to answer. I ran towards the rear, looking for loading bays, emergency doors, open windows, anything. At last I saw the sign I was hoping to see: ‘Fire Exit’. I ran at it, pushed it open, and the alarm went off.
We were outside. We were on a platform, obviously used for deliveries, where trucks could back in and unload.
I ran down the four or five metal stairs and hit the ground. As I started to run to the left I shouted at Kelly to hold tight.
The rear of the shopping mall was deserted, just a long stretch of admin areas, with skips, Portakabins, even a container detached from its truck and being used as a static storeroom. There were piles of cardboard boxes and bulging bin liners everywhere, a day’s worth of garbage. Beyond the tarmac’d stretch was a chain link fence surrounding the whole area, and probably about fifteen feet high. Then waste ground, with trees and bushes. On the other side of that, I guessed, would be more car parking and stores.
I felt like a trapped rat. I only had two exits now, the slip roads at either end of the long line of shops.
9
I couldn’t get over the fence with Kelly on my back and if I tried to throw her over she’d break her legs. I started to run to the left, along the rear of the shops, heading towards the slip road. It was no good; they’d had too much time to react; the road would be sealed.
I had to make a decision quickly. I moved towards one of the collection areas of skips, bagged-up garbage and cardboard boxes.
I lifted her from my back and positioned her in amongst it all, throwing boxes over the top of her and moving others to fill in the gaps each side.
She looked at me and started to cry.
I said, ‘Disneyland, Kelly! Disneyland!’
She stared at me, tears rolling down her cheeks, and I threw a couple of boxes over the top.
‘I’ll be back, I promise.’
As I ran, I looked at the container that was right up against the fence. It was a huge thing the height of a truck. Without 50 pounds of young girl on my back, running towards it was like floating on air. At last I was in control. I felt as if I’d lost a ball and chain.
Sprinting like a maniac, using the cover of the bins and skips, I suddenly spotted the boot of a car jutting out from one of the loading bays. It was a mid-1980s model, not one of the cars that had been chasing me. I’d check it for ignition keys and, if I was out of luck, I’d cross the open ground to the container.
A truck was parked up near another loading bay. I started to run past it. A guy was running full pelt the other way and we smashed our heads together. We both went down.
‘Shit!’ I looked at him through blurred eyes. He had a suit on. There was no way I was going to take a chance. I staggered to my feet and charged at him, banging him up against the car. He tried to wrap himself around me.
As I was pushing into him I could feel with the side of my face that his body was solid. This fucker had covert body armour on.
I pinned him up against the car, moved back a pace and pulled my weapon, flicking on the laser sight with my thumb.
Then, dazed, I sank back to my knees. I was seeing stars and my head was spinning, and he was probably in exactly the same state. He looked down at me, confused, but trying to make a decision. I aimed the sight onto his face.
‘Don’t do it,’ I said. ‘Don’t waste your life on this, it’s not worth it. Get your hands up – now!’
As his hands moved I could see he was wearing a wedding ring. ‘Think about your family. It’s not worth dying over this. Number one, you’re wrong, it wasn’t me. Number two, I’ll kill you. Put your hands on your head.’
My brain was clearing. What the fuck was I going to do now? Their cars would be here soon.
‘Stay on your knees,’ I said. ‘Turn right. Move to the back of the vehicle.’
I got up off the ground and stumbled behind him. My eyes were still smarting as if I’d been hit with CS gas.
We were between the loading bay and
We were outside. We were on a platform, obviously used for deliveries, where trucks could back in and unload.
I ran down the four or five metal stairs and hit the ground. As I started to run to the left I shouted at Kelly to hold tight.
The rear of the shopping mall was deserted, just a long stretch of admin areas, with skips, Portakabins, even a container detached from its truck and being used as a static storeroom. There were piles of cardboard boxes and bulging bin liners everywhere, a day’s worth of garbage. Beyond the tarmac’d stretch was a chain link fence surrounding the whole area, and probably about fifteen feet high. Then waste ground, with trees and bushes. On the other side of that, I guessed, would be more car parking and stores.
I felt like a trapped rat. I only had two exits now, the slip roads at either end of the long line of shops.
9
I couldn’t get over the fence with Kelly on my back and if I tried to throw her over she’d break her legs. I started to run to the left, along the rear of the shops, heading towards the slip road. It was no good; they’d had too much time to react; the road would be sealed.
I had to make a decision quickly. I moved towards one of the collection areas of skips, bagged-up garbage and cardboard boxes.
I lifted her from my back and positioned her in amongst it all, throwing boxes over the top of her and moving others to fill in the gaps each side.
She looked at me and started to cry.
I said, ‘Disneyland, Kelly! Disneyland!’
She stared at me, tears rolling down her cheeks, and I threw a couple of boxes over the top.
‘I’ll be back, I promise.’
As I ran, I looked at the container that was right up against the fence. It was a huge thing the height of a truck. Without 50 pounds of young girl on my back, running towards it was like floating on air. At last I was in control. I felt as if I’d lost a ball and chain.
Sprinting like a maniac, using the cover of the bins and skips, I suddenly spotted the boot of a car jutting out from one of the loading bays. It was a mid-1980s model, not one of the cars that had been chasing me. I’d check it for ignition keys and, if I was out of luck, I’d cross the open ground to the container.
A truck was parked up near another loading bay. I started to run past it. A guy was running full pelt the other way and we smashed our heads together. We both went down.
‘Shit!’ I looked at him through blurred eyes. He had a suit on. There was no way I was going to take a chance. I staggered to my feet and charged at him, banging him up against the car. He tried to wrap himself around me.
As I was pushing into him I could feel with the side of my face that his body was solid. This fucker had covert body armour on.
I pinned him up against the car, moved back a pace and pulled my weapon, flicking on the laser sight with my thumb.
Then, dazed, I sank back to my knees. I was seeing stars and my head was spinning, and he was probably in exactly the same state. He looked down at me, confused, but trying to make a decision. I aimed the sight onto his face.
‘Don’t do it,’ I said. ‘Don’t waste your life on this, it’s not worth it. Get your hands up – now!’
As his hands moved I could see he was wearing a wedding ring. ‘Think about your family. It’s not worth dying over this. Number one, you’re wrong, it wasn’t me. Number two, I’ll kill you. Put your hands on your head.’
My brain was clearing. What the fuck was I going to do now? Their cars would be here soon.
‘Stay on your knees,’ I said. ‘Turn right. Move to the back of the vehicle.’
I got up off the ground and stumbled behind him. My eyes were still smarting as if I’d been hit with CS gas.
We were between the loading bay and
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