Keeping Juliette Company

by Sarah Picson

  The man was strong; he gripped the window frame and tried to drag himself through it, but with gritted teeth, Robert leaned back so that his whole weight prevented the man from fleeing. The intruder wriggled, trying frantically to escape Robert’s grip, but with a yell, his fingers came away from the window frame and he fell from the washing machine. Both men tumbled to the floor in a grunting heap.

  ‘Get off me!’ the intruder barked.

  Rough hands pushed Robert away, but it was the sound of his voice that turned Robert’s blood to ice. He clambered to his feet.

  ‘What are you doing in my house?’ Robert yelled at the dark shape before him. ‘Where’s my daughter?’

  ‘Shut the hell up!’ barked the man. ‘You think you can come into my house and attack me, well two can play at that game.’

  ‘Dominic?’

  Ellie’s startled voice reached them from the doorway.

  ‘Oh, there you are, my little fiancée,’ Dominic said, his words dripping with bitterness. ‘What a surprise to find you at his house.’

  ‘Dominic, what have you done?’ Ellie asked, before erupting into a coughing fit.

  ‘Nothing you don’t deserve,’ he hissed. ‘It seems you’ve sprung a nasty gas leak, in my professional opinion.’

  ‘You bastard,’ Robert growled.

  ‘Dominic, you’ve gone too far,’ spluttered Ellie. ‘Go back to Scarlette, you’re going to be a dad soon.’

  Robert took a soft step towards Dominic.

  ‘Scarlette!’ Dominic scoffed. ‘What’s she good for? She’s just a tart who knows her way around the bedroom.’

  The gas was starting to make Robert feel dizzy; it curled into his eyes, his nose and his mouth, but he didn’t make a sound as he edged closer to Dominic.

  ‘Let’s go outside and sort this out,’ Ellie said.

  She dissolved into another coughing fit.

  ‘Sort what out?’ Dominic shouted over her coughs. ‘You had your chance!’

  Robert felt his movement before he saw it: Dominic hurtling towards Ellie, his fist raised high.

  Like a spring being released, Robert launched himself; Dominic’s head turned a fraction in his direction, just before Robert slammed him up against the wall.

  The men fumbled about in the darkness. Hands and legs swiping and jerking at each other as they crashed about the cramped room, bashing into cupboards and knocking against walls, in a dangerous, disorderly dance.

  Dominic’s knee made sharp contact with Robert’s stomach. Winded, he staggered back, before gritting his teeth and charging at Dominic, fury propelling him forwards. They stumbled against a tall cabinet which sprung wide open; an ironing board burst out and clattered down between them, landing on Robert’s wrist.

  ‘Robert?’ Ellie cried.

  Clutching his throbbing wrist, Robert bent over, breathing heavily through the pain. As he inhaled more of the thick, invisible gas, he found himself swaying and struggling to stand upright. He tried to focus and that’s when he heard Ellie’s shrieks.

  Lurching out of the utility room, he saw two figures tussling in the gloom of the hallway.

  ‘Hey!’ he shouted, hoping to divert Dominic’s attention away from Ellie.

  It worked.

  A shadow rushed at him and Robert felt a punch make contact with his shoulder. He roared as a stinging pain shot up and down his arm, but he could make out Dominic’s outline in front of him now. Ignoring his spasming shoulder, Robert held his hands out like a battering ram and pushed with all his might, until Dominic’s back crashed up against the wall.

  Dominic squirmed and fought, but Robert had him pinned to the wall. Specks of spittle landed on his chin as Dominic bawled at him, strong beer fumes slapping Robert in the face.

  ‘Ellie, are you okay?’ Robert shouted, trying to get a sense of where she was in the darkness.

  ‘I’m fine.’

  Her voice was thin and shaky but close by.

  ‘Call the —’

  Dominic wrenched an arm free and brought his fist up hard from below, catching Robert on the chin. A searing agony exploded up through his jaw and his grip slackened just enough for Dominic to push him away. Robert lost his balance and fell to the floor with a thud.

  A grunt spewed out of Robert as Dominic’s foot stamped down on his thigh, followed by his ribs. Crawling along the hallway, he tried to inch himself away, but Dominic’s feet continued to pound down on him from above.

  Ellie screamed at Dominic to stop and Robert’s aching body cramped up in agony; blood dribbled down his chin as he curled into a ball to block out the raining blows.

  A shattering crash, like something smashing into a million pieces, echoed around the hallway. The foot stopped abruptly, followed by a heavy thump. With a groan, Robert uncurled to find Dominic in a crumpled heap next to him on the floor. He felt Ellie’s small, cold hand slip into his.

  ‘I’m sorry about your vase,’ she whispered. ‘But that felt good.’

  ‘I’ve got to get Abi,’ he croaked, as Ellie helped him to his feet.

  ‘I don’t think she’s here, Robert. Surely she would have heard the noise and come downstairs.’

  ‘I have to check.’

  ‘I’ll come with you.’

  ‘No,’ he hissed. ‘Get outside, Ellie, and call the police. Dominic’s dangerous.’

  ‘But you’re hurt.’

  ‘I’ll be fine,’ said Robert, with more confidence than he felt.

  ‘Okay,’ she said, sighing. ‘I’ll go and call the police but if you’re not outside in five minutes, I’m coming back in to find you.’

  Her light footsteps crunched over the broken shards of his vase as she receded down the hallway. Clutching the banister, Robert dragged himself upstairs; each step was like scaling a steep mountain. Finally, he staggered into Abi’s bedroom.

  ‘Abi?’

  Only silence replied. Frantically, he moved about her room, bumping into things and stumbling as he almost tripped over something on the floor.

  ‘Abi?’

  She wasn’t there. Cold panic poured down his spine, but Robert pushed on, checking all the other rooms upstairs as fast as his aching body would allow. Every room was empty.

  Robert had been breathing in the gas for so long now that the back of his throat felt as if a thousand needles were being dragged across it. Clambering awkwardly back down the stairs, he pulled his sleeve across his nose and mouth and continued his search. With nothing but the dim glow of the streetlights outside to guide his way, he began a sweep of all the rooms, calling his daughter’s name as he went.

  As Robert moved along the hallway towards the utility room, he noticed that Dominic was no longer lying on the floor. Fear flooded through him: Dominic had shown the full extent of his animosity this evening and he knew that as long as he was nearby, they weren’t safe.

  Robert staggered towards a sliver of light peeking in through the front door, and took a deep gasp of crisp air as he burst from the house. His head spun as he reached into his coat and pulled out his phone. With shaking fingers, he dialled Abi’s number, but there was no answer.

  Robert shook his head in frustration, his eyes scanning the driveway for Ellie, but her red car was the only thing keeping him company. He stood quite alone as specks of snow tumbled down and clung to him.

  ‘Ellie? Abi?’

  Robert hobbled out to the pavement, his injured leg and ribs screaming at him as he strode up and down, hoping Ellie or Abi would suddenly appear before him. But the street was deserted.

  ‘Ellie!?’ he yelled, as he lumbered back into the driveway.

  ‘Abi!’

  Robert glared up at his dark, sombre house, willing it to give up its secrets. Where were they?

  A faint noise, like a cry, came from round the side of the house. Robert broke into an ungainly run. The wooden side gate that led to the garden had been forced open and was swinging on its hinges. Pushing it aside, he surged through.

  From the distant glow
of his neighbour’s security light, Robert could make out two figures locked in a struggle beneath the open window of the utility room. He could tell that one of the figures was Ellie, but his relief was short-lived when he realised the other figure was Dominic. Ellie was stretching her arms upwards, she seemed to be trying to reach something that Dominic held above his head.

  ‘What are you doing?’ she shrieked. ‘He’s still inside.’

  Dominic shoved Ellie away. Toppling backwards, she crumpled to the ground, sinking into the snow. Immediately, she jumped back to her feet and continued trying to grab whatever it was Dominic held in his hand.

  Robert pushed his bruised legs on, trudging as fast as he could towards them. As he got close, Dominic caught sight of him and with the faintest flicker of a smile, he yanked Ellie into his body, so that her back was against him, his arm like a bolt across her chest.

  Ellie stared at Robert with wild eyes. Her skin was as white as the falling snow and she was shivering violently. Robert slowed down, the knot in his stomach getting tighter.

  ‘Where’s my daughter?’ Robert asked, trying to keep his voice under control. ‘If you tell me and then leave, nothing more will be said of this. We’ll all just move on with our lives.’

  ‘Do you think I’m going to listen to anything you have to say?’ Dominic said. ‘You took what’s mine. You had no right!’

  ‘Robert, he’s got —’ Ellie began, but her body suddenly convulsed into a hacking cough.

  Over Ellie’s coughing, Robert heard another noise: the scrape of metal on metal. For the first time, he saw what Ellie had been trying to grab. Gripped in Dominic’s other hand was a silver lighter. Rage engulfed Robert.

  ‘Are you stupid?’ he cried. ‘Put that thing away. You’ll get us all killed!’

  Dominic’s face contorted into an ugly scowl. Ellie squealed as Dominic crushed her closer. Robert knew in that moment that he would never be able to reason with this man and so he summoned up every last drop of energy he had left.

  ‘Don’t call me stupid, you pompous piece of —’

  Surprise flashed across Dominic’s face as Robert lunged forwards and smacked the lighter out of his hand. It fell, sinking into the snow.

  Before Dominic had a chance to react, Robert drew back his arm and for the second time that day, punched him across the jaw. Dominic reeled back with a grunt, his arm releasing Ellie. Robert wasted no time in grabbing her hand and pulling her away.

  ‘Come on!’

  ‘After all I’ve done! This is how you treat me?’ Dominic bellowed. ‘You thought you’d just come and live here, did you? As happy as can be in his mansion?’

  Robert tugged on Ellie’s hand and they began to make their way along the side of the house, back round to the driveway. Ellie’s feet slipped in the snow and her legs briefly buckled beneath her, a low sob catching in her throat. Gritting his teeth, Robert hoisted her back up against him, every movement of his body jarring with pain.

  They had only taken a few steps when they heard the scraping of metal on metal. Robert glanced over his shoulder; with hunched shoulders and bared teeth, Dominic resembled a savage animal. Glaring at Robert, Dominic had the lighter raised above his head like a trophy. His eyes never left Robert’s as he clicked it and a bright orange flame appeared.

  The world seemed to stop turning in that instant. The flame flickered in the darkness. Robert was certain that he saw a grin etched across Dominic’s face, illuminated by the dancing flame. He watched in horror as Dominic drew back his arm and hurled the lighter in through the open window of his house.

  A sudden flash and an ear-deafening bang knocked Robert and Ellie off their feet. The breath flew from Robert’s body as he crashed onto his stomach.

  For a few moments, he lay still, unable to believe what had just happened. His fingers moved first; he was no longer holding Ellie’s hand. With great effort, Robert prised his stinging eyes open, everything seemed to be swaying and he was no longer wearing his glasses, but he caught sight of Ellie lying close by. She wasn’t moving, but despite a shrill ringing in his head that threatened to burst his eardrums, Robert could just make out a low moan coming from her direction.

  It felt as if he were crawling over freezing, broken glass, as he pulled himself over to Ellie. Bricks and drain pipes rained down from the house, smashing around them as Robert draped his body over Ellie’s, wrapping her up in a cocoon.

  They lay there together as thick, acrid smoke engulfed them and chaos swirled around them. And then the sound of Jane’s panicked screams, the sickening crunch of metal, glass smashing and flying in every direction, ripped through Robert’s mind. He curled himself even more tightly around Ellie.

  Robert was no longer cold, instead he felt an incredible heat licking at his back from a crackling fire. He lifted his head and tried to call for help, but all he could produce was a breathless wheeze. He lay his head back down; he was so tired.

  And then the earth seemed to open up and belch out another deafening rumble, as a second explosion ripped through the air, even bigger than the first. The ground shook, fire raged and hissed and debris plummeted down from the sky, as the house crumbled in defeat.

  Chapter 33

  Bright strip lights glared down at Ellie as her eyes cracked open. She immediately shut them, her temples pulsating from the effort of it. Slowly, she tried again, easing her eyes open to find herself lying on a bed, in a room that she didn’t recognise. Despite being alone in the room, there was noise everywhere. Ellie could hear rapid talking and raised voices coming from somewhere close by.

  She tilted her head to one side and immediately regretted it. Gasping, the room seemed to whirl around her at lightning speed, dipping and swaying. A heavy tiredness moulded her bones to the bed; she felt as if she could lie there forever.

  Her hands moved across the scratchy bedsheets; she was fully dressed. She noticed her boots on the floor in front of a chair across the room, her coat neatly draped over the back of it.

  The walls were a dirty white and next to the bed was a cheap, pine cabinet. A jug of water with a blue lid stood on top, beside an empty plastic cup.

  Something that she couldn’t see was beeping just behind her head, but the loudest thing of all was her own breathing, rasping in her ears as her chest shuddered up and down.

  Ellie reached across to the jug of water, desperate for something to ease the sensation of sandpaper lining her throat. The room spun less violently than before, but every muscle in her body complained as though she’d run a marathon. A fierce cough ripped from her body and she shuddered with the effort of it, just as the door to the room swung open.

  ‘Oh, let me do that.’

  Ellie collapsed back against the thin pillow as an efficient woman dressed in blue, with wide hips and soft, plump hands, bustled about beside her.

  ‘Here, only take a sip,’ she said, guiding the cup to Ellie’s mouth.

  Silky water slid down her throat.

  ‘Thanks,’ she croaked.

  ‘I’m Doctor Teesdale,’ said the woman. ‘You’re at Ambleton Hospital.’

  There was a tickle beneath Ellie’s nose and she reached her fingers up to explore something strange on her face: thin plastic tubes inserted just inside her nostrils.

  ‘Some extra oxygen for you there,’ explained Doctor Teesdale. ‘But I’ve checked you over and there’s no damage to your lungs. You do have a second-degree burn on the back of your right hand, but it’s not deep, so the skin will grow back nicely over time.’

  Ellie glanced down at her hand. It was wrapped in a neat, white bandage. She was astonished she hadn’t noticed it before.

  ‘It doesn’t hurt,’ Ellie muttered.

  ‘I’ve given you something for the pain,’ said Doctor Teesdale, with a sympathetic smile. ‘Can you remember anything about why you’re here?’

  Ellie stared at the doctor for a second, before inhaling sharply. Memories flooded through her like a torrent of icy water, as she was suddenly tr
ansported back to Robert’s house.

  After calling the police, Ellie had paced up and down the driveway, leaving a trail of footprints in the snow. She had decided to give Robert one more minute before going back inside to help him search for Abi.

  She had heard footsteps and turned to discover a shadowy figure in the doorway. With a cry of relief, Ellie had pelted forwards, calling Robert’s name, her eyes searching for Abi. But then she’d come to a sudden stop, as if she’d hit an invisible wall. Dominic had emerged from the house, clutching his head where she’d hit him with the vase.

  And then Dominic had been beside her, his hand grabbing a fistful of her hair, the tight grip of his cruel fingers pulling the skin from her scalp as he’d dragged her round the side of the house.

  It wasn’t until they’d come to a stop beneath the window of the utility room, that she’d heard it. A sound she’d been used to hearing for many years: the familiar clink of metal on metal, as Dominic pushed up the top of his silver lighter and let it fall. Gripped with a rising panic, Ellie had twisted and turned, trying to free herself from Dominic’s grasp; she’d kicked him hard in the shin and he’d finally let go.

  In that moment, she’d wanted to run as far as she could from the man standing before her, the ominous glitter in his eyes filling her with cold dread. But she knew that Robert was still inside the house, roaming through the thick fog of gas, so instead she had hurled herself at Dominic in a desperate attempt to snatch his lighter away, more afraid of what he might be capable of than ever before.

  She gave a whimper which caused Doctor Teesdale to frown in concern.

  Then she remembered running. Running with Robert’s hand clasped in hers. Running from Dominic. And then a sound louder than anything she’d ever heard before had filled the sky and she had collapsed to the ground. There had been intense heat and things falling from the sky, until finally everything had gone black.