First he heard people talking around him, then he managed a moan, then he gathered the power to move his arms and legs millilitres at a time. His head throbbed. His eyes seemed glued shut. He couldn’t breathe through his nose and his throat was sore. And all the time something black and nasty pulsed in his veins, something that could surely not be true. He forced his swollen eyes open. Sophie’s tear-streaked face came into focus. The black thing in his veins flooded his heart at the sight. ‘He’s gone, isn’t he?’ he croaked. Sophie burst into sobs and sagged onto his chest. Chris struggled to slide his arm around her back. She was alive, that was one good thing, and he swore to himself he would keep it that way. He held her close, feeling her body heave. But Lachlan was gone and that was all wrong. Chris knew that he was the one who should be dead and Lachlan should be safe at home with Sophie. Lachlan hadn’t done anything. Lachlan wasn’t the one who should be paying. Sophie said through her tears, ‘Can you remember anything?’ Chris turned his pounding head.
