by D. J. McCune
‘Michael, why aren’t you in class?’ They both jumped at the same time, two heads snapping sideways to find The Bulb frowning at them. He didn’t seem at all perturbed that his son was holding a younger pupil pinned against a wall.
‘This little tit was trying to take something of mine!’ Adam did a double take. He couldn’t believe the whiny voice Michael Bulber had just put on. ‘I was just giving him a little warning not to do it again.’ He took his time releasing Adam’s throat. Adam coughed and glared at him balefully.
The Bulb sighed. ‘Michael, we’ve had this conversation before. That’s why I’m here. I’m the man to come to if you have a problem.’ For the first time he looked at Adam and his face tightened with dislike. ‘Why are you not in class, Mortson?’
Adam gave him an incredulous look. How was he supposed to answer that? Well, sir, I was just on my way when your psycho son decided to strangle me … Somehow he didn’t think that would go down too well. ‘I’m just going there now, sir.’
‘I’ll escort him there if you want,’ Bulber said. His odd, fishy eyes glinted.
Adam swallowed hard and thought quickly. ‘I don’t want to be Michael’s enemy, sir. We just had a bit of a misunderstanding but it’s important to show love and kindness to our enemies, you know? I hope he can forgive me.’
The Beast was staring at Adam as if he had lost his marbles but The Bulb had a thoughtful expression, just as Adam had hoped. He could almost hear the cogs grinding inside The Bulb’s head. Was this a good opportunity to put the sensei’s teaching into action? Would it be enough? There was a stand-off while The Bulb made up his mind.
At last he sighed and turned to his son. ‘Meeting people like Mortson is just one of the many crosses we have to bear in this life. As my son you’re my representative amongst the students and I need you to lead by example. So, I want you two to shake hands like gentlemen.’
Michael Bulber’s mouth had dropped open. He stared from Adam to his father as if he were hallucinating. Adam took advantage of his confusion by holding out his hand with a suitably humble expression on his face. He even murmured, ‘Sorry about the misunderstanding, mate.’
Bulber gave him a hate-filled look but with his father standing beside him he was trapped. He reached for Adam’s hand but Adam was smart enough to only just touch it before he pulled his fingers to safety. No point having his hand crushed along with his throat.
The Bulb had a look of profound satisfaction on his face. He nodded, pleased. ‘Right, Mortson, you can go.’ He put his hand on his son’s shoulder and began walking in the other direction.
Adam couldn’t resist. ‘Michael!’ He waited for Bulber to twist towards him and tried to make his expression sincere. ‘That thing you were talking about. You know, the woman problems. You should do what your dad did. Try writing her a love poem. Works every time.’
And as the Beast’s face darkened with rage, Adam reflected how quickly a bad day could turn itself around.
Chapter 9
By 7:30 the following evening, Adam was pacing up and down the pavement outside a cafe called Milky Moo. Melissa had texted to say that she would meet him there at eight o’clock. Tonight he was taking no chances. He had come home from school, showered and put on a non-bloodstained shirt. He had even skipped dinner in case he somehow got caught up in a call-out.
He tried to look as if he came here all the time but secretly he was thrilled to be in Flip Street. He knew Luc liked to hang out round here but Adam had tried in vain to get invited along. Now it was Friday night and he was here, in the coolest part of the city, waiting for a girl. An actual, real-life girl! Admittedly as he looked into Milky Moo his heart faltered. It seemed to be full of Japanese exchange students, girls with shiny black hair and very short skirts. They were screaming a lot, in a happy kind of way. He should probably bring Archie here, especially if the Japan trip didn’t go ahead …
He felt nervous and tried not to. He had been working with Melissa in biology for weeks now and after their awkward beginning it was easy talking to her. She was funny without being bitchy and she liked to tease him without being nasty. There were so many things he wanted to ask her. Unfortunately, he had to find a way of doing this without answering any questions in return. That was going to be the tricky bit.
He looked up and down the street, starting to enjoy the vibe. The pavements were filling up. Everyone was dressed to impress and ready for a good night. He felt so normal being here with everyone else, just waiting to meet a girl and hang out together. Why couldn’t his life be like this all the time? Someday it will be, he thought. Something touched his shoulder and he spun round. Melissa was there, grinning. Her hair was pulled back off her face and tied up with some kind of clip and her eyes had dark stuff round them, making them even more like lasers. She looked amazing! ‘You look really nice,’ he blurted out, then stopped horrified. He hadn’t even said hello yet! Don’t look desperate, he commanded himself.
Melissa didn’t seem to think he had said anything strange. ‘Thanks. I guess you weren’t taking any chances this time.’ Her eyes glinted.
‘Yeah,’ Adam mumbled, rubbing his hair and feeling sheepish. ‘So where would you like to go?’ A chorus of shrieking and giggling rang out inside Milky Moo and he winced but tried to look enthusiastic. ‘Do you want to go in here?’
Melissa looked horrified. ‘God, no! I mean … Do you want to go in here?’
Adam felt weak with relief. ‘No! But I don’t really know what’s round here.’
Melissa snorted. ‘Trust me, we can do better than this.’ She started walking and he followed, dazed at the number of people still pouring into Flip Street. It was too busy to talk but after a few minutes Melissa seized his hand for just a second and dragged him into one of the side streets. There was a battered sign on the wall, written in Cyrillic script, with a hammer and sickle beside it. He followed her through a steel door and down a flight of steep steps, trying to pretend his hand wasn’t still tingling.
They emerged into what might have been an underground bunker. There were no windows and dim lights lit the corners. The walls were covered with old maps, mostly of Eastern Bloc states that no longer existed. The tables were low stone slabs, as were the benches, although they were at least covered with colourful, scruffy cushions.
Already the first room was buzzing with people, some their age, some older. Music beat low in the background and Adam could see two further doorways off the main room. Directly ahead of them was a long, scratched bar. A tall guy behind it spotted Melissa, jerked his head in greeting and mimed drinking a coffee. She grinned and nodded. He turned to Adam and raised an eyebrow enquiringly, holding up two fingers. Adam shook his head violently, panic-stricken at the thought of having to drink a coffee and pretend to like it. ‘Just lemonade thanks,’ he bellowed, far too loud. People turned and stared for a second, then returned to their conversations.
Melissa was looking at him oddly. ‘Don’t feel like coffee,’ he said and paid for the drinks.
They wove through the crowd until Melissa somehow located a tiny space on the stone bench. They sat down but it was a tight squeeze. Adam could feel her thigh curving against his and tried to ignore it so he could still breathe.
Melissa didn’t seem to notice. She was looking around with bright eyes. ‘I love this place. It’s called Petrograd. They make the best coffee.’
‘It’s nice.’ Adam smiled, suddenly aware of a powerful happiness nestling in his chest. He was in Flip Street in a cool cafe with a really cool girl. He couldn’t exactly say this was normal for him but at least for once it was abnormal in a good way.
Melissa recognised someone in the far corner and waved at them. ‘I come here a lot. I work just round the corner. In Alter-Eden.’ She said it like he should recognise the name and when he didn’t her face fell a little. ‘It’s this brilliant shop! Really massive. Loads of vintage stuff and new designers. Not really expensive stuff, just quirky.’
They chatted for
a while and Adam began to let his guard down. They swapped stories about primary school and argued over favourite films and foods. He eventually confessed his dislike of coffee and Melissa admitted that she couldn’t drink milky tea without retching. They talked about everything and nothing. She was easy to talk to.
Too easy to talk to, he realised after a while. He had started telling her a story about Auntie Jo visiting another Luman’s house … and then realised he couldn’t tell her the funny bit at the end where Auntie Jo set the toaster on fire and swooped to safety … The problem was he couldn’t relax too much. The easier it was talking the more likely he was to let something slip – and so he fell into an uneasy silence.
As if things weren’t awkward enough a couple squeezed in beside them. The boy was a couple of years older than Adam, tall and muscular with a goatee. The girl had pink hair and lots of piercings. Clearly this was an irresistible combination for Goatee Guy because as soon as they sat down he leaped on Pink Hair and proceeded to devour her alive. Adam tried not to stare, fascinated. Surely snogging her with all that metal in her face was a hazard. He didn’t want to have to interrupt his evening to guide Goatee Guy into the afterlife …
Melissa drank the last of her coffee and made a face. It must have been freezing – they had been there for well over an hour. It was probably time for her to go. He wondered if she felt left out looking at the couple beside them. Maybe she expected Adam to start eating her alive. He looked at her appraisingly, trying to work out what Dan would have called his trajectory. He could angle his head left and go in, under the nose …
Melissa turned suddenly and drew back a little when she saw his face. He realised he was staring at her with an almost hungry expression and tried to smile. ‘Do you want another disgusting coffee?’
She laughed and relaxed. ‘Nah, I need to go soon. But we could grab a pizza slice if you want? There’s a little Italian place round the corner …’
At the precise moment she said the word ‘corner’ Adam felt something stab him in the guts. He almost doubled over in his chair but managed to stay upright. ‘Yeah, that … sounds good.’
‘OK, I’ll be back in a minute.’ Melissa smiled at him and disappeared into the crowd.
Adam watched her go through dull eyes, unable to believe his bad luck. He had waited a week for another premonition – without success. Why did he have to get one now when everything was going so well? Another pain racked him and he groaned, folding in half, his head resting on the stone table. It was so strong! Goatee Guy was staring at him. ‘You all right, mate?’ Adam couldn’t answer but managed to nod and turn away. He was quite touched that Goatee Guy had interrupted his meal to ask.
Why was this happening? He hadn’t tuned into the premonitions tonight. Typically, on the nights he had sat at home feeling bored there hadn’t been a single twinge! Now his intestines seemed to be dancing some kind of mad jig. He felt as if he had swallowed lots of sharp wriggly things.
‘Are you ready?’ Melissa was standing over him, looking concerned.
‘Yeah, just tying my shoelace.’ He managed to stand, although the pain made him want to curl up in a ball on the floor and rock backwards and forwards. He followed her up the stairs, pushing past the crowds trying to get down into the bunker.
Above ground once again, Adam walked beside Melissa, trying not to stumble. People were walking towards them from every direction. He could feel sweat in his hair, threatening to spill into his eyes and sting them. Melissa was chattering and Adam tried to listen but the feeling in his stomach was getting stronger.
Why was the premonition so powerful? Gritting his teeth he tried to tune into the sensations in his body. He couldn’t explain why but he felt sure that only one person was in danger. So for the premonition to be so strong maybe the person was somewhere nearby … He stretched onto tiptoe and looked up and down the length of Flip Street, eyes darting over the crowd, past pubs and clubs, past side streets and alleyways.
His eyes snagged suddenly on one particular lane, on the far side of the road. The stabbing sensation in his gut returned with full force and he knew he was in the right area. Someone in that alleyway was about to die – and by a quirk of the Fates the one person who could know that was standing across the street.
Melissa had turned and was staring at him, face concerned. ‘Are you sure you’re OK?’
Adam tried to nod. ‘I‘m fine, just hungry.’
Melissa pointed up the road to the right. ‘The pizza place is just up here, the next little side street.’ She grinned at him. ‘I promise it will be worth it when we get there.’
Adam tried to smile back. ‘Listen, I just need to go and get some money out, OK? Why don’t you go on round and get a table? I’ll be there in a few minutes.’
She gave him a suspicious look. ‘OK … But it’s all right if you need to go home.’
Adam shook his head. It took more effort than he had expected and fresh sweat broke out on the back of his neck. ‘No, honestly, I’m fine. I’d really like some pizza. I’ll be there in five minutes, I promise.’
Melissa shrugged and nodded. ‘Whatever you want. I’ll see you there.’
He watched her walk up the road and slumped back against the building behind him, feeling the cold stone through his hair. He tried to turn down his doom sense. When it was too intense he couldn’t think straight. He was sure that the next victim was in the alleyway. Feeling a little stronger, he ducked and wove through the crowds and crossed the road, scurrying along in the gutter for speed.
At the end of the narrow alley he paused and bit his lip. There were no obvious doorways – only large, industrial dustbins. Past them the alleyway stretched away into darkness. It was impossible to tell what was at the other end. The icy weather was keeping the worst of the smell at bay but there was definitely a hint of rotten food in the air.
He stood for a moment, puzzled. There was no sign of anyone so where was the next victim? The feeling in his stomach was still there. Had they not arrived yet? He took a cautious step forward, then reeled sideways with shock. Just like the time in the country road a clear vision appeared in front of his eyes. He could see a young man lying on the ground, tangled in a sleeping bag. The sleeping bag was stopping him from escaping the gang gathered round kicking and punching him.
Adam staggered into the wall and retched weakly. People behind him laughed and hooted and a stranger thumped his back. ‘Go home to your mammy, son!’ Adam felt his cheeks flush and he groaned aloud. They thought he was drunk. If only, he thought. Instead he was about to go down a dark alley and try to convince a total stranger that he was about to die.
Still holding onto the wall for support, Adam crept into the alleyway. Within a few feet the walls seemed to close in around him. It was amazing how much quieter it was so close to the main road. He squinted into the gloom, letting his eyes adjust. It would be so much easier to go into the Hinterland but that would mean appearing out of thin air which would probably give the homeless guy a heart attack. Which, as Adam reflected, kind of defeated the object.
He could almost see now. The walls on both sides were lined with industrial bins. A few black bags had overflowed and were strewn in his path. The smell here was overwhelming – fetid, something like rotten apples and cheesy socks. It made him feel like retching all over again.
‘All right, mate,’ a voice called out. Adam leaped a foot in the air and swung left, startled. A lighter flicked and a face appeared out of the darkness, pale skin and bright brown eyes beneath a black beanie. The man was young, perhaps a couple of years older than Aron but not nearly as muscular. Stubble peppered his cheeks and jaw. He seemed friendly but his eyes were wary. ‘You lost?’
‘Erm … Hi.’ Adam’s relief was short-lived. All right, he had found the next victim but now he was going to have to think fast. The premonition gave him a fresh stab in the guts. ‘How are you?’
‘Oh, I’m good thanks,’ the man said cheerfully with no apparent trace of irony. �
��Not the warmest of nights but what can you do?’ He had a hint of an accent, something soft and lilting. He was curled up on the ground. It still came as a shock seeing the sleeping bag from his vision. This guy was going to die very soon unless Adam could convince him to make a run for it.
‘It is cold,’ Adam agreed. ‘Still, if you had a nice cup of tea that would warm you up.’
The man raised one eyebrow into a perfect arch. ‘Oh aye, I’ll just put the kettle on, will I?’
Adam gave a silent groan at his own stupidity. The poor guy was just trying to bed down for the night and now he thought some moron had come to torment him. He tried to smile. ‘Well, there’s a really nice cafe around the corner. It’s called Petrograd … Great coffee!’
The homeless man was gaping at Adam. ‘Do you really think I’d be lying here if I had the money to go and get a nice latte?’
‘But I could give you money,’ Adam said, scrabbling in his jeans pocket. He had a fifty pence coin and a £20 note. He thrust them at the young man, who blinked, looking from the money to Adam’s face and back to the money.
To Adam’s horror he shook his head. ‘I don’t need your charity, mate.’ His voice had become gruff. ‘I’m trying to sleep here. Now, no offence but sod off, will you?’
Adam felt a rising sense of panic. ‘But you can’t stay here!’
The man stared at him and something steely came into his expression. ‘I sleep here every night. Don’t tell me what I can and can’t do.’
‘But it’s dangerous!’ Adam stalled, trying to sound convincing. ‘I mean it’s really cold tonight! You could freeze!’
‘Yeah well, at least here I’ve got plenty of cardboard. The bins keep most of the wind out anyway. It’s a good spot. Just leave me to it!’
