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Authors: S. M. Hall
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999 now!’
She turned to Zac. ‘It’s Serena. She’s overdosed. Gotta go.’
‘I’ll come with you.’
‘No. Stay here. I’ll call you.’
She started running. It was quicker to get there on foot – a taxi would have to go the long way round. Out of the park gates, past the shops, cut through the alley to the estate. She raced
through the joggers and pram pushers, her long legs striding out, hair flying, heart hammering.
Gasping for breath, Maya reached the block of flats and found what she hoped was the right staircase. She sprinted up the steps onto the concrete landing. Which way to go? She
hadn’t been to Serena’s flat for ages and wasn’t sure. Which number was it – 201, 203, 205, 207? At 209 the door was slightly open, pairs of high heels lined the hall
– they could be Serena’s. She pushed and went in.
‘Leona?’
‘In here.’
Serena was lying flat on her back, one arm thrown out, her head at a slight angle, her eyes half closed.
‘Get her up!’ Maya ordered, stooping down. She slipped an arm underneath Serena’s back and lifted her. ‘Help me! She’s heavy. We have to walk her, keep her
awake.’
Between them, they managed to pull her upright, but as they walked into the kitchen, Serena’s legs dragged behind her.
Leona’s voice was shrill with panic. ‘Oh, my God, she’s not moving, she’s dead!’
‘No, she isn’t. She can’t be,’ Maya said, desperately. Propping Serena’s head back against the wall, she slapped her cheeks. ‘Come on, Serena, wake up!’
Briefly, Serena’s eyelids flickered, showing the whites of her eyes.
‘Oh, my God,’ Leona sobbed. ‘She’s totally gone.’
Maya put her fingers on Serena’s wrist. ‘No, she has a pulse. When did you ring for the ambulance?’
‘I don’t know! Ten minutes ago, as soon as you told me.’
‘Good. What did she take?’
‘I don’t know.’
Maya’s face tightened, she glared accusingly at her friend.
‘I don’t know, honest,’ Leona protested. ‘She was with Gerard, they were out of it when I got here. ‘
Although Serena was slim, her lifeless body was heavy.
‘I can’t hold her no longer,’ Leona moaned.
‘OK. We’ll sit her down,’ Maya said.
They managed to manoeuvre Serena onto a kitchen chair and hold her steady between them. Leona, kneeling at the side of the chair, started to sob, spilling the story out in spasms.
‘When I got here she was wasted. Her arm was tied and she was, like, droopy – I knew she wasn’t right. Gerard just laughed at me, said she’d be OK – it was her
first time mainlining so it had, like, a big effect. But then she fell sideways. He tried to get her to open her eyes. I could tell he was spooked. He pulled her up and she just went over again,
then he got his stuff together and took off, cleaned up – needles, everything.’
Maya leaned forward and saw that Serena’s face was covered with a sheen of sweat and her lips were white. Slapping her cheek again, she spoke loudly, urgently, ‘Serena, wake up.
Serena, can you hear me? Wake up!’
Leona was adding her own cries. ‘Where’s the ambulance? Where’s the ambulance? Please, please, come quick.’
‘Did you call her mum?’ Maya asked.
‘No, I. . .’
At that moment they heard a siren. Relief swept through them. Maya told Leona to hold Serena steady on the chair while she ran down to meet it. When she returned with the paramedics,
Serena’s head and arms were hanging down lifelessly and Leona was sobbing. Maya felt helpless as the medics lifted Serena and laid her down on a stretcher. They were unhurried, calm.
Leona came over to Maya, her face streaked with tears. ‘It’s bad, isn’t it?’
Maya put her arm round Leona. ‘She’ll be OK. She has to be.’
‘One of you will have to come with us,’ the woman medic said. ‘They’ll want to know what she’s taken.’
‘I don’t know,’ Leona spluttered.
Maya took her by the shoulders, hugged her and then said,
She turned to Zac. ‘It’s Serena. She’s overdosed. Gotta go.’
‘I’ll come with you.’
‘No. Stay here. I’ll call you.’
She started running. It was quicker to get there on foot – a taxi would have to go the long way round. Out of the park gates, past the shops, cut through the alley to the estate. She raced
through the joggers and pram pushers, her long legs striding out, hair flying, heart hammering.
Gasping for breath, Maya reached the block of flats and found what she hoped was the right staircase. She sprinted up the steps onto the concrete landing. Which way to go? She
hadn’t been to Serena’s flat for ages and wasn’t sure. Which number was it – 201, 203, 205, 207? At 209 the door was slightly open, pairs of high heels lined the hall
– they could be Serena’s. She pushed and went in.
‘Leona?’
‘In here.’
Serena was lying flat on her back, one arm thrown out, her head at a slight angle, her eyes half closed.
‘Get her up!’ Maya ordered, stooping down. She slipped an arm underneath Serena’s back and lifted her. ‘Help me! She’s heavy. We have to walk her, keep her
awake.’
Between them, they managed to pull her upright, but as they walked into the kitchen, Serena’s legs dragged behind her.
Leona’s voice was shrill with panic. ‘Oh, my God, she’s not moving, she’s dead!’
‘No, she isn’t. She can’t be,’ Maya said, desperately. Propping Serena’s head back against the wall, she slapped her cheeks. ‘Come on, Serena, wake up!’
Briefly, Serena’s eyelids flickered, showing the whites of her eyes.
‘Oh, my God,’ Leona sobbed. ‘She’s totally gone.’
Maya put her fingers on Serena’s wrist. ‘No, she has a pulse. When did you ring for the ambulance?’
‘I don’t know! Ten minutes ago, as soon as you told me.’
‘Good. What did she take?’
‘I don’t know.’
Maya’s face tightened, she glared accusingly at her friend.
‘I don’t know, honest,’ Leona protested. ‘She was with Gerard, they were out of it when I got here. ‘
Although Serena was slim, her lifeless body was heavy.
‘I can’t hold her no longer,’ Leona moaned.
‘OK. We’ll sit her down,’ Maya said.
They managed to manoeuvre Serena onto a kitchen chair and hold her steady between them. Leona, kneeling at the side of the chair, started to sob, spilling the story out in spasms.
‘When I got here she was wasted. Her arm was tied and she was, like, droopy – I knew she wasn’t right. Gerard just laughed at me, said she’d be OK – it was her
first time mainlining so it had, like, a big effect. But then she fell sideways. He tried to get her to open her eyes. I could tell he was spooked. He pulled her up and she just went over again,
then he got his stuff together and took off, cleaned up – needles, everything.’
Maya leaned forward and saw that Serena’s face was covered with a sheen of sweat and her lips were white. Slapping her cheek again, she spoke loudly, urgently, ‘Serena, wake up.
Serena, can you hear me? Wake up!’
Leona was adding her own cries. ‘Where’s the ambulance? Where’s the ambulance? Please, please, come quick.’
‘Did you call her mum?’ Maya asked.
‘No, I. . .’
At that moment they heard a siren. Relief swept through them. Maya told Leona to hold Serena steady on the chair while she ran down to meet it. When she returned with the paramedics,
Serena’s head and arms were hanging down lifelessly and Leona was sobbing. Maya felt helpless as the medics lifted Serena and laid her down on a stretcher. They were unhurried, calm.
Leona came over to Maya, her face streaked with tears. ‘It’s bad, isn’t it?’
Maya put her arm round Leona. ‘She’ll be OK. She has to be.’
‘One of you will have to come with us,’ the woman medic said. ‘They’ll want to know what she’s taken.’
‘I don’t know,’ Leona spluttered.
Maya took her by the shoulders, hugged her and then said,
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