Mind Games

Chapter 49 - Ryan

The first thing his muddled brain recognised were the flashing lights. Then he registered the ambulance.

He tried to hobble faster.

Who else had she hurt now?

Why had she let him go?

It seemed like she had suddenly changed. But had she?

He couldn't believe it.

He tried to push away the cold dread building in his heart as he focused on reaching the house at the end of the street.

The house where he'd left the only two people that he cared about.

He saw the stretcher as it was being loaded into the ambulance.

A covered figure. Too small to be an adult.

He broke into a run.

The paramedics looked up at him blankly.

"My friend..." he couldn't finish the sentence.

"There has been some sort of accident here, kid." One of the paramedics told him. "Cops are in there trying to figure it out."

Ryan found his eyes dragged to the covered figure. "My friends were in there." He whispered.

The paramedic looked at him sympathetically. "This boy here didn't make it. I heard the girl and her grandmother survived."

Ryan felt his legs go weak. He suddenly felt like curling on to the curb and going back to sleep.

Anything was better than this distorted reality.

Ned?
Ned didn't make it?
The boy he knew all his life?
The only person who he could trust?
Ned was gone?

The early morning light along with the flashing lights of the ambulance made the moment feel surreal.

He walked away, numbly. Not consciously thinking about where he was going.

He vaguely heard the paramedic calling out to him, but he ignored it.

"Ryan!"

The voice jolted through his thoughts.

Cassie!

He turned to the voice.

She was standing a little away, huddled against a hedge. She looked like a shadow of herself. Her face pale and drawn. She stood there, still, trembling slightly.

Ryan started moving towards her, but she turned away. He could hear her sobbing.

He stopped, uncertainly. Not sure what to say.

"It was my fault." She said, shakily. "I killed Ned"

"No. It was Amy." He said, angrily. "What did she do?"

She shook her head. "No, Ryan. It was me."

He looked at her, not understanding.

"We were trying to run away from Amy. But she was right behind me and I was so scared."

She started sobbing again.

Ryan stared at her mutely.

"I... I was trying to get away... But Ned... he was right in front of me! I pushed him, Ryan. I pushed him away so I could escape."

Ryan opened his mouth to say something. Yell, scream, tell her her he understood. But nothing came out.

His mind was in a whirl.

"He fell down the stairs and broke his neck... and I... I trampled over his body and ran away..."

She covered her face in her hands and sobbed.

Ryan thought of his best friend. Thought of all the laughs. All the times he stood by him.

Then he thought of him laying broken on the staircase. And this girl, who had called for their help, trampling his dead body as she ran away to save her own life.

Cold anger rushed through him.

She looked up at him, her face covered in shadows.

"Will you forgive me, Ryan? I was so scared... can you forgive me... please?"

He thought of his friend's lifeless body being carried away.

He looked at the girl with pure hate.

"Never!" He hissed.

He wanted to rush up to her and slap her hard. Push her on to the curb. Make her hurt. Like she made his friend hurt.

But he shoved his hands into his pockets and willed himself to walk away. Leaving the girl behind, sobbing alone.

As the sunlight brightened slowly, she flickered and disappeared.

Below the hedge, just next to the sidewalk, a mobile phone lay with it's broken display.

It belonged to nine year old Andy who had dropped it last evening on his way home from school.

From its speakers, a little chuckle arose.