Department 19 RAZORBILL Published by the Penguin Group Penguin Young Readers Group 345 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014, U.S.A. DEPARTMENT Penguin Group (USA) Inc., 375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014, U.S.A. Penguin Group (Canada), 90 Eglinton Avenue East, Suite 700, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M4P 2Y3 (a division of Pearson Penguin Canada Inc.) NINETEEN Penguin Books Ltd, 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England Penguin Ireland, 25 St Stephen’s Green, Dublin 2, Ireland (a division of Penguin Books Ltd) Penguin Group (Australia), 250 Camberwell Road, Camberwell, Victoria 3124, Australia (a division of Pearson Australia Group Pty Ltd) Penguin Books India Pvt Ltd, 11 Community Centre, Panchsheel Park, 19 New Delhi – 110 017, India Penguin Group (NZ), 67 Apollo Drive, Mairangi Bay, Auckland 1311, New Zealand (a division of Pearson New Zealand Ltd) Penguin Books (South Africa) (Pty) Ltd, 24 Sturdee Avenue, Rosebank, Johannesburg 2196, South Africa Penguin Books Ltd, Registered Offices: 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 ISBN: 978-1-59514-406-5 W I L L H I L L Copyright © 2011 William Hill All rights reserved Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available Printed in the United States of America The scanning, uploading and distribution of this book via the Internet or via any other means without the permission of the publisher is illegal and punishable by law. Please purchase only authorized electronic editions, and do not participate in or encourage electronic piracy of copyrighted materials. Your support of the author’s rights is appreciated. The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any AN IMPRINT OF PENGUIN GROUP (USA) Inc. responsibility for author or third-party websites or their content. I have been one acquainted with the night. I have walked out in rain—and back in rain. I have outwalked the furthest city light. —Robert Frost “We want no proofs. We ask none to believe us!” —Abraham Van Helsing Hill MEMORANDUM From: Office of the Director of the Joint Intelligence Committee Subject: Revised classifications of the British Governmental departments Security: TOP SECRET DEPARTMENT 1 Office of the Prime Minister DEPARTMENT 2 Cabinet Office DEPARTMENT 3 Home Office DEPARTMENT 4 Foreign and Commonwealth Office DEPARTMENT 5 Ministry of Defense DEPARTMENT 6 British Army DEPARTMENT 7 Royal Navy DEPARTMENT 8 Her Majesty’s Diplomatic Service DEPARTMENT 9 Her Majesty’s Treasury DEPARTMENT 10 Department for Transport DEPARTMENT 11 Attorney General’s Office DEPARTMENT 12 Ministry of Justice 7 Department 19 DEPARTMENT 13 Military Intelligence, Section 5 (MI5) DEPARTMENT 14 Secret Intelligence Service (SIS) DEPARTMENT 15 Royal Air Force DEPARTMENT 16 Northern Ireland Office DEPARTMENT 17 Scotland Office DEPARTMENT 18 Wales Office DEPARTMENT 19 CLASSIFIED DEPARTMENT 20 Territorial Police Forces DEPARTMENT 21 Department of Health DEPARTMENT 22 Government Communication Headquarters (GCHQ) DEPARTMENT 23 Joint Intelligence Committee (JIC) 8 Hill Maybe he’s sick, Jamie thought. But as he looked closely at his dad, he didn’t think he looked ill; his eyes were bright and wide in the red light, and he was moving quickly, putting things from the trunk into his pockets. And Jamie noticed something else; he kept looking over his shoulder toward the road, as if he thought— PROLOGUE Something moved in the corner of Jamie’s eye, near the oak tree at the bottom of the garden. He turned his head, goose bumps breaking out suddenly along his arms and back, and he realized he was scared. Something is wrong here, he thought. Very wrong. Brenchley, Kent The tree looked the same as it always did, its gnarled trunk November 3, 2007 tilted to the left, its huge roots rippling the lawn and bending the garden wall out toward the road. Whatever Jamie had seen, his father had seen it, too. He was amie Carpenter was watching TV in the living room standing very still behind the car, staring up into the branches J when he heard the tires of his dad’s car crunch across the of the tree. Jamie looked closely at the tree and the long black gravel driveway much, much earlier than usual. Jamie looked shadows the moonlight cast across the grass. Whatever had at the clock on the wall above the TV and frowned. It was moved wasn’t moving anymore. But as he stared, he realized a quarter past six. Julian Carpenter had never, to the best of that there was something different. Jamie’s memory, arrived home from work before seven o’clock, There were more shadows than there should be. and even that was only on special occasions like his mom’s The tree’s leaves were gone for the winter, and the shadows birthday or when Arsenal were playing in the Champions should have been the straight lines of empty branches. But League. the dark patterns covering the lawn were thick and bulky, as He hauled himself off the sofa, a tall, slightly awkward though the branches were full of— fourteen-year-old with a skinny frame and unruly brown hair, What? Full of what? and went to the window. His dad’s silver Mercedes was parked Jamie looked back to his dad. He suddenly wanted him in where it always was, in front of the garage that stood apart the house, right now. His father was still staring at the tree, from their house. Jamie could see his father in the glow of the holding something in his hand, something that Jamie couldn’t car’s brake lights, pulling something out of the trunk. quite make out. 11 Department 19 Hill Movement, again, by the tree. to his ear. “Frank? Yeah, I know. I know. What’s the ETA? And Fear rose into Jamie’s throat. that’s accurate? OK. Take care of yourself.” Come inside, Dad. Come inside now. There’s something bad He hung up the phone and grabbed Jamie’s mom’s hand. out there. “Julian, you’re scaring me,” she said, softly. “Please tell me The shadows on the lawn began to move. what’s happening.” Jamie stared, too scared to scream, as the dark patterns He looked into his wife’s pale, confused face. “I can’t,” he began to unfold. He looked up into the tree, and now he could replied. “I’m sorry.” see the branches shifting as whatever was in there began to Jamie watched in a daze. He didn’t understand what was move, could hear the rustling of the bark as something—lots happening here, didn’t understand it at all. What was moving of things, it sounds like there’s lots of them—started to move through the darkness outside their house? Who was Frank? through the boughs of the oak. His dad didn’t have any friends called Frank, he was sure of it. He looked desperately at his father who was still staring The window behind Jamie exploded as a branch from the into the tree, lit by the red lights from the car. oak tree came through it like a missile and smashed their coffee Why are you just standing there? Come inside, please, please. table into splinters. This time his mom screamed as well. Jamie turned his head to look at the tree. On the other side “Get away from the windows!” bellowed Julian again. of the window, a girl’s face, pale, with dark red eyes and lips “Come over here next to me!” drawn into a snarl, stared through the glass, and he screamed Jamie scrambled up from the floor, grabbed his mom’s so loudly he thought he would tear his vocal chords. hand and ran across the room toward his father. They backed The face disappeared into the darkness, and now there was up against the wall opposite the window, his dad placing an movement as Jamie’s father ran up the drive toward the house. arm across him and his mother, before putting his right hand The front door slammed open and Julian Carpenter burst into his coat pocket and taking out a black pistol. into the living room at the same time his wife ran in from the His mother squeezed his hand so tightly that he thought kitchen. the bones would break. “Julian!” she screamed. “What are you “Get away from the windows, Jamie!” he shouted. doing with that gun?” “Dad, what’s—” “Quiet, Marie,” his father said, in a low voice. “Just do what I tell you and don’t argue! There isn’t time.” In the distance, Jamie heard sirens approaching. “Time for what, Julian?” asked Jamie’s mom, her voice tight Thankyouthankyouthankyou. We’re going to be all right. and high-pitched. “What’s going on?” Outside in the garden a grotesque high-pitched laugh Julian ignored her, taking out a cell phone that Jamie didn’t floated through the night air. recognize. He punched numbers into the handset and held it “Hurry,” Julian whispered. “Please hurry.” 12 13 Department 19 Hill Jamie didn’t know who his father was talking to, but it wasn’t driveway, the barrels of their weapons pointed at Julian. to him or his mom. Then suddenly the garden was full of light “Put your hands above your head!” one of the men shouted. and noise as two black vans, sirens blaring and lights spinning “Do it now!” on their roofs, screeched into the driveway. Jamie looked out Jamie’s dad took a few steps and stopped. He looked up at the oak tree, now lit bright red and blue. It was empty.