Chapter 54
‘You know, Uncle Harry asked your mother to move to America. Promised he would provide for you. But she refused.’
‘Was that when he put the house in her name?’
Lorraine nods. ‘She never took him up on his offer. But then she died and left it for you and Sadie. Which was perfect timing, because I wanted you to come here, Dan. We needed you.’
‘Why?’
‘You’re Harold’s heir.’
I nod at Freya. ‘What about his daughter?’
‘You’re the first-born,’ Lorraine says. ‘And Uncle Harry wanted someone who could literally fill his shoes. A son. Sexist, I know, but Harry was a traditionalist. He wanted a male heir who could be the face of Winsom for a new age.’ She pauses. ‘Freya is happy working for us behind the scenes.’
I glance at Freya and wonder if that’s true, or if it’s more because her face doesn’t quite fit the wholesome Winsom image. I’d almost feel bad for her, if she wasn’t pointing a gun at us.
‘Well, thanks for the offer, but no thanks. I don’t want the job. So, can we leave now?’
‘Just hear me out,’ Lorraine says. ‘You might change your mind.’
I glance again at gun-wielding Freya. ‘I don’t suppose we have much choice.’
Lorraine smiles, and I don’t like it. ‘Did you know Winsom Wonderland wasn’t Uncle Harry’s first park? His first park was a failure. It’s a little way from Winsom Wonderland, been shut down for years. It’s where Davey found the entrance to the tunnel. A little in-joke.’
‘Funny,’ Davey says, without humour.
Lorraine ignores him. ‘Uncle Harry poured his heart into that park, but it just wasn’t right and, whatever he did, he couldn’t fix it. So, he decided to start again, from the ground up. This time he knew what not to do, and he created a wonderland.’
‘That’s very inspiring,’ I say.
‘But what’s the point, right? You know the story of Noah and the Ark?’
‘Yes.’
‘Well, then you’ll know that God did the same thing.’
I’m pretty sure it was the other way around, but who’s to argue with an insane woman?
‘He looked at his creation,’ Lorraine continues. ‘And he saw it had failed. So, he sent the Flood. Wiped the slate clean. But he spared one good man, and he let him build an ark.’
‘And in this scenario, Uncle Harry is Noah?’ I say.
‘Correct. And Serenity Falls is his ark. The first of the Advanced Residential Communities.’
‘Gotta love a good acronym.’
‘His vision was to build a sanctuary, free from violence and crime. Where good people are valued. A perfect town of the future.’
‘But Serenity isn’t perfect, is it?’ Sadie says. ‘If it was, Davey wouldn’t have been taken away. His mum wouldn’t be dead. People wouldn’t disappear or have accidents.’
Lorraine rolls her eyes. ‘Obviously, mistakes have been made.’
‘Mistakes?’ I say. ‘People have been murdered. All so you can keep up appearances?’
‘It’s more than that,’ Lorraine says. ‘Uncle Harry may have had the vision, but the Corporation has the purse strings. And it demands perfection. Or it’ll pull the plug.’
‘Meaning?’
‘Serenity will no longer be afforded the protections of the Winsom Corporation. It will be just like any other town.’
‘And that’s so awful because?’
‘The Flood is coming.’
That word again. ‘And what is the Flood?’
‘The Winsom Corporation’s greatest project – the end of the world.’
I laugh. I can’t help it. It’s so completely, totally, off-the-scale, ludicrously preposterous that I can’t do anything else.
Lorraine regards me patiently.
‘You’re fucking serious?’ I say.
‘We’ve had things in motion for decades. Viruses. Wars. Genocide. Cyberattacks. Social media bots inciting hatred and division. Our prediction is that within the next five to ten years, civilization will be indelibly fractured, which is when we will send the Flood.’
‘Which is?’
‘A new sickness. One with no cure. It won’t be painful. People will simply go to sleep. But in the grand picture, humanity will be gone. Except …’
‘For those living in your towns?’ Sadie finishes.
‘Here in our ark, we will be safe and ready to start afresh.’
‘But you can’t,’ I stutter. ‘I mean, rebuilding the world takes more than a town of people.’
‘Not if you have the best people. Everyone here has been chosen for their specific skills. Each a small part of the jigsaw. And, of course, we have the Conservators. We can build more towns, all based on the Winsom ethos.’
‘Turn the world into a theme park?’ Davey says.
‘What’s so wrong with that?’
I gape at her. ‘You want to kill billions of people.’
‘No. We want to save thousands. Including you … and your daughter.’
And there it is. I feel my stomach cave.
Save her, Dan. You’d better fucking save her.
Lorraine watches me, like a cat who has just cornered her prey. ‘You do want to save your daughter, Dan?’
I look at Sadie.
‘Dad?’ She shakes her head. ‘This is bullshit.’
‘I promised your mum I would always look after you.’
‘She’s nuts, Dad. And even if she’s not, I’d rather take my chances out there than be stuck living like some brainwashed drone in this shithole.’
It’s easy when you’re young. You believe you’re immortal. You believe everything is black and white. Good and bad. Right and wrong. But life isn’t that easy, or kind.
When it really comes down to it, I am not a good man. I don’t give a fuck about billions of strangers dying. I give a fuck about Sadie, my daughter. She’s all I have. And I want her to live. I would burn down the world myself to protect her. Ask any parent.
I smile sadly. ‘Save the world or save you. It’s not even a choice.’
‘Dad.’
I look at Lorraine and nod. ‘Okay. We’re in.’
She smiles. ‘I knew you’d understand, eventually.’
‘What about Davey? Can you just let him go now?’
‘He won’t be protected out there.’
Davey gives me a black look. ‘I’m good with that.’
Lorraine considers. ‘Well, I suppose you’re the boss, Dan.’
She laughs. I force out a smile. She walks towards me. ‘Thank you. For not making this harder.’
I stand. ‘Look, you know I’m not on board with everything. I need to see some changes.’
‘We can talk about that. I wanted to take this slower. Let you adapt. But events’ – she glances at Davey – ‘kind of overtook us. I know you’ll do your father proud. I think we should make the announcement at our fiftieth celebrations next weekend.’
She places her hands on my shoulders. ‘Welcome to the family.’
I smile, and then I headbutt her.
There are moments where time seems to both speed up and slow down. Everything happens in seconds, yet I watch it all in slow motion.
Lorraine screams and falls backwards, clutching her face. As she does, a loud bang echoes around the small room. I feel something whizz past my ear and I hit the ground. Davey launches himself at Freya, tackling her and knocking her off the chair. I hear another shot, more muffled.
Sadie jumps up. ‘C’mon, Dad!’
‘You go,’ I gasp. ‘Get out!’
She hesitates, face fraught.
‘RUN!!’ I scream.
This time she turns and bolts for the door.
I try to stand, but Lorraine clutches my leg.
I shake my leg free and kick her hard in the face.
Blood spurts from her nose. I have never hurt a woman in my life, but this feels like the right time to make an exception.
I stagger to my feet, but I don’t make it any further.
Freya stands between me and the door. Davey lies on the floor, a dark red patch forming on his stomach. Shit. Freya points the gun at my chest.
‘Freya,’ I say. ‘Please. We’re family—’
She pulls the trigger.