my tits and it was hurting me. I could hardly breathe.
—What’s this big thing?
—It’s the airbag, said Jasper. It saved your life I should think.
—Who are you?
—My name is Jasper Black, he said. We hardly know one another. We’ve had sex twice. I am very fond of you. I was driving you to a football ground that exploded.
—Oh. Yes I remember you now. You’re very kind to me.
—Does anything hurt? he said. Do you think I can safely move you?
His voice was different. I looked at him. There was blood on his face and his nose wasn’t quite where it ought to of been. I giggled I don’t know why. He pulled me out of the motor. My legs were shaky but they held me up. I looked at the car. We’d gone into a parked van and everything was bent and broken.
—Oh no. Your beautiful motor. It’s all spoiled. And your poor face.
I reached up to push his nose back into the right place but he wouldn’t let me. He grabbed my wrist.
—It’s okay, he said. It’s been broken before it’s no big deal.
—Oh my god. The girl.
—We missed her, said Jasper Black.
—Oh good. Where is she?
—She’s over there, he said.
I looked where he was pointing and I saw her. She was still just lying there in her Chelsea shirt looking up into the smoke. I remember thinking that was pretty casual. I went over to her with Jasper Black holding me steady and I kneeled down beside her. I shook her and I asked if she was okay.
—She won’t answer.
—That’s because she’s dead I’m afraid, said Jasper Black.
The girl was so pretty. She was an ASIAN STUNNER . She looked Chinese but she was too pale. She could of done with a bit of makeup. I stroked her face and her skin was very soft. Around us there was a terrible noise of sirens. All the car alarms in the whole street were going off and the hazard warning lights were flashing through the smoke and the darkness. It was a terrible noise but the girl just lay there. She looked ever so peaceful. She didn’t look like someone whose side had been losing 1–nil. Then I noticed there was a red streak coming out from under her head and running away to the kerb. All the blood had gone out of her and into the storm drains it made me nervous. I stood up.
—Come on. Let’s go and find my husband and my boy. Never mind your car. We can all get home on the bus.
I walked off up the road with the smoke hurting my lungs. I was coughing and dribbling I couldn’t help it. It was getting darker. Jasper Black came with me. He was coughing too and there was blood pouring off his face. Now in the darkness I saw them. First just a few and then so many. Some wore red shirts some wore blue shirts and some had their shirts off so you couldn’t tell. They were coming down the street towards us and they made no sound. Their eyes were wide and glassy and quite often they stumbled but they never blinked. There must of been hundreds of them shuffling out of the smoke. All of them with their eyes huge and wide like things pulled up from very deep in the sea.
A blond woman came towards us. She was wearing gold earrings and an Arsenal shirt and pink Kappa trackie bottoms. Her makeup was nice and her nails were done but she was screaming again and again and again. I wondered how come she was screaming when everyone else was so quiet. She went past us still screaming and I turned to watch her go past. Then I saw what it was. On her back she wasn’t wearing anything at all. The Arsenal shirt and the Kappa trackies were all burned off her. There was just burned skin all the way up her legs and her back. You could see where her knickers had melted into her. The back of her head looked like something you take out of the oven. She disappeared into the smoke still screaming screaming screaming and I wondered why nobody was helping her. Then I remembered my husband and my boy and I forgot all about the woman.
I grabbed the next person that came past. He was a small man with a thin moustache about 50
—What’s this big thing?
—It’s the airbag, said Jasper. It saved your life I should think.
—Who are you?
—My name is Jasper Black, he said. We hardly know one another. We’ve had sex twice. I am very fond of you. I was driving you to a football ground that exploded.
—Oh. Yes I remember you now. You’re very kind to me.
—Does anything hurt? he said. Do you think I can safely move you?
His voice was different. I looked at him. There was blood on his face and his nose wasn’t quite where it ought to of been. I giggled I don’t know why. He pulled me out of the motor. My legs were shaky but they held me up. I looked at the car. We’d gone into a parked van and everything was bent and broken.
—Oh no. Your beautiful motor. It’s all spoiled. And your poor face.
I reached up to push his nose back into the right place but he wouldn’t let me. He grabbed my wrist.
—It’s okay, he said. It’s been broken before it’s no big deal.
—Oh my god. The girl.
—We missed her, said Jasper Black.
—Oh good. Where is she?
—She’s over there, he said.
I looked where he was pointing and I saw her. She was still just lying there in her Chelsea shirt looking up into the smoke. I remember thinking that was pretty casual. I went over to her with Jasper Black holding me steady and I kneeled down beside her. I shook her and I asked if she was okay.
—She won’t answer.
—That’s because she’s dead I’m afraid, said Jasper Black.
The girl was so pretty. She was an ASIAN STUNNER . She looked Chinese but she was too pale. She could of done with a bit of makeup. I stroked her face and her skin was very soft. Around us there was a terrible noise of sirens. All the car alarms in the whole street were going off and the hazard warning lights were flashing through the smoke and the darkness. It was a terrible noise but the girl just lay there. She looked ever so peaceful. She didn’t look like someone whose side had been losing 1–nil. Then I noticed there was a red streak coming out from under her head and running away to the kerb. All the blood had gone out of her and into the storm drains it made me nervous. I stood up.
—Come on. Let’s go and find my husband and my boy. Never mind your car. We can all get home on the bus.
I walked off up the road with the smoke hurting my lungs. I was coughing and dribbling I couldn’t help it. It was getting darker. Jasper Black came with me. He was coughing too and there was blood pouring off his face. Now in the darkness I saw them. First just a few and then so many. Some wore red shirts some wore blue shirts and some had their shirts off so you couldn’t tell. They were coming down the street towards us and they made no sound. Their eyes were wide and glassy and quite often they stumbled but they never blinked. There must of been hundreds of them shuffling out of the smoke. All of them with their eyes huge and wide like things pulled up from very deep in the sea.
A blond woman came towards us. She was wearing gold earrings and an Arsenal shirt and pink Kappa trackie bottoms. Her makeup was nice and her nails were done but she was screaming again and again and again. I wondered how come she was screaming when everyone else was so quiet. She went past us still screaming and I turned to watch her go past. Then I saw what it was. On her back she wasn’t wearing anything at all. The Arsenal shirt and the Kappa trackies were all burned off her. There was just burned skin all the way up her legs and her back. You could see where her knickers had melted into her. The back of her head looked like something you take out of the oven. She disappeared into the smoke still screaming screaming screaming and I wondered why nobody was helping her. Then I remembered my husband and my boy and I forgot all about the woman.
I grabbed the next person that came past. He was a small man with a thin moustache about 50
Similar Books
