Nat appeared in the doorway. He tilted his head and looked at Anouk, his eyes wide. “Are you alright?”
Anouk rose to her feet slowly, keeping the knife close to her body and her eyes fixed on Nat. “Don’t come any closer. I swear I’ll stab you.”
Nat holstered the gun and spread his arms wide. “I won’t harm you.”
The knife in Anouk’s hand shook. “And you expect me to believe that?”
“I’m telling you the truth,” he said, putting emphasis into every word.
Anouk’s whole body started to shake. The knife dropped to the floor with a clang and she sank in a sobbing heap. Nat’s boots clicked against the tile floor, coming closer and closer until they stopped next to her. His knees cracked and fabric rustled as he sat. A whiff of ammonia hit Anouk’s nose— cordite?
“I’m sorry for everything,” he whispered, close but not touching.
Through her tears, Anouk glimpsed the knife lying within her reach. She could slash him now if she wanted, but maybe he didn’t mean her harm. He had neither taken the knife nor kicked it out of her reach. Perhaps he really was sincere. She looked up at him. His wide eyes had taken on a hint of pity.
Anouk lifted her chin. “I need to call the police.”
“They won’t catch him.” Nat stood up and extended his hand to Anouk. “We have to go.”
“Go where?” She seized the offered hand and Nat pulled her up.
“You’ll see.” Nat led her to the hall. “You’re not safe here.”
“What do you mean I’m not safe?” she asked, looking around. Was Stalo lurking somewhere?
“He will come back.” Nat locked his eyes on hers, his expression grim.
A cold wave of fresh terror washed over her. “When?”
“I don’t know, and that’s the problem.” Something in Nat’s eyes convinced her he was telling the truth.
Her head spun. She massaged her throat. She could still feel Stalo’s hand around her windpipe, squeezing tight. Even if she called the police now, Stalo might show up before them. No, she didn’t want to stay here.
She swallowed. “I’ll come with you.”
Nat’s expression didn’t change when he spoke. “Good. Now, grab my waist and hold tight. Also, close your eyes.”
Anouk obeyed. His arms brushed her sides but he didn’t complete the embrace. He was occupied. Anouk looked up to see what he was doing.
“Close your eyes,” Nat repeated and lifted the goggles to cover his. “And we are off.”
A light flashed behind her closed eyelids. A forceful wrench and surge of strong wind followed with more flashes. She tightened her arms around Nat.
“What the hell is happening?” Anouk screamed.
“We are going through a door!” Nat shouted over the roaring wind.
What? Her front door?
Her whole being shook as the storm raged around her. The nausea she had forgotten when Stalo had broken in renewed, forcing her to focus on calming her churning stomach. After some minutes, the wind stopped and the lights vanished.
“We have arrived at our destination. You can open your eyes now.”
Anouk swallowed a few times, pushing down the acrid taste from her mouth before she cracked open her eyelids—a landscape of green undulating hills lay before her. Large trees stood scattered on the hillsides like giant solitary sentinels, basking in the sunlight, and a light breeze carried a faint scent to Anouk. She crinkled her nose. Was that… coal smoke?
“Welcome to Anglea. We are just on the outskirts of Rondon.”
Anouk broke away from Nat and looked around gaping, trying to place herself. How on Earth had they gotten out of her flat and where were they? Dirt scuffed under her bare feet. What… There were no dirt roads in London, or rolling hills, or places called Anglea or Rondon. What in blazes had happened?
“How did we get here? How far are we from London?”
“Quite far. If you want a more accurate answer, our scientists could try to offer you one.” Nat took a brass box from his pocket. Pressing one of the many buttons, he scanned the surrounding landscape, keeping his eyes fixed on a gauge. “Yes, as I thought. Stalo has landed here as well. Good. He is heading to the capital.”
“He’s heading back to London?”
Nat shook his head. “No, no, to Rondon.”
Anouk frowned. Was that the name of some new development area? “And how far is it from London?”
It was Nat’s turn to frown. “As I said, I don’t know.” He craned his neck, looking over his shoulder down the road. “We should follow him now so we won’t lose his tracks.”
She pinched the bridge of her nose. None of this made any sense. She was tired, her head ached, and she still felt a bit queasy and disoriented. Yes, this was a mistake, and she should have just called the police.
“You go, but before you do, could you call me a taxi? I’m going straight to a police station.” Anouk hesitated for a moment and pulled out the pockets of her trousers. “And could you pay for it as well? You’ll get your money back, I promise.” Anouk grimaced. She was wearing an old baggy T-shirt and grey tracksuit bottoms she used for sleeping in. To add insult to injury, she stunk of vomit. Hopefully, the taxi driver would not refuse her a ride.
“That is a bit difficult, because there is no taxi to take you back.” Nat turned. “Let’s go, we better hurry.”
Anger and frustration boiled inside Anouk and she rubbed her forehead, trying hard not to lose her temper. “What do you mean there are no taxis? What is going on?”
“I’ll explain on the way to the city.”
“If you haven’t noticed, I’m not wearing any shoes so I am walking nowhere.”
Nat looked down at her feet, his expression tight. “Alright. I’ll carry you.”
“No!” Anouk jumped back and scowled when a stone bit into her sole. She limped to the side of the road and sat down. “Fuck that hurt.”
Nat scanned the
