  ‘Why?’

  ‘That’s practical.’

  ‘Go up, though?’ said Jeff. ‘I was going to say the boring old opposite.’

  ‘We could break through enemy lines,’ said Salome. ‘Bust through the lot of them, and get back to civilization, and—’

  ‘I don’t want civilization,’ said Richard. ‘Never again.’

  ‘The advantage of climbing the mountain,’ said Mr Barlow, ‘is that we won’t be overtaken. We’re also less likely to be surprised. We’ll have the advantage of height, and we can probably move quickly. We’re all pretty fit, right?’

  Everyone nodded.

  ‘There’s a cave up there too,’ said Mr Barlow. ‘Quite a deep one, as I remember.’

  ‘You really know this area?’ said Jeff.

  ‘Oh yes. I was telling the boys, I spent a couple of weeks here with the Scouts. I think it’s going to be pretty familiar when we start climbing. The quickest way is by water. Then there’s a fairly steep ascent up what’s called the Devil’s Chimney, which is the way I went last time – it’s a wonderful climb. Obviously the weather’s a problem, but we’ve got ropes. So as long as we’re careful . . .’

  ‘Mr Barlow,’ said Jeff, ‘why did you book us into that awful Adventure Centre? Why didn’t you just take us out here?’

  Mr Barlow looked surprised. ‘What was so awful about it?’

  They told him, and soon everyone was shaking their head, giggling. Jeff did an impression of Captain Colin, and the laughter grew hysterical. They talked about the camping-simulation exercise he’d promised them, and the horrible food – and they were choking, unable to speak. The rain grew heavier and heavier, and the giggling continued – their circle stayed close and warm. At last, Mr Barlow said he had to retire through sheer exhaustion, so he crawled off to the second tent, wishing everyone goodnight. The children curled up close to Eric’s fire-hole, snug in their sleeping bags, and whispered as the rain fell.

  ‘Salome,’ said Rikki.

  ‘What?’

  There was a long silence.

  ‘What?’ said Salome, again.

  ‘You know I’m sorry, don’t you?’

  Salome smiled. ‘I know you’re crazy. So it’s fine.’

  Minutes later, they had all fallen into a deep, dream-laden sleep.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  They did not hear the baying of dogs.

  Mountain rescue passed within half a mile, but its leaders were convinced the children would be closer to the footpath. The dogs couldn’t pick up any scent because of the storm. A second group had found the two bicycles, and was successful in following tracks for an hour or so – but then they suddenly disappeared, and Chief Inspector Mantz halted them until dawn.

  He had arrived just after midnight, and commandeered the Clifden Adventure Centre as a damp headquarters. The rest of the Green Cross children were bussed back home, and a rumour went round that Captain Colin had been arrested – a policeman had recognized him and he’d been packed off to see the Fraud Squad, who’d been hoping to interview him for a number of years. A hotline was now established between the new HQ and the commando base: the red tape had been successfully cut, and a hard-faced soldier – Lieutenant Kirby – arrived by jeep, ready and willing to deploy his sixty-five professionals. The key players considered their strategy as the thunder rolled in.

  ‘Tell us again,’ said Mantz. ‘Why are these kids running?’

  ‘Well,’ said Dr Warren. ‘Rikki is a pretty desperate character. You know he’d been certified?’

  ‘No.’

  ‘Oh, he’s criminally psychotic,’ said Dr Summersby. ‘We had him in our secure unit, for his own good. His parents insisted.’

  ‘And the two heads are fighting each other?’

  ‘Oh yes.’

  ‘That’s bad.’

  ‘What frightened us,’ said Dr Warren, ‘was how Rikki simply couldn’t restrain himself. He was injuring Richard. He was lighting fires, threatening suicide. I would say he’s potentially homicidal.’

  ‘Homicidal?’ said Lieutenant Kirby, looking up from his map. ‘You think he’s a killer, do you?’

  ‘He threw Richard off a school roof.’

  ‘So he’s unpredictable.’

  ‘Yes, sir.’

  The soldier removed his spectacles. ‘This changes everything, Mantz. I didn’t realize this was a combat mission. You said recovery.’

  Chief Inspector Mantz leaned forward. ‘Looks like he fooled us all, Lieutenant. How confident can you be about finding him?’

  ‘Oh, we’ll flush him out,’ said the soldier.

  ‘When?’ said Dr Summersby.

  ‘We’ll have him before nightfall. What we have to do is agree the objective.’

  ‘It’s to isolate Rikki,’ said Dr Warren. ‘Always has been.’

  ‘Then what?’

  ‘We’ll need to shut him down, sir. I can do that, with Doctor Summersby—’

  ‘My men need specifics,’ said Lieutenant Kirby. ‘Define “shut him down”.’

  ‘Very well,’ said Dr Warren. He looked at the two men, and swallowed. ‘I’m fond of the boy, and I’ve tried to help him. But I think we need to use maximum force now – for the protection of the others. I think we should surround them, and seal off the area. Tranquillize if possible – and then Summersby and I can move in to administer proper sedation.’

  Lieutenant Kirby stroked his chin. ‘Tranquillizers, eh? There’s a lot of ifs and buts with these tranquillizer guns. Do we know the dosage?’

  ‘I’ve got all his records with me,’ said Dr Summersby.

  ‘Then I want you in the front line, standing by. The snipers go forward, and we bring you in by chopper, soon as
he’s down.’

  ‘I like that,’ said Mantz.

  ‘Parents?’

  ‘They followed us here,’ said Dr Summersby. ‘But we’re keeping them back.’

  ‘Loved ones can be tricky,’ said the lieutenant. ‘You don’t want family in a war zone.’

  The inspector nodded. ‘The Westlake parents insisted on joining us, that’s the problem. Let’s keep them at arm’s length.’

  The lieutenant stood up. ‘I say do it,’ he said. ‘Fast. Call off the mountain rescue boys, Inspector – we don’t need civilians. I want Two-heads flushed out into the open. I’ll divvy up the battalion and lead a pincer movement. Have a corkscrew assault faction standing by – this is just the kind of action they’d been hoping for. Doctor Warren, you’d better get your toolkit ready with this good lady, and sort your ballistics.’

  ‘Will the snipers feel comfortable?’ said Dr Warren. ‘I mean – he’s only a youngster.’

  ‘Comfortable about what?’

  ‘Shooting a child.’

  The lieutenant stared at him. ‘My men do what they’re told,’ he said.

  Mr and Mrs Westlake were waiting in a small, bleak hotel room. They had no information. All they’d heard was that ‘preparations were being made’, and that the police were ‘closing in’. They sat listening to the wind and rain, wondering where their son could possibly be. Nobody was available to speak to them, so their calls went unanswered. ‘The matter is in hand,’ was the only response they could get.

  The press had got hold of the story somehow, and they watched news bulletins in which their own anxious faces appeared. They heard experts speculating about the chances of a child surviving more than twenty-four hours in the worsening weather, and there was film of the Green Cross children returning from the disastrous residential.

  It was the lead story on every bulletin: six eleven-year-olds missing, plus an elderly teacher. As dawn broke, thin and grey, Mrs Westlake said to her husband, ‘We can’t sit here any more.’

  ‘I know, love.’

  ‘I had a dream.’

  ‘Did you sleep? I thought you were awake.’

  ‘I don’t remember sleeping, but I had a dream and I can’t make head nor tail of it. I want to be moving, Frank.’