The End Read Online Free PDF Page B

charge, he wouldpunish them very publicly and very painfully.
    So when Paul had arrived, claiming he could communicate with strangers, it had felt like a gift from above. Paul was going to be their secret weapon. Their nuclear device.
    Only he was proving to be a dud.
    ‘You can’t do it, can you?’ said David and Paul looked at his shoes. He was tall and thin and very pale, his skin the colourof paper. He was dressed all in black with a greasy roll-neck jumper covering his scrawny neck. He was nearly as bad to be around as the strangers. Sweating all the time, his eyes darting around like nuts. Yeah. Let’s face it, he was a nutter. Why had David ever believed in him? For one moment? Talk to strangers? Talk to the moon more like, you useless nutter.
    Why had David believed in him? Easy. Because he’d wanted to. Because he needed something to give him an edge.
    ‘How many times are you going to drag me up here to watch this stupid, pathetic bloody pantomime?’
    Paul mumbled something and shrugged. Stared at the wall as if there was an interesting message for him written on it. David looked at Jester, his second in command. Jester grinned and circledhis finger round his temple – the universal sign for a loony.
    Paul scratched his chin, very fast, like a dog, leaving red marks, then turned to face the royal family. They sat there, on beds, on chairs, on the floor. Slumped and lifeless. Drooling, dead-eyed, covered in boils and sores and terrible growths. One of them belched, a long, deep rattling sound that turned into a gurgleas thin brown liquid bubbled out of her nose and mouth. She was some sort of duchess, David seemed to remember. He’d looked her up when she’d been a bit more recognizable. She was the oldest of them, had a tiara in her tangled white hair.
    Paul stared at them, red-rimmed eyes shining and manic. He was grinding his teeth and muttering under his breath. His head twitching and jerkingoccasionally as if someone was jogging it.
    ‘Well, this is brilliant,’ said David. ‘Better than the theatre. People would pay to see this. You really know how to put on a show, Paul. You dingbat.’
    Paul growled like an animal, closed his eyes, his fingers groping at the air, as if he was trying to grab hold of something invisible. His body began to shake, a high-pitched whine comingfrom between his clenched teeth. The royal family sat there. Vacant. Half dead. David had a powerful urge to walk over and strangle the lot of them. They didn’t scare him. They were fed regularly, but were too weak now to do any real damage. Even so, he always brought in at least two of his red-blazered personal guard with him. George Halley and Andy Kerr were standing near thedoor, watching the show and giggling, leaning on their rifles.
    David caught Jester’s eye again.
    ‘Come on,’ he said. ‘Let’s go. And Paul. Don’t bother again, yeah? OK? I’m too busy for this crap. If you want to stay at the palace you can find something useful to do, like growing potatoes. Might be easier for you, as long as you use a spade to dig with and not the power of yourmind.’
    George and Andy laughed and David walked towards the door. Realized none of the others had moved. Stopped. Something was happening: he could feel it.
    His head was hurting, as if it was being squeezed; there was a buzzing and a humming at some frequency that David could register but not really get a fix on.
    He turned back to look at the royal family. A light had comeon in their eyes. A light of intelligence and understanding he’d never seen there before. And then slowly, one by one, they all turned and stared at Paul. Eight faces, all paying attention. Those that were sitting down stood up. The ones on the floor struggled clumsily to their feet. George and Andy became alert as well now, rifles at the ready, looking to David for guidance.
    Paulwas still clutching at the air, mumbling and working his jaw, the grinding of his teeth startlingly loud, like a