PROLOGUE
She gripped her bag tighter as the bus slowed down and the doors slid open. She walked up the steps. The bus was uncrowded but full.
An empty seat by the back.
She settled back and sighed. She had a long way to go ahead of her. Far, far away from the reach of any who could ever have gotten close to her, even the ones she wanted close to her.
She had a long, lonely way to go before she could finally get to where she wanted to be.
****
FOLLOWING HER
The girl noticed him for the second time when she walked out of the library. She ducked into the sweetshop and peeped out through the window.
He was a well-dressed, average man. Appeared to be nearing thirty years of age. Straight, receding hair drawn back to reveal a kind, pleasant face. The kind of person you see every day in the crowd. She had seen him the first time on the bus. The seat beside him had been empty and that was where she had sat down.
Now she was staring at him again. Was it the same person? Was he following her?
Don’t be paranoid. He was probably just walking the same way she was.
He was standing on the pavement now, waiting for the light. As she watched, the lights changed, and he crossed the street. He walked right past the sweetshop without even looking at it.
Don’t be paranoid, she chided herself.
The bell by the door tinkled as she walked out of the shop. She glanced at her watch. Half past three. It was still more than a couple of hours till sunset. She had enough time. She looked into her purse. She had enough money too. She headed towards the riverside park.
She wanted to at least be able to spend the last few hours of her life being happier.
****
THE BRIDGEWAY INCIDENT
“Will you climb over the parapet and jump?”
The voice startled her!
She hastily turned around. The man from the bus was standing behind her. He was saying something.
“Are you going to jump?”
“Who the hell are you?! Why are you following me?!”
“I’m not…following you..”
“Shut up, you creep! I saw you on the bus and back in the street again! What’s your deal?!”
“I saw you typing on your phone when you were sitting next to me on the bus. I hadn’t meant to peep, but… But I saw your words… and I wondered if you were really going to-”
A passing bus drowned out the rest of his words.
The lights on the bridge were starting to come on now. The twilight was soft and purple. The bus slowly rumbled past.
“I wish you wouldn’t jump off.”
“You have no right to be telling me what to do! You creep! You’ve been following me the whole time, haven’t you? Don’t you have any shame? Reading somebody’s texts and sneaking over my shoulder to – to intrude on my privacy?! How dare you?!”
“I’m sorry I followed you, but I had to know if you were just writing something really freaky or if you meant what you said… I didn’t mean to scare you. But all that… All that is immaterial now.
Would you please step a little farther away from the edge? It’s getting dark.”
She looked down. The river seemed a million miles away from her. She wondered whether the fall would kill her or the water would. Her head felt faint now. She didn’t have the strength to fight with some strange stalker anymore. She stepped away from the parapet.
He held out his hand to her. She didn’t take it. She slowly backed away from the edge, and started to walk away. Her legs felt weaker with every step.
She stopped. Sat down by the side of the road. The evening seemed to grow colder by every passing minute.
He stood and stared at her. She was shivering in her short sleeves.
“Do you have a place to go to?”
She nodded.
“I’ll drop you off there.”
No protest. He looked around for a cab.
She got up.
“Why are you helping me?”
“Because I don’t want to see you dead. I have seen too much of that. Don’t worry. I’ll only drop you off at wherever it is you stay… I am a good guy.”
He smiled. She stared back at him blankly.
A taxi slowed down in response to his outstretched hand. He opened the door for her.
She hesitated for a moment. She looked around her, at the dark sky, at the river beneath them, at the streetlights.
She climbed into the taxi.
*****