Roadkill (LiveWire) (17 page)

‘Visiting my aunt in Higham – meant to be a surprise! Can’t wait to meet u properly. Totally excited to do a UK dare’

The front door bangs and Mum and Garry shatter the silence, with chat and warmth, and that affectionate banter that comes with love. I sigh heavily and head upstairs.

*

Garry and my Mum are talking quietly over the television, the smell of roast chicken still floats in the air. No doubt they’re planning their emigration. Mum was right, I don’t need to move countries to start a new life, but it might help. I badly want to tell them about Leo, and his betrayal, but even as I listen I hear mum laugh, something she hasn’t done since Rose died. She’ll know soon enough what Leo did, and something inside me twists and cringes at the thought of her pain.

So for now I smile and slump on the sofa, hugging a mug of coffee, trying to warm my freezing fingers, picking at a bag of crisps. The TV babbles away, some stupid period drama and I smile until my mouth aches, and sit, nursing my secret. Waiting for the phone call to tell me Leo has disembarked and amidst the heat and bustle I imagine Mexico City airport to be; has been, in police speak ‘detained’.

When the phone eventually rings, it’s the house phone, not my mobile, and almost dreamily I clock Mum’s worried voice, her relaxing evening shattered. A jumbled explanation that Garry’s brother Logan has received a death threat, more, an explosive device has been discovered in his garage.

Logan isn’t straight up and honest like his brother. When Garry came to live over here, Logan followed him, heading up to live in Manchester with some new ‘friends’. He’s got Garry’s giant frame but is better looking, and clumsily lurches into trouble a couple of times a year. I don’t know if he actively socialises on the fringes of the Manchester criminal network, or if he’s just unbelievably naïve…..

Still in a dreamy half world, I can’t even rouse myself as Garry stumps through to the hallway to shift their cases into the car half an hour later.

“Caroline? Sweetheart, I know all this stuff seems weird but I’m sure there is a perfectly reasonable explanation.” She sighs, Garry out of earshot, “You know Logan love!”

I am totally sure there is not a reasonable explanation. Whatever Garry’s brother Logan has been up to it will not be simple. Nothing is. However she is stressed, checking through her handbag, watching me anxiously, and Garry hovers in the hallway, worry creasing his face.

“Will you be okay if I go with Garry? Ring me if you need anything? And don’t forget to call if you are worried…about anything.”

Pulling myself together I tell her I’ll be fine. And I will be. The police will get Leo as he steps off the plane in Mexico. As they leave I hear a girl call out, “Hey Garry? I really hope your brother is alright...”

It takes a while to realise, as I sit alone in the quiet house, that the girl was me.

The chilly autumn air is creeping in my bedroom window and I slam it shut. Rose’s photo frame falls from the wall and lands with a thud on the carpet. Is she trying to tell me something? As if in answer my phone beeps again, and I brace myself. But it isn’t Matt.

‘See u in the woods girlfriend!’

Flicking through my phone I come to Leo, and without a second’s hesitation delete his details. He will never ring me again, never text to suggest pizza and wii…..and I am glad. His betrayal and my stupidity are still raw.

Much as I want to curl up and go to sleep, Kelly keeps texting and emailing until I agree to the dare tonight. Dammit, I suppose I might as well meet her, talk to the person Rose liked so much. Tying up loose ends, I tell myself.

As usual I settle into my LiveWire routine, sleeping for a couple of hours before my phone beeps the alarm call, dressing in dark figure hugging clothing, and finally logging on to find out the details of tonight’s ‘Teddy Bears’ Picnic’. Not much on there, although the directions are easy to follow, so close that I decide to walk, instead of accepting a lift from Ludo. Despite her reservations, it seems both he and Frankie will be in the woods tonight. At least there isn’t any water around…

I’m early, and the shadows are only just lengthening into proper darkness, but there is somewhere I need to go first. Jogging along the road I’m overtaken by two boy racers, revving their engines, the smell of burnt rubber and screams from the drivers searing the night. I hold my breath as they both hurtle into the turn, but they are gone in a flash, leaving me to short cut over the field.

“Hallo Rose,” I whisper, my voice sounding wrong; brittle and harsh.

She ambles over. At least I think it’s her, they kind of look the same in the dark. There is a sort of makeshift shed of corrugated iron and the other pigs are snoozing happily on mountains of clean straw.

“I thought you might be here.”

I don’t even turn, carry on rubbing the pig’s bristly face, just in front of her ears.

“They can’t even turn round you know, in the pens at the factory farms,” he is uneasy, casting around for something to say.

“Yeah you said.” But I find I’m not mad at him anymore, and Matt is the only person I can talk to about all this crazy stuff.

Opening my mouth to speak, I suddenly find I am crying, and when he slides an arm round my shoulders I lean against the soft hoody top. I tell him about Leo, about the murders, about everything. Oh, everything except the fact I’m on my way to do my last LiveWire dare. Then I wait.

“Shit Caz, I can hardly believe it,” He lets out a low whistle, “Leo, I mean of all people. He doesn’t look like he could…..well, you know…”

I shift closer and he hugs me tight whilst ‘Rose’ snuffles our feet. “How did I fall for it? I mean, am I really that stupid?”

“No.” he is firm, “No you aren’t. You were in a bad place,” he pauses, “Rose was too you know. Grieving for your dad, trying to grow up…..it hurts.”

I remember that he too has suffered.

He tilts my chin up and our eyes meet, “But Caz? You can move on now.”

It is a moment before I can speak, “But Rose can’t.”

“No.”

A fox slinks past, nose down, and in the distance The Road hums with energy.

After a while we pull apart and I check my watch, “I should get back.”

“Want me to walk you? Are you gonna be okay by yourself at home?”

“No thanks, I’ll be fine. Leo’s in Mexico now…..and to be honest I kind of need some time on my own.”

He is watching me, a flick and fl
ash as he lights a cigarette. “
Caz is there anything else? We’re okay now yeah?”

I smile, “Yeah. We’re okay now,” and I walk away, feeling lighter, cleansed, to do my last dare.

*

St Peter’s Wood is the south side of town, so over the bridge, a quick jog past Anita’s shuttered house, and I’m at the river crossing. An iron bridge this time, and not one that freaks me. Dad once took us to picnic upriver, pretending to throw mum in, boosting me and Rose up a spreading willow tree. I half smile at the gentle memory, my running shoes silent on the clunking treads. A couple of cars are parked up on a spray of gravel under the trees, and I high five Ludo and Frankie. For a second I wonder if they know who I really am; Rose- Farlan, imposter. But that is silly, they have no reason to doubt me. And I’m not sure it matters any more…

“Hey Farlan! I thought about what you said, you know, doing something I’m good at? Well I used to be a Guide so I figured the woods thing would work okay.” She is chattering away and shivering at the same time. Hmmmm…

As I smile in what I hope is a reassuring manner and turn away, but she comes close and lowers her voice, “I really need to do this you know. Just to prove them wrong. Hey did you find out about those girls? Sorry I didn’t send you the link, I couldn’t find it again!” She smiles helplessly.

It means nothing to her, that people have died doing what she is doing, just a little added frisson. I push Leo farther from my mind, and focus on this last task. He’s gone, and the police will catch up with him.

Frankie’s brother and his mates seem pretty chilled out, and certainly aren’t putting any pressure on her at the moment, but perhaps it’s different when they’re at home. Whatever. I hope she makes it.

I am looking everywhere for Kelly, and realise this is stupid as everyone is in dark hoodies and jeans. The only clear photo of her on LiveWire is a head and shoulders shot, and she has no distinguishing features. To be honest she looks a bit like Melissa. I text her but get no reply. Weird as she was so keen to get me out here.

Our phones bleep with instructions and I follow the boys under the huge sombre trees. Our feet scrunch on already fallen leaves, and it smells of damp earth.

“Okay, this is it,” Ludo says, excitement shaking his voice slightly.

Frankie, by contrast is now a bit quiet. I don’t want to ask her what’s wrong because then she might freak out again, so we wait in silence, huddled with about fifteen other teenagers. We all jump in shock as a masked man slides from the brambles, and pulls something from a sack. For a crazy, terrified second I think it’s a gun and turn to run, then I realise, as a relieved rumble of laughter scatters the crowd, it’s masks.

Still no Kelly and I text her again, annoyed now, that I came out for her and the stupid cow hasn’t turned up. Maybe she’s still in L.A. and it’s her idea of a joke…

Grotesque Halloween type masks, with tiny narrow slits where the eyeholes should have been. The thin elastic pulls my hair as obediently I slip mine over my head. Responding to my sudden loss of sight my other senses kick in and I am acutely aware of the smell of aftershave, a rough touch on my arm as we are herded into a truck, a frightened whimper from one of the kids. I can’t tell if it’s male or female, because I’m slightly, okay a lot freaked out by this dare.

Chapter Nineteen

I’m not the only one, there are mutterings and a girl says she wants out. As per the rules it’s too late for that and our driver yanks the truck to a halt and tells us we have to keep our masks on, look out for ‘obstacles’ and get back out of the wood in two hours. Two hours! St Peter’s wood isn’t that big, perhaps ten miles wide, and I’m starting to think this is going to be easy after all.

I set off with the main group at an easy jog down the big ride, someone has GPS on his phone and calls it’s this way, which is kind of stupid actually, as we’re all in competition. Seconds later the two leaders yell and there is a crack as a tree branch crashes across the path. Wow, even though I am struggling with night blindness and the stupid mask I can see that that was really close. There is further screaming as someone shouts there is electric wire down the side of the path. The panic scatters the herd and I take a deep breath to stop myself joining them. I haven’t got satellite navigation on my phone but I know this place, and even in the dark I should be able to find my way carefully back to the car park.

Just think, I tell myself if I can do this I get my third star. A little voice deep inside pipes up (it is the same voice that recently informed me short black hair and mini
-
skirts don’t suit me) this is the last time. Rose is dead and I have to accept her death. I must actually get on with my life. Mine, not pretending to live hers. I’m so deep in thought I have dropped way behind and suddenly the wood is very
,
very quiet. My soft breathing feels like a lion’s roar, and my foot cracks a twig like a gunshot.

For a moment I think I’m imagining it but there is definitely someone close behind me, creeping as I am, through the undergrowth, but are they headed for the car park or stalking me? Tiny hairs on the back of my bare arms prickle with that animal instinct of the hunted. To make sure I change course slightly, and he follows. I know now it’s a him, because I smell that naff lemony aftershave. It’s familiar because Leo wears it….oh my god. Surely not? He must know the police are after him, or he wouldn’t have disappeared. Wouldn’t be on a plane to Mexico. Wouldn’t know somebody betrayed his little secret…And he must know it’s down to me…

“Leo?” I hiss into the darkness, and an owl swoops low in front of my face, feathers almost brushing my cheek. A mouse squeaks in terror.

Just for a second as I shrink into the tree cover, it occurs to me that I am scared of my own best friend. Who just happens to be a murderer, who also is supposed to be in Mexico. So why is he now stalking me in the woods? My heart is thumping like I’ve drunk a double expresso shot, and I look cautiously around. A couple of yells from different parts of the wood and a loud splash tells me my fellow LiveWire crew are struggling.

“Leo!” I shout it now, shaking with fear, my voice harsh and strained.

A figure materialises from behind a tree, and the faltering moon lights its evil clown mask, its right hand moving upwards, with a glitter. Without stopping to make sure I turn and flee, leaping over brambles, trick wire, whatever. I don’t stop running until I come up against a wood and wire fence about ten feet high. In my terror, running from the masked man and his knife, I have of course, gone wrong. The deer park that borders the west of the wood stretches as far as the Road, and as I hear what I think are running footsteps behind me I swarm up the wire without a second thought, leaning to twist and swing. The wet grass drenches my clothes but it is long and stretches way above my head. For a moment I force myself to hold my breath, listening, tearing off the stupid mask, and blinking in the moonlight.