The Dust: Book Three - Sanctum Read Online Free PDF Page A

fall for it though?’
    Roger folded his arms. ‘Because they want to believe. Desperate people will cling on to anything if someone promises them great things, however absurd.’
    ‘Iris needs something, or someone, to guide her.’ Angel again looked over at the Irishwoman sat on the grass.
    ‘We will help her.’
    ‘I’ve tried.’ Angel whispered. ‘It’s gone beyond that; she blames herself for everything.’
    ‘We will look after her. We have to stick together now.’
    ‘What about him?’ She looked over to Harry James, who was now shackled to the truck.
    ‘He comes with us. Let’s see how it pans out. He’s young and impressionable, perhaps he needs a break.’
    ‘I’m not too sure about that.’ Angel turned away. ‘I’m going to have a little chat to Iris. Tell her it’s time we all moved south.’
    ‘Good girl.’ Roger smiled at Angel. There was a time where they could barely stand the sight of each other but their fractured little group had brought out the best in both of them.
    Iris was tearing at the grass. Pulling out clumps and then tossing them into the breeze. She stared blankly out to sea, the waves hypnotising her.
    Angel sat down beside her. ‘You okay, honey?’
    Iris didn’t answer, just kept ripping at the blades of grass.
    ‘We are thinking of leaving soon.’ Angel placed her hand on Iris’s knee. ‘We need to find the cottage in Devon. You can remember talking about Old Mill can’t you?’
    Iris slowly turned to face Angel. ‘Leave? We can’t leave.’
    Angel smiled softly. ‘We must; it’s the sensible thing to do. To find a permanent place to live.’
    ‘We can’t leave.’ Iris’s voice grew a little louder. ‘We can’t go yet, they’re not here.’ She started to visibly shake.
    Angel assumed Iris was talking about Jake. ‘It’s okay, they will find us.’
    Iris shot up. ‘No, we can’t leave. We must stay, I can’t leave them.’
    Angel tried to take a hold of Iris’s arm, but she pulled away.
    ‘No!’ She screamed. ‘I won’t leave Hannah, I promised I would look after her.’ Iris started to stumble, as if she was about to faint.
    Angel panicked and looked for Roger, but he wasn’t there. She went to steady Iris, but again she moved away from her.
    ‘And Alice, what about Alice?’ Tears now dampened her grief stricken face. ‘I can’t find little Alice.’ She started to look around, as if she had just mislaid her.
    Angel held out her hands to steady her. ‘Iris, look at me.’ She tried to calm the Irishwoman. ‘We need to find the cottage, somewhere to live.’
    ‘Hannah, beautiful Hannah. We must wait for her, I can’t leave her.’ Her tears now ran into the mucus streaming from her nose and mouth. ‘We must wait, we can’t leave.’ She began to turn around in small circles like a rabid dog.
    ‘Iris!’ Angel shouted. ‘Calm down, please.’ Not knowing what to do, Angel tried to snap Iris out of her madness. ‘Hannah and Alice are gone. The beach, do you remember the beach?’
    Iris’s eyes widened. ‘Gone, They’re not gone. I have to look after them, I promised.’ She started to laugh manically. ‘They’re not gone, they are here, and I can see them. Look over there.’ She started pointing.
    Angel, confused by what was happening, looked to where Iris was pointing, which was directly behind her. She realised there was nobody there, and twisted around back towards Iris, who was still laughing and screaming. The Irishwoman now had her back to Angel, and she was running away from her.
    ‘Noooo!’ Angel yelled, and ran after Iris.
    It was too late. Iris O Neil had leapt from the cliffs of East Quantoxhead, onto the jagged rocks below. Her blood splashed across the stones, and mixed with the frothing surf as it lapped the shore. She was very much dead.
    Angel stood on the edge looking down. Dumbfounded at what she had just witnessed, she turned to where the truck was parked.
    Facing her was little Lou Pepper, clutching her