“In some dimension, I’m sure they are,” I said.
“Anyway, we had mad sex, like seriously, the kind of sex you have when you know the end of the world is coming.”
“So don’t need to know the details.”
“Like you’ll never have sex again. Like every position.”
“Dude, get to the fucking point.”
“Oh yeah, and then when I woke up, she was gone. Left me a note to say she was going through the portal.”
“Yeah, we got one, too,” I said. It occurred to me then that my note was about the same length as the one Tess wrote for her one night stand. I sank back into the chair, the weight of last night’s drinks, lack of sleep and stress all of a sudden pushing me down like a big hand. I rubbed at my eyes; they ached with unshed tears. I was afraid to take my hand away in case they all came tumbling out.
24
Gabe burst in the back, taking one look at me and letting out a big sigh of relief. “You’re still here. Good. Look I had to do a bit of dodgy stuff and the guys are gonna kill me, but I’ve got drugs, I’ve got gold, I’ve got guns . . .” Natty glanced inside the two large duffel bags, his eyes going wide. “This here is a replica World War II bayonet. Only one of a thousand made. . . .”
“Thank you,” I said getting to my feet, “seriously, thank you for this, Gabe, but I waited, so we need to go, now.”
“I bought over a couple of bikes from the shop on a trailer. I’ll wheel them in and we’ll go, love, wherever this bloke reckons we need to. Natty, you ever ride a motorbike?”
“A what?”
“I’m coming,” Flea said. “You can ride pillion with me.”
I watched dully as Gabe went to bring one of the bikes through the front of the shop.
“So, what is a motorbike?” Natty asked.
“Do you know what a bike is?” Flea said.
“No.”
“It’s something you ride, has two wheels, no? Don’t have anything like this in your world?”
“No, don't think so. Is it like a carriage?”
“In a way, except it doesn't need a horse to pull it.”
“This is a motorbike,” Gabe said, wheeling his example through the doorway and then kicked it over, the loud rumble echoing down the street. Natty’s eyes went wide and shining.
“That looks incredible!”
And so a very tired me and a very excited Natty ended up on the backs of the bikes, tearing through the streets of an alien city, looking for my sister. The buildings flashed by as we rode, I should have looked, this was my first glimpse of another world, but I couldn’t bring myself to care. Instead, a cold hard lump began to form in my guts as we drew nearer. Tess didn't want to be found. It was a hard truth to face, but it had to be true. She’d planned this for weeks in advance. Every day, she’d come to work and chat, worry, and brainstorm with me about how to keep the shop going, then she had trained with Merlin. As soon as he came on the scene, the idea had been planted, irrespective of what I thought. I tightened my arms around Gabe as he took the corner fast, the bike seeming to be about to meet the road. No, she’d known exactly what I thought and had ignored it anyway.
I came back to myself when the bikes slowed, Natty gesturing to a tavern that looked like it was made from genuine wattle and daub. ‘The Golden Monkey’ it was called, the name painstakingly lettered on a wooden sign, accompanied by a crude drawing that looked frighteningly similar to a naked man.
“Woo!” Natty said, clambering off the back of the bike, “that was amazing!”
“Good to hear, kid,” Gabe sa
id, unbuckling the flap on one of the saddlebags and starting to pull stuff out. My eyes widened as I saw a gun, a knife, another bigger knife, another gun and more weapons emerge. Gabe handed several to Flea, who took them and placed them in his waistband, boot and other places like he did this all the time.
“Is this wise?” I asked.
“This Gump, he might have more fur and longer ears than the guys at home, but his kind I’ve dealt with plenty of times. Walking in like a babe in the woods is a mistake. We need a show of force because that’s what we’ll get in return. You ready?” Flea nodded.
I turned to Natty, “What do you think?” His ears flattened against his skull and he raked his claw through his fur. “Natty? You don’t have to come in if you don’t want to.”