In The End Box Set by Stevens, GJ (read 50 shades of grey .TXT) 📗

“I've got sweets if you want one,” he said, and a laugh came deep from his belly.

I turned and ran and carried on, even when I felt my breath had run out. Not stopping for walls or bushes or hedges or trees. Diving in and out. I'd been away from light for so long I could see quite well.

After what seemed like a long time and with the sky finally beginning to brighten, I had to stop in a copse of trees. It was that smell again, but maybe not so bad. I looked down at Tish and she smiled back.

While rifling through my pack I took notice of my hand for the first time. Running had taken all my concentration to stop us banging into things I could only see at the last moment.

It had stopped bleeding, crusted over, but hurt like it looked it should. It wasn't the worst pain in the world, which was still being kicked in the gonads. I thought of what I could use as a nappy, maybe three pairs of my pants tied at the side might work. I'd brought enough.

I thought of my mum's reaction to what I'd collected up. Maybe I was right this time. I smiled as I opened the pack. Mum had put nappies and Tish's things in my bag.

Laying out one of my T-shirts on the ground, I changed her; not a big deal, but I used the strong-smelling stuff on my hands three times as I let her run around.

We shared a can of beans once I won the struggle to get the ring pull thing up. They tasted all right once you'd got used to the cold. We drank water and I listened to Tish laughing as she picked up leaves and let them drop to the ground. I couldn't help but smile. She was enjoying the great adventure.

Climbing the height of the stone wall, I kept twisting back to make sure Tish hadn't run off or was about to pick up dog poop. She'd done it before, but I wasn't in charge then. I couldn't let it happen now.

The wall didn't feel too stable, but I needed somewhere high up. Whilst I'd run, I'd decided we should head home. We'd collect Rusty, somehow finding a way to get into the house. I'd get Mum's address book and we'd head to Nanny's. She'd know what to do.

A gunshot rang off somewhere in the distance. I looked around, but I couldn't see anything moving, even though by now the sun had made the sky blue.

Tish laughed as the sharp noise came again. Closer this time. Maybe?

I wasn't laughing.

Since I'd eaten I'd started to feel funny inside, like I needed to lay down under my covers.

The covers in my room. My room at home.

There was only one problem. I had no idea where home was.

39

The road looked the same as every other where we lived. Still, I stayed high on the wall, looking in all directions, hoping there would be somewhere I recognised. I looked for my house first, of course. A cottage with a thatched roof, but the same could be said for most of the houses for miles.

The fresh breeze helped to settle my stomach as I tried squinting, staring into the horizon, searching out anything that could be a building. I thought to look for my school. It would be easy to follow the road home from there. It would take less than half an hour walking.

The problem was it was only a little bigger than my house; two small buildings instead of one. Every year they only just got enough kids to fill the amount of space needed to keep it from closing. I knew soon I would have to go to a bigger school, the comprehensive closer to town. We'd have to drive, a long journey twice a day.

Before today, of course. Before last night. Before what happened to Mum and Dad.

Me and Tish would have to live with Nanny.

I turned, almost falling, a stone loose under my right foot. Tish wasn't there.

How long had it been since I last saw her?

Jumping from the wall I ran in a circle, twisting left and right, craning to see around the trees, not wanting to charge off in one direction in case she'd gone the other way.

“Tish,” I called. “Tish,” I said again, then waited. All I could hear were the rustle of the branches above my head. No little footsteps. No little laughs. No cooing at her latest fascination.

“Tish. Where are you?” I was shouting at the top of my voice as I widened the circle, my head darting all over the place. I looked at the ground. Looked for her footprints, but the mud was cold and hard. I wasn't leaving size four prints, so how would her little feet be marking out her path when she weighed about the same as my bag?

“Tish,” I called again.

How could I have been so silly? How could I have let Mum and Dad down so quickly?

With my head turning to the right, I didn't see the branch coming out from the ground. I tripped, stumbling forward. My knees scraping as I hit down hard.

Tears came and I turned, planting myself on my bum. My head was hurting like I'd been playing on the Xbox for too long. My stomach tightened, my jaw falling loose.

I knew this feeling and turned to the side. The beans came up, so did the water and last night's dinner, lasagne and those crisps which had nothing to do with Mum staying on the bus.

Feeling better almost straight away, the world swaying only a little as I stood, the crack of a twig caused me to twist.

There she was,