The Wrath

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Weeks passed by while Nadine and her Mum paid to stay at a bed and breakfast, both of them focused their attention on moving away, having something to concentrate on helped them to ignore the stares and whispers, though it didnt help with the grief. Every night as soon as the days work was done and Nadine was lying in bed, the tears would well up inside of her until unable to hold them back she would cry herself to sleep. Alice tried to put on a brave face in front of her daughter, but the grief over losing her son was impossible to disguise. Nadine knew that her Mum also cried herself to sleep while clutching a bundle of Johns clothes. One hot sunny morning, Alice was unpacking boxes at the new house while Nadine had agreed to remain at the old house and bring the last few remaining boxes that were left. Nadine emerges from the house pulling a suitcase along behind herself, followed closely by a young Korean lad named Kin, who had a large cardboard box in his arms, behind him came another lad with a bald head called Ross who had a huge duffel bag hoisted over one shoulder. They stopped beside a bright blue Peugeot 208. Nadine smiles gratefully at them, Thanks guys.

She lifts the boot door and struggling lifts the suitcase placing it rather heavily inside, it weighed more than she had expected. The lads wedged the cardboard box and duffel bag beside the suitcase. Meanwhile a woman in her early thirties appears from inside the house carrying a black trash bag which she places down in the yard by the front door. Kin standing with Nadine glanced into the boot. You havent got much, a couple of boxes and a few bags, he pointed out.

Nadine nodded, Well the majority of our stuff is already at the flat. The moving company did the large furniture a few days ago, Nadine replied.

Another black sack was brought out of the house by the woman and joined the one by the front door. Ross pointed at them, What are those?

Nadine slams the boot door down then glances over to where hes pointing. Oh, I hired some people to come in and blitz the house for us. Im assuming that is junk from the back yard, Nadine guessed. Ross turned back to the house sweeping his eyes over it and couldnt supress a shudder passing through his body. Kin asked the question that everyone wanted an answer too. Do the estate agents really think this house will sell after what happened here?

Nadine shrugged an unsure expression on her face, I dont know, but Me and my Mum knew we couldnt live here anymore. Even after we threw the furniture out and replaced it.

Ross placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. A fresh start elsewhere is exactly what you need, he said reassuring her that moving away was the right choice. Nadine smiled back at him then the two of them turned back to the house and headed inside leaving Nadine on her own beside her car. She went to her front passenger side and pulled open the door, then bent down to the pavement and lifted up a cardboard box. Been extra careful with the box she gently placed it down on the passenger seat. There was a photo frame standing up inside the open box. Nadine gripped the frame and pulled it out then inspected it. The frame had many pictures arranged in it. A photo of Nadine and John arm wrestling, a photo of her tightly wrapping her arms around Dominic, a photo of Her, Dean, Sean and Karen looking at Kat and laughing. There was a photo of Kat with Nikki, Sean with Karen, Dean with Kat and many many more of them all together. In the pictures everyone was smiling and appearing happy, Nadine allowed a small smile to cross her lips as she remembered that she would always have good memories, that she would never forget the laughs, that she was blessed to have had them in her life, however briefly. She cautiously replaced the frame wedging it in so it wouldnt be smashed, then bent down and clambered out of the car. Straightening up and brushing her hair back Nadine suddenly stopped what she was doing as something sparkled in the corner of her eye distracting her. Nadine squinted in the direction of the trash cans seeing something glinting. She glanced around confused, then sauntered over to them. Standing in front of them her shadow stretched over the bags darkening them. Nadine moved too one side slightly, her shadow followed her movements and something in the bag sparkled as the sun caught it again. Nadine peers into the bag trying to spy whats in there, but all she can see is grass, leaves and soil. Eventually curiosity gets the better of her, she kneels down on the pathway and widens the opening then starts rummaging through the bag, occasionally the object would reflect the sunlight making it easier to find. Nadine reaches down and grabs a fistful of freshly cut grass, when she pulls her hand out of the bag her clenched fist is covered in soil. Standing up she brushed her jeans down. Heading back towards her car Nadine opened her fist and there among blades of grass is a round cut diamond attached to a broken chain. The diamond glinted as she tilted her hand. Nadine had a flashback of Alan catching Kats necklace in the Garden and flinging it to the ground, and there it had remained, hidden in the grass until now. She wraps the chain around her hand and gazed at the diamond in the palm of her hand, not watching where shes going. Nadine walks around the front of her car to get into the driving seat. At the same moment a car comes speeding around a corner heading down the road, which was easily wide enough for two cars to pass by each other with room to spare. The driver of the car had his head lowered as he concentrated on the cellphone in his hand, replying to a text message with one hand while his other hand was resting casually on the steering wheel. Nadine gets to her car door then reaches for the handle, at the same time the man in the car eventually puts his phone down and raises his face, he immediately sees Nadine very close to his car, directly in his path. Nadines hand closes around her car door handle then whips her head round in alarm as she hears a car horn blast out right beside her and tyres screeching on the tarmac as the driver tries to make an emergency stop. Nadine barely has time to react, she straightens up, her eyes widened and her feet took an involuntary step back. The car, although it had slowed, still hit her hard enough to knock her legs out from under her, her legs flailed in the air as she felt her back hit the harsh metal of the bonnet, then the last thing she felt was a hard impact to the top of her head as her shoulders and head hit the windscreen with enough force to make a small hole with cracks spreading from the point of impact like an intricate spiders web. As the car came to a halt Nadine continued to roll over the roof of the car and then down over the boot, her body making bone breaking sounds as it knocked against the metal body of the car. The lads came running out of the house, as Nadine fell to the floor and landed on the tarmac, unmoving. The driver sat in his car wide eyed, gasping and both hands gripping the wheel so tightly that his hands ached. Ross was pulling his cellphone out of his pocket as they ran to Nadines aid, a middle-aged woman who was walking with her teenage daughter also came running towards them. The driver slowly opened his door as Kin reached Nadine and knelt down beside Nadine. The driver approached them slowly, he was completely pale, shaking all over and couldnt seem to make his feet work, it was obvious he was suffering from shock. Kin placed his hand on Nadines cheek then gently tilted her face sideways, as he saw the damage he grimaced. The left side of Nadines face was grazed, cut and on some parts it looked like a layer of skin had been scraped away. Ross was speaking on his phone requesting an Ambulance, the woman and teenager also approached Nadine as the driver got closer. When he saw Nadine lying on the ground so still, his legs gave way beneath him and he sank down onto his knees. The middle-aged woman was out of breath from running, she grasped Kins shoulder, Is she okay? she asked panting. Kin placed two fingers on the side of Nadines neck who still hasnt moved at all. The driver was rocking slightly and shaking his head praying that Nadine is just concussed. The middle-aged woman glanced at the driver and went over to him, she rested a hand reassuringly on his shoulder realising that hes clearly in a state of shock. Kin shuts his eyes as he withdraws his fingers, the teenage girl demands an answer from him.

Well?

Kin frowns trying to remember what he learnt at school about first aid or what he has seen in films. He places a hand beneath Nadines nose, but cant feel any breath feathering against his hand, then he bends his head down resting it flat against Nadines chest, just beneath her collarbone and closes his eyes trying to focus on what hes doing. After a few seconds the girl persisted, Come on, is she okay?

He raised his head as he opened his eyes, then he straightened up and rested on his knees, silently he slowly shook his head. I couldnt detect a heartbeat and shes not breathing.

The girl, getting all flustered, urged Kin, Well we need to do CPR, or at least try until the ambulance arrives.

Kin faced her, I dont know how to do CPR.

The girl knelt down next to him, she tilted Nadines head back slightly, then turned to Kin. Okay. I need you to breathe air into her lungs, then Ill do the chest compressions.

Kin looked unsure, but the girl kept insisting and walking him through it. You breathe air into her, then stop, Ill do five chest compressions, then you breathe oxygen into her again n we continue to repeat the process. Okay. I need your help. She looked Kin directly into his eyes, You can do this.

Kin nodded n bending down to Nadines face he exhaled into her mouth as the teenager placed her hands down on Nadines chest. The driver had his widened eyes fixed on Nadine,

the middle-aged woman had her hand over her mouth as her eyes misted over watching as they tried to save Nadines life. The young girl was muttering, Come on, come on, repeating it over and over again. Ross hung his head as he continued to hold his cellphone to his ear. They all silently prayed in their minds as the listened in anticipation, eager to hear the sound of approaching sirens.