When he woke with a start, Lek found himself lost for a moment in a fog of deja vu and in complete darkness. The carriage lights were flickering as the train made its descent into the tunnel under La Manche. He gently rubbed his bruised eyes and was comforted by the feeling of Crystal sleeping next to him. How could she still smell so wonderful? he asked himself. The lights flashed on again briefly, and Lek noticed in that instant that they had company: somebody was sitting across the table from them. In the darkness, he heard the shuffling of the pages of a newspaper. Again the lights flashed on, long enough for Lek to make out the headline on the front page: "London Club Owner Shot Dead," and "England Bids for 2052 World Cup" on the back. Darkness once more. The sound of the engines echoed in the tunnel and the lights came back. That was the moment when Lek realised that it had all been for nothing: that all was lost and he would never escape. The gentleman reading the newspaper in the seat opposite was missing the middle finger of his right hand. The lights flickered again and a voice in the darkness whispered, "Tell me, is this seat taken, Doctor?"
THE END.
About the author.
Peter Bouvier works as a social media consultant and writer.
This is his first novel for adults, but you can read his work for children at Tales from Tikulo Peter lives in Spain with his wife Abigail and his children, Joseph and Audrey.