Hater (Hater #1)

Hater (Hater #1) Page 28

FRIDAY

27

Not sure what time I finally went to sleep. I lay on the bed for hours trying (and failing) to make sense of everything that's happening. I must have looked at the alarm clock a hundred times or more in the night. I watched every hour tick by...

'Dad.'

I'm still half-asleep but Ed wakes me up. I sit up quickly. What's wrong? What's happened? I rub my eyes and try to focus on my son's face. The room's dark but I think he's okay. I look down and see that Lizzie's still sleeping next to me in bed. She seems okay too.

'Dad,' he says again, annoyed that I haven't answered.

'What's the matter?' I mumble. 'Are the others all right?'

He nods. What he wants to tell me has obviously got nothing to do with Ellis or Josh.

'The telly's bust,' he grunts.

I slump back on my pillow, relieved. Is that all? Thank God for that.

'What's the matter with it?' I ask, struggling to sound interested.

'Can't get a picture.'

'Is it plugged in?'

'Yes,' he groans, 'I'm not stupid.'

I'm too tired to pick him up for being rude.

'Have you checked the cables at the back?'

'I haven't touched them. It was working yesterday, wasn't it?'

'What about the telly in your bedroom?'

'Can't get the channel I want on my telly. Come on Dad, get up.'

'I'll come and have a look in a couple of minutes,' I yawn. 'Let me stay here for a bit longer...'

'But my programme's on now,' he protests. 'Please, Dad.'

I close my eyes for a few seconds longer but it's obvious that I'm not going to get any peace until Ed's got the TV fixed. Cursing under my breath I get up and stumble across the cold bedroom floor and down the hallway, side-stepping Harry as I meet him by the kitchen door. Ed follows then pushes past me as we reach the living room. He picks up the remote control and switches on the TV.

'See...' he says, flicking through the channels.

I sit and stare at the screen.

'What's the matter?' Harry asks, as he wearily drags himself into the room after us.

'Telly's broke,' Ed tells him.

'It's not broken,' I say as I flick through the channels.

'Have you checked the aerial?' Harry suggests.

'There's nothing wrong with it,' I tell them both, 'look.'

Harry moves around so that he can see the screen. And now he can see why I've been staring. It's the same thing on every channel. A black screen with stark white text.

REMAIN CALM

DO NOT PANIC

TAKE SHELTER

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