Gods and Monsters

XIII

Peggy's apartment - Finchley, London

Charlie bounded his way up the stairs to Peggy's apartment after finding the elevator out of order. He was still a bit disappointed that karaoke night was proceding without him but was hoping that he should be able to make it back in time for his duet. The most important thing was that it was a success and from a picture that he'd received from Scarlett of an elderly group of gentleman performing a Backstreet Boys song, it seemed to be going well.

As he reached Peggy's floor, Charlie strolled up to her door before knocking on it in a rhythmic tune. He checked the picture of the new Backstreet Boys once again and let out a hearty chuckle as he waited for Peggy to answer.

Nothing.

He knocked once again in a different rhythmic tune but still found no answer. Pulling Winnie out of his pocket, Charlie looked along the hallway to see if anyone was looking before proceeding to pick the lock to her home.

I hope she's not in the shower, that'd certainly be awkward to explain. Charlie thought before realising that he really wouldn't mind too much. The lock clicked and Charlie pulled the handle to fortunately find the chain hadn't been put on the door. He walked into the dimly lit apartment, knocking once again in case Peggy could hear him now, before massaging the wall in an attempt to find the light switch.

When he eventually did, the scene he found was one he had certainly not expected. Peggy was slumped on the floor of her apartment, head buried in the carpet, her mouth bordered with froth. Charlie had seen enough overdoses to know what had happened here. He dashed across the room and tried to wake her to no avail before noticing his pills which had spilled onto the floor not too far away.

"No, no, no. Don't do this to me Peggy. C'mon, wake up!"

But Peggy didn't. Her body lay unconscious as Charlie held onto her, still attempting to wake her. He could still feel a slight pulse from Peggy but knew that without help soon, her chances were slim. He pulled out his phone and began dialling, hoping that his friend would pull through. Charlie had lost enough people throughout his life and he certainly wasn't planning on losing another.

To be continued...