Terror Kid by Benjamin Zephaniah

choice but to walk with them.
    â€˜What are you going to do to me? asked Rico, who was now a little scared.
    â€˜Nothing,’ said Dean. ‘We are your friends. We’re on your side.’
    Rohan and Dean were older than Rico, in their twenties. Rohan had blond hair and was skinny, tall and very talkative. His brother Dean was also blond, but a man of few words. Both wore jeans and West Bromwich Albion football shirts. When they had left the main road Rohan continued to talk.
    â€˜I can’t believe you’re here. Hey, do you need anything?’
    â€˜Are you going to call the police?’ asked Rico quietly.
    â€˜No way!’ said Rohan. ‘We hate the police. Do you need anything?’
    â€˜I just need somewhere to rest and something to eat.’
    â€˜That’s no problem,’ said Rohan. ‘We can help you with that. Can’t we, Dean?’
    â€˜Yes,’ said Dean. ‘Shall we take him to the pub?’
    â€˜That’s what I’m thinking,’ said Rohan with a big smile on his face.
    â€˜I’m not going to a pub,’ said Rico.
    â€˜It’s not that kind of a pub. Well, it’s not a pub. You’ll see when we get there.’ said Dean.
    They walked for a short while until they came to Dean and Rohan’s house. Dean went in, leaving Rohan and Rico to walk on and wait a short distance away. Soon Dean appeared from the side gate, signalling them to enter. Once through the gate Dean and Rohan led Rico to a cabin at the bottom of the garden. It was comfortable inside, with three armchairs, football shields and trophies on the walls, a pool table at its centre, and a bar that looked exactly like a bar in a pub.
    â€˜You can stay here for a while. No one comes here, not without our permission anyway,’ said Rohan.
    Rico looked around at the trophies, and then he walked up to the pool table and ran his fingers over the cloth.
    â€˜I see why you call it the pub now.’
    Rohan joined him and started to run his fingers over the table.
    â€˜Yes, when we were small we liked to play pool.’
    â€˜And drink,’ said Dean.
    â€˜So our dad made this cabin for us,’ Rohan continued. ‘It’s a great place to just chill out. We don’t normally let people in here, you know. But you’re special.’
    â€˜What do you like to eat?’ asked Dean
    Rico reply was quick. ‘Right now, I’ll eat anything.’
    Rohan drew the curtains and Dean went back into the house and brought back some sandwiches, biscuits and two cans of soft drink. The brothers watched as Rico cleaned up the food that was placed before him, then they talked. They talked for most of the afternoon, and come early evening the brothers went into the house for their meals, leaving Rico for a while, returning again with more food.
    When they talked it was about life in the area, what the local kids were like, films they had seen and football, which Rico was not at all interested in. The brothers explained that their mother was disabled, and although she could walk a little around the house, most of the time she had to use a wheelchair, and their father didn’t go to work but spent most of his time looking after her. Rohan was doing most of the talking, but what was making Rico uncomfortable was the fact that they didn’t mention that he was on the run. Not until late in the evening when they were getting ready to leave him for the night.
    â€˜We have to turn the light off now; if we leave it on it will look weird. Don’t worry, it’s safe. No one knows that you’re here and no one will find you. Can you manage in the dark?’ asked Rohan.
    â€˜Of course,’ replied Rico. ‘I slept in a garden shed last night. Compared to that this is luxury. Can I charge my phone up?’
    â€˜No problem, just do it in the dark. Don’t open the curtains until we come back, and try to be quiet. But you’ll be