Not Forever by Alex Mellanby

Author:Alex Mellanby [Mellanby, Alex]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Troubador Publishing Ltd
Published: 2021-06-14T22:00:00+00:00

twelve

I hear the screams.

Lester is back.

I stop, strength draining from me. I should stay out, run. But I can’t. I go on because I hope it will stop when Lester sees I haven’t run away, that he will stop when he sees the good girl is back. But this is not about me. There is nothing I can say or do that will change anything. My head is swimming. I knew this would happen.

I have arrived in time to see the garage man just leaving as I come into the kitchen. He is the most enormous man I have ever seen.

‘You owe me,’ Garage Man shouts, slamming the door, which makes the whole house shake.

º

Mum is on the floor, sobbing and choking to get out words, about getting the money back. Lester is still holding the poker.

‘I told you what would happen,’ he says, looking at me and raising his arm.

‘I haven’t done anything,’ I yell.

‘She has,’ Lester sneers.

‘NO,’ Mum pleads, holding her hand up, hoping to stop him.

‘Yes,’ Lester gives a sick laugh, before smashing the poker down on her leg, once, twice. I run at him, he hurls me away to the ground and hits her again.

I hear the snap of bone; blood is pouring from the wound. Mum slumps to the floor and doesn’t move. Has he killed her? I hear a moan.

Lester turns on me. I wait for the blow. It doesn’t come. He grabs me from the floor, shakes me. I try to reach out for Mum.

‘Let me go,’ I beg, but it is useless.

‘Forget about her,’ Lester pulls me back. ‘She’s trash.’ He jabs her but she doesn’t move. ‘And she’s stolen my fucking money.’

Lester is holding me tight, and I am numb all over. Is this the end? Are we both going to die?

‘Got to get the money back.’ Lester drops the poker, lets me go and turns away. ‘What… how.’ He is talking to himself and falls back into his chair with his head in his hands. ‘Must get it back,’ he says again and seems to have forgotten me.

I drop down to Mum. Hold on to her. Her body is limp and doesn’t move. At least I can see her breathing.

Lester sounds frightened, why? Slowly, I work it out. Lester is out of jail and I guess that means he’s done enough time in prison. The garage man must have brought him home and Mum said Lester was scared of the garage man. Now I understand. Lester must have been looking after all the money from their last job. Mum has spent it, spent Garage’s money. ‘You owe me,’ Garage had shouted.

Lester is still muttering ‘how’ over and over. It seems to go on forever. I don’t move from Mum, holding her. I must protect her. I don’t know how to do it.

‘Got it,’ Lester shouts and smacks his thigh. ‘Got it,’ he says again, and I look up at him, hoping this will mean he isn’t going to kill us – yet.

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