Places To Go, Places To Leave Behind

Chapter 6 - A New Life

When Ian got upstairs he saw a bright light coming from Tanya's room. He ran in, shielding his eyes from the heat. He looked up for a second, and saw that Tanya, or what was left of Tanya, was burning. Ian heard the ceiling give way above him. He stepped back, just managing to avoid a large chunk of ceiling. He could sirens outside. The noise grew louder, so he dashed down the stairs. As Ian reached for the front door, the ceiling above him crumbled. He jumped backwards, tripping on a piece of rubble and landing on his backside. When he looked up, he saw that the door was blocked by rubble, so he ran into the kitchen, and went out through the back door. Ian then ran out onto the driveway. A fireman ran up to him and pulled him away from the house. The fireman sat him down and inspected him for wounds, while the other two or three firemen fired water at the burning house.

"Was anybody else in the house, lad?" asked the fireman anxiously.

"There was" replied Ian "but she's well gone."

The fireman stared at him for a moment, then went off to speak to one of his colleagues.

"The fire was started by a faulty light bulb connection" said the inspector, "the wire above the light bulb in mind caught fire and spread to the house mains, cutting off the power supply to the house, and cause the family's drug farm to eventually light on fire. This fire then killed the girl, who has not yet been identified, as she lay in her bed."

Ian looked up at the man.

"However" he continued , "the girl was not thought to have been fit to move at the time of the fire. The cause of this was unknown, but she had severe lacerations on her face and eyes when her body was found, indicating that something had happened before the fire..."

Ian fell asleep. He was sick of listening to the inspector drone on and on about things that Ian himself already knew. When he woke up, he found himself in some sort of hotel room. Ian got off the uncomfortable bed he had been lying on, and looked around. He saw a camera on the ceiling above him, a wardrobe on a far wall, and a door on the other side of the room. This door swung open, and him mum and dad ran in to greet him. He hugged them. Ian's sister came over and hugged him too.

"Well, your dad and I have to be of to work now, but your sister will drive you home" said Ian's mum as she turned and walked away. His dad followed suit. 

"Um, OK" muttered Ian.

"Don't worry" said his sister Becky, "I'll take you down to McDonald's and we'll have a McFlurry. Then we'll go home, and you can have a much needed bath."

Ian nodded and stood up. They walked to the hotel car park.

"I'll explain what happened in McDonald's" said Becky.

"OK then" replied Ian.

"Ah, by the way, I got myself a new ride" exclaimed Becky, "a blue car."

"What make?" asked Ian.

"ERM, I have no idea to be honest" replied Becky.

Ian looked around the car park. There were horrible cars everywhere, but which one was Becky's?

"There it is!" screeched Becky as she pointed to a rusty, partially blue car, "it's a beauty isn't it?"

"Yes, of course" replied Ian.

After five minutes of driving, the Flint bridge came into sight.

"There's a McDonald's just past there" said Becky as she pointed towards the bridge. She stepped on the pedal and swerved between cars. Ian looked at her. She looked back and grinned. Suddenly, the set of traffic lights ahead turned red, and Becky stepped on the brakes. The car screeched to a halt. The noise from the brake pedals was deafening.

"Ooh!" grinned Becky. Ian glared at her. 

"Don't be so miserable" said Betty. Ian looked around. He thought he saw smoke rising from the wheels of the car. He looked again, and saw nothing.

"How much was this car?" asked Ian.

"Two and a half grand" replied Becky, "why?"

"Just wondering" muttered Ian as he rolled his eyes.

The traffic lights turned green, and Becky drove on...