Carol wasn't in a bad mood that day, work wasn't great but nothing unusual there, just the normal everyday crap, nothing that exciting yet nothing that would precipitate a crisis. The only thing that was really wrong with the day was that it was raining, hard.
It was dead on 1pm when Carol left her desk and walked the short distance to the town centre, luckily the rain had eased slightly although an umbrella was still a necessity. Carol’s mind was busy concentrating on what shops she had to go to in her hour and whilst she was doing that she was also working out the best route to take so that she wouldn’t be forever putting her umbrella up and down.
Unfortunately it was the worst time to go into town, 1pm was the most popular time with the majority of workers streaming out of the offices to get their hour of respite before the afternoon commenced. The narrow paths around the shops were becoming difficult to navigate, what with the number of people around and the fact that they all had their umbrellas up to stop their precious hairstyles from getting damaged.
Carol walked the further distance first of all, deciding that it was the most sensible and practical option. Before she entered the shop, Carol let her umbrella down, shaking it quickly outside the doors so that she didn't drip excessively on the store carpet. Though she was more concerned about not getting her suit wet than the store carpet. Walking purposely to the back of the store Carol managed to avoid bumping into anyone else and catching her soaking umbrella on their clothes.
Standing there looking at the rails of socks in front of her, trying to make the biggest decision of her day so far, should she go for the stripy ones or the cartoon version? Carol’s brain was working really hard, for the first time in the day it had been called into action and it wasn't keen to do any work. In the end Carol picked up a pair of stripy socks and a pair of cartoon ones, it was the easiest solution and one that her brain favoured as it required the least amount of work.
As Carol left the shop she had to put up her umbrella once again, glancing up skywards it didn’t seem likely that there would be any change in the foreseeable future, the heavy black clouds looked set in. Carol dodged in between the crowds, umbrellas banging accidentally against one another, Carol was frantically trying to remember where she needed to head to next. Boots, some brown hair dye was urgently needed to cover up the two strands of grey that she had found this morning.
Carol was amazed at how quickly the time had passed, on her way out of the supermarket, she glanced at her watch and suddenly saw that she only had seven minutes to make the ten minute walk back to the office. With her left hand carrying three bags of shopping and her right hand concentrating on holding her umbrella, Carol gingerly made her way across the road and back towards the office.
Walking quite quickly Carol tried her best to avoid everyone else who was walking towards her, lifting her umbrella up high and turning it to one side in order to ensure that she didn’t catch anyone. But then she encountered a situation that she could see no way out of.
The two women had just left the restaurant and were standing in the doorway preparing to open their umbrella; just beyond them there was a young couple making their way rapidly up the street. Carol thought that she would make it past the women in time and be able to provide enough space for the couple to pass, unfortunately that didn't happen.
The two women had managed to get their umbrella open and Carol stopped briefly to allow them put it above their heads, in the meantime the young couple attempted to pass. The girl muttered to herself as she barged past; then the guy pushed her umbrella with such a force that she tumbled into the two women.
Now Carol wasn't one that would normally rise to such provocation, but any mild-mannered person would have had to have the patience of a saint not to respond to such action. "Oi, do you mind?" The two women helped Carol steady herself as the three of them looked at the young man, waiting for his response. "Fuck off!" The two women looked in shock at Carol but she hadn’t expected anything else. "I suppose you want me to be shocked by that response?” "I don't care what you think, if you stupid people with your umbrellas didn't take up all the space then we wouldn't have a problem." He started to walk purposely towards her and suddenly Carol felt incredibly intimidated. "Well it's better than getting soaking wet." "Like me 'cause I have no brolly?" There was no time for Carol to reply for the next thing she knew was that she was looking up at the black rain clouds, her feet pointing up at the sky and her head had crashed against the hard concrete pavement. "Quick someone get an ambulance, she's been shot!" Everyone had scrambled into the various shops as the shot rang out. It was not a common sound to hear on the streets of Ipswich and nobody had noticed where the gunman had fled.
Pandemonium had broken out in Ipswich town centre; people were screaming, running in no particular direction whilst Carol lay on the pavement, staring at the rain falling on her injured body. She managed to turn her head to look down at the right side of her belly, her hands were clasped over the wound but she could see the blood mixing with the rainwater as it ran into the gutter beside her. "Ok love I'm here to help you what's your name?" Carol moved her head slightly and saw a male paramedic crouching down beside her. "Carol." "Right then Carol let's see what we can do to help you feel a little better." Carol felt a hand on her head as she started to drift in and out of consciousness; she desperately wanted to stay alert so that she could find out her chances of survival. Carol's worst fear was to fall asleep and never to wake up again.
The police in Ipswich were not really prepared to deal with this kind of situation, added to that was the fact that the incident had happened at the worst point in the day. They had immediately searched around but they could find no sign of the gunman, even though they had been provided with deadly accurate descriptions from the two women outside the restaurant. After about twenty minutes people began to emerge from the various shops, satisfied that it was now safe to walk the streets of Ipswich once again. It was a strange atmosphere that had descended on the east coast town; complete strangers were talking to one another checking that they were okay and how the people back at the office were not going to believe what had just happened in the quiet town.
Nate ran, fast, he found himself sprinting down Lower Brook Street, heading for the docks. High on a lethal cocktail of drugs he had no idea of the consequences of his actions. The gun was still stuck in his hand as he ran, the girl who he had met when he had brought the drugs was nowhere to be seen but Nate didn't care. Dodging between the cars as he moved, if he got hit then Nate consoled himself with the fact that his drug filled body would probably withstand the pain. Nate sprinted down to the waters edge, stopping himself just in time before he fell into the murky water below. Standing, staring at the dirty rubbish filled dock Nate was breathing fast and heavily as he tried in vain to find some composure in order to chuck the gun into the water. He didn't know how he managed it but he looked around and ensured that there was nobody watching, unfortunately the adrenalin rushing around his body was stopping his hand from relinquishing the gun into the water.
Carol knew that she was in an ambulance, the jerking movement was a clue but the loud piercing sound of the sirens was the real clincher. At least she had survived this far; this was not how she wanted to end her life, only 28 years old and shot on the mean streets of Ipswich. In any other situation Carol would have burst out laughing at the thought but then she realised that it really had happened and she had the hole in her stomach to prove it. Luckily the pain had eased slightly due to the fact that the paramedics were now pumping her full of drugs. "Right then Carol, not long now, we'll be at the hospital in a minute then you'll be in safe hands. Carol are you still with me?" "Yes, don't worry I don't think that I'm going anywhere for an hour or two!" "Good, now you keep up that smile and I'm sure that we can find a nice male nurse or two to look after you!" Carol closed her eyes, but only for a second, she felt incredibly weak but from somewhere she found the strength to keep fighting to stay alive. It was an inner strength that Carol didn't know that she possessed but then she had never been in a position like this before so it was difficult to judge where it had come from, though she wasn't going to complain.
There was no sign of the shooter, the police questioned everyone who was around the area at the time but other than the two women outside the restaurant, nobody saw anything, apparently they were too busy diving for cover to see what had occurred. The area where Carol had been shot had been taped off and officers were on their knees searching for clues, carefully picking their way along the pavement whilst also avoiding the blood that had seeped from Carol's body.
Two minutes later Nate was still standing at the edge of the docks, peering over the edge, playing chicken with his legs; how far could he bend over before he fell? The combination of drugs and adrenalin in his body were causing him to sweat profusely, the gun nearly slipped out of his hand and into the water before he was ready to consign it to the grotty dock. "Hey Nate steady down, calm hands." He steadied his legs, the world around him was spinning wildly, he would have to wait until it stopped so that he was certain that when the gun was thrown it entered the docks and not the disused factory behind him. Crouched down on the ground, moving his body so that he lay with his stomach pressed against the dirty concrete, and his head leaning over the edge; at last he had stopped the spinning. Nate moved his right arm up and over his head so that it was dangling over the edge, looking down he could just about make out the reflection of the gun on the oily water. Nate knew he had no option other than to chuck the gun, even through his drug-induced mind he had worked out that he had shot someone and that the only way to escape was to throw the gun away before the police caught up with him. "Suppose that we had better say our goodbyes friend." Nate kissed the barrel of the gun and then watched it plop and sink into the water, his means of self-protection now gone Nate had to get some more drugs into his body so that he could dull the memories of the past half an hour.
The ambulance was pulling up outside the hospital, Carol was still awake and alert as to what was happening to her as they took her out of the vehicle and rushed her into the hospital room. There was a great deal of shouting and talking going on all around her but she decided to ignore it, instead Carol concentrated on a ceiling tile so that she could ensure that she remained strong and alert no matter what happened to her. Carol didn't want to see any of the horrific things they were doing to her body, as if she was that then she would certainly lose consciousness.
The police had covered every inch of ground in the area where Carol had been shot, unfortunately the rain had washed the majority of the evidence away, there had been no sign of the bullet so they presumed that it was still lodged in Carol's stomach somewhere. There remained a highly visible police presence on the streets of Ipswich just to reassure the public even though they were no closer to finding the gunman or the gun.
Carol was still staring at the ceiling, the bright light that was aiding the doctors didn’t shake her gaze, though the drugs that were flowing through her body were beginning to make her feel drowsy, but she couldn’t fall asleep, not yet. “Right Carol we are going to have to take you up to be operated on.” Carol shifted her gaze from the ceiling and down to the doctor. “The bullet is still lodged in your stomach and we need to remove it straight away. Don’t worry you’ll be fine.” Carol felt tears well up in her eyes, she had no control over the situation now, they were going to put her to sleep. Carol just hoped that she would wake up again.
Nate picked himself off from the ground and peered for one last time at the water that had just enveloped his prized gun. The distant sound of sirens caught his attention and he started to run once again, heading over Stoke Bridge and towards Rectory Road. Nate had to get another hit soon otherwise there was going to be no way that he could survive the rest of the day. As he turned and ran up the small incline he slowed down, Nate had to ensure that he had some money otherwise he was exhausting himself for nothing. Five minutes later he was outside the flat, banging loudly on the door until an eye peeped through the secret hole. “Come on Squid, open up, it’s me Nate.” “Ok Ok hang on a minute.” The solid metal door creaked open just wide enough for Nate to squeeze through and enter the squalid flat. “Listen Squid I need some stuff now, I don’t care what it is just give me something!” “Yeah no problem, hey you ok?” “Just had a little problem in town, had to get away quick before the police caught up with me.” “Shit Nate, am I going to have this place raided any minute now?” “No worries Squid like I said I just need some stuff to calm me down a bit.” “You got the cash?” “Yeah.” Nate reached in and dragged some crushed notes from his jeans pocket, laying them on the table where Squid did his business. “Cheers, there you go.” Squid put the merchandise on the table just before Nate snatched the bag up and left as quickly as he had arrived.
Slowly Ipswich town centre was returning to some semblance of normality, though certain shops were eerily quiet. Though the police were no closer to finding the gunman or the reason behind the senseless attack. That was until a report came over the radio over a guy matching their description acting suspiciously down by the docks. Immediately virtually the whole of the Ipswich police force descended on the docks but they were too late. It was obvious as to what had gone on there, the gun had been thrown away but where had he then gone?
Carol was being moved from the A&E department in order to get her ready for the surgery that would rid the bullet from her body. She knew that this was serious, all the tubes attached to her body and a monitor making sure that her heart was still beating, this wasn’t a good sign. Carol never thought that she would get shot in Ipswich, the worst that she ever heard about was the odd beating and maybe an occasional stabbing, but guns, guns were the stuff of movies. Carol started to think that maybe this was all a bad dream, that any minute now she would wake up and face disciplinary measures for falling asleep at her desk. But then Carol started to drift into another world; she was drifting off to her perfect dream world. “Carol, Carol. Stop guys she’s arrested!” Carol couldn’t keep her eyes open any longer; all the strength that she had managed to find earlier had suddenly abandoned her. She was desperately trying to fight to stay alive but she knew that maybe this would be a fight that she wouldn’t win. “Stand clear everyone.” The doctor shocked Carol’s body but there was no response; he tried again. “Right we’ve got her back, let’s get up her to surgery immediately.” Carol knew that she had got a second chance, her life wasn’t over yet. She did not want to die here, lying prone and cut open on an operating table. All her dignity wide open for the whole world to see, Carol wasn’t going to let herself die in the hospital.
Nate had put the drugs in his pocket and made his way towards Bourne Park and his little hangout that he had created there. The rain had eased to a drizzle but Nate’s clothes were sodden from earlier though that was one of the last things on his mind. Walking into the park Nate headed straight to the football changing rooms; luckily for Nate it was years since anyone had used them for that use. Nate sat on a bench, cowering from the wind he got himself organised. After a minute he was ready for the rush that was about to come. Nate was slumped on the bench; needle hanging out of his arm, slowly he faded away into a different world; Nate had just embarked on one journey too far.
The police were searching round the docks, desperately trying to find some evidence of who had been there and if they had been involved in the shooting. The wet conditions were hindering them and a few officers were starting to believe that they were wasting their time, so when they received a call about a suspected drug overdose in Bourne Park those officers were the first to respond to the boring mundane call.
Carol’s eyes were firmly shut now; the anaesthetic had done its dirty deed and sent Carol into a deep, but not peaceful, sleep. The choice of whether Carol lived or died had now been squarely placed on the shoulders of the surgeon who just begun to operate on her. Carol never thought that her day would turn out like this, she had chosen to live in Ipswich because it seemed to be a safe place to live, the very fact that she was shot in broad daylight in the town centre over an argument about an umbrella contradicted that completely. Carol had no idea if she would ever wake up again, she tried to fight to stay alive but all her strength had been sapped from her.
The two officers knew exactly where to head to when they entered the park, it was no great secret that this was a drug hangout, they just didn’t have the resources or inclination to deal with the problem. “Oh great this one looks like a goner!” “Yeah well let’s wait for the ambulance before we start to pronounce him.” “Hey Steve look at him, do you see what I see?” “I’m on it already.” The officer got on his radio immediately to tell everyone that they had found the suspected gunman.
The ambulance with Nate inside pulled up outside the hospital, unfortunately there was no great rush to get him inside. Elsewhere in the hospital Carol laid prone on the operating table, the surgeon had taken over fighting for her life and was fighting hard but he knew that it was not going to be enough.
The second metal door slammed shut, this was a sad day, the heavy rain cascading outside summed up the mood of the whole town. One young woman shot dead, the young man who had shot her had just arrived in the morgue, dead from a heroin overdose. The morgue attendant shook his head in disbelief; this wasn’t supposed to happen here.