The End Read Online Free PDF Page A

amongthe blood and the warm stink of attacking grown-ups. She didn’t want to befighting for her life again soon, or any time, thank you, God.
    She looked over to where a bunch of little kids were playing. They were all clustered round Paddy’s new dog, which sat there patiently, as the kids’ puppy, Godzilla, barked at it and jumped up to bite its ear. It sounded like they were tryingto think what to call the new dog, all shouting out names …
    ‘Chocolate – Brown Eyes – Mulan – Rogue – Killer …’
    There were nine of them. Paddy, Wiki, Jibber-jabber, Zohra, Froggie, Blu-Tack Bill, Small Sam, The Kid and Yo-Yo. It was Small Sam that held her attention. He was with them but somehow not with them. There was something haunted about him. Maxie thought back to whenhe’d arrived here at the museum. Remembering the strange procession that had come in through the doors. Ed, tall and grim with the ugly scar down one side of his face. His friends, Macca and Will and Kyle, coming in with a certain ‘show-me-what-you-got’ swagger. Then Sam and The Kid and Yo-Yo, clutching her violin case. And, under a blanket, the Green Man. It had all felt so surrealthat at first Maxie hadn’t registered how amazing it was that Sam was there. A ghost from their past turning up. She’d held back with all of the others, frozen, just watching. Like it was some crazy play. Trying to take it all in.
    Trying to get her head round the fact that Sam was alive.
    She didn’t need to carry the guilt any more – that he’d been snatched by grown-ups onher watch.
    Sam gave them hope. If this little boy could survive then maybe they all could. Maybe the nutters in St Paul’s who thought he was a god were right after all. Maybe he was special? The secret to their survival. Since then Maxie had made it her special duty to watch out for him, especially now that Ed had gone to look for Sam’s sister. Maxie was going to make sure thatnothing bad happened to Sam again. She’d asked Whitney to act like a sort of nanny. The big girl was there now, sitting on a bench, watching them. Smiling.
    Maxie couldn’t get her head round this.
    Peace.
    London was quiet. No grown-ups on the streets. It was a dream-time. Were there really no monsters lurking in the shadows? Could she really allow herself not to be scaredany more? Could it be as simple as just getting from one day to the next? Eat, drink, work, sleep. Survive.
    She prayed that nothing bad would happen, that the quiet times would continue and they could grow up in peace and safety. But at the back of her mind was a deeper animal thought. That is wasn’t over. That something worse was coming.
    She shivered. Looked around for Blue.Spotted him by the fence. Just standing there, alone, staring at the road. She knew he got depressed as well. He kept up a tough exterior, but was more sensitive than he let on to anyone except her. Maxie went over to him and put her arms round him from behind, and he put his hands over hers.
    She looked over his shoulder at the empty buildings opposite – flats and offices mostly.One day maybe she could go back to living in a regular house, not having to be surrounded by other kids for safety.
    ‘Will life ever be normal again?’ she asked.
    ‘Not until every last grown-up is killed,’ said Blue. ‘Not until the enemy is gone for good.’
    ‘And how many of us will be around to see that day?’ said Maxie.
    ‘I intend to grow old, girl. I wanna see you withwrinkles.’
    ‘You say the sweetest things.’
    Maxie felt something nudge her ankle and she looked down to see Godzilla trying to eat her shoe.
    Sam came running up.
    ‘Sorry,’ he said. ‘He got away. He’s jealous of the new dog, I think.’
    ‘You got a name for her?’ Maxie asked, letting go of Blue.
    ‘The girls all want to call her Bright Eyes,’ said Sam. ‘Paddy wants to callher Ripper.’
    ‘Ripper’s a terrible name,’ said Blue.
    ‘I know,’ said Sam. ‘I said they should call her