Tunnels 04, Closer

at the bow of the launch, so allowing Drake to get some rest. Each time they pulled into the fueling stations along the route, they made sure they had some warm food before grabbing an hour or two of sleep.
    After a day and a half, they arrived at their final destination, the long quayside, and made their way to the disused airfield above.
    At three o'clock in the afternoon they climbed from the shaft and, under a leaden sky, Elliott took her very first steps on the outer crust of the planet. After her time in the unspoilt jungle of the inner world, she appeared unimpressed as she shielded her eyes to look at the derelict buildings. Then she raised her head to squint at the dull circle of the sun. "So this is your home?" she asked.
    "Yeah," Will answered, "this is it, all right."

    * * * * *

    Drake drove them to the travelers' site, drawing up by one of the mobile homes. They all got out, except for Bartleby, who remained locked in the vehicle, his nose pressed up against the window. As he ogled the many dogs roaming loose in the field, strings of drool began to extend from his mouth and he made vibrato whining noises.
    Will and Elliott stood there, not knowing what they were meant to do next. Drake went to the door of the mobile home, then noticed Will wasn't following him.
    "Your mother's in here," he said, and knocked twice on the door.
    Will didn't respond as Elliott, looking very unsure of herself, took a step closer to him.
    "Is this like the place where you used to live?" she asked Will. She'd seen the towns and villages they'd driven through on the way there, and now frowned as she peered around the site. A fire -- a real bonfire this time -- had been lit beside the husk of the burnt-out car, and a group of people were sitting around it. From the group, Will could hear strains of a song -- a woman was singing what sounded like a ballad as someone strummed a guitar in accompaniment.
    "No, nothing like this," he answered. "I lived in a city. This is very different. Too much mud," he added, then tried to laugh.
    Nodding once, Elliott took another step toward him.
    Will bit his lip. He didn't know if he was reading the situation correctly, but he sensed that she wanted to say more, or perhaps she wanted him to say more. And he did want to say something. As this small chapter in their lives -- during which they'd only had each other for company -- came to a close, it felt to Will as though it needed to be acknowledged in some way.
    But Will was at a loss as to what he should say and, even if he had known, how to say it. It was as if he wasn't equipped to handle the situation. And the timing was somehow all wrong, particularly with Drake present.
    The moment, if it was a moment, was lost as a woman's voice came from inside the mobile home. Drake was about to open the door when Elliott jerked her head as she spotted something. "Chester!" she exclaimed, the excitement evident in her voice. "Isn't that him over there? By the fire?"
    "Yes, he's with his dad, Jeff," Drake told her.
    Elliott glanced at Will. "I'll... um... see you later," she mumbled, striding off.
    "Yes, see you later," Will replied quietly.
    "In here, Will," Drake said, as he opened the door and ushered the boy in, but didn't enter himself. As the door closed behind Will, he found it difficult to see much in the gloom because all the curtains were drawn.
    "Will," a voice said. "I knew it was you."
    "Mum!" Will cried, rushing over to where Mrs. Burrows was sitting on a padded window seat.
    Mrs. Burrows hugged her son, tears falling from her sightless eyes. "You made it," she said.
    "We both made it," Will choked, then pulled back as he tried to see his mother's face in the near darkness. "Drake told me what they did to you."
    As she held Will's hands in her own, she squeezed them. "It was a small price to pay. Roger paid a bigger one."
    "Oh, Mum, it was awful... he..." Will was saying, then stopped himself. "But how do you know what happened? How do you know he didn't come with us, and he's not waiting outside?"
    "Because I know who's outside," she answered.
    "Really? But how?" Will asked.
    She sighed. "And I could sense the sadness in you as soon as you stepped from the minibus."
    At that moment, Drake returned, dragging Bartleby by the lead. The Hunter's claws were out and his eyes were wild. As soon as Drake took the lead off him, he tore back to the door, head-butting it as he tried to get through it. "He's going crazy for the dogs. Probably best