The Power of Five Oblivion

said.
    The two of them nodded. They both had wives who could have been nuns if they weren’t married … the sort who crossed themselves ten times a day and actually cried when they read the Bible. There were a lot of people in the village like that. They even had prayer meetings on their afternoons off. I smiled and tried to look holy. Somehow, it worked.
    “It’s good to pray,” Dolan said. “We need all the help we can get. But it’ll be dark soon. You’d best be home.”
    “Absolutely, Mr Dolan.”
    They went on their way, the two of them chatting together with their guns slanting across their shoulder blades. I waited until they had gone, then hurried over to the boy. To my astonishment, he had fallen asleep – although it was more likely that shock and exhaustion had knocked him out. I shook him awake.
    “Scott…?” he muttered.
    “Who is Scott?” I asked.
    “My brother…”
    “Well, I’m afraid I’m not Scott. I’m Holly. How are you feeling?”
    “I don’t know. I’m confused.”
    “You haven’t told me your name.”
    “You haven’t asked.”
    “I’m asking now.”
    “It’s Jamie. I’m Jamie Tyler…” He tried to get to his feet but he was too weak and dizzy. “You have to help me,” he said.
    “I’ve already helped you. I just stopped you from getting shot. And maybe I’ll help you some more. But you have to tell me where you came from – where you really came from – and who you are. You don’t understand how much trouble I could get into, even for talking to you.”
    “OK.” He swallowed and I saw a wave of pain pass across his eyes. “Do you have any water?”
    I reached for my backpack and opened it. I’d had a full bottle of water when I started work but now there wasn’t much left. I handed it to him and he emptied it at once, as if he had no idea how valuable it was. The water seemed to revive him a little. He straightened up. The blood was drying in what was left of the afternoon sun. “What country is this?” he asked.
    I shrugged. What sort of question was that? “What country do you think it is?” I exclaimed. “It’s England. Where else would it be?”
    “Are we near London?”
    “I’ve never been to London. I’ve got no idea.” I was rapidly losing my patience. “Tell me what I want to know or I’m going to be on my way and leave you here.”
    “No. Don’t do that.” He put out a hand, stopping me. “I’ll tell you what I can. But it won’t help you. You won’t believe me.”
    “Try me.” And you’d better get on with it, I wanted to add. The sun was dipping behind the steeple. The gravestones were throwing out shadows that reached ever further. I would already be expected home.
    “Is there somewhere else we can talk? Can we go inside?”
    “Tell me now.”
    But he never did … at least, not then. I hadn’t heard the footsteps behind me. I hadn’t realized that Mike Dolan and Simon Reade had come back until I turned round and saw them, saw them standing there, aiming at Jamie.
    “There you are,” Reade said. “I told you something was up.”
    “Who is he?” Dolan demanded, then, to Jamie, “Who are you?”
    “I’m Jamie.”
    “How did you get here?”
    Jamie hesitated. I could see him thinking what to say. “I took a bus,” he said, finally.
    It was the wrong answer. Almost lazily, Dolan swung his rifle so that the butt crashed into the side of Jamie’s head and he went sprawling. It was the side that had been undamaged. Until that moment anyway. I shouted out but Reade stepped in front of me, blocking my way. Jamie lay still. Dolan stood over him. He turned to me. “You’ve got some explaining to do, Holly,” he said. “But that can come later. Right now you’d better get home.” He nodded at Simon. “Let’s get this boy tied up and locked somewhere safe. And find the Reverend Johnstone. We’re going to have to call an Assembly.”
    And that was it. I could only stand there and watch as the two men scooped up the boy and dragged him away.

TWO
    Rita and John lived in a modern, three-bedroomed house next to the garage – not, of course, that there was any petrol. The two pumps stood next to each other like metal tombstones, the glass broken and the metal rusted, with Mr and Mrs Esso lying dead beneath. I ran straight past it and didn’t stop until I got home.
    I’m going to have to describe the village, or what happened later won’t make any sense.
    Basically, it was set on the side of a very