Something of the Night by Paul Cave Read Free Book Online Page B

both feel the thrill
of the hunt soon,” he said.
    “How soon?”
    “Very …”

 
    Chapter Nine
     
     
    Alice Hammond gripped the steering wheel as she
struggled to keep the old truck under control. Dropping in and out of miniature
craters and broken asphalt, the truck bounced and skidded, throwing the three
occupants inside around in their seats. Twin headlights cut through the night,
burning back dust and darkness in equal measure, laying out a path of blazing
light ahead.
    “Just a little faster,
please,” Squirrel begged.
    Yap ! Yap ! Scratch
barked excitedly. The little mutt jumped from the back to join Squirrel on the
passenger seat.
    “Look, even Scratch wants to
go faster,” Squirrel said.
    The dog stuck his head
through the side window. Woof!
    Alice eased off the gas pedal, reduced speed and brought
the truck back under control.
    Squirrel felt the vehicle
slow. “What’s the matter?”
    “Look,” Alice said.
She swapped the gas for the brake. In a squeal of brake-pads, the truck slowed.
The single taillight blinked on, which threw a blood-red mist around the back
of the wagon.
    “Look,” Alice repeated, this time pointing over the hood.
    Squirrel squinted through the
cracked windshield. He peered into the darkness ahead and found the shells of
burnt-out cars, trucks and other unrecognisable husks. Beyond the wreckage, the
road climbed before disappearing over a distant hump.
    “Oh – right,” Squirrel
commented, after he’d seen the obstructions.
    “I think it’s time we made
our way back,” Alice said. “Betsy’s running just fine. You did a good job
on her repairs.”
    “Just a little while longer,”
Squirrel pleaded. “Just to be sure.”
    Alice scanned the deserted highway. “Okay, five more
minutes. And that’s it.”
    “Thanks,” Squirrel said,
beaming like a child.
    Yap !
    She popped the shift-stick
into first. With a slight grind of gears the truck moved towards the makeshift
blockade. She brought the vehicle up to the obstruction. Carefully, she steered
left and right, threading the truck through the twist of metal. At one point
the truck got caught between a bent fender and a collapsed tailgate. Alice jammed
her foot onto the gas and, with a squeal of metal, the truck punched its way
through. With relative ease, she brought the truck out onto the other side. She
shifted into second and then pulled away from the wreckage. They weaved past
the occasional abandoned vehicle and reached the top of the crest relatively
unhindered. Below them, in the distance, little more than a dark suggestion,
they saw the outline of a deserted town.
    “We’ll go as far as the
border, and that’s it,” Alice said.
    “Okay, that’s fine by me,”
Squirrel agreed, not wanting to actually enter the lifeless streets of the town
below.
    The truck dropped away from
the summit. As it headed towards the town, Squirrel leaned out of the window.
He felt the wind blow hard against his face. Exhilarated, he whooped with joy
as the airflow blew his long hair about his ruddy cheeks.
    Amused by his childlike
behaviour, Alice stepped harder on the gas. The truck launched itself
forwards, pulling Squirrel’s ample cheeks back and giving him a bizarre,
comical look.
    “Faster!” Squirrel shouted,
through peeled-back lips.
    The needle of the speedometer
inched its way higher. The asphalt began to level out and eventually it brought
them to the outskirts of town.
    From nowhere, a silhouette
appeared in front of them. A pair of crystalline eyes stared back at the three
joy-riders and held them in their steely gaze.
    Jumping on the brakes with
both feet, Alice felt the vehicle swerve to one side. The truck slid
sideways as it fishtailed out of control. She threw the steering wheel around
and twisted Betsy’s two front wheels into the slide. The wheels found purchase.
The vehicle jolted back into the centre of the road. Alice had a
second to remain pinned by the shadow’s eyes. Then, with a sickening bump,