How I Met Your Mother: Love & Bullets

Thursday, 9:34 am 

His fingers fumbled with the lid of the bottle of water. Eventually, they managed to open it and pour the cool liquid down his throat. As Andrew Hargreaves swallowed, he noticed his wife watching him.

“Save some for me,” she said. Andrew screwed the lid back on and handed it to her. “So, having trouble keeping up?”

“Me? No – I’m just enjoying the view back here,” he replied, smirking. “Your bum does all sorts of wonderful things to me.”

“Cheeky,” Leah quipped, handing him the bottle back.

“Precisely!” Andrew replied. “Okay, three more laps around the running track, then we’ll head home. What time have you got to be in work today?”

“Twelve,” Leah replied. “Tom wants a senior staff meeting this morning but a couple of the others aren’t back until lunchtime, so there wasn’t any point getting in early today.”

“Okay,” Andrew said, taking off before Leah had chance to react. “Quickest on the last lap gets the first shower!”

****

10:47 am

The idea of individual showers had turned into a joint effort within thirty seconds of Leah running the hot water. As Andrew threw a towel across to her from the pile in the airing cupboard he found himself thinking out loud.

“I miss naked Tuesdays.”

“What?” Leah said as she wrapped the large bath sheet around herself. “We haven’t done that since…well, since the kids were born.”

“I know – that’s what I’m saying – I miss it.”

“I don’t miss the fear of you leaving a nasty mark on the sofa,” Leah replied as she scuttled past Andrew on her way to the master bedroom. “White was definitely the wrong colour for that.”

“Yeah – shame about that, that sofa was comfy.” Andrew plodded along behind her, drying his body off with his towel as he walked. “So I take it that naked Tuesdays are off the agenda for the foreseeable future?”

“At least until the kids have left home," Leah replied. She glanced over at Andrew – who was now studying his face in the mirror and staring at something. “What are you looking at?”

“The volume of grey hairs in my head is increasing exponentially.” He sounded concerned. “Christ, I’m only just thirty-five and I’m starting to go grey like my Dad!”

“Andy, if you carry on doing things to me like you did in the shower this morning I couldn’t care less if your hair is grey, blue or pink!” Leah said as she walked over to him. Wrapping her arms around his stomach and practically welding herself to his back, she looked around his shoulder at their reflection in the mirror. “Seriously, I thought the hand rail was going to break at one point.” She kissed his shoulder. “So, what are you doing today?”

“I need to go through my notes for the convention speech I’m giving at TerrorCon later. Then Diane wants me to get together with her and that new assistant of that she hired for me at some point today. Christ knows why she’s hired her – I can’t see why I need one,” Andrew replied. Leah reluctantly pulled away from him.

“I can – if you didn’t have me organising things you’d forget where your clean socks are each day.”

“I have clean socks?” The mock expression of shock on his face made Leah laugh. “Wow – what’s next? Man walking on the Moon?”

“Shut up,” she said. “All I’m saying is that I don’t think it’s a bad idea – besides, you’re not Diane’s only client. She’s your agent and editor – not your slave.”

“Well, here’s a crazy idea, why don’t I pay you to be my assistant?” Andrew said. Leah opened the bottom draw of her tallboy and pulled out some underwear. “Think about it – you can make me cups of tea all day long, get me a sandwich whenever I need one, unlimited blow jobs on demand…”

“Mmm, you’re really selling the role to me baby,” Leah giggled. “I’m not sure I can do tea and sandwiches on demand though.”

“And I thought that the blow jobs would be the stumbling block!”

“Oh, I have no problem with the blow…” her phone began to ring. It wasn’t Leah’s personal mobile; it was her office-issued one. She leaned across the bed and scooped it up from the bedside table. “Hargreaves…mhmm…right…okay…I’ll see you soon then.”

“I didn’t think you had to be in work until midday?” Andrew sounded concerned.

“Something has cropped up – Alison is on her way over to pick me up.” There was a new sense of urgency in the way Leah was getting ready now. “So, there’s food in the freezer…”

“Don’t worry about it – we’ve been through this before, I know what I’m doing,” Andrew reassured her as he grabbed a pre-packed silver suitcase from the wardrobe. Leah looked at it for a minute.

“No, no, I don’t need that,” she said, grabbing her blouse and throwing it on without buttoning it up. “Can you get my grey suit out for me?”

“Okay,” Andrew knew what the grey suit meant – it was usually the one Leah wore if she thought there was a risk of any trouble. “One lucky suit coming up.”

“I keep telling you it’s not my lucky suit,” Leah replied as she snatched the trousers off the hanger. “I just feel comfortable in it.”

“I’ll go and stick the kettle on. Alison won’t be here for twenty five minutes yet,” Andrew said, leaving Leah in peace to get ready.

****

Leah finished the drink and put the mug in the sink at the same time as the doorbell rang. Andrew was standing in the hallway by the door, holding Leah’s jacket for her.

“Be careful,” he said as she snatched the jacket from his hand. As soon as it was on she wrapped her arms around him and kissed him deeply.

“I will. Love you.”

“I love you too,” he said. Without another word he opened the door. Alison was standing on the doorstep. Andrew nodded to her, acknowledging the fact she was there without saying anything. He watched as they walked down the drive to the dark grey Range Rover waiting for them. Leah glanced over her shoulder once at him before she got in and the vehicle drove away. Andrew waited for a minute before closing the front door.

Then he went upstairs and vomited in the bathroom.

****

“At 8:32 this morning we received confirmation that a cargo flight operated by Global Supply Systems inbound from Tbilisi had landed at Stansted Airport with a suspicious package as part of its cargo manifest,” Tom Benedict’s voice was distorted over the speaker phone in the Range Rover.

“I’m sorry, what sort of package are we talking about here?” Alison asked.

“One of the handlers noticed that the crate was written up incorrectly – the item weighed in excess of sixty pounds when it should have only been forty-five. He reported it to his supervisor who had the local authorities open it up to determine if there was an additional import duty that needed to be levied.” Tom added. “I’m sending the images to Leah’s Blackberry now.”

A few moments later the small device in Leah’s hand beeped and a series of images flashed up on the screen. Contained within the wooden crate was a cylindrical tube that was attached to a large auto-loader device. In turn, that was fed by a magazine that appeared to be calibrated to hold something roughly the same size as an over-sized shotgun round. Attached to the main body of the device was a small hand-held element that looked like a weapon from a cheesy science fiction show.

“Jesus…” Alison muttered.

“A Dragunov AGS-30.” Leah said.

“You recognise that?” Tom asked.

“You might say that.” Alison groaned.

“It was a prototype semi-automatic grenade launcher developed by the Russians in the late 1990s as a successor to the AGS-17,” Leah said. “Its original spec was around the concept of a portable urban pacification system, but it was soon clear that its scope extended way beyond that.”

“It’s capable of firing thirty millimetre, programmable smart grenades up to seven hundred metres. It’s got a rate of fire of sixty high explosive rounds per minute. The little ray gun looking gizmo is a remote laser targeting device; it can store up to twenty independent targets at once.” More images of the device flashed up on the Blackberry as Leah continued to explain the origin of the weapon. “The Russian company designing it ceased production once it was revealed in the testing phase that it was prone to over-heating, but they lost five of the working prototypes before they went out of business.”

“Look’s like Jovan’s ghost has come back to haunt us,” Alison muttered.

“Where was this being shipped to?” Leah asked Tom, partially ignoring Alison’s statement.

“There’s no forwarding address – the shipping manifest said that the purchaser was going to pick it straight up from the airport this afternoon.”

“How long until we reach Stansted Airport?” Alison asked Michaels, who was driving.

“About forty-five minutes,” he replied as both women felt the surge in power as he pushed the accelerator down.

****

Hagley Hall

May 2001 

“Ladies and Gentlemen please raise your glasses to Mr and Mrs Andrew Hargreaves,” Bryant Mayhew raised his glass in a toast to the couple as they made their way towards the dance floor. As Andrew held Leah’s hand, he saw the look of joy on her face.

“I can’t believe you’re actually getting me to dance to Elton John’s The Way You Look Tonight,” Andrew whispered into Leah’s ear.

“Nothing you say right now will spoil how happy you’ve made me today,” she replied as they danced. “But if you want to get lucky tonight then you’d better watch what you say about the choice of music for our first dance.”

“Oooh, threats Mrs Hargreaves?” Andrew mocked her. “You really think that once you’ve had a few drinks you’ll be able to resist me?”

“Contrary to popular belief Mr Hargreaves, you are not as charming as you think you are,” Leah quipped as Andrew pulled her closer to him.

“Hey, doesn’t matter, you signed up to obey me. Remember that part of the wedding vows? You’re my woman now; you’ve no say in the matter.” Leah could hear the humour in his voice as she pulled back and saw the huge smile on his face.

“I knew we should have written our own vows," Leah replied with a smile. "But in case you've forgotten, that door swings both ways."

"I better be careful what demands I start making then huh?" Andrew responded as Leah put her head on his shoulder. “I love you, you know.”

“Yeah, kind of figured that,” she replied. “Now kiss me before the song finishes.”

****

Three songs later and Eric Douglas was on his way to getting seriously drunk. As he sat at the head table nursing his drink, Leah sat down next to him, wrapped her arms around him and planted a kiss on his cheek.

“What was that for?”

“Consider it a thank you for being here,” Leah replied. She noticed the glum look on Eric’s face. “What’s wrong?”

“I…I think that Alison is having an affair.” The words just blurted out of Eric’s mouth. “I’m sorry, I should just shut up, and you don’t need this today…” He started to get up out of his chair.

“Nonono, come on, sit down,” Leah said, grabbing his arm and virtually dragging Eric back into his seat. “What makes you think that?”

“It’s all these trips she keeps going on, you know, for her job,” Eric sounded upset.

“Eric, listen to me,” Leah said. “Whenever we’ve been working away together Alison has never done anything that would lead me to think that she’s being unfaithful to you.” Eric took another swig from the flute of champagne. “I know she’s not the easiest person in the world to get along with, but I do know that she loves you. Now get up and dance with me.”

At the same time on the dance floor, Alison was in Andrew’s arms as he twirled her around the floor.

“Thanks for sorting all this out while Leah was away – it means a lot to both of us,” Andrew said.

“Don’t mention it – consider it my wedding gift to you both in lieu of a new toaster,” Alison replied. “What I said about upsetting her stands though – I can still make you disappear!”

“Stop it, you’ll make me laugh and I might step on your toes…Hey, looks like Leah’s finally getting Eric to his feet,” Andrew said. Alison looked over his shoulder.

“I’m surprised he can still stand at this point – he hates weddings,” she replied. “He’s usually well on his way to getting drunk by now.” Alison realised that Andrew was looking at her. She found his gaze slightly uncomfortable. “What?”

“You haven’t told him, have you?” Andrew said. Alison scowled.

“How do you do that?”

“Answer me,” Andrew said, ignoring Alison’s question.

“Look, I admire the way how Leah and you are completely honest with each other,” Alison replied. “It’s brutal but it works for you guys because you know you can trust each other, but that’s not the way I’m wired.”

“He still thinks you work for a bank for Christ’s sake,” Andrew said. “At least tell him you work for the Foreign Office or something like that – you know, just in case.”

“I appreciate the concern and I don’t want to sound funny Andy, but what’s it matter to you?”

“It matters because I happen to like Eric and if the situation was reversed I’d rather know a watered down version of the truth than have the reality hit me like a brick if something happened to Leah.” Alison could see the earnest expression on Andrew’s face. “At least I could, you know, prepare for it.”

“God you’re sickeningly good, aren’t you?”

“Yes he is, and he’s mine,” Leah said, gently sliding in between Andrew and Alison. “Now, if you don’t mind, I’d like to dance with my husband again.”

****

9 weeks later

Late in the July afternoon, the sun scorched the Mediterranean shores below. Exhausted from a day of sun worship, water sports, and souvenir shopping, crowds of tourists began gathering at the outdoor cafes and taverns, which lined the city’s waterfront. The scent of fried seafood began to drift throughout the harbour where a multitude of yachts and other pleasure craft were moored against the pier.

On the deck of one of those boats was an attractive brunette woman wearing a triangle top and string bottom bikini. Facing inland, she casually sat up and leaned her body backward against the palms of her hands. Looking comfortable, her right leg extended straight out in front of her, whereas her left knee was bent at a forty-five degree angle. She then tilted her head back, letting the bright rays glisten off her sunglasses, while her dark tresses of hair dangled downward.

Another woman, tanned but this time blonde stepped out from behind the cabin door. Barefooted, the newcomer walked out onto the deck wearing a pair of snug fitting blue jeans and a black, lace tank top.

"You need to put some more suntan lotion on your shoulders," said the second woman. “Otherwise you’ll burn.” Upon hearing the voice, Leah rolled over on her stomach. Bringing her hands behind her, she then undid the top of her bikini.

"Can you put some on my back then?" said Leah as she held up a tube of sun-screen.

“Hey, what did your last slave die of?" Alison joked as she picked up the tube and squeezed.

“I had them shot on a charge of insubordination.” Leah smirked. Slowly, the lotion oozed out and fell onto Leah’s back producing a curvy trail of white cream crossing over itself in a manner reminiscent of a moebius strip. Alison then placed her hands on top of Leah’s shoulders, and began to rub them over her warm, sun soaked skin. Alison’s hands smoothly slid over Leah, delicately etching themselves into the lean but firm muscles along her torso. Leah smiled, indulging in the way the massage relaxed her. By the time Leah’s back was covered with a glossy shield, Alison applied a coat over the back of her legs as well.

“You know, you’re almost as good as Andrew at doing that,” Leah quipped. Alison retaliated by smacking her playfully on the back of her legs. "So are you all set for tonight?"

"Indeed I am! How do I look? Do you think mi amore will like me like this?" replied Alison as she stood up, leaned back against the rail of the boat and modelled her appearance. Leah lifted her head up and rested her chin on top of her right hand, which was propped up on its elbow. The bewitching gaze of her green eyes and free flowing blonde hair made Alison seem desirously untameable. Her lace top pressed against her skin and was hemmed at the ribs, showing off her flat waistline while the faded blue jeans she wore rode below Alison’s navel, complementing the effect. Slung across her hip and below her belt loops was a thick, metallic lariat decorated with crystal and ornate patterns.

"You look like a tramp," replied Leah with a giggle

"That’s right! Just the way he likes me. Maybe I’ll even let him get lucky tonight," answered Alison with a sly grin on her face. “This undercover work can be so taxing.”

"Whatever you do just be careful," said Leah as she pushed herself up off of the deck.

"Don’t worry Leah, I can take care of myself," said Alison as she sat down on a bench, crossed her legs and strapped her feet into a pair of stiletto sandals. “Besides, I’ll have you watching over me like a guardian angel.”

“Only for a short while – after that you’re on your own,” Leah reminded her.

“I’ll be fine,” Alison said, hugging Leah and casting a glance at her watch over her friend’s shoulder. “Okay, I’ve got to go.”

Moments later Leah leaned forward on the rail and watched Alison head down the pier towards the town. As usual male onlookers’ heads began to turn. It was amazing how easy it was for Alison to get men eating out of her hands, thought Leah. The swinging motion of her hips always caught the attention of the men nearby, while her flirtatious smile and wave dazzled them.

By the time Alison reached the waterfront a large crowd of people were parading down the walkways. At one of the outdoor cafes Alison could see Jovan sitting at a table. The sunlight reflected off his bald head and she could imagine his small, beady eyes eagerly pouring over every woman that walked in or out of the café. Looking every bit the part of a Balkan mobster, dressed in an ill-fitting suit that looked like it hadn’t been dry cleaned in a month, he had a bottle of cognac in front of him, a cigarette in one hand, and his cell phone in the other. Sitting along side him were several large boned men in military haircuts; both of them looked displeased to be sitting in public rather than out breaking legs.

Undeterred, Alison came up from behind him. Because the bodyguards knew her, they made no attempt to stop her from nearing their charge. Instead they contently stared at her navel and very fit midsection. I could have killed him right then, Alison thought as she playfully blindfolded Jovan with her hands.

"Guess who?"

"Ah! It’s about time you arrived," answered Jovan as he sniffed the fragrance of her perfume and placed his cell phone on the table. Reaching back up, he grabbed a hold of her wrist and guided the back of her right hand to his lips. After he kissed her hand, Alison leaned forward and kissed the side of his mouth. Once her lips made contact, the tip of her tongue protruded forward and tickled the inside corner of his mouth. In response Jovan turned his head toward her and tried to envelop her lips completely with his mouth, but before he could, Alison coyly moved her face away.

"Come on Jovan there will be plenty time for that later," she said as she sat down next to him, and poured herself a glass of water. Not before too long a waiter brought out their dinner trays and a vintage bottle of wine.

Meanwhile, out in the harbour Leah stood behind the wheel of the boat and gently steered it away from the pier. Once she reached her not too distant destination, she dropped anchor and went back into the cabin. When she returned she was carrying a black briefcase. Walking to the front of the boat she knelt down on the deck and pressed the case snaps with her fingers so that the top popped open. Inside the case were the parts of a high calibre rifle. Going about her business, she efficiently assembled the weapon. Turning around in the opposite direction she looked through the scope of the rifle out into the sea until her eyes found the two bottle shaped buoys she had thrown over board earlier.

Calmly pressing her cheek against the butt of the rifle she then placed the tip of her right index finger on the trigger and squeezed off two near-silent rounds. A smile of satisfaction formed on her face when the bullets shattered their targets. Like a fisherman waiting for a prize catch to take the bait on the hook, she patiently lay next to her weapon until her target presented itself.

Back on the waterfront, Jovan and Alison entered an elevator at a seaside hotel accompanied by two of Jovan’s bodyguards. As the door closed the two men came up from behind Alison; one began patting her down so as to check for any possible concealed weapons while the other checked her small purse.

"Come on boys all you had to do was ask, I’ll be glad to give you a closer look if you really want one," responded Alison as her eyes defiantly glared at the two men while she teasingly began unbuttoning her pants.

"You know how it is, one can never be too careful these days especially with women!" joked Jovan as he motioned the two bodyguards away from her.

"Don’t worry Jovan, I promise not to bite unless you want me to," said Alison as she allowed her pants to drop slightly enough to reveal the black lingerie she was wearing underneath her jeans. After they reached their floor the entire group moved out of the elevator and into the hall until they came to the Presidential Suite.

Typical, Alison thought to herself as her target struggled with the key card between his fat fingers, delusions of grandeur. While the two bodyguards remained outside, Jovan and Alison entered. Before the door closed Alison mischievously looked back at the two bodyguards and puckered her lips, blowing a kiss to both of them.

Once the door closed she pressed her body against Jovan’s and wrapped her arms around him. Immediately, he reciprocated and the two of them exchanged kisses. Suddenly, before he was content, Alison stepped away.

"It’s too hot in here. I’ve got to open up those windows before I burn up," said Alison, dropping her purse on the bed as she walked over to the wood shutters then opened them up, exposing a seaside view.

"Yes, that’s better," commented Alison as she felt the cool sea breeze blow against her body. Placing the palms of her arms on the window pain she pushed herself up until she sat on the edge. Casually she crossed her legs and slowly unstrapped her sandals until they fell off her feet onto the floor. Jovan for his part was entranced by Alison’s beauty and stared at her lustfully.

"So what do you want to do now?" she asked in a sultry voice. Moving off the windowsill she walked up to Jovan who had just sat down on the edge of the bed. “Mmm, you’re awfully quiet over there Jovan, at a loss for words?” Alison purred. Jovan nodded, enthralled by her.

"Ok you’ve been a good boy. So I’m going to give you something to remember me by." Slowly she began unbuttoning her jeans building up Jovan’s anticipation with each snap. Then she turned her back toward him and slightly bent forward, and wiggled her way out of the jeans like a snake shedding its skin. Looking back over her shoulder at Jovan she could see the gratified smile on his face as he leeringly admired her. When Alison stood up straight, her jeans plummeted to the ground. Gracefully she lifted up her feet until they cleared away from the jeans.

"Have you thought about what you want me to do to you? Any last requests?" Alison couldn’t contain her smile at her choice of words as she reached back, pulled on the elastic of her black panties, and snapped it back against her flesh. Turning back around, she unbuttoned the top of her lace top, making her cleavage visible. Then she got down on her hands and knees and began crawling toward Jovan, halting in front of his shoes. She then lifted her neck and back up until her face was parallel to his groin.

On her knees she reached out with her hands and began to undo his pants. Taking as much time as possible her right hand pulled down on his zipper allowing her left hand to fit through the opening. Delicately massaging his masculinity through his underwear, she began gently scratching him with her fingernails, making him stiffen with excitement. Alison heard Jovan’s sharp intake of breath, his anticipation increasing when he saw her lower her face down.

"Soon you’ll be in heaven baby. Just close your eyes and think of me." Jovan’s body tingled as he felt her cool mint breath blowing between his zipper. Alison’s eyes mischievously gleamed as she looked up, and saw Jovan with his eyes closed and mouth gaping open waiting for the carnal gifts he believed she would give him.

Just then Jovan’s head suddenly jolted forward as if he had been clubbed from behind. As his head slumped down blood began flowing from a gaping hole in the back of his skull. As his body began to wilt, Alison stood up and caught him before he collapsed to the floor. With little effort she carefully lowered him down to the mattress.

"Sorry Jovan, but you’re really not my type." Then she gazed out into the sea where she knew Leah was watching, and blew her a kiss. She quickly searched Jovan’s cooling body and found a pistol tucked in a holster under his left arm, just as she was expecting, and his precious cell phone in his right hand pocket. Checking that the pistol was actually loaded, Alison took a moment to pull on her jeans and return her sandals to her feet.

She headed straight for the door of the hotel room. Opening it, Alison stepped out. With the pistol in her right hand she pushed the gun into the one bodyguard’s neck and fired once in an upward direction. Not hesitating for a moment, she swung her left hand outwards, striking the other bodyguard forcefully in the throat.

Alison looked back at her first target – he was lying on the blood stained carpet, a few twitches going through his legs as the last neural responses fired along the nerves in his body. Satisfied that he wouldn’t be bothering her, Alison turned her attention back to the second bodyguard.

He was on his knees, clutching at his throat and trying desperately to breathe. Alison stepped up to him and grabbed his head, one hand under his chin and the other gripping a tuft of hair. She twisted it sharply to the right, and then back to the left to be sure of fully dislocating his skull from his spine before letting his body fall to the floor. Content that her work was done here, Alison returned to the room, reached into her purse and pulled out her cell phone.

“These three are toast,” she said. “So, did you remember to put my wetsuit on board the boat?”

“Of course I did,” Leah replied. “I’ll pick you up at the back door in five minutes.”

“Better make it ten,” Alison said, looking at the two bodies in the hallway. “These two puppies look like they are dead weight.”

****

“According to the data on this cell phone Jovan was expecting his shipment early tomorrow morning,” Leah said as the laptop continued to decrypt and translate the data stored on the memory of the phone. “And they are moored somewhere out here, just outside the territorial water restrictions.”

“Nice. So they sit out here in international waters and then the handover takes place tomorrow morning with no one around to stop them?” Alison said. Leah nodded.

“That appears to have been the plan,” she said. “Lucky we’re here to throw a spanner in the works.”

“So, how was the honeymoon?” Alison asked as the boat glided to a slow stop under the dark Mediterranean sky. They had been running dark for the last twenty minutes with the engine at a minimum, trying to mask their approach.

“Great – I didn’t think a book signing tour could actually be fun, but it was,” Leah replied as she starting to get into her wetsuit. “I can’t believe we spent three weeks going down the East Coast of America without going stir crazy and then spent the last week in the Florida Keys just chilling out.”

“God, stop gushing, you’re making me sick,” Alison replied. “Eric and I have split up.”

“What? Why?” Leah felt like she’d been punched in the stomach. “Why didn’t you say something sooner? Jesus, I feel terrible, here I’ve been wittering on about how great my husband is the last week…”

“Stop it – you’re happy, you’re allowed to witter,” Alison interrupted her. “I didn’t say anything because it didn’t feel right. I’m not sure it’s really sunk in properly yet.” Alison said. “He…he thinks – no, he’s convinced himself that I’m having an affair with someone, although who it is I have no idea.”

“Have you tried to talk to him about it?”

“No, every time we try he just gets paranoid and we end up screaming at each other,” Alison replied. “It’s probably for the best, in the long run…” Neither woman spoke for a minute.

“Okay, seeing as we’re confessing things then I guess I should tell you that this is my last operational gig.” Leah broke the silence.

“What? You’re taking the analyst’s job?” Alison asked. Leah nodded. “What am I going to do without you?”

“You’ll manage,” Leah said. “I was going to mention it on the flight home. It’s more money and I won’t be jetting off places at a minutes notice, plus we can start thinking about a family…” She sounded almost apologetic.

“We?” Alison almost choked on the words. “You’ve really thought this through haven’t you?” Leah nodded again; the expression on her face conveyed her feelings far better than any words could.

“I…I’m not sure I can do this anymore…you know how we agreed that the best way to approach this is like you’ve got nothing to lose, facing it without fear, well, I feel like I’ve got something to lose now…”

“Leah, you don’t have to explain yourself to me, jeez, I fully understand what you’re talking about,” Alison said, walking over and hugging her friend. “And I’m happy for you – it’s just sad that this is going to be our last time out together.” They held each other a little longer than they normally would.

“Okay, I’ve got to get my game face on,” Leah said as she broke away from Alison, wiping something away from her face. “Otherwise something could get screwed up.”

****

Crouched down on the deck of the Novi Sad, sheathed in the form-fitting wetsuit that she had used countless times before, Leah took stock of the sight before her. Casually walking around the deck was one of the members of the group of Balkan arms dealers that she and Alison had been tracking for nearly a month now. After compiling all the evidence of their activities, Leah had approached their supervisor with the details;

Jovan Miskolav was acquiring weapons from one of the former Soviet states and selling to the highest bidder. Whilst this wasn’t uncommon – and in fact tolerated in some circles – the Department had taken exception to the particular individuals that Jovan had chosen to do business with. After Leah had spoken to Tom his reaction was simple.

Take them out and dispose of the package.

As she crouched low on the deck, she watched as the man – called Velimir – paused to light a cigarette. She took advantage of the delay – allowing the condemned man his last earthly pleasure. Stretching her legs, Leah braced herself as she saw the small white stick slowly burning down.

I’m glad that Andrew doesn’t smoke.

She shook her head, trying to dismiss the thought and try to remain as detached as possible. These men were killers and would have no qualms about doing the same to her if things went wrong. Leah reminded herself of that fact as she stayed in the shadows.

As Velimir finished his cigarette, Leah pounced like a cat upon a mouse. Her lithe, athletic figure sprung from its hiding place. Clamping a hand across Velimir’s mouth to prevent his screams, Leah grabbed the back of his head with her other hand and twisted sharply. She felt the familiar sensation of the vertebrae snapping as she caught his body before it slumped to the deck. Dragging him to the edge, all anyone would have heard was a soft splosh sound as she lowered the dead man into the water.

Could have been a fish, Leah thought as she turned her attention to the rest of the boat. Cautiously making her way along the deck, she could hear the sound of two voices – unmistakeably male and both sounding in high spirits. Grateful that her rubber clad feet made little noise, Leah approached the direction of the voices carefully. Peeking around the edge of the fibreglass hull of the boat, she saw Tomislav and Milan standing by the rear of the boat, both taking no notice of the fact that their other companion had yet to return.

Leah took a deep breath, trying to clear her mind of any other thoughts. Just be fast and precise, deal with the situation as efficiently as possible; don’t think, just act; remove the emotional aspect of it all, she coached herself as she considered her options. As both men were currently facing away from her, she had the element of surprise by approaching them in their blind spot. Covering the short distance between them in a matter of seconds, she went for the nearest – Tomislav – first.

Slamming both of her hands down on either side of his neck, he crumpled to the ground, momentarily stunned by her attack. Milan turned, trying to make sense of what had happened by swinging a fist towards their lithe attacker. Leah blocked the blow easily and drove two quick punches into his chest and a third into his face, breaking his nose.

He stumbled back as Leah returned her attention to Tomislav. He was on his hands and knees, getting his feet slowly. Leah’s wetsuit-clad leg rose majestically upwards before she sent it crashing powerfully down on the junction of his spine and skull, splintering the bones upon contact. His body hit the deck and twitched spasmodically, the last few signals from his brain moving down his body before the connection was permanently disabled. Milan tried to wipe the blood that was streaming from his nose as he looked up – just in time to see Leah’s foot slam into his face. The force of the blow lifted him off his feet and into the air. Moments later, he felt the cold water strike his body just before he lost consciousness for the last time.

Something about the way the moon reflected off the water made her pause for a moment. It then struck her that on the last night of their honeymoon, they had sat on a quiet beach on Bahia Honda and watched the sun slowly sink beneath the waves. They had been snorkelling during the day and saw a pod of dolphins swim by them, shortly followed by a nurse shark. 

Andrew couldn’t stop talking about the shark as they sat on the beach that night. He told her about their life cycles and how he had this trip plotted out in his head to swim with the Great Whites off the coast of South Africa in a shark cage, but how the insurance costs were prohibitive at the minute. Leah marvelled at how the ocean looked so flat that night with the moonlight bouncing off the shallow waves. It was like a sheet of glass floating above the sand. Tonight it was a different expanse of water, but the effect was still the same.

Keep it together Leah, she berated herself, this is how things go wrong and you end up getting hurt – focus on the matter at hand!

The interior of the boat was split into two parts according to Leah’s informant. There was the primary cabin in the main section of the hull – and Leah reasoned this was where they were probably storing their cargo – and a smaller secondary area that adjoined the deck. As she opened the door she saw two men inside. Both of them were oblivious to Leah as they were going about their tasks – it appeared that they seemed to be cooking something on the small stove.

One of them – Zoran – glanced up at Leah for a moment before doing a double take. His eyes almost popped out of his head as he took in the shapely female figure clad in the slick black wet suit. Leah leapt into the cabin – her foot striking Zoran squarely in the chest and knocking him backwards. His companion – Mirko – launched himself towards Leah, only to run straight into a powerful high kick. The force of the blow was deceptive, Mirko realised as he found himself sprawled across the small table that they ate at, As the plates scattered beneath him he had just enough time to see Leah following up her initial blow, grabbing the lapels of his jacket and pulling him up off the table. The last thing Mirko saw was the palm of Leah’s hand flying towards his face.

Zoran managed to pick himself up off the floor and turned towards the door that led to the main cabin. Suddenly, a female arm wrapped itself around his throat from behind and began squeezing. He tried to yell for help, but Zoran couldn't make a sound. Leah calmly increased the pressure of her lethal chokehold. The man's face turned blue as the lethal brunette continued strangling him. His efforts to free himself from her grasp were in vain; his fingers slipping off the neoprene arm that was wrapped around his neck to deadly effect. When she was sure he was dead and the last few spasms had wracked through his body, Leah let the corpse crumple to the ground.

“All done,” she muttered as she approached the door to the main cabin. The sound of movement behind her made Leah stop dead in her tracks.

“Aww, you didn’t save any for me,” Alison said as she entered the cabin.

“Well if you hadn’t spent so long getting into your wetsuit then maybe I wouldn’t have had to clean house all on my own.” Leah shot back at her with a grin. “What’s in the bag?”

“Oh, this and that, you know, a few bits and pieces I thought we could use,” Alison replied. “So, what’s behind door number two?”

“I’m hoping it’s what we’re looking for.” Leah paused as Alison handed her a silenced pistol. Grabbing the large steel handle and twisting it, the heavy metal door slid open. Alison stepped in first and began to sweep around the hold with Leah backing her up.

“Looks like we’re clear,” Alison said, lowering her firearm. Both of the women turned their attention to the pile of wooden crates in the centre of the hold. “Please tell me that the phone had some sort of inventory on it.”

“Three crates of assault rifles,” Leah began reciting them from memory as she moved around the boxes. “Two boxes of grenades, a cache of small arms and six surface-to-air missiles,” she was counting up the numbers as she walked around them. “And one Dragunov AGS-30.”
 
“I’ve never heard of one of those before,” Alison said as she began looking in each crate. “And by the looks of it, it isn’t here.”

“I think it was here,” Leah said from the other side of the hold. Alison looked over – Leah was kneeling next to an empty wooden crate. “But it looks like someone got here before we did.”

“And left the crew and all this stuff behind? I don’t get it.”

“Neither do I,” Leah said, picking up a pair of the thermite charges Alison had bought on board. “But we can worry about that once we’ve sunk this little warship. Come on, let’s blow this place and get out of here.”

****

The following morning the waterfront was swarming with police and local media. By the time Alison and Leah had packed their bags and were waiting for their taxi back to the airport, the furore had begun to die down. As they lounged around in the hotel, Alison picked up on some of the discussions the locals were having.

“Well, it appears that some sort of drugs war erupted last night,” she said with a grin on her face. “They’ve found three men dead in a local hotel and a boat blown up just outside the harbour.”

“It’s shocking what goes on in these quiet coastal towns these days,” Leah joked as she got up. “I’m just going to the toilet – don’t let the cab go without me.” She walked through the lobby and into the hotel bar to the public toilets. On her way back from the bar, Leah took a small diversion via the bank of pay phones that were situated at the far end of the lobby. For a minute she contemplated using her “official” phone, then discarded the notion when she thought of the pile of paperwork she’d have to complete once she got back home.

“Andrew, it’s me,” Leah said. “Look, I’m late.”

“That’s okay, I’ll just push the dinner reservations tonight back an hour or so…”

“No, I mean I’m late.” Leah repeated, emphasising the last word.

“Oh, right. Okay,” Andrew said. “Oh – right!” Leah could almost hear his eyes opening a little wider as he finally understood what she meant. “Err, what do we do now?”

“I’ll make an appointment to see Dr Ingram tomorrow, just to confirm I’m right.” Leah hesitated for a minute. “You’re…you’re okay with this, right?”

“Okay? Shit, yes – I’m more than okay with it, I mean, it’s what we’ve been trying for over the last six months,” Andrew said. “I was just starting to get worried, that’s all, and to be honest I’m…ecstatic. I just wish you were here in person to tell me.”

“Well, it’s still early days, but…” Leah added. Alison was gesturing towards her in the corner of her eye. “Look, I’ve got to go but I’ll see you in a few hours.”

“Okay Princess – I’ll get one of those home pregnancy kits from Boots on the way over to the airport.” Andrew said, the line breaking up slightly as Leah heard him moving around and scooping up some keys.

“If you must, but I don’t want you going out of your way okay? I’ll see you soon, love you.”

****

E-Centre Convention Facility

TerrorCon 2009

Thursday 1 pm

“…well, in order to answer that question I think it helps to understand the motivation of the Esoteric Order of Dagon in the first place,” Andrew said as he addressed the hall of fans. He had been on stage since midday and the talk was helping to take his mind off the sudden change of events that morning. “Let’s be absolutely certain about this point – unlike every other cult in the Cthulhu Mythos, the EOD have no long term goal other than the return of Cthulhu, and they are under no illusions as to their status in their God’s endgame.”

“Which is?” one of the guests asked. Andrew allowed himself to smile as he held the microphone in his hand.

“They end up as dead as the rest of us – except they die in the knowledge that they wrought this destruction upon mankind.” He said. “In many respects, the Order is the ultimate doomsday cult in the Mythos – they don’t see their actions in anything other than absolute terms, it’s either success or failure on their part.”

“But how do they compare to, say, the First Church of Starry Wisdom or the Brotherhood of the Bloody Tongue?”

“It’s interesting that you mention two of Nyarlathotep’s cults there,” Andrew said, walking around the stage towards the direction of the young woman who had raised the question. “I mean, if there’s a God within the Mythos that you can negotiate with, then it’s The Messenger of the Outer Gods.” Andrew paused for a moment as he stooped to pick up a bottle of water from the corner of the stage. “But even that is only going to buy you a small window of time; after all, The Messenger has his own plans as well that he puts in motion.”

Andrew looked out across his audience, still not quite believing that all these people were here to hear him speak. “But if I was going to break it down into simple terms, the EOD want destruction right now – many of the other cults are prepared to wait and have been patient for quite some time.” He noticed someone signalling to him from the side of the stage. “And, I’m being told that my time here today is up, so I think that’s a good place to wrap things up. Now before I go I just want to thank you all for your support over the years, and remember la! Cthulhu fhtagn!” Sections of the audience responded to him in kind as Andrew walked off the stage, waving at the people.

Stepping out into the wings, he was met by Sarah Covington, the assistant assigned to him by the publishing company. Her wavy brown hair was tied back into some sort of loose ponytail and she was dressed in a rather expensive looking suit. She handed Andrew a sheet of paper.

“Okay, here’s the list of the signings you’re doing this afternoon,” Sarah said. Andrew nodded as he tried to take in the details. “And then you have your Zombie seminar All Flesh Must Be Eaten: Putting the Living into the Living Dead at four today.”

“Groovy,” he replied. “So I have, what, thirty minutes for lunch?”

“Sort of, Diane wants me to go through a series of revisions for your latest manuscript with you. I thought we could do it over lunch,” Sarah said, then instantly blushed. “Oh god – I mean we could go over the revisions at lunch.”

“It’s okay Sarah, I know what you mean,” Andrew chuckled. “That’s fine – I just need to call my wife and check how things are at home.”

****

Craig Farnsdale sat in the interviewing room with his hands wrapped around the coffee cup that had long since gone cold. Having been isolated in the room for nearly an hour, he was beginning to feel like his bladder was about to explode. The door opened and the two women walked in whom he had met at the airport cargo terminal. He decided that the brunette was more attractive than the blonde – although he also thought that there was something decidedly more threatening about the blonde’s demeanour.

Of course, he hadn’t had chance to think about this the first time he’d met them this morning as they were both aiming guns at his head.

“Okay Mr Farnsdale, your story checks out,” Alison said.

“I told you, I don’t know anything about the cargo – I just pick it up from point A and drop it off at point B,” Farnsdale said.

“Mr Farnsdale, where exactly is point B in this case?” Leah asked.

“Newcastle – place called West Jesmond.”

“Newcastle? The Tyne and Wear one?” Alison asked. Craig nodded.

“Yeah – Fog on the Tyne and all that shite,” he added. “Some sort of boarding house, bed and breakfast place I think. The address is on the delivery chitty.”

“Mr Farnsdale, thank you for your help and co-operation today,” Leah said. “However, if you could just hang around here in the police station while we proceed with our enquiries that would be a huge help.”

“Whatever sweetcheeks,” Craig said. “Any chance I can get another cuppa and a paper?”

****

As she left the interview room Leah felt a buzzing sensation in her pocket. She grabbed her personal phone and answered it.

“Hiya,” she said, seeing Andrew’s number on the display.

“Hey, you okay?”

“Yeah, yeah I’m fine – how’s it going?” she said, gesturing to Alison to carry on ahead of her.

“Good.” Andrew answered. “Mom’s picking the kids up – I popped into the school and told the head mistress. Do I need to pop back home to get your suitcase out?”

“No, no – definitely not,” Leah said. “I might be done sooner than I thought, but I’ll let you know, okay?”

“Sure – I’ll speak to you in a bit then.”

“Okay. Bye.” Leah ended the call and headed towards the first floor where they had a room set aside to use. As she closed the door behind herself, Leah saw Michaels setting up a conference call with their office in the city. The speaker in the middle of the room screamed out a high-pitched squeal for a minute – everyone winced at the noise.

“Sweetcheeks?” Alison joked.

“Stop it,” Leah warned her. “Tom, the truck driver seems clean – however we have a delivery address in Newcastle upon Tyne that warrants closer examination as soon as possible.”

“Good work,” Tom replied over the loudspeaker. “I’ll have a team ready and they’ll pick the three of you up in thirty minutes.”

“Actually sir, I think that Michaels and I can handle it,” Alison said. “There’s no need for Hargreaves to be dragged along when she’s not a Field Op any longer.” She winked at Leah.

“If you’re sure you can handle it Irving then that’s fine by me,” Tom replied. “Okay, good work people – call me when you’re on the road.” The speaker squealed again as the call was disconnected.

“You didn’t have to do that,” Leah said. Alison shrugged her shoulders.

“Hey, I dragged you out here on a whim this morning because I needed to know that someone I could trust had my back – but the heavy mob is being rolled out now so there’s no reason why you need to hang around any longer than is necessary.”

“Are you sure? I mean, I feel like I’m running out on a fight…”

“Don’t talk wet – we’ve got this,” Alison said. “Besides, Michaels is a better shot than you.”

“Seriously?”

”Seriously.” Michaels said as he got the keys out for the Range Rover out of his pocket. “Just drop the tank off at the depot before you go home tonight.”

****

E-Centre Convention Facility

TerrorCon 2009

Thursday 4 pm

“There are certain things that we all take for granted in life,” Andrew said as he looked out across the audience. “The sun rises and sets each day…the football team you support will always find a way to blow the crucial game in some bizarre manner…Starscream will try to usurp Megatron…shit happens,” He walked around the stage, gauging the reaction on people’s faces. “But, ask yourself this; when was the last time you bought something you actually needed, that you literally couldn’t live without? When was the last time you had to make a decision on something that wasn’t motivated by the desire to accumulate possessions? How many hours are there in a day when you aren’t spending it glued to the television or the computer screen?”

The room was silent.

“That’s the critical point that you need to consider when we look at the whole concept of a zombie holocaust.” He moved back to the centre of the stage. Above him a screen began to roll down into place and the light in the room dimmed slightly. “That’s the critical nature of Infection. You see everyone from Romero to Raimi to Kirkman, Brooks to Wright & Pegg, has their own interpretations of what things will be like when everything falls apart.”

“Most of you know me as that guy who writes Cthulhu Mythos stories – and I’ll admit that I’ve touched upon the nature of the undead in those with Glaaki and to some extent the Brood of Eihort, but this is my stab at writing something really dark and I thought you might like to see it as a work in progress…”

The screen behind Andrew burst into life with the words Week Three. A moment later, the speakers in the room roared into life. A gravely voiced announcer in an American accent filled the room.

Pirate Radio Broadcast, Week 3

“Okay, Brother and Sisters, you’d better listen close. If you got no fear of God you better get some, and quick. 

“The government is hauling people away in cattle cars. They’re takin’ ‘em up north to some kind of tent city. I don’t know what it is, but I saw the barbed wire and trenches around it. 

“All I know is that the whole place is surrounded by those…the…I mean…the dead. There were so many of them falling into the trenches that the rest were just walking across on top of them. And the shooting! 

“I swear to God Almighty as my witness that they soldiers were busy shooting a lot of the people INSIDE the fence. They were shooting them in the head and loading them into trucks and driving them away. And them d-dead folks just kept a’coming. There weren’t no end to ‘em that I could see. 

“I don’t know what’s going on out there, but I know I’ve gotta do something about it. All y’all that got a gun and a stout heart meet me tonight at Harvey’s Propane in Chillicothe. We’ll go up there and see what we can do about it…”

Internet Bulletin Board Post

“Don’t come near Wichita Falls. Everyone is dead as far as I can tell. I haven’t seen a living person in three days. 

I’m not getting out of here alive. I know that now. 

There are still helicopters. I hear them at night. It helps to listen to the helicopters. I don’t hear the dead people when I listen to the helicopters. 

I just wish one of the helicopters would come down and take me out of here. I knocked a hole in the roof and hung up a sign that said “HELP! I’M ALIVE”. But they haven’t stopped to help me. 

I don’t know what I’m going to do. 

Somebody help me, please? Mommy and Daddy are trying to get through the back door and they’re smashing it up with my bicycle. I’m going to have to go hide in the attic. I won’t be able to talk to anyone then, so yell loud when you get here.” 

JennyTheToadPrincess11

Unauthorized use of University Police radio frequency, University of Kentucky, Louisville

“Do not approach our location. Repeat. Do not approach our location. This is an automated signal that we will begin if we are overrun. If you can hear this message, do not approach the Health Science Center or surrounding areas. If you can hear this message we have been overrun by infected individuals and will already be dead. You cannot help us, but you can help yourself by staying away. 

Do not approach our location. Repeat. Do not approach our location…”

World News Network live broadcast 

“Bill. Bill? I don’t know if you can hear me. The roar from the crowd is almost deafening. We’ve moved to the 15 th floor balcony above Platte Avenue. I don’t know if you can see the picture, but there are people packing the streets as far as we can see in either direction. 

“Some of them are carrying banners Cathy. Can you see what’s written on them? Are they…? Are those effigies…? 

“Yes, Bill. The crowd is burning eff - Ohmygod! They aren’t effigies - they’re burning bodies in the streets. At the corner of Platte and Anderson they’re throwing people into a pile and using gasoline to set them ablaze. Oh god some of them are still moving, Bill. 

“Bill? Did you get that? There’s a police helicopter over the crowd, an officer on a bullhorn ordering them to disperse. The crowd is moving. Wh-what? The crowd is shooting at the helicopter now. The helicopter is smoking. Its smoking and it’s moving away. We can hear more gunfire. Yes, the gunfire is increasingly in intensity. I think it’s the Army. I think the Army is -“ *static* 

***SIGNAL LOST***

The lights gradually rose up and the screen slid back into the ceiling as the audiotape finished. People applauded, some cheered. Andrew looked out at the crowd – then he saw one face amongst the audience that made him smile.

Leah was standing at the side towards the front, not far from where Sarah was standing as well. She was applauding along with the rest of the crowd.

“Thank you, thank you – however, that’s just the beginning of it,” Andrew said, struggling to make his voice heard even with the microphone. “I want to thank the people at Audioville for helping to put that little presentation together. I wasn’t convinced to begin with, but it seems to work. Now, I was going to open it up to the floor for a little Q&A session…”

****

“I can’t believe you made it,” Andrew said as he hugged Leah after the end of his time slot. “I thought…you know.”

“Well I’m here and everything’s okay,” Leah replied, kissing him quickly. Andrew noticed Sarah lurking in the background.

“Shit – introductions!” he said. “Sarah Covington, this is my wife Leah; Leah, this is Sarah, my new assistant.”

“It’s great to meet you, Andrew’s told me so much about you,” Sarah said. Leah smiled.

“Well, not too much I hope,” Leah replied. “Otherwise that could be embarrassing,” She looked at Andrew. “So, how long until you’re done here?”

“I’ve just got to pack up the gear here and run through a couple of last minute…” Andrew began to say.

“It’s okay – I can handle it – it’s only a few further revisions, we can go over them next week,” Sarah butted in. “You guys get out of here.”

“You sure?” Andrew asked. Sarah nodded. “Thanks. Thanks a lot.”

“Great – let’s go get the kids from your Mom’s and get something to eat.” Leah said as she guided her husband towards the exit. “I’m starving and I need a foot massage.”

****

West Jesmond

Newcastle-upon-Tyne

7:43 pm

The door frame jarred against the brickwork as the lock was shattered by the battering ram. Before the door had chance to complete its enforced trajectory towards the wall, heavy-set men and women, fully clad in protective coveralls and bearing automatic weapons, barrelled into the narrow property.

The air was filled with voices screaming out pre-determined warnings and call signs between the swarming sea of black figures that oozed into the property from both front and back. Like a wave of unstoppable water, every available space inside the house was quickly filled with a human presence.

As the sound of boots striking stairs echoed through their ears, Alison and Michaels entered the property, both wearing body armour that matched that of their counterparts as they marauded through the house. Michaels bolted towards the stairs, disappearing from sight as he went to the first floor.

“All clear on this floor ma’am,” One of the police officers reported back to Alison, who nodded in response to the man. As she pushed the front door too she saw the pile of unopened post that had been pushed up against the skirting board. She stooped to pick it up – the post marks of the oldest pieces were nearly a month old.

“This place is empty,” Michaels said as he walked back down the stairs. Alison held up the post.

“It appears that it’s been this way for about a month now,” She added. “Looks like this was just some sort of drop-off address.”

“Don’t these old terrace homes usually have a cellar?” Michaels replied. Alison nodded.

“Yeah – usually the staircase is located under the stairs…” she pointed towards a small door that had remained unopened up to this point. “Sergeant, two of your men please,” Alison said as she directed the officer’s attention to the door. He gripped the handle and twisted it, pulling it open. Michaels stepped in front of Alison and sniffed.

“What’s that smell…?”

76 Burrow Street

9:18 pm

The evening seemed to fly by once they had gotten home. After spending an hour playing with her two children in the garden before bathing them and putting them to bed, Leah finally ventured into the living room to find Andrew sitting on the sofa, typing away on his laptop. Leah got on the sofa with him and pushed herself into his body, as Andrew snaked his right arm around her shoulders.

“So, still going with Jenny the Toad Princess I see?” Leah said as she read the screen.

“Yeah – it went down well today and I figure it adds that bit of gut-wrenching horror to it all; it just sort of drives it home to the reader just exactly how bad things have got.”

“Please remember that Cassie loves that character and if she hears about it she'll be heart broken." Leah said, beginning to get fidgety. “Do you have the remote control at all?” She asked, looking around the sofa to see if it was wedged down the arm as usual.

“No, it’s in the kitchen I think. Scott was trying to start the microwave with it.” Andrew put the laptop on the end of the sofa and got up. “I’ll go and get it…” As he walked away they both heard the sound of Leah’s other phone ring.

“Shit – what the hell can that be now?” she said, looking at the clock on the wall. Andrew found the remote and aimed it at the television, switching it on. Leah grabbed the phone from the base unit where it was charging up.

The television screen flickered into life. Andrew was only partially paying attention to it as he tried to string his thoughts together.

“…explosion is believed to have been as a result of the detonation of a large quantity of highly combustible material in the basement of the residence. The property was used as a guesthouse in the West Jesmond area up until recently. Again, breaking news here of an explosion…”

The images of a hole in the row of terrace houses made Andrew look up at the screen – fire fighters were trying to contain the blaze; a sea of blue and red flashing lights illuminated the paramedics as if they were in some sort of surreal disco as they wheeled people to the rows of ambulances waiting to move out of the narrow street. It looked like at least one of the vehicles that had been parked in the street had been flipped over by the force of the blast.

Then Andrew heard the sound of something falling to the floor in the hallway. He got up to investigate. “Leah? You okay…?” Andrew saw his wife slumped on the floor, tears running down her face and the phone lying a few feet from her. She looked up at him and could barely speak. In the blink of an eye he had rushed to her side and wrapped her in his arms. Between the sobbing Leah managed to blurt something out.

“…It's Alison…she’s…”