Page 140 - Mobile Magic

140
CHAPTER 11.
THIEVES IN THE DARK
The room was plunged into total darkness. Her partner released Saffron in mid-swing; she cannoned backwards into someone’s leg, tripped and fell sprawling on the wooden floor. No time to waste working out which bits of her hurt the most, she rolled and crawled in what she guessed was the direction of the stage.
As her eyes adjusted to the gloom, Saffron saw a faint glimmer from the lights of the town through the open double doors. Some of the crowd was rushing towards it, but others were taking stock and quietly regrouping. Faint glows flickered around the hall as people used their mobile-phones as torches. Well, she thought, that’s one function which Mobo doesn’t have!
Sitting, huddled in the protection of the stage, keeping out of the way of trampling feet and listening to the band members swearing above her, Saffron saw a shadowy figure wielding a pencil-thin beam of light move towards the podium about a metre away. As the dark shape leaned over the podium the torch-glow revealed a head she recognised. It was a pimply, ferret face - the hat and glasses now removed, the black beanie pulled down low and the golden chain glinting around his neck.
Saffron now screamed in earnest at the top of her voice.