The Dead Land: Chapter 10

10.
While her confidence and fury rapidly dampened, it didn’t take Robbie long to realise that she needed a plan. She was a smart kid, and deep down she had known all along that a ten year old against Agatha Redknapp was a recipe for disaster, not to mention that Agatha had a huge army. She needed to organize her thoughts, get some help. And so her first thought was Beth.

She quickly retraced her footsteps, this time being careful not to be spotted until she reached Beth’s house. She reached under their door mat and retrieved the house key that was always kept there, then unlocked the door and crept in. The room was silent, yet she felt as though she was being watched.

“Hello?” she whispered loudly. Suddenly, Beth’s father jumped out from behind the couch, gun pointed at her.
“Stay where you are!” he cried. Then he realised it was her and gasped.
“I’m so sorry, Robbie!” he said, pulling her into a hug. Her knees were trembling, and without realising, she had wet herself. “What are you doing here? I thought you were one of Agatha’s people.”
“They…they killed my dad,” she said and burst into tears. He said nothing, just scooped her up in his arms and took her upstairs. Beth and her mother were huddled under blankets together in the big bedroom, and they looked up fearfully, only to realise it was only Robbie and Beth’s father. They saw the state Robbie was in as Beth’s dad tucked her in next to Beth, to whom she clung tightly.
“What’s happened?” Beth asked, but her father gave her a warning look, telling her not to push. So instead, Beth wrapped her little arms around Robbie’s shoulders and held her while she wept. The fight had gone out of her.

But not for long.

Robbie stayed with Beth’s family overnight. When she woke the next morning, her eyes ached and she felt miserable, but she wanted to get back in action. She was still in the big bedroom, but on a mattress on the floor with Beth. Beth was still asleep, her curled hair messy and wild and her thumb stuck in her mouth. Despite the circumstances, Robbie smiled fondly at her best friend before going in search of Beth’s parents.

Beth’s parents, Ian and Zara Crawley, were like second parents to Robbie. Every night after school, Zara invited Robbie in for dinner, knowing Robbie’s father worked late every night. She couldn’t bear the thought of Robbie home alone, although she was a mature and sensible girl and could look after herself. She herself was always home, tidying the house or baking cakes with a smile on her face. Dinner was always cooked from scratch, except on Saturdays when she allowed Beth to have one friend over for a sleepover and pizza. Of course, the friend was always Robbie.

Ian worked as a fire fighter. He was a cheery man, with a shiny bald head and huge muscles, but he was a big softie on the inside. He would always hug Beth and play games with her, would buy his wife flowers to put in their special vase, a hand painted one made by Robbie when she was younger. Robbie loved them both a lot, and she always pictured them in her mind as a happy, smiling couple. But as she approached them that morning, she saw the anger on Ian’s face, the tear stains on Zara’s cheeks, the pistol sticking out Ian’s sock, and for the first time, she feared them. They spoke in hushed voices to each other, but when they saw Robbie cautiously approaching, they produced forced smiles from somewhere.

“Hey, sweetie. Do you want some breakfast?” Zara asked, jumping to her feet and making herself busy pouring orange juice and cornflakes. Robbie shrugged and sat down at the table.
“Anyone got any ideas what to do?” she asked casually, feeling very grown up. Ian did a double take.
“What do you mean?” he asked.
“Well, I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to sit here and just do nothing.”
“Shh!” Ian hissed. “They might hear you!”
“Hear me? Who?”
Ian sunk into his chair, looking very small and defeated.
“Come on, what is wrong with you?” Robbie demanded “Don’t you want to fight?”
“Robbie, dear, it’s early days,” Zara said quietly, placing her cornflakes on the table. “We’re hoping someone else can deal with it. Now eat some-”
“I thought you would understand! They killed, no, murdered my dad!”
“I know, darling, but I don’t think you understand the bigger picture. If we are going to act, now isn’t the time.”

Robbie swirled her cornflakes around her bowl moodily. She couldn’t do anything without an adult. And it scared her that responsible adults like Ian and Zara weren’t prepared for situations like this.

Ian placed his big hands over hers, and she felt a piece of paper being put into her palm. She gave Ian a questioning look, but then realised it was a secret note.
“Are you okay?” he asked, but his eyes said Read it. She nodded, trying to look as though she understood.
“I’m fine. Excuse me.”

She scrambled out of her seat, leaving the unwanted cornflakes behind. She understood now that Ian thought that they were being watched, and hoped that she hadn’t said anything too inappropriate. Meanwhile, she was desperate to read the note, and so locked herself in the bathroom in hope that it would be the best place for privacy. The note was written on a piece of newspaper, over a Sudoku puzzle, Ian’s clever attempt at disguising his writing of the note. It made it difficult to read, but in the end she managed.

Robbie,
Zara and I know you well enough now to know that you will start asking questions. However, this once we need you to be quiet and keep a low profile. I can assure you that we are in the process of planning something with other trustworthy, but for good reasons, we are not telling you the nature of the plans or when they are going to take place. Dispose of this note as soon as possible, and please, whatever you do, don’t mention this to Beth.
Ian.

With a slight smile, Robbie ripped up the note and flushed it down the toilet. There is hope she thought. There is hope. And I’m not alone.