Down Among the Dead Men by Ed Chatterton Read Free Book Online Page A

connects with the side of his neck and he slumps to the floor, everything reduced to a simple horizon of pain and panic. Then there's a second hit and Niall's not thinking any more.
    He comes to less than four minutes later.
    For a few brief, euphoric seconds he feels nothing except puzzlement. He staggers back through the broken breezeblock wall into Oil Street before the excruciating pain from his hand hits home and he opens his mouth to scream. Except there's something inside, something blocking his mouth. He spits the object out into his hand.
    And now Big Niall does scream.

Eleven
    The morning crawls past like a beaten dog.
    Somehow, Frank's not really sure how, he makes it to lunchtime and knows that's it for him. Stacked desk or not, he's taking a sickie this afternoon and getting some sleep. One of the advantages of his promotion is a little more leeway at moments of crisis like this. He'd had a call from Harris about two hours ago but let his mobile go to answerphone. In his hung-over state he doesn't know if that's because he wants to avoid her, or if he just wants to avoid hearing her say that's all there will be after last night. Either way, he doesn't pick up.
    Bed is a must or he's going to fall down. He's only taken a couple of steps out of Canning Place when it happens.
    'Frank Keane?' says a voice behind him.
    'Yeah?' He turns and sees a blonde, thirty maybe, good-looking, wearing her hair short, razor-cut on the sides and back. He only has time to register her angry, contorted face before she throws a cup of cold vinegary-smelling liquid in his face.
    'Burn, you bastard!'
    'What the fuck!' Frank wipes stinging fluid from his eyes, his vision blurred, panic already building.
    'Who'll have you now, you bastard! Burn, you fucker! Burn!'
    Acid
.
    The word flashes neon in Frank's mind and he feels himself shrink. He swivels, panicking, into the Canning Place foyer just as his eyes begin to seriously hurt. The security door is locked and the plod on the desk looks at him blankly for a moment until Frank, his eyes streaming, screams, 'Open the fucking door! Do it!'
    There's a fumbling second or two wasted before the buzzer sounds. Frank pushes through the security door and runs, stumbling, for the bathroom across the width of the foyer, each valuable second allowing the acid to take hold. He slams into the toilets like a drunk, banging his shoulder on the tile wall, his panicky fingers scrabbling uselessly for the taps.
    Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck
.
    He squeezes his eyes shut and wonders if they'll ever open again.
    And then there's water and he splashes it over himself, frantic, can't get enough, quick quick, turns on another tap and fills a second basin while he's got his face under this one. Plunges his head under and opens his eyes, willing the water to wash away whatever filth that crazy bitch threw. He holds it as long as he can and then stands. He rips his jacket off and then his shirt. His shoulder feels sore and he scoops handful after handful of water onto the skin. He can't tell if the pain's from the hit against the wall or from something else.
    Acid.
Shit
.
    'You all right, boss?' It's the uniform from the desk. Hastings.
    Frank doesn't trust himself to speak; the adrenaline is making him tremble so much but he manages to blurt 'hospital'.
    Hastings clatters out and as the door opens Frank can hear the commotion in the holding area. A woman's voice, hysterical, the bass voice of the duty officer talking.
    Frank's breathing slows a little and he risks a look in the mirror, expecting to see some molten horror show. A wave of naked relief sweeps over him as he sees no obvious damage. He continues to cradle handful after handful of water onto the affected areas. His pants are wet and he takes them off too. He tries to replay the woman throwing the liquid over him. It hit his face, his shoulder, a little on his forearm and hand.
    Panting, Frank leans on the porcelain of the basin and tries to get himself under