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swivelling on leaden legs. It
came towards Jody but lost its footing as flames overwhelmed it. It picked
itself back up again, but Jody stood her ground, ready to repel its attack with
a melon-sized rock taken from a nearby overgrown rockery. She shifted position
awkwardly as she waited for it to reach her and she lifted the rock high, ready
to bring it crashing down on the back of the abhorrent thing’s head.
    It didn’t get that far.
    Consumed by billowing
flames, the monster dropped to its knees then fell flat. Jody watched the fire
for a while longer, hypnotised by the bright light and unexpectedly comforting
heat.
    When she looked up, she
realised it was getting dark. It was spitting with rain, too.
    When she looked up, she
realised she was alone. Gary was back inside with Charlie and the kids. Her kids.
    ***
    The children were alternately scared and
excited. Being here was an adventure. Most importantly, they were with Dad. The
time they spent with him had been at a premium since he and Mum had had that
big falling out after the Christmas before last. Being with him now helped them
block out everything else that was happening.
    In some ways the three
adults were more scared than the kids. Emotions, grudges and regrets had been
put to one side and temporarily forgotten; conveniently shelved until normality
returned. If normality returned. But cabin fever was setting in, and the
atmosphere frequently became fractious. ‘You don’t really need to stay here,
you know,’ Gary said, watching his ex-wife across the kitchen table.
    ‘What, you think I’m
going to leave my kids with you? No bloody way.’
    ‘I’ll be here too,’
Charlie said (and immediately wished she hadn’t).
    ‘No, thanks,’ Jody
snapped. ‘No offence, love, but I hardly know you. Like I said, I’m not going
anywhere.’
    ‘Great,’ Gary said, and
he shoved his chair back and fetched himself another beer.
    ‘Is that a good idea
with everything that’s going on?’ Charlie asked.
    ‘Fucking great,’ he said
as he stormed out of the room. ‘Now I’ve got both of you moaning at me.’
    They watched him leave.
‘Sorry,’ Jody said to Charlie. ‘That was my fault.’
    ‘Not a problem,’ she
said, and it was clear it wasn’t. ‘As it happens, I’m with you. If it was my
kids I wouldn’t want to go anywhere either.’
    ‘We can’t stay here
indefinitely, though.’
    ‘You can. At least until
things have calmed down again, anyway.’
    ‘I think he’d have
something to say about that,’ she said, gesturing at the door through which
Gary had just disappeared.
    ‘Leave him to me.’
    ‘With pleasure,’ Jody
said instinctively. She stopped herself. ‘Sorry. My bad. It’s just that he’s
caused me so much shit over the last eighteen months, so much hurt... it’s hard
to change my tune just like that, you know?’
    ‘I know. If it’s any
consolation, it’s been as hard on him from what I’ve seen. He acts the big man,
but I’ve seen him in tears over those kids on more than one occasion.’
    ‘Yeah, I’m sure you
have...’
    ‘Anyway, no more
arguments, you’re staying here until this whole sorry mess gets sorted,
agreed?’
    ‘Agreed.’
    The conversation
faltered, and for a while the silence weighed heavy on the room. ‘So what do we
do?’ Jody eventually asked. ‘Do we all just sit here and wait?’
    ‘Don’t see we have much
of an option,’ Charlie replied. ‘Way I see it we should—’
    More screams. Upstairs
this time. Jody thundered up to the bedrooms, but Gary was there before her.
Holly was standing on the landing, soaked through. ‘Nightmare,’ he explained.
‘She wet the bed.’
    ‘Oh, sweetheart. It’s
okay.’
    Jody instinctively
reached out for her daughter but Gary blocked her. ‘I’ve got this,’ he said as
he picked up his little girl. She buried her face in his chest, still crying.
    And Jody could only look
on helpless as he carried Holly into the bedroom he and Charlie shared and