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The clocks began to strike The roo up Arthur di The clocks continued to strike, and a falow spread all around
Just like the Iht Arthur
He stood for a while, wondering as going to happen next and whereand when he was going to couess I should have told Sneezer exactly what I wanted Not that it
The white light pulsed and began to close in around Arthur on three sides But on the fourth side, it stretched out,a kind of narrow corridor Arthur hesitated, but as the light continued to press in, started along it
He seeet worried He even briefly conte the Will What if so with the Seven Dials? What if Sneezer was a traitor like Pravuil, in the eht back his fears once again and kept walking Eventually the white light began to fade and he could ht Yellow, not white He could hear things too, distant sounds co into the silence A helicopter, far off, and distant sirens And he was having a little trouble breathing Not a lot, just a little, a ht disappeared completely Sunshine hit, and the sound of the city under quarantine Arthur screwed up his eyes and shielded his face with his hand He was standing on a suburban street Outside a house with a newly painted garage door
Arthur dropped his hand and looked The House had disappeared, and once again he could see the nors that had been there before In the distance, a plu around it Sirens wailed in sy fast down the road and crouched down behind a se But the car was co place Even if it was the police, Arthur hoped they would simply take him to East Area Hospital, and he would still be able to send the Nightsweeper out fronised the car It was his brother Eric’s old blue clunker, heading fast for home
Arthur stood up and waved For a second it looked like Eric hadn’t seen hi smoke from its rear tyres Eric didn’t normally drive like that, but then this was no nor here?’ shouted Eric, sticking his handso home,’ said Arthur as he ran across and cli here?’
‘I was at a one-on-one yain ‘Then we heard there was a fire at the school I headed over there right away but got turned back and told to get ho to shoot all unauthorised vehicles and pedestrians after two o’clock! It’s total quarantine!’
‘Is Mum okay?’ asked Arthur ‘The others? What ti his head He was in shock, Arthur saw He hadn’t even asked how Arthur got out of school ‘Time? Uh, one thirty-five We’ll htened the seat belt as Eric zoomed the car around the second-to-last corner before hohtsweeper in his pocket He couldn’t use it for at least ten hours
A lot could happen in that ti theet ho Monday wasn’t the end There was still ht and he instinctively reached for his inhaler But it wasn’t there Panic rose, then was forced back as Arthur realised he didn’t really need it He wasn’t breathing as free and easy as he had in the House, but his lungs weren’t totally tightening up either There was a catch to his breath and his lungs felt strangely lopsided, as ifBut he was okay
Eric didn’t so much park the car as stop it near the front door They both jumped out and rushed upstairs Bob and Michaelidown to see who it was After quick hugs, they all retreated into Bob’s studio Wherever they’d lived, that was always the place of faht,’ was the first thing Bob said ‘But this is a bad one A real outbreak They don’t knohat it is, where it came from, or even what it can do’
‘Mureement
Bob noticed that Arthur didn’t He reached out and clapped his youngest son on the shoulder ‘She’ll be okay,’ he said ‘We’ll all be okay’
‘Yeah,’ said Arthur He touched his pocket again Why, oh why hadn’t he asked for so could happen in the next ten hours He could get the plague himself and fall asleep
Twenty-nine
THE NEXT TEN hours were the longest of Arthur’s life He sat within the studio for a while, listening to Bob play the saain on the piano He watched the news on television with Michaeli for a much shorter time, but couldn’t bear to hear of the many new cases or the attempts to break quarantine And on the hour, every hour, so So far, it was all very old people, but that was no comfort to Arthur He felt responsible for their deaths
Finally he retreated to his room and lay on his bed The red lacquer box was on his desk, and the Atlas with it Arthur didn’t even feel like looking at that Instead he just held the Nightsweeper on the palm of his hand It mostly stood still, but every now and then would take a few steps, or lower its head and nibble at his pal to, Arthur fell asleep One moment he ake, the next he was suddenly aware that he was asleep
Asleep! Every alarled to wake up
What if I’ve ht? What if I have to wait a whole day till toht die!