‘How are you holding up, baby?’ Ben mouthed.
‘Oh, I’m having the time of my life? Who needs the sun and a swimming pool?’
Ben and Laura laughed.
‘I need to test the water,’ Ben said to Laura.
‘How do you mean?’
‘There are gaps. Whenever he calls, he goes quiet for a while. I think he moves to where he has the others, checks in, you know? To make sure everything is going to plan. He can’t watch us the whole time; he has the others, held somewhere close. It may give us enough time to untie everyone, get them off the coach and somewhere less conspicuous.’
‘Ben, it’s too dangerous.’
‘It’s our only hope.’
Jack and Gareth.
‘I need to get out of here. I can’t stay any longer. I can’t deal with confined spaces.’ Gareth swung his hips one way and then the other, thrashing like a fish on the end of a line.
‘Take deep breaths. You can do this, Gareth. Do you hear me? Deep, slow breathing. I’m here. I’m with you, okay. Let me hear you. Come on. In and out.’
The two men spoke, unable to see each other. They’d been taken off the coach, marched along the road, the caller walking behind them, spouting profanities about sin and how they’d make up for what they’d done. As they reached a barn, the caller had told them to stop. He’d tied Nigel up and left him inside. They heard the door opening across the field as they stood on the path, terrified of being shot. As the caller returned, he instructed them to walk, climb the verge and tramp together across a field. He told them if they looked back or tried to run, he’d kill them both.
As they approached, they saw a line of cottages, illuminated with the outdoor light which hung by the front door of the first cottage to their left. A light at the window upstairs was the only sign of life.
The caller had held the gun at Gareth’s face while unlocking the door, and marched the guys inside.
Now, Gareth sucked air, forcing it into his lungs, panting, pushing short breaths out. ‘It’s no good. I feel like I’m trapped in a lift. I want to go home. I have to get out of here. You don’t understand.’
‘Gareth, look towards my voice. Tell me about your happy place.’
‘Happy place?’ Gareth’s voice was cracking, damaged from screaming out.
‘That’s right. Tell me.’
Gareth closed his eyes to aide his imagination; his breathing started to stabilise, slowing down. In his mind, he removed himself from this place, if only temporarily. ‘It’s a beach.’
‘That’s right, now imagine you’re on the beach. How does it feel? What can you hear?’
Gareth swallowed and continued. ‘I’m on a beach. I feel the sun on my skin, warming it. I stand close to the water and listen as the waves gently roll towards where I’m standing. My feet are buried in the sand, and I stand still, listening – Seagulls squawk above as they sweep through the air, swooping overhead, powering through the sky. I look up, and I only see a blanket of light blue, the sun glistens, sat so still.’
Jack smiled in the dark. ‘That’s your happy place. Somewhere, sometime you’ll see again.’
The sudden bang from above brought Gareth out of his trance. ‘What was that?’
‘I think he’s back.’
19
The Cottage
Gareth and Jack listened, knowing they’d heard a noise above them. Someone had come into the cottage. A few minutes ago, they’d heard a door slam. They kept silent, waiting for another indication that somebody had come inside.
‘It may have been the wind,’ Jack said, wanting to give them hope.
Gareth tried to search the darkness for Jack’s shape. ‘Thank you for helping me. I’d be broken without you.’
‘It’s okay. We’re here together. We have to look out for one another.’
‘Maybe he won’t come back. Maybe he’s bored,’ Gareth said hopefully.
‘How long have you and Stephen been friends?’
‘Oh, for as long as I can remember. He’s a pain in the arse but, you know, he’s like a brother.’
‘Yeah. Lydia’s my soulmate. I couldn’t bear to be without her. I’d do anything for that woman,’ Jack proclaimed.
‘How did you meet?’ Gareth was now opening up. He felt a little more relaxed and willed himself to deal with his situation.
‘Oh, a good question. She was my neighbour when we were younger. I lived in North London, and I remember when she and her family moved in. Lydia was friends with my sister; I always had a major crush on her. She’d tell you we were just friends if you asked her but I’m not buying that.’ Jack laughed, recalling the early days. ‘Anyway, we moved away, much to my disappointment, and I bumped into her years later. I’d never forgotten her. My first crush and the only love of my life. She told me I’d suddenly got hot. I remember how I felt at the time, hearing those words. A mixture of my dreams being dashed and elation all at the same time.’
‘Why both?’ Gareth asked.
‘Oh, you know when you’re a kid, you start to get attracted to a person and think of them more and more, you style your hair, wear a little of your father’s aftershave, work at your fashion, buy the magazines, and you beg your parents for that trendy jacket or the expensive shoes. That was me, trying to impress Lydia.
‘I remember the excitement when she’d come for a sleepover. My sister was two years older than me, so was Lydia.’ Jack sighed. ‘That’s a gap that’s implausible when you’re a child, but it didn’t stop me having a crush on her. Yes, she was out of my league, two years above me at school and I remember the looks she got as she walked down the corridors from the older boys. But it didn’t stop me dreaming. I heard Lydia and my sister discussing boys, someone Lydia wanted to kiss. It broke my heart. I always wanted that boy to be me.
‘Anyway, to get back to the story, when I met her years later, I asked her for a drink, and that was that. Her words were, “You’ve suddenly got hot”.’
‘That’s a great story. She must have–’
Footsteps were coming from above, loud thumps, moving across the ceiling.
‘Someone’s there. Gareth, stay calm, okay. Do you hear me?’
‘I hear you. Look, if we don’t, you know, make it, then thank you. Thank you for being so kind.’
‘Gareth, we’re going to make it okay? Just do as he says, remember the deep breaths. You’ve got this.’
The person was moving down the steps; heavy footsteps thudded, pounding on wood, getting closer. The handle turned, and the door opened. A switch was pushed, and the light from a weak bulb enabled them to see.
The man stood in the doorway; the hood of his jacket pulled over his head, his face a dim shadow beside the bright light from his hi-vis jacket.
‘How’s your stay? Are you comfortable? Warm enough? I do hope you’ll tell others. Be sure to leave a five-star rating now, won’t you?’
‘Go to hell,’ Jack answered.
‘Well now, that’s not very polite. I expected a little gratitude, a thank you, maybe a tip left in an envelope at the front desk.’ The man in the hi-vis looked at Gareth. ‘How very cosy. I trust the both of you are acquainted? You’ve been together a while, haven’t you? You’ll be exchanging numbers soon.’