LAWLESS
A NDY C OOMBS S ARAH S CHO
ISBN 978-91-47-15592-7
© 2024 Coombs Andy, Scho Sarah och Liber AB
Title of the original Work
Lawless © Andrew Coombs & Sarah Scho, 2021
REDAKTION Anna Karlberg
FORMGIVARE Ingela Jönsson
ILLUSTRATION OCH OMSLAG Sarah Scho
PROJEKTLEDARE Emilie Szakàl
Första upplagan
1 REPRO Repro 8 AB, Stockholm
TRYCK People Printing, Kina 2024
KOPIERINGSFÖRBUD
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1 Soldiers
It was two in the morning when I heard a noise. Men were outside – big men trying to move quietly. I sat up in bed and listened. I couldn’t hear any words, just the pssss wssss of whispers. Pssss wssss. Wssss pssss. I put my face to a crack in the wall and peeked out. There were four big men. They wore black boots, heavy jackets, and masks over their faces. The moon was full and yellow light glinted on the weapons they were holding. Pssss wssss.
Quietly, I pushed myself back and off my bed. I ran quickly and silently to my parents’ bed.
Mom and Dad were asleep – Mom’s arm over Dad’s shoulder. I knelt by the bed.
“Dad!” I whispered as loud as I dared. “Dad! Wake up!” Dad’s eyes fluttered open.
“Kate! Go back to bed! We’re sleeping!”
“No Dad. Soldiers. They’re here!”
Dad’s eyes opened wide. They were too wide. “Soldiers,” he said.
“You’re sure?”
“Outside. Four of them. They have weapons!”
Dad sat up. Mom’s arm fell from his shoulder and she opened her eyes.
“Soldiers are here,” he said. Mom put her hand to her mouth.
“What about Kate?” she said, and her voice was small.
“I know,” said Dad. He stood up and took my hand. He held it very hard and pulled me to the back door. He opened the door carefully and looked out. The soldiers were not there.
“You have to go. Now!” he said. Dad pointed to the trees. “Run to the forest and don’t stop.”
“But what about you and Mom? Why can’t you come too?”
There was a banging at the front door. A loud voice said, “Open the door or we will break it down!”
“There’s no time, Kate. Just run and don’t stop.” Dad held my head in both his hands – making me look into his eyes. “Are you listening? Run. And do not stop. Do not look back.”
There was a crash from inside the house. They had kicked in the door.
Dad looked at me one last time. “Now. Go!”
He pushed me away and turned back into the house. He closed the back door. I heard him lock it. I stood there – I didn’t run. I didn’t want to leave them. The cold skin of my back pressing the wood of the door.
Bangs and shouts. I heard Mom yell, “What are you doing here? You have no right to be here!” Dad was shouting too.
I heard a cruel voice say, “You are a criminal. And criminals are punished!”
“I have done nothing wrong,” said my dad and then something, a pot maybe, smashed.
The smash made me jump and start to run. I ran to the trees. I didn’t look back. And when I reached the trees and the forest hid the moon and made everything dark, I still ran. I ran until my breath was too fast and I fell down.