Utopia | A Coronation Street Story

Prologue

How had they ended up like this?

The crimson blood stained her skin, the substance that was dripping from her fingertips a foreign sensation to her. She was running, but it was as if she was on autopilot. One foot in front of the other, trying her best to move as quickly as she could with the additional weight to deal with. In hindsight, what she would perceive as running in her own mind, was actually nothing more than a laboured jog. Even the weather had seemed to take note of the dark and ominous aura that hung in the air - the clouds had formed in the sky above not so long ago, and now rain had begun to fall in the outskirts of the woods. Even now and then, she wished to take a glance behind her but decided against it, to focus on the task at hand. Was she being followed?

It had all happened so quickly. The more she tried to think about the events that had led up to this moment, they simply came to her in flashes.

Smiles.

Loving words.

Good intentions... twisted into something utterly sinister.

"Why?!"

The words came out in a strangled sob, the salt within her tears mixing with the raindrops as they began to cascade down her face. She forced herself to keep looking forward, hoping against hope that the headlights of a familiar vehicle would come into view along the dirt road at any moment. Had the message gotten through to them, or was this simply a fruitless task? Had all of this been for nothing?

"You told me that you'd... die for me once, you... remember?"

Spider mustered up a smile just in time for her to glance down at him. He had intended it to be comforting, but all Toyah could see was the pain that appeared to be etched across every inch of his face as they continued to move. The hunched-over figure who dragged his feet as he took every step, taking short, ragged breaths as silent tears fell from his own features, was nothing like the man she had fallen for - mentally strong and willing to stand up for whatever he believed in... but wasn't that the point?

He had stood up for what he believed in.

He believed in her.

She did remember it. She really would have done anything for him at that time (and she still would), and it had always pained her that he had never seen her feelings for what they were. Maybe they were simply silly fantasies of a schoolgirl crush, but they were real in her heart. She was in love with him, but he saw her as just a friend, and that had been the status quo for so long that she had almost reluctantly accepted that it was the way that things were going to stay... However, they had been through so much by now, and their lives had been forever tainted by what they had seen. Who loved who was not important right now. What was important was survival.

She had been the reason why they were in this situation. She had been the catalyst, so she should have been the one that had suffered the consequences. Instead, here she was, with one arm placed around his waist to aid his movement, and her free hand holding onto a piece of fabric as if her life depended on it. It was her Hello Kitty t-shirt - the same one that she had worn on the day when all of this was set into motion - and it was being held in place against Spider's abdomen with a blood-stained hand.

The image of the feline mascot was tinged a dark red as it was pressed against the wound, the blood having soaked through the material at a rapid pace since they had begun this treacherous journey. Why had he stepped in front of her in that moment? That knife was meant for her, not for him.

Spider's voice was quiet as he spoke, his eyes staring up at her as he seemed to take in every part of her - as if capturing everything that made Toyah who she was one last time. His voice was too quiet for her liking, and just as his eyes began to flutter closed, he managed to speak once more, before the darkness took over, and he went limp in her grip.

"Turns out... I'd die for you too, Battersby..."