Golden Year

This story takes place in the present and future, and is narrated by both Brendan and Ste in future chapters.

I would also like to take this opportunity to tell everyone that I am deleting my story "The Pact" and also am going to finish my other story "To Care for You" but it may take some time as I am having a creative juices problem at the moment.

Hope you enjoy this story and please review as you see fit :)

London 2011:

The sirens pierce through my eardrums. Everywhere people are fleeing from the city and yet I am still here because I can't find him, where has he gone? I told him to wait at the flat and we would make our way to the airport together – we would flee together and be happy. Maybe they have taken him! I'm running through the dusty streets; trying to avoid the masses of people running towards me; throwing me off balance. I dig my heels further into the broken tarmac and continue – I'm not leaving without him!

Police are telling me that I can't go through there – through our street, into our flat .I don't care for their rules this is an impulse and I can't fight it. I need to know where he is, he could be hiding and waiting for me in the flat – loyal as ever. I push past. Nothing will stop me now – I am seeing red. I pull down the police tape and crash my way through the door into our hallway – well what remains – it's dusty like most of London now and I can barely see to make my way upstairs. I'm hoping he's here, I'm begging God to let him be here, safe.

Our bedroom door is charred. If I'm not careful it could fall on top of me – or worse on him. I open the door tenderly and peer behind. Our bedroom, sanctuary, our place of work, rest and play has been destroyed. All that remains is the burnt remnants of our clothes, pictures, precious memories of holidays, years of our lives together are gone and apparently so is he…

I can't think where he would go. He doesn't have any friends or family in the city we left them behind in Hollyoaks. This was supposed to be to be a new life, a new start – together and now ironically we are apart. I go to one of the many crisis stations dotted around the city and ask if they have found him but the response is vague and they are obviously over demanded for, so I will have to find him myself.

Where to start? I survey the sites around me, the chaos and confusion the fires have caused is a muffling the sound in my ears. I rub my face in desperation, it is red raw because I haven't slept for twenty four hours – I've been searching for him. Body bags collect around me and all I can do is hope that he got away, that they haven't hurt him.

I gingerly rise to my feet and stumble along the broken tarmac of the once clean streets and I don't know where I am going – so please don't ask, all I want to do is shout and hope that somewhere he can hear me. I want climb as high as possible because then maybe I will see him so I make my way back to our flat. Behind the dustbins near the back of the flat there is a ladder – so I climb up to the top of the building and stand by the edge. The scene is unlike any other I have ever witnessed. People are fighting for their lives, for the lives of their loved ones and they are searching like me for the lost.

I draw a breath in, hold it for a second and then scream at the top my lungs:

"STEVEN! STEVEN WHERE ARE YOU!"

I can feel tears running down my face but I don't care – I'm crying for Steven. Hoping he will notice and come back to me. Suddenly I hear footsteps and I'm on guard because it is dangerous in London now. I stand rigid – ready to attack, but then I see the uniform and I relax. It is a policeman.

"Mr Brady?" He asks cautiously. His face black and eye white with intent.

"Yes" I reply staring in the whites of his eyes.

"I need you to come with me sir… we have found someone."

"Steven?" I ask – not caring that my eyes are tearing again.

"Please sir…" He holds out his hand for me and I return it with mine.

We make our way down the fire escape of the flat and into the back of a police car. I feel safe now and I hope and pray to God that Steven is too…