The following morning I woke from a deep sleep to the sound of fast flowing water. Startled, I sat up and rubbed my eyes – I was alone in the bed.

"JOSH!" I shouted.

The soft shuffle of his footfall filled me with a surging sense of euphoria. He appeared in the doorway looking adorable in his white towelling bathrobe and sexy smile. He held out his hand, "Come girlfriend, I've run us a bubbling love bath," he said.

It was a wake up call I welcomed, and I realized that I was a very lucky girl as my first time was beyond perfection – it was heavenly.

###

Afterwards I felt light and floaty as I dressed; whilst Josh ordered a cab to take me home. Mum knew I'd stayed over. I'd decided to call her, as she deserved to know this truth given there would be so much more that I would have to hide from her.

Josh opened the door of the cab and kissed my cheek, "See you later, love ya," he said. I watched as he blew kisses until the cab turned the corner and he was out of my sight.

But he was firmly in my mind – a momentary thought frightened me: I really would lose my mind if anything happened to Josh. But it soon vanished at the thought that I'd be seeing him again in a few short hours.

I was to meet him at the hospital to visit Dylan. We'd spoken to his dad and learned that the bullet had resulted in a relatively superficial wound and he was recuperating, expected to make a full recovery. Donal also informed us that Dylan had been diagnosed as a Paranoid Schizophrenic just after his fithteenth birthday and his sudden halting of his medication had facilitated the traffickers to use him to their advantage. It all began to make absolute sense.

###

Mum was sitting at the kitchen table her hands clasped around a mug of tea. She looked at me strangely and I reacted accordingly, "What's up, what you looking at?" I asked, while switching on the kettle.

"You. My daughter's a woman now, you look all grown up. I feel sad," she said.

I made my tea and joined her at the table, "SAD!" I exclaimed. She stroked my arm, "You're growing up, being responsible, I'm proud of you." She smiled, "When I say sad, I mean a kind of happy sad that my bay's growing up – I can see you're happy, you're positively glowing."

She lifted her eye and asked sheepishly, "Were you responsible?" I laughed, "Yes, we were. Were you?"

She squealed, "Daughter, you can't ask me that, I'm your mother."

"Yes, I can. Were you and Mr Lacey responsible?" I repeated.

Suddenly our roles were reversed, mum looked all wrong and guilty, "We got a little carried away, I had to go for the morning after pill this morning," she said, looking ever so slightly ashamed.

After a moments pause, we both smiled at the irony and instinctively hugged. She was my mum, but she was also my best friend and I could never judge her harshly.

She unwound herself from me and asked, "Do you love him?"

I glanced at my phone, hoping to see a message from him. When there wasn't one my heart sank and the strange sense of foreboding came over me. I glanced back to mum, "Yes. Probably too much, because I've got this fear that something bad is going to happen to him," I confessed.

Mum rubbed my shoulder, "That's understandable, you lost your dad at a young age and you saw what his loss did to me." She lifted her voice, "Fate won't allow such a loss happen twice in the same family," she said, with a positive optimism.

###

But I didn't share mum's optimism. Because I knew the truth and I was fearful karma might punish me for dad's subterfuge, by having something bad happen to Josh.

And the man's words tormented me – "I'm Joshua of camberwell's nemesis."

I resisted the urge to call him. Truth being I was too frightened to call him in case he didn't answer and then my mind would start imagining all kinds of negative scenarios.

So, I distracted myself by doing my hair and make-up, ready for our 3.OClock meeting at the hospital. I couldn't wait to see him – he would be there, I reassured myself.

###

On the bus, a few stops from the hospital my phone pinged. With a racing heart I pulled it from my pocket my hand shaking. My heart soared, a text from Josh: 'Hey beautiful. Will be a little late, passing Petal Road and wanna check the basement to figure out how Dill does that devil Man illusion. See ya soon, angel bum;) XXX'

I shot up from my seat and phoned him – 'No Service.' He's already in the basement.

With wobbly legs I jumped from the bus and started running to the hospital. Clam it, Benita, I told myself.

Drop the paranoia, Benita, I said out loud as I picked up speed.

I slowed a little and hit re-dial – 'No Service.'

Images of our recent love-making flashed into my head, as if to torment me with – that was your first and last time with Josh.

Juju? No, don't believe in Juju, Benita, there's no such thing as Bad Juju!

###

The hospital grounds were teeming with: people, patients, medics and ambulance drivers. I stopped in front of a signage system and found the words: TRAUMA UNIT.

I raced towards it, aware people were having to divert to dodge me – I didn't care.

A nurse noticed my manic search, "Can I help you?" She asked.

"Yes. Dylan Goodie, he has a gun shot wound," I said, breathlessly.

Her calm was at odds with my escalating panic, "He's doing good, follow me," she said, all caring smiles and empathy.

###

She led me into a small private room and said something to me about 'needing to relax' before leaving the room.

Dad was there, dressed as Granny Grace, a headscarf tied around his prosthetics to hide the recent damage. Donal and Polly also sat around the bed.

Dylan raised his head a look of disappointment on his face, "Where's Joshua?" He asked.

The words tumbled from me, "He's at Petal Road trying to figure out how you do that Devil man illusion."

Dylan looked bewildered, "He's not an illusion, he really is the Devil," he said, totally assured in his belief.

Increasing despair made my temper rise and I directed it toward dad and Donal, "Can you two shed light on this Devil bullshit he keeps spouting?" I shot.

They looked at each other and shrugged their shoulders. Donal looked at me with a slight disapproving look, "Dylan's only just re-started taking his meds, so his thinking's still a little warped," he said, discreetly.

I kept glancing at the door, willing it to open and Josh to bound in all jovial smiles and South London chitchat.

When I looked back at the bed, Polly had stood up and all eyes focussed on her.

I sat down on a plastic chair and stared at her as she said, "He's not the Devil, but he is a real man, that's a fact."

Donal leant forward, "Who is this man, Polly?"

Her beautiful face was without emotion as she said, "He's the son of Old Man, the old man you murdered when I was a baby, at Petal Road."

I shot nervously up as Polly sat calmly down, "He visits us all the time when we live in Petal Road. He tells Dylan he's the Devil and Dill believes him because Dylan believes in fiction and I believe in fact."

###

Dad, Donal and I raced through the hospital corridors. I managed to hit re-dial – 'No Service.'

People glanced back at the sight of an old woman sprinting so sprightly, but dad didn't care, nor did Donal and I.

###

On the bike I was wedged in between them – illegally.

I constantly berated myself, why didn't you tell Josh about the incident with the man on stage, Benita?

Every red light was against us, making our journey maddeningly slow.

This is karma in action; I told myself as yet another red light halted us.

###

Eventually we turned into Petal Road and I leapt off the bike while Donal was still cruising for a parking space.

I could feel dad hot on my heals.

Kicking the gate, I slammed myself into the door, it was locked, "It's usually always open!" I shouted, sure this was an ominous sign.

"Stand back," said dad, slamming his foot into the door, which gave way with one kick.

I raced in first, but dad grabbed me, "Deep breaths Benita, I go down first, you get me?"

My breathing was heavy and I nodded, too distressed to talk.

Dad was calm and controlled, "Show me where the basement is?" But I didn't have to, as Donal flew through the door, "Follow me Javed." He looked at the blood stained walls, "I can't say it's good to be home."

Please God let him be ok, I repeated over and over as I descended the familiar steps of the Petal Road basement.

He was sitting in the same seat in which I'd first saw Dylan, back on that lonely, fateful day – my sixteenth birthday.

He stared intently at the Mac screen, undisturbed by our presence.

I couldn't hold back, "Where's Josh?" I shouted, with a shaking voice.

The man swivelled round and ignored me, "Donal Goodie and Javed Badoe, we meet again." He looked at Donal, "It's been sixteen years since you slaughtered my father in cold blood," he said. Donal nodded, "I did the crime and served my time," he answered, calmly.

The man also nodded with a calm control, "I see you don't believe in all that black magic stuff no more. Now you know my dad was just an old man who liked reading and collecting true crime stories, hoarding them. He was just an innocent eccentric old man with a morbid obsession." He stepped aside and picked up a bottle of water, "Yet you blamed him for conjuring up death; you slaughtered an innocent old man for a crime that was committed by a drug addled crack head," he said.

He unscrewed the water bottle lifted it to his lips but put it down before taking a sip, "But you know, I often wonder if dad's been working from beyond the grave, giving you all that bad luck: your kids mental health issues, your best mate, Javed's Juju involvement and all the upset it's causing his kid, the girl with green eyes," he said, pointing at me. "I'm sorry for stalking you and creeping you out like that, kid," he said, with a creepy wink.

"Where's Josh?" I asked again, my eyes pleading.

He ignored me, lifted the bottle and put it down again, "But the fact is, I don't believe my old man's working from beyond the grave. The truth is, the man who slaughtered your young wife and your subsequent crime caused all this turmoil and trauma. Your kids, your friend, and me, we're all your victims," he said.

He lifted the bottle and began to sprinkle the contents all over him.

Dad pushed me toward the door.

The man was dripping wet.

"Please, where's Joshua?" I begged.

The man pointed upwards, "With a beautiful girlfriend like you, I should imagine he's upstairs, in heaven," he said.

Heaving sobs exploded from me.

The man held aloft a cigarette lighter, "Don't cry. Instead, save yourself from this Hell!" He screamed.

With lightening speed that surprised and disarmed dad and I, he dived on Donal, flicked the switch, creating a crescendo of flashing flames.

Dad grabbed me over his shoulder and hurled us both up the stairs; the sound of searing screams emanating from the basement hell.

Dad locked the door behind us, causing a vacuum that fanned the flames, hastening their deaths and reducing their suffering. They had no chance.

I ran down the hallway, ignoring dad's chanting, "Get out, Benita!" But a compulsion drove me upstairs in search of Josh – I couldn't let him burn alive.

"Benita, get out, the place is going up fast!" I ignored him and dived into the main bedroom, screaming, "JOSH!"

Room empty.

Dad's shouting was drowned out by the sound of the Macs all-exploding simultaneously in the basement.

I slammed into the second bedroom, "JOSH!" Fully aware that if he's bound and gagged he couldn't answer back.

Room empty.

The third room – empty.

My eyes began to sting and the sulphurous smell of smoke invaded my nostrils as I approached the bathroom – locked!

It wouldn't wield to my kick.

My eyes began to water and spluttering coughs weakened my kick.

Dad's hands grabbed me as I hurled my body at the door. He hauled me kicking and screaming down the stairs and through the hallway, which was fogging with black, billowing smoke.

###

Outside, the fresh air gave me physical relief, but my emotional hurt was severe. I gulped great lungful's of air, and while dad was doing the same, I lunged back towards Petal Road.

He caught me and slammed me to the ground, "Josh is in the bathroom, I can't live without him." I howled. He held me in a vice like grip as Petal Road was consumed by roaring, furious flames.

A rippling vibration coursed down my leg – my phone. I managed to wriggle it free despite dad's grip.

Dad relaxed his hold on me, and I slammed the phone to my ear without looking at the screen – "Where are you, B?" His voice triggered electric shocks that coursed through my body causing me to physically convulse with a euphoric pulse.

All I could manage was a trembling, "I love you."

"I love you more. Where are you? I can't find Dill's ward."

"You texted you were going to Petal Road," I said, feeling woozy.

"I did go, the door was locked. Where are you?"

"I'm at Petal Road."

"What you doing there?" He asked.

"I'm walking away from Hell. I'll meet you at yours and I'll tell you everything," I said, as the sound of approaching fire sirens compelled dad and I towards the bike and away from the scene.

Josh's voice rose into a loving vibrato, "I'll see you there: at ours, our home, our haven, our heaven – do you get me?"

"I do!" I said, confident that we'd both be sharing those two words sometime in our future.