Read Online Flashes: Part Three by Tim O'Rourke - Free Book Online
Authors: Tim O'Rourke
Ads: Link
closed over his foot, trapping it between them. ‘Help me, Charley,’ he gasped. ‘Please.’
The train was coming.
Clackerty-Clack! Clackerty-Clack! Clackerty-Clack!
‘Please, Charley,’ he pleaded, the anger in his voice gone. Instead, he just sounded scared and desperate. His voice reminded me of Kerry Underwood’s as she had begged for her mother.
The train was just seconds away.
‘ Please! ’ he screamed.
I looked into his eyes, and I could see his fear. I couldn’t watch him die, whatever he had done.
Clackerty-Clack! Clackerty-Clack! Clackerty-Clack!
The driver blew on his horn. I lunged forward and took hold of my dad’s hands. I pulled at him, desperate to drag him free. However much I tried to set him free, it was impossible.
Realising his fate, my father pushed me backwards and out of the path of the oncoming train.
‘What are you doing?’ I screamed. ‘I’m trying to save you.’
‘Run, Charley. Save yourself,’ he smiled. It wasn’t a cruel smile, it was like the smiles he’d had the day we’d decorated the Christmas tree together. It was a kind smile.
‘No!’ I cried out.
Clackerty-Clack! Clackerty-Clack! Clackerty-Clack!
I tripped backwards and was thrown clear of the tracks.
‘Stay back,’ someone roared in my ear. It was Tom. His face was covered in dried blood.
‘Tom!’ I screamed over the sound of the approaching train. ‘Tom, we’ve got to save my dad.’
Tom looked at me and shouted, ‘It’s too late, Charley!’
‘ No! ’ I started back towards the tracks, but Tom held me back. I looked one last time at my dad as he waved his arms desperately above his head as if trying to attract the driver’s attention.
Then, he was gone.
CHAPTER 42
Charley – Thursday: 01:17 Hrs.
T om folded his arms around me. I buried my face against his chest to drown out the sound of my sobs. I felt like my heart had been ripped from my chest. I had never known such pain before. The urge to lie down and never get up again was unbearable. I didn’t know how I would ever move past this place. Everything I had seen and learnt about my mum and dad was agonising.
‘It was your dad who killed those girls, wasn’t it?’ Tom whispered.
‘Yes,’ I replied through my sobs. ‘Please don’t tell anyone what he did.’
‘Charley, we can’t keep something like this a secret,’ he said. ‘Look, we’ve already got company.’
I peered over the crook of his elbow and could see torchlightheading in our direction along the tracks. ‘Please don’t tell them,’ I said, looking up into his eyes. ‘Please.’
Tom brushed the tears from my cheeks then gently kissed me. ‘Whatever happens, Charley, whatever anyone says about your dad and what he did, I will believe in you. Nothing will ever change that.’
‘Thank you,’ I cried.
The sound of feet trampling over the tracks grew closer. I looked up to see Harker and two others coming towards us. ‘Who’s that with Harker?’ I asked. I didn’t want to say anything about my dad in front of people I didn’t know.
‘The guy is DC Jackson, and the woman is my skipper. Her name is Lois,’ Tom told me.
‘What’s happened here?’ Harker barked, the shoulders of his fluorescent coat covered with snow.
Tom looked at me, then turning to face Harker. ‘Charley’s father has been struck by a train. He’s dead.’
‘Is this true?’ Harker asked me, cocking one of his bushy eyebrows.
‘Yes,’ I whispered, holding on to Tom.
Harker clapped his hands together, then looked at Tom’s colleagues. ‘Well don’t just stand there, you two. Let’s get the ball rolling. Get some uniform down here, and Jackson, you go and speak with the driver.’
‘Yes, boss,’ Jackson grunted and walked away, back up the tracks to where the train had come to a halt. Lois followed him. She hadn’t gone far when Harker called out to her. ‘Sergeant, can you contact the coroner? I think we’ll be able to wrap this one up nice and
The train was coming.
Clackerty-Clack! Clackerty-Clack! Clackerty-Clack!
‘Please, Charley,’ he pleaded, the anger in his voice gone. Instead, he just sounded scared and desperate. His voice reminded me of Kerry Underwood’s as she had begged for her mother.
The train was just seconds away.
‘ Please! ’ he screamed.
I looked into his eyes, and I could see his fear. I couldn’t watch him die, whatever he had done.
Clackerty-Clack! Clackerty-Clack! Clackerty-Clack!
The driver blew on his horn. I lunged forward and took hold of my dad’s hands. I pulled at him, desperate to drag him free. However much I tried to set him free, it was impossible.
Realising his fate, my father pushed me backwards and out of the path of the oncoming train.
‘What are you doing?’ I screamed. ‘I’m trying to save you.’
‘Run, Charley. Save yourself,’ he smiled. It wasn’t a cruel smile, it was like the smiles he’d had the day we’d decorated the Christmas tree together. It was a kind smile.
‘No!’ I cried out.
Clackerty-Clack! Clackerty-Clack! Clackerty-Clack!
I tripped backwards and was thrown clear of the tracks.
‘Stay back,’ someone roared in my ear. It was Tom. His face was covered in dried blood.
‘Tom!’ I screamed over the sound of the approaching train. ‘Tom, we’ve got to save my dad.’
Tom looked at me and shouted, ‘It’s too late, Charley!’
‘ No! ’ I started back towards the tracks, but Tom held me back. I looked one last time at my dad as he waved his arms desperately above his head as if trying to attract the driver’s attention.
Then, he was gone.
CHAPTER 42
Charley – Thursday: 01:17 Hrs.
T om folded his arms around me. I buried my face against his chest to drown out the sound of my sobs. I felt like my heart had been ripped from my chest. I had never known such pain before. The urge to lie down and never get up again was unbearable. I didn’t know how I would ever move past this place. Everything I had seen and learnt about my mum and dad was agonising.
‘It was your dad who killed those girls, wasn’t it?’ Tom whispered.
‘Yes,’ I replied through my sobs. ‘Please don’t tell anyone what he did.’
‘Charley, we can’t keep something like this a secret,’ he said. ‘Look, we’ve already got company.’
I peered over the crook of his elbow and could see torchlightheading in our direction along the tracks. ‘Please don’t tell them,’ I said, looking up into his eyes. ‘Please.’
Tom brushed the tears from my cheeks then gently kissed me. ‘Whatever happens, Charley, whatever anyone says about your dad and what he did, I will believe in you. Nothing will ever change that.’
‘Thank you,’ I cried.
The sound of feet trampling over the tracks grew closer. I looked up to see Harker and two others coming towards us. ‘Who’s that with Harker?’ I asked. I didn’t want to say anything about my dad in front of people I didn’t know.
‘The guy is DC Jackson, and the woman is my skipper. Her name is Lois,’ Tom told me.
‘What’s happened here?’ Harker barked, the shoulders of his fluorescent coat covered with snow.
Tom looked at me, then turning to face Harker. ‘Charley’s father has been struck by a train. He’s dead.’
‘Is this true?’ Harker asked me, cocking one of his bushy eyebrows.
‘Yes,’ I whispered, holding on to Tom.
Harker clapped his hands together, then looked at Tom’s colleagues. ‘Well don’t just stand there, you two. Let’s get the ball rolling. Get some uniform down here, and Jackson, you go and speak with the driver.’
‘Yes, boss,’ Jackson grunted and walked away, back up the tracks to where the train had come to a halt. Lois followed him. She hadn’t gone far when Harker called out to her. ‘Sergeant, can you contact the coroner? I think we’ll be able to wrap this one up nice and
Similar Books
