Page 53 of Inbetweeners
The guy looked distinctly uneasy.
“I don’t want to see the bodies, obviously.” Phoenix walked back.
“I think you’d better leave.”
“I just want to be sure our father will be somewhere soothing.”
It took Emmett a moment to realise that Phoenix was distracting Olsen so he could look for Albert. As Olsen guided Phoenix towards the exit, Emmett slipped back to the room and pushed open the door. Albert’s ghost was standing next to his body and the grey-haired guy was tugging at Albert’s hand.
“No,” Emmett snapped. “Albert, this guy wants to hurt you.”
Albert’s eyes were wide with confusion.
“Don’t listen to him.” The man’s voice was gentle but he glared at Emmett as if he wanted to strangle him. “Come with me and I’ll look after you.”
“The woman who killed you is working with him,” Emmett said. “Don’t go anywhere with him. I’m the only one who can help you to move on.”
As Albert wrenched free of the man’s hold, Emmett grabbed his hand and hauled him behind him.Go, go, go!
“Stop interfering!” the grey-haired guy snarled.
“You’re the one who’s interfering.” Emmett glanced back at Albert. “You need to leave. He wants to do something bad to you.”
“Look out!”
Emmett spun round at Albert’s yell only to find a knife being rammed into his chest and pulled out again. Emmett tried to take a breath and couldn’t.
“I told you to stop interfering,” the man snarled and stabbed him again.
For a moment, Emmett stood frozen in shock. Then the pain hit and he sagged as Albert’s hand slipped from his. Emmett managed to turn to look behind him and Albert had gone.
“Damn you! So where’s your ghost?” the grey-haired guy asked, then scowled. “Oh, not dead yet?” He stabbed Emmett again.
Emmett had no idea how he was still on his feet. Except even falling seemed beyond him. The guy stared at him as if he was expecting something to happen, then glared and left the room. Emmett clutched the side of the table where Albert’s body was lying.Oh God, that’s a lot of blood coming out of me.He lurched the other way and grabbed a vase of flowers, holding it in front of him in a pathetic attempt to hide the blood as he stumbled out of the room.
Nix was nowhere to be seen but the grey-haired guy was still there, talking to Olsen, and as Emmett tried to move towards them, he felt as if he was wading in thick snow. Putting one foot in front of another took so much effort. The guy who’d stabbed him looked back at him and smiled before he walked out of the building and Olsen moved in front of Emmett. Thank goodness Emmett had chosen a navy sweater that morning, though the blood was seeping onto his trousers.
“What are you doing?” Olsen stared at the flowers.
Emmett thrust the vase into his arms. “Make a note… Just what Dad would have wanted.”
As Emmett staggered onto the street, the pain in his chest overwhelmed him and his legs finally stopped working. He looked desperately for Phoenix and spotted him going after the grey-haired guy. As if Phoenix had sensed Emmett was in trouble, he turned and ran back as Emmett began to fall. Phoenix caught him before he hit the ground.
“What the fuck?” Phoenix gaped at him, then looked at the blood on his hands.
“Get me…in the car. They’re going to wonder where the blood’s from…and come after us.”
Phoenix bundled Emmett into the rear of the vehicle.
“Oh my God, he stabbed you,” Harry gasped.
Blood was still coming out of Emmett, and it hurt.
“Don’t close your eyes. Don’t go to sleep.” Harry lifted Emmett’s eyelid. “Don’t walk down any tunnels of light. Don’t die!”
But Emmett knew that was what was happening. For the second time since he’d come back.Oh shit.
Emmett came round slowly. When he opened his eyes, both Harry and Phoenix were staring down at him. He was still in the car, covered in blood, and he was in pain. A lot of pain.Ah damn.
