Beyond Help

Beyond Help

LIVVY

"Come on Miss," The police constable struggled to hide his embarrassment as he held his coat out in front of him in the hope that Olivia Petrie would cooperate quickly, "I have to insist that you climb down from there immediately and come with me."

Livvy was euphoric. Her entire body tingled in the cold night air. Euphoria rushed through Livvy like a tornado, thrusting aside any inhibitions. Why didn't they understand that Livvy's world vibrated on a higher frequency?

A small crowd gathered under the monument. Some were taking photos on their phones and others were cheering and whistling. PC Dave Robinson knew Livvy well. It was his job to protect the vulnerable young woman although the ever-increasing audience was making that difficult. When his continued requests for Livvy to come down were ignored he had to call for back up; even though he could already hear the ribbing he would receive for not being able to handle the slim, petite twenty-two-year-old.

Livvy embraced the applause when her feet were again on terra firma and calls for an encore didn't fall on deaf ears; however, PC Robinson caught hold of her in time and wrapped his ample jacket round her slight frame.

"The show's over folks," he held Livvy firmly and moved her quickly towards the waiting police van; where a WPC waited with some clothes for her.

Livvy couldn't understand what the fuss was about. The human body is the most natural thing in the world. Clothes are so restrictive. They hold her back from being the entity the universe tells her she is destined to be. The tablets that Dr Granger put her on too, they dragged her down so far that her brain didn't work. It was like it was draped in fog. Putting the pills down the toilet was the best decision Livvy ever made. It was as if the switch in her head had been turned back on.

EVAN

Despite the overnight temperature crashing to -4 Evan Lucas woke again, sweat lashing from him, soaking into his pillow; turning into a disgusting shade of brown. His sleep was disrupted again by the same terrifying nightmare. Sadly, he was unable to shake it off as just a dream because the horrifying scenes of chaos had already happened. The psychiatrist though declared him fit to return to work and later today DI Evan Lucas would again be behind his desk at the station after six months leave. His physical injury healed well. He'd come to enjoy the daily treadmill and exercise bike sessions but the fact that Cara, his twenty-six-year-old assigned physio was smoking hot helped his motivation considerably. Some residual back pain would linger she told him and to use the pain killers when he needs them. He'd come to rely on the co-codamol more than he should, but Evan wasn't quite ready to relinquish his chemical crutch just yet. But all things considered, Evan had got off lightly. Unable to get back to sleep he sighed at the rhythm of his cross breed, Boudicca's snoring. Warrior princess she was not though. She was such a softy, despite her giant size. A cross between a wolfhound and a German shepherd, Boudicca had a unique appearance. Her bed was in the living room but the past six months had seen Evan enjoy her comforting presence in the bedroom at night. Her company filled a little of the emptiness he felt; even if she did snore like a freight train rumbling into the station. She was better company than Heather had ever been that's for sure. He resolved to make a start on his flat when he got home tonight. The empty whisky bottles were at least scattered within a three-foot radius of his recycling bin; they just hadn't quite made it all the way in yet. It was probably also about time to chip away the six months of dust from what surfaces remained without clutter consumed by his temporary disability. The previous few months brought Evan down to some dark places but starting back at work today is the first step on his journey back into the light.