by Matt Crawley
Chapter 4
It had been a particularly long day at the office. Deadlines were looming and everyone was getting a bit cranky. At half past seven Gary turned off the computer and stretched his arms. Finished. Following the advice of most people he knew, he had booked a few days off work, for a break at a Bed and Breakfast. At last, he could go home and pack his things. He looked at the clock and scowled sleepily. 'At least I missed the traffic' he thought. He said farewell to everyone in the room and walked to the exit. On his way out he gave a packet of chocolate biscuits to the woman at the front desk.
Outside, the air was cold and biting on his face, while the wind made a drop of moisture fall from his eye. The sky was dark and full of stars. "This is it." He said to himself. "I'm finally getting out of here." He switched on the ignition and drove away. All he could think about was getting home, and then getting away the next day. He wanted to find himself again. The excitement filled his tired body and he smiled uncontrollably.
There were few vehicles on the road at this time: the odd bus carrying many to package holidays. A couple of tow trucks. A car with a couple of confused looking dogs in the boot. An ambulance flashing its lights. That last one reminded him to be a bit more careful with his speed. His heart was thumping all over his body, and a line of sweat slithered behind his ear. He opened the window a fraction to cool himself. "Just stay calm," he told himself wearily.
Suddenly a motorbike buzzed up the road, brushing past him like a swarm of insects. The sound rose and fell, making Gary squeeze the steering wheel in surprise. "Wow what a fright" he sighed. Another vehicle came looming over the horizon behind him. The lights were blinding. Gary watched in his mirror as the lights inflated until it was hard to keep his eyes open. His mind began to play tricks on him. He could have sworn the lights were shining from two spiteful looking eyes, full of primal malice. He gazed transfixed at them through his mirror, until his eyes burned. "IDIOT!" He shouted, as the car stampeded past him, roaring as it went. A minute later, another car came and did the same thing. Gary's patience weakened, and eventually snapped like a twig. Another vehicle entered his line of vision. It was a minibus full of people, who were all either stargazing or trying to sleep. In the dark of the evening however, it simply looked like an enormous glowing beast, marking its territory in its snarls and snorts. At least, it did in Gary's mind. His mind was wandering, and he was struggling to keep it controlled. As it came closer, he saw the bus was baring its fangs, and foaming at the mouth. He breathed hard and fast, sweating more. "This is crazy," he said. "Focus on getting home." His speed was steady. Then, as the bus went past him, he lapsed. He swung his steering wheel to the right, colliding sharply with a thud. All the passengers cried out in terror, but to Gary it was the sound of the beast crying in pain as its flesh was bruised and bashed. He did it again. The bus slowed down, wounded and afraid.
Then the scene became even more chaotic. As if it came from nowhere, a charging lorry appeared behind the Janus. It sounded its horn like a war cry, exerting its dominance. Gary sped as hard as he could to escape, but the lorry was out to get him, with burning eyes and dripping fangs. He was at the bottom of the food-chain, fighting for his life against beasts hell-bent on ripping him to pieces. The lorry cried out again. The Janus danced back and forth all over the road as the wheels seemed to lose control.
At about half past one that night, Uncle Charlie's mobile phone started to ring. He sighed and mumbled, stumbling out of consciousness. He clumsily put the phone to his face.
"Yeah.....what is it? ................Gary?......What's he done?.........Alright, I'm come right now." Charlie sat up in his bed, staring at the floor, before letting out a painful sob. A moment passed, and he found Vicky's number - she was the one Gary had suggested as an emergency contact. "Vicky it's Gary's uncle Charlie, sorry to ring so late..........yeah, he's had an accident. I'm going to the hospital in a minute, I could pick you up if you want to come as well, he always used to talk about you. Don't feel pressure though. .....Ok, I'll see you soon."
