In The End Box Set , Stevens, GJ [motivational novels .txt] 📗

in the boot as well, and after he pushed down the boot lid, the women squeezed up closer together so he could sit behind the driver’s seat.

The car rode low at the back as we drove off and I concentrated on deciphering the driver’s words as she spoke again.

“Where are you headed?” she asked, as if we were hitchhikers out on a day trip.

Thompson coughed and I looked to the subtle shake of his head.

The driver glanced over her shoulder, smirking. “Never mind.”

“Anywhere out of here,” I replied. “I’m Logan,” I added, holding out my hand.

“Mitch,” she replied. Glancing over, the car wobbled as she took her hand from the steering wheel and squeezed my palm.

Turning forward, I watched the road as Mitch drove, still astounded at the emptiness of the wide road. We were yet to see any of the roadblocks we knew were further along and had seen on our travels. I could only guess it must have been a much more orderly evacuation. Perhaps they’d known in advance?

Checking each of the signs as we drove, I cracked the window just enough to give a breeze and to stop the window steaming. Seeing the first sign of concern in her expression, I powered the window up just a touch, making sure there wasn’t enough space for even a persistent finger to get a grip.

“The roads are blocked as you get closer to the motorway,” I said at first to Mitch and then twisted in my seat to repeat, forcing myself not to linger on Cassie’s hardened expression. “Where shall we go?” I asked, locking eyes with Thompson.

“The coast. We’re about ten mile out,” Thompson eventually replied, and as I turned around we saw the last car in the long line clogging up the road in the distance.

“Shit. That’s going to take forever to get through this,” I said.

“Why the coast?” Mitch asked, turning to me as she slowed the car.

I twisted in my seat and back to Thompson in the sea of faces. “A boat?” I said, and watched as he lowered his brow, then glanced to his colleagues, seeming to regret the pause as each nodded back.

I wasn’t sure how I felt about getting so close to the water again, still chilled from the last encounter.

Mitch gave a hearty laugh, distracting my concern. “If it’s a boat you want...” she said, then without slowing she twisted the wheel, swinging the car around to the left and off the main road. “This is Exeter. Fortress on the Exe.”

When she didn’t slow, twisting and turning us through the side streets, I grabbed at the seatbelt to pull it across my chest. Eventually, Mitch took us through a gap in a hedge where the tarmac ended, turning into a packed mud track and I gripped the side of the seat as we bounced along the ground potted with holes.

To the groans and complaints from behind, it sounded as if, like me, the terrain highlighted the many bruises and aches caused by the events of the day. Letting go with one hand, I leaned forward, holding Shadow to steady him whilst I peered beyond another hedge line ahead which blocked much of the view, catching the very top of boat roofs moored up by the side of the river. I hoped one of these guys knew how to pilot such a thing.

Mitch slammed on the brakes just before the bonnet touched the hedge line, jerking to a stop as if she’d only just realised we didn’t want to take the car into the river.

I looked to a gap in the hedge ahead and a dirt path leading to the left and the white hull of a small vessel. Pulling the door open, a frigid breeze quickly found every spot that hadn’t yet dried and I tested the air. At first smelling wet dog, I caught the background odour of sewerage.

Shadow jumped up from the footwell, busying himself sniffing the ground whilst taking a disorderly route towards the gap in the hedge with his nose switching between the air and the grass. Having found a scent of interest, he disappeared through the gap and out of sight along the path.

Rushing around the back of the car, I popped the boot, but didn’t wait for the soldiers to unfold before I ran at the gap as everyone got out.

Glancing back, Thompson looked across the flat land with his hand on top of the holstered pistol as the other three soldiers pulled from the car. Mitch circled the BMW, pushing the doors closed and sniffing the air.

I stopped walking, following her back to the driver’s side.

“Come with us,” I said in a stage whisper, but she jumped back to the seat and closed the door, letting the window roll down whist shaking her head.

“No thanks. I don’t like the look of this one bit,” she said, then waved as her other hand pushed the stick into reverse.

I mouthed a thank you as she turned, heading away through the ruts to retrace the journey.

To the sound of Thompson’s low-voice commands, a call for Carr to follow him whilst the other two waited, I turned as each slowly spread in different directions whilst keeping their backs to the hedge.

Hearing a splash of water from the other side of the hedge, panic rushed my thoughts to Shadow, but Sherlock’s palm at my chest held me back with Thompson and Carr disappearing behind the gap.

Swapping a worried glance at Alex and then Cassie, I looked for Jess but couldn’t see her anywhere. Forcing myself against Sherlock’s hold, he took his hand away, stepping back and raising his pistol. Despite not pointing it at any of us, the movement conveyed the warning he’d intended.

A gunshot went off somewhere else, but before our nerves could settle and Sherlock could complete