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  The officer in the car with the girl got out and indicated to the female officer “She is clear.”

  The officer addressed the girls again, “You will be pleased to hear the girl is clear of infection so you are free to leave, you can take your masks off when you get back in the car. We will send you home with an escort. Make sure you make your statements as soon as you get back.”

  The girls nodded and got back in the car. They both removed their masks and looked at each other tears in their eyes. This was a big shock for them, nothing like this had ever happened before. They had known the dangers but not really accepted they were happening in their neighbourhood, and yet here they were being shot at. Mo felt terrible, they drove back in silence. , Mo knew her friend did not agree with what she had done, and felt she should have just driven off., Sshe had put them both in danger and their families, but Mo could not get the girl’s face out of her mind and her pleading eyes, how could she have left her there, to what fate? How could she have lived with herself, but what if they have picked something up, what if Lizzie had caught something, could she live with herself for that either? Guilt swept through her clutching at her stomach, made worse by the thought of the look on Lizzie’s parents faces and her Grandmother’s. The Police would have called ahead so there would be no hiding from this situation, and she knew they would now have daily calls from bin men for the foreseeable future. What had she been thinking!

  Chapter 4

  Mo had been right, the look on Lizzie’s parents faces was unforgettable,. pParticularly her Mum. Tthe look she gave Mo thundered through her as the door opened to both of them. Maisie opened her arms to her daughter and she ran into them sobbing. Kyle kissed her daughter on the top of the head and then came out of the house and closed the door behind him. He put his arm around Mo and started to walk to the car.

  “Maisie is very upset I’m sure you can imagine.” Kyle said.

  “I’m really sorry Mr Spencer I didn’t mean any harm, I just wanted to help.”

  “I know you did Mo, but what you did letting the girl in the car was just more than reckless, you put us all in danger.”

  Mo started to sob. “It’s ok Mo, it’s kind of my fault too. , Wwe have known for a couple of weeks’ things were getting worse, my wife had been warning me, I just wanted you guys to live for a little bit longer. I was wrong, I should have listened to her., I’m sorry too Mo, you are too young to make the type of decision you did today, and it’s ok it turned out alright in the end, we are all clear, and I’m sure it will stay that way.”

  “I’m sure it will Mr Spencer they said the girl was clear.”

  “Well, that’s as maybe I’m afraid Mo, but me and Mrs Spencer have decided to keep Lizzie in now and not let any friends over. We have already pushed it too far, I’m afraid it’s over.”

  “I understand, I’m sure Grandma will say the same.”

  Mo got in the car and waved goodbye to Mr Spencer, he looked as wretched as Mo felt. She drove the short way back to her house and as she turned the corner she saw the large RV parked outside her house, the same RV that she thought followed her yesterday. She started to worry, Grandma, she pulled into the garage spying in the window of the RV as she went. , Sshe saw someone in there, a man or maybe a boy, his face was in shadow. She quickly parked the car and ran into the house.

  “Grandma, are you ok who owns that RV?”

  Rebecca came out of the kitchen looking flustered shutting the door behind her.

  “Ah Mo, don’t worry about that now, they are just old friends of mine, the Police have been in touch, oh Mo, how awful for you, are you ok?”

  Mo flung her arms round her Grandma and wept into her shoulder.

  “It’s ok darling girl. It’s ok you're safe now.”

  They stood like that for a while until Mo’s sobs subsided.

  “What’s going on, you never have people over?” Mo asked her Grandmother.

  “Like I said sweetheart, just old friends of mine, people I knew before you were born. You can meet them later but first you need to go upstairs and give your statement.”

  Mo nodded, she felt reassured by her Grandmother even though these were the first visitors Rebecca had ever had. Mo wanted to get the statement over and done with so she started to climb the stairs to her room.

  “I’ll bring you something to calm your nerves.”

  “Can you bring the ointment too; my back is really itching again.”

  Rebecca hesitated and looked towards the kitchen.

  “Err of course, you head upstairs I’ll be there in a sec.”

  Rebecca went back to the kitchen to talk to her guest.

  “I can’t see her tonight?”

  “No” Rebecca replied “Not after what she has been through today, it’s too much, she is too upset.”

  “You have been mollycoddling her Rebecca?”

  “No! I have been protecting her while you have just been busy leaving!”

  “You know that is not the truth.” His voice began to rise.

  “Shush, she will hear, please, this is so much for her, she doesn’t even know you exist.”

  “Only because that’s what you told her.”

  “I had no choice.”

  “You had every choice.”

  “Enough.” She silenced him raising her hand and staring at his piercing blue eyes., Hhe knew she was right, that really from what she had seen it was her only option, but she did not know the full story, what really had happened that night, would she ever believe him now after so many years. He needed patience. , Rright now the most important thing was Mo leaving with him and wanting to leave with him and that meant keeping Rebecca onside;, they were clearly very close.

  “Ok, ok you win.” He paused trying to gauge the moment.

  “I see she is itching already, it won’t be long now Rebecca, you can’t keep it hidden unless you want to of course?”

  “No I don’t want that, as much as you may want to believe that, I want her to grow to be her true being.”

  “And you thought you could do that without our help?”

  “No Lordes I didn’t, I only saw the marks yesterday, I was going to put out the call but you have beaten me to it.”

  “She will have to come with us, without you, you know that don’t you, we can’t carry you both.”

  Rebecca put her head in her hands and started to collapse in on herself the grief already starting to grip her.

  “I know.”

  Lordes moved over to her, his bulk was immense, he placed his huge hand gently on her shoulder.

  “She will be safer with us Rebecca, this world is over, whomever the virus does not kill, the remaining few will kill each other. And for now, the virus seems not to affect us. It’s the right thing to do.”

  Rebecca looked up at him, the last time they had been this close he had been asking her to do something vital, to take Mo, to care for her, to protect her and now he was asking her to do the same thing but away from her and she knew it would break her heart.

  Chapter 5

  Mo was in her room in front of her holo projector. On the screen sat a female officer typing up her statement. It had taken longer than Mo expected and her shock and fear at what had happened had subsided. She was now just tired and getting irritated with the drawn-out process of giving a statement.

  “Can you check through your statement Ms Swift?.”

  “I’m sure it’s fine, just go ahead with what you need to do.”

  “That was not a question Ms Swift, it was a request., Yyou need to check through your statement, it is very important there are no mistakes. If we are going to convict these people your version of events must stand up in court.”

  Mo sighed and began to read her statement. She understood the reasons she had to do this but it didn’t mean she had to like it. According to the officer the people who had been shooting at her had been caught. She finished reading her statement and nodded to the officer and then pressed her thumb to her holo i
t reading her print as a signature.

  “Anything else you would like to ask me Ms Swift?”

  Mo looked up, there was one thing but she was unsure if she should ask. It had been on the tip of her tongue ever since she had first spoken to the officer, she knew if she did not ask she would always regret it.

  “What happened to the girl?”

  The officer looked up surprised this little rich girl would even ask. She was amazed a girl like this had even let the scruffy youngster in the car. The officer was used to the more affluent of society not really understanding the seriousness of the situation, mainly because their parents were shielding them from the truth but also because they had an arrogance surrounding them that ‘it will never happen to them.’ This officer knew the upper classes had escaped so far only because of social reasons but the virus was taking hold now no matter who you were, it was only a matter of time. She also knew the controls the police had were beginning to fail, so many officers had been infected and died, they were on the front line being exposed all the time. And unlike the rich they did not have the same safety barriers like oxygen masks to stop them getting infected. There was no-one to replace the recruits, people weren’t stupid, they could see how the force had been affected by the virus, and once the control went, there would be no more law and certainly no more order. The only reason she was taking this statement was because the gang leader involved was a big score, for a time getting her off the streets would make a small difference, maybe give them a little bit of headway if only for a few weeks, until someone replaced her, it was something.

  “The girl has been sent to a special unit in the north.”

  “A special unit?”

  “From her statement, it seems she has been exposed a number of times to the virus and yet she is still clear. That is why the gang leaders were so interested in her, they wanted to sell her or should I say sell her immunity. This way she will go to a secure unit and have a number of tests done to see if we can’t replicate what keeps her clean and stop this virus.”

  “That’s amazing! You mean there could be a cure, all this could stop soon?.” Mo’s eyes lit up and she sat forward for the first time in the whole interview. The female officer barely looked up from her desk repeating a statement she had often had to explain before.

  “Don’t get your hopes up girl, all it is, is a little interesting. , Sshe is not the first to have immunity, there is about 1 in every 1000 and when found they always go to this unit. . Don’t get me wrong, these people are valuable but so far nothing has come from any of the tests they have been doing.”

  Mo slumped back down again. “Oh. How would the gang sell her immunity then, surely the authorities at the unit would not allow that?”

  “No, they don’t, there are some desperate people out there who think doing a full blood transfusion with an immune donor will cure them.?”

  “Why would they think that would even work, they could be completely different blood types and if it did work, surely, we would be doing it;, those who have immunity could help everyone.”

  “They are fooled into thinking the authorities don’t do it because of the sacrifice.”

  “Sacrifice?”

  “The blood donor does not survive the procedure.” The police officer looked up watching the blood now drain from Mo’s face, maybe she had said too much, but this was the reality of the situation, desperate times had led people down a very dark path.

  “Just try and stay in from now on, your grandma is very security conscious, just follow her lead.”

  Mo could only nod in response. Today had really bought it home to Mo just how bad things had got., Tthe officer probably thought she was just some rich girl living in a bubble of safety, and she was. She and the people around her had become blasé about the virus, it hadn’t really hit them yet and she guessed people didn’t think it really would. After today her belief had completely changed, it was going to come and change everything and she was scared, scared for her grandmother, Lizzie, her friends and for herself.

  The officer thanked her for her statement explaining it may actually put a gang leader behind bars, trying to cheer up the girl whose hopes she had just bought crashing down. It didn’t really do anything to cheer her up, what did it matter who was behind bars, soon there would be no-one there to stop them, no-one to keep them behind bars, then what? Mo felt wretched; there was a knock on her door.

  “Come in.”

  Her Grandmother walked in holding a tray of food. This simple familiar sight warmed Mo., Hher Grandmother was her constant, she always knew what to expect with her, there were no surprises, she would always love her no matter what, as she would her, she was everything warm and comforting to Mo, she was home.

  “Here you are sweetheart, I thought maybe you would prefer to eat up here tonight, it’s already late. I have bought you some ointment let me put it on for you.

  “Thanks Grandma that’s great.”

  Rebecca took the ointment off the tray and walking round to Mo’s back lifted her shirt and began to apply the ointment. Mo felt the relief instantly and her shoulders began to relax. With all that had been happening she hadn’t realised how irritable her back had been.

  “Things are hopeless aren’t they Grandma.”

  “I’m not going to lie to you Mo, I thought something like this might happen maybe not as soon as this but something, yes things are bad but no not hopeless”.

  “They say the girl may have some kind of immunity.”

  “Well there you go that’s hope, isn’t it?”

  “I suppose, they also said they have found a few with immunity but so far not a cure.”

  Rebecca nodded looking thoughtful.

  “Yes, I have heard that happens too, well it could lead to a cure; these things take time.”

  “But in the meantime, what will happen, how will we keep safe? I’m scared Grandma.”

  Rebecca took her granddaughter into her arms and held her close stroking her hair.

  “I know sweetheart, I am scared too.”

  Rebecca looked into Mo’s eyes stroking her hair and dabbing away her tears. She looked intently at Mo as though she was trying to make a decision.

  “You look so much like your mother, same eyes, same hair just as beautiful.”

  Mo smiled and leaned into her, her Grandmother’s hand stroking her cheek.

  “You miss her a lot, don’t you?”

  “Yes, every day.” Rebecca sat back and put her hands in her lap, she sat up as though her decision had been made. “Mo the people who are visiting may be able to help.”

  Mo had forgotten all about her Grandmother's visitors.

  “How? Why? Who are they Grandma?”

  “They are old friend’s sweetheart, and I think they may be able to help keep you safe.”

  “Us safe.” Mo corrected., Hher Grandmother only nodded and then went to get up kissing her Granddaughter on the head.

  “Shall I come down now to meet them?” Mo asked getting up to follow Rebecca out of the room, but her Grandmother turned and put her hand gently on her chest.

  “No darling not tonight, you have been through enough today, we will talk with them tomorrow you go and get something to eat and then rest.”

  Rebecca hugged Mo again tightly not wanting to let go, knowing this would be the last time before everything would change, the wonderful world she had created for the two of them was about to be destroyed and she hated that, hated what was making it happen, but she knew it had to. She had to keep Mo safe and she knew deep down although she hated it, it was Lordes who was going to be able to do that.

  Chapter 6

  Mo awoke to the shutters on the house being raised the sun streaming through her curtains, it had been a long hot summer and this would have been a beautiful day to spend outside. This thought brought Mo back to reality, there would be no more outside now, no more visiting friends, what would happen to everyone? Would a cure come in time or would they all suffer the same fate wi
th only the few remaining, and would they just fight it out between them trying to gain power. It was all too awful to contemplate., Ccould it become that bad if people were fighting for their survival for their families, yes, Mo thought it could. At that moment, she pulled open her holo and called Lizzie, the familiar ring rang out but there was no answer. A message appeared on the bottom of the screen:

  “Can’t talk now, Mum still pretty stressed. I’m ok though we are all clear so far, be in touch in a few days.”

  Lizzie was still mad with her she could tell, she clearly had not understood Mo’s reasons for what she did and Mo wasn’t sure if she really understood them either, why had she risked it? She quickly typed a message back explaining about the girl’s immunity, hopefully this would make Lizzie and her family feel a little better. It had got too close yesterday, too close for comfort.

  Mo dressed quickly and looked out of the front window; the RV was still there but no signs of life. Mo wondered again who these people could be and how could they help? She decided to venture downstairs to find out. As she climbed down the stairs she heard voices coming from the kitchen, she couldn’t quite make out what was being said but she could tell that voices were being raised. She tried to creep downstairs but the house was old and the floorboards creaked, the door to the kitchen opened and a young man came out. Hhe looked straight up at Mo. , Hhe had dark brown eyes and olive skin and his dark hair was cropped short, he was undoubtedly beautiful and took Mo quite aback. He looked so intensely at her and she had a feeling of warmth spread through her head, she blinked and shook it off, the look only lasted seconds, she went to smile but he turned and headed for the front door., Sshe noticed the large back pack on his back as he left which she thought strange, maybe they were leaving? Rebecca followed him out of the kitchen and stretched her arm out to Mo.

  “Mo my darling, come.”

  “Who was that, is he not going to introduce himself? Are they leaving already?”