Part One is here

 

‘The ashes are what’s left of the children.’

What the hell was she talking about? Scarlet swallowed, staring across the clearing to the cottage. An old woman stood out on the porch, one hand waving a stick in the air. ‘What children, what do you mean?’

‘I’m not the only person around here who does the same thing every day. There are two children who come walking here. Some days they go home with candy, other days…’

She rubbed her face with her palms. Scarlet’s mouth dropped open. ‘Please tell me they aren’t called Hansel and Gretel.’

Red looked at her with wide eyes, mouth open in a circle. ‘How did you know?’

Scarlet shook her head. ‘Don’t ask. But what about your granny, you know, when they go home with sweets?’

‘Those are the days she is out.’

‘Are you sure, I thought…’

Did she need to say that? Probably not. ‘Right, okay, so, we should go then.’

Red took her shoulder and they turned away from the cottage, heading deeper into the forest. They paused in a clearing and Scarlet laid out the ingredients, paying close attention to where she placed them. She was about to cast when she realised she couldn’t take them back to the boardroom. She pictured the gates through which she’d watched them drag Skinny Scarlet.

Could she remember it well enough? She closed her eyes, trying to find the details. They were made of metal with sort of chicken wire stuff inside the frame. What had the floor looked like? She hunched her shoulders and let them drop. She didn’t have time to mess around. In the distance, granny’s voice came again, but it was getting closer now. And she sounded pissed.

She cast, holding the picture in her mind as she spoke. The light appeared and she reached out her hand until she felt Red’s slip into it. She took a deep breath and walked them through.

The breath came out in a huge rush as she saw the gate before them. Red stared about, eyes wide and hands held before her. She looked oddly nervous and her gaze settled on Scarlet. ‘Where did all this metal come from?’

‘Um, dunno, they probably bought it.’

‘But where did those people get it from? There’s so much.’

‘Isn’t there always?’

Red shook her head, eyes still wide.

‘Right, so, how do we break in?’

‘I didn’t know there was steel here. This could be difficult.’

Scarlet sighed. One of those days. She glanced over her shoulder. They stood by the side of a road, empty of cars. Over the other side was waste land, tall grasses waving in the breeze. The fence ran in both directions as far as she could see. It was the gate or nothing.

Red knelt before it, staring at the lock, head still shaking back and forth. There was no handle, just a keyhole in the metal. She stood and wiped her hands on her hips. ‘We’ll have to go over.’

‘Over?’

Scarlet looked at the top of the gate. It was so high. She looked down at her feet and up again at the gate. ‘Yeah, that’s not happening.’

Red glanced back, eyebrows raised. ‘It isn’t that difficult, watch me.’

She took a step back and raced at the gate. She sprang off at the last second and hurtled upward, her hands grabbing the top. In the next second she hauled herself up and perched on top of the gate. ‘It is your turn now.’

Scarlet burst out laughing. ‘Right, funny. Can you open the gate from in there?’

Red gave her another confused look. What was she missing? ‘Look, Red, I’m really not jumping up there.’

Another look, but she dropped down behind the gate. A few seconds later it swung open and Scarlet sauntered through, giving her new companion a wide smile. She tried her best to look calm and casual and ignore the sweat that was drying on her neck from her moment of panic.

They hurried down the concrete path between more waving grass toward another hanger. They were exposed, visible to anyone wanting to watch them. She shuddered. It was like being on a catwalk, only without the flashing cameras and all the people lusting after her. In fact, it was nothing like a catwalk and everything like going up to the front in assembly. Even down to the threat of what might happen when she got there.

The front door swung open at Red’s touch and they crept inside. The hanger was filled with buildings, the corners hidden in darkness. The two of them rushed into the shadows. Scarlet struggled to draw breath. Where were they, where was Martin who wasn’t Martin? Why hadn’t they stopped them? It was a trap, it had to be a trap.

She was about to say so to Red when men’s voices cut through the silence.

‘There are too many here, and not enough of us.’

‘Do we need another cull?’

Silence for a moment. Wasn’t cull what you did to sick cows? She grabbed Red’s hand, eyes flashing in the darkness. They wouldn’t, they couldn’t.

‘That’s a definite possibility. I’d rather avoid it if we can though. The clean up can be complicated.’

Red moved, pulling Scarlet along with her round the side of the building so the men’s voices faded away.

‘How are we going to find her?’

Her voice sounded loud in the still and she gasped, clapping a hand over her mouth. Red shook her head. ‘I don’t know. Perhaps we should get inside?’

Scarlet nodded and they walked around the building until they found a door. This entered into a long hallway. On the wall to one side a huge white board was covered in scribbles. It reminded her of mum’s handwriting, only mum didn’t write the names of people who were about to be culled. She stared at the words, trying to sort through the names.

She wasn’t there. Dammit. They ran back out and went to the next, repeating the process. They’d gone through five buildings before she started to panic. They were never going to find her. They were going to be culled and she and Red would have to sit and watch and there was nothing they could do.

They ducked out of the building and raced toward the next. Her heart hammered, the blood thumping in her ears. She was around the corner before she realised the voices had returned. The two men froze, staring at her as her mouth dropped open.

‘Escapees. Well, this is unusual. Please wait there, ladies.’

His hand went into his jacket and emerged moments later. He pointed the gun he held straight at her. ‘Please, stand absolutely still.’