And then, without a sound, they stopped. It was as if whatever was
powering them had been switched off. Their arms sank to their sides,
their whole bodies drooped.
“And that’s what happens when I stop conducting,” the adjudicator said. “The world will dance to my tune now!”
She stepped forward and tapped the taller Fantom on the arm. A crack had appeared, only small, but noticeable.
“They are not perfect,” the adjudicator said. “Any wrong notes- and
there were plenty in your performance- mean they will be weakened and
clumsy. I doubt these two could climb those stairs! Next time I will
be able to use better singers!” She turned and walked to the far side
of the cave, holding up a torch. The light fell on the entrance to a
tunnel, choked by fallen bolders and rocks. The stream trickled through
the gaps between them, suggesting that somewhere down there the cave
connected with other caves, and, eventually, another way out.
The adjudicator waved her baton and the creatures lumbered into life
once more, and lurched across to the rockfall, beginning to dig. The
adjudicator beckoned the guards over to help too.
Ruth and the others looked at each other. Tom nodded towards the
stairs. “Now!” he whispered. They ran for it towards the stairs. But
the floor was uneven and Ruth had never been much of a runner. She
tripped and almost fell.
“Stop them!” the adjudicator shouted. The guards, taken by surprise, pelted after them.
They reached the foot of the stairs. Tom, Agnes and Adam began to
climb. Ruth, behind them, looked up with a sinking heart. Surely they
would never reach the top without the guards catching them, and even if
they did, they were on a hill and would have a long run before they
could find safety...
She felt a hand on her wrist, holding her back. Turning quickly she saw it was Patrick.
“Let me go,” she said. “What are you doing?”
“I’m sorry,” he whispered. Behind him, the guards were already
pushing past them. She tried to block the stairs but they just pushed
her out of the way and she was knocked into Patrick. He staggered, but
did not let go. The others were halfway up the stairs. She saw Tom
pause for a moment and look back down at her.
“Go on!” Ruth screamed.
“What about you?”
“Just go! If you don’t we’ll all be in danger. Get help!” She
struggled to get away from Patrick, but his grip on her arm was still
iron-tight. He was almost hiding behind her as one of the Fantoms,
directed by the adjudicator, moved towards them. Ruth gave an almighty
tug, and got herself free, her wrist smarting. She began to climb after
the others.
“Stop her!” the adjudicator demanded, waving the baton. In her other
hand was a gun. Ruth was not sure which she was most afraid of. The
monster stepped forward over the cowering Patrick, reached up with its’s
long arm and picked up Ruth. She found herself being held eye to eye
with the creature, her legs kicking at the empty air, its hand around
her chest painfully tight. In pure terror she looked into it’s eyes,
saw the curious, hungry look, and was sure that was the end of her.
“No!” the adjudicator commanded, waving the baton again. The
creature yelped and released Ruth. She dropped onto the cave floor and
lay still, sobbing.
“So, you decided to stay and help?” the adjudicator said to Patrick. “In the hope that I’ll reward you?”
“You promised,” he said.
“Tie her arms,” the adjudicator said. “I may still need the pair of
you. You’ll get your reward when this is over.” Patrick came over and
helped her up.
“Are you ok?” he asked.
“What do you care?” Ruth said, turning her face away from him. She
did not try to resist as he took her arms and tied them in front of her.
She could see that her wrists were already red from where she had
struggled against him, and the rope chaffed.
By this time the Fantoms had cleared a hole in the rockfall.
“Come on,” the adjudicator said, and led off down the tunnel to the
exit. She waved the baton and the monster followed. Patrick indicated
to Ruth to follow, and he brought up the rear.
It was dark and damp, and sometimes slippery. The two fantoms went
ahead to clear their path. With her arms tied Ruth felt oddly
unbalanced and was afraid she would fall. Once or twice she stopped
completely, tired and afraid, but the adjudicator waved the baton and
the fantoms turned to menace her. Her fear of them grew greater than
her fear of falling. Tears continued to seep down her cheeks like the
flow of water over a stalagmite, and she could not brush them away.
Once Ruth slipped, and almost fell into one of the monsters. She
managed to catch herself on a rock instead, but she was cut and scared.
“Please,” she begged, “Please untie me. I won’t run away, I promise-”
“Shut up,” the adjudicator said, not even looking round. Ruth
stumbled on, afraid and half-blind with tears. She felt Patrick put an
arm around her, and stiffened. He helped steady her on the slippery
places and gave her some reassurance, even if it was from the traitor
who had got her into this mess.
The story continues...
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