The Darkest Summer Read online

  It dawned on me that this was all that was left of a precious period in my life.

  I couldn’t imagine a world without Dee’s laughter, constant singing and bossiness. My life was going to be much greyer without her in it. I wondered how long it would take me to get used to coping without Hazel’s family because it was obvious, even to me, that they weren’t intending on coming back.

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  2018 – Oakwold, New Forest

  Sera

  Dee had run away, again. Only this time, for a fleeting second, I was relieved.

  ‘Where do you think she’s gone?’ Mum asked Leo.

  I was distracted by whimpering coming from the landing and ran upstairs to find Katie sobbing. ‘Ashley’s gone. She took the teddy I gave her.’ I picked her up and hugged her tightly as she gulped great sobs into my shoulder.

  ‘It’s okay, darling,’ I soothed. ‘Dee’s a little upset, that’s all. We’ll find her and bring Ashley back home.’

  I was following Leo and carrying Katie through the back gate to go and look for them when Mum bellowed from an upstairs window for us to stop.

  ‘I can’t wait for you, Sera,’ Leo shouted over his shoulder as he broke into a run and hurtled across the field in the direction of the wood beyond Henri’s farm.

  ‘What, Mum?’ I called, surprised to see she had gone upstairs and irritated with her for holding me back. ‘I’ve got to help Leo find them.’

  Seconds later she ran outside, bearing down on me, arms open wide. ‘You’re not taking that baby with you. I’ve just heard a report on the radio of a huge fire on the other side of the hill. It’s out of control and the wind is blowing it in this direction. We should stay here in case they come to evacuate everyone from their houses.’

  I hesitated and stared at Mum. She never usually told me what to do with Katie, especially not with such force, and I knew she was right.

  She tapped me on the shoulder and pointed towards the woods. ‘I know the fires are a distance away, but it wouldn’t take long for them to reach the village. What if we have to leave at a moment’s notice?’

  I understood her concerns. ‘Mum, I have to go. You keep Katie here and pack a few essentials for us, just in case.’

  The anguish on her face made me feel guilty about my determination to go.

  ‘Sera, the foliage is tinder dry and this hot wind is aggravating conditions. You mustn’t go into the woods, it isn’t safe.’

  I turned sharply, squinting through the open gate. I could see Leo almost at the edge of the wood, and darker skies in the distance I’d assumed to be the threat of rain. Now, as I concentrated a little harder, it was obvious that what I was looking at was smoke. I was terrified, but couldn’t in all honesty stay at home and not go and look for Dee and her little girl.

  ‘I’d rather stay here,’ I admitted, pulling an apologetic face at her. ‘I can’t, though, not when Dee’s oblivious to the danger and especially as she’s got Ashley with her.’ I handed Katie to my mum’s outstretched arms.

  Katie screamed in fury. ‘Katie find Ashley!’ She kicked out, throwing her teddy onto the ground.

  ‘No, sweetheart,’ Mum said, holding her tightly. ‘Mummy won’t be long. We’ll stay here and look out for her.’

  I lowered my voice. ‘Mum, if you need to take her to a friend’s in the next town, do. I’ll find you later. I promise I won’t do anything reckless. I know those woods better than Leo or Dee and I can’t let them get lost out there and do nothing. I’ll be fine.’

  Her eyes welled up with unshed tears. ‘You’d better be. Now go, if you must, but be back as soon as you can. We’ll be waiting for you.’ She immediately turned away from me and began carrying my screaming child towards the house.

  * * *

  I broke into a run. I wanted to get this over with. Dried grasses snapped underfoot as I stepped on them. It hadn’t rained for so long I wasn’t surprised a few fires had broken out. It was hot and I soon became breathless. I neared the woods and instead of the shade giving relief from the insistent heat, it struck me that the temperature here was warmer than in the direct sunlight. The fire must be getting closer.

  I reasoned that they couldn’t have got far and finding them wouldn’t take too long. I certainly hoped I was right. Needing to stop for a few seconds, I bent down, resting my hands on my knees to help my breathing recover. I tilted my head, listening out for any familiar voices. There wasn’t even the usual birdsong. I did my best to quell the panic seeping into my mind. I lifted the bottom of my T-shirt to wipe my damp forehead before running further into the woods calling for Dee and Ashley as loudly as I could manage.

  I concentrated as I ran, narrowly avoiding a smaller branch hidden among the long brittle grass. Where were they? They couldn’t have gone far. Dee was too frail to carry Ashley for long and Leo must be close behind them by now, surely. I slowed to a walk, the heat making me a little nauseous, but kept walking further into the woods, trying to stick to the usual track I took when going this way. I was so focused on finding them I hadn’t noticed I’d been straying deeper than I would normally go. After a little while I stopped to get my bearings. I peered through the thicket and overgrown areas and heard a distinctive crackling of fire as it devastated the vegetation in the forest.

  Fear shot through me and my heart pounded. The fire was closing in and I hadn’t found them. I turned around, but in the smoky air I couldn’t tell which way I’d come. I tried not to panic. Dare I keep looking for them for a bit longer, or should I do as Mum insisted and go home?

  I rubbed my dry eyes and tried to think. Every instinct told me to get away from here as fast as possible, but I needed to find these people. However, I couldn’t ignore Mum and Katie worrying about me at home. It was a relief when I heard the bells of distant fire engines. They sounded a little too distant for my liking, though it was hard to tell which direction they were coming from. It dawned on me that I was becoming so disorientated I wasn’t even certain which way was home.

  A loud crash shocked me as something heavy landed feet away. I cried out, trying not to become hysterical when I noticed a tongue of orange flames dancing an insane tango on the hillside, wending its way at speed towards the woods. I didn’t care which way home happened to be now, my only thought was to get the hell out of here. I ran as fast as my legs would carry me. A sharp edge of bark tore at my shin as I passed a broken trunk, but nothing was going to stop me.

  My legs got heavier. I began to cry. ‘Keep going,’ I whispered, focusing all my attention on placing one foot in front of the other. Breathless and trembling, I reached the edge of the wood. It was a long way from where I’d entered. I couldn’t believe how far I had gone in my search for Dee. Where the hell had they got to? Maybe she had returned to the house. I hoped so. I heard the unmistakable creaking and screaming of falling trees as they gave in to the tremendous heat.

  I turned towards the sound, light-headed with fear when I spotted how close the fire was to me. I needed to run, but my legs were like jelly and my muscles so strained, I couldn’t get them to work properly. I was about to give in to my mounting hysterics when I heard a voice.

  ‘Sera, where are you?’ It was Henri calling for me. He sounded frantic and I didn’t think I’d ever been so relieved to hear another person’s voice.

  I tried to answer him, but could only manage a pathetic sob. I needed him to find me. I took a deep breath and tried again. ‘Henri,’ I cried. ‘I’m over here.’ My voice sounded tinny and unnatural. I pleaded with God to let Henri hear me.

  I heard him shout again, and spotted his red T-shirt moving quickly through the thick branches and trees. He called me again. ‘Sera, where are you?’

  ‘Henri,’ I sobbed. I glanced over towards the cracking and spitting of the fire as it kept closing in. ‘We’re going the wrong way.’

  I could hear the pounding of his footsteps as he came closer and the occasional swear word as he tripped, or bashed into something. ‘Run this
way,’ he insisted.

  I ran a few steps but the notion of running towards the fire seemed like madness, so I stopped.

  ‘Now!’

  I had to trust him. I had no choice. I broke into a run of sorts and as the shadows of the wood enveloped me, he almost bowled me over. Slamming into me, he grabbed hold of me, pulling me tight against his pounding chest. ‘I thought I’d lost you.’

  It didn’t even occur to me to be taken aback by his words, I simply clung to him, my hands gripping the back of his damp top, relieved not to be alone any longer.

  ‘I’m so scared. How did you know I was here?’

  ‘I was on my way to warn you and saw you from across the field running into the woods.’ Letting go of me, he then took hold of my shoulders. ‘It will be okay. Be calm.’ He scanned the area around us. Pointing towards a dip in the bank he shouted for me to take off my shoes.

  ‘What for?’

  ‘They are the closest thing you have for a spade.’ He grabbed a large stick and clawed the ground.

  He wasn’t making any sense. ‘What are you doing?’ We needed to run, not mess about in this hell.

  ‘Dig. Hurry.’ He motioned for me to get on my knees and copy him. Needing to trust him, I did as he insisted. ‘We cannot outrun this fire,’ he panted, as we clawed away at the earth beneath us. ‘We must dig a ditch and cover ourselves with earth.’ He took a deep, laboured breath in the airless wood. ‘I am hoping the fire will jump from this ledge and continue over there, missing us.’

  Fires didn’t jump, did they? It didn’t seem very plausible, but I couldn’t see an alternative. I knew I couldn’t outrun a fire.

  ‘I couldn’t find them,’ I cried, stabbing frantically at the earth, which thankfully was still a little moist from the shade of the trees. I don’t know if it was sheer panic, or a will to live, or something else entirely, but I dug like a crazy woman. With his strength and perseverance, we soon had an area big enough for us both to lie back into the crevice under the bank.

  ‘Lie down, as far back as possible,’ he said, helping me push myself backwards. The cool damp earth soothed my overheated skin and made what was transpiring around me seem like I wasn’t completely involved.

  ‘Now you,’ I said, arms outstretched to take hold of him. He bent down to come to me, when he stopped. Kneeling upright, his head turned slightly, alerted to something.

  ‘What is it? Henri, get in,’ I screamed, panic-stricken.

  ‘Crying,’ he said simply, holding up his hand to quieten me. ‘Do not move. If I am not back in two minutes lift the material of your top over your face and cover yourself with the loose earth. Do not move until you are certain the fire has passed over you.’

  I couldn’t take in what he was saying. ‘Henri, you’re not leaving me here?’

  He turned without another word and ran off into the woods. I lay petrified. He had left me. He was going to die. We both were.

  I could feel the thundering crash of the burning trees as the fire fought its way towards me. This wasn’t happening. It couldn’t be. I strained my eyes to see him, the temptation to run towards the field taking hold of me. Did I still have time to make it? I was kidding myself. I had no choice but to lie here in this dip in the bank and trust him. So, giving one last look in the direction he’d gone, I grabbed a small branch and scooped a heap of earth towards my feet, my legs and upwards, slowly covering my body.

  I heard cries and saw Henri making his way towards me. He was carrying Ashley, his arm clamping her to his chest. His other hand was gripped tightly around Dee’s wrist. As he dragged her to my hiding place, she stumbled, tears coursing down her dusty face.

  He put Ashley down next to me. ‘Sera,’ he said breathlessly. ‘Kick away the earth, dig deeper.’

  I did as he said. ‘You too,’ I shouted at Dee. ‘Bloody help us.’

  She glanced at me, then following my lead, took off her wooden sandal, handed me one and we both dug frantically. If this damn bank didn’t collapse on us it would be nothing short of a miracle, I realised, glancing up at the roots of the tree arcing above us.

  ‘Enough, no more time now. Get in,’ Henri ordered, the panic obvious in his voice. ‘You first,’ he pushed Dee back to lie flat against the dugout wall then, handing Ashley to her, told her to lie still. ‘Hold her, tight,’ he said to Dee. He looked at me, his face taught with tension. ‘Now you.’

  I wriggled into the dip, getting as close to Dee as I could. ‘Lift your tops to cover your faces,’ I said, repeating what he’d told me to do earlier. Dee lifted Ashley’s dirty top over the child’s pinched face. ‘It’s going to be all right,’ I said, giving her a promise, I knew I might not be able to keep. ‘You’ll lie between me and Mummy.’

  We didn’t have much choice. The dip in the bank was only really big enough for two of us, but at a push we should just about manage. I hoped so, anyway. I felt the weight of damp earth being dropped on my feet, my legs, over my hips and then the heat of Henri’s hot, damp body against me. He slid one arm under my head and pressed tightly against me, somehow managing to pull earth over us. I covered my face with my top and hugged the trembling child, grateful to have him behind me.

  He only just managed to cover us when a roar of heat, crashing debris and smoke rolled over on top of us in a thunderous fiery wave of destruction. We collectively held our breaths. I squeezed poor Ashley so tight against my chest I worried I might hurt her. Henri squashed against me, pushing me against the others and almost crushing Dee against the earth wall of the bank.

  The heat and the deafening rage of the fire seemed like it was taking forever to pass over us. I reasoned that if I could be almost senseless with terror, we must at least still be alive. Henri’s plan appeared to be working. I was beginning to hope we might survive this horror and pictured Katie’s pretty face.

  After an interminable period that probably only lasted a minute or two, Henri’s body relaxed slightly. I waited for him to tell me what to do next, too afraid to move in case I uncovered our bodies.

  He backed away slowly from me then pulled me out of the hole. ‘It is okay. The fire jumped the bank. We can go.’

  I took Ashley from Dee and lifted her back out of the dip, reaching a hand out to Dee to help her. She lowered her top from her face and I uncovered Ashley’s face and forced a smile. ‘You see, we’re fine,’ I said, my voice husky from the dry air.

  Dee stared at me, then at Henri; she looked as if she’d made a major discovery. ‘You risked your lives to save ours.’

  He closed his eyes briefly and I suspected he was trying to hide his irritation with her for getting us all into this mess in the first place. ‘Put your shoes back on, the ground is hot. Hurry.’

  He took Ashley in his arms and gripped my hand. I took hold of Dee’s. We were barely able to keep up as he led us out of the smoking wood, past burning branches to the blackened field and in the direction of the town.

  * * *

  The walk home seemed to take forever. I breathed a sigh of relief when we reached the garden gate. We stopped and turned in unison to stare silently over the fields to where fire fighters dampened the small fires that sprung up closer to the village, each of us lost in the trauma of what we had experienced.

  He lowered the little girl to the ground.

  ‘Thank you,’ Dee said, bending down to hug her tightly. Ashley stared up at him.

  Henri cleared his throat looking a little embarrassed. He moved his weight from one foot to the other. ‘I must return to my farm.’ He ruffled Ashley’s hair, gently removing a stray leaf and bent down, his face level with hers. ‘You were very brave, ma petite. Now, I must check my animals.’ He moved back to give Dee and Ashley space to pass.

  I watched them go inside the house, looking for Leo. The enormity of what we’d just survived began to dawn on me and I started to tremble. ‘Thank you for coming to find me,’ I said, certain I’d never been as grateful to anyone else.

  He stared at me, his expression solem
n before taking hold of me and pulling me against him in a hug. I could feel his warm breath on my neck. ‘I had no choice,’ he whispered, leaning slightly back to be able to give me a slow, exhausted smile. ‘I must go.’

  I leant against the roughness of the warped wooden gate staring at the devastation in the distance. I shivered, despite the heat, at the thought of what could have been had Henri not managed to find the three of us. Where had he learnt those survival techniques? I ran into the garden to the house.

  Where was Leo?

  ‘That girl,’ my mother said, glancing up at the ceiling. ‘If it hadn’t been for her foolishness, you and that dear little girl of hers would have nearly perished in that fire.’

  I went to argue. I still needed her to explain her shocking revelation that she had killed a man. Then I noticed my mother’s face was ashen. I walked over to her and put an arm around her shoulder.

  ‘Sera, you’re filthy, go and shower.’

  I smiled. After everything that had happened, her main concern was me being dirty.

  I spotted Dee coming back downstairs. ‘She’s right, though, you could have got us all killed out there today. Why did you run off like that?’

  Dee glared at me. ‘You wouldn’t understand.’ She flounced out of the room and I chased after her. I’d had enough of her moods and this was going to stop.

  I took hold of her arm, stopping her in her tracks. ‘I’m taking a shower and then you and I are going to sit down and sort a few things out.’

  She snatched her arm away from my hand. ‘Really? You’re calling the shots again?’

  What the hell was wrong with her? ‘Hey,’ I said, too emotionally drained to have a full-scale quarrel. ‘Mum and I have been good to you, putting up with your moods. I think the least you can do is try to clear the air between us. I want to help you, if only for Ashley’s sake. That poor child must be wondering what the hell is going on right now.’