Page 94 of No Man's Land

“Hold him still!”

Josef held on for dear life as Alex bucked and thrashed in his arms, purple liquid seeping from between his lips. Lottiehad both hands on his jaw, holding his mouth shut until Alex convulsed one more time and began to cough.

Lottie fell back, triumphant. “He’s swallowed it!”

“How long until it works?” Josef asked, still holding Alex, though his convulsions were weakening.

“Fully? Several hours. But we should know if it’s worked sooner than that.”

“We can’t hold the door much longer,” Dutta warned. “You’re going to have to move. I’ll hold them back as long as I can.”

Lottie nodded, holding onto the wall as she slowly rose to her feet. She was exhausted. Violet would need to help her, which meant Josef had to carry Alex alone.

“Shepel,” Dutta said, holding out one hand. “Your gun.”

For a moment he hesitated, but if he was carrying Alex, he wouldn’t be able to use it, and Dutta could use all the help he could get covering their retreat. With a nod, he pulled it free of his waistband and slid it across the floor to Dutta.

Then, squirming out from behind Alex, he lowered him to the ground. Purple liquid stained his lips; his eyes were half-lidded now, that vile cold blue seeping out from beneath his lids.

God, let us have been in time, he prayed.Please.

He’d been trained to use a fireman’s lift, so he hurriedly rolled Alex onto his stomach and got his arms under Alex’s armpits, hauling him almost upright, before wedging one leg between Alex’s, hauling one arm over his shoulder and lifting him. He staggered for a moment, then caught his balance, settling Alex firmly across his shoulders.

“All right,” he said. “Let’s go.”

It was agonisingly slow progress getting down the stairs, terrified with every step that he’d lose his footing and kill them both in the fall. Violet and Lottie came next, Violet with a supportive arm around Lottie’s waist and Lottie holding theWitch Light aloft once more. Its glow was dim now, barely enough to light their way.

Behind them, he heard two gunshots in quick succession, then a third followed by the sounds of a scuffle. Dutta was doing what he could; Josef prayed it would be enough.

Josef’s legs burned by the time he reached the bottom of the stairs, but his heart thumped in relief as he carried Alex through the door and into the corridor beyond. He was stirring, though, starting to move, making it harder for Josef to hold him. “Lie still,” he snapped, readjusting his grip. “I’ve got you.”

Violet and Lottie appeared next, Lottie seeming somewhat recovered. The Witch Light burned brighter, at least.

“Keep going,” she told Josef. “We'll try to seal this door once Mr Dutta is through.”

Another gunshot came from the stairwell, as if in answer.

Josef kept moving, walking as fast as he could under the weight of Alex’s body. He’d got perhaps halfway along the corridor before Alex woke up properly. He felt the moment Alex came to awareness, limbs jerking in panicked confusion as he started to fight against Josef’s grip.

“Alex, stop!” Josef shouted, but it was no good—he couldn’t hold him. He fell to his knees, letting Alex slide backwards off his shoulders, trying to protect his splinted leg from a bigger fall.

Alex cried out in pain, and Josef twisted around, getting hold of his shoulders, trying to hold him still. “Alex, it’s me. You’re all right.”

They were deep in the shadows, far from Lottie’s light, but it was bright enough that he could make out Alex’s pale features. And he almost cried, tears bulking his throat, at the sight of Alex’s eyes—wide, afraid, and dark.

Devoid of the sepulchral blue.

“Alex?” he said thickly, fingers tightening on his shoulders.

Alex blinked, staring. In a rough, rasping voice, he said, “You’re wearing my hat.”

Tears did fall then, through Josef’s smile. “You dropped it. I thought you’d want it back.”

Back along the corridor came the sound of shouting, the door slamming. More shouting and scuffling. The Witch Light flared, dimming as Lottie shouted a few unintelligible words.

Josef said, “We need to move. I can carry you.”

Woozily, Alex tried to sit up. Josef helped him. “I can walk,” Alex said. Then, “Can’t I?”

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