Parchman, стр. 21

She nodded. ‘They want ten women and ten others. Oh, and Brad Holton.’

McGregor burst out laughing. ‘Well, Brad is worth half your ten surely?’

‘Don’t be mean. This is serious.’

‘Well sweetheart, you got the key to these here chains? I mean, you aregoing to unchain me aren’t you? Do I get an apology too?’ said McGregor.

‘First things first don’t ever call me sweetheart. Secondly, the minute I undo that lock you’ve got a gun pointed at your head,’ she turned andpointed towards Chuck, who waved whilst raising a sniper rifle in the air. McGregor’s smile disappeared. ‘You want a chance at redemption thenyou do what I say and when I say it. Do you understand?’ McGregornodded. ‘Then say it?’

‘I get it,’ said McGregor.

‘One last thing. Nathaniel Mathers wants to kill you,’ she said.

‘Understandable.’

‘I’m serious. If he gets you alone then he will kill you.’

‘Then I won’t let him get me alone,’ he chuckled.

Tallulah took a step over the line in the sand and walked towardsMcGregor who held the lock aloft for her to unlock without the concernof bending down to do so. She appreciated the gesture but was cautiousanyway. The chain fell to the floor and McGregor rubbed his wrists aroundthe mark it had left, wincing. Tallulah tutted. ‘Follow me,’ she said.

As she walked back towards the camp everyone from the communitystarted coming out of their tents or from their common areas to see whatthis further commotion was about. As soon as they saw McGregorpandemonium broke out. People started pushing McGregor and some evenspat on him. Tallulah pushed them back and jumped onto the bonnet of anearby jeep.

‘Stop,’ she shouted. ‘I know you think this man was part of theCommander General’s plan,but he wasn’t.’

Nathaniel heard the noise too and came out of his tent. He stood from afarwatching the teenager addressing the community of mostly adults. He puthis hands on his hips.

‘McGregor knew nothing of the Commander General’s plan. He wasfollowing orders from Goldsmith and unaware of what was going on back at the base,’ she continued. ‘Now I don’t care whether you believe him. Idon’t care whether you like him. In fact, heck, I don’t care if you want himdead,’ she said, looking over towards where Nathanielwas stood. ‘McGregor is a fighter and as long as those people out there want to comein here and kill every last one of us he is our best chance against them.’

‘One man won’t make a difference. Especially a criminal like him,’ camea voice from the crowd.

‘You’re right,’ she said. ‘One man won’t make a difference. But one moreman will. In fact every man, woman and person who can pick up a weaponand fight for what we believe in and keeping this community alive willmake a difference.’

The crowd continued to jeer Tallulah.

Nathaniel climbed up onto the bonnet alongside Tallulah. ‘It’s true. Thisman is scum.’ The people howled in agreement. ‘It’s true that he is amurderer,’ he said.

‘I hope he’s going somewhere with this,’ McGregor said, looking up atTallulah. She waved him away.

‘But,’ Nathaniel carried on. ‘Do you want a man by your side who will doanything, and I mean anything, to survive. A man who knows how to fightand isn’t afraid to make the tough decisions. You know, I think I wouldwant that man by my side with me and not against me.’

Tallulah stepped in. ‘Those people over there have given us an ultimatum.We either give our people up to them. Or they will come into our campand they will destroy everything we have already fought to keep together.Look around. We are not an elite fighting machine. We are not an army.We are a community of families. They may have less people on their side,but they’ve already survived The Cure above ground, and they are willingto do anything to stay alive. With the weapons they have and the fear ofwhat’s out there they will cut us apart in minutes. McGregor is an out andout soldier and we need him to lead us against them.’

The crowd started to disperse muttering but seemingly appeased, thoughstill fearing the future and awaiting their next instructions.

Nathaniel jumped down from the bonnet of the jeep, whilst Chuck joinedthem and helped Tallulah down. ‘Nice speech,’ he said.

‘So you got your way Tallulah. I hope this decision doesn’t come back tobite us in the ass,’ said Nathaniel.

‘Aye. You did just fine darling. So, first things first, let me get over thereand have a little chat with our man Jackal,’ McGregor said pointing to thetroop of oddballs in the distance who were taking more than a little interestin what was happening in the camp.

‘What do you mean?’ said Tallulah.

‘Well, I mean let’s speak to him first and get the downlow. No pointstarting a fight for nothing is there?’ he replied.

‘We’ve tried speaking to them and they’ve given us an ultimatum,’ saidChuck.

‘Yes Chuckie boy but they’ve not spoken with your man McGregor yethave they now? I can get anyone to change their mind given half anopportunity. I could sell sand to an Arab,’ replied McGregor.

‘Are you for real? We’ve just released you to help us fight them and youwant to talk,’ said Chuck. ‘How do we know that you won’t just go overthere and join them against us?’

‘You don’t,’ he said.

Chuck turned and looked at Nathaniel as if to agree that’s this was thebiggest mistake in the whole of the universe and shrugged.

‘Just like you didn’t know that I wasn’t going to cut Tallulah’s throat thesecond she let me go,’ said McGregor to Chuck pulling Tallulah’s knifeout of the pocket of his pants and handing it back to her, handle first.

‘How?’ she said.

McGregor