Every step you take, p.24
Every Step You Take, page 24
I don’t want to be thinking such unkind thoughts about Thea, but something just adds up in my head.
Thea knew the syntax of Otto’s messages to me because she was the first person I showed them to. She saw the types of messages he was anonymously sending via Instagram, so it probably wasn’t too difficult for her to take on his persona. And I wouldn’t have seen the frayed edges because I was so convinced that Otto was the only one behind it. I feel like such a fool.
She’s been the closest thing to a best friend I’ve had in almost a year, and I don’t know what I’ve done to cause her to act out like this. I am no threat to her chances in the team, and maybe I’ve just been naïve to think she was being a good friend; maybe it was all fake from the very beginning and I was just so lonely that I overlooked the deceit.
But where does that leave me? Hypothetically, if she is somehow involved then she doesn’t want me to reach the finish line, which is only two and a half miles away now, so if she is planning something, then that moment is rapidly approaching.
As is the Blackwall Tunnel, in very close proximity.
A shadow crosses my soul. Although closed to traffic today, it is the only place along the route where spectators are prohibited from watching the race. And with no obvious motorbike and cameraman nearby, that stretch of tunnel would provide perfect cover if Thea wanted to do me harm.
As if reading my mind, she glances back over her shoulder at me, and, maybe I’m just imagining it, but I’m sure I spot a momentary grin.
I try look behind me, hoping to spot another pair of legs gaining on us; at this point, I wouldn’t even care if Kat has found a second wind, as there’s no way Thea would lash out at me with a witness around. But there’s no sign of Kat, nor any other runners for that matter.
The tunnel is coming up so quickly, and my instinct tells me that I’m not safe to be alone inside with Thea. What if she’s carrying some kind of weapon? What if this has been her plan all along? To get me somewhere alone where she can carry out her plan? Surely that’s the only logical reason for why she allowed me to catch up to her in the last mile.
I look down at my watch, and stab at the screen, desperate to get hold of Zara and tell her everything, but the number fails to connect and a message flashes up on the screen to tell me I have no signal. Is that just because I’m in a patchy area for the network, or is this all part of Thea and Seb’s plan?
I’m running out of options as the roof of the tunnel looms ever closer. I can stop running, and hope that Thea continues on through without slowing, but how will I know that she’s exited and isn’t just waiting for me inside? I could wait until someone else catches up to me and then head through beside them, but how long will I have to wait? I’m already in danger of not hitting the qualifying time, so I really don’t have any time to waste. That only leaves me with one other option: I need to outpace Thea and hope I have enough energy reserves left to get me through to the other side and the next race marshal.
I’m so exhausted already and I know I have barely enough energy to complete the course, let alone accelerate, but I have no other choice. I’m going to have to time it carefully. The only thing currently in my favour is that Thea doesn’t know that I know what she’s planning. Maybe the element of surprise will be enough to see me past her and out the other side. The only thing I can’t be certain of is how much energy she has in reserve. I know for a fact that she hasn’t been running to her ability today, and if I try to accelerate and she manages to keep pace with me, there will be nothing preventing her achieving her aim.
‘I’m sorry,’ I offer as the underpass looms.
‘Sorry for what?’ she pants back without looking at me.
‘What I said about your brother. It was just me getting my wires crossed, I guess.’
She doesn’t answer, and I’m not really expecting her to. Deep down, I now have real belief that she’s involved, even though every bone in my body is desperately hoping I’ve got it wrong. My apology is as false as her; just trying to buy myself some time before I make my move. The longer I leave it, the better chance I have of making it back to daylight.
The tunnel is approximately 1,350 metres long and should take about four and a half minutes to run, but given the sheer exhaustion I’m currently feeling, I’ll be lucky if I can complete it in that time.
‘He’s lucky to have a big sister so willing to back him,’ I puff, desperately trying to keep my legs from bursting into a sprint too soon. ‘I certainly know how lucky I feel to have a friend like you supporting me. I know it sounds lame, but you’ve become like a sister to me.’
I cringe at the cheesiness of the statement, but my desperate mind is hoping I can trick her into thinking I don’t suspect her or Seb, and so she decides not to carry out her plan. If I can play on her empathy, then maybe I can keep her from lashing out.
My phone vibrates, and I dare to look at the message on my watch, but the words blur and I have to blink several times. Even when my eyes focus, I still don’t believe the words that stare back at me.
DROP OUT OR THE BOMB TRIGGERS.
REPORT IT AND MORE WILL DIE.
My mind immediately pictures the devastating scene in Boston in 2013 when two brothers set off pressure cooker bombs. Three people were killed and many others maimed. The message has come from a withheld number again, so she’s clearly ditched the plan to hold Jamie and Finn accountable. But is this threat real or just a last, desperate bluff?
Surely, my friend wouldn’t sink to such depths. But then has she ever really been my friend? How long has she been planning my downfall, and more alarmingly, why? What have I ever done to warrant such vitriol and anger?
I look at her, but she isn’t holding her phone, so the message must have come from Seb. We enter the tunnel, but I slow, no longer sure of my own mind. The absence of people here is alarmingly apparent. My heart races. What if it’s planted…
‘Is this you?’ I yell at her, pointing at my watch.
She slows before stopping.
‘Finally! The penny drops.’
I’m not expecting her to outright admit she’s been behind the messages, and I’m temporarily speechless.
‘Drop out of the race, Molly. There’s no shame in it. Drop out now or there will be consequences.’
‘A bomb. You expect me to believe you’re a terrorist of some kind and have planted a bomb along the route?’
She doesn’t answer, but there’s a twinkle in her eyes.
‘I’ll tell the police. I’ll tell Zara what you’ve done.’
‘Good luck with that. The fact that there’s no evidence won’t exactly help you.’
‘I have the messages on my phone. That’s all I need to show her.’
‘Oh, please, do you really think Seb will allow those to stay on there? The software he installed the day he fitted the doorbell will take care of any breadcrumbs.’
‘Why are you doing this to me? I thought we were friends.’
She scoffs at this, but no explanation is forthcoming.
I’m wasting valuable seconds not running. I’m about to start again, when she steps in front of me.
‘Drop out or you’ll regret it, Molly. We’re not messing about here.’
I look beyond her shoulder at the long length of tunnel ahead of me. If they were going to set off a bomb, this would be a prime location, but why would they want to set off a bomb in London and throw the whole city into chaos? Even without evidence, if I told Zara what she’s admitted to then they’d definitely investigate the two of them, and would Seb really be able to keep quiet under cross-examination?
Kat can’t be much further behind us, and I can’t afford to let her get ahead of me. And I can’t allow Thea to bully me into giving up my dream. I push past her, and start to run again, my leg muscles straining under the need for me to rest.
With a deep breath, I stretch my legs longer, pumping my arms with all my might, willing the lights in the ceiling to pass by quicker.
‘Where do you think you’re running off to?’ she calls out from behind me, and I quickly realise she has started running again.
I want to get away from her, but having her behind me and out of sight makes me much more vulnerable to an attack. I don’t believe she has planted a bomb in the tunnel, but that doesn’t mean she hasn’t planned something else. A coming together that can be innocently explained away afterwards.
‘Run, rabbit, run,’ I hear her voice echo around the chamber, and the shock in it gives me the impetus to keep swallowing up road.
But I have no choice now. If I slow, she’ll catch up to me and I’ll be at her mercy, powerless to stop her doing whatever she intends.
‘I’m coming for you, Molly. I will catch you.’
I’ve lost count of the passing seconds, as I focus on just staying ahead of her at all costs. My legs will give in at some point; my lungs are already burning under the strain. But if I can just get back out into the sunlight, I’ll have survived.
Have I overestimated her ability to catch me in a head-to-head race? I dare not look back in case she’s just attempting to lull me into a false sense of security. I just have to focus on the road ahead. That’s all I have left.
47
NOW
21 April 2024, Victoria Embankment, London – Mile 25
Every step I take feels like I am running through tar. My head is screaming out for my body to move at pace, but it’s like someone has hit the slow-motion button and I can no longer continue. My body shifts awkwardly as my arms continue to pump by my sides, but I can’t raise my knees as quickly. I am slowing and there is nothing I can do about it.
Thea is still chasing after me, and I now have no doubt that she means me harm. The only thing I don’t know is why. Why is she so desperate for me not to finish this race? So desperate that she’d claim to have planted a bomb, knowing I will report her.
But if I can’t prove she’s involved then there’s no reason for her to try to silence me before the end of the race, right? Or is that just wishful thinking? What if she’s now panicking about the repercussions of her actions and isn’t thinking straight? What if she now thinks the game is up and decides to attack me regardless?
Emerging from the Blackwall Tunnel, it is a relief to see the sky above me, and I almost want to break down in tears to celebrate the fact that I have survived. For now.
But I can still hear Thea’s feet slapping at the road, and there’s no way she can’t be gaining on me now. We are back out in the open, but there are no supporters lining the road here, and my belief that I’d be safe if I just made it through the tunnel now feels misplaced. I don’t want to look back, but curiosity gets the better of me and I dare to sneak a glance. For a moment, I don’t see Thea back there, and it’s like my prayers have been answered, but then I realise she’s switched sides and is coming up to my right. Where are all the motorbikes that have been dogging my journey all day?
I can’t go on. My energy is spent, and I have done everything in my power to stay out of her clutches, but I have nothing left. I’d like to think she wouldn’t be stupid enough to attack me in broad daylight, but desperate people are capable of desperate measures. There was no bomb in the tunnel but that doesn’t mean she hasn’t had Seb plant one somewhere else. But where?
A flash of yellow appears up ahead, and for the first time in over a mile I see a glimmer of hope. Thea is so close now, but I’m certain she won’t attack me with a race marshal watching on. In fact, I hear her drop back as I focus my course on getting closer to him. It’s the first time I actually allow my pace to slow, as I am not sure I’ll be able to stop before I get to him otherwise.
I am breathless as I reach him. ‘There… bomb…’ I try but my brain is working faster than my respiration and the words are inaudible.
Thea flashes past, firing me a warning glare, but not slowing as she reclaims her lead.
‘Are you all right, love?’ the kindly marshal asks, the bristles of his moustache hiding his lips. ‘You need medical assistance?’
I still can’t breathe, struggling to find the composure I need to report the message.
‘Bomb… police,’ I try again, but he isn’t understanding me.
I need to know why Thea is so keen for me not to finish this race. She’s had so many chances to harm me in the run-up to today, and has shown nothing but care and empathy, albeit acted, so what is it about today that has triggered this? And is it just today or was she the one messing with me before now?
‘Shall I call for the medics?’ the marshal asks again, but I shake my head.
‘Tell the police there is…’ My words trail off as I think back to the message.
Report the bomb and more will die.
It makes no sense. If she wants to kill me then why use it as a threat? Why not just wait until I cross the line and then detonate?
With innocent people’s lives at stake, of course I would report it. Surely she knows I’d do that. I’d have to be a narcissist to keep quiet. The police will probably evacuate the area and possibly end the race early.
My eyes widen as the connection fires inside my head. That’s exactly what she wants to happen. A bomb threat at this point would cause pandemonium. It would mean I’m unable to finish the race and will miss out on the qualification time. It won’t impact her as she’s already booked her spot on the plane, as has Kat – unless I manage to finish ahead of her today.
‘You want me to call the police?’ the marshal asks, trying to interpret my breathless words.
I quickly shake my head, and I’m about to tell him not to bother when I see Kat cruise past me, her head down, her running almost rhythmic as she concentrates on swallowing the final miles.
Thea knows better than anyone how long I’ve been dreaming about qualifying for Paris; how my heart is set on it. Revenge is a dish best served cold and what better way to extract revenge than by seeing me humiliated and broken by failing to achieve my dream?
I don’t know why she is doing this to me, but I know she will do anything to stop me finishing the race. Me reporting a bomb threat will end the race prematurely and guarantee I don’t qualify, and I will be the cause of my own downfall. I can practically see Thea cackling at that, and it’s all the more reason why I don’t believe the bomb is anything more than a bluff. Of course, if I’m wrong, then it isn’t just my life I’m putting in danger.
48
NOW
21 April 2024, Victoria Embankment, London – Mile 26
I try phoning Zara because I want her at the finish line to arrest Thea for what she’s done. Even though I can’t prove it, if Zara knows who she’s looking for, that should help narrow her search for evidence. I hate the thought of Thea getting away with this.
Zara doesn’t answer her phone, so I once again leave her a message, hoping she hears it in time.
I refuse to look at my watch as my broken body pounds the road. I’ve passed the entrances to Southwark Bridge, the Millennium Bridge, Blackfriars Bridge and Waterloo Bridge. The spectators have been cheering me on, waving their flags and singing my name as I pass, but I haven’t paused once to look at any of them or acknowledge their support. My focus is on qualifying ahead of Kat, and keeping a very close eye on Thea. If I see any sign of Seb near the finish line, then I’ll have no choice but to cave to their demands.
My trainers are rubbing against blisters on my heels and beneath my toes, and my right knee throbs with every step, but the pain is driving me on. And more importantly I am gaining on Kat. Unfortunately, the rain has returned once more, and the course is slicker than I’d like. There are so many tall buildings either side of the road, but they are offering little shelter as the wind is blowing the rain into my face; an invisible yet powerful force.
Across the water, the London Eye spins and that means I am nearing Westminster Bridge, which is where the course will bend and head towards St James’s Park. I have watched this part of the race so many times, and have always thought how flat it looks. Yet now that I’m running it, this straight section of Victoria Embankment is much steeper and more uneven and seems to stretch forever.
I groan each time my right foot connects with the road, and I really don’t want to think about the damage my obstinacy is causing. The one question I will ask myself once I cross the finish line will be: was it worth it? I guess time will tell on that one.
I look up to Kat, trying to gauge the distance between us, and either she’s somehow sped up, or Thea has slowed, because the two of them are running shoulder to shoulder, as thick as thieves. Kat made no secret of her disdain for me, but could that mean she’s been in cahoots with Seb and Thea this whole time? Is that why Thea is doing this: to help her true friend, Kat?
There is a bike and cameraman ahead of the two of them, and when he spots me, he turns his camera in my direction. I dread to think how I must look. If Jamie is watching he’ll probably be cringing, all the major sports brands deciding not to return his calls.
I can see Big Ben ahead and the time on the giant clock says it is close to 11.48, which means it’s almost two hours and twenty-five minutes since we set off. I need to hit the finish line by 11.51 or I won’t have qualified in time. Success is driven by moments like this. It is what separates the winners from the gallant runners-up. I have been through too much to have it all snatched away from me.
There isn’t a bomb at the finish line, I tell myself, pushing the memories of the Boston atrocity to the back of my mind.
