Fall of Hope (Book 1): Real Heroes Don't Wear Capes (41 page)

“
Bobby,
stop this for god's sake,” Danny squeals. His feet slide along
the vinyl as he tries to wriggle free of the clutch.

“
It's
so beautiful, you'll love it. Maybe you'll have an idea how—”

Yanking
Bobby's hand away, Danny sighs and walks away. When he turns back to
see the desperation on his friend's face and the tears in his eyes,
he grabs his arm. “Okay, if you say so, then I believe you.”

Breaking
free of the gentle touch, Bobby slips away from the door. He heads
into the hallway to grab his jacket and
Converse
knock-offs.

“
No
you don't, but it's fine. I don't expect you to.”

On
his trail, Danny swallows hard and grabs him again by his shoulder as
soon as the jacket has settled there. “We can talk about it
later, okay? I'll listen, I swear. Just come around for tea, yeah?”

“
I'll
see.”

“
Have
you
got
a better offer?” Danny tries to sound more playful, but it
sounds false.

Bobby
understands it is nothing more than an attempt to get them back on
good terms after that little blip.

He's
trying to sweep what's happened under a thick rug somewhere.

It
falls short, but Bobby cannot fault the attempt, or the care behind
it.

Maybe
I am crazy and delusional.

“
Yeah,
I've got a date with Stacy Stockman,” Bobby says without the
hint of a smile.

“
Yeah
right, she's way out of your league,” he retorts as he moves
past Bobby. “Have a bath before you come round though because
we're not having egg tonight, so you'll have no concealment.”
He laughs as he nudges Bobby's shoulder, but all he receives back is
a nod which causes his laughter to halt.

•

Bobby pauses
before
ascending the stairs to watch a young woman with red hair bend to
scoop up the child standing before her. With her naked, sun-kissed
arms raised, the woman props her against her hip as she descends the
steps. Both have rosy cheeks with a harvest of opulent freckles.
Usually a sight like that is enough to draw a smile, but today it
raises nothing but tight lips.

“
When
will we get to come and see great Nan-Nan again?”

The
mother smiles at the girl as he passes, but does not smile in his
direction. For that he is thankful.

Mrs
Colby said he could come and talk to her anytime. More than ever,
those words lend hope to his miserable situation. Perhaps she can dig
out a meaning within all this mess, or provide comfort he cannot find
anywhere else.

If
anyone can understand, it will be her.

That
is his reasoning for being here. Plus, he wants to see if the
painting is still hanging up. Despite Danny thinking he is losing the
plot, Mrs Colby will believe him.

As
he goes to knock, he notices the woman who passed must have neglected
to close the door behind her. He pushes the door inwards and sticks
his head inside to hear a nurse run down the stairs. Another shouts
from the front room in a high-pitched shriek.

“
Oh,
Bobby,” Smiles says as she comes to the door. “Did you
see the woman that came out here with a child?”

“
Yeah,
they went down there,” he says, looking back behind him and
down the road. He glances left and right, but cannot spot the red
head. “They've gone. What's happening?”

Bobby
reads the startled expression and subtle sadness. He believes this is
the first time he is seeing Smiles painting her lips into a fake
smile and he doesn't care for it one bit. In turn, his frown falls
even lower.

“
I'm
sorry, son. There was nothing anyone could have done.”

Smiles
is reaching out to comfort him. Yet, he doesn't register the act of
kindness as he barges his way through the door and past her.

“
Bobby,
wait! You shouldn't go in there.”

He
halts in the doorway with his mouth falling agape at the sight
greeting him. Mrs Colby is lying along the floor, her purple satin
pumps with the bows pointing toward the window.

She
wears them on special occasions, even if she only plans on staying in
her chair all day.

Her
chair is against the wall opposite. One nurse holds her wrinkled hand
and caresses her wedding ring with her thumb as she stares at the
motionless form.

“
Paramedics
are on their way.” Smiles touches his shoulder and issues her
apologies.

All
Bobby can do is stare at her in confusion and back down at Mrs Colby,
who still looks as though she is breathing. Her white, woollen
cardigan seems to heave up and down along with a floral black and
lilac dress at her chest.

She
has to be alive. She just has to.

“
You
sure she's—”

“
Afraid
so, love.”

“
What
happened? She was fine last time I saw her.”

“
I
know. She was fine ten minutes ago when her visitors were here, then
she fell asleep. She went peacefully, if that's what you're worried
about. I know you two were close, but you can take solace in the fact
I've never seen her as happy as she was.”

Is
death ever peaceful?

When
Smiles tries to pull him away, he stumbles backwards with her.

“
Come
on, Bobby, you shouldn't be here.”

Ignoring
her, he pulls away from her touch. He cannot remove his eyes from the
ashy complexion of the woman on the floor.

Her
hair spreads across the ground as though she floating in water. The
black with lilac dress she wears rides up her thighs. As soon as
Bobby sets eyes on the translucent flesh on show, a nurse pulls the
material back down.

Bobby
can imagine her suffering an dissociative episode while at the
window. Only, the smile still present on her lips tells him she
wasn't in an aloof state. Mrs Colby could still be alive, for she
looks immersed in a delightful dream. If he ignores her pale
complexion, he can almost hear the gentle hum of sleep noises
slipping from her lips.

As
he watches for a second, he catches the glimmer of light along the
wallpaper. Evie—the slender woman from his last visits—was
tracing her hand along the same spot.

Looking
at the nurse and back to a grief-stricken Smiles, Bobby notices
neither seem drawn to the light.

Do
they not see that?

The
light glows brighter, illuminating the side of the nurse's head and
over Mrs Colby's face.

Is
that someone singing?

It
almost sounds as though a woman is standing inside the light and
singing. Yet, not one word makes sense to him.

Mesmerized,
he forgets where he is and what is going on. He stares at the opening
where he can see Summer blooming beyond the walls. Caught up in the
beauty of it, he spots the smoky air drift up from the lifeless body
and disappear inside the light.

Well,
that's sure different from spirits floating up into the sky.
Is
that what Evie was looking for? Is there any way she could have
foreseen this?

“
She's
in there,” Smile says from beside him.

As
he turns from the wall, he spots the two men pushing their way
through the door. One holds a case of equipment, but they are both
dressed in chunky, fluorescent jackets.

“
We
will check her over and then bring the stretcher in.”

As
Bobby stands away from the door frame to allow the men to pass, he
gets a strong whiff of antiseptic mixed with salted fries.

Talking
to the nurse who is still on her knees at Mrs Colby's side, the elder
of the two inquires into Mrs Colby's name and age. Bobby loses the
conversation as Smiles touches a hand to his shoulder.

“
Come
on, Bobby. You have to go now before you get me fired. You shouldn't
be here.”

He
steps away from the door and down the darkened hallway, following her
lead. He spares a last glance back at the wall where the light was
moments ago. It is nowhere in sight now, and all that's left on the
wall opposite is the outline of where the painting was.

Although
not the best time to be asking questions, Bobby cannot help asking
where it has gone.

“
What
painting is that, love?”

“
The
one in there with the cliff and bluebells.”

“
Sorry,
Bobby, I have no idea which painting you mean. The only one hanging
inside was the one with the sun setting on a beach. I took it down to
dust it before Mrs Colby . . .”

Staring
at the brunette, confusion sits inside Bobby as he allows her to rush
him through the front door.

It
was there, I saw it. Mrs Colby saw it too.

Smiles
is about to make her way back down the hallway when he calls back to
her from the steps. “Who were the woman and girl?”

Spinning
back around in an almost frantic state, she has to gather herself and
consider who Bobby means. “Oh, her granddaughter and great
granddaughter.”

Bobby's
eyes widen in response, and he cannot help shifting on the spot.

They
came.

“
She
was as surprised as you. She was so thrilled to have seen them,
especially after waiting all that time. I don't think she could have
wished for a better day.”

With
that said, she doubles back. She digs her hands into her apron pocket
and, when she brings them back out, she holds out a folded piece of
paper to Bobby.

“
She
would want you to have this back. I found it in her hand. You must
have worked magic today.” After handing the poem over, she
smiles with extreme effort and disappears back into the front room.

He
waits as the paramedics come to retrieve the stretcher from the
ambulance and wheel it inside. Although his mind is in turmoil and
mourning, he cannot help feeling the pull to look across the road.
When he glances over, he spots a blurred shape standing where the
gate is. Upon the step to the young people's institute is a macabre
form draped in various sickening shades of red.

Bobby
closes his eyelids tight for a second, hoping to dispel the visual
horror. Yet, as he opens wide again, the ghastly figure remains
unmoved. Eyes stare out from beneath the slumped hood, watching him
and only him.

A
frumpy woman wearing a baggy t-shirt and a face full of acne strolls
by. She flicks ash toward the figure, yet it doesn't notice.