The Darkest Corners Read Online Free Page B

determined he should go all Harry Potter all of a sudden? How come you’re acting so weird?’
    Ameena bit her lip. ‘What can I say?’ she muttered. ‘It’s been a weird day.’
    Weird day? That was an understatement if ever I’d heard one. It had been a weird month. The weirdest, worst month of my life. Possibly of anyone’s life ever. And even that wasn’t doing it justice.
    â€˜I don’t know what to do,’ I admitted. ‘Everything’s broken. I’ve… I’ve ruined everything. ’
    Ameena rolled her eyes. ‘And I thought I was being a drama queen! You haven’t ruined anything, kiddo. Your dad has. All you’ve done is try to stay alive and try to protect people.’
    I looked her in the eye. ‘That’s not working out too well, is it?’
    My lip wobbled and I looked away again. My mum: dead. My nan: dead. My mum’s cousin Marion: dead. So much for protecting people.
    And then there was Joseph, the mystery man. He’d popped up all over the place with his cryptic clues, helping me when I didn’t even know it. I’d watched him die too, right before my eyes, and I still didn’t know who he was.
    â€˜We sit tight,’ Billy said. ‘That’s the plan. We sit here and wait for help to arrive.’
    â€˜Help isn’t going to arrive, Billy. Grow up,’ Ameena said.
    â€˜How do you know?’
    â€˜Because this isn’t a bedtime story. There’s no knight in shining armour climbing up this tower. There’s no fairy godmother about to come swooping in. There’s just us.’ She pointed to the boarded-up window. ‘And there’s just them. If we want to live we have to fight. That’s how it is.’
    Ameena turned to me. ‘And you’re the best fighter we’ve got. Much as I hate to admit it.’
    Billy shook his head. ‘You’re not buying this, are you? You saw what was happening down there. I don’t want more monsters coming through.’
    â€˜What’s the matter, Billy? Scared?’
    â€˜Of course I’m scared!’ Billy yelped. ‘I’m terrified. I’ve never been more scared in my whole life, and if he starts doing his, his thing , then it’s all just going to get worse.’
    Ameena spun to face him. ‘You don’t get it, do you? This is it. This is the end. It can’t get any worse.’
    â€˜Don’t say that,’ I groaned. ‘As soon as anyone says “It can’t get any worse,” it always gets worse.’
    â€˜Not this time,’ Ameena said, turning back to face me. ‘Everyone in this village has been turned into a monster, and they’re going to spread like a virus all over the planet. Your mum is dead. Your dad is out there somewhere, waiting to unleash God knows what on the world, and we’re stuck in an attic with a screecher downstairs and Billy No-Dates for company.’
    â€˜Maybe… maybe someone will come,’ I said weakly.
    â€˜ No one’s coming! ’ Ameena said. ‘There’s no one to fix this but us. But you .’
    â€˜Why are you doing this?’ Billy snapped. ‘Why do you keep egging him on? It’s like you want him to break down this big barrier thing.’ He looked to me. ‘She’s pushing you into it.’
    â€˜Don’t be stupid, Billy,’ I said. ‘Of course she isn’t.’
    â€˜How can you be so sure?’ Billy asked. ‘You said yourself you don’t know anything about her. How do you know she’s not working with your dad?’
    Ameena drove her elbow into Billy’s face. He staggered back, his hands over his nose, a sharp yelp of pain bursting on his lips.
    â€˜ Whoa! What did you do that for?’ I asked. I was used to sudden bouts of violence from Ameena, but never like that.
    â€˜You heard him.’ Ameena sounded defensive. ‘He was starting to rant.