by
Mark 'Ponyboy' Peters
Chapter Thirty-Six
We stood on the corner watching Animal speed away, neither of us really knowing what to do or say. I glanced across at Raffa; his mouth was open and his face had turned a decidedly pale shade. I think we were both in some kind of state of shock.
Sensing that someone had stopped beside me, I turned to see a middle-aged woman looking at me with what could only be described as curiosity.
'Are you alright, young man?' she asked. 'You look like you've seen a ghost or something.'
'Huh? Oh, yes, I'm fine, thank you. No ghosts, just surprised to see someone I think I know, that's all,' I replied.
'Aahhh. I see,' she responded, before giving a nod and then continuing on her way.
'Was it really him?' Raffa asked, by now having come to his senses.
'You heard the comment he made, didn't you? Who else would it be?'
'I was hoping that I had imagined that.'
'Yeah, I know what you mean.'
'So what do we do now?'
Yeah, what can we do now? That's kind of what I'm wondering as well.
'C'mon, we had better get back to work,' I suggested, as I tugged on the sleeve of his shirt and tried to get him moving. We started along the street and before long we made it to the arcade which led to our store, then followed the lunch time crowd until we were inside and heading for our workstations once more.
'Mike will know what to do,' Raffa suggested, as we bumped fists before parting.
'He's been ignoring my texts, but I think we need to talk to him. Can we find out where he lives?'
'I'll see what I can find out.'
When I made it back to the loading dock I found Hoppy was ready to head off for his lunch break. He had Nathan there waiting with him and as soon as Hoppy had told me where he was up to with the deliveries that had come in this morning they took off. I watched them as they walked away, bumping shoulders a few times as they went, Nathan seemingly hanging on every word that Hoppy was saying. It was good seeing them both so happy.
Before I busied myself with the waiting deliveries, I pulled my phone from my pocket and decided to make a call, quickly finding Mike on my contacts list, and pressing the dial button.
The phone rang out for ages, but just as I was about to give up it was answered. Unfortunately it was only his voice mail though, so all I could do was leave a message.
'Mike, it's Grayson. Stop ignoring my texts please. We saw Animal today and we're worried. Call me back. Thanks.'
I wasn't sure if there was anything else I could add to that, but hopefully he will pick up on the urgency that I hoped I'd been able to convey in the tone of my voice.
I then sent a quick text to Raffa letting him know I'd called Mike and left a message.
That recent feeling of foreboding that I had experienced was now back, and I truly was worried. If it had been Animal who had been behind my getting bashed, then there was no accounting for what this psycho might do. What was it going to take to get him out of our lives? I hoped to Christ that Mike knew what he was doing.
The remainder of the day was fairly straight forward. I had a lot to do but, between Hoppy and I, we somehow managed. Still, I was glad when the day was over and I was able to get out of there, heading back to Raffa's place for some more get to know you time.
As the rest of the week passed I was beginning to enjoy my job more and more, as it wasn't just unloading trucks and delivering boxes around the store. I was actually surprised at just how much other stuff needed to be done every day; the things that Mike always handled, but with some help from the office staff, who also knew the systems and what needed to happen with invoices and manifests and other paperwork, I soon found myself picking things up quickly.
I enjoyed time with Raffa and with our friends and family. We spent time at each other's homes; Raffa even stayed over at our home one night, though having Olly wake us up the next morning by crawling into bed with the two of us was a little more than he had bargained for – especially given that we were both naked.
At the very least that morning provided a welcome distraction from that dark shadow that I had felt still seemed to be floating over us, continuing to be hanging around. Nothing untoward happened but explaining to Olly the need for privacy and boundaries, and just why we were both naked, did take a little time, much to the amusement of my parents. They had stuck their heads through the bedroom door upon hearing the three of us talking and found Raffa and me sitting up in bed, half covered by the sheets and blankets, with Olly between us.
I could only imagine what they may have made of that sight right at that very moment, though when Raffa and I talked to them later, while Olly was in the shower and getting ready for school, they reassured us that they weren’t worried and that they were confident the outcome for my brother would be a positive one.
By the time Friday had rolled around once more nothing untoward had happened. I had heard nothing from Mike, and there had been no further sighting of Animal, though I was still feeling uneasy, as if I knew he was still out there watching our every move. Hopefully that was just my overactive imagination running wild once more, but even if there was something real about those thoughts, there was little that either Raffa or I could do, other than keep looking over our shoulders and trust that should there be any kind of escalation then Mike would come to our rescue.
'I've got this!' They had been Mike's exact words. I hoped to hell that he was as good as his word.
* * * * *
After we had all enjoyed our last session at the bowling alley so much, Raffa and I made plans with Hoppy and Nathan for another game on Friday night. We even messaged Chase to see if he was interested in joining us, but he replied saying thanks, but he was out of town this weekend.
'Really?' I said to Raffa when he showed me the text.
He just grinned at me, then said, 'My bet is he's in Brisbane.'
'My thoughts exactly.'
Leaving work after closing Raffa and I headed for the car park, having arranged to meet the others at the bowling alley at around 6.30, giving us time to first go home, shower and change.
As we walked to where we were both parked he asked, 'Do you realise that it has been exactly three weeks since I saw you at the pub that Friday night?'
'Is that all? Shit, it feels like it has been so much longer than that. A lot of stuff sure has happened since then.'
'Tell me about it! I know it has been tough on you, but at least one thing good has come of it,' he said, just as we reached my car. I leaned back against the driver’s door and Raffa stood close in front of me, smiling.
'I'm so glad that I got to know you,' I said to him, before he brought a hand up and cupped my face.
'Ditto,' he replied.
'Are you sure that's a good idea, out here in the open?' I asked, as I brought a hand up against his hand and snuggled my cheek in against him.
'Any time and any place is a good idea as far as I'm concerned. You never know when the next opportunity may come. Got to take our chances.'
'That sounds deep.'
'No. Just trying to keep it real,' he replied, before leaning in and kissing me, working his lips against mine, hot breath passing between us as we stood out in the open with people and cars passing us by.
When we finally parted and rested our foreheads against each other I couldn't help but smile at him. This man made me so happy. He completed me, and if I hadn't known already that I wanted to spend my life with him, even allowing for the fact that it had only been a matter of weeks since we had gotten together, I certainly knew it now.
'Follow me home,' Raffa whispered. 'We can shower and I'll get you all dressed up, then we can meet the others.'
'How can I say no to that?' I answered.
* * * * *
By the time we were ready to leave the car park it was mostly empty, so once we had reached the exit and were ready to turn onto the street and head for Raffa's place there was little waiting. With our thoughts fixed firmly on the night ahead we hit the road.
And then, in the blink of an eye, our lives changed forever.
Raffa sped away in front of me, quickly opening up a gap of several car lengths. This wasn't unusual, as he often tended to plant the throttle, or take a few risks, such as when he used to speed up the ramp to the top-level car park and actually jump into the air and then land on the back wheel in doing so. I therefore wasn't worried by seeing him speed off that way, but moments later, when I saw a parked car begin to move just as he was approaching it, I was immediately on edge.
Just like that morning recently when he had almost hit the chain across the ramp, everything began moving in slow motion. The world around us seemed to freeze, but we were still moving. I know that Raffa was travelling fast, and the speed with which the car began to move seemed to be matching him. The car, which seemed vaguely familiar, had shot out from the row of parking spaces along the edge of the roadway. I know that Raffa saw it, as he began to drift away from its path, but nowhere near fast enough.
I know that this all took place in milliseconds, but while my brain screamed in pain and horror I somehow saw everything and managed to take it all in. The vehicle struck Raffa at speed and with considerable force, sending him and his motorbike cartwheeling into the air and potentially into the path of oncoming traffic. I saw Raffa strike a parked vehicle on the far side of the road, only to then be crushed against it by his own motorbike, both he and the bike then falling to the roadway.
Slamming my foot on the brakes I brought my car to a stop. I watched as the vehicle that had struck Raffa veered back to the left, straightening back onto its normal path. Just as it began to speed off, I saw another vehicle run directly at it and t-bone it, pushing it into a third car that was parked on the side of the road.
As I stumbled from my own car and took in the scene, a horn was blowing. Someone screamed. Someone was crying. I looked around me, then started towards Raffa, a few stumbling steps at first, then running, then falling to my knees beside his bent and battered body.
'Don't touch him!' somebody screamed at me, just as I was about to reach out to Raffa. Moments later the man was on his knees at Raffa's head, his hands on either side of it and gently holding Raffa's head still. 'If he has spinal injuries, it could make things worse if he moves,' the man said.
I heard someone on the phone. 'There's been an accident . . . Market Street . . . Motorbike rider hit by a car . . . Looks bad . . . Send an ambulance, NOW!'
'Help is on the way,' they then said to us.
Looking down at Raffa, lying on his back, all still and silent, I desperately wanted to take him in my arms and hold him, comfort him, tell him that I loved him. One leg was bent at an unnatural angle. It was only then that I noticed that his helmet had come off. Glancing around I saw it resting against the wheel of a car some distance away. I then looked at his bike, which was almost as twisted as Raffa was. The front wheel was still spinning! What the fuck! How?
A man beside me reached out gently and held Raffa's wrist. 'He has a pulse,' he said. 'Is he a friend of yours?'
I nodded. Tears filled my eyes. Raffa groaned. Was he letting me know he was with me?
'Y-yes. he's my boyfr...' I started to say, but for some reason I stopped.
A hand touched my shoulder, just as we heard sirens.
'Help is on its way. They'll look after him for you, mate.'
I felt so helpless. I just couldn't help it. That's when I started to cry, before I felt arms reach around me and just hold me.
A few moments later I remembered the other cars, the one that had hit Raffa and the one that had then t-boned it. I stood up and looked in that direction, where I could see a man standing near the front of the second vehicle -- a four while drive utility. Incredibly I recognised him. It was Mike.
When I looked more closely at the first vehicle, I could see a man stuck inside it. I recognised him also. It was Animal and he was trapped, his car jammed between the parked car and the four-wheel drive, while Mike seemed to be standing guard. Part of me wanted his car to catch on fire, he deserved a fate such as that, but a better result would be having him spend years in jail for attempted murder. That would be sweet.
By now the sirens were close by and deafening. An ambulance and two police vehicles, lights flashing and sirens blaring, turned into the street and soon came to a halt beside us, before an ambulance officer came running to us. I knew this guy. It was Noah, the ambulance officer who had tended to me recently.
'What's happened?' he asked, while quickly surveying the damage.
The man at Raffa's head said, 'Young guy hit by a car. I saw it happen. We haven't touched him, other than to check for a pulse and try to keep his head still.'
'A friend of yours, Grayson?' Noah asked. I could only nod.
A second ambulance officer, who had been gathering equipment from their vehicle soon joined us and the two of them began working on Raffa, frantically, yet efficiently taking vital signs and checking for damage.
I glanced towards Mike and the smashed vehicles. Two police officers were talking to him. Another one was talking to Animal. There was some yelling going on, I could hear that coming from inside Animal's car, but couldn't understand anything being said.
A fourth police office was standing with us, watching everything, and taking notes in a notebook as blue and red lights flashed around us, shocked onlookers kept looking on.
Other than a few groans as he was being worked on by the ambulance officers, there was little response from Raffa. I suppose that the fact he had responded in some way, even if only a groan, had to be a positive sign, right?
Noah placed a collar of some sort around Raffa's neck as his companion radioed through to somewhere, presumably their base and passed on vital details. I caught words and phrases like MVA, Caucasian male, critical injuries, compound fractures, possible spinal injuries, minimal response . . . these filled me with dread.
'Is he . . . is he going to be, okay?' I asked, directing my question towards Noah.
'He is stable for now, Grayson, but we need to get him to the hospital as quickly as we can, then let the ED team and doctors assess him. We're doing absolutely everything we can for him. You just need to trust us, okay?'
Somehow, I managed to nod, I think. I don’t know how much time had elapsed since the accident had happened. Fuck, it wasn’t an accident at all. It was a blatant attempt to kill Raffa. It had to be. Right now, I wanted to kill Animal. I had never hated a person so much in my entire life.
After a little while I watched as Noah and his companion carefully slid several flat metal strips beneath Raffa and then attached them to two rails that they had laid on either side of him. They were assembling some kind of sling or stretcher that they were then able to use to lift him onto another folding stretcher-bed with wheels and then transfer him into the ambulance.
I watched them close the ambulance doors on my boyfriend and then moments later drive away, with lights flashing and sirens blaring once again, leaving me standing in the middle of the road, as darkness began to fall. I was feeling lost, feeling hopeless, feeling empty and wondering just what the fuck am I supposed to do now?
My head started spinning. I felt like I was falling. I was falling. The ground started rushing up to greet me. But then I was caught.
Strong arms wrapped themselves around me and I looked to see who it was.
'I've got you, kiddo,' Mike said to me.
To be continued . . .
Authors Note:
Hi there. It has been a while since I have posted anything new on Nifty. I guess life gets in the way sometimes.
I hope you enjoy this new story. Please be sure to donate to Nifty.org at http://donate.nifty.org/donate.html
Your support of Nifty is what helps ensure that stories like this are available for people like you to enjoy! :)
Oh, hey, you might also like to check out my websites, where all my fiction, real life stories, reviews, books
and other stuff are available. Please visit:
Ponyboysplace - the home page for Mark Peters
Mark 'Ponyboy' Peters | Facebook
Email: mp_ponyboy@hotmail.com