Ashes to Ashes
Chapter Thirteen
"DARRAGH! GET UP!"
Darragh woke up as Diarmuid's voice reached him, and though the haze he realised that Diarmuid sounded urgent.
The grief suddenly hit him again, harder than ever, and he felt his heart grow cold. He looked up at Diarmuid with unfeeling eyes.
"Come on!"
"What?" he asked bluntly.
"Them soldiers are back. Go. Out the back."
"No. I may as well just go now."
"Darragh –"
"The game's up, Diarmuid! It's over! You think I'm going to go back to the IRA after this?"
"I'm not asking you to do that. I'm asking you to get yourself out of here so you don't spend the rest of your life in prison! And that's if they're kind to you … Heaven only knows they'll probably just put a few bullets into you."
"At least I'll be with Oisin."
"And leave Grainne and Miceál and Aoibheann and little Caolan? That's fucking selfish, Darragh Callaghan!"
"WELL NEXT TIME YOU SEE YOUR BEST FRIEND SHOT TO PIECES DON'T COME CRYING TO ME!" Darragh screamed at him. Diarmuid grabbed Darragh by the front of his shirt and hauled him up, dragging him towards the back door.
"Get out and go!"
"Where?"
"Head for the border! Go! Now!" As Darragh was about to yank open the back door, the front door was kicked open and several policemen burst in. Diarmuid threw himself behind the table just in time, and Darragh dived for the door.
He was nearly deafened by gunshots, and as he grabbed the door handle he could see the bullets hitting the wall around him. He yanked the door open and as he did something slammed into his back. He staggered out of the door and towards the back wall, managing to start pulling himself up, despite the pain flooding through him.
Halfway over the wall, something hit him in the back again. He gasped and fell over the other side of the wall, landing with a sickening thud on the other side.
Breathing heavily, he looked up at the sky, his vision blurring. Pain ripped through him and he could barely breathe.
"God …" he muttered, gasping for air. "Jesus, no …" He pulled himself up using the wall and began staggering down the alley at the back of Diarmuid's house, trembling, his vision blurring because of all the blood he was loosing.
There was only one person he wanted to see before he went. Grainne. All he could see was Grainne.
Getting out onto one of the main roads in the area, he staggered up the road which was free from soldiers and police.
"My Lord!" he heard someone yell. There was a man sitting in a parked car next to him, who was looking at him in shock. 'Jesus, mate, you all right?' Darragh shook his head, and then collapsed to the floor. The man jumped out and ran to him, rolling him over onto his side to make his breathing easier. Darragh felt blood trickle out of the side of his mouth, and he knew he was in trouble now.
"G – Grainne," was all he could whisper.
"Who?"
"My wife … I h – have to see her,"
"Where is she?"
"Home," Darragh muttered. He tried to get up, but only got halfway to his knees before collapsing again. "You h – have to take m – me there,"
"You need a hospital, sonny!"
"I'll n – not make it," Darragh whispered. "Just bring me home, w – will you?"
"You'd seriously be better off in hospital!"
"I don't want to die alone!" Darragh managed in the strongest voice he could muster. There was a slight pause, and then Darragh was pulled to his feet.
"All right. Where do you live?" the man asked as he put one of Darragh's arms around his shoulder, supporting him as he led him to his car. Darragh managed to choke out his address, but it seemed as though his whole mouth was filling with blood.
And the pain … it was almost unbearable. Darragh had to force himself to move … every jolt sent pain ripping through him.
He was gently placed in the back seat of the car, where he allowed himself to go limp, his eyes drooping closed. The car shuddered and began to move, and Darragh didn't know how much longer he could cling on for. But he couldn’t stop fighting. He had to see Grainne's face one last time.
Darragh woke up as Diarmuid's voice reached him, and though the haze he realised that Diarmuid sounded urgent.
The grief suddenly hit him again, harder than ever, and he felt his heart grow cold. He looked up at Diarmuid with unfeeling eyes.
"Come on!"
"What?" he asked bluntly.
"Them soldiers are back. Go. Out the back."
"No. I may as well just go now."
"Darragh –"
"The game's up, Diarmuid! It's over! You think I'm going to go back to the IRA after this?"
"I'm not asking you to do that. I'm asking you to get yourself out of here so you don't spend the rest of your life in prison! And that's if they're kind to you … Heaven only knows they'll probably just put a few bullets into you."
"At least I'll be with Oisin."
"And leave Grainne and Miceál and Aoibheann and little Caolan? That's fucking selfish, Darragh Callaghan!"
"WELL NEXT TIME YOU SEE YOUR BEST FRIEND SHOT TO PIECES DON'T COME CRYING TO ME!" Darragh screamed at him. Diarmuid grabbed Darragh by the front of his shirt and hauled him up, dragging him towards the back door.
"Get out and go!"
"Where?"
"Head for the border! Go! Now!" As Darragh was about to yank open the back door, the front door was kicked open and several policemen burst in. Diarmuid threw himself behind the table just in time, and Darragh dived for the door.
He was nearly deafened by gunshots, and as he grabbed the door handle he could see the bullets hitting the wall around him. He yanked the door open and as he did something slammed into his back. He staggered out of the door and towards the back wall, managing to start pulling himself up, despite the pain flooding through him.
Halfway over the wall, something hit him in the back again. He gasped and fell over the other side of the wall, landing with a sickening thud on the other side.
Breathing heavily, he looked up at the sky, his vision blurring. Pain ripped through him and he could barely breathe.
"God …" he muttered, gasping for air. "Jesus, no …" He pulled himself up using the wall and began staggering down the alley at the back of Diarmuid's house, trembling, his vision blurring because of all the blood he was loosing.
There was only one person he wanted to see before he went. Grainne. All he could see was Grainne.
Getting out onto one of the main roads in the area, he staggered up the road which was free from soldiers and police.
"My Lord!" he heard someone yell. There was a man sitting in a parked car next to him, who was looking at him in shock. 'Jesus, mate, you all right?' Darragh shook his head, and then collapsed to the floor. The man jumped out and ran to him, rolling him over onto his side to make his breathing easier. Darragh felt blood trickle out of the side of his mouth, and he knew he was in trouble now.
"G – Grainne," was all he could whisper.
"Who?"
"My wife … I h – have to see her,"
"Where is she?"
"Home," Darragh muttered. He tried to get up, but only got halfway to his knees before collapsing again. "You h – have to take m – me there,"
"You need a hospital, sonny!"
"I'll n – not make it," Darragh whispered. "Just bring me home, w – will you?"
"You'd seriously be better off in hospital!"
"I don't want to die alone!" Darragh managed in the strongest voice he could muster. There was a slight pause, and then Darragh was pulled to his feet.
"All right. Where do you live?" the man asked as he put one of Darragh's arms around his shoulder, supporting him as he led him to his car. Darragh managed to choke out his address, but it seemed as though his whole mouth was filling with blood.
And the pain … it was almost unbearable. Darragh had to force himself to move … every jolt sent pain ripping through him.
He was gently placed in the back seat of the car, where he allowed himself to go limp, his eyes drooping closed. The car shuddered and began to move, and Darragh didn't know how much longer he could cling on for. But he couldn’t stop fighting. He had to see Grainne's face one last time.