CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Revelations

THE ENEMY HAD declared war on the West. Several European cities had been hit. The administrative heart of London was eviscerated. The world had been struck by a nuclear storm. It was during this salvo of panic and confusion that the children had been evacuated. Sitting beside Jack near the gaping hole, Ralph remembered the plane standing on the tarmac of the small airport, its silver exterior flecked by foreboding rain, and recalled how much it had looked like a bomb itself.

Leaning on a tree in front of them, the American continued his summary. Almost all the evacuees had safely landed in their destinations: Australia, Canada, the United States. Heading for the former country, the boys' plane had hit a storm and veered off into prohibited territory. That was when they were struck – ironically by the very military whom they hoped would protect them. Having seen parts of the craft and its passengers washed out to sea, it was temporarily assumed that all aboard had been killed – only later was their survival gleaned, and a lone protector sent their way.

In the meantime intrigue had cloaked the island: an enemy plane was shot down, its pilot killed, but somehow another individual, perhaps a traitor, had managed to breach this secret sanctuary. That was where the man named Martin came in: he was dispatched from his post in South America to investigate these goings-on, and with some subtlety. There was a pressing urgency to the task, for the island was to be the seat of an important event.

An atomic bomb was to be dropped on an atoll five miles away, and its effects on the island examined.

Ralph and Jack listened in solemnity.

'What about us?' asked Jack.

'An unexpected proposition,' muttered the American. 'I had no idea you were here until I saw you, Ralph, near the grave. For a moment I thought you were mixed up in all this.' He paused. 'Anyway, there wasn't much for me to do except wait, so I went back to the other island.' Blank faces. 'There's another one a few miles off. Belongs to the savages. They've been taking me back and forth as I please. Until they double-crossed me, that is.'

'For the traitor,' murmured Ralph.

The man nodded. 'Must have got to them first. Last night when I returned to the bunker to lay a trap for Scarface they pounced on me, gave me a good beating.' He fingered a scarlet bruise on his chin. 'Before they'd gone back up the ladder I'd headed for the other exit. Gave 'em quite a surprise when I appeared behind 'em.' He snorted, then skipped a chapter. 'Old Scarface made one mistake. There are no secrets on this island. He got the wrong one. All the gear for the explosion is on the atoll. Just a circle of coral five miles off.'

'When will it happen?' ventured Jack.

'Soon. Real soon. I'm going to stay on and watch the explosion from the bunker. Offers a pretty good view when you move the fake trees out of the way.'

'And us?' echoed Ralph.

'Tough one. The savages can't be trusted, so we'll have to use the supply plane that's coming for me. Amphibious one.' He shook his head. 'Really thought you'd had it, you know. They were pulling bodies out of the water after the storm…'

'Why couldn't they get us off sooner?' demanded Jack.

'You weren't a priority. Couple of kids on an island. You know there's a war on, don't you?'

'We do now,' flatted Ralph. 'And there's more than a few of us here.' He frowned. 'Would you really have sent a plane for us if we hadn't met you tonight?'

'Of course. But the savages turning on me changed everything. I'd inform the base if there was a radio here. I guess the supply plane'll have to go back and forth with you. How many are there?'

'About thirty,' guessed Jack.

The man whistled. 'Well, there you are. How about showing me your camp?'

'We have to find the others first,' said Ralph. 'Robert and Bill and Maurice are around here somewhere. Are there other pits on the island?'

'Not according to Scarface,' said Martin. 'He said you'd all been thrown down here.' He stared into the black forest and shrugged. 'If they are trapped they'll have to wait 'til morning. I'm not searching for them in this light.'

Reluctantly the boys agreed. Devoid and exhausted, they led the way down the raised area to the forest, and intuited through the gloom until they came out at the beach. In the distance the sun was waking, a burning orange on the crest of the horizon. Ralph introduced Rachel to Martin, then collapsed with Jack onto the cool sand. Within seconds they were dead to the world.

THE SUN ROSE for the five billionth time, and threw its white brilliance over the island. The weeks of terror and superstition had been one long night for the hunters, and this was their first morning. Now, with the prospect of the supply plane, it would also be their last.

Ralph opened his eyes and saw Rachel sitting with Martin. He took pleasure in her face and manner of speaking. Thinking back to what the American had said, he wondered if in fact they had met before. It was only later that someone was sent to you. Was Rachel part of his plan? Or had she been duped and directed to the island? In a way he did not really care. Her presence here had soothed him immensely, given him an incentive to continue living.

He sat up dizzily. Jack had disappeared again, no doubt fulfilling his loner tendencies. Perhaps he was at the stream. Ralph stood and joined the two adults. They were finalising their escape.

'We'll send the kids to the mainland,' Martin was saying. 'Then I'll come back and look for the other kids on the hill.'

Rachel nodded, then turned to give Ralph a smile. 'I've heard all about your adventures last night,' she said. 'Did you sleep well?'

Ralph nodded, still groggy. 'When does the plane arrive?'

'In a few hours,' said Martin. 'At noon. That gives you some time to get your things together.'

'There's not much left,' said Ralph. 'Just the things Rachel salvaged from her boat.' He nodded at the hull, which sat flabbergasted further down the beach. 'Only thing is,' he began, remembering Roger, then stopped. 'Oh, nothing. I was just wondering, how many journeys will we have to make?'

'Two, if we're lucky,' said Martin. 'The plane sits ten, but we'll get a few more in on each flight. Most of these kids are pretty small. When the plane goes back for the second group I'll stay on the mainland and tell the authorities just how much you've seen and heard, so you come on the first flight, Ralph. Don't worry, you'll all need to be debriefed.'

Ralph wandered around the beach for a while, thinking about Roger's whereabouts. Perhaps he had returned to sulk and skulk around Castle Rock. He decided to find out, and jogged off. Soon the beach ended and he entered the forest again, and eventually he faced the neck of rock that led to the old headquarters. Vividly he recalled the waves washing the red stuff away… He flinched, and crossed the neck to the Castle. The juts and ridges were as rough and rigid as ever. He clambered up and came to the platform and its cave, the scene of all those barren captive nights. Ralph peered in. It was empty, except for some rotting fruit and pig skins. Where could Roger be?

He decided to try the summit, so he climbed up and came out at the remains of the hunters' fire. Still no sign of the shamed deputy, just a single spear which sat in the ashes. Did he want to be found? Did Ralph want to find him? He wished Rachel did not know of his existence. How comforting it would be to leave him here to the fallout…

Indifferent, he trudged back to the sand, where he was met with a more animated sight: the children were united in one lively cell, looking forward to civilisation, with Rachel separating them into two groups, younger and older. No doubt the former throng would be the first to leave.

After a while he became aware of an alien sound, almost as jarring as the metal grate in the centre of the island. He looked up into the blue expanse, back down to the horizon – then he saw it. A conspicuous speck in the sky. The aeroplane was approaching! The craft cruised over the coral and into the lagoon, white waves flashing as it skidded over the water, then came to a gentle stop just yards from the watching survivors. It was a handsome blue machine, replete with floats and decals.

Martin splashed into the lake to meet the pilot, a rugged-looking man in blue overalls. He looked amazed to see the congregation on the beach.

'Time is short, Peterkin,' said Martin to the pilot. 'Let's get as many of these kids on board as we can.'

It was a boney, sunburned gang that boarded the plane. Ralph was the last to go in. Before he ducked his head into the hulk he turned and looked at Jack and Rachel. 'See you soon,' he said with a weak simper, and they smiled back. Ralph took one last look at the sand, the trees, the mountain, and arching sky, then crept into the plane. Its propellors shifted. The engines chugged. With a jolt the craft began to move out towards the ocean. This was it!