Forty Feet

 

The next morning he woke uneasy. From his window he could see the dump across the street. He’d been there the night before to meet a friend. She hadn’t turned up.

While he waited he talked with a girl who had kind blue eyes. She looked exhausted, worn down by too many late nights. After a while he gave up and walked towards the city.

He ran into another friend with her boyfriend, said hello, kept walking. Eventually, bored, he went back to his room. When he checked his phone there was a message.

Sorry didn’t make it. Can you come round? Please text.

He drove to her place. She’d been drinking. That surprised him — it wasn’t like her. She wouldn’t say what was wrong. She seemed jumpy, distracted. He slept on the couch until morning.

In daylight she looked better. He drove home.

Near lunchtime she rang and asked for money. He sent a hundred over the net.

Later she came round. She seemed happier. They went for a walk downtown. It was peaceful.

A car followed them for a short stretch. Two men inside. She noticed it too.

“It’s just my ex,” she said. “Dickhead. And his mate. He’s been chasing me lately. Must be bored.”

They kept walking. She let him hold her hand. Her palm was sweaty.

They took the green path beside the river and ended up at the harbour where the boats were tied up. On the wharf she hugged him. She felt light, almost fragile. He could feel her shaking.

Then she said it.

“He has photos of me. He wants me to sell for him or he’ll post them.”

His face burned.

“No,” she said quickly. “Don’t. It won’t fix anything. You’ll just end up in prison.”

“They’re going to pay.”

“Hold on,” she said. “This happened to me, not you. I need time. I don’t want you going wild. I told you because I trust you. That’s all.”

They walked back to his place. He drove her home. She was quiet when he dropped her off.

Without thinking, he drove straight out west to her ex’s house.

The pickup was in the driveway. He parked further up the road near a block of shops and walked through the trees until he had a clear view of the back of the house.

He saw him straight away.

The man was tied to a chair in the kitchen. His mouth was taped shut. Blood soaked his singlet. Four men stood around him.

They dragged him outside. The boy watched from the edge of the clearing. They were no more than forty feet away.

They beat him. Then the biggest one stabbed him again and again while the others held him down.

When they let go, the man lay still. Blood darkened the grass beneath him.

The boy felt his jaw lock and couldn’t unclench it.

One of them glanced towards the trees.

He slipped away.

He reached his car, started it, and drove hard. In the mirror he saw one of them running after him, but at the first corner he was gone.

He didn’t go home. He drove to her place.

“You won’t have any more trouble with your ex,” he said.

She stared at him. “What do you mean? I told you to leave it.”

“I didn’t do anything,” he said. “I just know someone else did.”

“You’re an idiot,” she said. “He’ll come after you.”

“No,” he said. “That won’t happen.”

She didn’t argue. She only looked away.

“You should stay here for a bit,” he said. “Let things settle.”

She went into her bedroom. He sat at the table and listened to her talking quietly on the phone.

When she came back she said, “They rang me after you left. They said they had him.”

She rubbed her face. “I’m supposed to go to the club tonight.”

“I have to go to work,” she said. “You shouldn’t come. It’s better if people don’t see us together. Those guys don’t even know we know each other. That’s how it should stay.”

He left. At home he parked around the corner and walked to his flat.

He ate dinner.

Later he decided to visit friends near the railway station.

As he pulled off the motorway a car followed him. Left-hand drive. The driver kept his head turned away at the lights.

When he arrived his friends weren’t home. As he walked back outside he saw the same car parked down the road, its lights on.

A voice called out from the dark.

“Don’t be stupid. We know what you saw. The only reason you’re still breathing is because of who you know. Keep your mouth shut and you’ll be fine.”

He didn’t answer. He got into his car.

When he turned the key, it exploded.

Flames filled the street