End of the Road (The Rozzers) Read Online Free PDF Page A

guy was still trapped in there. With Cat.
    I ran like hell.
     
    Part one of THE ROZZERS by DIEM BURDEN
    o0o

 
     
     
     
     
     
    CHAPTER FOUR
     
     
    It was a cop car, a traffic patrol car no less. The blue strobe lights were visible for miles, and I stood impatiently as it crawled past the stationary queue of traffic. Its progress was occasionally hampered by a frustrated driver who decided to do a u-turn, often right in front of the approaching cop car, despite its blaring siren.
    I’d run past the fuel-soaked car towards the start of the line of traffic. As I did so, I’d sent a silent thought of encouragement to Robin, still trapped inside, hoping he was still alive. If he was, he’d have heard the emergency siren approaching too. If I felt relieved that they were finally here, how the hell did he feel? I’d also sent Donk back to be with Smudge as they were both looking more and more stressed.
    The cop car came to a casual stop, angled across the road, its headlights illuminating the cause of the tailback. Come on guys, this is serious. I ran forwards as two male cops ambled out, both wearing fluorescent yellow jackets. They looked up and down the road, at the mess in front of them and finally at me as I approached them.
    It was probably the after-effects of the adrenalin, but I was very angry that a young soldier was lying dead out there, all alone in the darkness. I was angry that we had been so helpless and isolated, abandoned to deal with this hell alone. I was angry because they hadn’t been here doing what they were paid to do, and their seemingly casual attitude was the last straw.
    “What the hell took you so long?” I shouted. “This bloody thing…” I indicated the carnage a few metres behind me, “…happened about forty fucking minutes ago!” I wasn’t really angry at them, but, like most members of the public unexpectedly dropped into a surreal, tragic situation, I hit out at the cops, those who had arrived first to help us. It was all I could do.
    “All right, all right, son, calm down; we’re here now,” said the passenger. He was mid-thirties, calm, smart and friendly. “We came as soon as we got the call, all the way from the other side of Salisbury – we were the nearest traffic unit. Update me please; what we got?”
    I looked from him to the driver, who turned away and spoke into his pocket radio as he went to the rear of the cop car and opened the boot. I looked back at the passenger cop. Salisbury? I knew how far away Salisbury was. Seriously? You’ve come that far? I felt bad – they had actually got here very quickly indeed, considering the distance. I regretted my outburst. Update? Military speak, the training kicked in again.
    “One dead – a squaddy, out there in the darkness; nothing to be done for him.”
    The cop looked like he was about to ask me a question and I guessed what it was. How do you know he’s dead? Somehow, he knew I knew; I saw it in his eyes.
    “More importantly,” I continued, “we’ve got one man trapped beneath that lot, and I mean seriously trapped. We don’t know the extent of his leg injuries for sure, but they’re probably life-threatening although he’s conscious and talking – or he was when I last spoke to him.” I looked back. Poor sod . “It doesn’t look good. My mate’s in there with him and the place reeks of fuel – not sure if it’s petrol or diesel or a mixture of both, but it’s all over the road.”
    As I spoke, he scanned the wreckage in front of him, his mind clearly working quickly. I anticipated his next question. “The digger’s diesel, but I think the car is petrol. We can’t get him out of there; we’ve tried. We need heavy lifting gear to get that thing off him.” I glanced back at the mess and lowered my voice, “Or you’ll have to cut his legs off, if they’re still attached to him.” I paused for breath and listened as the cop spoke rapidly into his radio.
    “Believed one fatality at this