Tracks

by Karen Woods

  Ged kept looking over his shoulder and as soon as he left the station, he got on his toes. His heart raced; he still had a gut feeling that something wasn’t right. Was the dibble on his case, was he being watched, was something happening? The night was cold and seemed darker than any other, pitch black. He dipped his head low and cautiously set off on his usual route before picking up his pace and breaking into a jog, still looking over his shoulder every few seconds. It was like his mind was playing tricks on him. He could hear footsteps behind him as he cut through a housing estate. He started to sprint. His breath was ragged as he ran through the dark entry.

  Rustling, banging, shouting.

  Ged fell to the floor as the first blow hit his head. Noises, frantic voices, hands rummaging in his pockets. He lifted his head up; his vision was blurred, all he could see was silhouettes. Feet booting him, his body curled up in a small ball as he tried to protect himself. ‘I’ve got it, sorted,’ said a voice somewhere above him. Ged rolled onto his side, blood seeping out of the corner of his mouth. His fingers splayed across the cold grey concrete flags as he tried to lift himself up from the floor. There was a burning pain in the side of his stomach like someone had poured boiling water over him. A pain like he’d never felt before. It felt like a hot poker had been shoved deep into his flesh He reached down and touched it. His fingers were wet, covered with bright red claret. He’d been stabbed.

  Ged could barely make it onto his feet, his fingers clasped the cold wall. He didn’t seem to be able to speak or call for help. It was like someone had locked his words inside his mouth. He looked down the entry; he could see a figure approaching. For fuck’s sake they were coming back to finish him off. It was no use, every bit of strength from his body had left him, he was a sitting duck. He covered his head and sank to the floor and prepared himself for more beatings.

  There was silence, nothing was happening. Then a soft voice. ‘I knew this was going to happen. I seen them following you when you got off the train. You’ve been set up.’ Ged lifted his head and tried to focus on the face he could see in front of him which was swimming in and out of focus. It looked familiar. It looked like …

  ‘Nancy,’ he managed. ‘They’ve stabbed me, get me home, please get me home.’

  Nancy tried to help him to his feet. ‘You need to go to the hospital, Ged, the blood’s pumping out of you. Let me tie this around your waist to try and stop it.’ She pulled the black scarf from her neck and lifted up his T-shirt, her eyes wide open with shock. ‘Fucking hell Ged, it’s deep, blood’s gushing out all over the place. They’ve sliced you up good and proper.’

  ‘Get me back home, Nancy, it’s not that deep. Stop overreacting. I’ll go to the hossy in Manchester. I need to get away from here, please just help me to get home.’

  Nancy hovered over him. She owed him nothing – the way he’d treated her she should have left him to rot. Not so much of a big boy now, was he? Ged’s mobile started to ring, but he ignored the call; his life was at risk here. He knew it was touch and go whether he’d make it or not. He could take a turn for the worse any second, he just needed to get home. Nancy hooked his arm over her shoulder, and she started to walk back towards the train station. She was strong this girl was, and she was doing a pretty good job of supporting him.

  ‘Ged, are you sure you can do this? I’ll get a taxi if you want?’ He didn’t reply. His body was weak and all he wanted was to go home. Nancy was his only lifeline.

  She knew, when they got back to the train station, that he needed to act normal. If anyone even suspected that he’d been knifed they would ring the police at the drop of a hat and he’d be arrested and have the book thrown at him.

  ‘Ged, try and stand up properly, we’re nearly there. Please. Trust me, you need to act normal if you want me to get you home.’

  She pulled his hood up over his head and he walked as tall as he could to the platform. ‘Just get me home, please. I want my mam,’ he sobbed.

  Ged doubled up in pain as he sat on the train. Beads of sweat were visible all over his forehead, he was burning up. Nancy held scraps of tissue in her hand, patting his forehead to try and cool him down. She seemed to have stopped the bleeding from the stomach area, but he was in so much pain. He needed to get to the hospital as soon as they reached Manchester.

  Ged’s phone was ringing again, and it took all his strength just to pull it out of his pocket, only to see Frankie’s name flashing. He held a single finger to his mouth and urged Nancy to be quiet. He looked around and made sure he was safe to talk before he answered the call. ‘I’ve been had over Frankie, they took the fucking lot, bruv.’

  Nancy could hear the cursing and shouting down the other end of the line. She pulled a face, ready to take the phone from Ged’s hand and tell the prick how badly his so-called mate was hurt. As the call ended Ged dropped his head back, his eyes closed and his bottom lip trembling.

  ‘Frankie is going sick, he said it’s up to me now to pay the money back. It’s five fucking grand, Nance. Where the fuck am I gonna get five K?’

  Nancy shook her head and gritted her teeth. ‘Is he for real or what? It’s not your fault you got had over. Tell him it was you who put your neck on the line, not fucking him. He’s a cheeky bastard. Did he even ask how you were or where the hell you was?’ The blood started to seep through the scarf again; she knew he was on borrowed time.

  ‘Nancy, shut the fuck up. I don’t need you chipping in right now. What the fuck were you doing up here anyway?’ His words were slow, his face paler than it was five minutes before. He needed to rest, save any energy he had.

  Nancy looked at him slowly. She’d just saved this lad’s arse and now he was on his way home he was getting mouthy with her. ‘It’s a free country, I can go wherever I want. It’s a good job I was there tonight, or your sorry arse would be six foot under. I spotted you leaving the train when I was on the platform. I wanted to see where you were going – thought maybe we could chill for a bit.’

  Ged clenched his fists; he wasn’t listening to a word she was saying. ‘I knew those two muppets behind me on the train were up to no good. I could sense it. I had a gut feeling I should have listened to it instead of carrying on. I should have stayed in the station for a bit longer to make sure they weren’t on my case.’

  ‘That doesn’t matter now. The most important thing is to get you looked at. Frankie can whistle for his money if you ask me. He’s a prick saying it’s your debt now. What happened to him having your back, best mate, brothers-in-arms and all that? He was talking through his arse if you ask me.’

  Ged wasn’t talking anymore; he was getting weaker, and struggling for breath. For the rest of the journey he kept quiet. His head was battered, and he knew this shit just got real. He had a debt to pay, a lot of money to find to pay for his mistake. He couldn’t walk away now, however much he wanted to. He had to stay in the game and work his debt off. He knew the rules.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Nancy stayed by Ged’s side all night long. She did all the talking in the hospital, told them that Ged was jumped as he walked down the canal with her. The police would be here soon, and they would want to know every detail of the attack. But she was on the ball this girl was, and she’d already hatched a plan to get Ged off the hook.

  Ged lay in the hospital bed and lifted the white sheets up to look at his battered and bruised body. He’d had six stitches in his stomach and the doctor had told him he was lucky to be alive. Every move he made hurt like hell; you could see the waves of pain soaring through his body in his eyes.

  Once Nancy had made sure Ged could get the story straight, she told him to ring his mother. When she arrived, she stormed into the room, though once she spotted her son laying in the bed, she nearly folded in two.

  ‘Ged, fucking hell, who would do this to you? Where was you, what was you doing?’

  Nancy was the one who answered her. ‘We were
walking along the canal and we spotted two lads coming towards us. I think they were high on spice or drunk or something because they didn’t seem right, they were loud and throwing stuff into the water. I knew they were going to kick off because I heard one of them say he was going to twat Ged on the way past. There was nothing we could have done, it all happened so quick. All I can remember is seeing Ged on the floor and the lads running off laughing.’

  Clare clutched her son’s hand and stroked his fingers. She was crying. ‘You could have died. Oh my God, what would I have done then if that had happened? Ged, oh my God, son. I’m so glad you are still alive.’ She started sobbing even louder and Nancy had to comfort her.

  ‘The doctor said he’s going to be fine. Hopefully, the lads who done it will get caught. Ged’s the innocent one in all this. He was just in the wrong place at the wrong time.’

  Clare stroked her son’s face gently. ‘Son, bloody hell, my baby.’ The door swung open and Frankie marched in. How he’d got past the nurses was anyone’s guess. His mouth was moving rapidly as he chewed on gum. He glared at Nancy. ‘What are you doing here?’

  Clare looked over at Nancy; she could tell right away these two had beef.

  Nancy sat up straight and faced him. He didn’t own her, who was he to tell her who she could speak to? ‘I’m here for the same reason you are. I care about him.’

  Frankie edged closer. ‘You can get off now he’s fine. I’ll sit with him, you get yourself off home.’

  It was clear to Clare that there was no love lost between them and she decided she had better get involved. Teenage feelings ran deep, she knew that much. ‘Frankie, Nancy was the one who brought him to the hospital. I’m sure Ged wants her here, don’t you?’ Ged’s eyes looked more swollen with every second that passed, deep purple bruising, puffy and sore. ‘She can stay,’ he croaked. Frankie sat down. You could have cut the atmosphere with a knife.

  Clare stood up. ‘I’m going to speak with the medical team. I want to know what they’re doing for him. You could fall apart in this place and nobody would notice, they’re stretched so thin. All these NHS cuts are showing now. I knew they would in the end. What did they expect when they are cutting jobs all the time?’

  She reached over and kissed her son on his forehead. ‘I won’t be a minute, son, I’m just going to have a word with the doctor and make sure they’ve examined you properly. You might need an X-ray, maybe there’s broken bones. I mean, you have to check, don’t you, who knows what internal injuries you’ve had?’

  As she left the room, Frankie followed her with his eyes to make sure she was gone. Nancy, in turn, was watching him like a hawk.

  ‘Fuck me, mate, they messed you up good and proper, didn’t they?’

  Ged winced as he replied. ‘I knew things didn’t seem right. There were two lads on the train – they looked shady. I moved away from them and sat on my own up the carriage.’

  ‘Dirty bastards they are. Stabbing you up too, why didn’t they just give you a few digs and take the gear?’

  Nancy listened to the conversation sitting forward in her seat. ‘The lads must have followed him up from Manchester, I mean, they must have had some inside information that he was carrying, otherwise how would they know?’

  Ged looked at her. ‘She’s right. They must have been on to me from the start and moved up the carriages when we were nearing Blackpool.’

  Frankie didn’t make eye contact. ‘Nah, I reckon they just got lucky that’s all. It happens all the time.’

  But Nancy wouldn’t let it lie. ‘No Frankie, it’s a set-up for sure. Who knew he was taking gear up tonight? You must have told somebody, otherwise how come he got jumped?’

  Frankie had had enough. He’d never liked Nancy and wanted to make sure she knew that meddling in his business would get her hurt. He checked the door was shut properly. ‘What the fuck do you know about it all, you ugly cunt? Why was you with him, anyway? Ged, don’t tell me you took her with you when I told you to cart her?’

  Ged didn’t have chance to reply, Nancy was right in there. She didn’t need anyone to fight her corner. ‘So, it was you who ruined things between us? I knew it wasn’t Ged. I was there because I was watching his back, unlike you. Ged didn’t even know I was on the train. You use Ged to do your dirty work and make him think that he’s one of your boys. Go on, Frankie, tell him the truth: you don’t really give a flying fuck about him, it’s all about the money.’

  Frankie gripped her by the scruff of her neck, spittle landing on her face as he pulled her up close. His teeth were clenched tightly together as he spoke. ‘Who the fuck do you think you are, you daft rat? Ged got rid of you because he had other girls on the go, pretty girls, not munters like you. Go home, little girl, before you get hurt. There is nothing here that concerns you, fuck off home.’ He released his grip and flung her back in her seat.

  But Nancy was never one to take things lying down. ‘You’re lucky I’m not telling the police about you. I’ve seen the way you get the lads involved and don’t think I haven’t. Leave Ged alone and go and get one of your other muppets to do your dirty work. Trust me, you don’t want to mess with me. I’m not scared of you or any of your boys.’

  Frankie pursed his lips and spat in her eye; Nancy flicked it away with the ends of her fingers. ‘You don’t scare me Frankie, not now, not ever.’

  Clare walked back into the room with an update and the others fell silent. ‘I’ve spoken with the doctor and he wants you to stay in for a few days to keep an eye on you. At least you will rest here because I know if you were at home, you’d be doing everything to go out. I’m just going to find the toilet. Back in a minute.’

  Frankie, meanwhile, was furious, his face red with anger. He pulled his cap down low and ignored Nancy altogether.

  ‘Ged, I’m getting off, I’ll call tomorrow. Let me know if you need anything bringing up.’

  Ged nodded weakly.

  Nancy tilted her head towards Frankie. ‘Prick,’ she mumbled under her breath as he left.

  Ged groaned as he tried to find a comfortable position. He looked directly at Nancy, his eyes wet with tears. ‘Thanks for helping me. I dread to think what would have happened if you wasn’t there. And as for Frankie, leave him to me. He’s a hothead and you just need to know how to handle him.’ He broke off as his phone beeped. He reached over with difficulty and looked at the text, his eyes growing wide as he read the message.

  You’re a daft prick getting jumped. You owe me five grand remember. As soon as you’re out of there you better get grafting and pay the money back. You fucked up, it’s your problem not mine.

  Ged deleted it and put the phone face down on his lap.

  Nancy could see something had upset him even more. ‘What? What is it?’ she asked.

  ‘I’m up shit street, that’s what,’ Ged whispered under his breath.

  Nancy reached over and held his hands. ‘We’re in this together Ged, if you fight, I fight.’

  Chapter Eighteen

  Donny was in a foul mood this morning, thought Susan. He stormed around the bedroom, behind schedule, which didn’t help matters either.

  ‘Susan, where the hell is my good white shirt? The fitted one with the long sleeves?’

  Susan rolled over and dragged the duvet over her head. She was having a lie-in for once and was pissed off at being woken up. Her words were muffled. ‘Check the wardrobe properly. If it’s been washed, then it will be there. Shut up anyway, I’m trying to sleep. You should have got your clothes ready last night for work instead of pissing off down the boozer with your mates.’

  ‘Do I need this moaning so early in the morning? Simple question, that’s all, I don’t need a fucking lecture.’

  Susan peered out from under the duvet. ‘What’s the matter, Donny, did you lose this time? I know you’ve been at the casino again, you’re always like this when you’ve been there thin
king you can win big. It’s a loser’s game. I’ve told you time and time again, you’d be better off staying away from there. There is only ever going to be one winner, and it’s not going to be you. You’re a mug.’

  She pulled the duvet back over her head; that was it, he could piss off now and go to work without a kiss goodbye. He was a moody fucker and he needed to learn the hard way. She’d show him she could be a pain in the arse, too.

  Donny perched on the edge of the bed and put his socks on. ‘I’ll wear my blue shirt then, shall I? Sorry I bleeding asked. And I can’t find my watch either. Have you seen it? I swear I put it on the bedside table like always, but it’s not there.’

  No reply.

  He pulled his phone out of his pocket and checked through his messages. Whatever he saw there didn’t make him happy. He was in a bigger rush now. There was no sweet talk for his wife this morning, no coffee, no sitting by the fire, he was proper stressed out.

  Susan sat up as she heard the front door slam shut. She brought her clasped hand out from under the covers and unfolded her fingers one by one. She smiled as she looked at Donny’s Rolex.

  ‘Revenge is sweet, Donny, very sweet indeed.’

  Tina pulled up outside Wendy’s house. Apparently, it was her job to pick her stepdaughter up and take her to school from there. Nevaya had stayed at her mother’s house last night, yet somehow it seemed that Tina would be the mug who had to scurry around after her doing all the fetching and carrying. Why Wendy couldn’t take her to school was beyond her – she had a car, what was the problem? Tina texted Nevaya.