Chapter 3
Non
The cool evening air was like ice being drawn in and out of my lungs. An inky nothingness surrounded me, but my legs kept pumping. I was on autopilot, although I had no idea where my body was taking me. I just needed to get away from that park, from that situation.
For the first few moments after I ran from the lake, Elis’s voice called after me.
But I kept running, not allowing myself to focus on anything he said.
The path that had been a steep drop leading down off the mountain was now starting to even out.
It took a lot of effort to will my legs to a standstill; they seemed hell-bent on getting me as far away as possible. But I managed, narrowly avoiding falling flat on my face into one of the neighbouring gardens.
Now, I was doubled over, hands on my knees, panting. A quick scan of the street confirmed no signs of life, thankfully.
My options from here were slim in terms of destination. If I took a left, the road would bring me right out onto the main intersection of the village, which would be filled with people spilling out of pubs or getting food after a night of drinking.
To my right, the road was a dead end. The only way out was taking an alleyway between the two last houses that wound further down the mountain.
From memory, the alleyway also came to a dead end eventually, but I didn’t have any better options right now. I needed to keep moving.
As suspected, the alleyway was just a dirty concrete passage outlined by crumbling breeze block walls on either side.
Aside from the blood pumping in my ears, it was quiet down here. A faint patter of water dripped from behind, and there was a distant rumble of cars from the main bypass.
If I wasn’t royally fucked from the three quarters of a bottle of gin I’d drank by the lake, I could probably have climbed over one of the alley walls and made my way back home through neighbours’ gardens.
Walking back the way I came was my only option, but as I turned to make my way back up the alley I’d just walked down, a scuff sounded from up ahead. I stopped dead in my tracks and scanned my surroundings. At the top of the alley was the outline of a figure.
For all I knew, it was a local taking an evening stroll, so I tucked in my chin and focused my eyes on the ground.
Eventually, the footsteps came to a stop next to me, but I refused to meet the stranger’s eyes.
A cold hand grabbed my upper arm.
“Where the fuck are you going, Non?”
Elis.
On instinct, my fist connected with his chin. A dull thump echoed off the alley walls, and pain exploded in my knuckles.
Lucky shot, considering how dark it was.
“Shit! What was that for?” he seethed as his grip on my upper arm tightened.
“Take your fucking hands off me, now,” I spat.
“Non, you just punched me! Like, actually just punched me.” He sounded slightly bewildered.
“And you’re fucking someone else, so I guess we’re both full of surprises tonight.”
“Will you let me explain?” he said through gritted teeth.
“Abso-fucking-lutley not.”
It turned out the alley wasn’t a dead end after all.
Hidden in the right-hand corner was a wooden gate that Elis took us through.
For a few minutes, I thought he had just waltzed into some stranger’s garden.
But a security floodlight lit up our surroundings to reveal we were standing in the beer garden of The Pig the entire bar had exploded.
Huge pieces of glass hurtled towards me.
I managed to throw my arms up to block the bigger pieces from shredding my face, but the force of the explosion pushed my back against the door that Elis had run out of only a few minutes prior.
Trying to take a step forward, I assessed the full damage of the now decimated bar. But something around my middle kept me pinned to the wall.
A piece of the glass shelving, over a metre in length, protruded from my stomach.
It exited through my lower back and buried deep in the wall behind me.
My black jeans were soaked in blood, a puddle of red spreading around my feet.
Before the pain could register, black spots crept into my peripheral vision, and I was quickly consumed by darkness.