By the time we got back to the park we had been away for over an hour. The boys were gone and Denzil was lying on his side, facing the bushes, away from the bench. We sat on the bench. Chrissie leant back and looked up at the sky, letting out a long breath into the air.

"Thanks for coming with me," she said, ruffling the top of my head, "I normally go on my own but it was nice to have someone with me. I've not taken anyone before." She smiled at me, not a smile of happiness, but one of helplessness, a woman with no control over the things in her life that made her sad.

She turned her attention to Denzil.

"Where're the nippers, Denz?"

No response.

"They gone for more booze have they?"

No response.

"Denz - I hope you told them to get me my cider," Chrissie shouted louder. Still no response. She got up and walked over to Denzil, nudging him in the back with her foot.

"You drunk yourself into a state already have ya, mate?" She pulled him towards her, gravity toppling him onto his back.

"Holy shit," Chrissie screamed. Denzil's face was dark red and black with blood. There was a stream of it oozing out of a large gash just below his hairline on the right hand side of his forehead. The worst thing, that I didn't notice at first, was his left eye, which had come out of its socket and was hanging over his cheek. Chrissie ran off, towards the phone box.