Ben could see his street but not his house. He was tempted to wait for nightfall but the bitter wind and impatience pressured him onwards. Ben was also eager to impress his new associates. He’d been failing at everything he’d attempted thus far and this was a chance to do something right.

He stood upright and walked with some authority as he approached, there was no point skulking in the open. Speed was going to be his strategy now. He jogged up to his front door and pushed his key into the lock. It was already unlocked. “Fuck.” Ben couldn’t remember if he’d locked the door when he left or not, but it was an instinctual habit and it would be strange for him not to. He rubbed his tired eyes and pushed the door open. “Ok,” he whispered.

Ben ran upstairs and pulled out his duffle bag, it was an old black thing he’d had for years, cumbersome but roomy. He stuffed spare socks, shirts, a coat and shoes in the bottom. Every bang or rattle from outside made him freeze momentarily with pricked ears.

He charged into the bathroom and flung open the mirror cabinet, pushing all the stuff out of the way to reveal the small, yellowish tub of pills. “There we go.” he chucked them in the bag and bounded downstairs into the kitchen.

He grabbed any tins and packets he could, not sure if he’d be able to cook them properly, but he figured Hailey and Terry would appreciate the donation. Once filled he zipped the bag up and heaved it over his shoulder, the more you want the more you carry.

He stumbled through the living room when he saw the door fling open wider. “Fuck!” Ben turned heel and dashed out of the back door. He tossed the heavy duffle bag into Ste’s backyard and dove into the bushes across the alley. The spiny branches scratched and clawed at him but he remained perfectly still.

An officer and a man in a red jumpsuit came out of the back gate into the alley. “Do you think it was him?”

The officer looked down. “Good chance.”

“Fuck sake, the minute we take a break.”

“It could have been some kids.”

“I’ll report it back to SS9”

“Nah, don’t bother, it’ll make us look stupid. Go get the chips out of the car.”

“Alright.” The man in the jumpsuit headed back in.

The officer stayed in the alley, arms folded. He narrowed his eyes and peered at the hedging where Ben had inserted himself. He shook his head and went back inside.

Ben stayed put for half an hour. Partly through fear of capture and moving in the prickly bush was particularly painful. He sucked in sharply and began pushing his way back out into the alley. He kept quiet.

He didn’t know why he tossed the bag over Ste’s wall. It worked but he was rueing his decision to not throw the bag in the bush with himself. He clambered over the wall into Ste’s yard.

“Just stay in the alley for a while!”

Ben crouched. One of the men, sounded like the officer had shouted something through. He could hear the scraping of feet and a loud snort followed by spitting. His back gate swung open. Ben knew he wasn’t going to be able to climb over the wall back into the alley now. His only choice was through Ste’s house.

He picked up the duffle bag and quietly approached Ste’s back door. Very carefully, he eased the handle down and closed his eyes. Click. It was unlocked. He shut the door behind him as gently as possible and went through the house.

The low buzz emanated from the living room. Ben stopped. Voices from the living room joined the choir with the humming technology. He stopped in the dining room and listened closely but couldn’t make out what they were saying.

Ben heard footsteps coming closer from the living room. He swept up the stairs while keeping low. His heart pounded and his face was laced with perspiration. “Ok, ok…out the window maybe?”

Ben poked his head into one of the bedrooms, it was completely white with no furniture. The windows had been blocked with a white steel plate. It was the same in each room. The upstairs bathroom window would be too small for him to clamber through. He turned around and knocked the toilet seat and it slammed down.“Fuck.”

The stairs creaked with the footsteps of whoever was downstairs. Ben’s eyes went wild. He considered hiding in the toilet. What if they are coming up here for a piss? He thought. Ben slipped out of the bathroom and into one of the bedrooms.

“I’ll check it out!”

Ben looked up at the loft trap door. The string dangled alluringly. He pulled the string and eased the door open.

“I think it was the toilet seat!” The man called down.

“Check the bedrooms!” The other man called up.

“Alright!”

Ben pushed his duffle bag into the hole and tried to gauge the height with by eye.

The door of the other bedroom slammed shut. “Nothing in here!”

Ben bent his knees and looked at the edge trap door frame of the loft. He jumped on the spot and caught the ledge. “Nngh.” With his remaining strength, he pulled himself up, slipping his legs in and quickly closing the loft trap door, enclosing him in darkness. He could hear the man wandering around in the bedroom below him. He closed his eyes, hoping the man hadn’t seen anything.

The loft trap door opened.

Then it closed.

Ben breathed a sigh of relief but kept still until he could hear the man going down the stairs. He crawled over to the skylight. It hadn’t been blocked up but Ben he was not sure if he could open it enough to fit through. He fiddled with the handle and pushed it open. The roof yawned and spat Ben and his bag out. He clung to the slates of the roof and tried to look down.

He crawled along the roofs of the terraced housing until he got to the end house. He peered over the edge. Concrete waited to catch his body if he’d decided to leap off. He opted to slither down the roof on the side of the garden, staying as flat as possible. He let the bag drop into the backyard and followed it. He landed so hard he fell backwards. “Oof.”

Ben snatched up his bag and opened the garden gate before legging it out of the alley onto the next street. In a frenzy he ducked and weaved through as many alleys and took as many turns as possible, convinced someone must have caught onto his escape.

With his backed pressed against a crumbling wall beside a railway line he caught his breath. The sun had begun to set and he welcomed nights cloak. He moved walked speedily towards the council estate he had met Hailey and Terry. There wasn’t many cars or people, so he kept to the back streets and alleys in case the police where still looking. In the grand scheme of things, he thought it a tad silly that he was hiding so much, surely they would have given up the chase. All he’d done was throw a rock over a wall.

The estate came into view and this time he crossed the bridge, not wanting to get his new change of pants soaked again. He was thankful for his decision to bring a hat and some gloves, he retrieved them from his coat pocket and pulled them over his icy fingers before blowing into his palms.

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

He couldn’t quite remember which house it was now and so he walked into the alley that looked familiar. “Hailey!” he yelled, then waited. “Terr–uugh!” Ben was grabbed.

“Oi!” It was Terry. “Shat ap eh?”

“Sorry I couldn’t remember which house it was.”

“C’mon, I’ll take you in.”

Terry led Ben through the garden and into the flat they had been squatting in. The Lantern was in the middle of the room and Hailey was sitting cross legged, she had a forlorn look painted across her face.

“Hey, Hailey.”

“Hey.”

“Everything ok?”

“Ye got tha stuff, mate?”

Ben dropped the duffle bag. “Yeah, got us some food, and myself some clothes.”

“Ah mate, nice one, nice one!”

Hailey sniffed and wiped her nose.

“What’s up?”

“Did ye bring the pills, aye?” Terry pulled the topic back to what Ben brought.

“Yeah, all in the bag.” Ben nodded and rubbed his hands.

“Fockin, guy this is!” Terry laughed.

“Yeah, you seem to have gotten better, Terry.”

Hailey looked away.

“Aye!” He punched Ben in the face and sent him reeling back.

“Ahh!” Ben tried feel to his knee before he felt a spiking pain surge up his arm.

Terry had picked up a broken iron railing. He struck Ben over and over with it. Ben could hear Hailey crying behind him.

“That’s enough, Terry! That’s enough, leave him alone!”

“Thanks for the freebies, pal.”

Ben groaned in agony, “Ahh, why?”

“No offence, pal, but, eh, can’t have hangers on like you slowen us doon, ya know?”

Ben crawled away, towards the door.

Terry raised the railing to strike him again, but Hailey grabbed his arm.

“Stop it, Terry, you made your point, we got his stuff.”

“Don’t ye go fockin’ runnin’ your mooth to the filth alreet?” Terry spat.

Hailey was crying and pulling at his arm, “Just don’t hurt him anymore.”

“I’m en charge here, Hailey, without me you’d be fockin’ dead already.”

Ben spat blood and coughed, “I won’t tell anyone, I just wanted to help.”

“Good, and dun let me see you hangin’ around ‘ere, don’t wunt you attractin’ pigs, go turn yersel’ en or somfin’”

“Just don’t hit me.”

“Fuck off then!”

Ben stumbled out of the house and fell into the garden, he held his head. Blood streamed through his fingers. He got to his knees and started to limp away out of the gate. He checked his hand and fought back tears. Then he saw it. Imbedded in the grass. A small rounders bat. He picked it up and felt played with the weight in his hands. “Fucking Terry, eh?”

His body surged with adrenalin as he stormed back to the flat, he pushed the door open. Terry was on his knees, looking through the duffle bag he looted from the battered Ben.

Terry looked back at him. “What tha fook, are you–”

Ben lunged forward and struck the back of Terry’s head as hard as he could with the bat. “You fuckin’ jock twat!”

Hailey screamed and scrambled away.

Ben struck at Terry’s head again, he roared as he pounded. Terry tried to cover his head and face with his hands. Ben was insatiable. The frustration had taken control and nothing in the world could hold him back. He beat Terry till the bat broke.

Terry whined and sobbed as he crawled towards Hailey.

“You’re the last person, the last fucking person to cross me!” Ben bellowed and picked up the broken railing. “I’ll fucking finish you off right here.”

Hailey stood up and tried to stop Ben. His eyes were wild. He hit her over the side of the head and sent her back, clutching her face. “You sit right there!” Ben raised the railing and began to strike Terry’s legs, stomach and face.

“Have you had enough, yet?” Ben would howl as he unloaded every ounce of hate onto the sobbing Terry.

Ben was overcome. He leg of the railing and walked back until he met the wall, he slid down it and caught his head in his hands. He sobbed mournfully.

Hailey had crawled over to the battered Terry and was trying to inspect the damage. He was balled up like a hedgehog, shivering and cowering. Hailey tried to speak to him but he whined and cried.

Ben looked at his hands. His palms, barely lit by lantern, were raw and the skin flaked away when he rubbed them together.

“I think you might have killed him.”

Ben sniffed a gloop of snot. “Sorry.”

“Sorry? You beat him to a pulp!”

“Well, he started it.” Ben sniffed again and stood on shaky legs. He walked towards the two and Hailey crawled back away from him.

“Please, don’t hurt me, I’m sorry, it was Terry’s idea, I didn’t want to.”

“I’m sorry for hitting you, Hailey.” Ben wiped his face. “I didn’t mean for this.” He knelt beside Terry. “Terry, can you hear me?”

Terry was still now.

“Terry are you ok? Speak.”

Hailey crawled forward, “I think you hurt him real bad.”

Terry groaned and coughed. “Sorreh, Ben, I didnay mean et.”

Ben looked at his work. He felt sick. He could have just hit him a few times, took the bag and walked off. He had lost all control and he hated it. He had come close to it a few times over the week but this had built into something that terrified him. “Look, we can get you some help.”

“Nah, mate, no hospitals. Police have me on a pick up like ye…”

“Ok, look, I’ll get you some bandages and stuff, Terry.”

Hailey crawled forward. “There is a an A&E up the road, I’ll go, you wait with him.”

Ben nodded. “Ok, I’ll keep him company.”

“T-thanks, Ben.”

Hailey scrambled away and out.

“Guess I got what I deserved, eh?”

“Nah, Terry, I went to far.”

“I’d have beaten you–” Terry coughed, “you like thes if you’d robbed me.”

“I just lost control.”

“Aye, it’s what they do to you, they ruin everathin’”

Ben found pulled out a clean towel from the duffle bag and put it under Terry’s head.

“You really smashed me up good, Ben.”

“Sorry.”

“Nah mate, you’ll keep Hailey safe, eh?”

“You can too, you’ll be alright, she’ll be back.”

“Mate, I can’t see.”

“What?”

Terry grabbed Ben tightly.

“I cannae see, mate…”

Ben leaned over and picked up the lantern. “Can you see the light?”

“Nah, fuck…” he coughed, “Am scared mate.”

Tears ran down Ben’s face, “I’m sorry, you’ll be ok.”

“I can’t see…” Terry began to weep.

Ben leaned over. “I got you.”

“I’m sorreh mate, I shouldnay robbed ye, ya did a good job, you got me pills.”

“I had to climb on a roof for those pills.”

“Aye.”

Ben fished in the duffle bag for them. “Here, take one of these.”

“Give me the bottle, mate.”

“I got one for you.”

“Jes give me the bottle.”

“You don’t need the bottle, just a couple is fine, they are pretty damn strong.”

“Mate, give me the fucken bottle.” Terry coughed and spluttered.

Ben wiped his nose. “Look, we’ll get you medical help, I’ll help you, you’re going to be fine, two is enough for the pain.”

“Nah it’s not.”

“It is!”

“Listen, ave ‘ad enough. I ain’t going into that SS9 and I ain’t living out ‘ere no more. I can’t do it.”

“Is that why you wanted the pills.”

“I just want to go to sleep now.”

“I’m not letting you do this, pal.”

“Ben, give me the bottle.”

“Please, Terry.”

“Please nothin’ give me the bottle.”

Ben looked at the bottle of strong painkillers. “You’ll die.”

“I’m already dead.”

He pushed the bottle into Terry’s hand.

Terry emptied the bottle into his mouth, crunched and swallowed. “Tek care o’ Hailey…she’s soft.”

“She’s tougher than me.”

“Ha.” Terry closed his eyes. “Am goin’ ta sleep now.”

Ben slid away from Terry. He wasn’t sure if he should leave or wait for Hailey. He wished he had taken the bottle of pills. Not waking up sounded phenomenal right now.

Terry grunted and coughed before rolling over with a low, long moan.

Ben fell to his side, curled up and closed his eyes as he thought about what he should do next.