Uprising

Chapter Forty-Nine

Dec’s world was a swirling tunnel of disconnected thoughts, colours and sounds.

He saw a child, running, laughing, and realised it was himself. Then his mother’s face appeared in his mind, distorted like a reflection in a warped mirror. Her voice was muffled and faraway. What are you doing with that thing, he heard her say before her image dissolved and he was drifting away on a soft current. Just drifting through the darkness. A fuzzy white blur began to take shape, coming closer. He didn’t know what it was but he felt himself drawn towards it. Then he smiled as the shape enveloped him in its warmth. The touch of her lips. The sharp sting that made him wince, pain mingled with pleasure. Her soothing voice in his ear.

‘Hello, Declan.’

‘Kate,’ he muttered. ‘Kate. I love you. Ka—’

Tap. Tap.

Dec stirred. Where was he? His eyelids fluttered open and he could suddenly feel the seat pressing against his back.

He was in the car. It was dark. Shafts of light from outside, diffused by the condensation that misted the windscreen. Cars passing. Someone was tapping on the window next to where his head was slumped against the door. He turned groggily and narrowed his eyes at the face that was peering at him through the glass.

‘Oi, Dec. Roll your window down, you dozy bugger.’

Dec rubbed his eyes. He groped for the window button and felt the cold, damp wind on his face as the glass whirred down.

‘What’re you doing in your mum’s car?’ the voice said.

Dec stared, trying to place the face of the young, blond, tousle-haired guy who was grinning in at him. ‘Who are you?’

‘Jesus, mate, you’re right out of it. Sat stalled in the middle of fucking Wallingford. You’re just asking for the cops to find you here. In enough trouble already, don’t you think?’

Dec nodded slowly. ‘Matt,’ he mumbled.

‘Yeah, yeah. Remember me? Only the guy you work with. Christ, what a state.’

Matt from the garage. He remembered now.

‘I’m not pissed,’ he slurred.

‘Could have fooled me, mate. Come on. Get out of the car. You can’t stay here.’

Dec fumbled for the door catch, and the next thing he knew he was sprawled on the wet ground.

‘I’m going to be sick.’

He felt Matt’s hands gripping his arm, helping him stagger to his feet. He leaned against the side of the Clio, breathing hard, almost overwhelmed by nausea.

‘I’m taking you home to sober up,’ Matt said.

‘I told you—’ Dec managed to say, then had to clamp his mouth shut and swallow back the rising bile.

‘You’d better not chuck up in my Subaru,’ Matt warned him. Dec could barely keep his eyes open as his workmate led him over to the blue car parked behind the Clio and helped him into the passenger seat. He rested his head against the dash as Matt locked up the Renault, pocketed the keys and came trotting back over. ‘Your old lady’s gonna fucking murder you for this,’ he said cheerily as he got in next to Dec. ‘That should be fun to watch.’ He grinned. ‘While yours truly is the hero who saved you from the police. Should be good for a beer or two.’

‘Dontwannagohome,’ Dec moaned.

‘Why not?’

‘Please.’

‘Family tiff, huh?’ Matt looked at him, then shrugged. ‘Fine. I know how that goes. You can crash over at my place. All the same to me.’

Dec closed his eyes. The next thing he knew he was lying on a couch and Matt was nudging him awake and giving him a mug of steaming black coffee.

‘Get this down you, mate. Sober you up.’

Dec was too weak and dizzy to protest. He slurped at the coffee.

‘I’m going to call your folks to say what’s happened and where your mum can pick up her car.’

‘Don’t tell them I’m here,’ Dec said. Or thought he said. He might have just imagined it, but he was getting so disorientated he couldn’t even tell. The nausea was getting steadily worse. The strong black coffee hadn’t helped at all.

‘Listen.’ Matt’s voice echoed from somewhere a million miles away. ‘You’re probably too out of it to remember, but me and a couple of mates’re off to Mexico tonight. I’m leaving in half an hour.’

Dec must have mumbled something in response, because Matt went on:‘…the wedding I was telling you about? Back in a week. Try not to burn the place down while I’m…’

Dec heard nothing more. He was already gone and drifting far away.