Page 123 - My Home on the Earth

footsteps coming towards the shed. He peered at the door lock and the window bars; all seemed intact and secure. Thick pieces of cardboard served as a window blind. In the stillness of the night, he held his breath as a shadow appeared under the door. He waited for the door handle to turn; it didn’t. The shadow moved away but he didn’t move until he was certain they’d gone.
Peering through a split in the cardboard, he saw a tall figure moving with care across the yard to avoid the debris. He stopped now and again to stare at the buildings by torchlight. Once the man was far enough away, John rose to his feet, checked the door lock and rattled it. He decided it needed a couple of bolts for added security. In the morning he’d go and search the buildings. He’d considered making a window frame but it seemed a step too far at the moment. Anyway, I don’t have a wood saw, he thought, getting back to his camp bed.
Half an hour later, he heard the footsteps again and this time, voices. The door handle rattled and a voice cried out: ‘It’s locked, and the window is boarded up.’
John believed his time was over and any minute the door would fly open. He threw the covers off and stood up. There was no escape; it was the end of the road for him. He was about to shout: ‘OK. I’m coming out!’ when another voice said: ‘Crikey! What’s that?’ He peered through the split again and gasped. Outside, two uniformed police officers crouched in the shadows. They appeared to be lying in wait and didn’t have long before the tall figure came back. The officers strode forward but were taken aback. ‘Mr Bannister!’ declared one. John
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