Author's note: It's all got very serious, suddenly, hasn't it? But I think these women can handle it…

Chapter 14 – Target

Ashley had been in the compound for two days, and by keeping her eyes and ears open as instructed, she had spotted two significant things. After once spending a week in bed with flu and an Agatha Christie anthology, she couldn't help but name them in her head as The Disappearing Men and The Mystery of the Hungry Shed.

The disappearing men were two middle aged men who she had seen enter the Church on three occasions, but each time she had followed them in – the first time for a legitimate reason, the second and third times just snooping (despite Sasha's warning) – they had vanished in the few seconds it took for her to enter the Church behind them. She had to assume there was a hidden door somewhere inside, but until now she hadn't had the opportunity to spend time looking for it. The men hadn't been at any of the communal meals, or prayer meetings, which suggested that whatever they were doing was linked to JB's more sinister activities.

The hungry shed was less of a puzzle, but something that intrigued her more than the disappearing men. A rusted metal shed with a securely padlocked door stood at the edge of her view from the window of her dormitory, not too far from JB's quarters, and she had observed that each day a delivery of food had been made to the shed at breakfast, lunch, and dinner time. The person delivering the food was normally Luke, a quiet boy who followed Will around like a puppy, but the night before it had been Will himself. Ash could only deduce that there was someone in the shed, presumably being held captive for some reason, given the padlock, but for this to all go on in plain sight of others in the compound, it suggested that people were turning a blind eye rather than being unaware. So who could it be? Someone from the compound being punished? Her thoughts kept drifting back to what Lissy had said about the way women were treated when she was with the Immunes on the East Coast, and Ash couldn't help thinking that it could be a young girl in there.

So when she got the message from Kat saying I can't be apart from you any more, I'm coming to get you– the agreed code for an emergency evacuation – she knew that she only had time to investigate one of the mysteries, and she chose the shed.

Tucking the knife Sasha had given her into her sleeve the way she'd been taught, she left the dormitory and headed over towards the metal shed. She'd noticed that the walls didn't completely reach the uneven ground, and as she bent next to one of the larger gaps to pretend to tie her boot, she spoke softly.

"Hello? Is there someone in there?"

There was a scuffling noise, and then a thin frightened voice emerged. "What do you want?"

"I want to help you."

"Who are you?" It was a boy's voice, the pitch raised by fear, but definitely male.

"I'm Ash, who are you?"

"Timothy."

The pieces fell into place, and Ash found herself exclaiming, "Ruth's brother!" Before kicking herself for giving too much away.

But Timothy was obviously pleased, as some of the fright went out of his voice, to be replaced with an eagerness. "Are you here to get me? Are you making the exchange?"

Back at the house, Rachel drummed her fingers impatiently on the table in the control centre, staring at her cell phone. She knew that Sasha had called in military support, and that Kat should have already got Ashley out of the compound before that happened, so one of them should have called her by now. Hell, Nina was outside of town at the rendezvous point, she could have called the second the tactical teams rolled out.

Not for the first time, she felt the impotence of having to hide, of skulking in the background while the others did the real work.

"If they hadn't put my face on the bloody ration books," She muttered under her breath, then looked up as she heard a footstep in the doorway.

"Hello Doctor Scott." Ruth's brother Will was staring at her, and the expression on his face made her stomach turn over as he continued. "You're supposed to be dead."

Fighting down nausea, she knew there was no point pretending to be someone else. Instead she decided to play for time, as her foot reached the laptop bag under the table and she began to draw it towards her.

"You're Will, aren't you? Ruth's brother?"

"Yes, ma'am." His smile was slightly twisted. "And I've come to take you to God."

The laptop bag was close enough now for her to surreptitiously reach inside, as long as she didn't bend forward too much. "What do you mean, WIll?" She tried to keep her voice steady.

"JB's going to be very angry when he sees you. He's been telling everyone for years that he killed you. So I'm going to be the one to deliver you to him." His face looked somehow triumphant. "And he can show them all that he destroyed you, once and for all."

Her fingers were on the package, the wrapped 'gift' that Mike had insisted she brought with her. She just wished her hand wasn't shaking. She took a deep breath as Will took a step forward, and then pulled the gun out of the bag in one swift movement and levelled it at Will's chest.

Outside the Church compound, Kat had barely pulled the car to a stop when Ashley came running towards her, wrenching open the passenger door and flinging herself into the vehicle.

"We need to get back to the house, now!" She shouted, "Rachel's in danger!" Kat stared at her, and Ash slammed her hand down on the dashboard. "NOW!" She yelled, and Kat obeyed, tyres screeching as she pulled away. If she'd had time to look in the rear view mirror, she would have seen the shadowy shapes of a tactical team approaching the compound.

Rachel stood up slowly, keeping the gun on Will as she circled the table, gesturing with her head for him to move away from the door. Sweat slid down her ribs, and her hand was still shaking, but he was obeying her. All she had to do was get out of the door, lock him in, and run like hell. She could do this.

And then Ruth was there, calm, capable Ruth, standing in the doorway with a look of shock.

"Will? Rachel?" She seemed to grasp the situation immediately. "Will, what have you done? Oh god." She turned to Rachel, her hand reaching out. "Please, please don't shoot him. Rachel, please."

The desperation in her voice was hard to hear, and on instinct Rachel started to lower the gun. But the second she did so, even as she started to exhale and feel something like relief, Ruth's hand was on hers, twisting her wrist, and then in seconds she found herself staring down the barrel of the gun, Ruth's perfectly steady hand pointing it at her.

"I'm sorry Rachel." The young Marine said softly. "But you are coming with us."