Part 25 (2/2)
He spotted the gun on the ground and s.n.a.t.c.hed it up quickly. The weapon was slick and heavy in his hand. He had never fired a gun before and could only surmise that you pointed and pulled the trigger before changing the world.
The man that Danny had punched in the nuts started to rise and Randall raised the gun before changing his mind and stepping closer. He brought the heavy metal gun down hard against the man's temple and his stomach rolled as the guy slumped to the ground again, only this time with a sickening dent in his head.
Randall turned towards the other two struggling men in time to see Danny grab the man hard by the s.h.i.+rt and crash his own head forward onto his a.s.sailant's nose in a crimson spray. Randall was sickened by the violence around him and dropped the gun to the ground, hating its cold feel in his hand.
”These can't really be the police?” he asked, shocked.
”Believe it,” Danny replied. ”s.h.i.+t, I think that I was on a firearms course with your guy over there.”
”Barrett sent them?”
”What do you think?”
”But I'm not a threat to him. I told him that I'd go along with what he wanted.”
”I guess he changed his mind.”
Randall watched on as Danny searched the unconscious man for car keys. ”What about the fire? This car's going to blow any second,” he said, climbing back up the bank towards the road.
”Relax, it's just a little leak,” Danny scoffed as he found the car keys. ”Cars don't just explode. That's only on the silver screen.”
Randall didn't trust his a.s.sessment and didn't stop until he was safely back on the road looking down. ”What about them?” He pointed to the men as Danny joined him.
”What about them?” Danny shrugged.
”Shouldn't we tie them up or something?”
”You're welcome to go back down and check on them if you like.”
Randall peered back down the slope and saw the two men lying p.r.o.ne on the ground. The flames hadn't spread much and already looked like they dying out. Some of the scrub around the car had burned away but it seemed like Danny had been accurate about the car not exploding. ”Alright, let's get going.”
”Stop or I'll shoot,” a voice yelled out from behind as they both turned towards the unmarked police car.
Danny turned to him. ”Randall, where's the other gun?”
Randall realised that he'd left the weapon next to a man that he'd a.s.sumed was out cold.
They both turned back around to see one of the dirty cops standing unsteadily with a gun raised in a shaky hand. There was a lot of blood running down his forehead from where Randall had struck him but his aim looked clear.
”He's pretty out of it,” Danny whispered out of the side of his mouth. ”I've got the other guy's gun in my pocket. I think I can get to it before he fires.”
”Are you nuts?”
”He's going to shoot anyway, especially after you left him the gun!” Danny hissed.
”Why don't you try some more of that emotional gay talk?”
”Ah, that only works the once.”
”STOP MOVING!” the cop shouted as he swayed, trying to fight off his impending concussion.
”I've got to try it,” Danny whispered again as he tensed himself.
”You're not Wyatt f.u.c.king Earp!” Randall hissed back in panic.
The world seemed to stop as Randall watched the cop below them tense to fire just as Danny reached for his pocket. He had no idea which of them would be successful but thankfully he was saved from the contest as the rental car exploded at the bottom of the slope.
The explosion flung the dirty cop aside as the air was filled with thunder. From the top of the slope, Randall felt the heat and rush of air that almost knocked him off his feet.
”s.h.i.+t, you were right,” Danny sighed beside him.
Randall turned to gloat but the air was suddenly missing from his lungs and his legs no longer worked. He looked down puzzled and spotted a red stain in the centre of his chest, a stain that started to spread outwards quickly. All he could do was to point at the red dot before he sank to his knees. ”I think he fired,” he gasped before he hit the ground.
Danny rolled him onto his back and knelt beside him, taking his hand.
Randall wanted to ask how bad it was but Danny's ashen face told him everything that he needed to know. ”I thought I'd see the end,” he coughed as the world seemed to fade away. His eyes were heavy and he had never felt more tired in his life. There was no pain, only a warm and eternal sleep to greet him. He desperately wanted to leave this world with prophetic words, but all he managed was, ”b.o.l.l.o.c.ks,” before he died.
CHAPTER TWENTY ONE.
ALL THE FUN OF THE FAIR.
When Jane rounded the last bend her blissful childhood memory was shattered before her eyes.
Westhaven had been a magnet for holidaymakers, especially those with young children. The brightly coloured rides and booths had glowed with s.h.i.+mmering signs under the sun and had lit the sky with sparkling fairy lights at night. But now, as she pulled the car over to the side of the road, what lay beneath her view was a derelict sh.e.l.l abandoned by time and devoid of life. Her heart sank at the sight as her memories flooded back of a happy time, of a magical summer night now confined to the past. Her heart also sank at the sight of the fairground deserted: no staff, no customers, and no witnesses.
She drove down the hill into Westhaven, recoiling at the boarded-up windows and closed businesses. There was no life here, no soul anymore, only misery and paupers.
She drove through the ghost town with only the foul air for company. Shadows moved in and out of her peripheral vision as the undercla.s.s shuffled in the dark, expertly staying hidden. It seemed like every third building or so was empty and there was barely a gla.s.s pane left intact as idle hands were left to their own devices.
The drive through the town was mercifully brief and soon she was beyond the brick carca.s.ses and out to the seafront. Normally the ocean's salty air was like warming nectar to her senses, but here it was tainted as though polluted by the crumbling surroundings.
There were precious few people in sight and those that were gave her pause. Roaming groups of skinny teenagers with bad skin and empty eyes wandered up and down the front; these were predators, however young.
She drove along to the pier entrance. The large sign hung down at one end, barely hanging on to its moorings; blistered paint and rotting wood told a tale of neglect and Jane felt the sadness. She remembered the Westhaven Pier as a bustling hive of happy faces and running children, their little legs unable to handle the excitement. There had been booths and rides all along the pier, all brightly coloured and chiming with music as the summer sun set. Now the long pier was almost deserted, stripped bare of its internal organs and lifeforce.
She parked up and exited the car, feeling unsurprised at the cold nip in the air in spite of the day's temperature. She could feel the glare from a couple of youths across the road eyeing her and the car but she ignored them; the real threat was ahead.
She stepped through the pier's entrance. The huge archway had once been a gateway to fun and adventure, but now her stomach was tightly coiled in fear and apprehension.
The moon was rising fast as she walked along the wooden boards, carefully avoiding those which were too soft and spongy, and stepping over the gaps left behind as some boards had fallen into the sea some 50 feet below. The night sky was clear and the stars twinkled, merrily oblivious to what lay below. The full moon lit her way and gave enough light for her to see clearly and, hopefully, to avoid being surprised. Although she knew in her heart that her brother was done hiding, this was a reunion and one that he wanted to be crystal clear.
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