“We getting out of here?” Harry asked.
“Flying out of here,” said Damien. He pointed at the helicopter. “Fancy a ride?”
Steph chuckled. “It couldn’t make me any more nauseous than travelling by gate. Where are we going?”
“To try and make a difference.”
Harry nodded. “Let’s get a move on then.”
They joined Mass at the helicopter. The muscle-bound badass already had his team, and it included the other Damien. “Oh great, you’re coming too?”
“What else am I gonna do?”
Mass banged a fist against one of the helicopter’s rear panels. “Get in and prepare yourself for a bumpy ride.”
Damien climbed on board and took a seat beside his doppelgänger. Two minutes later, they were airborne
Tosco watched his helicopter take off. It zipped south before heading north, avoiding the giant beast that was now only a couple of hundred metres from the walls.
Ten thousand people filled the docks. Many stayed to fight, but hundreds began to panic and flee. It was utter chaos – gunfire and screams. People fell in the stampede, but it was heartening to see that none were trampled and all were helped back to their feet.
Tosco found himself with no ships under his command and no men to direct. The Hatchet was somewhere on the north coast and no other ships recognised his authority. He wasn’t a commander any more, he was just a man standing in the middle of a losing battle.
He saw Maddy and rushed over. “Everyone’s evacuating,” he said. “We need to help.”
She grabbed the radio from his shoulder and put out a call. “Klein, are you there?”
“Ja, Maddy. I am here.”
“Any room on your submarine for refugees?”
There was a pause, and for moment it seemed like the German wouldn’t reply. “A submarine is a cramped place, full of dangerous buttons and serious levers. I can take no more zan fifty.”
“Fifty is better than nothing. Can you be ready to take people in the next five minutes? The other ships will be loading up too.”
“I vill see if I can find room to come up. Portsmouth’s waters are a crowded place.”
Tosco leant into the radio. “I’m sending a young girl and her mother to you. Nancy and Alice. Please, make sure you take them.”
“Confirmed. Good luck, Commander.”
“It’s just James for now. Good luck to you too, Commander.”
Maddy gave him a cautious smile. “Alice will be okay. She will.”
He wanted to grab her and hold on for dear life – he was so afraid – but there was no time for comfort. Instead of saying anything in reply, he turned and ran, locating Nancy and Alice amongst the furor. He grabbed the young girl by the shoulders and looked her in the eye. “It’s time for you and your mother to get out of here, Alice. There’s a submarine coming up for air and you have a ticket, okay? If you don’t see it, then get yourself on whatever boat you can. Do you understand?”
Alice nodded. Any notion of bratty teenagerdom was gone. She was frightened and wanted an adult to tell her what to do. “What about you? Aren’t you coming?”
“I’ll join you later. Some people have to stay and fight a while longer.”
“No! Let others fight. You’re always putting yourself in danger for other people. James, come with us.”
He ruffled her hair, something she would have usually hated. “I’ll be along, Alice, I promise. Wait for me, okay?”
She threw her arms around him and squeezed. “If you die, I’ll never forgive you. I already lost my dad; I won’t lose you too.”
Tosco glanced up at Nancy and smiled. “You have your mom now. Things are looking up.”
To his surprise, Nancy hugged him too. “Thank you for bringing her back to me.”
“My pleasure. She’s a brave young woman. You should be proud.”
“I am.”
Tosco stepped back slowly, not wanting to get pulled into another hug and convinced to stay. Then he turned and hurried back towards the walls. It pained him that he would never see Alice again. The odds of him joining her on Klein’s submarine were slim.
But she’ll be okay. That’s all that matters.
I kept her safe for you, Guy.
Maddy met Tosco at the wall. People were aiming their rifles downwards over the top of it, the demons on the other side. The ground shook, the distant strides of Crimolok getting closer.
Maddy clutched his arm and pulled him closer. “Hey, James, can I ask you a question?”
“Sure? Best make it quick though.”
She gave him an odd frown. “Why’d you give me a handgun instead of a rifle when we left The Hatchet?”
It was an odd question, and not one he had an immediate answer for. He had to think about it first. “Um, because I didn’t want to put you in danger. I wanted you to leave the fighting to me. Can’t stop trying to be your knight in shining armour, I guess.”
Maddy nodded to herself. “So, I was right. It was sexist.”
“What? No… no way. I was just… yeah, maybe it was.” He ran a hand through his hair and sighed. “Sorry. I just didn’t want you getting hurt. Not because you’re a woman, but because you’re you.”
“I can handle myself, James.” The way she glared at him turned his stomach. He felt ashamed. When she kissed him, though, he felt confused.
She pulled away and left him spluttering. “W-What was that for?”
“Like I said, James, I can handle myself, but the thought of letting a man take care of me is surprisingly nice. Thank you for caring about me.”
“I do! Which is why I would really like you to get on Klein’s submarine. There’s no way you would agree to that, though, is there?”
She lifted the handgun he had given to her on The Hatchet and cocked it. “No way in Hell. Someone needs to stick around to keep you safe.”
He grinned. “Thank you for caring about me.”
She grabbed him and gave him a forceful yet intimate kiss on the mouth. “I do. Now come on.”
Maddy joined the fight
