One Last Chance

Chapter 14

Chapter 14 - Sideways

Daniel pulled himself higher up the tree, until he was above the leaves and the sun shone strongly, warming his back. A breeze whispered past, and Daniel clung on tighter as the flexible branches swayed. The last thing he needed was to fall off the tree and right into the hands of those entering his garden.

Peering through the leaves, he spied two men approaching. They were talking in low murmurs, but as the breeze shifted momentarily, he clearly caught the words, "boy", "ran", "717" and something that sounded like "nap" or "cap".

Daniel gave his surroundings another sweeping gaze. He could see the layered roof of his house, the brick-and-mortar wall separating his and his neighbour's garden and the row of houses opposite.

He heard the men stop just below the tree. He waited, hardly daring to move. Then he felt the branch he was on move again.

But it wasn't the wind.

Someone was climbing up.

Daniel's mind raced. He couldn't go down. There was no more up.

That only left him... Sideways.

Balancing himself on the branch, he edged forward. And crouched, ready to spring. He took an deep breath...

And suddenly he found nothing but emptiness beneath his sneakered feet.

Daniel's world was tilted almost a 180 degrees as he fell. He landed on his side, practically at the feet of the other man at the foot of the tree.

In the second or two of the man's stunned silence, Daniel picked himself up and charged, head-butting the man neatly in his stomach. The man went down with an exclamation of 'oof!' and as Daniel bent down to retrieve his cap, the man grabbed hold of his jacket, but a fist in his mouth left him moaning in pain. As he headed for the fence, his hands found his way into the pockets, ensuring that its rightful contents were still inside.

His foot connected with the fence, and he pushed and at the same time flung his hands up, caught hold and hoisted himself up. Daniel was up and over the fence before he glimpsed to two men under the tree.

His phone rang and he heard the breathless voice of Edward. "Dan, get to the park now. Wait for me there, I've got something to do!"

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The park was deserted. No one in the right mind would even be out in the park on such a warm, sunny day. There wasn't any wind, or a single cloud in the sky threatening to hide the sun's face. The pond's surface was a mirror, and Daniel turned away as he was temporarily blinded by the reflected rays of light.

There was a bridge spanning across the pond, and that was the meeting place that had been so carefully chosen. the pond itself was surrounded by forest on three sides, and the only exit was from where he'd come from. Cricket calls were the only thing that broke the eerie silence, cutting through the thick atmosphere.

There was no sign of Edward yet, and Daniel settled down on the grass to wait. But he jolted upright again, for someone had just entered the area and was headed straight for him.