Read The Worm King for Free Online Page B

of the room too.
    ‘Peanuts’ll keep you company.’ Leroy patted
the mattress and the dog obediently leapt in then sat on it’s haunches, long
tongue hanging out, staring at Asha. ‘We won’t be long.’ He gently closed the
door, clicking it into place.
    A flash of light caught Winston’s eye. Then
another. He gazed skyward hoping the streetlights were sparking up but it’d came
from over where they’d left Jean and the others.
    One of the rescuers had to leave the ruined guest
house because his torch was failing. He wore only shorts and a cotton singlet
and kept shivering. They’d found a hand poking out from under a concrete block which
they weren’t able to shift. He said all the fingernails were broken right back
so the person must’ve been alive for a while and they’re going to keep looking.
    The hand wasn’t moving anymore and the man in
the singlet couldn’t stop trembling.
    ‘Say Cheese,’ called Dick. Pop! For
an instant everyone was illuminated. Dirty, wet faces staring up at him, eyes
wide and mouths open in disbelief. They had no communication with the outside
world and the very earth was shaking under them; whimpering and flogged relentlessly
by the rain.
    ‘And again.’ Pop! ‘One more.’ Pop!
Pop!
    Pop!
    Pop!
    Winston squeezed in the front of the van between
Dick and Leroy for the short drive back down to the visitor centre.
    ‘Do you think the ambulances will be even
running?’
    ‘Fucked if I know,’ grunted Dick.
    ‘Mr Snow!’ exclaimed one of the twins when
they pulled up. ‘You’re back! Yaaay! We knew you’d save us.’
    ‘I sure will honey.’
    Twenty minutes later they were on the road. Winston
looked at his watch: quarter past midnight. At last, heading back to Sydney, that
was good. But packed like a sardine in this dodgy old heap—not so good. And
they’ll be travelling on wet, dangerous roads which will’ve been buggered up by
that earthquake. He’d never liked driving in the rain full stop.
    He didn’t like sitting next to Mr Snow much either.

Chapter Eight
    Park
    S he felt scared stiff just speaking to him. Shaking, but it seemed
her last chance. There came a momentary pause in the rain, a crackle of thunder
well off in the distance then the faintest hint of recognition from the old man
so it was now or never for the girl.
    ‘Please sir, do you know where a phone is? I
need to call my mother.’
    Lord Brown had been dozing. Quite drunk as
usual, but this evening he awoke to find company: his backyard filling with
people. Fifty-seven and counting. Spread around the park everywhere. Swarming. Even
the rats were out looting. The busiest he’d seen it in years. Most were
gathering at the far end past the fountain where there were fewer trees and a
larger open space. Four more from the south-east: sixty-one.
    Lord Brown had always been a firm believer
in trends, and this girl looked familiar. Why was she here again? She shouldn’t
stick around. If something started out bad it would likely end a great deal
worse and today wasn’t starting well. Only two and a half minutes past midnight,
according to his luminous Mickey Mouse watch, and he could see a plump, black
street rat creeping out a doorway over the road, dragging a sizable hunk of
bread. A man stood in the doorway with his arms around a woman, holding a torch
against her back. The torch moved slightly so the beam twisted away from the
hungry rodent who disappeared past their feet.
    ‘Mr Rat, you’re so fat.’
    The girl looked surprised at this, but less
frightened. ‘I only looked away for a second then couldn’t find her. Mummy
might need me.’
    ‘We need a cat.’
    ‘I’ve already got a cat. Tinkles. She’s really
good at chasing balls of wool.’
    He struggled to focus on her wet face in the
dim light. It never ceased to amaze him that a tiny oval of soft flesh could
emit such physical radiance. A living, breathing luminosity. Lord Brown smiled.
‘Does Tinkles wear a bell?’
    She giggled.