One Good Turn by Chris Ryan

Author:Chris Ryan
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Published: 2011-02-17T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Five

It was pitch black in the cellar, but at last Private Christopher Ransom heard footsteps cross the room above him, and saw light appear in the gaps between the floorboards.

Ever since he had remembered who he was, he had been trying to attract someone's attention. Now he felt his way to the cellar steps, climbed them and started banging on the door with his fists.

Light appeared underneath it and a voice said: 'Stand back from the door or I'll shoot you.'

Ransom backed down the stairs. The door opened a chink, then wider. He saw the shape of the sergeant with a revolver in his hand.

'Bring that light!' he ordered.

Ransom saw the mud on his uniform and his drawn exhausted face. He seemed to be swaying from side to side.

'I'm sorry, Sarge,' he gabbled. 'I've been waiting all day and no one was here. I know who I am. I've remembered.'

The sergeant's eyes seemed to focus for the first time.

'What?' he asked.

'I know who I am. You remember, Sarge. At the trial they said I was John Stubbs or someone, but I'm not. I'm Private Christopher Ransom, Number 3 Section, B Battery, the 4th Artillery Brigade.'

'You know what?' the sergeant said.' I've just come back from Polygon Wood. They reckon 20,000 men have died there this summer and no one knows what their bloody names are. What makes you so special?'

'I know, sir, but –'

'Shut it, Private. If you can find out what happened and prove it, maybe you'll get the court to change its mind, but don't count on it. And don't think anyone's going to do anything about it tonight.'

And he slammed the door.

Ransom sank back onto his metal bed frame. For a minute despair overcame him again. The sergeant was right. With all that killing going on, why would anyone care about a case of mistaken identity – even if it was a matter of life and death. A rat ran across the floor and knocked against his foot. He made as if to kick it, and then stopped himself. No. The rat had as much right to life as he did.

What had happened? What had happened to Chris Ransom to turn him into John Stubbs? He forced his mind to go back in time.

He remembered being back in the stables after he had led his team back from the field guns. He had been badly shaken up by the events of the morning – the noise of the shells, the broken bodies and his own narrow escape – but he found comfort in brushing down the horses. This was not really his job, but the grooms were happy for him to do it. As Ransom brushed the mud from a horse's flanks, he felt as if he were cleaning his mind of the memories. He leaned his head against the great beast's chest, felt its warmth against his cheeks, heard the huge double drumbeat of his heart.

That was how Sergeant Mitchell found him.

'You got back, sir,' Ransom said.

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