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* * *
Billy had tried to get away earlier but the client had insisted on treating him to dinner after the meeting. He’d felt bad enough missing the launch party at the shop, but then he’d had to call Ruby and tell her not to wait up; he knew he wouldn’t be back until well after midnight.
‘Seriously, Bill, why don’t you just crash up there for the night? You must be knackered…’ Ruby hated the thought of him not coming home but she didn’t like the idea of him driving so late either.
‘It’s fine, honestly. I’d rather head back tonight. Then I’ll come and stay at yours and see you tomorrow, OK? We’ll do something together tomorrow night.’
‘All right… but drive carefully.’ Ruby sighed. ‘Love you.’
‘Love you, too. See you tomorrow.’
Thankfully, the roads were pretty quiet and he was making good progress, listening to his favourite playlist. A bank of bright yellow flashing lights came into view, an illuminated sign telling him the motorway was shut just ahead. Billy sighed with frustration as he turned off, following the diversion signs, taking him into the outskirts of a town he didn’t know.
He carried on along unfamiliar roads, through sets of traffic lights and past deserted business parks. The map in front of him on the dashboard shifted continuously in an attempt to send him back to the motorway. Clearly, it hadn’t got the diversion memo.
Billy wasn’t sure if he was even heading in the right direction – his senses told him he wasn’t – but he had no choice but to follow the yellow signs for now.
Despite dinner earlier that evening, his stomach was rumbling. Seeing a garage up ahead after yet another set of traffic lights, he realised he was starving and his thoughts turned instantly to an urge for drinks and snacks. Billy could almost taste the sweet tang of his beloved energy drink, the one his sister always turned her nose up at. ‘I don’t know how you can drink that stuff,’ she’d say, screwing up her face. Given that he was on his own, he thought he might even go for a packet of prawn cocktail-flavoured crisps.
Billy waited for the lights up ahead to turn green, wondering why they all seemed to stay on red for so long in this town. Just then, a song came on that reminded him of Ruby. Listening to the opening bars made him smile, thinking of how she loved to dance to it, limbs flying, a big smile plastered across her face.
The lights changed from red to green. Billy glanced in the rear-view mirror, then moved off. He could see the garage in the corner of his eye, the light of the forecourt bright against the dark sky. What he didn’t see, let alone hear, was the car coming from his right, until it was too late.
* * *
Stephen had been surfing the green wave ever since he’d dropped the others off and, as he looked at the empty road ahead, saw no reason why he couldn’t make this one too. Putting his foot down, he gripped the wheel. He saw the lights change to red but by then he’d committed to crossing the junction. He pushed his foot further to the floor.
The car came from the left, almost as if in slow motion. Stephen watched it rush towards him before a loud bang seemed to run through his entire body. Then it fell quiet. He opened his eyes, his ears ringing. An airbag pushed at his front, seemingly holding him in place. He couldn’t see through the shattered glass of the windscreen or windows.
As Stephen pieced his thoughts together he tried to move but his body just wouldn’t respond. Closing his eyes again, a low moaning noise started to come from somewhere. It took him a moment to realise he was making it. He thought of the other car, tried to move his body again.
He heard voices, a man asking him if he was OK. Stephen nodded slowly. ‘Don’t move; stay there for a second. An ambulance is on its way.’ The man spoke to him through the shattered window. Smoke slowly curled up from the front of the car. Stephen tried to speak but the words wouldn’t come out.
‘It’s OK,’ the man said. Stephen wanted to believe him but the look on his face suggested that was far from the truth. ‘When will they be here?’ Stephen heard him say to someone behind him. The man looked back at Stephen. ‘The ambulance will be here any minute. Just keep still for now, all right? We’ll get you out of there as soon as we can.’
‘What about…?’ Stephen heard him ask someone standing behind him, a woman.
‘It doesn’t look good,’ she replied. Her words would haunt him for the rest of his life.
16
The sound of her mobile phone ringing slowly dragged Flora from her dreams back to reality. She picked it up to see who could be calling this early and she saw it was her father. The time on her screen was 05:14. Flora’s chest tightened.
‘Dad, what’s happening?’
‘Flora, is Johnny there? Is he awake?’
Flora reached across and gently shook Johnny’s shoulder. ‘Yes, he’s here. What’s happened? Please, you’re scaring me.’
‘Flora, Billy’s been in a car accident. A serious one. He’s at the hospital now and we think you should come as soon as you can.’
Flora could hear the words, but it was as if they were far away, not quite real. She shook Johnny again.
‘Flora, what’s going on?’ Johnny sat up beside her.
‘It’s Billy, he’s been in a car accident. I…’ Flora stared at Johnny, unable to make any more words come out of her mouth so he gently took the phone from her.
‘Robin? It’s Johnny – what’s happened?’ Johnny nodded, saying ‘OK’ over and over. Then: ‘We’ll be there as soon as we can.’
