Oscar Read Online Free

the barriers.’
    The attendant raised the barrier again to let the small influx of people exit from the ferry. Sam grabbed hold of Oscar’s hand tightly, as people barged past them without a care in the world.
    It appeared that they were the only passengers making their way south; they had the whole ferry to themselves. It was a choppy journey on an uneasy River Thames, making Oscar feel sick, trying not too lose the contents of his stomach.
    ‘You don’t look too well, Oscar.’ Sam said with a hint of concern. ‘You seem to have turned a peculiar shade of green.’
    Seeing the boy turn greener and greener, Sam took hold of him and forced his finger down his throat before running him to the side of the boat. The next moment, he was watching his breakfast sailing down the Thames.
    ‘There, does that make you feel better?’ asked Sam.
    Oscar gave a solitary nod of the head in reply, wiping his mouth on the corner of his jacket.
    ‘Good lad.’ Sam said, side-hugging the boy.
    The ferry dock was looming in the distance, and once they disembarked they would head in the direction of Charlton—then, from there to Catford. The ferry was coming into port, docking at its station with a clunk.
    The barriers lifted and the ramp came down. Both of them moved swiftly away in the direction of the military hospital that sat majestically to the right of them on their way to Charlton.
    #
    A veil of darkness fell upon them, and their need to get out of the open grew with every minute. There was a derelict housing estate just on the outskirts of Charlton, which lay over the brow of a hill that they had been struggling up. It would suffice as a place to shelter for the night. It had become a sanctuary for the homeless and others trying to escape the brutal trappings of Central London.
    Slowly and cautiously, they crept their way through. They tried to avoid looking through the windows of the properties they passed by, but it didn’t stop the occupants of those buildings from watching their every move.
    They could feel eyes on them, and it was hard not to stare back. Oscar’s curiosity got the better of him, as he looked at the many eyes staring in his direction.
    ‘Oscar, turn away. Don’t stare at them.’
    He didn’t want trouble: all he wanted was to find shelter. He could see that he was not going to get a peaceful transition. The vagrants came out in droves to see what these two intruders were doing on their territory.
    ‘Oi! You two—little and bloody large,’ the leader screamed. ‘Piss off will yer.’
    Sam dared to approach the menacing figure, but in a cautionary stance. He held his hands out in a calming manner.
    ‘I ain’t looking for trouble; I just want shelter for me and the boy.’
    A middle-aged woman came from behind the threatening figure and looked upon him, then over at Oscar. She beckoned him over. He was now beginning to realise that she was the one in charge of the scruffy, unkempt rabble that came out to greet them.
    ‘Where do you hail from, young man?’ she asked inquisitively. There was no reply. ‘Oh, come on. It was a simple enough question. Don’t you think it warrants an answer?’
    He looked at her reluctantly. ‘I’m sorry ma’am–––’ the woman laughed at him.
    ‘Do I look like you should be calling me ma’am? Please don’t. It makes me feel older than I want to be. My name is Miriam and this lot behind me are my followers—and collectively, we are known as The Independent Mind.’
    Sam had heard a lot about this elusive group, and how they were intent on bringing down the government. It was the only thing the people of London were talking about, apart from the war.
    He stood in awe as he answered her question. ‘We have come from Piccadilly.’
    ‘Why are you so far away from home?’ she asked probingly. ‘Are you running from something? We’re all running from something, so I assume that you are too? Is the government after you?’
    He shook his head. ‘I’m trying