Battle Ground by Rachel Churcher

Author:Rachel Churcher [Churcher, Rachel]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Taller Books
Published: 2019-07-18T05:00:00+00:00

Truth

In the morning I drag myself out of bed. I take a shower, and wash my face again with cold water to hide my puffy eyes. I get dressed and allow myself to follow the morning routine I’ve grown used to. Down the corridor to the dining room. Take a tray of food, sit down, make myself eat. Saunders sits down next to me, flips my mug the right way up and pours the coffee. He doesn’t say anything, but eats his breakfast without comment. Dan joins us, and surrounded by quiet conversations, we eat in silence.

I’m thinking about how I’m going to make it through today without screaming, or telling someone what I saw in town. How I’m going to concentrate on training and not on the City Killers. How I’m going to get Margie out of here.

Commander Bracken strides in, followed by the Senior Recruits, and we all stand. The screeching of the chairs makes me cringe, and I close my eyes to block out the room around me.

“Recruits!”

“Sir!”

“Be seated.” More screeching as we all pull our chairs in to the tables. His assistant walks in, and starts to switch on and set up the television on the far wall.

“This morning, we have bad news. Today will not be the training day you are expecting. There has been an attack.”

There are whispers and murmurs from around the room. I sit very still, staring at my empty plate, gritting my teeth and digging my fingernails in to the palms of my hands. I don’t want to hear what the Commander is going to say, and I don’t want to react in front of everyone. I feel sick, and I feel as if someone has dropped a heavy bag on my shoulders. I want to scream. I want to tell him that I know what he’s done – what we have done. It takes all my concentration to keep quiet, and listen to what I know is coming next.

“We will not be following our usual route on the training run. Leominster is sealed off. The terrorists have struck on our doorstep, and we are only just coming to understand the severity of the attack.

“In the coming days, it will be our duty to assist the army in whatever capacity they require. You are no longer recruits. You have graduated to armed auxiliaries. The army can now request your service at any time.

“This is an extremely serious attack. It demonstrates that the rebels are no longer a background threat to our way of life. They are well-armed and very dangerous. We don’t know where they will attack next, but we will be on call to help prevent future incidents, and to assist if they attack again.”

He nods to the assistant, who switches the television to the Public Information Network and turns up the sound. It’s seven o’clock, and the news report is just beginning.

The newsreader breaks the story, and hands over to a camera crew on the ground. I know what the images are going to show, and I don’t want to see it again, but I can’t stop watching.

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