Parchman, стр. 31

Scott looked around and shrugged. ‘Professor,’ he shouted. ‘We’rewinning. Look,’ said Scott pointing down to the courtyard.

But the Professor was looking out to Commander General Roderick whohad readied his infantry for the second wave of attack. He thought thiswould come down to a battle of wits but in the end Professor Brittlerealized it had come down to numbers. The problem was that even withTallulah and Jackals gang numbers were still in short supply.

The courtyard was starting to clear and the remaining inmates, along withJackal’s men who were battered and bruised, were going through themotions of disposing of the last Savages.

Nathaniel, Chuck and McGregor emerged from the prison. ‘Think we gotthem all,’ said Chuck to Logan.

‘Good work,’ he said, embracing his friend. ‘It’s good to see you. It’s goodto see all of you,’ he said looking at Tallulah and his father and then asideways glance to Jackal and McGregor. ‘So how many men we got left?’

‘And women,’ said Tallulah, looking towards a number women in Jackal’s group who were equally battered and covered in blood from their kills.

McGregor looked around. ‘Maybe two hundred?’ he said. ‘That’s yourprisoner pals, Jackal’s gang and your community. What you got on thebattlements? Another twenty to thirty.’

Logan nodded. ‘Yes.’

‘It’s not enough is it?’ said Chuck.

Nathaniel put a hand on his shoulder. ‘No son, it isn’t.’

‘So all this was for nothing?’ said Scott coming down the steps. He reached Tallulah and followed by Seth and Jay they both hugged her.

‘No, not for nothing.’ she said. ‘That man outside these gates took awayour home. He plans to take away theirs,’ she said pointing to the last of theinmates. ‘Look around. We said no, not today, and we came close. It mightbe over but those who lost their lives today did so protecting what wastheirs to protect. I don’t just mean the walls around them; I mean a belief.A belief that whatever their lives were in the past that they could changeit for the better. Become better people.’ Tallulah looked at McGregor.‘Help others.’

‘She’s right,’ said Professor Brittle joining them. ‘All of us, myselfincluded, are guilty of something before The Cure. But it gave us all theopportunity to reinvent ourselves as something better. We fought for thatright and no one person should take that away from us.’

‘You guys love your little speeches don’t you?’ interrupted Jackal. ‘Whichis great an all. However, can I remind you that there’s about four hundredtrained professionals just waiting to smash through that gate and massacreus.’

‘The man’s got a point,’ said McGregor. ‘You got anything left?’ he saidlooking to Logan for a plan B. Logan shook his head dejectedly.

‘At this point,’ said Brittle, ‘our options are limited. We either beg him totake mercy and let us leave with nothing or we stay and fight. But we willnot win this time.’

‘Well aren’t you the bringer of bad tidings.’ Jackal shook his head.

‘It should be me to go out there and speak to him,’ said Brittle.

‘I’m happy with that plan,’ said McGregor and Jackal agreed.

‘Wait,’ said Logan. ‘You saw what they did to Isaac. They’ll do the sameto you. There is no offer of surrender on the cards anymore. He knowswe’re beaten. He’s coming in here whether we like it or not. To succeed isnot enough, everyone else must fail.’

‘GenghisKhan,’ nodded the Professor. ‘Very apt for that man out there.’‘Logan is right. Roderick has no intention of leaving anyone standing,’said Nathaniel. ‘After the embarrassment of what happened back at thebase do you really think he’ll let us walk away. And what are we walkingaway to. The rest of our community are on the brink of killing each otherand if we leave here with nothing then we become the Savages,’ he saidpointing to the dead creatures.

‘So we leave and die,or we fight and die?’ said Tallulah to the othersaround her.

‘We fight,’ said Nathaniel for the members of the community.

‘We fight,’ said Brittle for the inmates.

‘We fight,’ said Jackal, his gang pumped up and raising their weapons.

‘We fight,’ said Logan looking at Tallulah, Chuck and his boys.

‘Well, I guess you guys won’t be needing me then?’ McGregor smiled.‘I’m joking, I’m joking. We fight,’ he said looking around at no-one in particular.

Jackal slapped him on the back. ‘You’re one of us McGregor. And youwill die one of us. I name you Mosquito.’

‘What now?’ said McGregor.

‘You are one of us and I name you Mosquito,’ said Jackal.

‘We’re all about to die and the animal name you give me is Mosquito.What about Tiger or Scorpion or even Rhino,’ McGregor sighed.

‘All taken mate,’ said Jackal. ‘You were late to the party. Mosquitos killmore people than any other animal you know’.

McGregor shook his head. ‘Mosquito? Pfft.’

‘Anyway,’ said Tallulah, looking away from the bickering men. ‘We needa plan. We aren’t going to make it easy for him.’

‘Quite right, my girl, said the Professor. ‘Follow me.’The leaders of each group joined Professor Brittle back on the battlements. The Commander General hadn’t attacked yet and they knew it was becausehe was waiting for confirmation of who was and wasn’t alive.

From two hundred yards away through his binoculars the CommanderGeneral watched as the Professor stood at the forefront of the group. ‘Haha,’ he chortled as he spied Nathaniel stood by Brittle’s side. ‘Well I’llbe.’

Logan watched intently asthe CommanderGeneralspoke tohisLieutenant who subsequently started shouting orders. The army started tomarch forward and were soon within fifty yards of the prison.

The Lieutenant passed the General his loudspeaker, which made a whiningfeedbacknoise as he placed it to his mouth. ‘Nathaniel. How nice to seeyou again. I do hope that you and Logan are well.’ Then he spottedMcGregor. ‘Naughty naughty McGregor. But you picked the wrong sidethis time I’m afraid. As you