Underground by Chris Morphew Read Free Book Online Page B

starve.
    Not right now, anyway.
    â€˜Okay, so, three days,’ said Jordan, moving away from the window and pacing out across the room. ‘Three days until those things go online.’
    I waited, expecting her to follow that up with some kind of plan. But she just kept walking a slow circle around the carpet.
    Because what plan was there?
    Even if we did find somewhere else to hide, we’d only be buying ourselves a few more days of survival. We’d be no closer to doing anything about Tabitha. And when those cameras turned on, we wouldn’t be able to move.
    â€˜What are we going to do about Peter?’ I asked. Even with everything else that had happened in the last couple of days, the shame of abandoning him down there had never stopped gnawing at me.
    Jordan stopped pacing. ‘What can we do?’
    I hesitated, almost letting it drop. ‘Maybe we can, you know, negotiate with them. Figure out a way to –’
    â€˜You really think that’s going to happen?’
    Her voice wavered as she spoke, and I got the sudden feeling I was missing something. Since when was she the one shooting down my insane suggestions?
    â€˜But … we’re going to have to deal with them at some point, right?’ I said.
    â€˜I know,’ said Jordan. ‘I know we are. And, look, I want to get Peter back as much as you do, but –’ she sighed, fingers clenching in front of her. ‘Even if we could , he’s too – I mean, look at what he did to Mr Hanger. He’s not safe . What if he blew up like that again?’
    â€˜So, what, we just leave him –?’
    â€˜They said you were going to die, Luke!’
    Oh.
    â€˜What’s that supposed to mean?’ I asked, skin crawling.
    â€˜What do you think it means? We go back there and they’re going to kill you! Look – I don’t –’ she stared up at the ceiling. ‘I don’t know, okay? I don’t know what we do. But we can’t just –’
    She staggered forward, almost crashing into me, arms dropping down to cradle her stomach.
    â€˜Jordan!’
    I reached out, realising what was happening to her.
    Too slow. She collapsed on her hands and knees, coughing and gagging like there was something alive inside her. Her eyes squeezed shut and I could see it was taking all she had not to cry out and give us away to the neighbours. She fell, landing in a heap on the carpet.
    And then it was over.
    Jordan’s eyes opened. She sat up, staring around at the room, eyes sliding over me like I wasn’t even there.
    Because I wasn’t. Not where she was.
    Not when she was.
    Jordan was having another one of her visions. Her body was still here, but she was seeing this place at some other time. At least, that was as close as she’d got to explaining it to me. And no matter how many times I saw it happen, it never stopped freaking me out.
    Jordan stood up, squinting, one hand pressed to her forehead. She turned and headed for the door, moving slowly, like she was in the dark. Which, for all I knew, she was.
    I followed her onto the landing. She stopped a few steps out, looking down at the floor, taking in a scene that was apparently much more interesting than the one I was seeing. Then she crept forward again, holding the banister for support.
    Jordan reached the top of the stairs and peered down. She lowered a foot onto the first step.
    â€˜No you don’t,’ I muttered, grabbing her gently around the arms and pulling her back. ‘Jordan.
    Jordan . Come on, time to –’ Jordan fell back against me, shaking again. Spluttering violently. Face screwed up like she was waking from a nightmare. I stumbled back, bending to my knees, trying to lower her to the carpet before she knocked us both over.
    â€˜Hey, come on,’ I said, holding her still. ‘Come on, deep breaths. Deep breaths.’
    One last cough, and the shaking stopped. Jordan’s eyes opened.