Code of Silence

Code of Silence - Chapter 26

It was early, but Alex and I hadn't travelled far before danger caught up with us again. Alex had told me about the little coastal airport, not far from where we'd spent the night sleeping in the car in the rest area. We'd discussed how it might be an idea to book a helicopter and get to London quickly and safely, but had no idea if they even offered that sort of service, so had dismissed it by the time we were ready to leave. And now we were parked under an old bridge and listening to one, hiding in the damp darkness from it as it hovered above.

Our destination was only a mile or so further along the coast. We had just enough fuel but were running really low. Alex knew the town and the main garage on the road we had taken, but hadn't a clue if it would be busy, quiet or even open in low season. I wound my window down further and listened. The thudding noise seemed to be coming from all directions. It sounded like there were a few of them, but I assumed just the one and that it was the shape of our hiding place that was distorting the sound.

It seemed to hang close by for an eternity. We were hidden for now but would be spotted immediately if we made a break for it. As long as the thudding was steady we'd be safe. But it started to get louder and that could only mean one thing. It was coming down to land. Alex twisted the key in the ignition starting the car again. I shouted to be heard over the booming helicopter noise.

"No Alex, stay here for now!" The background noise was deafening. The rear window of the car began to peel inwards on one corner, the vibrations dislodging the shattered screen.

"Okay, okay!" screamed Alex, knocking the gear stick back into neutral and yanking the handbrake on.

I couldn't see through the shattered door mirror, so stuck my head out of the window to get a better view behind. Recoiling back into the car I shouted again to make myself heard.

"It's trying to land on the road, but I don't think it can!" I checked again. Sure enough, I could just see the distinctive skis beneath the helicopter and an intense blinking red light. But only for a second or two before they lifted out of view again. There wasn't room to get low enough or to set the helicopter down. Whoever was flying it had abandoned that plan. The noise gradually reduced as we listened, it was gaining height and moving off, passing over us, searching along the route we had just travelled in the car.

We were lucky, a little more space around us and we would have been sitting ducks.

"That was another close one," I said, keeping my eye on it as it moved away into the distance.

Alex just exhaled slowly. "I'm not sure how many more close ones I can take."

We waited until we were sure it was silent before making a move. We planned to fill up at the garage on the outskirts of town, but decided against stopping for something to eat. We were both feeling uncomfortable now, having not had a change of clothes or a proper wash for forty-eight hours or so, but events had pushed any concerns of personal hygiene well down our list of priorities.

As we approached the garage, I could tell from the slowly spinning signpost on the pavement outside that it was open for business. The garage forecourt was empty, just an old white VW camper van parked outside to the left, with a couple of surfboards poking out of the back window. Alex got out, reset the pump and began to fill up. I climbed out and stretched again, quickly checking my phone for messages and making sure the GPS app was still deactivated. There was no point in making it easier for anyone hunting us.

"Keep a lookout and I'll buy some food while I'm paying," said Alex over the roof of the car, as the pump clicked and the fuel stopped flowing.

Alex reappeared a few minutes later with a bulging carrier bag full of snacks and drinks.