He drew back his arm, ready to thump me with all his strength.
I was drained. An easy target. I began to fall even before his fist landed on my battered face.
It’s all a bit of a blur now, but I guess he was off balance on that sloping verge. Iguess he wasn’t expecting me to crash into him. Maybe, in some desperate attempt at self-defence, I gave him a shove. I’m not sure. Anyway, we both collapsed. I grabbed hold of the bottom of the fence and stuck fast, but he tumbled down the bank. All arms and legs, he toppled towards the road.
I wonder if Robin heard the siren as a fire engine came into view and sped towards the scene of the blast. I wonder if he was dazzled by the headlamps and flashing lights. Out of control, he rolled on to the tarmac. The last thing I remember was the sound of screeching tyres and a stomach-churning thud.
I’d stopped the fireball. I’d saved myself from Robin’s fury. But I hadn’t saved the planet and I’d done nothing to save Robin. The failed protest had claimed his life.
And that was the end of the Cooler, aswell. I don’t mean I changed my views. Sprawled out on the verge, I realised I’d crossed a red line. On one side of it, people didn’t get hurt. On the other side, they did. On one side of it, you’re a protester. On the other, a terrorist. The tricky part is knowing where to draw the line.
More great reads in the
S HADES 2.0
series:
Witness
by Anne Cassidy
Shouting at the Stars
by David Belbin
Blitz
by David Orme
Virus
by Mary Chapman
Fighting Back
by Helen Orme
Hunter’s Moon
by John Townsend
Animal Lab
by Malcolm Rose
Tears of a Friend
by Jo Cotterill
Danger Money
by Mary Chapman
A Murder of Crows
by Penny Bates
Doing the Double
by Alan Durant
Mantrap
by Tish Farrell
Coming in to Land
by Dennis Hamley
Life of the Party
by Gillian Philip
Plague
by David Orme
Treachery by Night
by Ann Ruffell
Mind’s Eye
by Gillian Philip
Gateway from Hell
by David Orme
Who Cares?
by Helen Orme
Cry, Baby
by Jill Atkins
The Messenger
by John Townsend
Asteroid
by Malcolm Rose
Space Explorers
by David Orme
Hauntings
by Mary Chapman
The Scream
by Penny Bates
Rising Tide
by Anne Rooney
Stone Robbers
by Tish Farrell
Fire!
by David Orme
Invasion
by Mary Chapman
Copyright
SHADES 2.0
Four Degrees More
by Malcolm Rose
Published by Ransom Publishing Ltd.
Radley House, 8 St. Cross Road, Winchester, Hampshire SO23 9HX, UK
www.ransom.co.uk
ISBN 978 178127 473 6
First published in 2008
This updated edition published by Ransom Publishing 2013
Copyright © 2013 Ransom Publishing Ltd.
Text copyright © 2013 Malcolm Rose
Cover photograph copyright © halbergman
A CIP catalogue record of this book is available from the British Library.
All rights reserved. This ebook is copyright material and must not be copied, reproduced, transferred, distributed, leased, licensed or publicly performed or used in any way except as specifically permitted in writing by the publishers, as allowed under the terms and conditions under which it was purchased or as strictly permitted by applicable copyright law. Any unauthorized distribution or use of this text may be a direct infringement of the author’s and publisher’s rights, and those responsible may be liable in law accordingly.
The right of Malcolm Rose to be identified as the author of this Work has been asserted by him in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Design and Patents Act 1988.
M ORE GREAT SHADES 2.0 READS
Animal Lab
by Malcolm Rose
Jamie Littlewood is as bald as the monkey he’s looking after at the local animal lab. He is happy that the monkey may be the key to curing his baldness. But Jamie’s animal rights activist sister makes him think again about what is happening in the lab. What will Jamie do? Who is in the right?
Shouting at the Stars
by David Belbin
For singer Layla it’s all a dream come true. Her first album hits the big time and her concerts are all sold out. But a heckler